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What is the basic purpose of a phase II clinical
trial?
Test the drug's effectiveness
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Where inside of a cell is protein made?
Cytoplasm
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What is the link between cell differentiation and cancer?
The more differentiated a tissue is, the lower the likelihood of metastatic cancer
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What causes the increase in risk for cancer when one smokes and drinks?
Smoke causes DNA mutations
Alcohol stimulates proliferation of damaged cells
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What do proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have in common?
Regulate cell growth
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How do most cancers begin?
From mutations
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What is angiogenesis and who discovered it?
When the tumor induces blood vessels to grow towards it
Judah Folkman discovered it
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What percentage of cancers is currently believed to have a dietary link?
30%
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What is the greatest risk factor for cancer?
Age
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What is the single most important reason for the increase in cancer incidence rates today?
Increase in life expectancy
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Which two cancers account for the annual increase in childhood cancer rates?
Leukemia and brain cancer
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What is the most successful cancer screening test in existence today?
Pap smear test
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Why are cells that line the intestines, stomach, and hair cells affected by chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy kills all rapidly dividing cells
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Which procedure reduces lymphedema in breast cancer patients?
Sentinel lymph node procedure
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What is the probability of inheriting a defective cancer gene such as BRCA from a parent?
50%
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What characterizes an AIDS diagnosis?
CDR less than 200 or viral load greater than 55,000
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Standard HIV tests look for what in patient blood?
Antibodies
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Although sub-Saharan Africa accounts for only 12% of the world’s population, what percentage of AIDS deaths occurs there?
70%
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Which country is a good example of a proper HIV prevention strategy?
Thailand (& Uganda)
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What is the function of the viral protease in HIV?
To cut up the DNA in order to create new virus cells
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Which two HPV strains are found in over 90% of all cervical cancer cases?
16 & 18
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Cancer is an umbrella term that refers to over 100 diseases that share what characteristics?
- Uncontrolled growth of cells
- Ability to invade other tissues (metastasis)
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Which cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and which cancer has the lowest survival rate?
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of deaths
- Pancreatic has the lowest survival rate
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What are therapeutic vaccines?
Prolong life
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How do HIV antiviral inhibitors work?
Fusion inhibitor prevents cell entry
- NRTI – inserts faulty base
- NNRTI – physically blocks transcription process
Integrase inhibitor prevents integration of virus DNA with host DNA
Protease inhibitor prevents cutting of DNA strand
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What does the “window period” of HIV infection entail?
- Time before seroconversion
- Tests come out negative because no antibodies yet
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Injection drug use accounts for what percentage of HIV infections worldwide?
7%
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What are the different types of lung cancers and their relative prevalence?
- Non-small cell carcinoma (85%):
- Adencarcinoma (40%)
- Squamous cell (30%)
- Large cell (15%)
Small cell carcinoma (15%): most deadly, but more responsive to chemo and radiation
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What makes up a modified live vaccine?
- Attenuated strains grown to be non-pathogenic
- Stimulate natural immune response
- Effective, but can negatively impact
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What are the different types of cancers based on tissue type in which they originated?
- Carcinomas (85%): cancers of epithelial cells;
- - squamous cells (line mouth, esophagus, airways)
- - adeno cells (lining of glands; stomach, ovaries, kidneys, prostate)
- - transitional cells (bladder and urinary system)
- - basal cells (layer of the skin)
Leukemias: blood cells
Lymphomas: lymph nodes
Sarcomas: connective tissues; bones, cartilage, muscle
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What is post exposure prophylaxis in HIV treatment?
If exposed to high-risk behavior, can take anti-retrovirals
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What is DNA?
Genetic info that codes for proteins
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What are the characteristics of the p53 gene?
- Regulate apoptosis
- Enforce checkpoints
- Many cancers have this mutation
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Which cell types have the most telomerase?
- Cancer cells
- Fetal and embryonic cells
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What is the normal function of BRCA genes?
DNA repair genes
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What are the normal functions of TS and PO genes?
- Stop cell at checkpoints
- Cause cell to grow
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What is currently driving the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia?
Sex workers and injection drug use
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What are the characteristics of a benign tumor/can they be problematic?
- Non-metastatic and can’t do angiogenesis
- Problem in brain and other organs because pushes and causes pressure
- Won’t spread but can cause death
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What are the characteristics of tissue differentiation?
- Hypertrophy: increase in cell size; normal orientation
- Hyperplasia: increase in cell number; normal orientation
- Dysplasia: disorganized growth
- Neoplasia: disorganized growth; net increase in number of diving cells
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Where are your cellular chromosomes located inside of a cell?
Nucleus
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How do mutations in tumor suppressor genes cause problems?
Loss-of-function mutation (lost the break)
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What is carcinoma in situ and how is it different from metastatic cancer?
Cancer hasn’t spread; not metastatic
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Why are blood and body fluids able to transmit HIV?
Free viruses in them, or CD4 cells that contain viruses
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What is the mechanism of how obesity increases one’s risk for cancer?
- Insulin is growth factor; it gets increased
- Apoptosis decreases
- Cell proliferation increases causing tumor development
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In what ways can HIV be passed from a mother to her child?
- In utero (crossing placenta)
- At birth
- Breast milk
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Which type of skin cancer is responsible for the majority of fatalities and which type is the most common?
- Melanoma is most deadly
- Basal cell carcinoma is most common
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What were the major outcomes of the AIDS vaccine phase III trial in Thailand last year?
- No difference in viral load between two groups
- No statistical significance of survey after you remove those who did not take all 6 doses
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What is cancer’s most deadly weapon?
Metastasis
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How many people have died from AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic?
25 million
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