This proposal focuses on defining a cell-based therapy aimed at treating hydrocephalus and on limiting the immune response that is a common problem in hydrocephalus treatment as the shunt’s ventricular catheter becomes obstructed with tissue. This novel approach was designed after a literature review of contemporary and previously proposed treatment plans to identify if a personalized cell-based therapy can be implemented and result in improved patient outcomes.
General Background:
The word “hydrocephalus” is of Greek origin, where the words "hydro" meaning water and "cephalus" meaning head, and the words bluntly suggest that this disease has neurological manifestations. Rekate et. al defines hydrocephalus as “an active distension of the
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ventricular system of the brain related to inadequate passage of CSF from its point of production within the ventricular system to its point of absorption, that is, the subarachnoid space, into the systemic circulation.” The unifying characteristics of different subtypes of this disease is the accumulation of excessive CSF in the brain, specifically resulting in the enlargement of one’s ventricles.1 The subtype of hydrocephalus is categorized by the site of obstruction, that is, to the flow of CSF. Figure 1 (Rekate 2008) illustrates the different kinds obstructions, pathology, confirmed via MRI, and proposed treatment of hydrocephalus.2 CSF is commonly known to flow through the ventricles, bathe the brain and spinal cord tissue, and then reabsorbs into the bloodstream. CSF function has been determined to “keep the brain tissue buoyant, acting as a cushion… to act as the vehicle for delivering nutrients to the brain and removing waste… and flow between the cranium and spine and compensate for changes in intracranial blood volume.”1 Figure 2 illustrates the normal of flow CSF, which can be obstructed at any interval resulting in some form of hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is usually divided into two subtypes, based on impaired reabsorption or impaired CSF flow, that is, communicating/non-obstructive or non-communicating/obstructive, respectively.4 Either of these can be congenital, meaning hydrocephalus occurred during in utero during fetal development, or acquired, which is caused because of a factor disrupting the normal CSF cycle, for instance, trauma, infection or hemorrhage.
Communicating/non-obstructive hydrocephalus is characterized by the malabsorption of CSF in the absence of an obstruction in the CSF flow in its normal path to the subarachnoid space and across the blood-brain barrier, whilst non-communicating/obstructive is, as the name suggests because of an obstruction anywhere in the normal production or flow of CSF.4
This restricted flow of CSF or malabsorption can result in symptoms and signs that vary with age, and disease progression.3 The most obvious sign of hydrocephalus is an unusually large head size.3 Other symptoms can include any combination of vomiting, irritability, downward deviation of the eyes, seizures, poor coordination, gait disturbance, urinary incontinence, mental retardation, lethargy, or other changes in personality or
cognition.1,3, Currently, there exists no cure for the disease and contemporary treatment methods include medicinal therapy, external drainage or endoscopic surgery, and catheter shunting, which is maintained as the last treatment measure, but ends up being the one utilized the most in a clinical setting. Even, the catheter shunt is riddled with complications, namely over-drainage, occlusion or infection, which requires re-shunting and invites further complications.5 Shunt occlusion is the most prevalent cause of shunt failure, mainly due to inflammatory responses. Studies on shunt failure have revealed that occluded shunts become occluded mainly because of glial tissue, choroid plexus, and acute and chronic inflammatory factors.5,7,
Cephalopods are known to be exceptionally intelligent by invertebrate standards and in some respects even rival “higher” vertebrates. These animals have many highly evolved sensory and processing organs that allow them to gain a greater understanding of their environment and their place within it. Due to their advanced structures, many of which are analogous to vertebrate structures, and abilities they have been widely studied. Their methods of learning have been of prime interest and many experiments have been conducted to determine the different ways in which octopuses can learn. From these experiments four main kinds of learning have been identified in octopuses: associative learning, special learning,
Histological examination shows severe degeneration of Purkinje cells, reduction in the number of cells in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellar cortex, severe loss of the number of cells in the pontine nuclei and olives, and demyelination of the middle cerebellar peduncle. The cerebellar nuclei are well preserved. The tegmentum of the pons, the corticospinal tracts, and the restiform body are also usually unaffected. In clinical cases involving extrapyramidal symptoms, degenerative changes in the striatum, espec...
During the nineteenth century a variety of alternative medical traditions became popular in the United States. There was a shift in how people began to view their physical, mental, and emotional health. A type of alternative medicine that quickly became popular in the United States and Europe was the tradition of hygeiotherapy. This form of treatment included hydropathy a type of water-cure treatment and combined that with exercise, dietary reform, sexual restraint, and any behaviors that were viewed as unhealthy.
Swallowing is a complex action involving the muscles and nerves within the pharynx and esophagus, a swallowing center in the brain, and nerves that connect the pharynx and esophagus to the swallowing center (medicine net). But what would happen if it became difficult to swallow, or even worse, you lost the ability to swallow? What are the causes of this and what treatments are available? There are many specific causes that include physical obstruction of the pharynx or esophagus, diseases of the brain, diseases of the smooth muscle of the esophagus, diseases of skeletal muscle of the pharynx, and miscellaneous diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease and dementia) (Dysphagia, n.d.). Intervention for patients with dysphagia is diet modification of solid foods and/or liquids.
