Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Medicine & Health

Understanding Environmental Contamination

Human lifestyles have evolved significantly throughout history. A direct consequence of this evolution is the substantial increase in the amount of waste we produce. We rely heavily on packaging and consume far more goods than in previous decades. While many are concerned about the negative environmental impacts, the question remains: what can we do to reduce pollution?

Simple Actions for a Greener Planet

We can implement simple daily habits to prevent or minimize contamination:

• Carpooling: Share journeys with workmates to reduce emissions.
• Repair over Replace: Mend clothing instead of purchasing new items.
• Energy Efficiency: Turn off lights when not in use.
• Water Conservation: Be mindful of water usage.

Advanced

Listening Comprehension

1. Jane is going to the dentist.
2. Jane can't stay with Katie because she is going to meet a friend.
3. Jane is going to read a book for Katie.
4. Bill asks Rita to call the doctor's office.
5. The doctor's telephone number is on the calendar.

Reading Comprehension

1. You shouldn't discover that your passport has expired just at the airport ticket counter.
2. The normal time to get your driver's license renewed is possibly in two months.
3. Kennels require a maximum of two weeks to make arrangements.
4. You should try to leave your home for several days.

Situational Dialogues

1. Situation 1

   Luke and Dave are checking lamps.

   Dave: Look at those lamps! They are beautiful.

   Luke: Which ones?

2. Situation 2

   Stephanie is going camping. She asks Tom for advice.

   Stephanie:

St. Valentine’s Day

1. During Lupercalia: (a) young men and women were paired.
2. Why did Emperor Claudius II cancel all marriages and engagements? (c) Because he needed men for his army.
3. Why was Valentine dragged to jail? (d) Because he disobeyed the emperor.
4. Valentine died in love. TRUE: “It is said that, before his execution, Valentine himself had fallen in love with the jailer’s daughter.”
5. St. Valentine’s Day is no longer a Roman Catholic festivity today. TRUE: “In 1969 it was dropped from the Roman Catholic calendar as a designated feast day.”
6. Nowadays there are more Valentine’s cards than Christmas cards sold in the US. FALSE: “Today, over 1 billion Valentine’s cards are sent in the US – second in number only to Christmas cards.

Main Types of Radioactivity

• Alpha (Αα): Particle, helium nucleus. Low penetrating power; causes some damage (can penetrate paper).
• Beta (Ββ): Particle, electrons. Medium penetrating power; causes great damage (can penetrate human tissue up to a few millimeters).
• Gamma (Γγ): High-energy light wave. High penetrating power; very dangerous, causes damage to cell nuclei.

Uses and Dangers of Radioactivity

Common Applications

• Smoke alarms: Americium-241
• Thickness control: Beta rays
• Sterilization: Gamma rays
• Radioactive dating: Carbon-14
• Radioactive tracers: Technetium-99
• Industrial testing: Checking welds with gamma sources
• Medical treatment: Radiotherapy for cancer

Health Hazards

The primary danger of radioactivity is cellular damage. Symptoms include:

• Hematopoietic:

Causative Have Practice Exercises

• They had arranged for their house to be cleaned by the end of the week. Now it is clean. What had they done? (They had had their house cleaned.)
• The grass has grown too much. What should they have done? (They should have had the grass cut.)
• His tooth was filled yesterday. What happened to him? (He had his tooth filled yesterday.)
• No one has informed them of the meeting. What should he have done for them? (He should have had them informed of the meeting.)

Examples of Daily Tasks and Changes

• We are having the furniture rearranged (furniture/rearrange). We got tired of having it in the same place for so long.
• That’s a good idea. We are going to have our furniture replaced (our furniture/replace) next week. I’m sick

Control of Urea Biosynthesis

Reaction: CO₂ + NH₄⁺ + 4ATP + Asp → urea + fumarate + 4ADP + 2Pi + PPi

• Long-term regulation: Diet rich in protein or starvation upregulates urea cycle enzymes.
• Short-term regulation: N-acetylglutamate activates arginine synthetase, stimulating urea production.

