BSC2346 Case Study Assignment

BSC2346 Case Study Assignment

BSC2346 Human Anatomy and Physiology

Module 07 Case Study

Question 1

Scott, a 37-year-old elementary teacher, is seeing his general practitioner for complaints of general weakness, especially in his lower extremities. He has also been feeling very fatigued lately and has trouble keeping up with his students throughout his work day. His physician notes that he has lost a significant amount of weight in the last 6 months. Scott reports that even simple tasks, such as brushing his hair and getting dressed, can seem like a chore. He has trouble climbing stairs because of his weakness and notices that his speech is slurred, especially at the end of the day.

Scott’s physician uses a tongue depressor during his physical examination and Scott begins to gag and has difficulty swallowing. His physician notes muscle wasting and abnormal spasticity in upper and lower extremities bilaterally. All reflexes are normal except the Babinski reflex. Scott’s toes fan out when the sole of his feet are stroked with the reflex hammer.

Scott’s symptoms are primarily related to problems with:

Question 2

Because Scott’s symptoms are progressively getting worse over a period of several months, we can rule out which of the following diagnoses?

Question 3

Scott’s physician believes he may have ALS. Briefly describe this condition in your own words.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an early symptom of ALS?

Question 5

What are the major differences between ALS and MS, physiologically? Describe any pathological differences you find in your research.

Question 6

Scott has a positive Babinski reflex. What is the significance of this? What does a positive Babinski reflex mean in adult patients?

Question 7

ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. What does “amyotrophic” mean? What is happening to the body (physiologically) if it is experience “amyotrophic” changes?

Question 8

ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. What is the word “lateral” referring to in this case?

Question 9

The motor neurons affected by ALS are found in the spinal nerves and peripheral branches of those spinal nerves only.

Question 10

Which of the following statements regarding ALS is true?

Question 11

Russell is 72 years old and is still working part-time as a professor. He has noticed some arm and hand shaking in the past year, but assumed it must be related to low or high blood sugar levels because he has had some issues with that in the past. However, the shaking/twitching has become more consistent lately and does not seem to be correlated with his diet. Russell’s doctor said that the stress of his job could be the problem, so he took the entire summer off from teaching.BSC2346 Case Study Assignment

When he returned to work in the fall, Russell and his students noticed that his handwriting has become nearly illegible. Drinking a cup of coffee without spilling had also become a challenge. Russell returned to his doctor, who performed a physical exam and a few tests. Here are the notable results: shuffling gait, mild bradykinesia, mild voice tremor, intermittent rigidity of the limbs, and normal EEG.

If Russell is having symptoms in his upper extremities, lower extremities, and his speech is slurred, which of the following body regions is most likely experiencing a pathology?

Question 12

Russell’s physician suspects that he may have Parkinson’s disease. List at least two other diagnoses that could fit Russell’s history and test results.

Question 13

Which of Russell’s physical exam findings could be related to a brain condition?

Question 14

Shuffling gait is often associated with Parkinson’s disease. Which of these symptoms is NOT another common sign of Parkinson’s disease?

Question 15

Russell’s physician decides to follow-up with an MRI. If he does have Parkinson’s disease, his MRI may show degeneration in which part of the brain?

Question 16

Parkinson’s disease involves the loss of a particular neurotransmitter. Which neurotransmitter is involved and how is it associated with the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a treatment option for Parkinson’s disease?

Question 18

If Russell is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and chooses not to pursue treatment, what is his prognosis?BSC2346 Case Study Assignment

Question 19

What does the term “neurodegenerative” mean? Briefly describe this term in your own words. (Do not copy a definition.)

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true regarding Parkinson’s disease?

 

 

MORE INFO 

Human Anatomy and Physiology

Introduction

The human body is a complex network of organs, tissues and fluids that work together to support the functions of the body. This article will provide an overview of the major systems found within the human body.

Human Body

The human body is made up of many parts. It’s divided into systems, each with a specific function.

For example, the digestive system digests food and nutrients from the food we eat before they can be absorbed into our bloodstreams or stored as fat cells in our bodies (like fat). The nervous system controls how your muscles move and what you feel when you’re awake or asleep; it also helps control other bodily functions like breathing and heartbeat rate. The respiratory system takes oxygen from air into your lungs and transfers it to blood vessels throughout your body so that it can be distributed throughout different organs for use by all tissues/organs within them (which are needed for basic functions like breathing).

The circulatory system transports oxygenated blood from various parts of your body back through arteries to coronary arteries near heart valves where carbon dioxide is removed; this process ensures that there’s enough oxygen available at all times for cells throughout these areas

Circulatory System

The circulatory system is the body’s transport system. It consists of blood vessels and organs that move blood throughout the body and organs, carrying oxygen and other nutrients to all parts of the body. Blood also carries away waste products from cells so they can be removed from your system.

The heart is responsible for pumping blood through arteries (the large veins) to smaller veins called capillaries within each tissue or organ; this process is known as circulation. If your heart stops beating suddenly, then you have an embolic stroke—blood clots may block arteries in one part of your brain so that it does not receive enough oxygenated blood flow

Digestive System

The digestive system is responsible for breaking down food into smaller pieces so that it can be absorbed into the blood. This process is called digestion.

