Prion infectious diseases: History and molecular pathology It is circa 500 BC, and Hippocrates records rare but localised outbreaks of madness within livestock; he observes that the animals’ neurological capabilities rapidly decline after years of apparent normality. When he investigates, he finds that the brains of these animals are ‘very full of dropsy and of an evil odour’. He hypothesises that this disease would be able to spread and infect humans too (McAlister, 2005). To him, this is obviously not a product of Gods like the common ideas of infection at the time, instead he describes it as ‘organic’. It is 1755, farmers in Britain watch their sheep go into hysteria, rubbing their hind-quarters against fenceposts and rocks until they…
diseases and how these diseases came about and how they are developing, such as the Prion Disease. After acknowledging the fact that our bodies have unique ways of morphing beneficiary aspects of our bodies into negative ones it was concluded that the affecting cause of the Prion Disease was not through a virus nor an infection, but thorough our very own protein found in the brain. Prion diseases have affected not only humans but animals as well. The first case of a prion disease affecting an…
A cannibal tribe in Papua New Guinea was discovered by scientists to be immune to a rare form of dementia. This discovery may help experts in finding an effective cure to this deadly neurological disease. Metro UK reports that a genetic mutation of DNA among people in a Papua New Guinean tribe called Fore, may cure a deadly type of dementia, Kuru. The native tribes' traditional practices include eating the brains of their dead relatives. The Fore tribe has developed resistance to Kuru, due to…
Mad Cow Disease Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) not only affects cattle, but also public health and commerce. Mad cow disease is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from an unusual transmissible agent called a prion. The nature of the agent is not well understood but scientists think it is a modified form of a normal protein called a prion protein. This prion is pathogenic and it slowly damages a cow’s central nervous system (Bovine). This disease leads…
I do not believe that there is any real concern for contracting prions/Mad Cow Disease or Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease from Altoids. I believe this to be true because of many reasons, one being that the transmission from one species to another, while highly possible is less successful on the prions part than from one animal to another of the same species. “The transmission of prions from one species to another is accompanied by a prolonged incubation time on the initial passage to the host, with…
cattle. Spongiform refers to the spongy look of an infected cows brain, prion causes holes and tissues to fold. Encephalopathy is any form of disease to the brain. BSE is found in more in younger cattle and cows. Other forms of BSE are found in humans, cats (feline spongiform encephalopathy), sheeps and goats (scrapies), and deer and elk (chronic wasting disease). No cats in the US have been found to posses the disease however. Animals aren't sure the only ones who can be infected by BSE.…
Dementia: Benefits of Brain Stimulating Activities Dayla F. Doll Dementia in itself is not a disease but the loss of mental function in more than two areas. Dementia is the loss of memory and other mental abilities that affect daily life. Dementia is a series of symptoms that accompany a disease. The dementia symptoms can affect Language Judgment Memory Spatial abilities Visual Abilities Memory loss and the loss of important functions of the brain, such as knowing how to eat, talk,…
Hunting is often portrayed purely as a form of sport or the quest for a big trophy. But what most people do not acknowledge is that it does much more for the human population in general. Hunting provides us with the resources that allow us to live comfortably. Not only does it do this, but it provides health to our environment as well as our economy. Hunting large game plays a vital role in the protection of our people, our resources, and the animals themselves. To begin, the killing of large…
identifying what mad cow disease is Mad Cow disease is known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the scientific community. It is a transmittable, degenerative, slow growing fatal disease, which affects the central nervous system of adult cow, formed when a cow eats the central nervous tissue of another cow. Human can be affected by eating Beef that fed on food contain Central nervous system tissue, like the brain. When a human contracts this disease, it is called variant…
Population Report on Dementia The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview about dementia which includes describing the demographics, characteristics, and challenges of the disease. Additionally, this report will explain current medical issues, non-music therapy treatment trends, and current effective therapeutic interventions regarding this type of population. It is understood that dementia is an umbrella term which encompasses a large variety of diseases, therefore the objective…