Every year it kills approximately
1 Million children world wide. The invader sneakes in unnoticed, takes over, all the while increasing in number as it goes. These children are falling victim to a rotavirus responsible for severe pediatric diarrhea. This rotavirus takes over in the human digestive tract, invading its cells and hijacking its protein synthesis machinery. This inhibits normal protein production in favor of a virus army.
Children affected by this have had no chance of recovery, but now a glimmer of hope is visible on the horizon-a cure, whose secret lies in the virus' unique structure-a tunnel, which, like the fate of the virus, could be sealed.
So, what is the Rotavirus actually doing??
Our bodies consist of many, many cells. These cells make up our skin, our bones, our heart, liver, stomachs. Inside of every single cell is a protein synthesis factory containing a protein called eIF4G that produces the proteins that each tissue, organ and everything else needs to be whole and function correctly.
When a Rotavirus infects a human being it affects the cells in the digestive tract causing severe diarrhea. Pediatric diarrhea caused by this Rotavirus is directly responsible for the death of 1 million children around the world.
This picture illustrates normal protein synthesis (right) with host mRNA and abnormal protein synthesis (left). The poly-A tail and the PABP that are visible in the middle are part of the host machinery. The NSP3 on the far right is what the virus has in place of PABP.Reproduced with permission from Varani and Allain (2002) Nature Structural Biology, 9,158.
During normal protein synthesis, the cell's machinery makes proteins using a template of its own DNA. This copy is known ...
... middle of paper ...
...racts the viral NSP3 protein much like opposite poles of two magnets.
Then... What's next??
The tunnel that was discovered as part of the NSP3 protein structure is the key to finding a cure for the virus that causes pediatric diarrhea. The viral protein functions by attracting the host mRNA into its tunnel much like a key would fit into a lock. If the lock is blocked the key cannot fit and the virus cannot replicate. This "blocker" is called an inhibitor. Inhibitors are used in modern day medicine to treat many illnesses by preventing the function of the invaders.
Now that the structure has been discovered, the next step is to create a medication that will plug up the lock (viral NSP3's tunnel) and prevent the key (viral mRNA) from entering. This would effectively prevent viral takeover and putting a halt to suffering caused by pediatric diarrhea.
Guyer, Ruth Levy, Ph.D. “Prions: Puzzling Infectious Proteins” National Institutes of Health Office of Science. 28 July 2006 < science.education.nih.gov/nihHTML/ose/snapshots/multimedia/ritn/prions/prions1.html>.
The viruses are spread in many different ways in the novel, but all are due to human mistakes. One of the most common forms of errors found in the medical field is the recycling of soiled equipment. The repeated use of dirty medical equipment is found commonly in the poor regions of the world where resources are limited and fundings are bound. This is an example of the errors the human race performs that lead to disaster.
Almost no one on Earth has any immunity at all to this virus, which makes ordinary vaccines useless against it. The sudden spread of the virus into Europe foreshadows an epidemic development that could be worldwide. Ultimately, there is no way to protect ourselves against epidemics. They will keep disappearing and coming back in new forms.
Sixty-five years ago, the US was facing the brunt of one of the most feared epidemics of the 20th century. Polio had been lingering in the region since its discovery in 1894, but was now running full throttle. This was the beginning marker of an era that changed the face of medicine and propelled the U.S. forward as the worldwide leader in not only medicine, but also innovative pediatric medical care. In the early 1950s frightened parents quarantined their families and entire towns were put on lockdown for fear of transmission of the airborne pathogen. The nation scrambled as 58,000 cases swept through taking with them the lives of 3,145.
The virus is primarily spherical shaped and roughly 200nm in size, surrounded by a host-cell derived membrane. Its genome is minus-sense single-stranded RNA 16-18 kb in length. It contains matrix protein inside the envelope, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, fusion protein, nucleocapsid protein, and L and P proteins to form the RNA polymerase. The host-cell receptors on the outside are hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. The virus is allowed to enter the cell when the hemagglutinin/ neuraminidase glycoproteins fuse with the sialic acid on the surface of the host cell, and the capsid enters the cytoplasm. The infected cells express the fusion protein from the virus, and this links the host cells together to create syncitia.
