Abstract
This paper looks at muscular dystrophy, for which there is currently no treatment or cure, and discusses research looking into gene therapy and direct transplantation of myocytes as potential treatments in the future.

From the Paper
"Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a general name for a group of genetic diseases that can affect the muscles anywhere in the body. Muscular Types of muscular dystrophy include Becker's MD, congenital MD, myotonic MD, Duchenne MD, Erb's Limb-girdle MD and ocular MD. The symptoms of MD will depend on the type of MD present but all will include weakness and loss of muscle mass. There is no cure as yet for MD nor is there any treatment but exercise is important in maintaining what muscles are still functioning..."

Tags:muscular dystrophy, gene therapy

Abstract
The paper explains that Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by an absence of the protein dystrophin. The paper discusses how this causes the muscle tissue to break down and weaken. The paper relates how, sadly, there is no cure for muscular dystrophy. Because of the current absence of a cure, treatment is mostly aimed at controlling the symptoms and maintaining the quality of life of the individual suffering from the disease. The paper notes that one promising advance in the cure for muscular dystrophy is the research done in the area of gene therapy.

From the Paper
"Guillaume Benjamin Amand Duchenne (1806-1875), a French neuroscientist, is credited with the official description of Muscular Dystrophy in the late 1860s. Duchenne's interest in electrophysiology and the development of techniques in neuromuscular stimulation led him to research and eventually learn to diagnose cases of what would eventually become the disease referred to as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Enerson). Though, as of 1999, there are over thirty distinct kinds of Muscular Dystrophy, which are separated into nine categories, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the more commonly known form of the disease (MDA)."

Tags:tissue, Duchenne, sarcolemma, protein

Abstract
This paper examines the underlying genetic cause and the resulting muscular infirmities of people suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The paper discusses the patient's and caregiver's coping mechanisms. An overview is presented of the diagnosis, diet and treatment options available.

From the Paper
"Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most commonly occurring muscular degenerative disorder among the more than 20 different varieties of muscular dystrophies. This disease has an incidence rate of 1 case in every 3500 boys. [Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory] It is a genetically inherited disease which affects only the male sex and is characterized by gradual weakening of the muscles. Like other muscular dystrophies DMD is a progressive disease creating postural imbalances and difficulties in movements. Though, primarily a disease that results in physical handicaps, in some cases, cognitive impairments may also be manifest. DMD is a fatal disease and very few people survive the disease into their thirties. The absence of any cure for the disease implies severe psychological implications for both the caregivers and the patient. "

Tags:genetic, weakening, progressive

Abstract
This paper discusses the types, causes, diagnosis, symptoms , prognosis and research into cures of Muscular Dystrophy. An examination into the characteristics and differences in the various forms of MD. The author looks at how the gene for MD is now being located, and the DNA combination are now understood, hoping that soon a cure will be found for this disease.

From the Paper
"While there are many forms of MD the most commonly seen ones, are "myotonic, Duchenne, Becker, limb-girdle, facioscapulohumeral, congenital, oculopharyngeal, distal and Emery-Dreifuss(Most Frequently Asked Questions About Muscular Dystrophy http://www.mdausa.org/publications/fa-md-qa.html)." Some of them are named after the muscles that are affected and others are founded in the type of trouble they cause for the muscles. There are also some named after the doctors who uncovered the form's existence. "As the root causes (gene defects) of the muscular dystrophies are discovered, doctors are beginning to change their thinking about how to classify some of the dystrophies.""

Tags:disease, disorder, muscle, myotonic, gene, dna, becker, duchenne

Abstract
The paper begins with describing the disease and examines its symptoms and forms. It then looks at ways to diagnose the disease through EMGs nerve conduction velocity, muscle biopsy, blood enzyme testing and other genetic testing. The question of treatment is then discussed , specifying treatment such as multidisciplinary team care, adaptive equipment, exercise, diet, orthopedics, surgery, medication, respiratory therapy, and counseling. Current research of the disease is discussed, concluding with a brief history of muscular dystrophy research.

From the Paper
"Muscular dystrophy is a crippling disorder caused by the gradual wasting of skeletal muscle and is the most common muscle disease of children. Its course is progressive, with increased weakness and reduction of muscle mass and function. This is caused by changes in the physical and chemical structure of the surface and the internal membranes of the muscle cells. In addition, these children may have learning disabilities or cognitive impairments (Batshaw, 1997). Although the chromosomal location and the underlying gene for most forms of muscular dystrophy have been identified, remission does not occur (Case-Smith, 2001). Clinical forms of the disease are recognized based on the pattern of inheritance, age when symptoms are first noticed, and distribution of the muscles earliest involved."

Tags:becker, congenital, duchenne, facioscapulohumeral, girdle

Abstract
This paper details the various issues and describes the research surrounding Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a disease that affects children, primarily males and is characterized by the degeneration of muscular tissue. The essay discusses symptoms, causes, molecular and cellular defects, how symptoms are derived from cellular defects and possible treatments. The sections covering the molecular aspects of this disease are in depth and scientifically explicit.

