Image via celiac.org

Celiac disease is a condition when a person cannot digest gluten due to damaged villi, which are the hair-like structures in the small intestine that absorb nutrients. Celiac disease is a dominant trait, so it appears in every generation of a diagnosed person's family. About 1 in 140 people have Celiac disease. It can lead to malnutrition, small bowel cancer, intestinal lymphoma, miscarriages, and more.

Image via CNN

Progeria is an extremely rare genetic condition that causes children diagnosed with it to have lives that last approximately 13 years. Their cause of death is due to either heart problems or strokes. The symptoms of progeria are bigger head, large eyes, a small lower jaw,  thin nose with a “beaked” tip, ears that stick out, veins you can see, slow & abnormal tooth growth, high-pitched voice, loss of body fat and muscle, hair loss, including eyelashes & eyebrows.

Only one out of four million people are diagnosed with progeria. Unfortunately there is no cure for progeria. 

http://www.webmd.com/children/guide/progeria
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/progeria/basics/definition/con-20029424

Schizophrenia

Image From: Discover Magazine

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Hepatitis C

Image credit to http://www.hepatitisc.org.au/

For many years, a Hepatitis C or Hep C diagnosis has been a death sentence for many, but now with recent scientific and medical advancements, new medicines have been found that greatly increase the life expectancy of Hep C patients. Hepatitis C affects the liver and can very often be fatal, but medical advancements have made it so that the virus count can be lowered enough for the patient to be considered cured of Hep C.

Stem Cells

Image via: https://pixabay.com/en/stem-cell-sphere-163711/

    This image links to many different sources, including videos and overviews about stem cells. Stem cells are the basic cells in your body that can form into the need of more complex cells in your body. Scientists have begun to use stem cells in order to research specific diseases, such as ALS. These tests on stem cells have created large controversy. People not completely educated about stem cell research are concerned that these tests may pass on serious diseases and create misdirected growth. This image links sources that explain the stem cells and the hype, and why it is important.

Parkinson's Disease

Image via cobbersonthebrain.areavoices.com

This image links to journal articles, websites, and a video, to describe Parkinson's disease (PD). Parkinson's disease affects the second most amount of people in the USA for neurological disorders (behind Alzheimer's). Parkinson's disease is a chronic disorder that effects the neurons in the brain so that the neuron's lose their ability to create dopamine, a transmitter that sends signals around the brain and throughout the body. Although scientists are confident in how Parkinson's disease limits a person's motor skills, they don't know what causes Parkinson's disease; the believed possible causes are: genetics in the NRF2 gene, pesticides, early life causes, and the mitochondria of the PD effected individual.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Image Via Wikimedia Commons

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a common but incredibly serious disease which effects over one million people each year. It is defined as prolonged fatigue consistent for a duration of three months or longer, however it has many other serious symptoms. Despite it's severity it has only been recognized as a disease within the last few decades causing a spur in research on the topic. Despite hundreds of studies, their is still not a definite root cause for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Researchers still wonder what causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Aquarium Therapy

                                                           Image via Isabel Friedell

There are many benefits to having an aquarium including having a calming thing to look at, they can help you relax, something you can be enthusiastic about and taking care of one is very rewarding. There can also be many health benefits. Having an aquarium can help with alzheimer's, dementia, ADHD, autism and many more things. Although aquariums cannot cure these things because some are genetic, it can help greatly reduce the symptoms. With more then 5 million people living with alzheimer's, it is important to know about treatments because odds are, you know someone who has or will develop alzheimer's.

Down Syndrome

Image via https://yogainmyschool.com/yoga-for-down-syndrome/ . 

Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of a third copy of the 21st chromosome. This extra chromosome causes certain physical, intellectual and developmental changes. These changes include things like having a small build, low muscle tone, slanted eyes, stunted growth, mental impairment, slower development and in some cases different heart problems. The links provided above give a variety of resources to deepen the understanding of Down Syndrome. It includes a basic summary on the disorder, an article on a possible treatment, a journal on the link between DS and Alzheimer's, a current news article describing the controversy of abortion for DS children and a video showing the successful life of one man with DS.

PIG PANDEMIC

Image Via: https://www.pennywellfarm.co.uk/img/perfectpiglets.jpg

 African Swine Flu is a deadly virus affecting pigs and other members of the swine family that threatens the world's pig population. Beginning in Africa, the virus spread through Europe and now poses a threat to US pigs. Genetic engineering is the act of modifying an organism's genes to achieve a desired trait. A recent study out of the University of Edinburgh suggests that genetic engineering may be the solution to ASF.  In this case, pigs' genes would be altered to make domestic pigs immune to ASF. However, as genetic engineering is fairly recent technology, no one know the potential unintended consequences of genetic engineering and how they compare to the potential reaped benefits.

