BIOL122 - Human Biological Science 2: Asthma Vodcast Presentation

This assignment is a Vodcast presentation created for an Australian Catholic University BIOL122 course, focusing on the pathophysiology and pharmacological management of asthma. The Vodcast covers the clinical manifestations of asthma, such as wheezing and increased respiratory rate, and discusses the mechanism of action and administration criteria for Salbutamol. The assignment includes an annotated bibliography of relevant research articles. The student explains the role of bronchial smooth muscle in asthma, the prevalence of atopic diseases, the impact of obesity on exercise-induced bronchospasm, and the overlap between asthma and COPD. The Vodcast aims to demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media, as required by the assignment brief.

VODCAST: Asthma
Student Name
University Name
Student Note

Case Study:
Patient/ client criteria Person/Client details
Name Renee Martin
Gender Female
Age 18
Medical condition Asthma
Are they within the healthy
weight range?
Obese
Do they exercise? Doesn’t exercise often
What is their occupation? Art student
What is their living status? Lives alone
What is their family medical
history?
Family history of obesity and atopy
Are they pregnant? No
Are they a smoker? Smokes at least 2 cigarettes /day
What is their alcohol intake? Consumes alcohol almost every day,
especially in weekends
What medications or treatments
have they been prescribed? Salbutamol

Two of the major pathological changes that occur in the respiratory tract during an
asthma attack are:
Bronchial smooth muscle contraction
This condition causes the smooth muscles of the
bronchus contract resulting in the narrowing of the
airway , limiting the efficient transfer of air in and
out of the lungs (Bara et al., 2010).
This condition of bronchoconstriction is a key
feature of asthma (Lopes et al., 2009).
Increased mucus production
This condition causes the hyper-secretion of mucus
or phlegm in the airways causing the
breathlessness in asthma patients.
This usually occurs due to atopic reactions of the
patient, caused by allergens and irritants like
bacteria, dust and more (Christiansen et al., 2016).
The release of leukotrienes, inflammatory
molecules, which results in bronchoconstriction
and causes increased mucus secretion (Postma &
Rabe, 2015).

Clinical manifestations of asthma
Wheezing:
Given Renee’s medical condition of asthma, wheezing is one of the most
common symptoms which can be observed in her. Wheezing is caused due to the
narrowing and swelling of the airways resulting from the smooth muscle
contractions as well as the constriction of the airways due to the hyper secretion
of mucus in the already inflamed airway.
Increased respiratory rate:
Constriction and inflammation of the airway often results in Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which expedites the increase in the respiratory rate
of the patient. This increases the chance of the affected individual to develop
problems in inhaling and exhaling.

Salbutamol
Salbutamol is a medication that
dilates the constricted and inflamed
medium and large airways in the
lungs.
It is used to treat asthma, especially
asthma attacks.
It is often marketed as Ventolin,
VoSpire ER, Albuterol Sulate HFA
and other brand names.

Mechanism of action
Administration criteria
• Dosage of the drug, according to age
and intensity of asthma.
• Drug administered in Fowler’s position.
• Drug administered at fixed time.

Bara, I., Ozier, A., De Lara, J. T., Marthan, R., & Berger, P. (2010). Pathophysiology of
bronchial smooth muscle remodelling in asthma. European Respiratory Journal, 36(5),
1174-1184.
This article discusses about the role of the bronchial smooth muscle in asthma, and reviews the
recently acquired data on the pathophysiology of the remodelling of bronchial smooth muscles in
asthma.
Christiansen, E. S., Kjaer, H. F., Eller, E., Bindslev‐Jensen, C., Høst, A., Mortz, C. G., &
Halken, S. (2016). The prevalence of atopic diseases and the patterns of sensitization in
adolescence. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 27(8), 847-853.
The article focuses on the prevalence of atopic diseases and the studies the pattern of sensitisation
and comorbidities from birth till 14 years of age of the children, to understand the cause behind
the increased prevalence of asthma in children.
Annotated Bibliography :

Lopes, W. A., Radominski, R. B., Rosário Filho, N. A., & Leite, N. (2009). Exercise-induced
bronchospasm in obese adolescents. Allergologia et immunopathologia, 37(4), 175-179.
The article focuses on the contribution on obesity in the severity and frequency of exercise
induced bronchospasm in obese adolescents. The article finds out that even though obesity has no
hand in the increase in the frequency of the asthma attaches due to bronchospasm, they did
increase the severity of the attack.
Postma, D. S., & Rabe, K. F. (2015). The asthma–COPD overlap syndrome. New England
Journal of Medicine, 373(13), 1241-1249.
The article focuses on the interrelating and connecting the two diseases – chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, even though they care considered being clinically
different diseases. The article covers the overlap in the clinical manifestations and treatments of
the two diseases.
Annotated Bibliography :