Posted: March 12th, 2023

HELP WITH DISC (2) AND REPLIES (2) DUE IN 24 HOURS

DUE IN 24 HOURS

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Week Nine: Discussion Forum

Discussion Topic

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This discussion is the second muddiest point forum. Your goal here is to post something from the course you would like clarification on. Your question needs to have a basis in the material in the course. It is not necessary that it come from material after the midterm – this is the final time I will poll the class for clarifications. 

Please do the following tasks: 

Identify, from your studies, one item that you feel isn’t explained well or you can’t seem to determine what something is the way it is. 

Cite this in the your text book – If the book has conflicting information, place both citations and why you feel they are in conflict. 

Paraphrase what 
you think it means. 

Respond to/Assist one other student with their post. 

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Proteins and Enzymes

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(C) 2017 – Professor Joseph Finocchiaro
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Proteins
The Greek word “proteios” means “of first importance”.
Protein compounds are fundamental building blocks of many of the body’s structures such as nervous tissue, muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.

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Proteins
Protein compounds can be formed in plant life by the addition of nitrogen from the soil to the carbohydrate compounds which were formed by photosynthesis.
Protein molecules are relatively large and complex structures containing many elements and atoms.

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Proteins
The words protein and amino acid become synonymous terms once it is understood how they are related.
A protein is actually a chain of amino acid molecules linked together by a chemical phenomenon known as a peptide bond.
The essence of a peptide bond is the alternating pattern of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom on the external bonds of a protein molecule.

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Proteins
The smallest identifiable protein molecule is a single amino acid molecule called glycine.
Glycine consists of a molecule of methyl amine joined chemically to a molecule of carboxylic acid.

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Properties of Proteins
Proteins are in a liquid state at body temperature.

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Properties of Proteins
Protein is naturally hygroscopic and utilizes imbibation to maintain its liquid state.

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Properties of Proteins
Due to its hygroscopic nature, proteins are considered to be the body’s natural humectant and are essential in maintaining proper body moisture levels.

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Properties of Proteins
Proteins are amphoteric, consisting of both acid and base parts. Because it is amphoteric, this aids in the retention of moisture by the body even in excessive heat such as fevers or hot weather.

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Properties of Proteins
When the peptide bonds of a protein molecule are removed, water is shed by the molecule. The viscosity of the molecule increases as the water is shed. When all of the water is removed a solid particulate called a coagulate remains.

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Properties of Proteins
Coagulated protein is resistant to decomposition by hydrolysis.

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Properties of Proteins
Formaldehyde can also remove the peptide bonds from a protein molecule.
This is the chemical explanation for the drying out of body tissues which are exposed to formalin solutions.
The stronger the concentration of the formaldehyde, the more moisture extracted and hence the more firm the body tissue.

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Properties of Proteins
Protein molecules can undergo decomposition by the presence of water which causes a process called Hydrolysis.

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Properties of Proteins
Decomposition of a protein can occur or in two ways:
Deamination/Deaminization: the removal of the amine from an amino acid by another substance.
Decarboxylation: the removal of the carboxylic acid from an amino acid by another substance.

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Properties of Proteins
Complex proteins can undergo partial decomposition. Partial decomposition results in the separation of the single protein molecule into the specific number of amino acid molecules of which it was composed and held together by peptide bonds.

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Properties of Proteins
Complex proteins and amino acids can also undergo complete decomposition. This results in the creation of carbon dioxide, water, and urea from the protein or amino acid molecule. Some energy is also released by complete decomposition.

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Organic Enzymes
An organic enzyme is a compound which normally acts as a catalyst for some type of chemical reaction such as hydrolysis.

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Organic Enzymes
A catalyst will alter the rate of speed of the chemical reaction into which it is introduced but will not become part of the products of the reaction nor will it be altered by the chemical reaction.

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Organic Enzymes
Enzymes are said to be substrate specific.
A specific enzyme will only act upon certain substances or substrates.

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Organic Enzymes
As an example:
If an enzyme is categorized as a member of the protease family it will only act on protein substances. It will not act upon carbohydrates or lipids.

