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Passaic County Community College
Science Department
BS-205, Physiology of Disease
Course Syllabus
I. Course Code # BS-205
II. Course Title Physiology of Disease
III. Prerequisite BS-104
IV. Number of Credits 3 credits lecture
V. Instructor Information
Course Coordinator:
Prof. Anne LaGrange Loving
973-684-6093
Office location: A-321-A
Office hours: to be announced during the first class meeting
VI. Catalog Description
Introduces the study of disease pathology. Includes description, etiology, signs and symptoms, diagnostic procedures, current medical treatment including pharmacology, progress and prevention of diseases of the major body systems, with emphasis on basic concepts and the terminology of pathology.
3 hours lecture
Prerequisites: BS 104, HIT 104
VII. Course Objectives
At the end of BS-205 the students will be able to:
· Define and explain essential terms that apply to pathophysiology.
· Define cancer and list treatment and prevention techniques.
· Describe the primary pathophysiological conditions affecting the major systems of the body.
· Explain the symptoms, diagnostic tests, and pharmacological treatments for the primary pathophysiological conditions of the body.
· Conduct an Internet search about a disease involving one or more of the organ systems studied in this course, and write a 5-8 page case-study paper based on these findings.
The objective of this course is to introduce the student to the study of pathophysiology. This course will expand on the foundations of normal physiology that were introduced in BS-103 and BS-104, Anatomy & Physiology I & II. The purpose of this course is to give an overview of the prevalent clinical conditions that affect the major organs systems of the body along with the current treatment regimens being followed to deal with conditions. Pharmacological aspects of disease intervention will also be introduced.
VIII. Tentative Course Outline
This class has one meeting per week, on Wednesday evenings from 5:40 – 8:10 PM. There is no laboratory component to the course. The table below shows the tentative schedule for the course, which may be altered slightly depending on the pace, and other variables. A tremendous amount of material is covered in this course, so students should prepare for class by reading ahead. Classes at the college begin on Thursday September 6th; our first meeting is Wednesday September 12th.
Week / Date / Lecture Topic/s / Chapter / Textbook Pages1 / September 12 / Introduction to Cellular Injury / 1 / 2-17
2 / September 19 / Inflammation and Healing / 2 / 18-43
3 / September 26 / Review of Normal and Abnormal Immunity / 3 / 44-75
4 / October 3 / Neoplastic Disorders / 5 / 104-127
5 / October 10 / Cardiovascular
Exam #1 tentatively scheduled / 18 / 302-361
6 / October 17 / Respiratory / 19 / 362-421
7 / October 24 / Digestive / 20 / 422-491
8 / October 31 / Urinary / 21 / 492-521
9 / November 7 / Neurological
Exam #2 tentatively scheduled / 22 / 522-569
10 / November 14 / Endocrine / 25 / 612-643
11 / November 21 / Musculoskeletal / 26 / 644-669
12 / November 28 / Skin / 27 / 670-689
13 / December 5 / Pregnancy Complications / 9 / 188-199
14 / December 12 / Exam #3
15 / December 19 / Comprehensive Final Examination
IX. Required Texts and Materials
Pathophysiology for the Health Professions, 3rd Edition, by Barbara E. Gould. Saunders Elsevier Company, 2006
X. Methods of Evaluation
a) Summary
Exams (3 exams at 20% each) 60%
Case Study 15%
Final Exam 25%
Grade Scale
A=93-100% B+=88-89% C+=78-79% D=60-69%
A-=90-92% B=83-87% C=70-77% F=<60%
B-=80-82%
b) Exams
The three exams will cover the material indicated in the Course Outline and in the lectures. All three of these exams count; that is, none of these grades will be dropped. They will be worth 20% each, for a total of 60% of the overall course grade. Each will be announced one week in advance, and the format and material to be included will be clearly explained. They will include a variety of questions, including multiple-choice, mini case studies, and some writing. There will be no make-up exams.
c) Case Study
Each student will have to write one complete Case Study. The topic (disease) will have to be approved by me. Topics will be due to me in writing on September 19th, the second class meeting. Go online, read your textbook, and use any other sources you wish to find a disease that you find interesting (perhaps a condition that you, a friend, or a family member has experienced). There is no point in choosing a topic that is of no interest to you. The Internet should be your primary source of information.
Case Studies will involve details about the disease, as well as creative writing. Your writing will count – papers that are written in very poor English will not be graded. If you are unsure of your writing, find a trusted friend or family member who can help you. However, make sure the paper is written in your own words – I will easily be able to see if you have plagiarized someone else’s words from a textbook or from the Internet. A paper that includes plagiarized work will be graded as a ZERO, and this may result in dismissal from the course.
When you write a Case Study, you should initially gather information about the disease, including symptoms, pertinent diagnostic tests and laboratory and physical findings, treatments, and prognoses. Acquire this information from the Internet, as well as textbooks and any other pertinent literature. After you have your facts in front of you, then you will “create” an imaginary patient. You get to decide the patient’s profile; however it must correspond with the disease you have chosen. For example, if you are going to write a paper on osteoporosis, you would not have the patient be a one-year-old child.
The format of the Case Study will be as follows:
Background
In this section, you introduce the patient and describe his or her symptoms and the course of the illness. For example, you might begin as follows: “Mary B., a 41-year-old Caucasian female, came to the clinic complaining of recurrent episodes of diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea that had persisted for 2 weeks. She is a school teacher, but during a vacation one month prior she traveled to Montevideo, Uruguay.” You would go on to add any other information that might pertain to the disease, such as: does she own a pet? is she married? does she have small children? does she live in the city? does she have any other diseases? etc. Make sure that you include information that pertains to the disease. If the patient’s profession puts him at risk for your disease, be sure to include that. You can also add information or symptoms that do not necessarily relate to the disease; for example you might add that Mary B. suffers from alopecia, even if this ultimately has nothing to do with the case at hand.
