My Dictionary 7

IMMUNE RESPONSE CYTOKINES

Interleukins (ILs): As their name suggests, ILs signal among leukocytes, though cells other than leukocytes may also use interleukins.  Immunologists named interleukins sequentially as they were discovered.  Currently, scientists have identified about 35 interleukins. 

Interferons (IFNs): These antiviral protiens may also act as cytokines.  The most important interferon with such a dual function is gamma interferon, which is a potent phagocytic activator secreted by Th1-cells. 

Growth Factors: These proteins stimulate leukocyte stem cells to divide, ensuring that the body is supplied with sufficient white blood cells of all types.  The body can control the progression of an adaptive immune response by limiting the production of growth factors. 

Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF): Macrophages and T cells secrete TNF to kill tumor cells and to regulate immune responses and inflammation.

Chemokines: Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines; that is, they signal leukocytes to move- for example, to rush to a site of inflammation or infection, or to move within tissues. 

My Dictionary 6

MODES OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE TRANSMISSION

An infectious disease must be transmitted from either a reservoir or a portal of exit to another host's  portal of entry.  Transmission can occur by numerous modes that are somewhat arbitrary categorized into three groups: contact transmission, vehicle transmission, and vector transmission.

CONTACT TRANSMISSION 
 
Direct Contact Transmission: including person-person spread, typically involves body contact between hosts.  Touching, kissing, and sexual intercourse are involved in the transmission of such diseases as warts, herpes, and gonorrhea.  

Indirect Contact Transmission: occurs when pathogens are spread from one host to another by fomites, which are inanimate objects that are inadvertently used to transfer pathogens to new hosts.  

Droplet Transmission: pathogens can be transmitted within droplet nuclei (droplets of mucous) that exit the body during exhaling, coughing, and sneezing.  
 

VEHICLE TRANSMISSION 

The spread of pathogens via air, drinking water, and food, as well as bodily fluids being handled outside the body.

Ex. Airborne Transmission, Waterborne Transmission, and Foodborne Transmission 
 
VECTOR TRANSMISSION

Are animals that transmit diseases from one host to another.

Ex. Biological Vectors and Mechanical Vectors

My Dictionary 5

The Stages of Infectious Diseases 

Incubation Period: this is the time between infection and occurrence of the first symptoms or signs of disease.

Prodromal Period: this is a short time of generalized, mild symptoms (such as malaise and muscle aches) that proceeds illness.  Not all infections disease have a prodromal stage.

Illness: This is the most severe stage of an infectious disease.Signs and symptoms are most evident during this time.

Decline: This is the time that the body gradually returns to normal as the patient's immune response and/or medical treatment vanquish the pathogens.  Fever an other signs and symptoms subside. 

Convalescence: This is the time when the patient recovers from the illness; tissues are repaired and returned to normal. 

My Dictionary 4

Koch's Postulates 

1. The suspected agent (bacterium, virus, etc.) must be present in every case of the disease.

2. That agent must be isolated and grown in pure culture.

3. The cultured agent must cause the disease when it is inoculated into a healthy, susceptible experimental host.

4. The same agent must be re-isolated from the diseased experimental host. 

Germ Theory of Disease

This states that disease is caused by infections of pathogenic microorganisms (at the time, called germs)

My Investigation 2: What Causes Us to Sneeze?

For this week I decided to do my investigation on what causes us to sneeze.  During this week in class we learned about innate immunity and it reminded me that our skin and mucous membranes of the respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive system are the first line of defense in the body.  We never discussed in class what causes us to sneeze in complete depth however. In the article entitled What Causes Sneezing it basically explains what causes us to sneeze.  It states that
" It's the body's attempt to get rid of some material in the nasal passages ( Ellis-Christensen, 2013)."  As for me a person may have a runny nose from a cold or flu, which causes the mucous membranes in the sinus passages to become irritated. The body responds by attempting to clear these passages through its first line of defense by causing an individual to sneeze.

