Reflections #4

This is the second part of my final "Reflections" post, which will be the reflection on the lab portion of the Histology course for this past semester.

My second favorite part of this class, the lab portion made the entire course complete. Without lab, I would not have entirely understood the material that was taught in lecture. I was able to look at slides that showed the many tissues and cells that I learned about in lecture. When I learn about something, if there is no picture or real-life example, I do not completely comprehend the concept.

Not just the observation of different slides, but doing the lab write-ups also helped. Looking at the functions of different tissues and cells and where they're found also helped me study for course in general, since it was like a review. It gave me another outlet to study for this class.

All in all, this course was a blessing, not just intellectually, but spiritually as well as I learned about the way God created me. I know that I am intricately designed. God really made all human beings wonderful creatures. This class just supported that idea even more.

Reflections #3

I am almost at the end of this semester, and therefore, this course. Histology was fun. It wasn't just fun, but it was a great learning experience. It taught me about cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems in a completely different way.

The last two "Reflections" will be broken up into two ports: my reflection on the lecture and my reflection on the lab portion.

The lecture portion of this course was my favorite. It is unusual for an individual to enjoy the hands-off portion of a course more than the hands-on experience of a course. But I did, somehow. The amount of knowledge that entered my brain during the lecture portion was a lot, but I enjoyed what entered my brain. At times, my brain wanted more. Going through the different organ systems of the body helped. I was able to differentiate between the tissues found in one organ or organ system as opposed to another. The professor, Dr. V., taught the material in a way that was easy to understand, having a PowerPoint presentation with slides and diagrams for her students to put a picture to what they learned.

I hope those who take this course in the future will enjoy it as much as I did. I recommend this course to not just everyone pursuing medicine, but anything healthcare field that involves patient care.

Investigations #2

Periodontitis is a type of gum disease that occurs when the inflammation of gums leads to the separation of the gums and the teeth, forming pockets that become infected. The meaning of "periodontitis" is "inflammation around the tooth."

(2) Symptoms of periodontitis

This disease is interestingly initiated when the bacteria in our mouths, along with mucus and other substances, create "plaque" on our teeth. This plaque that is not removed can become hard and create "tarter" that cannot be cleaned by yourself. The longer these two substances are in our teeth can cause inflammation of the gums. The immune system fights this bacteria as plaque is spread throughout our mouth, especially at the gum line. The immune system also starts to break down bone and connective tissue that hold the teeth intact. When this is not treated by a professional, the bones, gums, and tissue that hold the teeth break down and cause the tooth to be permanently removed.

(3) Patient with periodontitis

Treatment for periodontitis reduces inflammation and removes the tarter. The easiest method of treatment seems to be the best: cleaning, brushing, and flossing your teeth regularly. Surgery may be needed if the tarter in the teeth needs to be opened and cleaned or if the teeth with this tartar or bacteria needs to be removed before it spreads to adjacent teeth.




References:

(1) http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth/Topics/GumDiseases/PeriodontalGumDisease.htm#intro

(2) http://periodontalhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/gum-visual-6.jpg

(3) http://www.natural-health-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Periodontitis.jpg

My Dictionary #3

Since the last time I posted in "My Dictionary," I've come across a few new and unfamiliar words in class and in my study of histology.

These words are:

(1) Tonofilaments making up the intercellular bridges

1. Tonofilaments:
A tonofilament is developed in the epidermis layer of the skin, specifically in the stratum spinosum, which is the second deepest layer in the epidermis. In this layer, the cytoplasm is filled with keratin bundles that are known as tonofilaments. Tonofilaments also are the intercellular bridges in this layer and are made up of various proteins and keratin.

(2)

2. Gingiva:

Also sometimes known as the gums, the gingiva surrounds and is firmly attached to the teeth and the bones around the teeth. It has three components (as seen on the picture to the left): free gingiva, interdental gingiva, and attached gingiva. The gingiva is bound to the underlying cementum and the alveolar bone.

(3)

3. Peyer's Patches:
Found in the ileum of the small intestine, the Peyer's patches are the many areas in the lymphoid  tissue that interact with the development of immunity to antigens present there. These Peyer's patches contain numerous lymph nodules, obviously in order to fulfill their duty.



Picture references:

(1) https://o.quizlet.com/i/q6ru-1iunk59zCBULM8fsw_m.jpg

(2) http://periobasics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Gingiva.jpg

(3) http://medcell.med.yale.edu/systems_cell_biology/gi_tract_lab/images/ileum_labels.jpg

Investigations #1

(1)

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a type of skin cancer. This occurs through abnormal, uncontrolled growths that arise in the skin’s basal cells (1). The basal cells are the deepest layer in the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of the skin. BCCs often look like open sores, red patches, pink growths, or shiny bumps.

(2)

The primary cause of this cancer is usually through long-exposure to sun light or ultraviolet rays over a period of years. This disorder occurs in areas of the body that is exposed to sun like in the face, neck, ears, scalp, shoulders, and back, although tumors in the basal cells can occur anywhere.


Some of the treatments include cutting out the tumor, freezing the cancer cells, and scalping out the tumor using electricity to kill the cancer cells. However, the easiest thing one with BCC can do is to stay away from the sun!

Picture references:

(1) https://www.human-anatomy99.info/basal-cell-carcinoma-diagram/

(2) http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/mobileart.asp?articlekey=107548

Encounters #3

This past week, the temperature in Maryland started going down. It started becoming cooler. Winter is definitely around the corner. I've used my jacket almost every day of this week and I see people around me layering up clothes on their body.

I was wondering, when I was putting on my jacket one morning, why and how we get cold. Is it that our blood needs to be at a certain temperature for it to be fully healthy and functioning? I was also thinking why our muscles tend to weaken when it is colder outside. Interestingly, in Histology class, we just had an exam on chapters that included the connective tissue, blood, and muscle tissue.

Here are reasons as to what happens to our body and why these things happen when we feel cold:

Pink cheeks: When the body temperature drops to 50 degrees (F), our blood vessels narrow to reduce blood flow near the body’s surface. Sometimes the blood vessels dilate and burst, which causes redness. This can also numb your hands.
Runny nose: At 45 degrees or below, cold and dry air causes difficulty for your lungs. Your nose wants to moisturize, but it can try to make up for this, which can cause it to run.
Shivering caused by cold: Your core body temperature has dropped about a degree below its normal temperature around 98.6 degrees. This can be the first sign of hypothermia. At 96 degrees, your muscle movements (motor movements) begins to fail. Body temperature of 90 degrees is immediately life-threatening.

As seen, there are many things that occur when we feel cold. The first, is that our body temperature drops, and we see many results because of this. Our muscles become weak because there is less blood flow near the body surface, restricting the muscles' ability to function to its fullest potential. This is why we feel like our muscles have weakened. And, to try to keep the blood to be at a normal temperature and muscles working fine, or bodies feel uncomfortable being cold, and thus we put on extra layers to keep warm and be comfortable. Stay warm this winter!

Reflections #2

Six weeks of Histology class gone by. Where has almost half the semester gone? It feels like the first day of class was sometime last week.

There has been a total of 11 chapters completely covered, with one exam taken, which constituted chapters 1-8. This exam that I took last Monday was like one I've never taken before. The format, the method of asking questions, and the questions themselves being challenging: it was different. The format of the exam consisted of eclectic types of questions. It had a combination of questions that were multiple choice, true or false, matching, short answer, and, the most unique, questions based on a picture identification method on the screen of a microscopic slide for students to identify, label, and know the function of the structure. 

Epithelial Tissue (1)

This unique question challenged me not only to carefully observe and know the difference in structure between the various tissue types, but it also made me realize that in the medical world, knowing the difference between the type of cell or what is comprised in the matrix is crucial in finding out the problem in the body and later treating it. It is critical and significant to look at how various tissue types are made in order to differentiate their functions.

The picture on the left is similar to the microscopic slide pictures shown during the exam (1).

Although I did well on the exam, I didn't do as well as I wanted to. I have much more to work on. However, I feel challenged and motivated to do better, especially after realizing the importance of looking at different tissue types and identifying the structures and functions of them. 

Until then, I'll be studying for the next exam!

Picture reference:
(1) http://www.scrigroup.com/files/biologie/85_poze/image023.jpg

Encounters #2

Relating what you learn in school, in this case Histology class, to what happens in your practical and everyday life can be interesting.

