Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone Replacement Therapy

A Product
Hormone Replacement Therapy
By: Alex Scott



Reasons For Use of Product
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is used mainly to lower menopausal symptoms like hot and cold flashes (periods of excessively high body temperature and shortly there after, normal or low temperatures) and vaginal dryness. It has also been proven that HRTs may prevent osteoporosis. The U.S. Health Institute has banned the use of HRTs for their negative effects, while Health Canada has adopted its use for the positive effects.
HRTs are also used alone or in conjunction with gender reassignment surgery and differentiation of gender in hermaphrodites.
The focus of this editorial will be based on these two factors.

Biological Reactions/Effects Involved in Use
Treatment of Menopausal Symptoms
HRTs are taken in pill form and can be found in two different types:
1. Combined: Estrogen and Progestin
2. Estrogen without Progestin
Progestin is added to prevent the development of uterine cancer in women who have not received a hysterectomy.
In 1991 the U.S. National Health Institute (NHI) began a study called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). The study was divided into two sections- one comprised of 16, 000 post-menopausal women 50-79 who had not had a hysterectomy. The experiment involved a daily dose of either a combined estrogen and progestin pill or a placebo. The other section focused on 10 000 women who had received a hysterectomy and took either estrogen alone or a placebo. (For further information on the dynamics of this study, visit http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/med/estrogen_e.html.)



The results of the study were as follows (Minister of Health, 2006):




Increased risk of Coronary Heart disease (7 more cases were present when given HRT as opposed to placebo)

Increased risk of stroke (8 more cases, compared to placebo)

Doubled risk of blood clots in lungs and legs (18 more than those who took the placebo)

Essentially, HRTs in the treatment of menopausal symptoms provide relief of night sweats, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness while increasing risks of heart problems, blood clots and strokes. The U.S. Institute deemed these negative effects greater than the positive ones which is why HRTs use has been banned in the states. Canada however, has accepted the risks and feels HRTs are still necessary.


Gender Differentiation/Reassignment
Hermaphrodite- a person or animal having both male and female sex organs or other sexual characteristics.
HRTs are used with hermaphrodites in order to reinforce their dominant, psychological gender.
female to male
When a hermaphroditic woman is born and is psychologically a man, they are given androgens (an example would be testosterone) after extensive counsilling in order to develop male characteristics (both reversible and irreversible)
The irreversible changes consist of: deeper voice, excessive body hair (as well as on the face), the clitoris becomes larger, potentialy shrinking of the breasts and in some cases, baldness. (Wikipedia, 2007).
The reversible changes are as follows: Increased libido, change in body fat distribution, ovulation and menstruation stop, upper body muscle development, increased perspiration along with stronger body odour, acne, coarse skin, change in cholesterol and red blood cell count.
male to female
Unfortunately the transition from male to female is substantially more difficult than female to male because it is a lot easier to add male features with testosterone as opposed to taking them away. Males are given estrogens which allows them to obtain certain female features.
The irreversible ones are: breast development, enlarged nipples and occasionally stretch marks.
The reversible changes are: weakened libido, change in body fat distribution, skin changes, reduced body hair, lessened body odour and persperation and change in size of reproductive organs.
Benefits
Hormone Replacement Therapy offers emotional benefits for both types of users. Menopausal symptoms are tolerable without medication and hermaphrodites generally spend their lives either cross dressing or hiding their true identity. Essentially, Hormone Replacement Therapies are last ditch efforts and should be used with caution to reap the emotional benefits they have to offer (change in gender appearance and reduced menopausal symptoms)
Disadvantages
Hormone Replacement Therapy offers a vast range of disadvantages, hence the reason their use was banned from the U.S.
When given estrogen to help menopausal symptoms, (as seen before) the results proved an increase in heart problems, the risk of stroke and a two-fold increase in blood clot sufferers. These disadvantages alone are enough to scare people out of using them, however the negative effects of HRTs use with gender reassignment issues are rather substantial compared to these. They are:
Increased cardiovascular risks/problems
Baldness along with increased body hair elsewhere
Cessatation of menstruation
Increased size of clitoris
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (in the use of androgens)
Lack of function in reproductive organs making child bearing nearly impossible
Increased risk of osteoporosis
Severe drug interactions
Sleep apnea
Increased red blood cells
Change in skin texture
Liver damage
Headaches
Social Responsibility Of Manufacturer
Every manufacturer is expected to offer the information regarding HRTs positive and negative effects. Doctors are expected to discuss the potential problems related to their long term use, and advise avoiding HRTs until there is no other option.
Supervision of Use of Manufacturer
HRTs are available through prescription only and require a severe need for the medication. Also in transgendered individuals, they must undergo extensive therapy and psychological examination in order to ensure there is no potential for need of reversal.

