This month we are studying human biology and will be working our way through the different human body systems and comparing the systems to various animal taxa. To that end our blog this month will focus on human disease on these human body systems.
I would like you all to find a disease that affects a particular system and how it is treated or share a new discovery in medicine associated with that disease. Below is a link that might help you find a recent news article to site.
http://www.newsmax.com/Health/
If you use the search window at this site you can find lots of articles to consider. I will start us off by modeling:
Shingles is a disease that affects the skin and nervous systems. It is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, and remains latent in our bodies. Later in life, especially, during times of stress or when our immune system is weakened the virus erupts as shingles. New vaccines for shingles have shown some protection from this very common disease.
http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Dr-Hibberd/shingles-vaccine-chickenpox/2015/02/03/id/622483/
Stroke- is caused when you have a blood clot to the brain and it lacks enough blood to function. A research team from the University of Texas, found a drug that is already used for epilepsy can also be used to prevent stroke. The drug dissolves blood clots and which in turn enable the circulatory system to reach the brain and provide oxygen rich blood. Link to web article is below.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/289361.php
Eczema, also known as dermatitis, is a disease characterized by the swelling and itchiness of the skin. While only temporary in some, eczema is lifelong in others, affecting 9-30% of those in the U.S. There is no cure, but the condition may be treated with warm baths, by moisturizing regularly, and by wearing soft clothing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/14417.php
Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease and can be caused by a variety of different factors. Genetics play into it, meaning that if one of your parents has it then you are more at risk, and it also arises as a result of smoking or calcium deficiency. The disease weakens the skeletal system and makes bones more prone to fracture or breakage. At Washington University School of Medicine, scientists have identified a certain WNT protein that stimulates and enhances bone formation through a mechanism called the mTOR pathway. The process is interesting but a bit complicated so here is the article link if you want to learn more: http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/26429.aspx
ReplyDeleteAlzheimer's Disease is a disease that normally occurs in people over the age of 65. This disease affects the central nervous system, most especially the brain. It damages the patient's memory and thinking, and it will eventually bar the patient from performing even simple everyday tasks. This disease is irreversible (as far as scientists know), but it is being researched to this day, and we are still learning much about it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that constricts the airways and produces extra mucus. This disease affects the respiratory system, especially the lungs. Patients usually find themselves coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Asthma has yet to find a cure. There are ways of keeping asthma under control so people living with the disease have a fairly normal life. Some of these aiders include anti-inflammatory steroids, asthma medication, and bronchodilators.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma
Psoriasis is a disease that affects the integumentary system. It causes excess skin cells to be produced. The skin cells eventually cause patches of dense, scaly skin. There is no permanent treatment for psoriasis, but there are many treatments that reduce symptoms. Recently, it has been announced the experimental drug Cosentyx has done very well in clinical trials. It is said to clear skin of psoriasis in 16 weeks, and is superior to other popular psoriasis medications.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/psoriasis-cosentyx-treatment/2014/12/12/id/612629/
ReplyDeletePneumonia is a lung infection that makes it very difficult for patients to breath because it inflames airs sacs in the lungs and may possibly feel them with fluid. Pneumonia is very common and there are more than three million cases per year in the US alone. Some side effects include cough, a fever, wheezing, shortness of breath, chills, chest pain, feeling very tired, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea. Recently scientists found IL-22 mediates mucosal host defense against bacterial pneumonia.
