Saturday, 13 July 2024

MODULE 2 - Science, Technology, and Art

Lesson 7 - Science and Technology in Health and Wellness

I. Science and Technology in Health and Wellness

• Advances in medicines and other related elds have provided the tools to:
- control infectious diseases
- organ transplantation
- and more accurate studies of bodily processes and activities.

Weatherall D, Greenwood B, Chee HL, et al. Science and Technology for Disease Control: Past, Present, and Future. In:
Jamison DT, Breman JG, Measham AR, et al., editors. Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd edition.
Washington (DC): The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2006. Chapter 5.
Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11740/

• Medicine Before the 20th Century

A. 16th and 17th Century

- Anatomical Dissections: Andreas Vesalius swept away centuries of misconceptions
about the relationship between structure and function of the human body.
- Aristotelian elements: The work of Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle, and Robert Hooke
disposed of the basic Aristotelian elements of earth, air, re, and water.
- Development of the microscope: Hooke's microscope revealed an invisible world.
- Blood Circulation: William Harvey's experiments in 1628 marked the beginning of
modern scienti c medicine.

B. 19th Century
- Biological thinking: Charles Darwin changed the whole course of biological thinking.
- New science of genetics: Gregor Mendel laid the ground for the new science of
genetics.
- Microbiology: Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch laid the foundation.
- Physiology and Biochemistry: Claude Bernard and his followers enunciated the
seminal principle of the constancy of the internal environment of the body, a
notion that profoundly in uenced the development of physiology and
biochemistry.
- Pathology: Establishment through cell theory.
- Invention of the stethoscope, blood pressure measurement, and x-rays.
- Anesthesia
- Psychiatric Disease: Early classi cation and humane management.
- Medical Statistics: Initial use for analyzing medical data.
- Public Health: Evolution of preventive medicine and public health measures.

• Science, Technology, and Medicine in the 20th Century

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 • Advances in medical sciences were slow during the rst half of the 20th century.
• Two major world wars had a debilitating e ect on scienti c and medical advancements.
• The position changed dramatically after World War II, a time that many still believe was
the period of major achievement in the biomedical sciences for improving the
health of society.

• Epidemiology and Public Health

Post-WWII Developments:

- Modern epidemiology came into its own after World War II: when increasingly
sophisticated statistical methods were rst applied to the study of noninfectious disease
to analyze the patterns and associations of diseases in large populations.

- Clinical Epidemiology: Marked a signi cant success in medical sciences.

Epidemiological Discoveries:

- Cigarette Smoking and Lung Cancer: Relationship demonstrated by Austin Bradford

Hill and Richard Doll.

- Tobacco Epidemic: Tobacco remains a major cause of death and disability worldwide.

Degenerative disorders:

- Conditions such as heart attacks, stroke, cancer, and diabetes were bundled together
as degenerative disorders, implying that they might be the natural result of wear and tear
and the inevitable consequence of aging.

• Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)

- Medical practice based on research evidence.
- : Basing medical practice on the best available evidence.
- Skills Required: Finding, appraising, and implementing evidence in clinical practice.
- Challenges: Balancing EBM with individualized patient care.

• Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

- An experiment where participants are randomly assigned to di erent groups to test a
speci c drug or treatment.
- Foundation by Ronald Fisher
- Principles of experimental design applied to clinical research post-WWII.
- Meta-analysis: Combining results from multiple trials to inform healthcare and research.

• Summary of Scienti c Medicine in the 20th Century

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 Major Achievements

1. Clinical Epidemiology
- Developed as a key success in the medical sciences, focusing on the study and
control of diseases in populations.
2. Control of Infectious Diseases
- Signi cant strides were made, though these advancements had limited impact on
the health of developing countries.

II. Scienti c Discoveries that Promote Health and Wellness

a. GB Healthwatch. (2014). The human genome, nutrition, and health. Available from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0oatjliGFk

A. The human genome, nutrition, and health.

- control infectious diseases
- organ transplantation
- and more accurate studies of bodily processes and activities.

• Human Metabolic Individuality and Genetic Adaptations

- Component Improved: Personalized Nutrition
- Understanding that di erent people have di erent nutritional needs based on their
genetic background has led to the development of personalized nutrition plans. This has
improved individual health outcomes by tailoring diets to match genetic predispositions,
thereby preventing chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular
disease.

• FADS1 Gene Polymorphisms

- Component Improved: Nutrient Metabolism and Health Risk Management
- Identifying the role of FADS1 gene polymorphisms in the metabolism of PUFAs
(omega-3 EPA and omega-6 AA) has highlighted the importance of genetic variations in
dietary recommendations. This has allowed for better management of health risks
associated with nutrient de ciencies and excesses, such as hypertriglyceridemia and
in ammatory disorders.

• Population Genetics and Dietary Needs

- Component Improved: Culturally Appropriate Dietary Guidelines
- Recognizing the genetic di erences across populations has led to the formulation of
culturally and regionally appropriate dietary guidelines. These guidelines are tailored to
the genetic makeup of di erent populations, thereby improving overall public health by
reducing the incidence of diet-related chronic diseases.

• PPARs in Nutritional Homeostasis

- Component Improved: Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
- The role of PPARs in regulating nutrient metabolism and maintaining nutritional
homeostasis has facilitated the development of targeted therapies for chronic diseases.
Drugs targeting PPAR pathways (e.g., brates for triglyceride lowering, TZDs for type 2
diabetes) have been designed to mimic the natural regulation of these pathways by
nutrients, improving the management and prevention of chronic diseases.

