Journal 12 The Finale

Investigation

The topic of my investigation is C125 Blood Test. I was speaking to my mother today and she was telling me about my aunt who has cancer. She told me that she was taking to a family friend that happened to be a doctor and he told her about this test and said that I should research it because of my major. He always advises me to research topics and since this one applies to histology I though I would share my research.

According to mayoclinc.com C125 Blood Test is a test that measures the amount of the protein CA 125 (cancer antigen 125) in your blood. In some cases, certain types of cancer cells may release CA 125 into the bloodstream. Because of this, a CA 125 test may be used to monitor and guide treatment of ovarian, endometrial and fallopian tube cancers. It is done to help diagnose cancer, to monitor cancer treatment and to to screen for ovarian cancer if you're at high risk. This was a good source and a good amount on information was found here.
Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research[Internet]. CA 125 Test. 18 April 2009. [cited 6 December 2009] Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ca-125-test/MY00590/DSECTION=why-its-done

According to Kare Kwan of flare magazine, it is a test that is reccomeded to be taken in your 30's. A blood test that measures levels of a specific protein, conducted along with a pelvic exam and a transvaginal ultrasound, to help determine whether your persistent symptoms are related to ovarian cancer. When to get it: According to Ovarian Cancer Canada, see your doctor if you experience any of these Symptoms for more than three weeks: abdominal bloating, pelvic discomfort, back pain, fatigue, nausea, indigestion, menstrual irregularities or a significant change in your weight. This was a good source but not a lot of information was given on the test itself and the science behind it.
Kwan, Kare. Health Tests. Flare Magazine. 2009[volume 31]. [page 26] Available from: http://my.cuc.edu:2202/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=104&sid=c65c6738-26e2-4a31-abed-bd4947713c64%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=43922079

Encounter
My encounter occured a few hours ago when I came back to from the Christmas Banquet (yeah I know I should've been studying but I needed a final break before finals). I when to my friend's room and saw her taking off her makeup. She then said to me that she always gets bad breakouts on her face if she kept her makeup on for too long. She then asked me why did I think this might happen. I then began to explain to her that the make up clogs her pores and may get trapped in the hair follicles on her face and may even block sweat and oil glands. This may cause a build up in bacteria and cause an infection hence the break outs. This appiles to our histology class because just a few weeks ago we discussed the integumentary system which includes the skin.

Reflections

This was a great course and I had lots of fun learning about the different tissues of the body. I felt as though I was getting even closer to my goal of being a doctor. I am a very visual and kinesthetic learner and the teaching style of my professor made the information presented in the class easier to remember. I had fun laughing and learning with my classmates. The discussions in this class were great because it made me feel as though I wasn't just learning but building on past knowledge and applying myself. The information learnt in this class would become very useful in my future career as a pediatrician and i feel as though histology is one of the fundations of medicine. This class applied to many other classes that I have taken previously such as immunology and animal physiology. This class as did every class I took with Dr. V changed the way I looked at everything from content of conversations to commercials on television. I now find myself being even more critical about the science content and evaluating it to see if it sounds legitimate. In conclusion, this was a great course and a great experience. The profesor was phenomenal and my classmates were fun, hilarious and an intelligent bunch. And, in a small way I am going to miss this combination of personalities, humor and intelligence we call our histology class.

Histology Journal 11

Encounter

This encounter involved breast cancer. I had a discussion over the phone with my mom a month ago. My aunt has been diagnosed with breast cancer for almost a year now. She had been experiencing pain in that area on and off during that period. Lately she said that she feels well and sometimes forgets that she has this disease. My mother (an Finance Manager not a doctor) figured that at those times that she had been experiencing pain the cancer must be growing or metastasizing. I spoke with my professor about this theory and learnt that there may be many different reasons for the pain or lack thereof. I also figured to myself that the absence of the pain may be as dangerous as having the pain. This applies to our class because over the past few months we have been discussing the various tissues and cells in the body and cancer is a defect in the cells. I learnt that pain caused by breast cancer is not a major symptom of the disease. The pain could be attributed to various causes other than the cancer itself such as normal hormone fluctuations and premenstral syndrome.

Histology blog 10

Investigation

The topic I picked for discussion was acne. This is a disorder that many people have to live with even into late adulthood.

