Emily+Mc.

Post 3

= Graves' Disease =



=
Named after Robert J. Graves, Graves' disease is an autoimmune problem with the thyroid gland. It produces too much of the thyroid hormone, causing hyperthyroidism. The two go hand in hand, however, there are different causes of hyperthyroidism, not solely Graves' disease. An autoimmune problem is when a person's immune system attacks healthy cells, resulting in problems throughout the body. Scientists have not found the cause of the disease, but they believe it is hereditary due to the fact that it is seen throughout different generations.======

So What's Happening?
The body is creating antibodies, called Thyroid-Stimulating Immunoglobulins (TSIs), that push the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormones than the body needs. The TSI then bind to the thyroid receptors, tricking them, and tells the body to create more thyroid hormones than necessary. In turn, the excess thyroid hormones result in hyperthyroidism.

Symptoms
Some common symptoms include, ** but are not limited to ** :
 * Weight loss (but increased appetite)
 * Anxiety
 * Insomnia
 * Sweating
 * Chest pain
 * Shortness of breath
 * Muscle weakness
 * Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
 * Vision problems (redness, tearing, irritation, etc.)
 * Bulging eyes
 * Tibia (thickening of the skin on calves)

Treatments
__Radioactive iodine therapy:__ treatment involves taking radioactive iodine by mouth. the thyroid needs iodine to produce the thyroid hormone, so the radioactive iodine kills the overacting thyroid cells. The thyroid shrinks and symptoms lessen over weeks or months. This method is not used on pregnant or nursing women. Side effects include a tender neck, temporary increase in thyroid hormone. It may also increase vision problems, including bulging eyes.

__Anti-thyroid medication:__ treatment involves the medication to interfere with the body's iodine use for thyroid. Used alone, there is a chance of the problem reoccurring at a later date. extended use of the drug has better results in the long run. Can also be used after the radioactive iodine treatment. Side effects include a rash, decrease in white blood cells, joint pain, and liver failure. __Beta blockers__ are available as well, blocking the body's ability to access the thyroid hormone.

__Surgery:__ To remove all of the thyroid gland, but the body will need thyroid supplements after surgery to regulate the body's need of the hormone. Complications are rare during surgery, but can include damage to the vocal cords and the parathyroid glands.

Video!
media type="youtube" key="mad4hZqXJgE" width="560" height="315" align="center"

Post Two, Nov. 20,2015
= =

Study of Evolution: Platypus

The platypus is a very odd looking creature full of many mysteries. Recently, studies are being done on how the platypus evolved from its ancestors. Some new facts have been discovered throughout the years, including the fact that the platypus has five "X" and five "Y" chromosomes, compared to humans who have either two X(female) chromosomes or a combination of X and Y(male) chromosomes. Also, the platypus has acquired many unique characteristic traits throughout its lifespan. Some of the physical features include a poisonous spike on the back of the male's leg, they lay eggs as opposed to live birth, and they vary in size depending on where they're located. Some platypuses have evolved to be one third the size of others due to their location and habitat. The platypus only lives along the East coast of Australia. The inhabit regions from northern Queensland all the way down to southern Tasmania. They're very awkward on both land and in the water, causing hilarious videos for the internet. They don't migrate very far and live in any body of water available; lakes, streams, rivers and marshes being a few. Their separation has created subspecies in their separate regions. The farther up the coast you travel, the smaller the platypus' bodies get. Scientists have begun to study their genes, creating flow charts demonstrating the links between the species. Getting these samples can be quite challenging. Netting must be set everywhere to capture the platypuses at night, as this is when they are more active. After being caught, they must then have a small piece of their webbing between their toes cut off and other skin cells are rubbed off to be sent elsewhere. They are also weighed, measured, and have a tracking device put under their skin for further research purposes. With these, scientists are able to do many varying genetic tests on the animal. These tests will also show the make up of the species and from there they can compare the subspecies to see where they changed to better themselves for their environments. This could make them even more bizarre from what they already are.