http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v14/n3/full/nm1710.html
Atherosclerosis is a disease in the circulatory system. What basically happens is the arteries begin to harden and get more narrow, which can lower, or even stop, blood flow. It can also lead to other things such as strokes or heart attacks. It is caused when cholesterol, whether it's from high stress or smoking, goes inside of the walls of arteries and forms plaque, blocking the path. One way to bring down the levels of plaque, or keep them at a standstill, it to either take medication, or fix your lifestyle. Medication can bring down your cholesterol levels, and having a healthy diet always helps.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/what-is-atherosclerosis
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ReplyDeleteGastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a disease that affects the digestive system. Weakness in the in valve between the esophagus and the stomach can cause a backup in stomach acid into the esophagus. The stomach acid then irritates and inflames the tubes lining. This can result in chest pain depending on the severity.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dmu.edu/medterms/digestive-system/digestive-system-diseases/
Tuberculosis is a disease which affects the lungs and some other body parts like the kidney, spine, and brain. Without proper treatment, tuberculosis can be extremely fatal. The treatment can last around nine months, and is a matter of taking many drugs to rid oneself of the disease. TB is an a disease spread in the air, through coughing and sneezing mostly. Not everyone with the TB bacteria become sick right away, and this is called latent TB infection.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's Disease, is a chronic infectious disease which affects the integumentary system, the nervous system, and occasionally the respiratory system as well. It is caused by a bacteria called Microbacterium leprae (M. leprae). The disease is spread by frequent contact with fluids of the nose or mouth from someone who has leprosy. It takes from 5 to 20 years for the symptoms to show. Untreated, leprosy can cause permanent damage to the skin and nerves. Fortunately, leprosy is curable through multidrug therapy (MTD).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs101/en/
A virus formerly known to attack only algae was recently discovered in the throats of humans. ATCV-1, as it was named by a horribly unimaginative scientist, has been found to reduce cognitive function in humans. So this is a bit of a double whammy, getting in via the respiratory system then attacking the nervous system.
ReplyDeleteOof.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2814105/Is-algae-virus-making-DUMB-Plant-disease-discovered-human-throats-linked-poor-brain-function.html
Crohn's disease is a chronic disease that causes inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, a disease that affects the digestive system. Usually, Crohn's affects the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine. However, the disease can affect any part of the GI tract, from the mouth to the anus. It gets progressively worse over time.Scientists are still studying it and learning more about it. Researchers believe that environment, genes and autoimmune reactions may be the cause of it.
ReplyDeleteMultiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the the nervous system. The cause of the illness is still unknown. It causes abnormal responses from the immune system to the nervous system. It causes the immune system to attack the surrounding fat and fiber. It causes scaring of the tissue. It causes weakness of the body. It is not a curable disease, although scientists are researching it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nationalmssociety.org/Treating-MS/Comprehensive-Care
DeleteCeliac Disease is also known as a gluten intolerance. It is a disease where when the body takes in gluten, which is found in rye, barley, and wheat, the immune system reacts to the gluten and damages the intestine. Celiac disease can cause other health problems like osteoporosis, seizures, and even cancer. The only way to treat the disease is to not eat gluten for the rest of your life. The disease is not contagious.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/celiac-disease?page=2#2
Polio is a virus that can cause permanent paralysis "in a matter of hours". The virus matures in the intestines and can be spread from exposure to infected feces. The polio virus is very easily treated with a vaccine, and after a certain point the virus is unable to find a new host and dies out. Polio is still a problem in third world countries with no vaccines and poor hygiene but has been eradicated from the U.S. and most other countries.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.polioeradication.org/Polioandprevention.aspx
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a disease that affects the nervous system and the muscular system. Specifically, it destroys the motor neurons that reach from your brain to your spinal chord, and then to the muscles in your body. When these motor neurons die, the brain can no longer control or initiate the movement of your body's muscles. This can lead to becoming totally paralyzed. A famous example of a person living with ALS is Professor Stephen Hawking. Currently there is no cure, but the drug Riluzole was proven to lengthen the life of patients with ALS. Also, there have been cases where the symptoms of ALS have stopped progressing, or reversed, all on their own.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html
Jaundice is a disease that affects the digestive system. It literally means “yellow” in french because it causes your skin and the whites of eyes to turn yellow. It is the result of bile metabolic by-products from blood. It can happen because the bile doesn't drain out of the liver correctly.
