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UPPCS Biology Gap Sheet: Human Diseases: Diagnosis, Medicines and Treatment.
UPPCS has asked 26 of these. 7 have not been asked yet. Lock the first list, then read the second: it holds what UPPCS has not used yet.
First, the concept
A diagnostic test measures a particular signal: electrical activity, antibodies, genetic material or tissue structure. A positive result must be read with the purpose and limits of the test.
Treatment depends on the cause. Antibiotics target bacteria, antivirals target selected viruses, and pain relief does not remove an infection. Cancer treatments are chosen for the tumour and patient; no one method treats all cancers.
✅ Already asked (26)
Tests and their limits
- ECG · Records electrical activity of the heart; does not directly image heart anatomy.
- EEG · Records brain electrical activity.
- EMG and EOG · EMG records muscle electrical activity; EOG measures eye-related electrical potentials.
- Audiogram and mammogram · Audiogram charts hearing thresholds; mammogram is breast X-ray imaging.
- BMD and DXA · Bone mineral density testing helps assess osteoporosis; DXA is a common technique.
- Mantoux test · Tuberculin skin test for TB infection; cannot alone diagnose active TB.
- ELISA · Detects specific antigens or antibodies; used for HIV and many other infections.
- Widal test · Detects antibodies related to typhoid; limited specificity, not reliable confirmation alone.
- MRI · Uses magnetic fields and radio waves; no ionising X-rays.
- CT and ultrasound · CT uses X-rays; ultrasound uses high-frequency sound.
- Endoscopy · A camera-equipped instrument examines internal surfaces.
Drug classes and treatment
- Penicillin discovery · Fleming observed antibacterial action of Penicillium in 1928.
- Sulphonamides and chloramphenicol · Antibacterial drugs; do not treat ordinary viral colds.
- Quinine and artemisinin · Quinine comes from Cinchona bark; artemisinin from Artemisia annua; treatment choice depends on malaria type and resistance.
- Analgesics and antipyretics · Paracetamol reduces pain and fever; it is not an antibiotic.
- Beta blockers · Reduce selected effects of adrenaline; used for certain cardiovascular conditions.
- Paclitaxel · Taxol is an anticancer drug originally isolated from yew.
- Radiotherapy · Ionising radiation damages tumour DNA; cobalt-60 is a gamma-ray source.
- Iodine-131 · Used for selected thyroid disorders because thyroid tissue takes up iodine.
- First human heart transplant · Christiaan Barnard performed it in Cape Town in 1967.
Disease mechanisms
- Gout · Urate crystals in joints cause inflammatory arthritis; not all arthritis is gout.
- Cataract · Clouding of the eye lens; distinct from raised-pressure glaucoma.
- Leukaemia · Cancer of blood-forming tissues; abnormal cells commonly arise in bone marrow.
- Toxic metals · Minamata: methylmercury; itai-itai: cadmium.
- Blue baby syndrome · Nitrate-related methaemoglobinaemia reduces oxygen carriage, especially in infants.
- Epidemic dropsy · Argemone oil contamination of edible oil can cause systemic illness and oedema.
❌ Not asked yet (7)
Items marked 'asked in other exams' have come in UPSC or other state exams, not yet in UPPCS.
🔒 7 items not asked yet
Tests and their limits: 2 · Drug classes and treatment: 5
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⚠️ Mantoux indicates immune sensitisation, not proof of active TB; hydroxychloroquine is synthetic and is not a proven COVID cure.
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