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Organic Enzymes
Enzymes possess physical and chemical properties similar to that of proteins.
One significant difference can differentiate proteins from enzymes:
Proteins are crystalloidal in nature and are therefore capable of passing through semipermeable membranes.
Enzymes are colloidal in nature and incapable of passing through semipermeable membranes.

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Organic Enzymes
The names of many enzymes end in the suffix “-ase”.
Besides being substrate specific, enzymes can also be temperature and pH specific.

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Organic Enzymes
Enzymes are known to be labile: they have the capability of regrouping and returning to original strength after working on a substrate over a period of time.

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Organic Enzymes
Because of this labile property, enzymes do not cease to act upon the death of the organism which created them. If there is no more substrate to act upon at the time of somatic death the enzyme will act upon the very tissues which created it.
This is known as autolysis.

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Organic Enzymes
Even the enzymes like lysozyme within each body cell will remain active after cellular death. It is essential that the exoenzymes and endoenzymes be neutralized after death to minimize the damage caused by autolysis.

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Organic Enzymes
The cavities of the torso are injected with a formaldehyde-based fluid (cavity fluid) to neutralize the exoenzymes of the digestive system. Arterial fluid acts upon the enzymes in the cells.

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References:
The following Textbook References were used to create this presentation:
Funeral Service Chemistry by Professional Trade Schools
Embalming: Theory, History, and Practice by Robert G. Mayer (5th Edition).
Charts were taken from the textbook unless otherwise indicated
 
Pictures and art used in this presentation have the reference and location stored in the graphic. Please hover the mouse over the image to find where it was obtained.
 

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Week 9 – Practicum

Discussion Topic

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As this course comes to an end, I want you to reflect and discuss how you will use what you have learned in the embalming room. I understand many of you might automatically think you will never use this again, however dig deep and really discuss where this will come in to play in your future. 

The discussions are a great way to learn and exchange information with others in the class.

TRENT’S POST:Bottom of Form

I can actually give an example of how it helped me two days ago, but I’ll have to play the devil’s advocate here as well. I noticed that a decedent who I was embalming most likely had graves disease, which is a condition that I learned about in this class. I noticed a bulging in the eyes where fluid was present. I was with my mentor at the time, and he knew how to treat it(but he didn’t know what it was called). However, had this happened later on down the road once I’m no longer an apprentice, I would have been able to go online and figure out the best method for treating this case; because I knew what it was(If I remember it for that long). This same thing can happen with many other conditions we’ve learned about in this class. With that said, is the depth of the content in this class a little bit over the top? I’d have to argue that it is. I say that as somebody who works in a prep room on a near-daily basis and consistently achieves great results. The fact of the matter is that it really isn’t that difficult to embalm a body with complications(there’s always complications, that’s why they’re dead) if you know even just the basics of modern embalming and you train under a skilled professional. 9.9 times out of 10, you can look at a body, assess the conditions that are currently present, and make your plan from there. Is edema present? Are they emaciated? Is tissue gas present? Are decubitus ulcers present? Is staining present? You get the drift. Modern embalming has a solution for all of these variables, and if you took embalming, you should know how to assess and treat them. Understanding the pathogenesis of the microorganisms that lead to these conditions, or the “why” in the case of embalming is a lot less important than the “how”. If we didn’t have/use universal precaution, then I’d say this class would be much more essential. But we do, and we have pathology to thank for that. So I treat every case as though it has the bubonic plague and is still infested with plague-carrying fleas, and I stick to my embalming principles. If you ever find yourself confused or stumped in the prep room, the best thing to do is to stop what you’re doing and consult with somebody that has more experience than you. 

CHRISTINA’S POST:

I enjoyed this course. It has been a tough one because of the amount of material covered. I feel like understanding the diseases we have learned about and their effects they have postmortem is extremely beneficial. When we know a little about how the deceased passed (we won’t always know) we can better treat, embalm, and handle the bodies. When someone is jaundiced we now know what chemicals are suggested for use, and slow injection rate. We know what disease we can possibly face as embalmers as well. I thoroughly believe the material we have covered in this class will be beneficial in the field. We know what diseases are dangerous, and how they affect the body, in turn affecting the embalmer. I also thought I was going to dread the research paper assignment, but once I got started I loved it. I learned a substantial amount about my topic. Good luck on finals everyone.