Gene Therapy

Image via: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&

Gene therapy (as the diagram shows above) is the process in which cells are removed from a patient, changed, and replaced in the patient in attempts to treat a genetic disease. This fairly new form of treatment continues to advance everyday. There are many challenges involved with gene therapy that include sending the gene to the right place, switching it on, bypassing the immune systems natural response to shut down intruding cells, and ensuring the new gene doesn't hinder the function of other genes. These challenges have hindered scientists from having success with gene therapy. Although many people have a positive outlook on the future of this technology, it is also debated because of previous failures and the ethics involved in the treatment.

Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is an inherited trait that can cause lung and liver disease. It is an autosomal codominant inherited disease, meaning that there are different genes that can be active and contribute to the inherited trait together. It isn't caused by a single trait.

The Club Drug

Image via Dance Safe 

Ketamine is an intense drug that is commonly used as an antidepressant. It can have a huge affect on the brain and on other organs within the body. For example, evidence has shown that people who take ketamine as an antidepressant on a regular basis began to experience problems within the kidneys and urinary bladder. Currently, ketamine is a very controversial drug because there are still many things that psychopharmacologists do not understand. For many people, the drug had a rapid affect for getting rid of depressive symptoms. However, some were either not affected or their depression worsened. Many believe that going to therapy is better, but others think that it is better for a faster, chemical treatment. 

Neuroblastoma

Image Via Wikipedia

Neuroblastoma usually starts in or around the adrenal glands from the sympathetic nervous system where the "flight or flight" responses are produced. Immature nervous cells are called neuroblasts that can turn into Neuroblastoma. Common symptoms include sleepiness, loss of appetite, fever and joint pain. Doctors can use a urine test, body scan, and biopsy in determining if the patient has Neuroblastoma, and with treating the cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be used. 

The Future Of Human Evolution

Photo From Natural History Museum

The future of human evolution is unknown, however scientists are producing theories that point to factors that may inhibit human evolution or stunt it. Factors such as the environment humans live in, the technologies created and even the social relations all have the power to change the course of human evolution. Natural, or artificial catastrophes could occur, and technologies could be created that would force the human race to adapt and eventually evolve into a species that is better "fit" for the environment they live in. This blog provides carefully crafted hypothesis, theories and debates that point to different courses of evolution that scientists believe are most likely to occur.

Alzheimer's Disease

Image via Bayshore Memory Care

          Alzheimer's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by incorrectly folded beta-amyloid proteins and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain that gradually shut down the functions of each part of the brain. As it progresses, the beta-amyloid proteins, disrupt and take over short term memory, logical thought processing, emotions, long term memory, and finally the part of the brain that controls heart rate and breathing. I have added an interactive animation that compares the Alzheimer's brain to a normal brain at a microscopic and cellular level. A scholarly article focuses on how its affects verbal fluency. More than the biological effects of Alzheimer's, the emotional toll that it takes on the patient and their family is tremendous. An NPR podcast features a 65-year-old diagnosed patient that deals with how to die, before the disease takes his identity and memory. Finally, although no cure for Alzheimer's has been found, a new imaging technique has revealed a perhaps more prominent culprit of the disease. However, until a cure is found, a Ted-ED shows how scientists are attempting to slow the progression of Alzheimer's.

Tay-Sachs Disease

Image via Wikimedia Commons

The blog post above focuses in on a genetic disease called Tay-Sachs. This disease occurs in babies born without a vital enzyme (hexosaminidase A), leading to a dangerous buildup of lipids in the brain. Tay-Sachs, although rare, is a fatal disorder which follows the autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. As you journey through the select resources I have chosen for this project, you will have the opportunity to create a foundation and learn the basics of the disorder. In addition, if you already have a prior knowledge of Tay-Sachs, you can use the sources to further and deepen your understanding. As a collage of resources, they cover many aspects of the disease, including the cause, symptoms, population risk factors, treatments, and research.

Nanotechnology Treatment for Cancer

                     

                             
Nanotechnology Treatment for Cancer

Image Via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxSX6YJTS2I
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Nanotechnology is 10,000 times smaller than a hair and the product of manipulating molecules or atoms. Nanotechnology is making great strides in the cancer field due to it’s ability of imaging or tracking treatments, and delivering medicine more directly. Current cancer treatments like chemotherapy attach all cells hoping to kill a tumor. Nanotechnology can deliver drugs to specific areas in the body without killing extra cells. Nanotechnology does this by using antibodies and parts of RNA to locate to specific areas. Current research on location specific drug delivery using antibodies has been in the prostate. This new stride in the cancer field is also useful in detecting cancer cells early, granting doctors the ability to target cells before tumors develop. Nanotechnology has been so revolutionary in the science category that biologist, physicist, engineers, chemists, and mathematicians have all joined this new field. Future steps for nanotechnology include clinical trials which will decide if nanotechnology works not just conceptually in a lab, but in the general public.

Designer Babies

Image via RedBrick

Designer Babies

"Designer babies" are really just the product of genetic engineering. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis allows for parents to detect certain genes in the embryo and change them through genetic engineering, if they are not favorable. The most common use of genetic engineering in embryos is to get rid of disease and disabilities, though some technologies make it possible to affect things like sex and skin color.