Human Genetics - Video Response

We have learned the basics of genetic expression and the multitude of errors that may happen within the genetic code.  Mutation affects the resulting function of an individual.  In many cases, this function creates a fatal or less-than-optimal level of functioning.

The idea of genetic manipulation has been the source of many imaginative stories and controversies over the years.  However, the reality that we are close to taking control of our species evolution by selecting out traits is quickly becoming a reality.  Genetically modified organisms also offer the hope for many cures and not just the manipulation of harvested plant crops.  Based on the videos we have viewed I ask three questions for you to respond to.

1.  Should gene therapy be funded so that it can be available for all patients (support your choice)?  What do you see as the pros and cons of such a practice? (/5)

2. Do you think that GMO organisms should be developed?  Should there be guidelines to GMO development and, if so, what do you suggest? (/5)

3.To this point in human evolution we have overcome many of the selective pressures that have allowed our genome to evolve over the millennia.  Essentially many of our technologies have removed natural selective pressures and introduced new artificial pressures on our species.  Yet, even our technology and medicine allows members of our species with "weaker" genetics to reproduce and populate the next generation of humans.  With all our technology are we equipped to make choices about what traits are an advantage to future generation of humans?  Should we use the power to choose what positive traits should be selected for in our offspring or should we simply select against this we know for sure are disease causing?  What role do you think genetic engineering should play in our future? (/10)

Video Links
Gene Therapy 
BioEthics in Genetics

Drugs and the Brain

The unfortunate fact is marijuana use in teenagers is on the rise.  This is linked to the fact that marijuana use is made to appear acceptable in pop culture, decriminalized by political powers, and lacking a body of scientific research on long term affects.  However, more research is going into the long term affects of its use.  It does not seem a huge mental leap to predict that studies will eventually begin to mount to show the negative affects of its use.  However, will evidence change its use/abuse?  We have known for a long time, with overwhelming evidence, that tobacco use causes a cascade of serious, debilitating illnesses in the human population.  Will our society make the same mistake with marijuana that we have with tobacco and alcohol?

You will read the following studies that have reported their findings to the public.

• Brain changes associated with Marijuana Use
• Marijuana Users have Brain Abnormalities
• Heart problems in Marijuana users

Your task is to submit a review of these articles via email.  Give a one paragraph summary of each article detailing the duration of each study, the individuals involved in the study, and the findings of each.  Lastly the fourth paragraph of the review should include your opinions on Marijuana use among your peers.

Urinary/Endocrine?nervous Systems Ahoy

Review Questions  Send questions if you need help!

Circulatory Overview

Test Overview

If you have questions make sure you bring them to class.

Lab Reports

I figure there is really no need in having you students retype parts of the lab report.  This is a waste of your time.  It is important to have this as part of the overall report though.  So, I have provided links to the WORD Files so that you can download them and add the rest of the report.
Macromolecules Lab
Cellular Respiration Lab
Enzyme Lab

Hope this helps

Learning Styles

Learning Styles may help you identify the best practices in studying material in a course.  I use the term "study" loosely as many of our preconceived notions about studying are incorrect.  Our engagement with the material is really the key to how we retain it.  How we engage with the material outside of the instructional setting will determine how well we retain that new learning experience.

You can get an idea of your learning style here . You can also get results from the VARK questionnaire. Use both of these results to help identify strategies that might help you "study" the material.  There are an abundance of learning indices out there but the key is to get some strategies to help you with retention.

The handout I consolidated for Learning Styles can be downloaded here.  The learning style listed match the results from the first test but the "terms" have a basic equivalent on the VARK survey.

The Learning Strategies Handout I consolidated can be found here.  This aligns more with the VARK.

I have referenced these videos in previous posts but I will mention them again here.  They have some great tips for general study strategies.

These Next Videos are great on How to Get the Most out of your studying. There are five of these.

Study Skills Revisited.

Let's revisit the idea of study skills. We receive our information in many different ways but we all need to spend time reinforcing what we have learned on our own. 

Here are some basics to try 

1. Take the time to review what you have learned daily. This likely takes 5-10 minutes. Write down or flag areas that require clarification. Ask for clarification the next class. 

2. Use a calendar or agenda to keep track of dates. This helps you prioritize your time. Time management is critical in planning. Many students are involved in activities outside of academics and  taking time to prepare will pay off. The sooner you can do this for yourself the more adept you will be at it when your time becomes a commodity in post secondary studies. 

3. Cramming does not work. The night before a test or evaluation should be spent doing light review using strategies that work for you. Being well rested is the best way to help your brain perform the following day. Late night cram sessions or all day study marathons do not set your brain up for absorption. If you have been reviewing and prioritizing all along you save time. You don't need to study everything for an evaluation. You just need to focus on areas you have not mastered. If you have never reviewed to see what you do and don't understand, then you will waste your time trying to study everything. 

4. Ask for help with study strategies. If you manage time well and review regularity but still struggle then you may need some help with study strategies. There are a plethora of resources out there but your teacher likely has a treasure chest full of ideas. 

Dalhousie university has some interesting resources on study skills. http://www.dal.ca/campus_life/student_services/academic-support/study-skills-and-tutoring/handouts.html

5. Practice discipline during class. Class time is the best time to stay focused and ask questions when the topic is being taught. Often questions can allow a teacher to readdress a topic and approach it in a different way. It also opens the opportunity to explore other aspects of a topic that may enrich and reinforce concepts with the direction the question might drive the discussion. Without timely feedback the teacher will have to assume everything is going well. Try not be distracted by side conversation and the need to socialize with your peers.

