Pathophysiology Across The Lifespan Discussion

Pathophysiology Across The Lifespan Discussion

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Topic 1: Case Study

Case Study Posting Requirements

Make sure all of the topics in the case study have been addressed.
Cite at least three sources—journal articles, textbooks or evidenced-based websites to support the content.
All sources must be within five years.
Do not use .com, Wikipedia, or up-to-date, etc., for your sources.

Case Study 1

Organization and Control of Neural Function

Riku is a 19-year-old college student. One morning, after a long night of studying, Riku woke up and made himself a hot cup of coffee and toast.

Much to his surprise, when he brought the cup to his mouth to drink, the coffee spilt onto the table. Riku went to the bathroom mirror and noticed the left side of his face seemed to droop. He quickly got dressed and ran to the medical clinic on the college campus. As he ran, his left eye began to feel scratchy and dry, but he could not blink in response. The physician at the clinic listened to Riku’s story and then did a careful cranial nerve examination. She concluded that Riku had Bell palsy, an inflammatory condition of the facial nerve most likely caused by a virus.

What are an afferent neuron and efferent neuron? What are efferent components of the facial nerve and their actions?
Under certain circumstances, axons in the peripheral nervous system can regenerate after sustaining damage. Why is axonal regeneration in the central nervous system much less likely?
At a healthy myoneural junction, acetylcholine is responsible for stimulating muscle activity. What mechanisms are in place to prevent the continuous stimulation of a muscle fiber after the neurotransmitter is released from the presynaptic membrane?

Case Study 2

Somatosensory Function, Pain, and Headache

Ramandeep is an active 23-year-old. She works as a part-time nurse during the day and is studying for a postgraduate certificate in the evening. Ramandeep started to wear a bite plate at night after she began to experience jaw pain and headaches. Sometimes the pain radiated to her ear, and she would apply a hot water bottle to it to ease the discomfort. Her husband mentioned to her that he heard her grinding her teeth at night while she was sleeping. She knew then that her headaches might be from temporomandibular joint syndrome, and she went to her dentist to confirm her thoughts. In addition to the bite plate, the dentist also recommended she should continue with the application of heat, use NSAIDs when needed, and incorporate regular relaxation exercises throughout her stressful days.

What effect does heat have on nociceptors so that it makes a good nonpharmacologic treatment for pain?
Heat and cold treatment are both hypothesized to have an effect on the release of endogenous opioids. What are these chemicals, and why are they hypothesized to be beneficial in the body?
Using your knowledge of physiology, how do NSAID analgesics function in the management of pain?

Case Study 3

Pathophysiology Across The Lifespan Discussion

Pathophysiology Across The Lifespan Discussion

Disorders of Motor Function

John is 63 years old and receives home care by an occupational therapist twice a week. His therapist is currently working with John on maintaining joint flexibility and balance. John demonstrates resting tremor, so his therapist is also working on adaptive techniques, so John can continue to use his hands to write, use the computer, and cook simple meals. John’s wife assists with his mobility and walks slowly beside him, holding his arm. Sometimes she needs to help him open his prescription bottles, so he can take his medicine, a combination of levodopa and carbidopa.

What motor disease does John demonstrate? One of his signs is resting tremor. What is the difference between a resting tremor and an intention tremor?
What is the advantage of combining levodopa with carbidopa? What is the benefit of anticholinergic drugs in the management of Parkinson disease?
Parkinson disease involves the destruction of the substantia nigra and the nigrostriatal pathway. Where are these structures anatomically?
The patient with Parkinson disease typically presents with a masklike facial expression. Why does he or she have a masklike facial expression? How are the eyes, mouth, and laryngopharynx affected by this disease?

Case Study 4

Disorders of Brain Function

Bonnie is a 70-year-old woman who lives alone. One evening, she felt light-headed and dizzy. When her head began to ache, she decided to take an analgesic and go to bed early. The following morning, upon awakening, she was unable to move the bed sheets with her right arm. At this point she was experiencing tingling sensations in her limbs, and she had difficulty keeping her balance. She dialed 911 for help, and by the time the ambulance arrived, she was confused and unable to articulate her words although she knew what information he was asking of her. In the hospital, she was examined and treated for ischemic stroke.

Stroke, or brain attack, involves brain tissue injury. Describe ischemic penumbra and what factors contribute to the survival of the neurons involved. What happens if the cells of the penumbra are unable to be preserved?
Compare and contrast hypoxia and ischemia. What condition is more dangerous to the brain? Explain your answer.
Knowing what you do about the effects of ischemia on the brain, why would someone with ischemic stroke develop cerebral edema?
What type of aphasia was Bonnie exhibiting when talking to her caregivers? Explain your answer.

Case Study 5

Sleep and Sleep Disorders

Jessica is six years old. Her parents recently saw her pediatrician because they were concerned about the sleeping difficulties Jessica has been having. Often she would scream out loud in her sleep. Her parents would rush to her room and find her sitting upright in bed, panting heavily in a state of panic. Jessica would not respond to her parent’s words of consolation, and the next morning she would have no memory of the incident at all. Her parents were worried about the anxiety their daughter was experiencing and asked the pediatrician what they could do about her nightmares. The pediatrician explained Jessica was likely suffering from sleep terrors and carefully described what that meant.

What are the similarities and differences between nightmares and sleep terrors?
What are the characteristics of motor, sensory, and autonomic function during REM sleep? What is thought to be the importance of this stage of sleep?
Jessica’s pediatrician said that the careful management of sleep hygiene may help to decrease the incidence of her sleep terrors. What is included in an overview of the general features that demonstrate good sleep hygiene?

Case Study 6

Disorders of Thought, Emotion, and Memory

Ella is 88 years old and was living at home until very recently. Her children, who visited her regularly, noticed she was becoming more forgetful. At first, she mislaid objects, and then she began to forget her doctor’s appointments. With time, her personality changed and she became withdrawn. At home she would forget to turn off the stove or leave the kettle on until it boiled dry. After seeking advice from a gerontologist and social worker, Ella’s children placed her in a nursing home with a unit equipped for patients with Alzheimer disease.

What is dementia? Why is Alzheimer disease based on a “diagnosis of exclusion”?
What are the macroscopic and microscopic features of the brain that are typical in Alzheimer disease?
One of Ella’s children brought her a new pair of slippers to wear in the nursing home. A minute after she received them, Ella could not remember the exchange and asked what they were doing on her bed. What part of the brain has largely been affected to produce this behavior, and what is the pathophysiology involved?
To view the Grading Rubric for this Assignment, please visit the Grading Rubrics section of the Course Home.

Pathophysiology Across The Lifespan Discussion

Pathophysiology Across The Lifespan Discussion

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.