Blog 2: Sense Disease

Angle-Closure Glaucoma

Angle-closure glaucoma is a condition in which the iris in the eye shifts and blocks the exit passageway of the aqueous humor, the fluid that fills the eye. This fluid blockage causes a rapid build-up of pressure in the eye.
Angle-closure glaucoma is an emergency condition that requires immediate medical treatment to preserve vision.

http://services.epnet.com/getimage.aspx?imageiid=7503

Causes

Though scientists are unsure of the exact causes of glaucoma, there are factors that may affect the chances of contracting this disease:

• Narrowing of the drainage angle in the eye—Aging and being farsighted are two causes of this narrowing.
• Being born with narrow angles
• Injury to the eye

Risk Factors

A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition. The following factors increase your chance of developing angle-closure glaucoma:

• Family history of narrow angle glaucoma
• Glaucoma in one eye—This increases the risk of developing glaucoma in the other eye.
• Ethnic background—Asians are at greater risk of angle-closure glaucoma.
• Injury to the eye
• Eye drops used to dilate the eyes
• Certain systemic medications

Symptoms

Patients with narrow angles experience few or no symptoms until the disease has progressed to an acute angle-closure attack. Symptoms of this may include:

• Severe pain in the eye
• Facial pain
• Pupil not reacting to light
• Blurred or cloudy vision
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Redness and swelling of the eye

http://www.aao.org/theeyeshaveit/red-eye/images/angleclosure-glaucoma.jpg

Diagnosis

Tests are performed to accurately diagnose the symptoms that seem to fit the criteria for glaucoma.

• Eye exam
• Tonometry —to determine intraocular pressure
• Slit lamp examination—the use of a low-power microscope combined with a high-intensity light source, allows a narrow beam that can be focused to examine the front of the eye
• Gonioscopy—the use of a special mirror to view the drainage angle of the eye

http://www.mdeyedocs.com/closedangle.jpg

Treatment

Angle-closure glaucoma requires emergency medical treatment to preserve vision. See an ophthalmologist immediately if you have any signs or symptoms of an angle-closure glaucoma attack. Treatment options include:

• Medications—Eye drops, pills, and sometimes even intravenous drugs are often administered to reduce intraocular pressure.
• Surgery—Surgery (usually done by laser) may be used to stop or prevent an attack of angle-closure glaucoma.

Source: http://www.doctorsofusc.com/condition/document/237328

Topics: Favorite, Least Favorite, Change, Accomplishments

Favorite topic: I liked learning about sex because I am immature and I like having reasons to talk about the penis. I also liked learning about diseases because they made me Google terrible pictures of things and they brought out my inner hypochondriac. Topics like these are useful to everyone, even those who are not going into the medical field.


Least favorite: I enjoyed pretty much all of the topics we covered, but the brain chapter was especially difficult for me because of the long names. That made me enjoy it less because on quizzes I could not even think of what the names of the brain parts might sound like.


Change: I did not like the amount of projects we had this semester because it was difficult to manage my time. Sometimes, I did not even have the supplies for the projects. I don't have a camera to film an infomercial and it is hard to attain one.


Biggest accomplishment: My biggest accomplishment in anatomy and physiology this year is surviving. I thought the class would be easier because I already took biology and AP biology, so I would have the basics. However, evidently the body has many parts and the most difficult part was remembering the names of those parts.

Nutritional Disease

BOW Find a nutritional disease, i.e. scurvey Describe the cause of the disease, the symptoms and a treatment. Include a picture and references

 Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic. Scurvy often presents itself initially as symptoms of malaise and lethargy, followed by formation of spots on the skin, spongy gums, and bleeding from the mucous membranes. Spots are most abundant on the thighs and legs, and a person with the ailment looks pale, feels depressed, and is partially immobilized. As scurvy advances, there can be open, suppurating wounds, loss of teeth, jaundice, fever, neuropathy and death.


http://www.med.uc.edu/departme/cellbiol/Image7.gif

Early symptoms are malaise and lethargy. After 1–3 months, patients develop shortness of breath and bone pain. Other symptoms include skin changes with roughness, easy bruising and petechiae, gum disease, loosening of teeth, poor wound healing, and emotional changes. Dry mouth and dry eyes may occur. In the late stages, jaundice, generalized edema, oliguria, neuropathy, fever, and convulsions, and eventual death are frequently seen.