• Precision Nutrition
- Component Improved: Public Health and Preventive Medicine
- The concept of precision nutrition, which involves matching diet to genetic pro les, has

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 enhanced preventive medicine strategies. By using foods as tools to maintain
homeostasis and prevent diet-induced chronic diseases, precision nutrition has improved
overall public health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs associated with managing
chronic conditions.

b. What I’ve Learned. (2018). How the Gut Microbiome a ects the Brain and Mind. Available from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4CBy0uVqRc

B. How the Gut Microbiome a ects the Brain and Mind

• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

- An eleven-year-old boy developed Rocky Mountain spotted fever from a tick bite,
causing severe symptoms, including encephalitis.
- Treatment: Antibiotic tetracycline cured the infection within ve days.
- Component Improved: Infectious Disease Management
• Gut Microbiome and Mental Health
- Gut microbes in uence cognition and behavior.
- Microbe-free mice showed distinct personality changes, increased risk-taking behavior,
and memory de cits.
- Normal mice had better memory performance compared to microbe-free mice, linked to
higher levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor).
- Component Improved: Mental Health and Cognitive Function.
- Understanding the role of gut microbiota in brain function and behavior, leading to
potential treatments for mental health disorders through microbiome modulation.
- Impact of Antibiotics on Gut Microbiome: Overuse of antibiotics disrupts gut
microbiota, potentially a ecting brain development and mental health.

c. Wellcome Library. (2010). The discovery of penicillin. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qeZLLhx5kU

C. The discovery of penicillin

• Penicillin
- the rst of the modern wonder drugs known as antibiotics.
- Penicillin's discovery and development marked a breakthrough in treating bacterial
infections.
- Scientists: Sir Alexander Fleming, Dr. E.B. Chain, Sir Howard Flory.
• Alexander Fleming
- 1928
- Noticed mold (Penicillium) inhibited bacterial growth.
- Mold-produced substance (penicillin) showed potential as an antibacterial agent.
• 1930s
- Initial attempts to purify penicillin failed.
• 1940s
- Dr. Chain and Dr. Flory at Oxford developed methods to extract and purify penicillin
e ectively.

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 • 1945
- Penicillin's widespread use saved countless lives.
- Further developments led to the creation of various penicillin derivatives, expanding its
e ectiveness against resistant strains of bacteria.

c. Wellcome Library. (2010). The discovery of penicillin. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qeZLLhx5kU

D. Polio: History of Eradication

• Polio / Poliomyelitis
- an illness caused by a virus that mainly a ects nerves in the spinal cord or brain stem.
- Virus identi ed by Landsteiner in 1908.
- Epidemics in the early 20th century, particularly a ecting children in poor sanitary
conditions.

• Polio Vaccines:
1. Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
- By Jonas Salk
- Demonstrated safety and e ectiveness in large-scale trials by 1955.
- Cutter Incident (1955) highlighted challenges in production but eventually resolved.
- Collaboration between Jonas Salk, Hans Cohen, and Shall Maria to enhance IPV
e ectiveness, production, and a ordability.

2. Oral polio vaccine (OPV)

- By Albert Sabin
- Live vaccine, easier administration, and claimed indirect immunization bene ts.
- OPV initially dominant but IPV gains ground in developed countries.
• 1980’s
- polio largely eliminated in developed countries with widespread use of vaccines.

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III. Technological Innovations that Revolutionizes Medical World
ColdFusion. (2019). Cancer killing nanobots. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg--UVL9xCc

• Nanotechnology
- Cancer treatment
• Nanobots
- are microscopic robots that can perform complex tasks within the human body, such as
targeted drug delivery and plaque reduction.
- can deliver drugs to speci c cells or areas with slow blood ow, such as capillaries or
brain ventricles.
1. DNA Nanobots
- Made from DNA strands, capable of speci c tasks like cleaning toxins from blood or
targeting tumors.
- have been tested to starve tumors by releasing clotting enzymes directly into tumor
blood vessels.
2. Man-made Nanobots
- Utilize materials like iron spirals for mobility in biological tissues.

OpenMind. (2016). The Origin of Vaccines. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_PKQ_M7AtU

• Vaccines
- for Immunity

• Smallpox
- was a highly lethal disease that a ected civilizations globally, including ancient Egypt,
Greek and Roman Empires, and Native American populations.
- By the 18th century, it was a major endemic disease in Europe, causing around 400,000
deaths annually.

• Immunity:
- Jenner, a country physician, invented vaccination with cowpox to replace the fearful
dangers of inoculation with smallpox
- Jenner observed that milkmaids and shepherdesses often showed immunity to smallpox,
likely due to prior infection with cowpox, a related but milder disease they contracted
from cows.
- To test his hypothesis, Jenner performed an experiment where he extracted cowpox from
a milkmaid, infected an 8-year-old boy named James Phipps with it, and then
deliberately exposed him to smallpox. Phipps did not contract smallpox, demonstrating
the protective e ect of cowpox against the more severe disease.

• Early Vaccine Development

- Jenner's discovery preceded the understanding of germs as causes of disease, which
came later in the 19th century.

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 - Jenner’s work laid the foundation for vaccination, where attenuated (weakened)
microbes could be used to prevent diseases.

• Vaccination campaigns based on Jenner's principles eventually led to the global

eradication of smallpox.

• 1980
- the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated, marking one of humanity's
greatest achievements in public health.
Swedish. (2012). The da Vinci Integrated Robotic Surgery Suite at Swedish. Available from https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=WhDQqRDOA4k

• Robot Technology
- for surgery
• DaVinci Integrated Robotic Surgery Suite
- are more precise and dexterous than traditional surgical tools.
- This allows surgeons to perform delicate procedures with greater accuracy, resulting in
less trauma to surrounding tissues and potentially faster recovery times for patients.
- exempli es advanced surgical technology, o ering surgeons enhanced capabilities for
precise

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