Assess the impact of disrupted biological rhythms
Faye Johnson 13.6 Assess the impact of disrupted biological rhythms: The human body has the ability to adapt to changes or zeitgebers, as long as the changes occur gradually. When fast changes in zeitgebers occur the human bodily rhythms cannot adjust fast enough, this causes ill effects, 'internal desychronisation' One example of internal desychronisation is shift work. Shift work is defined as regular employed work outside the normal working day 7am- 6pm. Research in to shift work says that it is both physically and psychologically damaging to peoples health to frequently suffer from internal desychronisation (Aschoff and Weaver). This is said to be because shift workers are being forced to adjust their natural sleep wake cycle to fit their schedules. Symptoms of internal desychronisation include, fatigue, headaches, impaired reaction time, and irritability. The effects on shift workers are important because of the high percentage of people that work shifts, 20% of people in the U.S work shifts. In today society it would be impossible to live with out shift workers, such as health workers, and industry workers. Records show that more accidents happen at night than any other time. For example human errors of shift works at Chernobyl, which happened at 1.28 am. Also Three Mile Island happened at 4am these human could have possibly been avoided if more was known about shift
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis (CF) as it is more commonly known is the most common recessive disease found in Caucasian population, affecting 1 in 2500 births each year. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease and it is caused by a mutation of a single allele. This disease is a cruel, affecting the respiratory, digestive, endocrine and reproductive system. Every person possesses 46 chromosomes, 23 from their mother and 23 from their father; when one of these chromosomes is defective then problems occur. In the case of Cystic Fibrosis, chromosome 7 is defective. There are around 500 different genetic mutations associated with this disease, so screening for this disease is difficult. 70 % of the mutations are found to be delta F508, F508 is the most common CF mutation. The inheritance of cystic fibrosis is caused if both parents are carriers of this disease. There is a good 25 % chance that any of their children will be a sufferer. But there is a 50 % chance of the child being a carrier themselves. There is also an equal chance that a child will inherit no faulty alleles and his/her descendants will be free from the disease. A normal allele makes a membrane protein, but in the mutated allele this does not code for this particular protein. This disease is caused by a mutation or change in the CFTR Gene (Chromosome 7). About one person in 25 carriers the
Who was Cladius Galen?
GALEN CHANGES MEDICINE WHO WAS CLAUDIUS GALEN? Claudius Galen was physician to five Roman emperors. He was a teacher, philosopher, pharmacist, and leading scientist of his day. During his life he produced five hundred books and treatises on all aspects of medical science and philosophical subjects and his ideas were to formulate many of the scientific beliefs which dominated medical thinking for about 1 500 years. Galen was the great compiler and systemiser of Greco-Roman medicine, physiology, pharmacy, and anatomy. Because he displayed a view of God and nature shared by the Christians of the middle Ages and the Renaissance, they regarded him as a fellow-Christian. This goes some way to account for the attitude of the Church towards free thinkers. Galen's influence can be still seen today. The word " galenic" is used to describe drugs and medicines made from vegetable and animal ingredients using prescribed methods. WHERE WAS HE BORN? Galen was born at Pergamum, Asia Minor on the 22 September 131 and was educated by his father, who decided his son should enter the medical profession. This was a wise choice as his son went on to become extremely famous. WHAT DID GALEN DO? At first, Galen studied philosophy, in particular Aristotle but when seventeen began to specialise in medicine. While studying medicine Galen travelled extensively throughout Greece, Asia Minor, and
How does Smoking cause Bronchitis and Emphysema?
How does Smoking cause Bronchitis and Emphysema? Smoking causes many harmful chemical substances entering the lungs. These substances include: ? Tar ? Nicotine ? Carbon Monoxide As these substances enter the lungs most of them settle in and begin to do they're jobs in the body (mainly destroying). However some of these substances are trapped in sticky mucus and coughed out or sneezed out. Even so, any part of the upper respiratory tract and lungs can become infected by disease causing micro-organisms. Infection of the bronchus and bronchioles is called bronchitis. It is the inflammation of the bronchi and is characterised by coughing up phlegm and also the narrowing of the bronchi causing breathlessness. When these bronchi and bronchioles get infected, they swell and mucus (thick fluid) forms. This makes it hard for you to breathe. You may cough up mucus and you may wheeze (make a whistling sound when you breathe). Acute bronchitis is almost always caused by viruses that attack the lining of the bronchial tree and cause infection. As your body fights back against these viruses, more swelling occurs and more mucus is made. It takes time for your body to kill the viruses and heal the damage to your bronchial tubes. In most cases, the same viruses that cause colds cause acute bronchitis. Research has shown that bacterial infection is much less common in bronchitis than we
Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular Dystrophy Muscular dystrophy is characterized by the progressive weakening of skeletal muscles. Patients with this genetic disorder will go through three stages. Firstly, the increase of muscle weakness, secondly, the reduction in muscle mass and thirdly the complete loss of muscle function. In the 3rd stage the patient will be confined to a wheelchair. Four forms of the disease are recognized and based on > pattern of inheritance > age when symptoms are first noted > distribution of the muscles earliest involved In the Duchenne form of the disease, symptoms are usually prominent from about 2 to 6 years of age. The muscles first affected are those of the pelvis and trunk, resulting in spinal deformity and a waddling way of walking. By the late teens, the wasting of almost all muscle groups may be advanced. Calf muscles often enlarge. Survival is rare beyond the late twenties and death may result from respiratory weakness or from involvement of the heart muscle. Because inheritance of this form is by an X-linked recessive mechanism (females are carriers), virtually all sufferers are boys. The facio-scapulo-humeral form of the disease affects both sexes equally and results in weakness and wasting of the shoulders, upper arms and facial muscles. It is usually distinguished around the commencement of puberty. The majority of patients remain able to walk until an
istopes used in medical science
Isotopes Used In Medical Treatments Isotopes are several different forms of an element that have different mass numbers. But they are having same proton numbers but different neutron numbers. The term Isotope has suggested by Fredrick Soddy, a chemist at Glasgow University in 1921. These form of elements have different advantages and disadvantages. Mostly it depends on the type of element. Nuclear medicine was developed in the 1950s they are really helpful in modern medical field. Because it can cure so many dangerous diseases like cancers and tumours. Basically radioisotopes are the useful type that is been used up for medical treatments. There are thousands of different forms of radioisotopes that can be classed as very useful medically approved elements. Radioisotopes seemed to be dangerous and cautious from the outside look. But they can be handle carefully and store in safe places for treatments. Many of them are made in nuclear reactors and in cyclotrons. Today most of the medical isotopes are imported from United States but the growing demand rate is really high. So there aren't enough supplies to whole globe. Radioisotopes used for medical treatments are really expensive but 98% of are successful and effective. Modern medical industry has able to get rid of the fast growing number of cancer patient per year from these treatments. The doctors who deal with nuclear
The Bio Psychological Perspective.