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Yes, perhaps knowing  the names of all the immune cells ( to revisit an idea expresses in the previous blog post) is something you may never need to know in your specific discipline in health science. However, the mental practice involved in mastering that knowledge is a skill that WILL be necessary to acquire the specific knowledge and facts that you may HAVE to recall and apply in your job on a daily basis. If you can accomplish mastery of a topic now ( terminology included) then mastery of any future knowledge is attainable. The PROCESS of this mastery is more important than the topic in high school ( although the concepts covered establish a very solid base for your health career future) but the topics themselves are the building blocks we use to master our process. 

Study Skills and Science Based Disciplines

The majority of students in this class claim that they wish to pursue a career in the health field. For the majority of those careers you will have to attend post secondary training. 

There seems to be the impression that students today do not need to acquire facts, details and terminology in this Age of Information. For example, students might think it is not important to know the names of the immune cells when explaining the immune response in humans. Remembering that kind of information is just too hard. Furthermore, I often hear students say that they can't remember "names/terms" and facts. Science has a vocabulary that is necessary for explaining concepts accurately. That is the nature of science.  

There will not be short cuts provided to you when you are learning in post secondary studies. You will be expected, as a professional, to acquire the facts surrounding the concepts you are learning. That includes remembering complex biological pathways and relationships inundated with unique vocabulary.

Acquiring this knowledge is not a matter of being able to do it or not. We all learn in different ways, and at this point, some students still have not figured out how to study. You ALL can acquire this information but you need to know yourself and how you best achieve those results. You should embrace the challenge  and rise to it rather than crumble just because you become uncomfortable with a challenge. So I know you CAN do it. You may not actually know HOW to do it.

Be a responsible and mature student. If you don't know how to study then ask for strategies that might help. The mental exercise of acquiring this scientific knowledge will pay in dividends when you enter post secondary. You should not be looking for ways to reduce the challenge but ways to overcome the challenge. 

So be assured, post secondary success will depend on your ability to master these facts and terminologies because they are integrated with your ability to express your understanding of the concepts. 

I asked several of my former students now studying to be doctors, nurses, dentists, etc. about reference material during evaluations. Here is some of the feedback I received: 

"You definitely need to remember terminology. in biology (not sure if you're looking for more chem/physics) we needed to know terms and hardly ever were able to use "reference material"."

"You need to know your stuff. Immune cells as in macrophage, neutrophils, eosinophils, B-cells, T-cells etc? All good to know. :) The only time I've been allowed a cheat sheet in university is going into a stats exam and the physics exams had a formula sheet"

"I don't remember being able to bring in a reference sheet for a biological class. It was either remember the terminology or be prepared to fail the test..."

"Everything the others have said rings true to my experience. Also remembering the details of common biological pathways (citric acid cycle, photosynthesis, etc.) will benefit a science student in there first two years of study. There is an amount of memorization required in university science classes that a lot of people find surprising/off-putting."

"Creating good study habits before university is helpful. [ I was ] not prepared for the rigorousness of university (although this was my fault)."

"Along with Jenn the only time I was allowed a cheat sheet was for my stats class in university. However, the idea that students don't need to learn certain material unfortunately does not end with high school. Students still expect to be spoon fed answers in university and in my experience in nursing this far are not afraid to voice their opinion and straight up ask for them. It's disappointing and frankly a little scary that people are too lazy to learn the information that is required of their degree. (Slight rant). 

Students should know that learning all you can in high school will only better prepare you for university classes."

In conclusion, we are not preparing you for success if we are giving you shortcuts and ways to facilitate and allow for mental laziness. 

Vitamins...are they Really worth all the fuss and expense?

Most nutritionists will tell you that eating a balanced intake of natural foods will give you ample amounts of the trace vitamins and minerals you require.  However, there are circumstances were supplementation may be required due to conditions that cause vitamin deficiencies or poor uptake.

Here the the link to the video report we watched about Multivitamins.http://www.cbsnews.com/news/multivitamin-researchers-say-case-is-closed-supplements-dont-boost-health/

Here is the actual article from the researchers. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/stories/vitamin_health_benefits.html

Your task:

You will choose a recent Vitamin research study summarized at Science Daily and email me your reflections based on the following criteria:
Title: (/0.34)
Date Published: (/0.33)
Web Address: (/0.33)
Summary: In your own words, not a regurgitation of the summary on the article provided.  (/2)
Key Interest: This is one aspect of the article you found particularly interesting and why it was. (/3)
Further Study: After reflecting on your reading what other questions would you investigate that were inspired by this article?
(/2)

Good luck and happy reading!

Consent and Legality

You must explore the following questions and determine these answers. Email responses to Mr. Forbes. This may require you to make contact with an individual or organization that may be able to provide you with the information. This is due Friday February 14th.

1. If a person has been arrested for a crime and it is suspected that the individual is "under the influence of alcohol" can they refuse a blood test under the assumption that they are conscious to make the choice and they refuse the breathalyzer?

2. If a person is brought into the emergency room and they require immediate surgery to save their life, can doctors proceed without consent if language is an issue and no translator is available?

Codes of Ethics for Professional Desision Making

There are a variety of Professions that exist within the Health Sciences field.  Here are a variety of links to the specific Code of Ethics documents that inform and guide the various professionals.

• Nurses
• Doctors
• Chiropractors
• Natural/Alternative Medical Practitioners
• Psychologists
• Veterinarians

Here is also a guide to Consent from the CMA (here)

These will be used as a resource for class discussion as well as class inquiries.

A nice end to a great semester.