Agenda 12 for 12/5/01

Courses Wayne State University College of Lifelong Learning Interdisciplinary Studies Program Changing Life on Earth, GST 2020, 4 cr Section 981 (face-to-face Wednesdays 6:00 - 8:30 PM in 222 Cohn on campus) and Section 990 (online) Health Concepts and Strategies, GST 2010, 3 cr Section 981 (face-to-face, Wednesdays 8:40 - 10 PM in 222 Cohn on campus) and Section 990 (online) Health Concepts and Strategies for Elder Care, GST 1990 Section 981 (2 credits) and Section 982 (4 credits)	Instructor
	David R. Bowen 2311 A/AB Wayne State University Detroit, MI 48202 Schedule (link not working yet)	Daytime tel: (313) 577-1498 Evening tel: (248) 549-8518 At Ford: 313-390-2155 FAX: (313) 577-8585 Home Page: http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen Email: d.r.bowen@wayne.edu

Health - GST 2010	Genetics theme GST2020 Evolution theme GST 2020	Back to course welcome page
		Policies, Assignments, Course Meetings	Online Tools	Information about the class and participants	Lectures and further information from other sources	General information

Last updated: 12/5/01

Agenda 12
Wednesday December 5
Health Concepts and Strategies, GST 2010
Changing Life on Earth, GST 2020
Attached Directed Study, GST 1990

Updates to show discussion during GST 2020 class:

For II.D, after 2c, add new 3 (done, shown in red)
Figure showing different structure of literal interpretation of Creation according to the Bible (left side), and Evolution (right side)

Different views of how species arose
Animation showing example speciation according to Evolution, with reproductive isolation

Animation: Speciation according to Evolution
(Use "Reload" or "Refresh" to replay animation)

Announcements

Handouts:
1. Agenda 12 for Wednesday December 5
Quiz 2 is today for face-to-face people. Online people will have 24 hours from 7 PM Friday 12/7 to 7 PM Saturday 12/8. Any online student who cannot make this schedule should let me know as soon as possible.
This week will be the Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET), in class. Online students will get an email from the Office of Testing, Evaluation and Research, which runs SET, directing them to an online site where they can complete the evaluation. This feedback is important to me in improving classes, and I request your full cooperation. I do not learn the results until after my grades are turned in, and I never learn who made particular responses.
New features on the course home page (http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen/gewf01)

Vocabulary list for GST 2020
Remaining Essay questions for GST 2010
Remaining Quiz questions for GST 2020 are being posted
I will be updating the online grade reports tomorrow, Thursday 11/29 (see link under "Online tools" on the course home page). You must have filled out the Online Course Information Form and chosen "Yes" for Online Grade Reports and given yourself a password, in order to get these reports. Contact me if you want these set up for you.

NOTE: I have had several comments: this system currently reports grades for all three courses, even if you are not taking all of them. Ignore the sections that for the courses you are not taking.

In the news

An article in the magazine Diabetes Forecast, from the American Diabetic Association, tells about a woman's experiences with exercising. This woman only turned to exercise when she absolutely had to, as part of a plan to control her diabetes (this was the way it worked for me, too). The article tells about her feeling since high school that she was not an athlete, was not good at physical activities, and didn't think she ever would be. She was very negative about exercising. She was amazed that, within several weeks, she did feel better, had higher energy levels, and could carry out her normal activities much more easily and flexibly, and that she even began to enjoy exercise. All of that stuff applied to her, too! Several of you have expressed the same types of thoughts to me, and I have felt them many times since setting out on my own journey towards being healthy. Congratulations to all of you that have started something!

GST 2020, Changing Life on Earth.

