How vCJD protiens trigger disease

Scientists have cracked the secret of how the rogue protiens thought to cause vCJD and other brain diseases are able to form diffrent strains.

Researchers had assumed this must be only possible is these protiens - prions - had some form of genetic content.

But US researchers have shown that they are made up solely of protien, and that new 'strains' result simply from prions twisting into new shapes.

research

Creepy breakthough huh




Mods...if u want this moved...please add it to the CJD topic i have already made...

cheers
Gryff

Hi Gryffen.
Here's an interesting acticle about Prions and current
medical r&d. It's 1 page.
S.

www.nature.com...

Another interesting news piece about vCJD:

STORY

This is the 3rd story about vCJD i have posted this week..damn strange or are they really getting into the disease now??

Here is a link to an online medical library for u:

medical library

More info as soon as i get it

Gryff

This is a scandal Gryffen. Why wouldn't the gov't let testing occur!?

""When we originally got the money we wanted to look at 20 CJD suspects and since then 35 people have died," he said. "

Originally posted by ktprktpr
This is a scandal Gryffen. Why wouldn't the gov't let testing occur!?

""When we originally got the money we wanted to look at 20 CJD suspects and since then 35 people have died," he said. "

That, as many of my colleagues can tell you, is due to the Bush administration. Funds have been shuffled around and yanked from research projects, and Federal departments have had new administrators assigned.

The latest shot fired by the current administration is the proposed creation of a "science review board" that would approve (or discourage) research. The people proposed for it seem to know a lot about conservative politics and very little about quantitative or qualitative analysis, research design, theory... or anything about the sciences in general.

Scientists are a step closer to understanding how rogue proteins, which cause diseases such as vCJD, move between species.

The study in Molecular Cell may help explain how humans develop vCJD after eating BSE infected meat.

Scientists had not understood how the proteins - prions - from one species could breach the defences of another.

But US researchers found a way for the prions to take on some characteristics of the "victim" species and sneak in.

linky

more related links and stories:

blood donor ban

there is more stories and info at side of article

gryff

Scientists have found evidence to suggest that more people could be harbouring the human form of BSE than previously thought.

Researchers at Plymouth's Derriford Hospital and the CJD Surveillance Unit tested 12,674 appendix and tonsil samples - three showed signs of vCJD.

Extrapolating their findings to the whole population, they estimated that 3,800 Britons may harbour the disease.

The findings are published in the Journal of Pathology.

A total of 141 people have died from vCJD in the UK since the disease emerged in 1995.

Story

More links:

Q & A

CJD Drug: Breakthrough?

More links and info on the right hand side of the stories

A family which was told its daughter had the first case of vCJD in the US, has seen her defy doctors' predictions that she would not live to see her 23rd birthday.

Twenty-five-year-old Charlene Singh, who lives in Florida, was diagnosed with vCJD in March 2002 and given three months to live.

Although she is in a fragile state, and requires 24-hour care, she is surviving without the use of drugs.

Charlene, who lives in Florida, spent the first 12 years of her life in the UK, which is where her family believe she contracted the debilitating and fatal disease, which affects the brain.

story

vCJD is a rare disease. But the frequency of meat increases your chances of developing it. So if severely cut down on your meat you may save yourself. I would recomend eating seafood to replace that steak.

vCJD is a rare disease. But the frequency of meat increases your chances of developing it. So if severely cut down on your meat you may save yourself. I would recomend eating seafood to replace that steak.

Not that eating meat bothers me I don't eat that much beef very rare that I do mostly chicken and lamb but what will start to worrie me is if it mutates to chickens and cows then ill start eating qorn meat free meat

A British company says it has developed a blood test for the human form of BSE.
London-based Microsens says the test has so far been used on two people suspected of having vCJD.

It found signs of the disease in one patient, who still shows symptoms. But no signs were found in the second patient and she has since recovered.

Presenting their findings at a conference in Paris, scientists said it could enable doctors to identify those with vCJD for the first time.

blood test

Wow, that it is interesting. I will do some resaerch on it. Can you find out anything else about it?

I am addicted to beef jerkey and not going to give it up. Nothing like the taste of dried out cow meat.

Seriously there is something wierd about Mad Cow Disease. Maybe the government isnt so gung ho about testing more people because they know many more will be found and it would provoke a panic, i mean think about idiots being told they may have a brain wasting disease, many clean people will believe they are showing symptomns.

Does anyone know what exactly is the tonsil test for it?