My first source is an article published by the Mayo Clinic.

The source says that hormone play a role in the development of acne and people of all ages get acne for various reasons such as birth control pills, menstrual cycles and pregnancy. Acne can cause emotional stress and lead to scarring of the skin. However, there are treatments for acne and the sooner treatment begins the lower the risk of lasting and physical emotional damage.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/acne/DS00169

This was a very good source because I learned a lot about acne and the risk factors for the disorder. Mayo Clinic stated that direct skin exposure to greasy or oily substances, or to certain cosmetics applied directly to the skin.

The second source was a research article that discussed a way of treating acne, which is cleansing. This article reinforced that acne has many physical and emotion effect on a person as well as the way a person is viewed by society. It basically outlined the types of moisturizers and cleansers were good for different types of skin that had acne. They said that "moisturizing prevents and reduces skin irritation, soothing the skin by slowing the evaporation of water. Many liquid face cleansers also moisturize, which may be all that is needed for a patient with oily skin. Protection from sun and environmental damage is important for all patients. While sunscreens are often irritants, the best options for young, oily,acne-prone skin tend to have a water or light liquid base."

American Journal of Clinical Dermatology; 2009 Supplement, Vol. 10 Issue S1

This was a very interesting article because it helped me understand the basis of acne treatment and what may work for one person may not work for another. This was a very well written and easily understood article and it gave me alot of insight on acne treatment.

Histology Blog 9

Reflections

This week in Histology was interesting. I liked the topic we are studying and i found it very intriguing. I liked learning about the integumentary system and it made me very aware of how important this system is and how it works. This will help me in my future because i briefly thought about being a dermatologist and this topic made me want to keep this idea in mind. I am a visual and kinesthetic learner and labs and the very visual lectures help me to remember and understand the information easier. Overall this was a very interesting week in Histology.

Histology Blog 8

Dictionary

microcirculation-The flow of blood through the smallest vessels such as arterioles, capillaries and venules
mesothelium- this is the squamous epithelium that covers the heart.
spongiosa- The loose connective tissue on the atrial/blood vessel side of the valve.
Ventricularis- the dense connective tissue with elastic fibers on the ventricular side it is covered with endothelium.
fibrosa- the fibrous extensions from dense irregular connective tissue of fibrous skeleton

Histology Journal 7

Reflection

This week in Histology was a very good week. I like how the style that the information was presented in was changed. I like the concept map and I think I will be using that method in my studies. The cardiovascular system was studied this week and this will be important in my studies as a move onto Medical School. I am a visual learner so graphs and flow chats help me learn and making the flow chart in class catered to both my kinestethic and visual learning styles. I learned about the heart and blood vessels this week and these are very important in the cardiovascular system simply because they are integral parts of the cardiovasular system. This week we also had a test and I think I did very well. Overall this was a good week in Histology.

Journal 6

My Dictionary

1. Perikaryon-The soma, or cyton or perikaryon, is the bulbous end of a neuron, containing the cell nucleus.
2. multipolar-these are inerneurons or motor neurons that have more than two poles or axon extentions
   
3. pseudomonopolar- these are neurons that only appear to have one pole.
   
4. Neurilemma- This is a thin layer of Schawann cell cytoplasm continuous with myelin sheath. Contains nucleus and organelles.
5. Ependyma-thin epithelial membrane lining the ventricles of the brain and the spinal cord canal

Reflections

This week in Histology was very interesting. I like case studies because it gives me the opportunity to apply what I have learnt and it makes me feel as though I am on the right track to becoming a doctor. I also like to hear my classmates’ point of view on the same study and oral case study presents a great opportunity to do so. This class has proved itself to fit my career goals very well as it orients me by focusing on the tissues in more depth than I did before which is essential knowledge if I want to become a pediatrician. The information I learn helps with other classes as well as reinforces information I have already learnt. I learn visually and Kinesthetically and although I did not really encountered anything that appeals to my learning style this week, I still learnt a lot through the case study. This class changes the way I watch TV (in the little time I have to do so) because I find myself evaluating the science content and double-checking if what is said is in fact correct. This also changed the way I interact with my friends because whenever a topic that has to do with science comes up I also check to see if what is said is correct. This was a great week in histology class.