The Bio Psychological Perspective. Psychologists who take a bio psychological approach believe that all our behaviour is determined by our biology. They are interested in how genetic transmission, the hormonal system and the structure of the brain are related to and affect the way we behave. One example of a behaviour, which can be explained by our biology, is Schizophrenia. Some researchers propose that the best explanation for schizophrenia is genetic transmission, due to the condition's tendency to run in families. One method of studying this theory is the study of twins, identical and non-identical. In a study carried out by Gottesman and Shields (1972, cited in Gross & Mcilveen 1996) a concordance rate of 42% for identical twins to develop schizophrenia was found in comparison to a concordance rate of only 9% for non-identical twins. The concordance rate has been consistently higher for identical twins to develop schizophrenia in several other studies. Evidence also suggests that the concordance rate is equally high for identical twins that have been separated at birth, as it is for identical twins that have been raised in the same environment. Another explanation for the development of schizophrenia could be over-activity of neurotransmitters in the brain. The neurotransmitter implicated in an overwhelming amount of research is dopamine. When post-mortems have
Coeliac Disease (Coeliac sprue or gluten allergy)
Coeliac Disease (Coeliac sprue or gluten allergy) What is coeliac disease? Coeliac disease is a relatively common condition that affects 1 in 1500 of the UK population. It is caused by intolerance to gluten - a substance found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. Oats are not thought to cause problems. Coeliac disease affects the lining of the small intestine, making it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients (vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fats). It is a chronic condition seen in all age groups. The symptoms usually disappear when a strict gluten-free diet is adopted. What causes coeliac disease? The disease is partly hereditary, but can also be brought on by the consumption of cereals containing gluten People are at increased risk of developing coeliac disease if they start eating porridge and bread at an early age. The younger the child, the higher the risk. Coeliac disease is very common in certain countries (Sweden, SW of Ireland) What are the symptoms of coeliac disease? In patients with coeliac disease, normal digestion is prevented from taking place by inflammation and other changes in the mucous membrane of the small intestine. This has harmful effects on the patient's general health because fewer nutrients are absorbed. This can result in: Retarded physical growth in children Vitamin/mineral deficiency (especially iron and
Shock Syndromes Shock is defined as an alteration in tissue perfusion that occurs at the cellular level.
Shock Syndromes Shock is defined as an alteration in tissue perfusion that occurs at the cellular level. Shock is a process that causes the eventual shutdown of all body systems in a systematic order. The final common pathway in all types of shock is the switching of cellular metabolism from aerobic to anaerobic. Anaerobic metabolism results in activation of the inflammatory response, decreased circulatory volume and decreasing pH. Three major classifications: . Hypovolemic 2. Cardiogenic 3. Distributive -anaphylactic shock -neurogenic shock -septic shock Hypovolemic Shock * Occurs when there is a significant loss of circulating blood or fluid, either by direct loss, or redistribution (third-spacing) * Most common causes are hemorrhage, burns and dehydration * May be seen when the total circulating blood volume has been decreased by 15-20% (approx. 500-1500 ml) Cardiogenic Shock * Occurs when the pumping action of the heart fails * Most common causes are myocardial infarction, cardiac trauma, cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure Distributive Shock * Occurs when blood vessels dilate without a subsequent increase in circulating blood volume * Blood volume is normal, but the vascular bed is greater in size Anaphylactic Shock * A profound hypersensitivity reaction with a systemic antigen-antibody
The influence of mind over body
The influence of mind over body Everyone has emotions and different life events influence one's emotions differently. The stimuli in our daily life may make one happy sometimes, but one may feel stressed in other situations. Stress occurs when one is facing demanding events or stimuli. This essay will discuss the influence of one's emotions on one's body by looking at how one reacts to stress, illnesses which relate to stress and the relationship between emotions and cancer. People react to stressors in three stages, which were called the general adaptation syndrome. The first stage is alarm reaction. In this stage, the organism becomes highly alert and aroused. The second stage is resistance, which means one tries to adapt to the stressful stimulus or to escape. If these efforts are not successful and the stressful situation continues, the last stage is exhaustion or collapse. This is how stress influences one's reactions. Stress can also lead to some illnesses. It is more likely for people to have heart disease if their bodily reactions are being speeded up continually and produce stress-related hormones. Stress can reduce the effectiveness of the immune system and, as a result, increase susceptibility to different kinds of illness. Also, stress may increase secretion of hydrochloric acid which can lead to stomach ulcers. That is why people who work in psychologically