From the Paper
"Muscular Dystrophy is a debilitating disorder that is characterized by degeneration of muscle tissue. One of the most common forms of this disorder and one that is particularly severe is Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This disease affects a far greater number of males, approximately 1 out of every 3 500 born, than females (Cooper 1997). The cellular defects associated with DMD are well understood; however, there is still some speculation over the actions that take place at the molecular level. The treatment available for DMD patients is very limited. However, there has been promising research done with stem cells, antibiotics and gene therapies that offer new hope for sufferers of DMD. Many of these studies have been done on mdx mice, an animal model for DMD that possesses the same genetic defect as humans who suffer with the disease (Agrawal et al. 1999). These studies offer a new ray of hope, not only for those suffering with DMD, but also for people who suffer from various types of muscular degenerative diseases."

Tags:biology, cell, cellular, disease, dmd, dystrophin, gene, medicine, molecular, therapy

From the Paper
"Muscular dystrophy is the name given to a group of genetic disorders marked by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal, or voluntary, muscles that control movement. Muscular dystrophy can also affect the muscles of the heart and other involuntary muscles in some forms of the disease (The Complete Directory, 1998, 683). Sufferers from the disease experience a gradual decline in strength and muscle bulk. There are nine types of muscular dystrophy generally recognized, and these include Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD); Emery Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD); Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSH); Myotonic dystrophyOculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD); Distal muscular dystrophy (DD); and Congenital muscular dystrophy

Tags:disease

Abstract
This paper traces the history of the discovery of RSD, a disorder typically associated with war, and explains that there is a Type 1 and Type 2 of this disorder, of which Type 1 is focused upon in the paper. A discussion of the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and effects of Type 1 RSD is included in the paper, as well as progression, complications, and prevalence of the disease.

History of RSD
Definition of RSD
Progress of the Disease
Complications of the Disease
Prevalence of the Disease
Diagnosis
Treatments
Prognosis
Secondary Effects of the Disease
Resources Available

From the Paper
"The history and the discovery of RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) Syndrome and its symptoms have typically been associated with wars. While there is no doubt that RSD from physical stress and injury existed earlier, it was left up to war physicians to assign pathology to it. Silas Weir Mitchell, an army doctor during the Civil War, described the symptoms of "burning pain" left in soldiers long after the bullets have been removed. He attributed these residual and long lasting pains to major nerve injury. Weir was the first to call RSD causalgia (currently, specifically known as CRPS-2), which is Greek for "burning pain." He wrote that, "Under such torments, the temper changes, the most amiable grow irritable, the soldier becomes a coward, and the strongest man is scarcely less nervous than the most hysterical girl." Weir accurately reflected the symptoms. (PARC, 2004). Mitchell accurately described the symptoms associated with the disorder as feeling of heat in the afflicted area where the skin tone changed to a glossy, rash-like appearance."

Tags:psychological, causalgia, numbing, medication, parasympathetic, nerve, endings

Abstract
The writer relates how he found out that he had Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (MMD). The writer then explains that; "The word myontonic is the adjective for the word myotonia, an inability to relax muscles at will" (Balon 4), and discusses how it is an inherited genetic condition of progressive degeneration with increasing weakness and wasting of muscle tone and bulk for which there is no known cure, and the rate of degeneration varies between individuals. The paper describes symptoms of the disease, which usually occur in middle age.

From the Paper
"The Disability: I found out that I had Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (MMD) from my doctor after a routine blood test. At my annual checkup, I remarked that upon grasping an object my fingers would tighten, seize up in position; I could only release them from that momentary paralysis after a few moments. I also mentioned my brother's similar difficulties. "The word myontonic is the adjective for the word myotonia, an inability to relax muscles at will" (Balon 4). It is an inherited genetic condition of progressive degeneration with increasing weakness and wasting of muscle tone and bulk for which there is no known cure; the rate of degeneration..."

Tags:disability, personal, experience

Abstract
This paper examines how there are two main categories of disease for which therapies are currently being investigated at the molecular level. These two categories of disease are genetic and infectious. It discusses cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy at the molecular level and looks at possible gene therapy treatments.

From the Paper
"Therapies for muscular dystrophies are at the moment only for symptomatic treatment, but advances for curing them are being researched. A pharmacological therapy addresses the pathophysiological changes that lead to muscle cell death. Transplantation therapy involves the transfer of myoblasts from an unaffected donor into the muscle of an affected patient. The myoblasts fuse and become part of the patient's own muscle tissue. Gene therapy uses retroviral, adenoviral and herpes vectors to transfer the correct functional DMD gene into patients. One problem with retrovirus is that they are not big enough to carry the 11kb gene, so it has been found that you can cut out some of the coding region to reduce its size, but without affecting its function."

Tags:gene, mutation, therapy