Monitoring and maintaining health (B6.3) | OCR GCSE Biology A (Gateway Science) — Foundation (J247)

B6.3 Monitoring and maintaining health

Summary Diseases affect the health of populations of both humans and plants. Scientists are constantly on the lookout for ways of preventing and combating disease. The prevention of disease in plants is important so that we are able to grow healthy plants enabling us to feed ourselves and enhance our environment. The understanding of how disease is spread, how our bodies defend themselves against disease and how immunity is achieved is essential to enable us to combat potentially fatal diseases spreading throughout whole populations. Non-communicable diseases also have an impact on the health of the population. The prevention of these diseases is frequently discussed in the media, with advice being given to us on how to reduce our risk of contracting these diseases through our life-style choices and discussion of new technologies.

Underlying knowledge and understanding Learners should be familiar with the effects of ‘recreational’ drugs (including substance misuse) on behaviour, health and life processes, the impact of exercise, asthma and smoking on the gas exchange system and the consequences of imbalances in the diet, including obesity, starvation and deficiency diseases. Common misconceptions Research has shown that learners tend to view all micro-organisms as being non-beneficial. They tend to consider health as just physical and do not consider mental health. Learners also confuse which diseases are inherited and which are caught. They see cancer as a genetic disease.

Reference	Mathematical learning outcomes	Mathematical skills
$BM6.3i$	$translate information between graphical and numerical forms$

translate information between graphical and numerical forms

construct and interpret frequency tables and diagrams, bar charts and histograms

understand the principles of sampling as applied to scientific data

use a scatter diagram to identify a correlation between two variables

calculate cross-sectional areas of bacterial cultures and clear agar jelly using πr2

B6.3a describe the relationship between health and disease

B6.3b describe different types of diseases

communicable and non-communicable diseases

B6.3c describe the interactions between different types of disease

HIV and tuberculosis; HPV and cervical cancer

B6.3d explain how communicable diseases (caused by viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi) are spread in animals and plants

scientific quantities, number of pathogens, number of infected cases, estimating number of cases

B6.3e explain how the spread of communicable diseases may be reduced or prevented in animals and plants

detection of the antigen, DNA testing, visual identification of the disease

B6.3f describe a minimum of one common human infection, one plant disease and sexually transmitted infections in humans including HIV/AIDS

human infections: one example of each viral, fungal, bacterial plant diseases: viral tobacco mosaic virus TMV, fungal Erysiphe graminis barley powdery mildew, bacterial Agrobacterium tumefaciens crown gall disease

B6.3g describe physical plant defence responses ☑ to disease

leaf cuticle, cell wall

B6.3h describe chemical plant defence responses ☑

antimicrobial substances

B6.3j explain how white blood cells and platelets are adapted to their defence functions in the blood

Learning outcomes	To include	Maths	Working scientifically	Practical suggestions
$B6.3k describe the non-specific defence systems of the human body against pathogens$
$B6.3l explain the role of the immune system of the human body in defence against disease$
$B6.3o explain the use of vaccines and medicines in the prevention and treatment of disease$	$antibiotics, antivirals and antiseptics$		$WS1.1g, WS1.1h$	$Research into whether children should be routinely vaccinated?$
$B6.3p explain the aseptic techniques used in ☑ culturing organisms$	$use of alcohol, flaming, autoclaving of glassware and growth media, and measures used to stop contaminants falling onto/into the growth media (e.g. working around a Bunsen burner)$	$M3d, M5c$	$WS1.1h, WS1.2c, WS2a, WS2b, WS2c, WS2d$	$Investigation into growth bacterial cultures using aseptic techniques. (PAG B1, PAG B7)$
$B6.3q describe the processes of discovery and development of potential new medicines$	$preclinical and clinical testing$	$M2d, M3d, M5c$	$WS1.1d, WS2a, WS2b, WS2c, WS2d$	$Investigation into growth bacterial cultures using aseptic techniques. (PAG B1, PAG B7)$
$B6.3r recall that many non-communicable human diseases are caused by the interaction of a number of factors$	$cardiovascular diseases, many forms of cancer, some lung (bronchitis) and liver (cirrhosis) diseases and diseases influenced by nutrition, including type 2 diabetes$
$B6.3s evaluate some different treatments for cardiovascular disease$	$lifestyle, medical and surgical$	$M2g, M2d$

B6.3k describe the non-specific defence systems of the human body against pathogens

B6.3l explain the role of the immune system of the human body in defence against disease

B6.3o explain the use of vaccines and medicines in the prevention and treatment of disease

antibiotics, antivirals and antiseptics

Research into whether children should be routinely vaccinated?