Chapter 19 - Speciation - formation of new species
1. A species is a breeding community - genes are interchanged. Any barriers are incomplete. For example, all dogs are a single species - breeds are enforced breeding restrictions. Some dogs cannot interbreed because of extreme size differences, but genetic interchange can be by graded sizes
2. Reproductive isolation leads to new species. Causes can be
  1. Prezygotic isolation such as a physical barrier (e.g. mountain, river - causes what is called allopatric speciation, the most common form), different breeding season, different mating rituals,
  2. Postzygotic isolation such as sterility, lethal genetic interactions
3. Once reproductive isolation occurs, mutations and evolution further separate (diverge)
  1. Slow (anagenesis) or rapid (cladogenesis) divergence? Adaptive radiation
4. Evolutionary tree - branching adaptation
5. Extinction - history of mass extinctions - some branches end. Causes are cold, asteroid crashes, volcanism, continental drift
Chapter 20 - The Macroevolutionary Puzzle
1. Fossil record - collection of fossil life.
  1. Conditions to form a fossil are rare - burial in silt or volcanic ash, dissolved chemicals filter in and replace organic material, must not be disturbed before or after fossilization. Also no oxygen.
  2. So fossil record is an incomplete record - many species may have no fossils
  3. Stratification - layering of rocks deposited by water-borne sediments. Deeper layers are older. Date of layer is date of fossil.
2. Fossil record shows homology - same structure used in different ways, implies common ancestor, e.g. five-toed limb used for hands, fins, wings. Morphological divergence - body forms splitting apart
3. Also morphological convergence - different forms adapting similar forms for the same purpose - side-to-side tail fins for fishes, up-and-down tail fins for ocean-going mammals which re-entered from land
4. Protein comparisons - comparing the amino acid sequence of the same protein in different species - can show similarities and differences. Also DNA differences, although some are "silent."
  1. Molecular clock can compare these differences to find rates of change, especially for neutral mutations
5. Beyond species concepts, division into genetic kingdoms is unclear
6. Plate tectonics (early and inaccurate name was "continental drift") - hot inner core of earth causes "bubbling" underneath continents, plates drift and collide, continents change.
  1. Large effect on life - separation of populations, loss of habitats, creation of new ones
Chapter 21 - The Origin and Evolution of Life
1. Life originated about 3.8 billion years ago
  1. Early earth was hot - asteroid impacts, internal radioactivity
  2. Water collected when surface cooled
  3. Basic organic compounds could have formed spontaneously - clay, or hydrothermal vents
  4. Life began in oceans
  5. RNA may have originally been more important than DNA
  6. Many gaps remain
2. 2.5 billion years ago oxygen formation
  1. Stopped spontaneous formation of new cells
  2. Rise of aerobic metabolic pathway
3. 1.2 billion years ago eukaryotic cells (with nucleus) and organelles
  1. Organelles could have arisen through inclusion of independent organisms into other cells - happens today
  2. Diversity may have evolved before protections against mutation evolved
4. Life came onto earth when ice age dried up oceans near shores
  1. Dinosaurs evolved from reptiles, early ones were small
  2. 65 million years ago, dinosaurs became extinct, perhaps by large meteorite impact
  3. There have been many mass extinctions. The dinosaurs and many other large species were killed off in this one
  4. Humans seem to be causing another mass extinction
Chapter 25 - Plants
1. Life developed in the oceans. The water protected early plants from solar ionizing radiation - could cause cancers and mutations
  1. Plants release oxygen. Formed ozone layer which also protects from ionizing radiation.
2. 435 million years ago, plants emerged on land. Most plants are on land.
  1. Roots and leaves formed first
  2. Vascular plants later (leaves with veins) - higher rate of transport for water and nutrients
  3. Had to conserve water - spores was one adaptation, only started growing when the conditions were right
3. Sexual reproduction in plants happened later. Two types of spores - eggs (female) and pollen (male)
  1. Later plants formed seeds (360 million years ago)
  2. Higher rate of adaptation enabled seed-forming plants to move into high altitudes, and also dry areas
4. Flowering plants developed about 100 million years ago, relied on animals for pollination (uniting pollen with egg)
  1. Now the dominant plant forms
  2. Fruit bears fertilized seeds inside, fruit is formed from ovary, originally to protect and nourish seed
  3. Humans have been using flowering seeded plants throughout our evolution
    1. Recognized poisonous or harmful plants at least 300,000 years ago
    2. 10,000 years ago began cultivating grains
    3. Also used plants for fibers, hallucinogens, poisons, medicines, pesticides

