Keziah Gillard

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Integrative Thinking Assignment

Integrative thinking is a combination of viewpoints to help people better understand a

problem so they can come up with solutions. It is an essential concept for biologists to

understand so they can gain a stronger understanding biological system, from the smallest of

cells and molecules to human health including the risks of both mental and physical conditions,

to communities and environments. The risk of an ischemic stroke is one of several biological

concepts that can be looked at through an integrative thinking lens.

Research has found that people who smoke have a higher risk of having an ischemic

stroke. Smoking can increase the risk of a person developing a hematologic disorder, causing

arterial damage, and increasing platelet aggregability (Shah and Cole 2023). All these issues

have a negative influence on a person's blood flow and, in turn, the heart, causing the increased

risk of an ischemic stroke (Shah and Cole 2023). Often, it is stressful environments that can

influence a person to smoke as a coping mechanism (Shah and Cole 2023). These stressful

environments, along with a person's geographical location such as a noisy area, can cause

additional issues such as lack of sleep (Li et al. 2023). Scientists have correlated a lack of sleep

to a severe increase in a person's mental distress, overall affecting their physical well being and

once again increasing their risk of having an ischemic stroke (Li et al. 2023).

Geographical location can also lead to several other factors that will influence a person's

risk of an ischemic stroke (Oritz-Prado et al. 2023). Highly populated locations such as big cities

and towns often have many fast-food restaurants, which can lead to unhealthy eating habits

(Larsson 2023). Researchers have discovered a direct correlation between fast foods, that are

commonly high in sodium to a harmful increase in blood pressure, increasing a person's risk of

having a stroke by twenty-four precent (Larsson 2023). It was also found that the altitude where

someone lives can increase their risk of having an ischemic stroke (Oritz-Prado et al. 2023). For
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example, the research found that people who were not acclimatized to higher altitudes, when

visiting higher altitudes, were more susceptible to pulmonary arterial pressure and polycythemia,

causing an increase in blood pressure and increasing the chance of blood clots formation,

thereby, increasing the risk factor of an ischemic stroke (Oritz-Prado et al. 2023).

Noise exposure was found to be another factor that could increase a person’s risk of

having an ischemic stroke (Fu et al. 2023). People who lived in noisy locations, specifically

noisy areas at night, could affect their stress levels, disrupting the homeostasis of their

cardiovascular system and leading to the possible formation of blood clots, which is the

condition of how strokes occur (Fu et al. 2023).Several genetic factors can also increase the risk

of an ischemic stroke (Appunni et al. 2023). It has been found that people of Japanese descent

who had a receptor gene variant, APLNR and rs9943582, (Appunni et al. 2023) and people of

European descent, with rs2107595 found in the HDAC9 gene, had a higher risk of an ischemic

stroke (Appunni et al. 2023).

Looking at the risks of ischemic stroke through an integrative thinking lens can lead to a

multifaceted approach to reducing the risks. It also demonstrates how powerful integrative

thinking is.

Appunni, S., Rubens, M., Remamoorthy, V., et al. Stroke Genomics: Current Knowledge,
Clinical Applications and Future Possibilities. Brain Sci. (2022),
https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030302

Fu, W., Liu, Y., Yan, S., et al. The association of noise exposure with stroke incidence and
mortality: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies. Science
Direct. (2022), https://doi-org.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/10.1016/j.envres.2022.114249

Larsson, S.C. Dietary approaches for stroke prevention. Stroke. (2017),

https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.017383
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Li, W., Wang, D., Cao, S., et al. Sleep duration and risk of stroke events and stroke mortality: A
systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Science Direct. (2016),
https://doi-org.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.08.302

Oritz-Prado, E., Cordovez, S.P., Vasconez, E., et al. Chronic high-altitude exposure and the
epidemiology of ischaemic stroke: a systematic review. BMJ Open. (2022),
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051777

Shah, S.S., Cole, J.W. Smoking and stroke: the more you smoke the more you stroke. Scholars
Portal Journals. (2010), https://doi-org.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/10.1586/erc.10.56