This past week, I decided to work out for a little bit, especially because I hadn't done any type of weight-bearing exercises in quite a few months. Although I do running and aerobic exercises at least twice a week, I did not do any weight-bearing, or muscle-building, exercises for months. Winter is just around the corner, and this desire to exercise will only weaken as I approach the colder months.

It was a coincidence that I decided to do these muscle-building exercises during the week that my professor had started the chapter on muscle tissue. It was perfect. When I continue with my exercises, I can now imagine what exactly is going on inside my body while I lift the dumbbell or do some push ups. I can now imagine the mechanism of the muscles working in my body while I, for example, do bicep curls with my dumbbell. I can now imagine what I am learning in class occur in my everyday life.

When I do bicep curls, the bicep muscle is contracting when I curl up and relaxing when I curl down. How do these muscles contract anyway? This mechanism is what I learned in my Histology class today.

(1)

Calcium is the most important element in muscle contraction. Muscle is composed of muscle fibers, also called myofibrils, are made up of myofilaments. There are two types of myofilaments: actin and myosin; also there is a protein critical for muscle contraction called troponin. These can be visualized on the diagram to your right.

Process of muscle contraction (2)

The process:
First, calcium is released, binding to troponin, which exposes the myosin-binding sites on the actin. Then, the myosin binds to actin, releasing ADP and forming a cross-bridge, causing the myosin to slide across the actin. ATP binds to myosin, causing it to let go of actin. Finally, when the calcium is returned, the muscle relaxes. All this occurs during one contraction.


Therefore, when I do those bicep curls, I will not only do it to be healthy and gain muscle so I can look like a strong man, but I will also imagine the beauty of what exactly goes on inside my muscle fibers during its contraction and relaxation.

Picture references:

(1) http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~sjjgsca/Muscleslidingfilament1.gif
(2) http://encyclopedia.lubopitko-bg.com/images/calcium%20and%20myosin%20in%20muscle%20contraction.jpg

My Dictionary #2

In class this past week, I mainly learned about connective tissue--its functions, types, components--which brought about lot of new words and terms to study. In this post, you will learn about three different words that are found within, function in, or relate to connective tissues. These are three that were one I didn't know the definition of before, yet were the most interesting.

1. Hematopoietic:

Hematopoietic stem cell (1)

Hematopoiesis is the production of all types of blood cells including formation, development, and differentiation of blood cells. Therefore, the word "hematopoetic" means a blood cell that functions as such. These are a type of connective tissue that comprises of red and white blood cells. Located in the red bone marrow, hematopoietic cells are the blood cells that give rise to all the other blood cells and are derived from mesoderm; which means, it is also a stem cell.

Fibroblasts (2)

2. Fibroblast:
Part of the connective tissue resident population, fibroblasts make up the connective tissue fibers and carbohydrates in the ground substance, which is found in the extracellular matrix. It is in the shape of an elongated nucleus, synthesizing the extracellular matrix and collagen, and also playing a crucial role in healing wounds.





3. Laminin:

Laminin under a microscope (3)

A multiadhesive glycoprotein, laminin can be found in the ground substance of the extracellular matrix in connective tissue. The extracellular matrix is one of two things that make up connective tissue, the other being the cell. I've used laminin many times when I have been asked to take devotions or nature talks simply because God has so fearfully and wonderfully made all of us, and what better for Him to show us this through this protein in the shape of a cross. It shows us that through this protein that functions to connect organs (multiadhesive glycoprotein), He holds us together.

Picture references:
(1) http://microbiologyspring2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/StemCell-Under-Microscope.jpg/228614600/423x317/StemCell-Under-Microscope.jpg
(2) http://www.sciencellonline.com/OLDSITE/site/productimages/Cells/Human/6320_3.jpg
(3) http://www.melvinneo.com/wp-content/uploads/laminin-2-300x220.png

Encounters #1

(1)

I was invited over to my uncle's house for dinner on Tuesday night. I looked forward to it, although it wasn't for any special occasion. My aunt cooked all the food, and it was Indian, which meant there was going to be rice (the staple Indian food) served. Interestingly, it is the Indian tradition that the guest be treated in a very hospitable and royal manner. This may include the hosts doing things like seating you down comfortably and giving you drinks.

