Meniere’s disease is a very aggressive disorder that affects our organs of audition (hearing) and equilibrium, the cochlea (contains the organ of corti, and produces nerve impulses from the vibrations of sounds) and vestibule of the inner ear, respectively. Persons suffering from Meniere’s disease will have symptoms such as attacks of dizziness (vertigo), ringing of the ears (tinnitus), and hearing loss. This happens because the amount of fluid, endolymph, in the labyrinth increases which increases pressure on the delicate organs of the inner ear. Meniere’s disease can happen at any age but is most common in older adults between the ages of 40-60 years old. This disease usually only effects one ear and over a period of several years can cause deafness.

There are cochlear implants to replace lost hearing that results from inner ear damage, however, for people who suffer with balance disorders, there has not been any treatments. Christopher Phillips and his colleagues from the University of Washington developed a vestibular prosthesis that will give an electrical stimulation in the semi-circular canals’ fluid of the ear. When this happens the fluid manipulates the brain into thinking the body is swaying or moving in a particular direction. When the brain is tricked it causes a compensatory postural reflex that will stabilize the body posture which helps to restore balance and stop the dizzy feeling.

This discovery is actually pretty cool and cleaver by manipulating the brain. This is clearly a first step into finding a cure or way to help with a balance disorder resulting from an inner ear disease. It will help people who suffer from this disease recover their balance and be able to function in daily life properly. I am sure that the people who suffer from this disease is very thrilled that there may be a stop to their complications.

1. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130613104137.htm
2. A&P class lecture text

            Being able to see is an important thing. However, there are several causes for blindness. One in particular, which I am going to discuss, is a very common one where there is a loss of transparency of the lens called cataract. Cataracts occur when the lens crystalline protein structure changes and your vision becomes blurry because the lens has become less transparent. Several things can cause cataracts like aging, long exposure to ultraviolet light, or even a disease such as diabetes. Yes, there are ways to fix this like replacing the old lens with a new artificial one. However, I looked up ways to prevent cataracts, and I came across an article about statins that prevent cataracts.

            Statins are cholesterol– lowering drugs, usually for fighting heart disease; however, researchers have found they help decrease the risk of cataracts as well.  In this article, Dr. Gabriel Chodick explains that these drugs can help prevent inflammation in the eye and stop the process of oxidation on the ocular nerve celss. Dr. Chodick did a study of 180,000 patients from 1998-2007 to observe the effect statins had on cataracts. His study showed a strong association with a large population. Also, what he found was that the daily intake of statins in men from the age 45-54 decreased their risk of developing cataracts by 38%, and although statins were not as effective in women, they still had an 18% decrease in the risk of developing cataracts. The article also states that 10% of people who are prescribed statins rarely take them; however, the doctor says now they have reason to continue taking this drug. This article has also helped me understand the importance of finding a prevention for cataracts for our society.

            The article also explains that in the U.S., cataracts affect about 60%- of  men and women over the age of 60. The use of statin drugs could help to lower the number of men and women in society who have blindness due to cataracts. Also, blindness doesn’t only affect the person with the loss of sight but also the people close to the person. Preventing blindness is not just helping someone to see, but also it is helping someone keep contact with the environment around them. As well as contact with the environment around them, people who are affected with blindness tend to have a low self-esteem due to the need for help and emptiness because the sight is a major sense to any human. However, the prevention of cataracts by this drug will benefit someone as well. For instance, the person would have an increased ability to work, a decreased disability cost, longer independence for individuals, and prolonged vision. Blindness affects ones everyday life. Therefore, this drug, known as statin, could help individuals with his or her life in general.

Tel Aviv University. “Common cholesterol drugs, statins, fight cataracts, too.”       ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 February 2010.

Tortora, Gerard J and Derrickson, Bryan. Princciples of Anatomy and Physiology 13^th       Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2011. 30 Jan. 2014.

Oral cancer is a growing disease among people, and it is battled everyday. This disease not only affects your body in many ways, but it can be deadly as well. Oral cancer has the ability to affect the whole inside of the mouth, but it is more dangerous when the cancer affects the tongue. One main concern occurs when the tongue tissues are removed. When the tissues are removed the individual  has less tongue mass, and they are more vulnerable to letting food and liquids into their lungs.  Researches have yet to find a cure but continue to search for what causes the disease, how to prevent it, and how to improve treatments.

Most research that has been done toward oral cancer has focused on the DNA of the cells to see what might be causing the cancer. Research has shown that a mutation in the p53 gene is related to the cause of oral cancer. The p53 gene is linked to controlling the cells from growing to much. When there is a mutation in this gene growth of the cells is not controlled and the cancerous cells can grow rapidly.

Oral cancer affects a great amount of people a year. Studies and research show that about 34,000 people a year are diagnosed with oral cancer. Surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis worked hard In the past years to help those who suffer from oral cancer. The surgeons developed new and improved ways of reconstructing the tongue after the cancerous areas were removed. This new development has helped patients feel more normal by helping them with their speech as well as their swallowing ability.

Citations
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/oralcavityandoropharyngealcancer/detailedguide/oral-cavity-and-oropharyngeal-cancer-new-research

http://oralcancerguide.org/?p=262

http://www.siteman.wustl.edu/ContentPage.aspx?id=561#sthash.8h6ZjieX.dpuf

                Sickle cell disease is a disorder that affects a person’s red blood cells (erythrocytes). Sickle cell is a red blood cell that does not have the appearance of a normal, healthy red blood cell. Abnormal hemoglobin molecules (the molecules inside of erythrocytes that carry oxygen) of people who suffer from sickle cell disease cause the characteristic crescent moon shape seen in their erythrocytes. The abnormal shape of sickle cells tends to form blockages in the blood vessels, which in turn halts oxygen from traveling to the affected tissues. Also, the abnormal hemoglobin forms fibers causing stiffness, which makes them stick together and does not allow for the normal, free mobility that normal red blood cells have.

                Dr. Frank Ferrone, from Drexel University in Philadelphia, and Dr. Yihua Wang, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, along with many other researchers came up with an extraordinary discovery on sickle cells and why they stick together in sickle cell disease. The researchers experimented with different techniques involving light scattering, and they found that light rays are drastically affected by the arrangement of the hemoglobin fibers that form in sickled red blood cells. They found that areas of the hemoglobin molecules that should repel each other instead stick together resulting in the abnormal shape. The light patterns are reflecting on how the fibers are arranged and what causes sickle cell disease. Their discovery on how they can use light to determine how the fibers were arranged made it possible to compare and contrast sickle cells vs. normal red blood cells. 

This research has brought insight into the formation of the fibers in the sickle cells and it can further research on how to correct the abnormal fibers. What the researchers have discovered can lead to future cures using drugs that can possibly alter and change what is the source of the issue involving the fibers. The experiment gives insight to the researchers because they were able to study the structures of sickle cells based on how the light refracted. They were also able to determine how the abnormal shape leads to the abnormal formation of the fibers in these sickle cells. It is incredible how they were able to use light as a source to determine the difference in the structure of hemoglobin fibers in sickle cells in comparison to the fibers in normal, healthy hemoglobin. This research can greatly impact those that suffer from sickle cell disease by possibly finding a cure, and also giving answers to questions that have been wondered about.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131105121413.htm

http://edugen.wileyplus.com/edugen/student/mainfr.uni

One vision problem that people suffer from is hyperopia, in which a person can see things at a distance clearly but not when the objects are up close. The correction of eyesight is done by orthokeratology or ortho-K; which is the reshaping of the cornea. The technique is done with the use of rigid gas-permeable contact lenses over night that will reshape the cornea. The contact lens can also help correct myopia and stigmatism.

In the research Jaume Paume used ten test subjects all suffering from vision problems. With the use of the patient in the trial Jaume Paune developed a lens that was worn at nighttime that corrected the patients with hyperopia. The lens actively applies pressure on the outside of the cornea; which works by reshaping the cornea. Unfortunately the effect is only temporary. The lens must be worn every night to reshape the cornea. The correction to the cornea however will not have lasting affects. The treatment shows promise as an ongoing therapy and an alternative to corrective laser surgery.

The research that Mr. Paune discovered is amazing. It offers patients suffering from vision problems another alternative option then having surgery. The risk with the contact lens is less risky then the patients who undergo surgery. With using the contact lens there is no recovery period or missed work. The lens however is not very cost effective especially since they must be worn every night and replaced from time to time. Personally I feel that this lens still gives patients more options other then surgery.

Kethanne K. Colich

Tortora, Gerard J and Derrickson, Bryan. Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. 13th. 2011.Print.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100420161224.htm

The average female is born with two small sex organs called ovaries.  They are located in the pelvic area on either side of the body.  These small organs produce many hormones that allow females to function and grow properly such as estrogens and progesterone.  They also allow for pregnancy (Tortora).  However, sometimes the ovaries don’t do the jobs they are assigned.  This usually happens as women age into their forties, but it can happen before then if complications arise (Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center).  So, if these organs are so important, then how do we fix the problem of hormones going crazy in individuals?

A team from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has been conducting research to find a way to substitute estrogen and progesterone in aging women.   Their main goal is to find a safer way other than drugs, which can cause health problems when used long termed, to replace sex hormones. The research began with the use of 21-day-old rats.  The team took two types of ovarian cells and placed them inside a sac of tissue that resembles the rats’ body tissue.  The sac allows for growth new working cells that will replace old nonworking cells.  The tissue allowed for the new cells to not be rejected. It took many attempts of rearranging the different cells until the right amount of sex hormones were being produced.  This may seem like just another experiment, but it is a giant leap for medicine because… (Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center).

The Wake Forest team has come one step closer to help reduce the use of hormone drugs in women who have lost the ability to produce sex hormones.  The team is now in the process of studying other animals’ body tissues in order to find the perfect combination for humans (Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center).  This discovery has given a glimpse of hope for women who are dealing with these issues.  It has been an improvement in the medical field because the plan is for it to cut back on health problems caused by the use of hormone drugs.

Tortora G.J. and B. Derrickson. 2012. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 13th ed., John Wiley and Sons

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “Functional ovarian tissue engineered in lab.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 March 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com//releases/2013/03/130326151131.htm>.

Diabetes in the United States is not a rare disease anymore. The definition of diabetes mellitus is the lack of insulin, which causes high glucose in the bloodstream. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, Diabetes affects 8.3 of the United States’ population. That’s 25.8 million people! People with diabetes mellitus have trouble with keeping their blood glucose levels in the normal range, causing them to have to prick their fingers and take shots of insulin. The question is: how can you help to control your diabetes?

The simplest way to keep your diabetes under control is to check you glucose levels often, and keep a daily log of the readings. But, who wants to prick their finger all day long? Nobody! Therefore, in an article “Google Working on Smart Contact Lens to Monitor Diabetes” posted on January 17, 2014, Google stated that one of their labs is developing a “smart” contact that is able to measure your glucose levels just by using your tears! This means no more finger-pricking if they are successful. The contact lens uses a tiny chip with a glucose sensor that are placed in between two sheets of the normal contact. They have constructed a prototype that can produce a new reading every second. The only part they do not have figured out yet, is how to let the person know if their glucose level is too high or too low. The Google team is looking into LED lights that would flash to let the wearer know. They say that this is only the beginning for this type of technology, and they are not the only ones who are creating something like this. In Europe, a Swiss company called “Sensimed” has already invented a contact lens to measure the pressure of the eyes for the disease glaucoma. Although this contact lens hasn’t been released in the United States yet, Google knows that there is a major want and need for wearable technology such as the glucose measuring contact lens.

This invention will, one day, be a great addition to the diabetes patients’ options. This will impact the whole diabetes community because of the fact that taking your glucose measurement in public will no longer exist, or at least other people won’t know about it or even see it! They won’t have to worry about people staring at them while they prick their finger, and putting their own blood on a strip of paper. Diabetics will feel more comfortable with this invention, I believe, and be able to more accurately regulate their blood glucose levels resulting in a longer and healthier life with less complications. This could also lower the costs to the diabetic community and insurance companies effecting society as a whole.

Citations:

Tweed, Katherine. “Google Working on Smart Contact Lens to Monitor Diabetes.” IEE Spectrum (2014). Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/biomedical/devices/google-working-on-smart-contact-lens-to-monitor-diabetes

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact Sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011.

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/