Physical Findings
In this section, include the patient’s weight, blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate, chest sounds, abdominal sounds, or whatever seems to apply to the disease you have chosen. In this section you will also include any tests that were ordered, such as an EKG or blood work, and what the results were. You will have this information available from your research of the disease – for example, if the disease you have selected is characterized by obesity, make sure that your patient is overweight. If anemia is a symptom, make sure the laboratory results for the hemoglobin and hematocrit are appropriate.
Diagnosis and Discussion
In this section, explain how the diagnosis was determined – from laboratory findings, symptoms, patient history, and other parameters. Give a brief summary of the disease, now that it has been named. For example, if your “patient” has rheumatoid arthritis, include a one-paragraph description of this disease, the prevalence in the United States, etc.
Treatment
In this section, explain the course of treatment. Make sure you select appropriate drugs, exercises, surgery, or whatever fits for your disease. For example: The patient was put on a course of XXXX drug for 30 days, and was instructed to alter his diet to include XXXXX.
Outcome
In this final section, describe what happened to your patient. Perhaps you will decide to have your patient die. Maybe your patient has a chronic condition, and you summarize how he or she is doing, and that continued supervision will be necessary. Perhaps it appropriate to include that you have referred the patient and his family to a support group. Maybe the patient is completely cured, but then gets hit by a bus on the way home from the hospital. This is all up to you.
References
References will be listed at the end of the paper. The References page does not count toward the 5-8 pages. The paper must include at least five electronic references. Please note that if you provide only five references, this will be considered “fair” in terms of the grading rubric. Each listed reference should include the exact web address, the date it was posted, the date you accessed it, and as many other details as possible. The site must be available, as I will be spot-checking these references. The following example shows how a web reference should be listed:
Washington State Department of Ecology (1998). Chemical testing methods for designating dangerous waste (Publication No. 97-407). Retrieved September 23, 2007, from http://www.ect.wa.gov/biblio/9740-7.html.
Presentation
The Case Study should be typed. If you do not own a computer, you can use one of the many that are available for students in the library and in Hamilton Hall. The paper should be typed in double-space, which makes it easier for me to read and to insert any comments. I cannot give you an exact length, but it should be in the range of 5-8 pages. Length is not as critical as quality; papers that are very long may not even be read. In other words, if you submit at 20-page document, I might just grade it as a ZERO. The criteria I will use to grade your paper include: accuracy, thoroughness, and creativity. Yes, I will be including creativity as part of your grade – that is, did you make the “story” interesting, as well as accurate? Make sure you include all the sections that are defined, above. It will be worth 15% of your overall course grade.
Grading for the Case Study Paper
This paper will be worth 15% of the grade for this course. The grade for the paper will be based on the following rubric:
Unacceptable / Poor / Fair / Good / Above Average / ExcellentBackground of the patient / (0) / (2) / (5) / (7) / (10) / (13)
Physical Findings / (0) / (2) / (5) / (7) / (10) / (13)
Diagnosis and Discussion / (0) / (2) / (5) / (7) / (10) / (13)
Treatment / (0) / (2) / (5) / (7) / (10) / (13)
Outcome / (0) / (2) / (5) / (7) / (10) / (13)
Creativity / (0) / (2) / (4) / (6) / (9) / (12)
References / (0) / (2) / (5) / (7) / (10) / (13)
Presentation – overall appearance of the paper / (0) / (2) / (4) / (6) / (8) / (10)
Maximum possible grade = 100%
The Case Study will be due on Wednesday November 14th. You will have put a tremendous amount of work into your papers; I, therefore, need plenty of time to read them and grade them. No papers will be accepted late, for any reason whatsoever. Therefore, I suggest that you plan to submit your paper early, in order to avoid complications of last-minute “disasters” such as problems with a printer or a dog eating your Case Study. I will not give extra credit for papers that are submitted ahead of time, but the benefit to your peace of mind may be immeasurable!
d) Final Examination
The final examination will be comprehensive, covering all of the course material from the semester. This will be worth 25% of your overall course grade. It will be given during the last scheduled class meeting, which will be Wednesday evening December 19th. Please do not make holiday travel plans that will prevent you from being in Paterson through 8:10 PM on December 19th.
e) Attendance and Punctuality
Students are expected to attend all lectures. Simply copying the lecture notes from a classmate, or reading the textbook will not suffice. My exams are heavily based on in-class lectures, discussion, and current news stories that apply to the course material. I will not reduce your grade if you miss class, but your potential for success in the class will be compromised.
Regarding punctuality, I place a high priority on starting class promptly. I find it distracting and annoying when people wander in late, shuffling books and coats. Please figure out your commute, your parking situation, and other variables, and get to class on time. I will really appreciate this.
f) Cheating
Cheating will absolutely not be tolerated in this class. Every student will have to sign a disclaimer on each exam, indicating that s/he has not cheated during the exam. Plagiarism, likewise, will not be allowed in the Case Study. You must use your own words when you write the Case Study. Any student who is caught cheating or plagiarizing will get a ZERO on that assignment or exam, and may be dismissed from the course.
XI. Portal
Assignments, outlines, the course syllabus, and other information for this course are posted on the portal. The information is accessed by following these simple directions: