Morrissy,+L.

Wikipost #1

I was sitting on my couch this weekend thinking about what I should do my wikipost on. I had no clue, so I asked my dad what the weirdest disease/disorder he's ever heard of. This was his answer: “Progeria is pretty weird” -Dr. Sean Morrissy.

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), affects approximately one in every 4 billion births. This rare genetic condition causes a child's body to age at an abnormally fast rate. Most children affected by this condition do not live past the age of thirteen. As of September 2016, there are 139 **known** children in the world with Progeria.

Like we learned in class, one mistake in one gene causes everything to go out of whack. The mistake causes a certain gene to make a protein called progerin. The progerin builds up in the affected child's cells and causes them to grow old very quickly.


 * Symptoms:**

-Loss of all hair on face and head -Large eyes -Large head -Ears stick out -Loss of body fat and muscle -High pitched voice -Visible veins -Thin nose with beaked tip -Small lower jaw

Since the children age at an abnormal rate, as they get older, you can expect to see diseases most commonly seen in elderly people such as heart disease, bone loss, hardening of the arteries, risk of strokes etc... Most affected children die of heart attacks or strokes.


 * Treatments**

Currently, there are no known treatments for progeria, although a cure is in the works. In 2015, over $500,000 was raised to fund Progeria Research!

As you can see in the image below, his eyes and head are abnormally large, he has a thin beak shaped nose and hsi skin is very pale-almost translucent.





Meet Sammy, he is currenly 19 years old! He is a very high achiever. He plans to study nuclear physics at the University of Padova, Italy! He keeps himself busy with acting, reading and painting. One thing that Sammy wants everyone to know is that kids with progeria are normal and have a normal life.

for more info:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPLnZB5LKYk

For stories on children with progeria: []

links referenced: [|http://www.webmd.com/children/guide/progeria#2] [] [] []

Wikipost #2 The Evolution of The Domestic Dog



Since the first domesticated dog (wolf at the start), certain traits have been selected for and others have been selected against. The domestic dog is a member of the genus Canis (canines). Their most closely related living relative is the grey wolf (Canis lupus). Studies show that the earliest domesticated dogs came from the time of the hunter gatherers between 18,800 and 32,100 years ago. What most likely happened is that some wolves would have stayed around the hunter gatherers camps and lurked for food. These wolves would have not been afraid of the humans which caused them to eventually become their companions.



Later after the first domesticated grey wolves, the species diverged into several sub species located in different areas around the world. Studies show that wolves and dogs split 32,000 years ago, somewhere in East Asia. Each of these sub species would have each had their own unique set of characteristics. These characteristics would be what we see in this generation's different dog breeds. These days, there is an extraordinary number of different dog breeds. They are all so different that most people forget that all these different breeds all come from the same ancestor; the grey wolf. How cool, right? What isn't so cool is that all these different unique dog breeds have been subject to intense interbreeding over the past 150 years. The perfect example of this unthinkable amount of interbreeding (sometimes brother to sister) is the German Shepherd. Over the years, the trait that categorises the "perfect" German Shepherd is the angulation of the rear. As you can see in the image above, the dog's rear is pointing towards the ground and its hind legs are not parallel with its front legs. This somehow sought after feature that all German Shepherds "should" have is once again, the result of intense interbreeding. You wouldn't have a child with your mother/father, would you? Didn't think so. Dogs should not be forced to. media type="youtube" key="aCv10_WvGxo" width="560" height="315"

Fun links: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/inbreeding.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_breeding http://www.petmd.com/dog/care/evr_dg_purebred_dogs_complications http://dogs.petbreeds.com/

Links Referenced: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_domestic_dog#Dog_evolution http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/38279/title/Origin-of-Domestic-Dogs/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/01/5/l_015_02.html http://www.nsgsdc.com/breedhistory.shtml https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_wolf

Wikipost #3 The Respiratory System The primary organ in the respiratory system is of course, the lungs. The lungs are directly responsible for taking in oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide and other gasses found in the mix of our polluted air. What is most interesting to me is the relationship that the respiratory system and the circulatory system have in common. The lungs are primarily responsible for supplying your blood with oxygen. The oxygenated blood then circulates throughout the body to everywhere needed. The circulatory system and the respiratory system are closely intertwined and if one responds to a change, the change will most likely manifest itself in the other. Bronchitis

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes. These tubes are responsible for carrying air in and out of your lungs. There are two types of bronchitis. Acute and chronic. Chronic means that it keeps coming back or it does not go away at all. Acute means that the symptoms may last up to a few weeks but they generally do not bother you after that time period. Of course chronic is more serious but both share symptoms such as: -Coughing -Production of mucus (clear, yellowish or green. Sometimes with blood) -Fatigue -Shortness of breath -Slight fever and chills -chest discomfort media type="youtube" key="10P6EaSqMpE" width="560" height="315"

fun links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronchitis http://people.com/politics/barbara-bush-treated-bronchitis-george-h-w-stable-condition/ http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/circulatory-system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_system

links referenced: http://www.livescience.com/22616-respiratory-system.html http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bronchitis/basics/definition/con-20014956 http://www.webmd.com/lung/understanding-bronchitis-basics https://www.lung.ca/lung-health/lung-info/respiratory-system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulatory_system