Disease Biomedicine Final Exam

  In addition to the genetic laws above, how ELSE is genetic diversity created during the process of meiosis?

Crossing Over (New Combinations)

How is the discovery of antibodies significant?

Antibodies help recognize viruses and bacteria and eliminate them

How is medical imaging significant

Help doctors know what is wrong

How is sanitation significant

Helps prevent disease

How is the Germ Theory significant

Led to the introduction of new vaccines

How are vaccines signifcant

Help prevent deaths from diseases

How is Oral rehydration therapy significant

Helped people with diarrhea

How are randomized controlled trials significant

Eliminate bias

How are anti-viral drugs significant

Block receptors so viruses can’t bind to healthy cells

How are monoclonal antibody technology significant

Help find the pathways of many diseases

Explain the statement, “cancer is not a single disease”

Cancer is a collection of related diseases

Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer have all been linked to a range of causative factors from genetics to environmental/socioeconomic factors, to “lifestyle choices”. Explain this statement.

All of these conditions are influenced by a variety of factors that contribute to their development

Why is your innate immune system considered to be your “first line of defense”

It responds in the same way to all germs and foreign substances

   In terms of infectious diseases, why is it important to identify both the mode of transmission and the infectious agent?

To better understand and manage the disease

What is surgery mainly used for in Cancer?

Take out all of the cancer at an early stage

What is chemotherapy used for

Shrink the size of the tumor before surgery

What is an Oncologist?

A doctor who treats cancer

How does Radiation therapy work?

Uses high energy beams to target and kill cancer cells

How does Herceptin work?

Block receptors and stop signals responsible for cancer cell growth

How did Betty Ford hel

Helped advocate to talk about cancer

  What kinds of cancer (or benign tumors) can be detected with manual or visual inspections?

Breast, prostate,and malanoma

In a mammogram, what is actually being detected?

Tumors

Name 2-3 characteristics that distinguish cancer cells from normal cells (the GRADE of cancer) – that you could assess just by looking at the cells under a microscope.

• Cell shape

• Shape of nucleus

• Uniform DNA content

a.     Explain the statement :”Tumors that are “stage 0” – are not yet cancers.”

They are able to take out the cancer

Why is that early stage cancers can be removed surgically – but treating late stage cancers inevitably requires chemotherapy (or perhaps immunotherapy)?

The cancer isnt formed yet and can be taken out

What is Benign?

Excess cell growth but no invasion into adjacent tissues

What scan is found in large urban medical centers

PET scan

What scan takes multiple X-ray images?

CT scan

What scan has no x-rays

MRI

What scan is the most safest?

Ultrasound

What is cancer?

An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way

How many cells do humans have?

10-100 trillion

What cells/organs are constantly dividin?

Red blood cells, hair

Which cells/organs divide “as needed”

liver

Which cells rarely/never divide

neurons

What considerations are important for cell, in the decision of whether to start the cell division process (make the G1 to S transition)?

• Am i big enough?

• Do I have enough nutrients?

• Is my DNA in good shape?

What is contact ingibition?

There are too many cells crowded

What is a wound scratch assay?

if normal cell chnage behaviors are disrupted

When something is said to be carcinogenic – what does it do to our cells?

Some carcinogens cause cancer by changing a cells DNA

    Can viruses contribute to cells becoming cancerous? Is this true for all viruses or only certain ones? What are two examples?

Yes, HPV and Hepatisis C

What do Oncogenes do?

Communicate between cells and cell signaling pathway that trigger cell cycle entry

What are tumor supressors?

Pauses/repair responses of checkpoints

What is Ras?

Promotes cell division

What are Protooncogenes?

To promote cell division and/or promote cell immortality

If a protooncogene is the normal, highly regulated form of a gene whose protein product promotes cell growth and cell division – how could a genetic mutation modify one copy of such a gene such that it now, in a genetically dominant way, promotes inappropriate cell growth and cell division?

A single point mutation can later the normal function

What are two examples of tumor suppressor genes?

p53 and BRCA1

Inheriting one “broken” copy of a tumor suppressor gene can cause?

Cancer risk

What does progression to cancer require?

• The loss of at least 2 tumor supressors

• At least one oncogeneic mutation

Where do plaques form?