The article also states that "At other times, allergies to pollens, dust, or molds cause sneezing. The nose, which is acting as a filtration device, works to remove these allergens from the body by expelling them. Since allergies entering the nose are often made up of tiny particles, it may take multiple attempts to do the trick of removing irritants ( Ellis-Christensen, 2013)."  In conclusion, the nasal passages are good at detecting when an irritant has invaded it and will do all it can to get rid of it and therefore, we sneeze. 


Ellis-Christensen, T. (2013, March 29). What causes sneezing?. Retrieved from                                     http://www.wisegeek.org/what-causes-sneezing.htm 



Interesting Fact:   The longest sneezing spree was 978 days, a record set by Donna Griffiths of Worcestershire, England, according to background information on the Library of Congress' web site.

My Reflection 2

This past week we have been learning about controlling microbial growth in the environment.  What I had found interesting about reading this chapter the most was in the beginning when there was a short paragraph of how the chapter we were studying connected to the real world.  It was intresting to me to read because its's not like we discussed it in class.  It was this paragraph that brought to my attention that wearing contact lenses is seriously risky.  Uncommon but serious infections, such as bacterial keratitis have been linked to contact use.  Acanthamoeba, a protozoan can result from using contaminated lens-care solutions or rinsing contact lenses in tap water.  This was the part that scared me the most because I reflected back into my past when I would be somewhere like a movie theater or even church and my contacts would dry out.  There have been plenty of cases that I have resorted to a bathroom sink and tap water as a means of revitalizing my dried up contact lense.  Little did I know that I was potentially setting myself up for infection.  Fortunately I never experienced any type of infection due to my contact lenses ever, but with the knowledge that I now know about the dangers of rinsing contact lenses in tap water, I will not only avoid it, but inform others about not doing it as well. 

                                     Caused by Contact Lenses: Conjunctivitis under the eyelid 
This particuler subject fits into my career goals simply because I want to be a healthcare professional in the futrure.  It will be my duty to inform patients or people in general the ways of proper hygiene to avoid contamination or infection.   This information does not conflict with another course but gives me a better understanding of this current course and my own personal hygiene.  In terms of my engagment in the learning process, I see myself as a visual learner.  When I see things more, information seems to just click to me.  Also repetition helps me remember more information efficiently.  I would like to try more audio ways of learning just because sometimes it does help when I hear things said to me clearly and audible.  I've tried videos amd those seem to help especially if there are pictures, and diagrams in addition to the audio.  The two most important things that I've learned so far in this chapter was to one, take hygiene seriously when it comes to wearing contact lenses and two, always try to find something visual about a subject in order to help me learn better.  This information has impacted my life positively because now I know what not to do when it comes to my contact lenses.  I take better caution with my lenses by making sure I use the right cleansing material to clean the lenses and making sure I wash my hands before and after usage. 

My Reflection

This past week we have been learning about infection, infectious diseases, and epidemiology.  We've discussed the symbiotic relationships between microbes and their hosts, how normal microbiota become opportunistic pathogens, and even different portals of entry in which pathogens enter the body.  This information is particularly relevant in my future career goals because I plan on becoming a nurse.   Knowing how infections are spread and their effects on the body is important to know to better care for my patients in the future.  This semester I am learning information that helps me understand Nutrition.  In nutrition we learn about different enzymes, foods, and processes that affect the human body for either better or worse. Having a good understanding in microbiology helps me significantly because then I am hearing the information twice by having nutrition class and I'm remembering the information a lot more efficiently.  

In terms of my engagement in the learning process, I would have to say I am a visual learning.  I retain more information when I can either see diagrams, maps, or even videos of the same information we learn in class.  I like using different color highlighters in my textbook to mark important points to remember it better.  I actually would be open to learning using different styles because at the end of the day, I know how I can learn efficiently.  So if a different mode doesn't work for me I can always go back to what I've been doing before.