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Scurvy can be treated by eating vitamin C-rich foods, such as fruits. A vitamin C injection can be administered.


http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/262403/large/M2600035-Scurvy_affecting_gums_of_the_human_mouth-SPL.jpg

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155758.php

Difference Between Cell Mediated and Humoral Immune Systems

The humoral immune response (HIR) is the aspect of immunity that is mediated by secreted antibodies (as opposed to cell-mediated immunity, which involves T lymphocytes) produced in the cells of the B lymphocyte lineage (B cell). B Cells (with co-stimulation) transform into plasma cells which secrete antibodies. The co-stimulation of the B cell can come from another antigen presenting cell, like a dendritic cell. This entire process is aided by CD4+ T-helper 2 cells, which provide co-stimulation. Secreted antibodies bind to antigens on the surfaces of invading microbes (such as viruses or bacteria), which flags them for destruction. Humoral immunity is so named because it involves substances found in the humours, or body fluids.


Source: http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/87/21787-004-A544CE16.gif

Cell-mediated immunity is an immune response that does not involve antibodies but rather involves the activation of macrophages, natural killer cells (NK), antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, and the release of various cytokines in response to an antigen. Historically, the immune system was separated into two branches: humoral immunity, for which the protective function of immunization could be found in the humor (cell-free bodily fluid or serum) and cellular immunity, for which the protective function of immunization was associated with cells. CD4 cells or helper T cells provide protection against different pathogens. Cytotoxic T cells cause death by apoptosis without using cytokines, therefore in cell mediated immunity cytokines are not always present.
Cellular immunity protects the body by:

1. activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes that are able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor antigens;
2. activating macrophages and natural killer cells, enabling them to destroy pathogens; and
3. stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive immune responses and innate immune responses.

Source: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~castillo/NotesImages/Topic5NotesImage4.jpg

Source: http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/bugl/immune.htm

What kind of thinker are you?

Thinker quiz : what your results say about you
	Some people have a strong preference for one style of thinking, and find some skills come more naturally than others. Other people tend to adopt different thinking styles in different situations. This test gives you an idea of what your current thinking style or styles are. But remember - the brain is a very adaptive organ. You should be able to improve your performance in any one of these categories with practice.    The Renaissance ideal The leading thinkers of the Renaissance were not just experts in their own field. The renaissance scholar was expected to master all branches of knowledge. With his insatiable desire to know everything, Leonardo da Vinci is often held up as the ideal Renaissance man. You are a Linguistic Thinker Linguistic thinkers: Tend to think in words, and like to use language to express complex ideas. Are sensitive to the sounds and rhythms of words as well as their meanings. Like linguistic thinkers, Leonardo made meticulous descriptions in his journals. He also made an effort to learn Latin - a foreign language Other Linguistic Thinkers include William Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Anne Frank Careers which suit Linguistic thinkers include Journalist, Librarian, Salesperson, Proof-reader, Translator, Poet, Lyricist How would other people score? Can you imagine friends or family members who might think differently to you? In terms of potential careers, I could easily be a writer or something that involves communications. It implies that I am a language-based worker and that I work best with artsy subjects and methods.

Blog 5 Brain Plasticity and Brain Mapping

Blog 5 What is the significance of brain plasticity? How does the mapping of the brain explain various fetishes?

The brain is an interesting organ because long after it is expected to stop changing, it continues to develop. Neuroplasticity is the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. As we learn, we acquire new knowledge and skills through instruction or experience. In order to learn or memorize a fact or skill, there must be persistent functional changes in the brain that represent the new knowledge. 
Plasticity occurs for two reasons:
1. During normal brain development when the immature brain first begins to process sensory information through adulthood (developmental plasticity and plasticity of learning and memory).
2. As an adaptive mechanism to compensate for lost function and/or to maximize remaining functions in the event of brain injury.



The phenomenon of brain plasticity is important because it demonstrates the complex nature of the brain. Though it is expected to stop developing at a certain age, it continues to change in complicated ways. It shows how far we are from understanding how the human brain works because it is constantly changing without a clear and definite reason.



The location of certain parts of the brain and nerves explain fetishes. For example, foot fetish is a common fetish because the neurons of the foot are closely located next to the neurons associated with genitalia and sex. In some brains, these neurons actually touch or criss cross, which explains the correlation between sexual desire and feet in some people.

Source: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html

How Taste Works

The sense of taste begins with the taste buds, located on top of the fungiform papillae, or the large bumps on the tongue. Other taste receptor cells can be found on the palate and in the throat. The fungiform papillae sometimes swell a little when stimulated. Alongside the fungiform papillae are the filiform papillae, little brush-shaped protrusions that lack taste buds.

The five acknowledged tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.

Just as important to the sensation of taste are the olfactory cells in the nose which detect scent. What we perceive as taste is a complex interplay of smelling and tongue-tasting.


http://www.unmc.edu/physiology/Mann/pix_10/tongue.gif

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/how-does-the-sense-of-taste-work.htm