GST 1990
1. I found that the textbook, The Practical Guide to Aging, was indeed what its title promised, a complete and practical guide. I do feel that the last chapter, "Relationships With Family and Friends," did not come up to the standard of the earlier ones. For one thing, there was a large number of distracting typos, such as the following one about one-quarter of the way down on Page 299: "Even if the caregiver does not resent the time required, his or her own live may begin to suffer from a lack of attention" ("live" should be "life"). More importantly, this Chapter concentrates on deciding to put the older person in a nursing home. But there are several alternatives to nursing homes today, and the guidance that I have heard is that the best course is placement in the least restrictive environment. The order is usually given as (a) independent living, (b) group home, (c) assisted living and (d) nursing home. I did feel that the emphasis in this Chapter that the relationships that the older person has with family and friends are the most valuable aspect of their lives, was valid.
GST 2010, Health Concepts and Strategies.
1. Chapter 19 - Aging: A Vital Process
  1. Prepare for aging as early as twenties - good habits, relationships
  2. Many effects attributed to aging are in fact due to neglect - we often have four times necessary capacity, can lose much before we notice
    1. Mentally - hobbies, activities, learning
    2. Physical fitness
    3. Healthy diet and weight
    4. Don't abuse - tobacco, alcohol
      1. Ability to metabolize alcohol decreases with age, also alcoholism can seem like dementia, forgetfulness, disorientation, etc., so may be hard to detect
    5. Medical examinations
    6. Recognize stress, control it
  3. Social changes
    1. Retirement can mean loss of activity, prestige, responsibility
      1. Increased leisure time
      2. Volunteering
    2. Children moving out is a big change - companionship, authority, activity
    3. Economic planning - estimate how much your lifestyle will cost
  4. Physical changes - try to adapt activities rather than abandon them - technological aids and design techniques are constantly improving - keep up! Don't panic and avoid the situation, get help.
    1. Hearing loss - evaluate, get aids
    2. Vision - Macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, presbyopia (cannot focus close up)
    3. Arthritis - many forms, most common is OsteoArthritis, joint degradation, bone spurs
    4. Menopause and osteoporosis for women - important to build up bone mass when younger
  5. Psychological and mental changes
    1. Dementia - memory failure, especially for recent events, inability to understand life situation - due to Alzheimer's and multiple infarctions. Repeating favorite stories may not be a sign of this
    2. Grief - loss of friends and relatives, loss of physical abilities - can lead to depression
  6. Life span - many theories about the cause and ultimate limits
    1. Percentage of elderly is growing - now 13%
    2. Many work until 70s but many others live at subsistence level
    3. Family is important resource for help with aging, but now many community resources
    4. Many living options for some degree of assistance - independent, with family, group home, assisted living, nursing home
    5. Many elderly have safe driving records, but driving gets to be a problem
    6. Government programs - food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security (a floor, not meant to be sufficient)
    7. Rising number of gerontologists (general aging) and geriatricians (physician) - doctors specializing in care of the elderly
    8. Changing attitudes about the elderly
2. Chapter 20 - Dying and Death
  1. Several possible definitions of death, especially with life support available - stopping of heart beat to brain death. Aspects of death:
    1. Universal although time is not predictable
    2. Irreversible
    3. Loss of all functions
    4. There are specific biological causes for death
  2. Often avoid thoughts of death - realization can be a shock
    1. Popular images often have death avoided or reversible
  3. Planning for death
    1. Will - says what to do with property
    2. Medical care
      1. Hospice - palliative (comforting)
      2. "Heroic measures"
      3. Withholding treatment, withdrawing treatment
      4. Euthanasia or assisted suicide - legal in Oregon (but being challenged by US)
      5. Advance directive for what type of care under what circumstances - surrogate decision-maker
    3. Organ donation, funeral or memorial service, disposition of body - options for cost and type of service
    4. (DB - Taking care of all of the stuff - do some planning)
  4. Coping with death - denial by family and friends
    1. emotion-focused - try to control emotions
    2. problem-based - deal with medical problems - sense of control
    3. meaning-based - forming new goals
    4. life-threatening illness often dealth with best by aggressive attitude - overcome the challenge
    5. support through listening, not avoidance or changing the topic
  5. Mourning and grief - disbelief, acceptance and pain, adjusting to new environment, moving on while incorporating memories
    1. Children - recommendation is keep it simple but be honest
3. Chapter 21 - Health Care: Conventional and Complementary Medicine
  1. Every culture has a system of medicine
    1. conventional, Western, biomedicine - health is the absence of disease
    2. other cultural - eastern, etc. Often idea is harmony within body. 1992 Office of Alternative Medicine within National Institutes of Health to test alternative therapies, name changed to National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (http://nccam.nih.gov)
  2. Conventional - disease is caused by identifiable factors - accidents, infections, lifestyle - treat these.
    1. Medicines, surgery. Empirical (look at results), testable (statistical - larger numbers of subjects mean more accurate results), assume the least, tentative (may be wrong). Based on scientific method. Methods have to be studied in affected populations.
    2. Medicine practices by licensed doctors. Primary-care physician. Important that you can be frank with that person.
    3. Facilities and hospitals - many specialize, choose carefully for major diseases
  3. Alternative
    1. Most popular is herbal medicines, some of these have therapeutic value but are unregulated - dosage, purity, claims are not verifiable. In some cases they cause faster elimination of some drugs, reducing their effectiveness. But many have been shown to have medicinal value
    2. Mind-Body interventions - control of disease through mind
    3. Manipulative methods such as chiropractic, massage
    4. Alternative systems - traditional Chinese medicine, for example, includes acupuncture. Often include concept of "life force." (DB - Good at getting cheap simple care to many)
    5. Energy therapies
  4. Talking to physician about alternative therapies
    1. Some discontinue conventional treatment
  5. Talking to alternative provider - should want to know about conventional treatment
    1. Investigate - length, cost, effectiveness
4. Chapter 22 - Self Care: Skills for the Health Care Consumer
  1. Self-care is about 80% of all treatments - medical community would be overwhelmed if people showed up with for all health conditions
  2. Observe symptoms (Complete Home Medical Guide by American College of Physicians has good diagnostic flow charts)
  3. Home testing for a variety of conditions - thermometer is the oldest
  4. Danger signals if symptom is: severe, unusual, persistent, recurrent
  5. Options - wait and watch, "attitude adjustment", e.g. for stress, non-prescription medicines (unregulated, many unproven, may interfere with other medicines). Be careful with old prescriptions, or someone else's
  6. Going to doctor
    1. Talking with doctor - good communication is important
    2. Prepare questions - write them down?
    3. Know your meds, prescription, non-prescription and alternative
    4. Many test involve preparation - fasting, discontinuing medications - can be unpleasant!
    5. Medications are the fastest-growing cost in health care - new ones, more expensive
  7. Costs and insurance
    1. Many people not covered by health insurance
    2. Types:
      1. Fee-for-service - traditional. Often does not cover preventive care.
      2. Managed care - flat fee. Also similar to HMO
      3. Preferred provider organizations (PPO) gives more choice
    3. Nearly $5,000 per year per person in US