Molecules, Transport and Health

Biological Molecules: Water, Carbohydrates and Lipids

understand the importance of water as a solvent in transport, including its dipole nature · know the differences between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides (glycogen, amylose, amylopectin); relate structures to roles in energy supply and storage (β-glucose and cellulose not required in this topic) · know how monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose) join to form disaccharides (maltose, sucrose, lactose) and polysaccharides via condensation/glycosidic bonds, and how these split via hydrolysis · know how triglycerides are synthesised by ester bonds between glycerol and three fatty acids; saturated vs unsaturated lipids · CORE PRACTICAL 1: semi-quantitative Benedict's test for reducing sugars and iodine test for starch using colour standards

Mass Transport: the Mammalian Heart and Blood Vessels

understand why many animals need a heart and circulation (mass transport overcoming diffusion limits) · understand how the structures of capillaries, arteries and veins relate to their functions · know the cardiac cycle (atrial systole, ventricular systole, cardiac diastole) and the structure/operation of the mammalian heart, including major blood vessels (myogenic detail not required at IAS)

Haemoglobin and Oxygen TransportSign up

understand the role of haemoglobin in transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide · understand the oxygen dissociation curve, the Bohr effect, and the significance of the higher oxygen affinity of fetal haemoglobin compared with adult haemoglobin

Atherosclerosis, Blood Clotting and Cardiovascular DiseaseSign up

understand the course of events leading to atherosclerosis (endothelial dysfunction, inflammatory response, plaque formation, raised blood pressure) · understand the blood clotting process (thromboplastin, prothrombin → thrombin, fibrinogen → fibrin) and its role in CVD · know risk factors for CVD: genetics, diet, age, gender, high blood pressure, smoking, inactivity · understand the link between dietary antioxidants and CVD risk · CORE PRACTICAL 2: investigate the vitamin C content of food and drink

Health Data, Diet and CVD TreatmentSign up

analyse and interpret illness/mortality data to determine health risks; distinguish correlation from causation; recognise conflicting evidence · evaluate study design used to determine health risk factors (sample selection, sample size, validity, reliability) · understand why perceived risks often differ from actual risks (underestimation/overestimation in heart disease) · analyse data on blood cholesterol, HDL/LDL levels and the causal evidence linking cholesterol/LDL to CVD · understand how scientific knowledge of diet (BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, exercise, smoking) is used to reduce CHD risk · know the benefits and risks of CVD treatments (antihypertensives, statins, anticoagulants, platelet inhibitors)