BIOL 301 6382 Human Health and Disease

BIOL 301 6382 Human Health and Disease

BIOL 301 6382 Human Health and Disease

Part II: Evidence-based Diagnosis

Diseases fall into two categories: communicable and noncommunicable, which leads to different approaches to the management of such conditions. For example, COPD is a noncommunicable disease while COVID-19 is a communicable disease. The two conditions share some similar characteristics but differ in others. The purpose of this paper is to explore the symptoms, testing, and risk factors for each condition and show the similarities and differences between the two conditions.

COPD

The signs and symptoms of COPD include chest tightness, wheezing, chronic cough, shortness of breath, respiratory illnesses, swelling of legs, feet, and ankles, unexplained weight loss, and loss of energy. COPD has two phases, for example, the exacerbation phase when the symptoms are severe and the normal phase when there are barely any symptoms. COPD affects the pulmonary and respiratory systems. COPD occurs when particulate matter or fumes from smoking enters the lungs causing damage to the airway and tiny air sacs leading to chest tightness (Hikichi et al., 2019). Chest tightness causes difficulties in breathing because of the obstructed airway, also resulting in cough, wheezing, and respiratory infections.

Spirometry involves blowing air into a tube, which measures the amount of air a person can inhale or exhale. The information from spirometry shows how much air a person’s lungs can hold and the speed of blowing air out of the lungs (Bollmeier & Hartmann, 2020). Ultimately, the data reveals whether the lungs transport oxygen to the blood.   

A chest X-ray is a radiograph of the chest showing the status of the organs. Information from a chest X-ray can reveal enlarged lungs flattened diaphragm, or air pockets, which reveal compromised airways consistent with COPD (Fazleen & Wilkinson, 2020).

COVID-19

The signs and symptoms of COVID-19 include loss of taste, tiredness, fever, and cough. Other less common symptoms are headache, sore throat, skin rash, diarrhoea, red eyes, and aches and pain. In severe cases, COVID-19 causes difficulties in breathing, chest pain, and loss of speech or mobility. COVID-19 is characterized by the movement of the virus from the nasal epithelium to affect the upper respiratory affecting the airways where it causes narrowing of the chest and obstruction that causes cough and production of the septum, breathing irregularities, and chest pain (Marik et al., 2021).

Testing for COVID-19 uses the polymerase chain reaction involves taking a specimen from the upper respiratory. The tests check for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. The test gives either negative or positive results confirming COVID-19 (Wiersinga, 2020).

Comparing COPD and COVID-19

The two conditions are similar because they affect the respiratory system and exacerbation in both cases causes shortness of breath and the risk of respiratory distress. Additionally, symptoms such as the production of septum and coughing are also similar to communicable and non-communicable diseases. The difference between the two conditions is that communicable disease COVID is caused by a virus while noncommunicable disease, COPD results from particulate matter from smoking or inhalation of gases and other matter.

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The risk factors of COVID-19 are age, pregnancy, preexisting medical conditions such as diabetes, medications, poverty, and overcrowding conditions such as prison. Some of these risk factors such as low socioeconomic status and overcrowding are modifiable (Wiersinga, 2020). These can be changed through the increase in resources and equitable distribution of wealth to upgrade the lives of everyone. On the other hand, the risk factors of COPD are occupational exposure to chemicals and dust, asthma, exposure to fumes, genetics, and exposure to cigarette smoke. Most of the risk factors of COPD are modifiable, for example, tobacco smoking, occupational exposures, and exposure to fumes are all lifestyle factors that can be modified (Bollmeier & Hartmann, 2020). These can be changed by stopping smoking, staying away from sources of secondary smoke, and changing occupations. The two conditions do not have any risk factors in common. Another element that is different between the two conditions is diagnostic tests. COPD uses spirometry while COVID-19 uses PCR tests. However, in advanced cases, a CT scan can be done in both scenarios to investigate the organs affected by the conditions.

Regarding treatment, COPD is a chronic condition with no cure but can be managed using bronchodilators, which slow the progression of the condition (Bollmeier & Hartmann, 2020). On the other hand, in COVID-19, the FDA-approved Remdesivir is used for the treatment of the condition. The symptoms can also be managed by over-the-counter medication (Bruno, 2021). Similarly, oxygen therapy is considered in cases of severe shortness of breath.

