Arial Donnell

Thanks to Dr. Pirk, former Czech firefighter, Jakub Halik, has been alive for about nine months with the absence of a heart and pulse. After doctors detected a tumor growing on the inside of his heart, Mr. Halik was forced to make a critical decision: Whether or not he would undergo a fairly new procedure, in which the first subject did not make it out. Ultimately, his decision panned out to be the correct choice, since he is still alive and well today.

In an eight-hour operation, Halik’s heart was removed and replaced by two, modified pumps that contain propellers to produce 10,000 rotations a minute mimicking the beating of the heart. The pumps are powered by batteries worn externally that connect to the device via a controller and flexible cable beneath the skin. Each pump performs the tasks of the right and left side of the heart. One pumps bloods to the lungs while the other pumps blood throughout the body.

This is an important procedure because it is alternative for people on the waiting list to receive a heart, as in Jakub’s case. The pumps will hopefully serve the purpose until an actual heart is available.

Works Cited

Bates, Claire. “Former Fire-fighter First Man to Live without a Pulse for SIX MONTHS Thanks to Revolutionary Artificial Heart.” Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 22 July 2013.

“Left Heart.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 May 2013. Web. 22 July 2013.

Arial Donnell

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. There are three stages to the disease, mild, moderate, and severe. Currently there isn’t any cure for the disease and symptoms tend to worsen as the years progress and the individual moves into the later stages.

During a study, researchers used mouse models to test a protein, amyloid beta, to see how the loss of smell occurs in the brain. They found a tiny amount of amyloid beta causes smell loss in mouse models. In the beginning, the olfactory bulb, which receives input about odors detected by the nasal cavity, became hyperactive. Over years, amyloid beta increased inside the bulb and the more hypoactive the bulb became. Despite the longer period of sniffing, the mice were unable to remember smells and incapable of differentiating between odors. Same as in humans, as mice age they lose their sense of smell. To show a reverse of effects, researches then gave the mouse a synthetic liver x-receptor agonist, which is a drug that clears the protein, amyloid beta, from the brain. The mice were able to distinguish different smells again within two weeks. However, after one week of withdrawal, symptoms returned yet again.

Alzheimer’s disease not only affects the individual, but it also affects every person who plays a role in that individual’s life. With the findings and discovery, hopefully a cure for the disease will soon be made available. A cure will be greatly needed since studies show by 2050 Alzheimer’s disease is expected to triple to 16 million.

(1.) “Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet.” National Institute on Aging. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 13 July 2013.

(2.) Case Western Reserve University. “Early sign of Alzheimer’s reversed in lab.” ScienceDaily, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 12 Jul. 2013.