HOMEOSTASIS & FEEDBACK LOOPS
What is homeostasis?
Maintaining stable internal conditions in the body
Which system uses electrical impulses for quick responses?
Nervous system
What is a pathogen?
A microorganism that causes disease (e.g., bacteria, virus, fungus, parasite)
What is hand hygiene used for?
To reduce the spread of infectious diseases
What does a vaccine introduce into your body?
An antigen or weakened/inactivated form of a pathogen
Give one example of how your body maintains homeostasis
Sweating to cool down, shivering to warm up, adjusting water or glucose levels
Name two main endocrine glands.
Pituitary and thyroid glands
Name one infectious and one non-infectious disease.
Infectious: influenza; Non-infectious: diabetes
What is quarantine used for during outbreaks?
To keep infected people separate and prevent disease spread
What is the term for a disease outbreak in a single region?
Epidemic
What is negative feedback, and give an example.
A process that reduces changes; Example: insulin lowers blood glucose after eating
True or False: The endocrine system works faster than the nervous system.
False
How are infectious diseases transmitted? Name two ways.
By contact, air (cough/sneeze), water, vectors (e.g., mosquito)
Why is vaccination important for public health?
It creates immunity and helps prevent outbreaks
What was the recent pandemic called?
COVID-19
How does the body regulate blood glucose after eating a meal?
Insulin is released to lower blood glucose levels
How do the nervous and endocrine systems work together to maintain homeostasis?
Nervous system sense changes; endocrine system uses hormones for longer-term responses
Why can’t you catch non-infectious diseases from other people?
Non-infectious diseases aren’t caused by pathogens and can’t be transmitted
Name two public health strategies for disease control.
Hygiene measures, vaccination, public health campaigns, quarantine
What is herd immunity
When enough people are immune, disease spread is stopped/protected in the community
Compare positive and negative feedback loops (with examples).
Negative feedback reverses a change (e.g., temperature goes up, body cools down); Positive feedback amplifies a change (e.g., blood clotting, childbirth contractions)
Name the major organs of the nervous system and describe their roles.
Brain (controls and coordinates), spinal cord (transmits signals), nerves (carry messages)
Compare and contrast infectious and non-infectious diseases (examples and causes).
Infectious: caused by pathogens, can be spread (e.g., tuberculosis); Non-infectious: not caused by pathogens, not spread (e.g., cancer)
Explain how hygiene, quarantine, and vaccination together help limit disease spread.
They work together to prevent infection and control disease in a population
Describe how modern medicine has improved disease prevention and treatment.
Vaccines, diagnostic technology, and new treatments (antibiotics/antivirals) have made diseases easier to prevent, diagnose and treat