Health Case Study Practice ch 13,14,15

Question 1

1. A person enters the emergency room who is known to have taken a whole bottle of aspirin (the other name for aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid) 6 to 8 hours ago. The patient is confused & hallucinating and hyperventilating. Explain the biological reason for concern about the consumption of so much aspirin AND the basis of the observed symptoms.

Answer 1

Symptoms may include ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, and rapid breathing. The diagnosis is based on blood tests and the person’s symptoms.

Reason for Concern: If a normal daily dose of aspirin builds up in the body over time and causes symptoms, it is called a chronic overdose.

Question 2

1. The patient is treated by being given a saline solution with bicarbonate ion intravenous solution. Why would they want to add bicarbonate ion (how would it help?).

Answer 2

It serves as a component of the major buffer system, thereby playing a critical role in pH homeostasis. Bicarbonate can also be utilized by a variety of ion transporters, often working in coupled systems

Question 3

2. A person enters the emergency room who has had a severe asthma attack (constriction of the muscles around the airways and inflammation of the airways). The person is barely breathing and cannot even be heard to wheeze. The patient is confused & lethargic and has slight cyanosis of the lips and face. Explain the biological reasons for concern (note it has to do with BOTH respiratory gasses).

Question 4

2. B.) Explain what the inflammation (swelling) of the lining of the airways is doing to exacerbate the problem.

Question 5

2. C.) The patient is treated with corticosteroids to relax the airway muscles and counteract the inflammation. After the person is able to breathe more regularly, the person hyperventilates. Why? What is the hyperventilating doing to help?

Question 6

3. A friend of yours entered the hospital with a pretty severe cutaneous MRSA (Staphylococcus aureus) infection. The physician administers the antibiotic clindamycin, resolving the MRSA infection.
   Explain why the physician didn’t use the less expensive antibiotics methicillin or penicillin to treat the Gram positive MRSA infection?

Question 7

3. B.) Clindamysin inhibits bacterial translation. Why doesn’t it inhibit translation in human cells?

Question 8

3. C.) Unfortunately for your friend, as the MRSA infection ended a Clostridium difficile infection (of the colon) developed. Why did this happen?

Question 9

3. D.) Explain two reasonable paths of treatment for your friend’s Clostridium difficile infection and briefly mention how/why each would work.

Question 10

4. Your friend Andres tells you that his physician said he has a small tumor in his colon that the physician said is likely benign. The physician wants to schedule a visit to surgically remove the tumor. Your friend asks you “if its not cancerous then why is the doctor asking me to undergo surgery? Why ever worry about it?” Respond to your friend by… (a.) explaining what cancer is and how it develops

Question 11

4. B.) explaining why his physician is recommending surgical removal of a benign tumor.