Race predisposes individuals to COPD, as evidence shows that whites are more likely to develop the condition compared to Blacks and Hispanics. In COVID-19, the predisposing factors are age, and socioeconomic status (Wiersinga, 2020). The response to the predisposing factor of socioeconomic status occurs in the form of policies that address poverty and enhance the equitable distribution of resources. An example of societal factors that predisposes people to COVID-19 are things like a prison where crowding cannot be controlled. This is addressed by increasing resources and reducing congestion in the prison system.

Conclusion

The discussion shows that both COPD and COVID-19 affect the respiratory system with some similar symptoms including fatigue, obstruction of the airway leading to shortness of breath and chest pain. The diagnostic tools for COPD are chest X-ray and spirometer while the test for COVID-19 is a PCR test. Similarly, the diseases are caused by varying risk factors, for example, COPD is mainly caused by tobacco smoking necessitating smoking cessation. On the other hand, risk factors of COVID-19 include age, overcrowding, poverty, and underlying medical conditions. These factors are mostly modifiable.  

BIOL 301 6382 Human Health and Disease References

Bollmeier, S., & Hartmann, A. (2020). Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A review focusing on exacerbations. Am J Health Syst Pharm. , 77(4):259-268. https:?//doi.10.1093/ajhp/zxz306.

Bruno, R. (2021). Special Issue “COVID-19: Current Understanding of Its Pathophysiology, Clinical Presentation and Treatment”. Journal of Personal Medicine.

Fazleen, A., & Wilkinson, T. (2020). Early COPD: current evidence for diagnosis and management. SAGE Journals, https://doi.org/10.1177/1753466620942.

Hikichi, M., Mizumura, K., Maruoka, S., & Gon, Y. (2019). Pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) induced by cigarette smoke. J Thorac Dis, 11(Suppl 17): S2129-S2140. https://doi.10.21037/jtd.2019.10.43.

Marik, P., Iglesias, J., Varon, J., & Kory, P. (2021). A scoping review of the pathophysiology of COVID-19. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol, 20587384211048026. doi: 10.1177/20587384211048026.

Wiersinga, W. (2020). Pathophysiology, Transmission, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Review. JAMA, 324(8), 782–793. https://doi.10.1001/jama.2020.12839.

Course Description

(For students majoring in both science and nonscience disciplines.) A survey of the mechanisms of disease and their expression in major organ systems of the human body. The goal is to use scientific reasoning to make informed decisions about matters related to human biology and health. Topics include infections, cancer, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, stroke, malnutrition, poisoning by environmental toxins, stress, inflammation, disorders of the immune system, and aging. Emphasis is on analysis of factors that cause disruption of healthy body functions, leading to disease, and on prevention of disease through control of risk factors and early detection. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: BIOL 301 or BIOL 398H.

Course Introduction

Human Health and Disease is an upper-level science course. You will learn about the human body and its structural components and mechanisms that help the body maintain optimal working order. We will explore the relationship between the body’s structure (anatomy) and function (physiology), learning how the body works when it is healthy and what happens when it is affected by a disease.

We will learn to distinguish between healthy and diseased function of the various levels of organization in the body starting from the smallest living units?cells?and moving on to tissues, organs, and organ systems. We will discuss how the coordination of metabolic activities at each level benefits the body and explore how all parts of the body work together to maintain a stable internal environment that allows the body to function properly within set limits.

We will then discuss general categories of diseases caused by pathogens, genetic defects, and environmental factors, and learn how a single disease agent affects not just one organ, but ultimately causes disruption in the body’s homeostasis. We will also explore diagnostic procedures, treatment options, and potential outcomes of various diseases as they pertain to specific organ systems. We will learn to recognize the risk factors leading to diseases and identify preventive measures.

Knowledge about human diseases will be gathered from a variety of sources, including textbooks, course modules, articles, and information from papers and group presentations.