ReplyDeleteDiabetes effects the endocrine system. Type 1 diabetes is when destroyed pancreatic cells can't produce insulin, which is needed to break down glucose to provide energy to cells. Type 2 diabetes can start at any age, and it eventually causes an insulin deficiency from being insulin resistant.
ReplyDeleteEpilepsy is a disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance which are associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Along with the occurrence of seizures. People that have this disorder are treated with medicine that reduce the risk of episode and some people can grow out of the disorder. This disorder can affect the nervous system and also the muscular system causing muscle spasms.
ReplyDeleteAcromegaly is a disorder that affects a person's growth. The pituitary glands overproduce growth hormones and cause the person to develop large bones throughout their whole body. Since acromegaly is a slow change, most people do not realize they have it until they are much older. There are treatments to help reduce the growth, but it must be administered soon after the person is diagnosed with acromegaly.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.acromegalyinfo.com/patient/understanding/index.jsp?usertrack.filter_applied=true&Novald=2935376999749726156
Muscular dystrophy is a sex linked genetic disorder that affects the muscular system. When someone has this disorder, their muscles are dysfunctional and weak. A doctor, one who found the gene the disorder was linked to, has found a drug that treats for muscular dystrophy and strengthens the muscles.
ReplyDeletewww.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150318140652.htm
Crohn's disease is a disease that affects the digestive system. It is an bowel disease that inflames the lining of your digestive tract. People mostly have it in the age of 19-40. You would have to take many different types of medicines and get surgery to increase your chance in the long run. It really depends how bad you have it and at what age.
ReplyDeleteAcquired immunodeficiency syndrome(known as AIDS) is a disease that attacks our bodies Immune system. It can be transmitted through bodily fluids and sexual contact, as well as from mother to child. Overtime, this disease weakens our immune system so much that a simple cold could kill the carrier. There is no cure at this time, but the treatment most often prescribed is antiretroviral drugs, which reduce the amount of HIV/AIDS in the bloodstream.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000594.htm
Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive disease that affects the nervous system. It is extremely common, and those who have it usually experience shaky hands, and speech impediments. To treat, those who have this disease, depending on how bad their case is, they can either increase their exercise, see a Neurologist, or can take medicines including Tolcapone (Tasmar), Selegiline (Eldepryl), and many other medicines to help.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/parkinsons_disease/parkinsons_research.htm
Acute Bronchitis is a disease affecting the respiratory system where the bronchial tubes' mucus membrane suffers from inflammation. The body recovers from acute bronchitis in about 3 weeks if you are of normal health. However, if you are a smoker, it is much harder to recover because the cilia is damaged in smokers.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-bronchitis-basics
Or if you continue to run long distance xD! I had bronchitis in 5th grade, and because I kept running it got so bad that my doctor suggested me to use an inhaler. :o! I didn't take it though, and things kinda worked out from there - there was lots of hacking up mucus though :/
DeleteZollinger-Ellison Syndrome is a disease that affects the digestive system. This disease occurs when one or more tumors form in the pancreas and duodenum called gastrinomas. These tumors release large and dangerous amounts of gastrin causing the stomach to create far too much gastric acid causing peptic ulcers. This is a very rare disease, however, the tumors can be cancerous and could potentially spread.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/zollinger-ellison-syndrome/Pages/facts.aspx
Hepatitis primarily affects the liver and the Digestive System. While the word itself means "inflammation of the liver", thus encompassing any ailment with the result, the term is most commonly associated with the five viruses, known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D E, and G (H-[x]-V. HAV, HBV and HCV are the three most common, accounting for almost half of all human Hepatitis cases. These viruses replicate in the liver, causing inflammation and impairing the processes necessary for digestion. In severe cases, the liver can even be rendered useless, leading to death; in fact, the CDC reported that HCV kills more Americans annually than AIDS. While over 5.5 Million Americans are infected, there are only vaccines out for HAV and HBV, not HCV.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.medicinenet.com/viral_hepatitis/page2.htm