The digestive system also contains several organs that help with this job. These include:

• mouth – for chewing and swallowing food

• stomach – where food is chewed, digested and partially broken down into nutrients useful to body cells

• small intestines – absorb nutrients from digested materials in the stomach; pass them through small intestine to large intestines; large intestines absorbs water from liquid foods (e.g., soup) along with some remaining minerals

Endocrine System

The endocrine system is a group of glands that produce hormones directly into the bloodstream. These hormones travel through the blood and affect cells in other parts of your body. They control many functions in our bodies, including growth and development, metabolism, reproduction and others.

Lymphatic System

The lymphatic system is a network of ducts, nodes and vessels that carry lymph fluid throughout the body. Lymph fluid contains white blood cells and other substances that help fight infection and disease.

Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that filter the lymph fluid as it moves through them. They also contain specialized cells called macrophages that engulf bacteria or dead tissue cells (which they then remove). The macrophages can use this debris to make new tissue, which helps protect you from infections in your body’s largest organ—your gut!

Muscular System

Muscles are bundles of tissue, and they move your body. Muscles are attached to bones, which means that when you move a muscle it causes a slight movement in the bone. The number of muscle cells in each muscle is called its fiber size or fiber type.

There are two types of muscle fibers: fast twitch and slow twitch (both are also called “skeletal”, while the third type is cardiac). Fast-twitch fibers contract very quickly and have shortening velocity; they tend to be large (like biceps), but can also be small (as with triceps). Slow-twitch fibers do not contract as fast as fast-twitch ones; instead they lengthen by being able to absorb more energy per contraction cycle—which results in longer lasting force generation than other types

Nervous System

The nervous system is a network of nerves and other related structures that control the activities of the body. It consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves

The brain receives information from sense organs (eyes, ears) and transmits it to various parts of your body through motor nerves. These messages cause muscles to contract or relax in response to external stimuli such as light touch or sound waves that reach them through either voluntary or involuntary reflex pathways.

The nervous system also plays a role in generating movement by sending signals from one part of your body back along its own pathway until it reaches another part; this allows you to move smoothly from one place to another without having any conscious control over what happens!

Reproductive System

The reproductive system is responsible for the production of sperm, eggs and hormones that regulate reproduction. The male reproductive system consists of testes (testes), epididymis, vas deferens and seminal vesicle. These organs produce testosterone which causes growth in males. For females, ovaries (ovaries) produce estrogen which allows women to develop secondary sex characteristics such as breasts, hips and periods. The uterus is also part of the female reproductive system; it serves as a haven for fertilized eggs until they are ready to be born into the world via vaginal delivery or C-section birth if needed by doctors during labor induction or cesarean section surgery.*

• The ovaries contain follicles with ova within them called functional follicles which mature over time into mature ova after undergoing several steps including meiosis I & II events followed by mitosis where each cell divides seven times before reaching its adult stage where it remains alive until being expelled from your body via menstruation cycle every month during puberty years until menopause age range 30-45 years old depending on your genetics/heredity factors!

Respiratory System

The respiratory system is made up of the nose, mouth, windpipe and lungs. It’s responsible for taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide into the bloodstream. A healthy respiratory system helps to maintain blood pressure at a healthy level as well.

The two main divisions of your respiratory system are:

• The upper airway – This part includes your nasal cavity (which contains sebaceous glands), sinuses (open spaces inside bones) and paranasal sinuses (open spaces between bones). It also contains small openings where hair grows out from; these areas are called turbinates which help humidify the air entering into your nose when you breathe through it by expelling moisture from them during inhalation.

• Lower airway – This area includes larynx or laryngeal cartilage which sits at bottom of throat just above vocal cord/voice box; trachea or trachea cartilage runs through middle chest wall behind sternum bone; bronchi run down each side towards lungs like spokes on wheels connecting directly with airways leading into lungs via bronchioles branching off peribronchial tissue covering entire length along each side until reaching alveolar walls right before capillaries enter respiratory epithelium lining itself forming barrier preventing inhaled particles crossing over this barrier thus preventing them being absorbed into deeper layers such as alveoli where they could potentially cause damage if they got inside while still intact.*

Skeletal System

The skeletal system is made of bones, which are the framework and support of your body. They provide attachment points for muscles, allow for movement (such as when you bend your knees), protect organs from injury and provide storage space for minerals and vitamins.

The bones in our bodies are made up of calcium phosphate salts held together by strong bonds called collagen fibers or connective tissue. Because they’re so important to our health, you’ll want to keep an eye on their condition—and if something seems off with them (or if they hurt), you’ll want to seek medical attention right away!

Takeaway:

The human body is complex, and it’s made up of many systems. The body has organs that work together to keep us alive, like the heart and lungs. It also has systems that don’t talk to each other very much—for example, digestion takes place in an organ called the stomach but doesn’t involve any other organs at all!

The takeaway here is that while we may think our bodies are simple (and they kind of are), they can still surprise us with their complexity when you look deep enough into them.

Conclusion

The human body is an amazing organism that has evolved over time to allow us to survive in our environment. It’s important for us to remember that this process is ongoing, and we should continue to learn about it so we can better understand how our bodies function and contribute towards our health as a species.