A&P II

So I think this is my last one...if we only have to have 40 points, and each blog is worth 5, then I hope I'm right....

I remember in my high school A&P class, we had to complete a project and presentation on diseases of certain body systems. I still remember one presentation clearly. It was regarding kidney stones. I remember my classmate stating that kidney stones were crystallized calcium deposits, which you could get from many different things, but also from ingesting too much calcium. I was concerned about this, because I drink a lot of milk and am often encouraged to do so, in light of osteoporosis running in my family. I did a little research...

Renal calculi (stones) can vary in size from as small as grains of sand to as large as a golf ball. Kidney stones typically leave the body by passage in the urine stream, and many stones are formed and passed without causing symptoms. If stones grow to sufficient size before passage they can cause obstruction of the ureter, resulting in severe pain. The most common type of kidney stone is composed of calcium oxalate crystals, occurring in about 80% of cases.

Common sense has long held that consumption of too much calcium could promote the development of calcium kidney stones. However, current evidence suggests that the consumption of low-calcium diets is actually associated with a higher overall risk for the development of kidney stones. This is could be related to the role of calcium in binding ingested oxalate in the gastrointestinal tract. As the amount of calcium intake decreases, the amount of oxalate available for absorption into the bloodstream increases; this oxalate is then excreted in greater amounts into the urine by the kidneys. In the urine, oxalate is a very strong promoter of calcium oxalate precipitation, about 15 times stronger than calcium. Isn't it amazing what's changed in just a few years?

I hope you all have a great summer! See you in the fall.
AImee

A&P II

So, I'm sorry I missed you all on our last class...I hope it was fun. I had a mandatory meeting for work, and it ran much later than I had anticipated. Anyhow...I decided to complete the projects for the final, simply because of my stress level. Knowing that I don't have to study and agonize over whether I know enough, I'm going to sacrifice the time, for the peace of mind.

So the urinary system immediately brought me to kidney transplants, due to some personal experience. he first documented kidney transplant in the United States was performed in 1950, on a 44-year-old woman with poly-cystic kidney disease. Even without immunosuppressive therapy, Tucker lived another 5 years before dying of an unrelated illness.

I have a family friend who donated her kidney to her late husband, who eventually passed away due to complications of Diabetes. I spent a great deal of time with her while she was preparing for the operation, and there were a lot of requirements for her to be able to undergo the risk of it. She had to go to the doctor's weekly, to be evaluated. She lost weight, changed her diet completely, and was on a slew of medications to prepare her body for the surgery. In the end it was all successful and Ken lived an extra 10 years. It is a truly remarkable sacrifice to give your organ to another, especially when it doesn't buy you forever...

Have a good one...
Aimee

A&P II

Well, I have to say I couldn't have been happier to leave early Tuesday night. I have been completely overwhelmed by my life and to have a few extra minutes to myself was priceless...I hope you all felt the same.

Further, I was happy with the last 'quiz' overall. I was glad to be able to collaborate, but felt like I didn't study as well as I could have, knowing that there would be collaboration...it was rather disappointing that we couldn't refer to our notes, but I think it turned out alright anyways.

I am currently struggling with the final options. I know that the smartest thing to do would be to complete the activities and ensure my grade. But time wise, it may be smarter to take the final as it was supposed to be. I mean she's given us all of the questions, so that seems as though it should be a easy one. The only test I did poorly on, was the one that everyone did poorly on...the endocrine system. I'm not sure if it was due to the material itself, or if I had just been so sick and missed too much. I'm still divided. Anyone have any suggestions?

See you all on Tuesday! Aimee