Amino Acid Catabolism Pathways

• Gluconeogenic (Pyruvate): [Ala, Ser, Gly, Cys, Thr, Trp] → Pyruvate
• Gluconeogenic (Oxaloacetate): [Asp, Asn] → Oxaloacetate
• Gluconeogenic (α-Ketoglutarate): [Glu, Gln, Pro, Arg, His] → α-Ketoglutarate
• Gluconeogenic (Succinyl-CoA): [Val, Met, Ile, Thr] → Succinyl-CoA
• Gluconeogenic (Fumarate): [Phe, Tyr] → Fumarate
• Ketogenic (Acetyl-CoA): [Leu, Lys] → Acetyl-CoA
• Glucoketogenic: [Trp, Ile, Thr, Tyr, Phe]

Biogenic Amines by Decarboxylation

Reading Comprehension

Sniffer Bees

Sniffer bees: C(a new use)-D(learn)-C(sends)-C(fit)-C(tiny)-B(they don’t)-A(are not)-A(diagnosis)

The Statues of Easter Island

The statues of Easter Island: C(is the most isolated)-B(are larger)-C(played)-C(land)-B(the inhabitants had eaten)-A(the Rapanui were fighting)-C(died of illness)-B(the Rapanui don’t)

Festival Entrepreneurs

Festival entrepreneurs: C(they are more diverse)-B(the tickets sell)-D(has plans)-A(you can make new)-A(you can travel without)-B(inconvenience)-B(companies like)-A(the economic)

Britain’s New Eco-Towns

Britain’s new eco-towns: D(no cars in)-C(land that was originally)-C(to use less water)-D(eco-towns are not green)-B(traffic)-C(tend to)-C(backing for)-A(harvested)

Film Sponsorship

Film... Continue reading "Sniffer Bees, Easter Island Statues, and More: A Fascinating Collection" »

Essential English Vocabulary and Grammar

Vocabulary

• Script: guió
• Access - accessible
• Anxiety - anxious
• Romance - romantic
• Succeed – Succession
• Choose – choice
• Entertain – entertainment
• Grow – growth
• Live – life
• Produce – production
• Separate – separation
• Supply –

Phrasal Verbs

• Get through à fer-se entendre, connectar (to get through à to make oneself understood, to connect)
• Get round à voltejar, molestar en fer algo (to get around à to circumvent, to bother while doing something)
• Get over à superar (to get over à to overcome)
• Get down à deprimir, cansar (to get down à to depress, to tire)
• Get away à sortir-se’n (to get away à to get away with it)
• Get into à interesar-se, ficar-se en algo (to get into à to become interested, to get

The Black Cat The story is an event without saying as they call the characters. The story tells how a character has a passion for animals, and his latest acquisition after marriage has been a cat. One day, when the cat came and drank, as he did not like the way it looked at him, he ripped out one eye. He then repented, but the cat ran out with one of its eyeballs. Soon after, he decided to end the suffering of the poor cat and hanged it on a tree. When he was on his way home, a high concentration of onlookers gathered in front of his house, which was on fire. After the terrible fire, there were only a few walls standing; everything else was totally burned, resulting in a total loss, but no human lives were at stake. This man went to see what... Continue reading "The Haunting Tale of the Black Cat and Its Tragic Fate" »

Teaching Health as a 21st-Century Skill for Children

An apple a day is not enough. Don't let me start preaching, but shouldn't the children of the country that's the wealthiest also be the children of the country that's the healthiest? That makes sense — you think that would be true. I know I would. I'm just saying: wouldn't you?

But that's not the case with our kids these days. Kids' health is declining in all kinds of ways. We need to improve it, we can, and we will — but it starts with thinking of health as a skill, a 21st-century skill that you practice. Practice makes perfect. The unhealthy can't hack this. We've got to teach our kids by example every day, and it's tough because people stop listening when they think they know what... Continue reading "Teaching Health as a 21st-Century Skill for Children" »