A discussion of the discovery of mad cow disease, to the present, and the role the media/government has played in control, prevention, and the dissemination of information.
Abstract Examines the treatment of Mad-cow disease in the media, and by the government.
Discusses the following topics
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Scrapie
What Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Do
Two Theories on the Action of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
British Government Admits Mad Cow Disease Exists (1987)
Testing Results by the British government MAFF
Culpability of the British Medical Society
The Spread of CJD
Steps Taken by the British Government
From the Paper "Where the industry has gone wrong is in listening to the PR people. The mad-cow epidemic is not an information management issue?it is a disease that will not go away.? These words are from an interview with Dr. Pringle, a member of the Sperling Biomedical Foundation, and the founder of www.mad-cow.org. I believe that they highlight what has been fundamentally wrong about the treatment of mad-cow disease by the British government and the British media. Several grave errors have been made about the treatment of this issue, and they continue to have repercussions today, as we explore America's mad-cow incidents, and rising problems in Europe, Asia, and South America. At the time this paper was written, mad cow disease had been confirmed in domestic cattle in Belgium, France, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain and Germany."
Abstract This paper examines how Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a neuro degenerative disease in a class of diseases known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE's). It looks at how BSE is caused by prions, which are related to several other TSE's and how it has been a major concern with the economy and human and animal health worldwide together with political policies. It also explores how testing, diagnosis and prevention of BSE and other TSE's are still under investigation.
From the Paper "vCJD also affects humans, but differs from CJD. Symptoms include depression, mood swings, anxiety, withdrawal, hallucinations, delusions, parasthesia ("pins and needles"), headaches, cold extremities, lack of coordination, loss of memory, loss of concentration, inability to talk or move, and results in death after 7-24 months, averaging 14 months.(7) It affects people ages 8-14.(7) 156 confirmed or probable cases have been reported worldwide as of April 2004. 146 of these cases were reported in Great Britain, 6 in France, and one in each Italy, Ireland, United States, and Canada. (7)Treatment for this disease includes chlorpromazine and quainacrine, but only experimentally."
From the Paper "Many people claim that they want less government. In the case of Great Britain's problems with "mad cow disease" this is exactly what they got. Yet few people can be pleased. On March 20, 1996, the United Kingdom Health Minister announced that ten relatively young people had died of a very rare brain disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), that generally attacks only a very few elderly people. The minister reported that "the most likely explanation at present is that these cases are linked to exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease (Bonte-Friedheim A10). This is tragic and alarming but it is also outrageous. BSE has been a serious problem for Britain for a long time yet "for a decade [the Conservative government] has dismissed concerns raised by some scientists that humans could contract the disease by eating the meat of diseased..."
This paper discusses mad cow disease, a virulent cattle disease, which led to the destruction of 180,000 livestock in the United Kingdom and other European countries and plunged other major cattle-producing nations into a global panic.
Abstract This paper explains that mad cow disease is bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, a fatal brain disorder in cattle caused by a still-unknown agent. The author points out that U.K. reports also listed other animals as having been infected by TSEs, including domestic cats, mice, hamsters, goats, mink, monkeys, pigs, and some exotic species of the cat family. The paper reports that there is also suspicion that mad cow can be spread through human blood; therefore, the American Red Cross bans blood donations from people who have lived abroad, especially from those who spent as few as three months in the UK between 1980 and 1996.
From the Paper "The disease spread to cattle in other countries through infected animal feed UK exported to them within that decade. These countries in Europe alone included Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland (Lohn), which were reported to have at least one infected cow each. The UK also supplied animal feed to South Africa and non-European countries at that time, extending the reach Mad Cow beyond Europe and making it a global health scare."
Abstract The paper begins by purifying beef heart and ends with a highly-quantitative analysis of the results of attempting to isolate the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. It contains every aspect of a detailed biochemistry lab report. The paper contains complex quantitative analysis with supporting statistics. It also has scanned photographs of the gel electrophoresis.
