Anatomy and Physiology: Rickets - A Nutritional Disease

X-ray of the legs of a two-year old ricket sufferer.  Notice that the legs are bowed.

Cause


Rickets is a nutritional disease that is caused by a deficiency in vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate, leading to the softening or weakening of bones.  It is more common among children.


Symptoms


Symptoms of rickets include bone tenderness or pain, especially in the arms, legs, pelvis, and spine; impaired growth; increased bone fractures, muscle cramps; dental deformities, such as delayed formation of teeth, increased cavities, or holes in the enamel; skeletal deformities, such as an oddly shaped skull, bowlegs, bumps in the ribcage, or scoliosis; and short stature, when the adults are less than five feet tall.


Treatment


In order to eliminate the cause of the disease, the vitamin D, calcium, or phosphorus that is lacking is replaced.  This is usually done with a change in diet so that sources of vitamin D, such as liver, fish, or milk, are included in the diet.  Exposure to moderate amounts of sunlight is also needed.  In some cases in which rickets is caused by a metabolic problem, vitamin D supplements may be prescribed.  Position or bracing may be needed to reduce deformities.  For some skeletal deformities, corrective surgery may be necessary.


Sources:

information from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001384/

picture from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickets

Anatomy and Physiology: Different Thinkers and the Nervous System

Part 1: Different Thinkers
The test that I did showed that I am a music thinker. When I study, it is probably better to study to music in the background to help me remember the information I studied.  I sometimes also put the information I am studying into a tune of a song to remember it better, (especially when it is with numbers).  By appealing to my musical ability/intelligence, it will make it easier for me to study.  For potential careers, I can possibly be a composer, musician, or sound engineer.


Part 2: The Nervous System
In this game, I learned that nerve impulses can travel from the cranial and cervical regions, or the spinal cord (which is made of the thoracic, lumbar, and sacral regions.)  Below are examples of parts of the body that are wired to each of these different regions:
cranial: liver
cervical: hand, diaphargm
thoracic region of spinal cord: rectus abdominis ("six-pack"), armpit
lumbar region of spinal cord: foot
sacral region of spinal cord: gluteus maximus (muscle that allows the leg to straighten out)

Sources:

part 1: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo/thinker_quiz/

part 2: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/index_interactivebody.shtml

Anatomy and Physiology: A Disease of the Senses

Macular degneration is the degeneration of the macula, which is responsible for sharp, central vision.  It is often caused by aging and is usually genetic.  When it is age-related, it usually results in a slow but painless loss of vision.  Symptoms include shadowy areas in central vision or fuzzy and distorted objects in your vision.


A macular degeneration test can diagnose whether you have the disease.  This is done by looking at the Amsler grid, a chart of black lines organized in a graph pattern.  To a person with normal vision, the Amsler grid will look like this:

However, to a person with macular degeneration, the Amsler grid might look something like this:

There are two forms of age-related macular degeneration, the dry form and the wet form. No definite treatment or cure has been found for the dry form, but it can be prevented by consuming antioxidants, especially zinc and vitamins A, C, and E, selenium, and copper.  For the wet form, laser treatment can be used to stop or lessen vision loss by destroying some blood vessels to prevent the spread of vision loss.  However, laser treatment only works in about half of the cases.

Sources:

Amsler grid pictures from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsler_grid

information from: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/macular_degeneration/page2_em.htm#Macular Degeneration Causes
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/macular_degeneration/page3_em.htm#Macular Degeneration Symptoms
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/macular_degeneration/page7_em.htm#Macular Degeneration Treatment
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/macular_degeneration/page8_em.htm#Medical Treatment