ECU Web Unit Outline
 
FACULTY OF HEALTH, ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE
SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
Full Unit Outline - Enrolment Approved Monday, March 19, 2012
Disclaimer
This unit outline may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.
 
UNIT TITLE The Biology of Human Disease
UNIT CODE SCH3227
CREDIT POINTS 15
FULL YEAR UNIT No
PRE-REQUISITES SCH1134 - Human Structure and Function
or
SCH1143 - Systems Physiology
MODE OF DELIVERY On-campus
DESCRIPTION

This unit examines the principles and mechanisms of the disease process. The various components and interactions of the body's defense system and the relationship of environmental factors to the disease process are considered. The morphology, pathogenesis and clinical course of diseases are considered in detail.
 
LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of this unit students should be able to:


  1. investigate the continuum of function and structure of the cell from normal, through injury, adaption and/or death;
  2. critically analyse the role of inflammation and repair in the reaction of living tissue to injury;
  3. explain the effects of disruption of blood supply and body fluid imbalance;
  4. evaluate the responses of the body to infection and understand the immunologic mechanisms of tissue injury;
  5. explain neoplastic and non-neoplastic cellular proliferation;
  6. investigate the role of diet and nutrition in the development of, and susceptibility to, disease;
  7. critically analyse major environmental agents (including air pollution, chemicals/drugs and physical agents) which are involved in disease processes.
 
UNIT CONTENT
  1. Overview of pathology, health versus disease in different populations, investigation of disease, methods in pathology, classification of disease, ageing and disease.
  2. Cell injury and adaptation - causes of cellular injury, death and adaptation, pathogenesis, morphology of cell injury, intracellular accumulations, sub-cellular alterations, cellular adaptations, calcification, hyaline change.
  3. Inflammation - acute inflammation, chronic inflammation, morphological patterns of inflammation, role of lymphatics, lymphoid tissue and mononuclear-phagocytic system, immunologic mechanisms, clinical manifestations of inflammation.
  4. Repair - parenchymal regeneration, repair by connective tissue, bone repair, collagenization and wound strength, cellular mechanisms of repair, overview of inflammatory-reparative response, factors modifying inflammatory-reparative response.
  5. Fluid and haemodynamic derangement - oedema, congestion, haemorrhage, thrombosis, embolism, infarction, shock.
  6. Neoplasia - hyperplasia, metaplasia, dysplasia, nomenclature, characteristics of benign and malignant neoplasms, grading and staging of cancer, attributes of transformed cells, carcinogenic agents (including environmental agents) and their cellular interactions, unifying theory of carcinogenesis.
  7. Nutritional disorders - protein-calorie malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, trace elements, obesity, diet and cancer in humans with particular reference to indigenous and migrant populations.
  8. Vascular pathology - arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, vasculitis, aneurysms, venous disorders, lymphatic disorders, tumours.
  9. Haematopoietic and lymphoid pathology - blood loss anaemia, haemolytic anaemia, anaemias of diminished erythropoiesis, lymphomas, leukaemias and myeloproliferative diseases, disorders of coagulation, infectious mononucleosis, histiocytoses.
 
TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESSES
This course is divided into an 8-week block with 4 contact hours per week (lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions), and a 5-week block during which students engage with online materials. In laboratory classes, students work independently and in small groups to plan, organize and run experiments. Each student will also prepare a literature review on a particular research topic, and present the review to the class using powerpoint. Guidance on the preparation of a literature review, and use of powerpoint, will be given in the first laboratory session. Blackboard will be utilised to disseminate required materials.
 
GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES

The following graduate attributes will be developed in this unit

  • Ability to communicate
  • Ability to work in teams
  • Critical appraisal skills
  • Ability to generate ideas
  • Cross-cultural and international outlook

 
 
ASSESSMENT
Grading Schema 1
 
Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.
 
*In order to be eligible to pass the unit, students must attend at least 90% of the laboratory classes.
 

Item

On-Campus Assessment

Value

  

Assignment

Literature review

35%

Test

Mid semester practical test

15%

Examination

End of semester examination

50%

 
TEXTS
Rubin, R., & Strayer, D. S. (2012). Rubins's pathology: Clinicopathologic foundations of medicine (6th ed.). Philadelphia, Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, Philadelphia.
 
SIGNIFICANT REFERENCES
Ahmed, N., Dawson, M., Smith, C., & Wood, E. (2007). Biology of disease (1st ed.). Taylor and Francis
Craft, J., Gordon, C., & Tiziani, A. (2011). Understanding pathophysiology (1st ed.). Mosby Elsevier
Porth, C. M. (2007). Essentials of pathophysiology. (2nd). Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Porth, C. M. (2010). Pathophysiology, concepts of altered health states. (8th). Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Rubin, E., & Reisner, H. M. (2009). Essentials of Rubin's pathology (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
 
JOURNALS
- yet to be determined.
 
 
 
Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)
For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes, Graduate Attributes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Student Equity, Diversity and Disability Service website:
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/student/support/student-equity
 
 


Academic Misconduct


Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students’ work.

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.


The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.
ECU Web Unit Outline