References
The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2007). Hormone Replacement Therapy Controversy. Historica Foundation. Retrieved November 30, 2007, from http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012308
Wikipedia. (2007). Hormone Replacement Therapy (trans). Wikimedia. Retrieved November 30, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone_replacement_therapy_(trans)

Biology Reading Assignment - Due January 7th 2008!!!

This assignment is the last part of the environmental unit we started This week. It will need to be completed over the holiday break. There will be a comprehensive test on Wednesday January 9th. We will then start our final unit of Plant Physiology and Anatomy... This should leave us a few days for review of the first few units before our exam on January 267h... The end is near... remain focused and have a good holiday...

Biology Course Culminating Blog Assignment!!

Industry
and Society Culminating Task

Many of the products required by modern society are produced by
industries through the application of science and technology. While many
benefits result from these products, the by-products produced in the processes
may cause environmental problems. The control of these problems involves an
understanding of science and technology balanced by the needs of our society.
The purpose of this task is to provide you with opportunities to
consider your responsibilities as citizens in a technological society, to
acquire some of the scientific and technological knowledge that you will need in
order to make informed decisions, and to understand the role played by a
particular chemical industry as it supplies products to satisfy the demands of
society.
Many different chemical industries or products can be studied
effectively to fulfill the objectives of this task. It is intended that you
achieve the objectives of this task by selecting, in consultation with the
teacher, a particular industry or product for study.

The two possible topics are:
Topic 1 - An Industry
1. The selection of a local industry is preferable. Areas to be investigated and reported on area
listed below.
2. Reason for the process.
3. History of the process.
4. General reactions involved in manufacture.
5. Technology (equipment, materials, engineering design). Factors considered in location of industry (sources and transportation of raw materials, energy requirements, human resources, environmental problems, market accessibility, waste disposal, economic considerations).
6. Effects on local area (environmental and social).

Ideas of types of industries:
Cosmetic Industry
Waste Treatment
Agriculture (organic, monoculture)
Pharmaceuticals
Fertility / Infertility (in Humans!)
Biotechnologies (ex. dialysis machine)
Fertilizers or Pesticides
Food Stuffs - soft drinks, etc.

Topic 2 - A Product
The selection of one product or type of product with wide usage is preferable.

Areas to be investigated on are listed below.
1. Reasons for use of product (history).
2. Biological reactions or effects involved in use.
3. Benefits (technological, economic).
4. Disadvantages (resources, pollution, safety, side effects).
5. Social responsibility of manufacturer.
6. Supervision of use of manufacture (quality control, availability to public, dangers).

Ideas of types of chemicals:
Pheromones
Pollution Control (plant/enzymes)
Pesticides/herbicides/insecticides
Organ Donation
Enzymatic foods/pharmaceuticals
“Green” plastics
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Medicines
Vaccines

Evaluation of Project

1. The report is to be posted as an editorial blog.
2. The blog can be on either topic one or two.
3. Since this is an editorial on a topic in biology, where possible, try to use as
   much of the language of biology as possible, ex. Biological structure names,
   biological reactions and processes, organ systems, proper binomial naming,
   ecosystem/ food webs, etc.
4. There must be at least one picture and one hyperlink to more information. (For
   those of you that are scared… I will help you!)
5. Include a Reference section in proper APA format with in-text citations in the body of
   the editorial..
6. **Do not use technical words without explaining what they mean. **If you are copying material from a resource book, use quotation marks and in-text
   citation. The best editorials are those written in your own words to invoke thought and
   reflection in others.
7. If somebody has given you help with information and explanations, acknowledge
   them.
8. **Keep a log of time spent and hand this in before the Christmas Break.
   Ex. November 3 - 21/2 hours searching for material in the library.
9. The editorial blog must “go live” by Dec. 22^nd 2007. Make it public
   for others to comment!!

