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Title: Genetic risks lead to heart failure.

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Assignment Goals
Source Material
Student Instructions
Guiding Questions
Writing Prompt
Calibrations, Average Word Count, and Answer Keys

Assignment Goals

The objective for this CPR assignment is to integrate several different concepts addressed in your Human Physiology course to explain how a variety of different family genetic traits can lead to one single problem - heart failure (Silverthorn, p. 447-448).

As you address the issue, you will be expected to support, verify, and justify an interpretation that shows your ability to use physiology knowledge. You should refer to the research abstracts and take a critical view that shows awareness of the boundaries of our understanding. There is no one right answer when analyzing a problem such as heart failure, but the good answers still stand out from the poor answers.

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Source Material

This problem can be addressed using ONLY the knowledge presented in the Silverthorn textbook, if you can relate that knowledge to the gene defects that have been identified in families with high risk of heart failure. This assignment provides links to primary research abstracts in case you have questions about the links between heart failure and specific genes.

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Source Material Resources:
Na,K-ATPase - The alpha1 Na,K-ATPase gene is a susceptibility hypertension gene in the Dahl salt-sensitiveHSD rat. J Clin Invest 1998 Sep 15;102(6):1102-11
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query_old?uid=9739044&form=6&db=m&Dopt=b
beta-adrenergic receptor density - Beta-adrenergic receptor density and function in left ventricular hypertrophy in young essential hypertensives. J Hum Hypertens 2000 Jan;14(1):17-21
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10673726&dopt=Abstract
tropomyosin - Effects of two familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-causing mutations on alpha-tropomyosin structure and function. Biochemistry. 1999 Mar 23;38(12):3850.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10090775&dopt=Abstract
Hearts and Hypertension - A general resource on genetic links to heart diseases that includes an on-line video.
URL: http://www.hhmi.org/grants/lectures/98lect/references.htm
Troponin T - Altered regulatory function of two familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy troponin T mutants. Biochemistry. 1999 Oct 5;38(40):13296-301.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10529204&dopt=Abstract
myosin heavy chain - Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation caused by Arg663His beta-cardiac myosin heavy chain mutation. Am J Cardiol. 1999 Jun 17;83(12A):13H-18H.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10750581&dopt=Abstract
voltage-gated potassium channel - Missense mutation in the pore region of HERG causes familial long QT syndrome.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8635257&dopt=Abstract
epithelial sodium channel - Dysfunction of epithelial sodium transport: from human to mouse. Kidney Int. 2000 Apr;57(4):1313-8.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10760060&dopt=Abstract
aldosterone - [High prevalence of undiagnosed primary hyperaldosteronism among patients with essential hypertension]. Rev Med Chil 1999 Jul;127(7):800-6.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10668287&dopt=Abstract
actin - Alpha-cardiac actin is a novel disease gene in familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. J Clin Invest 1999 May 15;103(10):R39-43.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query_old?uid=10330430&form=6&db=m&Dopt=b

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Student Instructions

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Guiding Questions

Address the following points in your answer: