Concorde Career College Cellular Biology Cell Morphology Case Study – Description
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Cell morphology describes the characteristic of a cell through its structure, color, texture, size, form, and shape. It studies the behavior of a certain cell in order to determine if it is acting abnormally. For instance, when a malignant tumor growth is present, there are profound variations in a cell’s morphological characteristics, which can be indicative of cancer (Alizadeh et.al, 2020).
In the case of a 15 y/o male who ingested windshield wiper fluid:
Methanol is the primary ingredient of windshield wiper fluid, which is a toxic alcohol that is rapidly absorbed in the GI tract in just less than 10 mins. The ingestion of this substance result in elevated osmolar gap which indicates presence of toxins in the blood (Ashurst & Nappe, 2022). Oncotic presure is responsible in the elevation of osmolar gap. When metabolized, osmolar gap decreases. A value greater than 25 mOsm/kg HO (milliosmoles per kilogram of water) requires initiation of treatment to prevent progression to organ damage. Serum sodium are initially normal.
A 2 two year old male presents with a retinal tumor and ultimately Retinoblastoma.
Retinoblastoma is a rare childhood cancer in retina, the inner layer of the eyeball that is responsible for visual processing in the brain. Genetically, the disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner where there is either a loss or mutation in the RB1 (Retinoblastoma gene 1), which can be found on chromosome 13. Under normal circumstances, RB1 gene regulates the cell production and will stop multiplying when retinal cells become mature. Mutation in the RB1 genes causes retinoblasts to grow out of control. RB1 genes produce pRB (Retinoblastoma protein), a tumor suppressor that primarily regulates cell growth. It simply stops cells from growing out of control. Perturbation of pRB, as a result of RB1 mutation, gives rise to the development of cancer. It may be passed from parent who carries the heritable retinoblastoma to offspring, which yields 50% inheritance rate (Lohmann & Gallie, 2018). Germline mutation differs from somatic mutation as the former can be passed on to offspring while the latter is not heritable. Germline mutation only involves one allele while both allele mutation is present in somatic variant. Children who are born with heritable Retinoblastoma typically develops bilateral eye involvement and are also at higher risk of cancer in other body parts later in life. On the other hand, children with somatic mutation only develop tumor in just one eye and do not share the same risk of cancer as children with germline variant.
References:
Alizadeh, E., Castle, J., Quirk, A., Taylor, C., Xu, W., Prasad, A. (2020). Cellular morphological features are predictive markers of cancer cell state. Elsevier; Vol. 126 104044 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2020.104044
Ashurst, J., Nappe, T. (2022). Methanol toxicity. Statpearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482121/
Lohmann, D., Gallie, B. (2018). Retinoblastoma. GeneReviews. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/
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