Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes 

This is an autoimmune disease that attacks the immune system. People who have this disease are not able to produce insulin on their own because of the dysfunctional beta cells in the pancreas. Normally, food is broken down into glucose which is used as the fuel and energy for the body by cells. Insulin is the hormone that allows glucose to enter cells, however, in people who have type 1, this transition does not occur. The beta cells do not produce the sufficient amount of insulin to maintain the body in homeostasis. Since the glucose is not being transported to cells, it accumulates in the bloodstream 

This is classified as an autoimmune disease because the immune system begins to attack the beta cells of the pancreas. As a result, high blood pressure can occur, along with other symptoms. For example, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, dehydration, and diabetic ketoacidosis. 

Definitions

Involved with T- Cell Activation 

Clonal anergy- This occurs when the body fails to react to presented antigen. When this occurs, it typically means the immune system is not capable of successfully initiating a response a pathogen, which may be a self- antigen.

Positive Costimulatory receptors- These are molecules that enhance TCR signaling. They induce expression of pro- proliferative cytokine IL-2along with prosurvival bcl-2 family member. For example, CD28 is a positive costimulatory receptor.


Negative Costimulatory receptors- These are molecules that inhibbit TCR signaling. They maintain peripheral T- cell tolerance and reduce inflammation after an infection and during responses to chronic infection.

Encounters: Allergy season

. 

Spring is in the air! 

Along with pollen and germs..

Now that Spring has arrived many of my friends are suffering from allergies. They have watery eyes, an itchy throat, and struggle controlling their sneezing. Allergies are classified as an abnormal response of the immune system to typically harmless substances such as pollen, bee venom, or pet dander. When a person with allergies detects an allergen the immune system triggers the B cells to begin antibody production to protect and fight off what it believes to be a harmful pathogen. As a result, their body will do a chain of reactions to destroy and get rid of the pseudopathogen. Thankfully for them, there are available medications that they can take to control their allergies. For example, antihistamines and decongestants. Antihistamines block the histamines that are produced as a result of detected allergen, which cause a person to have a runny nose and watery eyes. Decongestants shrink blood vessels and tissues that have been swollen and affected due to allergies. So, while the picture of the cute little girl is what some of my friends are going through this season, the following is how I will be enjoying this lovely season

Reflections: Contagion

    Contagion as a real life situation 

     The movie we watched in lab was exceedingly interesting and a bit frightening because it is highly possible for it to happen. Taking this course helps me understand the importance of vaccines along with the associated pathogens. The movie traced a woman who had been infected with something unknown and its origin was also unknown. This virus was highly transmissible and was sweeping the nation at a rapid rate. To me, this movie illustrated what a virus is capable of doing and how quickly it can be spread. Not only did it stress the medical importance, it also show the social, political, and economic consequences a pandemic can have. 

     At the end of the movie, it revealed how the virus began and how it was initially transmitted. This proves how critically important hygiene and sanitation is. Additionally, it showed how creating a vaccine and identifying the cells it is associated with can be tedious. For this reason, it important to try and prevent the transmission of new viruses. 

http://chargedmagazine.org/2012/08/the-movie-contagion-is-so-realistic-its-boring/

Tuberculosis

     Tuberculosis is a dangerous and highly contagious disease that can be transmitted via coughing, sneezing, and talking. It is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis and it typically attacks the lungs, but can infect other parts of the body as well. Symptoms include: severe cough, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, chills, fever, sweating, and blood in cough. An individual can have one of two different types of TB. One is the latent TB, where the host is not sick and the body is able fight off infection. Additionally, the disease does not spread to other parts of the body. On the other hand, the other type is simply called TB disease and this type can be transmitted to others and can be fatal. 
     In the early 1900s, a vaccine was created for TB. It is called Bacillus Calmette- Guerina (BCG). Vaccinations had advanced dramatically since they were first discovered many years ago. It is interesting how vaccines work because it is an attenuated form of the disease however it is not detrimental or fatal for an individual. It is intentionally weakened so that the body's immune system may be able to fight the infection and create antibodies for it. Therefore, if the person is presented with the disease the body will already have the previously made antibodies to fight the infection and prevent the person from getting sick and suffering from the illness. 

My dictionary

Major Histocompatibility complex (MHC) 


Endogenous/ Exogenous Pathway
-
Super antigen
 

Encounters: Raw Meat

         Yesterday, after a long day of being in class for about seven consecutive hours, my roommate and I were preparing to have dinner and she was getting ready to cook meat for tamales. Tamales are a traditional food for most Hispanics. I say most Hispanics, because I'm Mexican and my roommate is Guatemalan and we both love to eat tamales. I was clearly not exposed to all this diversity in South Texas. Anyway, her meat had been in the freezer for a quite some time and she asked me if she should be worried about it acquiring bacteria. I get so excited when information that I learn in class comes up during the day.

     I remembered how in one of our labs we had a question about freezing and thawing meat. One of the questions on the report asked, "Why does repeated freezing and thawing increase bacterial growth?" When meat is repeatedly thawed, the meat sits at room temperature for a while and this allows bacteria to grow. Freezing the meat after it has thawed does not kill or eliminate any of the new bacteria that could have possibly grown. It is always important to properly store meat in the freezer to avoid bacteria from growing on it. In the end, my roommate decided not to use the meat and threw it out. She saved herself from ingesting some possible bacteria, I guess I'm her hero now :P