Mr. DeRosa's Science Class

  • HOME

  •  

    A website for Biology students

    .

    • HOME

    •  

      Need Help?

      Let's Talk

      Skin & Skeletal problems

       

      We'll take a look at some problems that people can have withtheir skin & skeletal systems.  We'll take a look at Skin Cancer, as well as differentiate between different types of broken bones, and some other skeletal issues.

      Let's take a look at skin...

      • Benign tumors such as warts and moles are not serious.

      • Malignant tumors can start on the skin and invade other body areas.

      • Crucial risk factor - overexposure to UV radiation.

        • Basal cell carcinoma

          • most common, 30% of all white skin people get it.

          • Arises from the stratum basale layer of the skin

          • 99% curable if caught early

          • Dome shaped nodules that form an ulcer in the center.

        • Squamous cell carcinoma

          • Small red rounded elevation on the skin

          • Grows rapidly and metastasizes (spreads) if not removed

          • Arise from stratum spinosum

        • Melanoma

          • Cancer of melanocytes (very dangerous)

          • 5% of skin cancers but rising fast

          • Can arise from preexisting moles

          • Appears as a spreading brown or black patch

          • Chance of survival is poor if the lesion is greate than 4 mm thick

            • ABCD Rule Used for recognizing melanoma

              • A - Asymmetry:  sides of pigmented mole do not match

              • B - Border: borders are not smooth

              • C - Color: lesion has multiple colors

              • D - Diameter: larger than 6 mm in diamete
                (size of a pencil eraser)

      • Burns can range from an inconvenience to life threatening

      • Burns may cause

        • Catastrophic loss of body fluids

        • Dehydration and fatal circulatory shock

        • Infection

        • Skin Cancer

      • There are 3 Types of Burns

        • First-degree

          • epidermis damaged

          • redness, swelling, pain (e.g. sunburn)

          • 2-3 days to heal

        • Second-degree

          • epidermis and upper layers of dermis damaged

          • blistering can occur

          • 3-4 weeks to heal

        • Third-degree

          • affects entire thickness of skin:

            • epidermis

            • dermis

            • into hypodermis

               

      • Burns

      • Cancer

      Critical burns requires immediate medical attention.

      These burns are potentially life threatening, disfiguring, and disabling.

      Critical Burns

      • More than 25% of the body has second-degree burns

      • More than 10% of the body has third-degree burns

      • Third-degree burns on face, hands, or feet

       
       

      Let's take a look at the skeleton...

      • Fractures - Broken Bones

      Types of bone fractures

      • Closed (simple) fracture

        • break does not penetrate the skin

      • Open (compound) fracture 

        • broken bone penetrates through the skin

       

      • Bone fractures are treated by reduction and immobilization

      • Realignment of the bone

      A sprain, also known known as torn ligament, is damage to one or more ligaments in a joint, often caused by trauma or the joint being taken beyond its functional range of motion.

      The severity of sprain ranges from a minor injury which resolves in a few days to a major rupture of one or more ligaments requiring surgical fixation and a period of immobilisation.

      Sprains can occur in any joint but are most common in the ankle and wrist.

      • Pain is equal to that of a fracture

      • Sprains - Broken Bones

      • a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, typically as a result of hormonal changes, or deficiency of calcium or vitamin D.Bone is broken down faster than it can be built

      • Osteoporosis "Brittle Bones"

      • Tend to fracture easily

      • Risk factors for osteoporosis

      • Inadequate calcium

      • Little weight-bearing exercise

      • Drinking alcohol, smoking

      • Being female: decreased estrogen secretion after menopause

      • Small frame

      • Caucasian or Asian ethnicity

      • softening of the bones, typically through a deficiency of vitamin D or calcium.

      • Lack of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate

      • Affects children ages 6-24 months

      • Leads to bowlegs

      • Osteomalacia (Rickets):

      • May spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body

      • Bone Cancer:

        • Ewing’s sarcoma

        • Osteosarcoma

        • Chondrosarcoma

      • Curvature of the spine

      • Usually occurs during the growth spurt just prior to puberty

      • Cause is unknown

      • Scoliosis

      Dislocation is an injury to a joint — a place where two or more of your bones come together — in which the ends of your bones are forced from their normal positions. This painful injury temporarily deforms and immobilizes your joint.

       

      • Dislocation

      The inflammation of a bursa, typically one in the knee, elbow or shoulder.

       

      • Bursitis

      • Painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints.

      • Several Types

        • Osteoarthritis

        • Rheumatoid Arthritis

        • Fibromyalgia

        • Gout

       

       

      "Cracking" your knucles does not cause arthritis.

      • Arthritis