...ps one day it will be found and a vacine and cure could be developed.
HAV is known to be an infectious disease that usually occurs in children and young adults .The disease is usually transmitted from person to person through contaminated food, liquids or oral fecal route. An example would be when someone is carrying the virus and doesn’t wash their hands after using the restroom and then puts food in their mouth. HAV is most common in developing countries because of the living conditions and inadequate water, poor sewage facilities and sanitary conditions. The highest HAV levels in the world are from India,” Earlier reports suggest that India is hyperendemic for HAV infection2,4-6 with very high infection rates,” (Sowmyanarayanan). Most HAV are without severe complications, “Virus HAV infection rarely causes fulminant hepatic failure in people…,” (Vento,p.1) . The symptoms for HAV are high fever, nausea, vomiting and jaundice...
“This knowledge will help us design drugs that mimic the viral effects on these proteins to either activate a host’s immune response or shut it down,” said Dr. Michael Gale, associate ...
middle of paper ... ... But this is the first attempt to find a Crohn’s disease cure for humans using anti-MAP. A blood test is used to identify the DNA of the MAP, allowing doctors to quickly diagnose or rule out Crohn's Disease.
Proteins cannot be stored except in eggs and seeds and they form the body's main structural elements and. are found in every cell and tissue. The human body uses proteins for growth and to build and repair bones, muscles, tissue, skin, internal. organs and blood. Hormones, antibodies and the enzymes that regulate.
In the 1960s, doctors in the United States predicted that infectious diseases were in decline. US surgeon Dr. William H. Stewart told the nation that it had already seen most of the frontiers in the field of contagious disease. Epidemiology seemed destined to become a scientific backwater (Karlen 1995, 3). Although people thought that this particular field was gradually dying, it wasn’t. A lot more of it was destined to come. By the late 1980s, it became clear that people’s initial belief of infectious diseases declining needed to be qualified, as a host of new diseases emerged to infect human beings (Smallman & Brown, 2011).With the current trends, the epidemics and pandemics we have faced have created a very chaotic and unreliable future for mankind. As of today, it has really been difficult to prevent global epidemics and pandemics. Although the cases may be different from one state to another, the challenges we all face are all interconnected in this globalized world.
Cholera is a disease caused by the cholera bacterium Vibrio cholerae infecting the intestines. Usually, the illness is mild, and for some, symptoms of cholera never even present, but sometimes, the disease can also be severe. A severe case of cholera is “characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours” (Cholera Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment). Normally, in a gentler case of cholera, the infected person only has mild diarrhea. “In 5-10% of cases, however, patients develop very severe watery diarrhea and vomiting from 6 hours to 5 days after exposure to the bacterium. In these cases, the loss of large amounts of fluids can rapidly lead to severe dehydration. In the absence of adequate treatment, death can occur within hours” (Cholera Symptoms, Ca...
Gastroenteritis, sometimes referred to as infectious diarrhoea is a common disease that affects millions of people annually. It is a disease caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites that enter the human body and spread, which induce symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and nausea. Although it is a common occurrence in society and is usually not harmful, cases of gastroenteritis in less developed countries may have more fatal repercussions due to their inability to access ample means of treatment. Over time, as more research was conducted into the disease, scientific developments were made to aid those affected by gastroenteritis and reduce the number of fatalities by educating people regarding preventative methods.
Proteins (macronutrient), which are found in animal products, nuts and beans, they help to build new cells, maintain tissue and synthesis new proteins essential for performing basic bodily functions. Proteins are in abundance in the human body and are present in the outer and inner membranes of all living cells (Dummies, 2018). Proteins are essential for building new cells, maintaining tissue and helping new proteins needed for basic bodily function (