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, you should be able to

use knowledge of biological principles and the scientific method to ask and answer relevant questions about human health and disease
analyze information to distinguish between diseased and healthy structure and functioning
analyze how internal and external factors cause disruption of healthy body function, leading to disease and disorders
recognize risk factors leading to disease and identify preventive measures and treatments
Course Materials
Click to access your course materials information

Class Guidelines

Contacting your Faculty Member

You can use the Instant Messages feature within the classroom to send a message to your faculty member, or you can use email. See the Overview section under Content to find the contact information for your faculty member.

Classroom Navigation

Are you new to UMGC and need help navigating the LEO classroom? Check out the Online Classroom Overview: For Undergraduate and Graduate Courses video on the Learning Experience Online website.

Course Materials

You will use a number of different materials in this class:

a free online textbook: Open Stax Concepts of Biology
asynchronous discussions

Use of Turnitin in this Course

This course uses Turnitin, a software tool embedded in the online classroom to support the development and assessment of academic writing, including ensuring the authenticity of student work through a Similarity Report that highlights any matching areas in your paper found in another submitted paper in the Turnitin repository using a range from 0% to 100%. The use of Turnitin in this class is different than how it may have been used in your other classes in that there is no need to create a separate account. You only need to submit your assignment within the classroom. Shortly after you submit your assignment you will receive helpful feedback to improve your writing from within the Turnitin software tool.

In this course, the following assignments will be reviewed using Turnitin:

Understanding Health and Disease Assignment, Parts I and II
You can submit your assignments to Turnitin multiple times before the assignment due date. Once you submit an assignment to the Assignment folder, your assignment will be submitted automatically to Turnitin generating a Similarity Report. When a Similarity Report is available for viewing, a similarity score percentage will be made available that can be accessed from the Assignment folder by selecting the Submitted link located under “Completion Status” or by clicking the View History button.

NOTE: It may take a few moments for the report to be available. If you have any questions about the use of Turnitin for your assignments, please reach out to your instructor directly via the in-class messenger or email. If you are experiencing any difficulty accessing the Similarity Report, please visit the Turnitin support site: https://help.turnitin.com/feedback-studio/d2l/student/student-category.htm

Remember that you will not use your account at Turnitin.com for this course; the tool is already embedded in assignment folders.

Copy-right Protected Course Materials

All UMGC course materials, including quiz and exam questions, discussion questions, lab and writing assignments are copyright protected and the property of UMGC. Do not share any course materials on the internet. Sharing, or submitting, any materials from this course is a direct violation of U.S. and International Copyright Law. Civil Penalties for Copyright Violation currently range from $750 to $30,000 per violation.

Additionally, posting of quiz or assignment questions to online “answer” or “homework” websites is academic fraud. This type of activity is a direct violation of

UMGC’s code of conduct, Policy 151.00 section III-A, and
UMGC’s Policy 150.25 – Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism.
If you are caught engaging in this type of activity you risk sanction by the university. Possible sanctions include:

A grade of F on the work in question
A grade of F in the course
Suspension from the university for Academic Dishonesty
Expulsion for Academic Dishonesty
Please do your own work and don’t risk these consequences!

Helpful Resources

A. Orientation to Science Courses

The Science Learning Center (SLC). You can enter this site from under Content, Course Resources. The SLC houses a set of instructional and support materials of use across the science curriculum. Currently, the SLC houses two items:

1. The Scientific Method Tutorial – This module provides an excellent description of the Scientific Method. This method is integral to all science, and is important for our course.
2. The Science Studies Tutorial – This piece is designed to provide students with some tips and strategies for taking a science course. Some of the strategies in this unit are generic and apply to students’ general study habits for all courses. Other segments of the unit are specific to taking a science course. This unit is short and should not take more than 30-40 minutes to complete. I recommend that you read the unit during the first couple of weeks of the semester. If you have difficulty with science, then the Science Study Skills Unit is a MUST READ.

B. Orientation to College Writing

i. College Writing Essentials

The majority of content is written in the student’s own words, and directly quoted content is limited to less than 10% of total content
Introduction previews the main points, and conclusion summarizes main points
Ideas are presented clearly, follow sound logic, and flow coherently and cohesively
Content is expressed using standard grammar, punctuation and spelling conventions
Paragraph content reflects reasonable transitions
Content reflects synthesis and critical analysis of referenced sources
Ideas are supported by referenced evidence, and full citations are provided for all reference sources
ii. Citing and Writing Page (https://sites.umgc.edu/library/libhow/gethelp-citing.cfm) On this page you will find links to tutorials and resources to help you become a better researcher and writer, through proper attribution and citation of your sources, and the avoidance of academic dishonesty.

iii. Effective Writing Center (EWC). You can access helpful writing resources through UMGC’s Effective Writing Center (EWC). The EWC provides excellent information for improving your writing skills, writing a paper, incorporating citation formats, and many other writing skills. https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/index.cfm

iv. The Research Assignment Calculator for Time management of your research papers. https://libapps.umgc.edu/calculator/calculator.shtml

C. Library Guide for the Sciences

The UMGC library has developed resources to aid in the research of science-related databases, Websites, books, and e-books. The Library Services site also provides information on how to find articles, and 24-hour access to UMGC librarians. The link to the Library Guide can be found at https://libguides.umgc.edu/science

D. Additional Academic Support

First Online Course? If this is your first time taking a UMGC online course, then please walk through the introductory video orientations before our class begins (Go to LEO Help > Classroom Walkthrough). It will be of significant assistance to you. Get familiar with navigating around LEO by navigating through the various parts of our classroom to see all that is available.

Tips for Success

Login to LEO one week before the semester begins
Complete the LEO Classroom Walkthrough resources available at https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/leo
View and print syllabus. Mark calendar with important course dates
Read start-up/orientation materials posted by faculty member
Begin the course work on time and early (in the first 1-2 days of the semester)
Start weekly assignments early in the week (Do not wait until 1-2 days before they are due)
Check the online classroom, classroom News items and Alerts, and your email every 1-2 days for announcements and new information
E. Student Participation Expectations

a. Time Commitment:

Now that you have read the Syllabus, you should recognize that this course requires active student participation. An online course requires you to put in at least the same amount of time as an in-classroom course. For an eight-week course, you should expect to spend at least six hours per week participating in class discussions and activities and then about 12-15 hours in study, assigned reading, and preparing assignments outside of class. Active participation is required in all online courses, and you should expect to log in to your online course several times a week.

b. Study and Work Habits:

Summing Up a Successful Online Student. An online course places more responsibility on the student (and subsequently more independence) than a face-to-face course. Therefore, a successful online student must exercise more self-discipline than a face-to-face student. A successful online student is one who:

reads the Course Schedule’s assigned reading material thoroughly before responding in a conference
prepares personal study notes (like classroom notes) each week from the reading assignment addressing key points, key figures, and defines any bold-faced terms
considers outlining the course material for personal study
participates two-to-three times per week in discussions and avoids late-week discussion comments
engages the material and others with enthusiasm and courtesy
schedules adequate time to do the work
asks for help when needed
interacts with others in the class
is self-motivated
turns in well-drafted, proofed, and properly cited and referenced assignments prior to their due dates
keeps copies of all work and instructor responses in case of an emergency
Grading Information
Grading Information and Criteria

This course consists of the following graded items:

Discussion participation (week 1 through week 7 at 3% per week)

21%

Quizzes (7 quizzes at 4% each)

28%

Part I: Understanding Health and Disease assignment.

Week 3 – posting disease/disorder selections in the discussion area.

Week 5 – submission of Part I in the assignment folder

11%

(3%)

(8%)

Part II: Understanding Health and Disease assignment.

Week 7 – submission of Part II in the assignment folder.

15%

Final examination

25%

Total

100%

Extra Credit Policy

There is no extra credit work in this course.

Late Submission Policy

1. Written assignments: Ten percent (10%) of your grade will be subtracted for each day an assignment is late.
2. Quizzes. No late submissions will be accepted.
3. Discussions: If you do not participate in the discussions by the due date, you will earn 0% for participation in the missed week.
4. Final Exam: If you do not submit your final exam within the 96-hour window (note that you will have 4 hours to complete the exam once you open it within the 96-hour window), you will earn 0 (no exceptions!).
5. No work will be accepted after the official end of the class.

Discussion Participation

By registering for a Web-based course, you have made a commitment to participate in your online course discussions as well as other online activities. Please plan to participate regularly. Participation for this course is defined as proactive involvement in weekly discussion conferences and/or answering discussion questions. This may require you to actively reflect on weekly reading assignments and to develop original ideas in your responses. You are expected to demonstrate critical thinking and your understanding of the content in the assigned readings as they relate to the issues identified in the discussion. You are expected to make your own contribution in a main topic as well as respond with value-added comments to at least two of your classmates. You are encouraged to respond to other students as well as to your instructor. You will note in the grading policy that your online discussion participation counts significantly toward your final grade.

All the information you share in your discussion posts should be fully paraphrased in your own words, your own writing style, and structure. Changing a few words in a sentence copied from an information source is not fully paraphrasing. Content from the course materials or outside sources either needs to be fully paraphrased or quotation marks need to be added before and after the copied text, followed by an in-text citation. A general rule of thumb is no more than 10% direct quotes in a discussion post, or in an assignment.

You are expected to adhere to the general rules of online etiquette. It’s important to follow the guidelines of proper online etiquette to ensure good communication between you, your classmates and your instructors. Keep the five online etiquette tips below in mind during your online course:

Respect. Whether the class is online or on-site, respect is essential. It allows all involved parties to focus on the objective and prevents distracting disagreements. Be sure to use a polite tone, read before responding and be constructive with your criticism. It’s important to treat all online interactions the same as face-to-face interactions.
Use Proper Formatting, Punctuation and Grammar. The same rules of English apply in the online classroom setting. Capitalize letters when necessary, use appropriate punctuation and avoid using slang and abbreviations. You’ll not only make your posts easier to read; you’ll demonstrate your professionalism and personal value.
Be Careful. Because tone is difficult to convey online, sarcasm or humor can easily be misinterpreted. Though you may be tempted to joke around with your classmates, something written for a laugh may offend others. If you are unsure whether your message will be misconstrued, consider using an emoticon to lighten the tone.
Go to Your Instructor First. If you have a disagreement or issue with a fellow classmate, go to your instructor before the situation escalates. It’s best to make your instructor aware of the situation before it affects the classroom dynamics or the way you engage with your peers.
Stay on Topic, and Keep it Brief. Online classes require a lot of reading, and when responding, it may be difficult to decide where to start. Focus your comments into short topics to keep the conversation flowing. Avoid being too wordy, and instead say what you need to say without veering off topic.
To increase the possibility of you earning full credit for weekly participation, you must:

Participate individually with meaningful and original comments in the dialogue of the posted discussion questions. (See Academic Policies for information about plagiarism.)
Make a minimum of 3 posts per week. One main post is your original response to the stated question(s) and the other two are replies to your classmates’ postings. Each post should provide more depth , additional perspective, thoughts and be at least 100-150 words long written in your own words. Posts should not be longer than 250 words.
Ensure your posted content is written in your own words. Repetitive (redundant) answers, copied articles or portions of articles from Web sites, books, magazines and so on will not count towards participation
Cite properly and consistently and include all sources used for your responses.
Proper citation of sources (APA style) used for your responses is expected.
The due date for weekly discussion(s) is listed in the course schedule.

Do not put off your class work until the end of the week. The deadline for online classroom discussion participation is 11:59 PM ET on the due date unless stated otherwise. You must participate in the classroom discussions before the stated deadline to receive credit.

What is “good” participation?

For discussion participation, what matters here is the quality of your responses, not quantity.

Here are some examples of good responses:

“Mary – you mention in your answer that human cloning is currently being investigated. In your research did you see any companies that were actually doing human cloning? I did not think that human cloning even a possibility in our lifetime. I think the government should regulate cloning practices of all animals to make sure that the science is not being used in a harmful or unethical way.”

Another example:

“Joe, I really enjoyed reading your paper. I like the way that you formatted it, using pictures and tables to support your facts. The table you included about the increase in Flu deaths was very interesting – I did not realize that so many people die in other countries from something as simple as the flu!”

Your responses may include an observation, a counterexample, a suggestion, a statement of respectful disagreement, a solution, a question about the material or the process, an insight, an admission, an assent, an example, an idea, a corroboration, or a speculation. Remember to include your sources of information (if ap