Go Farther:
Platypus Evolution media type="custom" key="28054421" *Hit refresh if video does not show up*

Anatomy of Platypus



FACTS: Keep Going:
 * 1) [|Platypus Facts]
 * 2) [|Platypus Poison]
 * 3) [|Platypus Brand Clothing]
 * 4) [|Platypus Game Download]

References:

 * http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/wild-chronicles/platypus-dna-video-missions-wcvin?source=relatedvideo
 * http://platypus.fi/img/1413727023_99P8kd6.jpg
 * http://cdn.printableworldmap.net/samples/Platypus_Habitat_Map_For_Kids.png
 * http://kidcyber.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/platypus_illus_TS_annotate.jpg
 * http://image.slidesharecdn.com/nickdaviesplatypus-120118181825-phpapp01/95/nick-davies-platypus-11-728.jpg?cb=1326910826
 * http://www.livescience.com/27572-platypus.html
 * http://www.platypus.asn.au/earning_their_spurs.html
 * http://platypus.clothing/
 * http://platypus.en.softonic.com/

Post One
= Self-Destructive Leukemia Cells =

Scientists have found a new treatment for leukemia. They have been able to genetically modify cancerous cells to seek out themselves and kill each other off. Scientists hope that this will be a new treatment for not only patients with cancer, but also the cancerous cells all humans possess in their body. The results still are not one hundred percent, but they are making drastic change in the world of both science and cancer treatment.

How it Works
They change the cells themselves to attack their own kind. Kind of like an immune system that targets itself. They did this by having the cancerous cells be exposed to antibodies. When the antibodies were applied to acute myeloid leukemia cells, they turned into dendritic cells, important components of the immune system. These alone could act as a great therapy, but with further exposure to the antibiotics, they developed to something even greater. These cells turned into something that resembled natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are a rapid-reaction in out immune system, they can fight bacteria and viruses- cancer included- without any prior exposure.

"Fracticide"
One test found that a 15 percent wipe out of the leukemic cells in only 24 hours occurred when they were exposed to the NK cells. However, the NK cells will only target the cells that closely resemble it, such as the original cancer cell it originated from. This makes the cell "fracticidal", meaning "relating to or denoting conflict within a single family or organization". Although not quite sure why this is, scientist continue with the research to develop the perfect self-destructing cancer cell. They hope to not only offer this as a treatment or therapy, but as something that will completely eradicate the cancer cell completely.

Going Farther:


The red blood cells represent healthy, non-leukemic cells, whereas the blue cells are the leukemic cells in the blood stream.



This is an NK cell in action, in this case, destroying an embryo, its target.



More details on how a NK cell will target and destroy what is potentially harmful to our bodies. This NK cell was targeting a tumor cell.



Symptoms of leukemia in the body. There are various symptoms and early detection is key to treatment.

Even Farther:
media type="youtube" key="Z3B-AaqjyjE" height="480" width="854" align="left"

Further Reading:

 * 1) [|What is Leukemia?]
 * 2) [|Types of Leukemia]
 * 3) [|Signs of Leukemia]
 * 4) [|Possible Treatments]

**Sources Sited:**

 * http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-10-scientists-leukemia-cells.html
 * https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=fratricidal
 * http://www.pathpedia.com/education/eatlas/histopathology/blood_cells/hairy_cell_leukemia_classic/hairy-cell-leukemia-(2-bl079-2).jpeg?Width=600&Height=450&Format=4
 * http://fertility-biocenter.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/nk-cell.jpg
 * https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Antibody-dependent_Cellular_Cytotoxicity.svg/2000px-Antibody-dependent_Cellular_Cytotoxicity.svg.png
 * https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Symptoms_of_leukemia.png
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3B-AaqjyjE
 * http://www.cancercenter.com/leukemia/types/
 * http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/leukemia/signs-and-symptoms/?region=on
 * http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/leukemia/basics/treatment/con-20024914
 * http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemia/