Epidemiologic Triad
interaction between susceptible host, external agent, and environment that bring the three together
environmental contamination: natural
volcanoes, natural seepage, soil deposits, fires
anthropogenic causes
caused by humans, pollution
common effects of climate change
stronger storms, rising sea levels, damaged coral, warmer oceans, less snow, droughts and wildfire, food and water scarcity
water contaminants and waterborne illnesses
hepatitis A, cholera (killed by chlorine)
eutrophication
results in algae bloom, heavy production of algae
happens because of nutrient offloading, fertilizer runoff
body of water receives too many nutrients and elements such as nitrogen and phosphorous triggers heavy production
once algae dies, decaying process uses up a lot of oxygen, not leaving enough for the animals in the water
bioaccumulation
when an animal has a higher concentration of a chemical in its body than in the surrounding water (accumulation of a toxic chemical in the tissue of a particular organism
biomagnification
special kind of bioaccumulation where the animal is getting high amounts of the chemical through the food web, i.e fish and their mercury levels
bad fish
shark, swordfish, tiefish (fulf of MX), tuna (bigeye), marlin, orange roughey, king mackerel
onehealth
if we keep animals healthier, animal diseases won’t effect humans
ecosystem services
things we get from earth; water, air, lumber, etc
regulating services
help keep climate and resources stable, invisible until something goes wrong
ecosystem engineers
species that change biotic/abiotic materials to influence habitats i.e beavers and their dams
provisioning services
food and raw materials
supporting habitat services
a place to live for plants and animals
cultural services
benefits human get for being in the environment
cortisol levels improve
tourism, recreation
keystone species**
species that play a key role in the function and structure of an ecosystem
predator, prey, mutualists, host
stressors affecting ecosystem services
chemical contaminants
biological factors
animal overexploitation
habitat loss: urban development, agriculture, fracturing
greenhouse effect
not enough heat escaping the atmosphere
carbon dioxide
methane
nitrous oxide
gasses w fluorine
effects of each gas in the atmosphere depends on…
how much is in the atmosphere
how long it stays in the atmosphere
how much it absorbs/warms
potency on a molecular basis are
not equivalent
carbon dioxide (co2)
some removed quickly, but some stays for 1000+ years
GWP= 1 year
global warming potential (GWP)
potency to stay in the atmosphere
methane (ch4)
12 year life in atmosphere
GWP= 25 years
nitrous oxide (n2o)
114 year life in atmosphere
GWP= 298 years
CO2 and ocean acification
affects animals with shells, shell is dissolving as the ocean becomes more acidic
environmental health
relationship between people and their environment
environmental risk assesmet
done when something is exposed to the environment
how much of chemical is present
how toxic is it
how people are exposed and to what extent
what is the likelihood of adverse effects (harm)
inhalation exposure
respiratory tract, surface area of lungs is large, rapid exchange of gasses/uptake of molecules
ingestion exposure
GI tract, small intestine has large surface area to facilitate nutrient absorption
skin exposure
depends if skin is damaged, warm, time on skin, properties,
concept of dose
central importance in determining health
adverse health effects when passing therapeutic level to toxic level
natural doesn’t mean good for you
particular contaminants
dust, fumes, mists, aerosols, fibers
top 10 causes of death environmentally
ischemic heart disease
chronic respiratory disease
cancers
unintentional injuries
respiratory infections
stroke
diarrheal diseases
diabetes
malaria
neo-natal conditions
clean air act
regulates many airborne contaminants
particulate contaminants/ particulate matter
less than 10 microns in diameter
premature death
nonfatal heart attacks
irregular heart beat
aggravated asthma
reduced lung function
increased respiratory symptoms
genes
made of DNA
unit of inheritance
code for inherited variable traits
protein formation
gene (DNA) → transcription → mRNA transcript → translation → protein
beneficial mutation
duh benefits population through process of mutation
intron
noncoding sections of an RNA transcript
spliced out before RNA molecule is translated into a protein
exon
region of the genome that ends up within an mRNA molecule
(what stays!!!!)
gene mutation
can change nothing, one amino acid, or a whole protein
genetic disorder
caused by mutation
deletion and insertion are more severe
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)
variation in one nucleotide, single base position in DNA
CYP2D6
metabolizing
ex) when you consume morphine it's not an active therapeutic until the body enzyme metabolizes it
epigenetics
study of changes caused by activating or silencing genes (increasing or decreasing gene expression) without any change to the underlying DNA sequence
epigenetic modification
consists of small molecules being attached to existing DNA
small molecules added onto the DNA or histones, making it easier or harder to have gene expression
does not change sequence in bases in DNA
mutation
consists of change in the DNA sequence
ex) changes in the bases in the DNA
DNA adduct
a piece of DNA covalently bonded to a chemical
isn’t a mutation but can cause mutations to form
DNA is damaged, resulting in abnormal replication
structure of DNA
wrapped into histone protein core to form a nucleosome
coiled further into solenoids
solenoids organized into chromatin loops, each loop has 100,000 base pairs (ATGC)
methyl group
CH3 attachment, methyl group attaches directly to DNA but doesn’t change base sequence
when it gets close to the gene it SILENCES It
reversible
DNA Methylation***
Addition of methyl group ME onto DNA
when close to a gene, reduces expression
histone acetyltransferase
deacetylases
acetylation
methylation
DNA Acetylation*
repairs proteins and is a dynamic epigenetic modification done by HATS (lysine acetyltransferase), effects DNA binding ability, protein activity
DNA deacetylation
histone tails, DNA becomes more tightly wrapped around the histone cores, making it harder for transcription factors to bind to the DNA
gene silencing
acetyl in methylation
makes it easier for gene expression to happen, loosens DNA for easier access
Bisphenol A (BPA)
associated! risks!