Between neurons

Where do tangles form?

Within neurons

What are plaques and tangles composed of?

A protein fragment from APP (Amyloid Precursor Protein)

What age does early onset Alzheimer’s start developing?

40’s and 50’s

What are toxic to neurons?

Smaller clusters (AB oligomers)

What is the role of synapses?

Development of nervous system, learning, and memory

What is the role of microtibules?

Serve as “tracks” for vesicles moving materials up and down nerve axons

What is TAU

A neuron that is a microtubule binding protein (maintains microtubule stability)

Why is trisomy 21 (Down’s syndrome) a risk for early onset Alzheimer’s?

The extra chromosome can develop Alzheimer’s

What are three things that you could start or continue to do -that might decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s?

Exercising, eating right, and sleeping more

What changes are observed in patients with Alzheimer’s in paintings?

• More abstract

• More symbolic

• Less accurate depictions

• Less going on

What is the clock test?

Used to diagnose Alzheimer patients

Describe ways that participating in drawing pictures is beneficial for Alzheimer’s patients

Exercises the brain and provides alternate means of communication

Describe ways that viewing art is beneficial for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.

May provide a common touchprint between patients and caregivers

What type of music therapy is often helpful for individuals with moderate to late Alzheimer’s?

Music from a happy period in their lives

Describe how a normal brain differs in appearance from that of an Alzheimer’s patient.

The brain becomes smaller

Describe major functions of the hippocampus and where it is located within the brain.

Consolidation of new memories, naviagtion, spatial orientation, and emotions

How many neurons are in the brain

100 billion neurons

How many synapses per neuron

1000

How many synapses do we have?

100 trillion

Is viram C a small or large molecule?

Small

Is vitamin C water-soluble or fat-soluble?

water-soluble

What are some symptoms of Vitamin C deficiency?

• Poor wound healing

• Defects in connective tissue

How many mg of Vitamin C do you need to prevent scurvy?

10

What is diabetes?

A disease related to chronic unregulated blood sugar levels

What is the normal blood pressure?

80-120 mg/dL

What are the symproms of low blood sugar and why is it dangerous?

Dizziness, headaches, hunger, sweating, and extreme tiredness. It can lead to comas and seizures

What are the signs of high blood sugar?

Extreme thirst, dry skin, hungry, blurry vision, and drowsy

What is glycation?

The chemical linkage of sugar molecules to protein or lipid molecules

What is the most common cause of death in diabetic patients?

Vascular disease

What groups of individuals have particularly high rates of diabetes? Why

Poverty because they cannot afford healthy foods

What is homeostasis

The biological systems to maintain constant conditions

Distinguish between glycogen and glucagon

Glycongen is a form that serves as storage in animals, fungi, and bacteria. Glucagon are protein hormones

What do beta cells make?

Insulin

What do alpha cells make?

Glucagon

What is gestational diabetes?

Hormonal changes of pregnancy that can affect insulin and gucagon levels

What recent invention makes it easier for diabetics to manage their blood sugar levels?

A thing sticks into your arm and monitors blood glucose levels

What must Type I diabetes do to control their blood sugar levels?

Inject Insulin

what kind of diets are diabetic friendly?

Good fats, fish, fiber-rich foods, and carbs

What is a Microbiome

A collection of microbes that naturally live on our bodies and inside us

How many cells do humans have?

30 trillion

How many bacteria do humans have?

38 trillion

For your body – what’s the ratio of human cells to microbes?

1:1

What does a healhty bicrobiome do

• Secretion of natural antibodies

• Produces Vitamin K

What are some ways to support a healthy microbiome?

High fiber foods and foods containing good bacteria

What are food calories?

The amount of energy required to raise the temperaature of one liter of water by one degree

Where is more digestion and absorption occurred

Small intestine

What does the large intestine do?

• Stores waste before elimination

• Reabsorbs water and salts

• Absorbs water soluble vitamins

If a word ends in -ose, then it is?

A sugar

What is glycemic index

Carbs that require little or no digestion

What are emulsifiers?

Molecules that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions

What is bile and how does it help?

A modified form of cholesterol. Helps break down fats into fatty acids.