However, the one thing that is the most common in the Indian culture is when the hosts serve food on your plate, instead of letting you serving your own food. It doesn't stop there. When you think you are finished with your plate, they keep serving rice, along with the other dishes, even if you think you are full. Although to the Indian people serving more and more food is a form of love and hospitality, I have grown to somewhat disliking this part of the tradition, especially when it's overdone. So, on Tuesday evening, when I was done with my plate of food, my aunt offered to serve me more rice, to which I declined. I declined because eating rice became almost unhealthy to me.

(2)

Almost every single Indian man above the age of 40 whether they live in India or here in the U.S., have humungous bellies. I believe this is because of the overconsumption of rice. Full of carbohydrate and fat, rice is what makes the belly area fat, because rice is what every Indian eats at least two meals a day.  

This incident reminded me of Histology because of the adipose tissue that is built up in the stomach area because of rice. I have personally reduced my rice intake because I want to be one of the few men without a belly. Moreover, I want to be healthy. Although I declined the offer of more rice, I love going to my uncle and aunt's house for some delicious Indian food.

Picture citations:

(1) https://www.pureindianfoods.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/food_display.jpg

(2) http://static.caloriecount.about.com/images/medium/rice-white-medium-grain-157605.jpg

Reflections #1

 

It's been two weeks already, and Histology just keeps getting more and more interesting. Writing down a reflection on the class thus far may seem a bit too soon, but if the class keeps getting interesting, there is usually much to be said.

This science course is not a requirement, neither is it going to appear in the MCAT. However, it is one that is worth taking primarily because it would immensely help with the initial stages of medical school. I was told by a former Histology student to take this course because of that reason, and also because it was exciting. Histology definitely has not disappointed. Although this course doesn't appear on the MCAT, I would strongly suggest any science student to take this course. I shouldn't be saying much because I have only been in five classes and one lab so far, but I think I have seen and learned enough to know this class is worth it.


So far, I've learned about some of the commonly used staining methods to observe and examine tissues and the classification of the four tissue types, starting the in-depth study of the epithelial tissue, including a lab to identify the different epithelial tissues, like picture (1) on the left.

The class itself has been interesting with what it has to offer in terms of the knowledge of tissues, but the professor has made it even better. By doing quizzes, case-studies, and weekly blogs, I have felt challenged, but also passionate about this course. For example, since I have to write different  about different topics in my blog, it keeps my life revolved around Histology. Sometimes I need to learn a few words that I haven't quite understood, write about a process that I find fascinating, connect something from Histology to my practical life, or just reflect on how this class has been so far. So, almost no matter what I'm doing Histology asks me to not just do my homework and assignments and quizzes and readings, but also to apply the things I learn to my life.

There is nothing to be said that needs to be improved with the course so far, and I hope it stays like that. Two weeks, and it has been a blast. Histology, you have become my favorite course this semester, by a long shot.

Picture citations:
(1) https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/images/6/64/Bone_histology_015.jpg
(2) http://medcell.med.yale.edu/histology/sensory_systems_lab/images/olfactory_epithelium.jpg

My Dictionary #1

After the conclusion of my first week of Histology class, I can say I have learned a lot of new words, processes, substances, and chemicals. These are a few that I found unfamiliar, yet interesting.


1. Immunohistochemistry:
A long word to say, but this is a significant part to Histology. A process used to detect proteins in tissue cells by antigens binding to antigens in tissues, immunohistochemistry combines three words together. The words "immuno" refers to antibodies included in this process, while the word "histo" means tissue. This process is mostly used through staining. Immunohistochemical staining can be effectively used in the diagnosis of foreign cells found in tumors.

2. Paraffin:

This is type of wax that is a usually colorless (although it looks white) soft solid which comes from gas, coal, or oil. On the first day of Histology class, I learned about the famous Hematoxylin and Eosin Stain method, which requires paraffin. Paraffin, used as an embedding agent, hardens the tissue so that it can be cut into slices and put onto slides for observation. The picture on the right (1) illustrates a hand put into paraffin mixed in water.



3. Fluorescein
This is the most commonly used dye in immunocytochemistry, which primarily absorbs ultraviolet light and throws out green light. Any antibodies can be put with fluorescein and be applied to tissues on slides to find antigens. This reaction of antibody and antigen can also be used to analyzed and studied with a fluorescence microscope that can give a three-dimensional image of the same tissue. The picture on the left (2) is of fluorescein.

Picture references:
(1) http://diyhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Paraffin-hand-photo.jpg
(2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Florescein.jpg