Monday, 17 September 2012

Pathogens & Diseases Part 3

Learning Objectives


  • Main methods of disease transmission
  • Methods of controlling pathogens

Types of transmission

-airborne
-contact
-food borne
-water borne

Airborne/ Droplet Transmission

  • Pathogens suspended in the air & travel from source to host
  • Source: humans, animal, soil, food, water
  • Transmitted by coughing, sneezing, vocalization

Contact

  • By coming together or touching of the source of the pathogen & the host

Food & Water Borne Transmission

  • Contaminated food & water contaminated can cause inflammation of the stomach & intestinal lining ( acute gastroenteritis)
  • Examples: cholera, botulism, salmonellosis, traveler's diarrhea

Prevention & Controls

Hygiene practices

  • Sterilisation(special equipment such as auto clave) / Disinfection (Detol, alcohol)
  • Washing (with soaps)
  • Others
Physical protection
  • Use of surgical masks (3-ply)
  • Use of gloves (latex gloves)
Control of Vectors (mosquitoes, rat)
  • Fumigation
  • Trapping / killing of vectors
Control of microbes
  • Use of antiseptics (useful against bacteria but not viruses)
  • Use of antibiotics (against bacteria only)
Vaccination
  • Immunization of the body using vaccines
           

Friday, 14 September 2012

Pathogen&Diseases Part 2

HIV: human immunodeficiency virus (a virus, NOT a disease)
AIDs: Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome.

Examples of Contagious diseases
-SARS
-AIDs
-H1N1
-measles
-chicken pox
-small pox
-shingles
-measles
-chicken pox
-small pox
-Dengue(spread from person via mosquito)
-HFMD (hand, foot, mouth disease)
-H5N1
-mumps (swelling of salivary glands and rashes)
-typhus
-

Monday, 10 September 2012

Pathogens & Diseases Part 1

Learning Objectives

  • Behaviour of a system in an equilibrium - what happens when there are disturbances?
  • What are feedback mechanisms and how is it linked to homeostasis
  • The human body as a system - its behaviour when it is healthy versus when it is diseased
  • Any system is usually connected to other systems, both internally and externally
  • Thinking about things as systems means looking for how every part relates to others
  • The output of one part of a system can become the input to other parts.
  • Such feedback can serve to control what goes on in the system as a whole & serves to keep changes within specific limits.
Homeostasis is the tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions, usually by a system of feedback controls, to maintain *equilibrium or stability within its internal environment, regardless of the outside changing conditions.
(*equilibrium=stay healthy)

A system of equilibrium may return to the same state of equilibrium if the disturbances it experiences are small. 
(e.g. When our body temperature increases during an exercise, we perspire and subsequently the body temperature decreases)
How this works
As temperature increases, nerves detect the increase and sends signal to brain. When the brain realises, it sends signal to sweat glands to perspire.

But large disturbances may cause it to escape that equilibrium and eventually settle into some other state of equilibrium. 
(e.g. When our body temperature increases, even though we perspire, the body temperature continues to increase.) 
^This happens during a fever.


Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Nutrition

Digestive system

The alimentary canal ---consists of--- mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus

The accessory organs ---consist of--- salivary glands, liver, gall-bladder, and pancreas
(not part of the alimentary canals but produce/store substances required for digestion.)

2 Types of digestion

  • Mechanical digestion
          ->physical digestion
          ->move in some way over and over/ repeatedly.
          (e.g. stomach, mouth aided by teeth)
  • Chemical digestion
          ->break down of foor using enzymes
          (e.g. small intestine, stomach, mouth-salivary amylase)

Monday, 3 September 2012

Nutrient and Digestive System

What nutrients do we need?

Organic Nutrients (obtained from living organisms, are all compounds of carbon)
  • Carbohydrates
  • Lipids
  • Proteins
  • Vitamins
  • Dietary Fibre
Inorganic Nutrients
  • Water
  • Mineral salts

Carbohydrates

-Organic compounds that are made up of C, H & O.












For example...