[Edited on 29-5-2004 by jrod]

Japanese and US scientists say they have produced a cow that will be immune to mad cow disease, also known as BSE.
The cow is due to be born early next year, says Japan's Kirin Brewery which carried out the work with US biotechnology company Hematech.

A spokeswoman said scientists genetically manipulated an embryo to remove the prion protein that scientists say can lead to BSE.

The cow will be used to develop medicines - not for food.

The two firms hoped to produce new drugs for diseases such as hepatitis C, pneumonia and rheumatism, said Kirin spokeswoman Kumi Nakano.

Correspondents say the biotechnology of Kirin - Japan's second biggest brewery firm - grew out its expertise in fermentation techniques.

Story

more related links

HemaTech *the research company related to the above story*

In Depth: BSE and CJD

Lots of related stories and information for BSE and CJD...found this on the news site bbc.co.uk/news

hope this helps anyone interested in this topic

The only thing that bother me a bout createing a genetic cow to combat the virus is it could end up being a mutated cow or something and be a complete waste of time i think the only way the beat this problem is to out breed it over time we will have clean cows to eat and nouthing to worrie about .

Just a little update on some vCJD news that was found on BBC.co.uk

Thousands warned over vCJD risk

You may remember a few months ago there was major news in the medical fields when several people began to die with related vCJD complications?

Well after several more deaths caused by vCJD or by assumed vCJD related disease, they ordered a restriction on everyone who was given a blood transfusion, before 1981 i believe. This increased the demand for blood again but left the blood doner society very short handed.

After several weeks of hearing nothing new on the vCJD cases, a startling report find out that thousands of people now have to be warned over a risk of vCJD, because hospitals may have been careless again.

The CJD Incidents Panel says about 4,000 in the UK, mostly haemophiliacs, are thought to be at risk.

The patients may have received blood products, such as clotting agents, from donors who subsequently developed vCJD.

In total, 6,000 letters are to be sent out informing patients of the risk assessment - although only two thirds are being told they may be at direct risk.

This is a serious and very dangerous problem for the blood supply chain as we need over 200 donations a day per hospital for emergencies and operations. We are basically so short that we are having to put off routine procedures again and again because we just dont have the necessary supplies.

Although there is no test for the brain wasting disease, there has been incredible research done and some amazing finds have come out of the painstaking work.

related links

patients warned over vCJD risk

fears over vCJD in Northern Ireland

Timeline : vCJD in the UK


more news to come when i find it.

'Name vCJD-risk countries' call

The goverment is under pressure from the medical and scientific world for not naming the countries which has recieved possibly vCJD contaminated blood in the last few months. The goverment says that the countries involved have been informed but it is upto them to act of the information.

Five countries were identified as part of last week's risk assessment which led to thousands of people receiving letters warning of individual risk.

The government has told the countries involved but will not name them, saying that is a matter for them to decide on.

But the Human BSE Foundation said the countries may be exporting the disease.

Well this is completly unacceptable and very careless if they dont act on this very quickly.

Imagine you are in a car accident or just had a baby and u need a transfusion...you get it and then a month later your seriously ill in hospital because of vCJD related illness. I think your family would be incredibly angry and upset at those who are responisble for testing and agreeing to the shipments of blood supply.

It is a severe misconduct to not check and rotate blood supplies...routinly checkin for diesases and other contaminations. The countries in question need to take severe and quick action before an outbreak of this disease occurs and before people begin to die.

'Name vCJD-risk countries' call

related links

Human BSE Foundation

Department of Health

A independent NHS watchdog has created strict guidlines for the surgical field regarding its use of medical instruments in surgical procedures. The watchdog aims to promote knowledge about the instruments used in procedures which involve tissue containing a medium to high risk of CJD or vCJD. Although the document is not due out until the end of May 2006, it has been hailed as a great step for the NHS watchdog scheme.

Last month, 4,000 patients in the UK were sent letters warning them they may have been exposed to vCJD through contaminated blood products.

The most high-profile form of the disease, vCJD, is a human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as 'mad-cow disease'.

Tissues that are classed as having a high or medium risk for CJD and vCJD include brain and spinal cord, the front and back of the eye and the inside of the nose.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Having seen what the vCJD can do to a healthy human body over a period of a few days then this is a very serious major step in the field of cross contamination and sensitive work of surgical teams.

The NHS watchdog scheme has come under scrutiny in the past but this will surly save many more lives.

related links

N.I.C.E

CJD surveillance unit

patients to be warned over vCJD

VCJD in the UK









[edit on 1-10-2004 by Gryffen]