DeleteA transient ischemic attack is a condition similar to a stroke that affects the nervous and circulatory system. It occurs when blood supply to the brain is interrupted, lasting only for a few minutes. Typically it is not life threatening nor does it cause permanent damage, but it can be an early warning side to an impending or later stroke. One third of TIA sufferers have a major stroke later in life. Since symptoms of a TIA and a stroke are identical, patients should be rushed to a medical center as soon as possible. Currently, research is being done to detect prevention treatment or early detection methods.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tia/tia.htm
DeleteChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD) is a disease that attacks the respiratory system and is a type of lung disease that is characterized by poor airflow. Some symptoms of this disease are cough, shortness of breath and sputum production(mucus coughed up from the lower airwaves). A person's genetic makeup affects the risk of obtaining this disease, but main cause of COPD is tobacco smoke. A new long-term treatment for COPD is a drug called Breo Ellipta that is taken by an inhaler.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260411.php
Lyme disease is one that affects multiple systems such as the nervous system, immune system, and the integumentary system. Lyme disease attaches to a certain immune cell called dendritic cells and then releases antigens onto it. The immune system then thinks that this new antigen is a big enemy and as these antigens start spreading in the blood stream and on tissues, the body can't determine which antigen is bad and which is good. This results in the body "attacking" its self and causing lots of inflammation. This inflammation can also occur on nerves and cause brain damage.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.envita.com/lyme-disease/how-lyme-disease-its-treatments-work
Squamous Cell skin cancer is a rare form of skin cancer that affects only the outer layers. It is caused by prolonged exposure to intense sunlight, but this cancer is different from others because it can form tumors on the skin. It is contracted by 2 out of 10 people that get a skin cancer. At this time in medical science, the best way to remove it is to catch it early or subject the tumors to radiation treatment.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer-basalandsquamouscell/overviewguide/
DeleteScoliosis is a condition that affects the skeletal system where the spine becomes curved from side to side. It is most common in adolescents between the ages of 10 and 15 years and is more common for girls. Ways to tell if someone has scoliosis is uneven shoulders, waist, or if the person is leaning to one side. Scoliosis can be remedied either via surgery or wearing a back brace.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/arthritis-scoliosis?page=2
Alien Hand Syndrome. It's a lot les cooler than it sounds but it's symptoms are still pretty shocking. This is a rare neurological disease (impulsory movement signals) that causes the victim to have random spastic movements with one of their hands, such as reaching for objects and manipulating them, and sometimes slapping your friend in the face even when unintentional. Victims report losing the feeling of sensation and "ownership" in the affected limb, and describe it as having a "mind of its own". The disorder is commonly found in stroke patients as well as people who have had their brain hemispheres separated (as a treatment for epilepsy). There is absolutely no cure for it, and can only be treated by restraining the alien hand with the healthy one.
ReplyDeleteEpilepsy is a group of neurological disorders that affect the nervous system. Epilepsy is characterized by reoccurring seizures resulting from abnormal cell firing in the brain. Epilepsy is very common, and occurs in about 1% of the worlds population. The cause of epilepsy in most cases is unknown, but about 30% of cases are caused by injury to the brain, stroke, brain tumor, or drug abuse. Epilepsy can happen at anytime in a persons life. Some scientists believe that epilepsy may be genetic. A lot of research is being done at the moment to see find the cause of epilepsy. In about 70% of cases of epilepsy can be controlled by medication. In cases where the seizures are not able to be controlled people have the option to receive surgery, neurostimultion, or even change in diet can reduce the amount of seizures.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22237/
Salmonella is a bacterial infection that affects the digestive and circulatory system. The most recent outbreak of Salmonella was in August 2014. Pulsenet, the national food base surveillance discovered a new breeding of Salmonella entericaserotype with a pulse-field gel electrophoresis pattern. 275 people in 29 states were diagnosed with the new strain. It is hypothesized that the outbreak originated from Delaware, and future studies will try and stop the infection from arising again.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6406a3.htm?s_cid=mm6406a3_e