Lipids (fat)

*But there is a difference between lipids and fats.

Hydrolysis of a Fat Molecule












Proteins

-Made up of amino acids of which there are 20 naturally occurring types.


















Functions of Proteins
-Essential for the synthesis of protoplasm, for growth and repair of worn out cells.
-Synthesis of enzymes and hormones
-Formation of antibodies to combat diseases
-Source of energy (17KJ/g)

Malnutrition: The consequences of deficiencies

Kwashiorkor - Lack of protein
Kwashiorkor is an African word meaning the disease the first child gets when the second is born or the 'disease of the first child gets when the second is born or the disease of the deposed child'

Symptoms:
-Greying hair
-Swelling of the abdomen
-Skin crack and become scaly

Deficiency in Vitamins

Vitamin A
Signs of deficiency: Poor night vision or night blindness, loss of appetite, increased susceptibility to infection, and changes in the skin and teeth

Vitamin E
Signs of deficiency: *Anemia in infants and nerve damage in adults.
*decrease in the red blood cells

Vitamin K
Signs of deficiency: Excessive bleeding and an inability for blood to clot

Vitamin C
Signs of deficiency: black-and-blue marks, bleeding gums, nose bleeds and wounds that heal slower than normal. Swollen, tender joints and aching bones, general weakness, loss of appetite and dry, scaly skin.
->> Scurvy (deficiency in Vitamin C)
       - painful, swollen joints
       -Swollen, bleeding gums; loss of teeth

Vitamin D
Signs of deficiency: A prolonged lack of this nutrient results in changes in the bones of children and adults.

Minerals
-Calcium
->> Rickets- deficiency in Vitamin D or Calcium
(bow-legged; bending of legs)

-Iron
Deficiency causes anaemia.

Other deficiencies
-Iodine deficiency is the main cause of potentially preventable mental retardation in childhood , as well as causing goitre and hypothyroidism in people of all ages.
-Iron deficiency may lead to anemia and eventually fatigue.

Mammalian Transport System - Part 3

Learning Objectives

  • Learn about the structure and function of arteries, veins and capillaries. 
  • Compare and contrast the structure of arteries and veins, and state how they are adapted for its function.
  • Learn about the components of blood.
  • Understanding blood pressure.

From very big vessels, blood flows at a very fast rate. When it goes to the smaller vessels, extremely slow.(capillary)

Capillary, Arteriole, venule -----> no muscles

Functional Comparison Between Arteries & Veins

Arteries
-Transport blood away from the heart
-Transports blood under higher pressure (than veins)
-Carry oxygenated blood (except in the case of the pulmonary artery)

Veins                                                             

-Transports blood towards the heart              
-Transports blood under lower pressure (than arteries)      
-Carry de-oxygenated blood (except in the case of the pulmonary vein) 

Structural Comparison Between Arteries & Veins

Arteries
-Have relatively more muscle/ elastic tissue; 
-Have relatively narrow lumens
-Do not have valves (except for the semi-luna valves of the pulmonary artery and theaorta)

Veins
-Have relatively less muscle/elastic tissue
-Have relatively wider lumens
-Have valve throughout the main veins of the body. These are to prevent blood flowing in the wrong direction, as this could (in theory) return waste materials to the tissues.




                                                            


Mammalian Transport System- Part 1

Human Circulatory System

Consist of 

1. Cardiovascular System                        2. Lymphatic System
  • Made up of
         -Heart 
         -Blood vessels
         -Blood

Cardiovascular System

  1. Blood - The main 'transportation service' that handles the distribution of nutrients, oxygen and hormones to the various regions of the body.
  2. Arteries & Veins - A system of tubes that form the transport route where blood flows. 
  3. Heart - The motor of this transport service.
  4. Capillaries - are sites of exchange

Human Cardiovascular System 

  • Divided into :
          1.Pulmonary System & Heart
              -Pulmonary = lungs
         
          2. Coronary System 
              -Coronary = heart
         
          3. Systemic Circulation
              -Systemic= rest of body