A total mis-use of Blogging... Answers to p140

Page 140…
1. The main features that are missing from the classification of fungi to make it a plant would be: no photosynthesis, many nuclei per cell, have no roots, do not reproduce by seed, have no/less storage molecules and have chitin in cell walls.

2. Umm, see answer 1… really I already listed everything that makes it distinct… perhaps number 1 only wanted “no photosynthesis”!

3. Mycelium – a mesh of tiny filaments that help with nutrient absorption (not part of sexual reproduction).
Spore – a haploid specialized sex cell, it is a reproductive package (sprouts like a seed). It is made in the sporangia structure.
Hypha – See figure 2 – the mycelium are made up of hypha… that is what the filaments are called. They allow cytoplasm to flow from cell to cell with nutrients. It is a non-reproductive part of the fungi… since it has a haploid number the hypha can fuse with another parent and then reproduction begins. White cap mushrooms are hyphas.
Sporangia – the reproductive structure of the fungi, responsible for spore production.

4. Who knows… the information is poorly written here…
From Wikipedia…
Asexual reproduction via vegetative spores or through mycelial fragmentation is common in many fungal species and allows more rapid dispersal than sexual reproduction. In the case of the "Fungi imperfecti" or Deuteromycota, which lack a sexual cycle, it is the only means of propagation. Asexual spores, upon germination, may found a population that is clonal to the population from which the spore originated, and thus colonize new environments.

Sexual
It differs in many aspects from sexual reproduction in animals or plants. Most fungi have both a haploid and diploid stage in their life cycles. In all sexually reproducing fungi, compatible individuals combine by cell fusion of vegetative hyphae by anastomosis, required for the initiation of the sexual cycle. Ascomycetes and basidiomycetes go through a dikaryotic stage, in which the nuclei inherited from the two parents do not fuse immediately after cell fusion, but remain separate in the hyphal cells (see dikayrotic). After that they are now a diploid nucleus and undergo meiosis to produce 4 haploid spores… babies.

5. Amanita “Destroying angels”– poisonous mushrooms
Effects – abdominal pain and cramps, vomiting, and eventual death.
Causes – toxins in the mushroom that enter the blood stream. They affect the nervous system and can cause hallucinations, and “drunkenness”
Treatment – depends on species ingested – see page 138
How can it be avoided… Uhmmm don’t eat mushrooms!

6. Role of partner
Mycorrizae – help roots of plants absorb nutrients. Plants then release sugars for the fungi to survive on. Some plant seeds will not germinate without the fungi in the soil… pollution kills the fungi… not good.
Lichens – its partner is a green algae or cyanobacteria (a photo synthesizer). The lichen’s mycelium surrounds the photosynthetic cells and provides it with nutrients for photosynthesis. The algae share the sugars with the lichen. The mycelium provides structure to the symbiotic cells. Lichens help with primary succession – grade 10 Ecology – the re-introduction of species to a life-less area.

7 Figure 8 – as crustose (flat, or crusty mat on rocks or bark), foliose (leaflike lobes and looks like paper) or fruticose (raised with stalks and branching which can hang from trees)…
a) reindeer moss – fruticose
b) British soldiers - fruticose

Does anyone else think this part of the textbook was confusing and not helpful? Lets blog it!

And then there was a Biology Blog...

... and indeed it was overwhelming and a wee bit scary. In today's day and age we all must embrace the technological desires of the times. As you go forth and learn, you may need further technolgoical skills such as blogging, posting, web publishing, PowerPoint, and what a great idea to begin now in Grade 11... It will eliminate the need for paper based Culminating Tasks, and the time required to present your ideas to our class. You will be required to create your own blog, post to others and respond to posts you have recieved. In essence, you will live and breathe biology in a way that is digestable and socially responsible.