The Human Body and Disease Overview

Course Information

• Course title: The Human Body and Disease
• Course code: Biol 1410
• Instructors: Dr. Greg Byrne and Dr. Alice McEvoy

Module Details

• ECTS credits: 5
• Co-taught across 6 first-year programs: TU751, TU755, TU762, TU754, TU761, TU852
• Lectures: Two per week, one with each instructor.
• Tutorials: Five scheduled, before assessments
• Online labs: Start in week 2 of Semester 2 (week beginning February 3rd, 2025)
• All learning materials, online exams, and class notices are on Brightspace
• Assessments: 100% continuous assessment.

Assessment Breakdown

• Theory: 60%
  • MCQ 1: 20% (Friday, December 13th, 2024, 12:00-1:00 PM, venue TBC)
  • MCQ 2: 40% (Week beginning April 7th, 2025, exact date and venue TBC)
• Lab: 40%
  • Lab exam: 30% (Week beginning March 31st, 2025, exact date and venue TBC)
  • Lab engagement: 10% (Engagement with online lab sessions, approximately 6 total)

Exams

• All exams are online, closed-book, and invigilated on campus (MCQ-based)
• Held via Brightspace, no remote access permitted.
• Personal devices (laptop/tablet) permitted; phones are not.
• Exams use a larger question bank, random questions, and follow General Assessment Regulations
• No retakes without a certified reason

Learning Outcomes

• Alice:
  • List and outline the roles of physiological systems in the human body
  • Outline the two control systems and divisions of the nervous system
  • Explain the structure and properties of human tissues like epithelium, muscle, and nervous tissue, relating them to their functions.
  • List blood cells, their functions, and describe blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.
  • Describe skin structure, function (defence, perception, thermoregulation)
• Greg:
  • Define major categories of human disease
  • Outline exemplar diseases (infectious, hereditary, acquired genetic, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, autoimmune)

Recommended Reading

• Fox, Stuart Ira: Human Physiology, 16th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2022
• Martini et al.: Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology, Global Edition, Pearson Education, 2018

Definitions

• Pathology: The study of disease
• Pathogenesis: The mechanism of disease
• Aetiology: The cause of a disease
• Multifactorial: Several factors contribute.
• Idiopathic: Cause is unknown
• Acute: Short-lived, rapid.
• Chronic: Long-term
• Remission: Disease symptoms are significantly reduced or temporarily resolved.
• Relapse: Deterioration in health.
• Complications: Secondary problems resulting from the disease
• Mortality: Rate of death caused by a disease.
• Morbidity: Level of illness caused by a disease

Predisposing Factors

• Age: Young and very old are prone to disease; newborns have immature immune systems. Old age results in weakened immune systems and accumulated impact of lifestyle choices (e.g., smoking).
• Sex: Some diseases show significant sex biases (e.g., ovarian vs. testicular cancer, autoimmune diseases affecting women more, X-linked genetic disorders affecting males).
• Heredity (Genetics): Diseases can be passed down from parents, some genotypes increase susceptibility without directly causing disease like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anaemia.
• Environment: Exposure to pollutants, contaminated water, and overcrowding can cause disease. Living in developed countries can lead to higher rates of allergic disorders.
• Lifestyle: Poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles can increase predisposition to heart disease. Smoking leads to lung cancer susceptibility.

Additional Information

• Disease: A condition causing discomfort or dysfunction of the body, often leading to illness or death. Diseases are characterized by symptoms.
• Epidemiology: The study of patterns, causes, and effects of health/disease, key to understanding public health trends
• World Influenza Pandemics: Information on outbreaks, subtypes, death counts, etc. provided (historical)
• Diseases classifications: Many disease classifications and types are given throughout the slides.
• Worldwide death rates and associated causes are also included in detail.
• Other Data: Healthcare expenditures, waiting lists, polio case history, vaccination rates, etc. Detailed.
• Factors Affecting Disease: Several factors such as age, sex, heredity, the environment, and lifestyle were detailed.

This quiz covers the fundamentals of The Human Body and Disease course, examining key concepts and modules related to human anatomy and pathology. Assess your knowledge of course structure, assessments, and online lab components. Ideal for students aiming to excel in continuous assessments.