Cellular Biology and Case Study Discussion

Cell morphology refers to the study of a cell’s organelles, size, shape, and other structural constituents. Cell morphology is very crucial for a cell’s function and structure. Cells exist in different shapes and sizes, adapting to their specific function. For example, the red blood cells are disc-shaped and small, allowing them to easily pass through the blood vessels while transporting oxygen. When a cell’s morphology is abnormal, a disease occurs. This is evident in cancer cells which tend to have abnormal cell size and shape due to rapid cell division (Fior & Zilhao, 2019). For this reason, it is crucial to understand the cell morphology to better understand diseases.

Case Study

The case study selected for this discussion is about a fifteen-year-old male who came in after having ingested windshield wiper fluid to give him a high. Windshield wiper fluid contains methanol and can adversely affect osmolarity, oncotic pressure, and sodium levels. Methanol is readily absorbed and metabolized to formaldehyde and further to formic acid (Tephly & McMartin, 2020). Both metabolites are toxic and generally lead to increased osmolarity. As a result, there will be fluid and electrolyte imbalance and, thence, severe health risks such as metabolic acidosis. Due to the metabolic acidosis, hyperchloremia ensues, leading to relatively decreased sodium levels in the blood. However, the sodium level changes may not be immediate.

Consequently, methanol poisoning may also cause toxic effects on the integrity of the blood vessel walls. This disrupts the concentration of proteins such as albumin, leading to decreased oncotic pressure(Tephly & McMartin, 2020). As a result, there is extravasation of fluid into the surrounding tissues, causing oedema, which is one of the clinical features of methanol poisoning.

References

Fior, R., & Zilhão, R. (2019). Molecular and cell biology of cancer. Springer International Publishing.

Tephly, T. R., & McMartin, K. E. (2020). Methanol metabolism and toxicity. In Aspartame (pp. 111-140). CRC Press. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003065289-8/methanol-metabolism-toxicity-thomas-tephly-kenneth-mcmartin

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Question

Cellular Biology and Case Study Discussionn

A 15-year-old male presents after ingesting windshield wiper fluid to get high. Explain what will happen to the following:

Osmolarity
Sodium levels
Oncotic pressure

Discussion Prompt

Part 1: Discuss the morphology of cells and the factors that play a role in their general function and structure. Also, choose a condition from the following case studies (Week 1 Case Study Details).

Part 2: Select two different students/topics and discuss the difference between various cells and the role these cells play in specific disease processes.

Expectations

Initial Post of Case Study:

Length: A minimum of 250 words, not including references
Citations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in APA from within the last 5 years