"Life, Jim, but not as we know it"?: transmissible dementias and the prion protein
Article Abstract:
Spongiform encephalopathies are a group of disorders which cause dementia in humans and can be passed between species and from person to person. The agents or agents that cause that are transmitted and cause these disorders are not yet known. Recent public concern has been sparked by reports that a form of spongiform encephalopathy, the bovine virus, may be spread by contaminated beef. Transmission of various forms of these disorders by ingestion of infected tissues has been seen in animals, including primates. Evidence suggests that a single agent, a prion (a type of protein), may be responsible for the variants of this group of disorders. This would be highly unusual if proved, because the absence of the role of nucleic acids, which proteins lack, would make prions a novel form of life, and would make the disorders difficult to treat. Current treatments for many infectious diseases are focused on destroying nucleic acids, which are essential to the disease process. Because prions lack nucleic acids, this treatment is not effective against them. The spongiform encephalopathies are of major concern for several reasons: the first is that they are infectious, and may even be passed along generations; the second is that they occur in many species, and therefore may be transmitted by ingesting infected tissue; and third, traditional treatments are ineffective due the nontraditional causal agents. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: British Journal of Psychiatry
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0007-1250
Year: 1991
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Biology of prion diseases
Article Abstract:
Explorations of the biological mechanisms of prion diseases indicate they are both genetically determined and infectious. Prions are proteins in the body that can cause an infectious disease when defective. They are responsible for a number of diseases in both humans and animals. Manifestations of the disease in humans include Gerstmann-Straussler syndrome and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). These diseases have been shown to result from a mutation in the gene for prion protein. In animals, the disease includes scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Examination of brain cells of hamsters and mice indicates a species-specific development of the infectious protein. Data on incubation and transmission of the proteins is changing the direction of research into human manifestations of the disease, particularly CJD.
Publication Name: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0894-9255
Year: 1993
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Know how: management of cavity wounds
Article Abstract:
Cavity wounds can extend to the sub-dermal layers and are unsuitable for primary closing. Common cavity wounds are pressure ulcers and surgical wounds. Traditional cavity dressings of ribbon gauze soaked in cleansing agents are no longer a treatment option. Other types of treatment could include alginates, foams, hydrophillic foams, hydrogels, cadexomer iodine, vacuum-assisted closure and hydrocolloid paste and flat sheets.
Publication Name: Nursing Times
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0954-7762
Year: 1997
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