Walton, Sir John. Brain’s Diseases of the Nervous System. 9th ed. Oxford University Press. Oxford: 1985.
No matter what, where, or who you are, water is a necessary component to keeping any organism alive. Although water is essential for life, in many places, clean drinking water is hard to find. There are many consequences to drinking contaminated water. Every year, three to five million people are attacked by water-borne diseases and over 100,000 of them die. One fatal disease that can kill within hours is cholera.
As we know, agnosia is something that caused by brain damage. It can happen with other neurological disorders and in fact, it can be sign that the patient is experiencing a neur...
Meningitis is defined as inflammation of the meninges, which are the thin membranous covering of the brain and spinal cord. There are different variations of the disease which include bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, and non-infectious.
How do concussions affect the human brain? In order to know what affects the concussions does to the brain, we must first know what exactly a concussion is. A concussion a concussion is described as a complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain in the act of severe head trauma. Think of the brain as the yoke inside an egg, if the egg is shaken, the yoke will be obscured. This is exactly what a concussion is like. A concussion affects the brain in several ways, including physical, emotional, and cognitive. There are also long-term effects like increased risk for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s (“Concussion Treatment”).
Hypertrichosis, which is also known as Ambras Syndrome or Werewolf Syndrome, is excess growth of hair on parts of the body. Hypertrichosis can either be generalized meaning it covers the whole body or localized meaning it is only on a certain area. There are three different hair types that may be involved. They include Lanugo (long and silky), Vellus (replace Lanugo after birth except on the scalp and eyebrows), and terminal (course, thick, and pigmented). Generalized can include all three types while acquired usually involves vellus that turn into terminal. Along with being generalized or localized, Hypertrichosis is also separated into congenital or acquired classifications. Congenital means that this disorder was present at birth and may have been caused by mutations in the genes. While acquired means that it became present over time. The cause for congenital is typically genetics while the cause for acquired is influence by medical conditions such as metabolic disorders, cancer or even oral and topical drug treatments. Congenital Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa is thought to be caused by mutations on the eighth chromosome or spontaneous gene mutations. The main sign of Hypertrichosis is excess hair growth, especially in places that hair does not typically grow in. Symptoms of Hypertrichosis may be present because of underlying conditions or chemical imbalances and the side effects of some medications. When a patient is being diagnosed with Hypertrichosis, a Doctor will determine if this was congenital or acquired. Congenital has no cure but acquired are typically triggered by factors that can be reversed or lessened so the Doctor could try to find these triggers. Hypertrichosis can cause cosmet...
In modern society, we are faced with an increased demand for college graduates with a variety of skills. In order to meet the demands of an ever changing job market, we must be skilled in subjects such as math, reading and science. One subject that needs to be addressed is math. We use arithmetic to calculate numbers, exchange money and understand math concepts. That is why it is imperative that educators reach out to students with Dyscalculia with strategies, such as explicit instruction to help students overcome their problems in math. I will examine dyscalculia, its effect on the individual’s education and interventional approaches used to mitigate its effects.
During this corse I lean multiple ways that the brain changes mentally as a person ages, such as cognitive development. There are many theories about how cognitive development occurs in children. Jean Piaget had a theory of cognitive development that included 3 different stages, the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, and the concrete operational stage. The stages begin with learning though senses and actions, to have magical and egotistic thinking, to being able to think logically but not abstractly. Piaget also believed that people’s brains create schemas, almost like folders for the ideas of the brain, in order to organized they can understand them. When someone takes in new information,
Aquascaping is a great form of art that focuses on making underwater landscapes in an aquarium. It sounds a little difficult but after getting used to it, you will be able to make stunning underwater landscapes that could catch the attentions of any person’s eyes. You just have to focus on little details and the basics to advance in aquascaping. The following tips should be helpful for you in aquascaping an aquarium:
...there are some risk factors in using stem cell for therapeutic approaches, hematopoietic stem cell therapy by bone marrow transplantation has already been proofed to be safe if donors’ background and screening, cell contamination, HLA matching and opportunistic or nosocomial infections during immunocompromised period were carefully monitored and controlled. Still, other types of stem cell therapies, despite of their good therapeutic efficacy, are remain in experimental stage and need more data to support and demonstrate the safety in clinical trials. More understanding of stem cell biology is also required in order to keep stem cell under controlled and avoid some complications that they might cause. So, to pave the way for successful stem cell therapy, research in this extent is needed to pursue to maximized therapeutic efficiency with highest safety in patients.
Many people think that the increased travel and trade between the world’s nations improved people’s lives. Although this increase had a positive effect, travel and trade also brought disasters. Foreign travelers and traders contributed to the wide spread of infectious diseases like cholera. A look at the general information, sources of infection and risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention and control will give a further insight on cholera.