B6.3p explain the aseptic techniques used in ☑ culturing organisms

use of alcohol, flaming, autoclaving of glassware and growth media, and measures used to stop contaminants falling onto/into the growth media (e.g. working around a Bunsen burner)

WS1.1h, WS1.2c, WS2a, WS2b, WS2c, WS2d

Investigation into growth bacterial cultures using aseptic techniques. (PAG B1, PAG B7)

B6.3q describe the processes of discovery and development of potential new medicines

preclinical and clinical testing

WS1.1d, WS2a, WS2b, WS2c, WS2d

Investigation into growth bacterial cultures using aseptic techniques. (PAG B1, PAG B7)

B6.3r recall that many non-communicable human diseases are caused by the interaction of a number of factors

cardiovascular diseases, many forms of cancer, some lung (bronchitis) and liver (cirrhosis) diseases and diseases influenced by nutrition, including type 2 diabetes

B6.3s evaluate some different treatments for cardiovascular disease

lifestyle, medical and surgical

Learning outcomes	To include	Maths	Working scientifically
$B6.3t analyse the effect of lifestyle factors on the incidence of non- communicable diseases at local, national and global levels$	$lifestyle factors to include exercise, diet, alcohol and smoking$	$M2c, M2d, M4a$
$B6.3u describe cancer as the result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division$
$B6.3v discuss potential benefits and risks associated with the use of stem cells in medicine$	$tissue transplantation and rejection$		$WS1.1c, WS1.1d, WS1.1e, WS1.1f, WS1.1g, WS1.1h, WS1.1j$
$B6.3w explain some of the possible benefits and risks of using gene technology in medicine$	$practical and ethical considerations$		$WS1.1c, WS1.1d, WS1.1e, WS1.1j$
$B6.3x discuss the potential importance for medicine of our increasing understanding of the human genome$	$the ideas of predicting the likelihood of diseases occurring and their treatment by drugs which are targeted to genomes$		$WS1.1c, WS1.1d, WS1.1j$

B6.3t analyse the effect of lifestyle factors on the incidence of non- communicable diseases at local, national and global levels

lifestyle factors to include exercise, diet, alcohol and smoking

B6.3u describe cancer as the result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division

B6.3v discuss potential benefits and risks associated with the use of stem cells in medicine

tissue transplantation and rejection

WS1.1c, WS1.1d, WS1.1e, WS1.1f, WS1.1g, WS1.1h, WS1.1j

B6.3w explain some of the possible benefits and risks of using gene technology in medicine

practical and ethical considerations

WS1.1c, WS1.1d, WS1.1e, WS1.1j

B6.3x discuss the potential importance for medicine of our increasing understanding of the human genome

the ideas of predicting the likelihood of diseases occurring and their treatment by drugs which are targeted to genomes

WS1.1c, WS1.1d, WS1.1j

Learning outcomes	To include	Maths	Working scientifically
$B6.3a describe the relationship between health and disease$
$B6.3b describe different types of diseases$	$communicable and non-communicable diseases$
$B6.3c describe the interactions between different types of disease$	$HIV and tuberculosis; HPV and cervical cancer$	$M4a$
$B6.3d explain how communicable diseases (caused by viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi) are spread in animals and plants$	$scientific quantities, number of pathogens, number of infected cases, estimating number of cases$	$M2c, M2g$	$WS1.4b$
$B6.3e explain how the spread of communicable diseases may be reduced or prevented in animals and plants$	$detection of the antigen, DNA testing, visual identification of the disease$	$M2c$	$WS1.4b$
$B6.3f describe a minimum of one common human infection, one plant disease and sexually transmitted infections in humans including HIV/AIDS$	$human infections: one example of each viral, fungal, bacterial plant diseases: viral tobacco mosaic virus TMV, fungal Erysiphe graminis barley powdery mildew, bacterial Agrobacterium tumefaciens crown gall disease$
$B6.3g describe physical plant defence responses ☑ to disease$	$leaf cuticle, cell wall$
$B6.3h describe chemical plant defence responses ☑$	$antimicrobial substances$
$B6.3j explain how white blood cells and platelets are adapted to their defence functions in the blood$

Monitoring and maintaining health

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Learning Objectives