Estimated New Cases

Estimated Deaths

Warning Signal

Safeguards

Comment

1.  lung

135,000

117,000

Persistent cough or lingering respiratory ailment

80% of lung cancer would be prevented if no one smoked cigarettes

Leading cause of cancer death among men and rising mortality among women

2.  colon and rectum

126,000

58,000

Change in bowel habits; bleeding

Annual checkup including proctoscopy, esp for those over 40

Consider a highly curable disease when digital and proctoscopic examinations are included in routine checkups

3.  breast

114,000

37,000

Lump or thickening in the breast

Annual checkup; monthly breast self-examination

The leading cause of cancer death in women

Number

Death

Male

Female

I

35%

Lung

18%--breast

II

12%

Colon and rectum

17%--lung

III

10%

Prostate

15%--colon and rectal

IV

8%

Leukemia and lymphomas

9%--leukemia and lymphomas

V

5%

Urinary

6%-ovary

V

5%

Pancreas

Pharmaceutical Products

Use

Human insulin

Treat diabetes

Human growth hormone

Prevent pituitary dwarfism

Blood clotting factor VIII

Treat hemophilia

Erythropoietin

Treat anemia; stimulate formation of new RBC

a-, b-, g-interferon

Treat cancer and viral disease

Tumor necrosis factor

Disintegrate cancer cells

Interleukin-2

Treat cancer and immunodeficiencies

Tissue plasminogen activator

Treat heart attacks, dissolve clots

Taxol

Treat ovarian and breast cancers

Bone growth factor

Heal bone fractures, treat osteoporosis, stimulate bone growth

Epidermal growth factor

Heal wounds

Monoclonal antibodies

Dx and treat disease

Hepatitis A and B vaccines

Prevent hepatitis

AIDS subunit vaccine

Incomplete virus vaccine

Human hemoglobin

Blood substitute in emergencies (produced in gene altered pigs)

Antibiotics

Inhibit or kill microbial growth (increase yields by gene amplification)

DNA and RNA probes

Identify organisms, diseases, genetic defects in fetuses and adults

Gene therapy

Insert missing gene or replace defective gene in adults or in egg and sperm; treat cystic fibrosis

Gene libraries

Understand gene structure and function, relatedness of organisms, Human Genome Project

Oil-eating recombinant bacteria

Clean up oil spills, remove oil residue from empty tankers

Pollutant/toxic materials—degrading recombinant bacteria

Clean up contaminated sites

Enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, industrial chemicals

Various uses (yield increased by gene amplification in producing microbes

Frostban bacteria

Prevent frost damage to strawberry crops

Breeding new types of plants and animals

Provide food, decoration, other uses

Herbicide-resistant crop plants

Allow crop plants to survive weeding done by spraying w/herbicides; only crop plants survive

Viruses used as insecticides

Infect and kill insect pests

Term

Definition

Sterilization

The killing or removal of all microorganisms in a material or on an object

Disinfection

The reduction of the number of pathogenic microorganisms to the point where they pose no danger of disease

Antiseptic

A chemical agent that can safely be used externally on living tissue to destroy microorganisms or to inhibit their growth

Disinfectant

A chemical agent used on inanimate objects to destroy microorganisms.  Most disinfectants do not kill spores

Sanitizer

A chemical agent typically used on food-handling equipment and eating utensils to reduce bacterial numbers so as to meet public health standards.  Sanitization may simply refer to thorough washing w/soap or detergent

Bacteriostatic agent

An agent that inhibits the growth of bacteria

Germicide

An agent capable of killing microbes rapidly; some such agents effectively kill certain microorganisms but only inhibit the growth of others.

Bactericide

An agent that kills bacteria.  Most such agents do kill spores.

Viricide

An agent that inactivates viruses

Fungicide

An agent that kills fungi

Sporocide

An agent that kills bacterial endospores and fungal spores

Agent

Actions

uses

Soaps and detergents

Lower surface tension, make microbes accessible to other agents

Hand washing, laundering, sanitizing kitchen and dairy equipment

Sufactants

Dissolve lipids, disrupt membranes, denature proteins, and inactivate enzymes n high concentrations; act as wetting agents in low concentrations

Cationic detergents are used to sanitize utensils; anionic detergents to launder clothes and clean household objects; quaternary ammonium compounds are sometimes used as antiseptcs on skin

Acids

Lower pH and denature proteins

Food preservation

Alkalis

Raise pH and denature proteins

Found in soaps

Heavy metals

Denature proteins

Silver nitrate is used to prevent gonococcal infections, mercury compounds to disinfect skin and inanimate objects, copper to inhibit algal growth, and selenium to inhibit fungal growth

Alcohols

Denature proteins when mixed w/water

Isopropyl alcohol is used to disinfect skin; ethylene glycol and propylene glycol can be used in aerosols

Phenols

Disrupt membranes, denature proteins, and inactivate enzymes; not impaired by organic matter

Phenol is used to disinfect surfaces and destroy discarded cultures; amylphenol destroys vegetative organisms and inactivates viruses on skin and inanimate objects; chlorhexidine gluconate is esp effective as a surgical scrub

Oxidizing agents

Disrupt disulfide bonds

Hydrogen peroxide is used to clean puncture wounds, K+ permanganate to disinfect instruments

Alkylating agents

Disrupt structure of proteins and nucleic acids

Formaldehyde is used to inactivate viruses w/o destroying antigenic properties, glutaraldehyde to sterilize equipment, betapropiolactone to destroy hepatitis viruses, and ethylene oxide to sterilize inanimate objects that would be harmed by high temperatures

Dyes

May interfere w/replication or block cell wall synthesis

Acridine is used to clean wounds, crystal violet to treat some protozoan and fungal infections

Agent

Action

Use

Dry heat

Denatures proteins

Oven heat used to sterilize glassware and metal objects; open flame used to incinerate microorganisms

Moist heat

Denatures proteins

Autoclaving sterilizes media, bandages, and many kinds of hospital and laboratory equipment not damaged by heat and moisture; pressure cooking sterilizes canned foods

Pasteurization

Denatures proteins

Kills pathogens in milk, dairy products and beer

Refrigeration

Slows the rate of enzyme controlled reactions

Used to keep fresh foods for several months; does not kill most organisms; used w/glycerol to preserve microorganisms

Drying

Inhibits enzymes

Used to preserve some fruits and vegetables; sometimes used w/smoke to preserve sausages and fish

Freeze drying

Dehydration inhibits enzymes

Used to manufacture some instant coffees; used to preserve microorganisms for years

Ultraviolet light

Denatures proteins and nucleic acids

Used to reduce the number of microorganisms in air in operating rooms, animal rooms, and where cultures are transferred

Ionizing radiation

Denatures proteins and nucleic acids

Used to sterilize plastics and pharmaceutical products and to preserve foods

Microwave radiation

Absorbs water molecules, then releases microwave energy to surrounding as heat

Cannot be used reliably to destroy microbes except in special media-sterilizing equipment

Strong visible light

Oxidation of light-sensitive materials

Can be used w/dyes to destroy bacteria and viruses; may help sanitize clothing

Sonic and ultrasonic waves

Cause cavitation

Not a practical means of killing microorganisms but useful in fractionating and studying cell components

Filtration

Mechanically removes microbes

Used to sterilize media, pharmaceutical products, and vitamins, in manufacturing vaccines, and in sampling microbes in air and water

Osmotic pressure

Removes water from microbes

Used to prevent spoilage of foods such as pickles and jellies