From the Paper "Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a crucial enzyme that regulates lactate levels throughout the mammalian body. Proper LDH function is essential for a number of important biochemical pathways, including the Cori Cycle and glycolysis among others. Without it, the glycolytic cycle would come to a halt due to diminished nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) reserves, and the buildup of lactate would ultimately result in lactic acidosis-a potentially fatal affliction."
Abstract This paper discusses Mad Cow Disease, otherwise known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. It discusses the history, background and pathophysiology of the disease. It then goes on to describe prevention and treatment options for the disease, concluding that there are no effective treatments available. The paper concludes by discussing nursing and collaborative care for patients with the disease.
Table of Contents:
Epidemiology
Pathophysiology
Prevention and Treatment
Differences in Classic CJD and Variant CJD
Nursing and Collaborative Care
From the Paper "Variant CJD has a median age at death of 28 years. The duration of the illness is approximately 13-14 months. Some of the clinical signs and symptoms include: prominent psychiatric/behavioral symptoms, painful dyesthesiasis; and delayed neurologic signs. The "Pulvinar sign" on an MRI is present in greater than 75% of most of the Variant CJD. The presence of "florid plaques" on neuropathology is usually in large numbers and easily detected. The agent is readily detected in the lymphoid tissue. There is a marked accumulation of protease-resistance prion protein noted in the brain. This is why the Variant CJD is much more easily detected because it shows up on more tests."
Abstract The paper discusses stem cells in human development, a specialized topic in developmental biology, focusing on potential cures for fetal malformations, via stem cell therapies and stem cells characteristics in general. The paper notes that the most promising use of stem cells is their ability to serve as a potential source of replacement cells to treat numerous diseases, such as Parkinson''s disease, Alzheimer's disease, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), cancer, and heart disease. The paper further notes that any disease in which there is tissue degeneration can be a potential candidate for stem cell therapies, including spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular dystrophy and liver disease. The paper includes photographs.
Outline:
Abstract
What are Stem Cells?
Types of Stem Cells
Embryonic Germ Layers From Which Differentiated Tissues Develop,
Mechanisms of Action:
Characteristics and Potential Uses
Hematopoietic and Stromal Stem Cell Differentiation
Human Embryonic Germ Cells
Human Adult Stem Cells
Summary of Animal Experiments
Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Bovine Embryonic Stem Cells' Studies
Primate Embryonic Stem Cells' Studies
Miscellaneous Animal Studies
Migration of Transplanted Human Cells
Survival of hCNS-derived neurospheres in the ischemic brain.
In Utero Stem Cell Therapy - Stem Cell Transplantation in the Fetus
Ontogeny of Hematopoiesis in Humans
In Utero Stem Cell Therapy in the Mouse
Conclusions
From the Paper "Embryonic stem cells are difficult to control, as they behave in an unstable manner resulting in unexpected results as they divide, or even cancerous growths. They are indeed more difficult to maintain and expand in culture (Van Blerkom, 1994). ES differ substantially from the stem cells found within the fully developed adult where they can be totally quiescent. Human ES cells may cause an immune reaction when transplanted into people, which means cells used in treatment may be rapidly destroyed unless they are protected by giving medication to suppress the immune system. It appears though that if stem cells were someday to be used for the treatment of disease, there would be greater advantage in using ES cells. "
Abstract The paper discusses how, although the media in the Netherlands inflated the real threat of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to human beings, the Netherlands still failed to respond appropriately to the sense within the public that its government had not protected it properly from dangerous foods. The paper thus highlights the need for the government to take the threat of BSE seriously, not as an immediate danger to the European public, but as a way of sustaining the public's confidence in the regulation of food safety.
From the Paper "The risk of human contraction mad cow disease is perceived to be high in places where its early form can be detected in livestock. Known in this context as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), consumption of meat thereby contaminated is believed to be a way of contract the fatal neurologically degenerative human disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD). Thus, when reports surfaced of contamination found in meats allegedly originating on Dutch farms, the outcome was a dramatic response from various governments within Europe, amongst EU agencies and sectors of various national publics, all of which responded to the threat with an immediate forbearance from meat. The question must be posited, however, with regard to its dramatic spread in the public discussion forum, as to whether the response has thus far been appropriate or properly measured from within the Dutch government."