increased risk of miscarriage and gestational diabetes (women)
DNA damage to sperm/reduced fertility (men)
immunodeficiency
risk factor for certain kinds of cancer, specifically viral and lymphatic
Benzo(a)pyrene
changed into a very reactive molecule that covalently bonds with DNA
mutation of the 12th codon of the Hras oncogene
oncogene: gene which sometimes turns into a tumor cell
Initiation
mutation of somatic cell
these cells can remain static (nondividing)
eliminated by apoptosis
somatic cell
every cell other than sperm and egg
progression
conversion of benign preneoplastic into neoplastic cancer
generation time
time needed for a quiescent cell to complete one cell division cycle to produce 2 daughter cells (amount of time for one cell cycle)
malignant cells
shorter generation time, smaller fraction of cells are in the resting and more are in the reproducing stage (too rapid!!)
proto-oncogene
managing normal cell growth, mutation turns it into just oncogene and then it’s bad!!!!!!
cancer cells have a lower level of…
methylation
autoimmune disease
immune system cannot differentiate self and non-self
lymph nodes
lymphocytes recognize and eliminate invading pathogens
spleen
assists body in protecting against bacterial infections
innate immunity
nonspecific immunity
had since birth
first line of defense
fast
not effected by vaccines
stomach, stomach acid
complement
plasma proteins that kill foreign cells, increase inflammatory response and attach phagocytes
natural killer cells
cytotoxic action against cancer cells
interferons
antiviral proteins
NK cells
effector lymphocytes of the innate immune system
Adaptive Immunity
acquired or specific immunity
antigens
slower than the first time exposed to pathogen, develops immunologic memory
slower than innate immunity
antigen*
molecule or substance that is foreign to the body that provokes an immune response
Cell mediated immunity
primarily involves T lymphocytes/ t cells
cytotoxic t cells
(CD8 cells) destroy infected host cells (cancer, transplant organs
helper t cells
(CD4) cells
increase and support antibody production. cytotoxic t cells, natural killer cells, increase phagocytosis
long lived memory t cells
made after you first get sick, works fast for future exposure to same antigen
cytotoxic
cell killing, factors destroy cell once infected
humoral (anti-body mediated) immunity*
encounter pathogen and remember antigen (non-self indicator to B cells)
plasma cells
make antibodies that are specific for the antigen that initiated their production, can make 2000 per second
antibody function
proteins secreted into plasma to help eliminate foreign organisms
active immunity
after exposure to a foreign organism, immune cells produce antibodies and memory cells
passive immunity
transfer of antibodies from someone else to the vulnerable person
no memory cells formed → short terms protection until antibodies consumed or catabolized
tolerance
body’s ability to correctly recognize self and not attack it
immune system’s appropriate lack of response to “self”
autoimmunity
when tolerance fails and body develops autoantibodies to own tissues, no known cause and no preventative methods available
sjorn’s syndrome (4 million US women, dry eyes & mouth) can occur with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
inflammation
body’s response to injury, infection, certain environmental exposure
intestinal dysbiosis
perturbation in the composition of the gut microbiome relative to the composition of the gut microbiome in healthy individuals
circadian rythms
physical, mental, behavioral changes that occur over a 24 hour period
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
overall master clock
located in the brain
controls production of melatonin
insufficient sleep
changes in mood, memory, cognition
increased risk of obesity because less sleep decreases leptin, making you hungry and wanting carbs
type 2 diabetes and high tension and high blood pressure
sleep hygiene
which chromosome determines sex
23rd
color blindness
recessive and sex-linked
alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)
converts ethanol to acetaldehyde (toxic)
aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)
oxidized aldehydes to acetate (less toxic)
acetate is broken down into CO2 and H2O
asian flush
50% of Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese populations have high incidence of atypical form of ADH (rapidly metabolize, red)
lead
children of ages 0-6
reduced IQ
can be stored in the bones with calcium, during pregnancy it’s released from bones and exposed to fetus
ground-level ozone
health effects of breathing this
chest pain
coughing
throat irritation
airway inflammation
worsen bronchitis, emphysema, asthma
ground level ozone compounds
carbon monoxide (CO)
sulfur dioxide (SO2)
nitrogen dioxide (NO2)