Porphyria the Vampire Disease Essay Example

Porphyria: the Vampire Disease Paper Rachael McAlister AP II Extra Credit Paper J. Kamykowski 29 – November 2011 Porphyria: The Vampire Disease Porphyrias are a hereditary group of disorders in which heme is not properly made. There are many different forms of this disorder, with porphyria cutanea tarda being the most common type. Remember what happens to Edward Cullen from the Twilight series when he gets out in the sun? Yea, me neither. But in classic movies and early folklore, vampires were commonly depicted as having purplish, ruddy colored bloated skin. Fictional vampires are also known to fear the sunlight because the sun could damage their delicate skin or they could start sparkling. Porphyria has these same symptoms, minus the sparkling skin, which is why it is nicknamed The Vampire Disease. The process of making heme is a multi-step process. Porphyrins are made during this process. People with porphyria lack certain enzymes which causes buildups of porphyrins in the body. It usually attacks the nervous system or skin or both. When exposed to sunlight, a person with cutaneous porphyria can develop blisters, itching, scaring, and swelling of the skin. Porphyria in the nervous system is call acute porphyria. Symptoms of acute porphyria include: chest or abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. Certain medications, sunlight, smoking, alcohol, stress, or infections can trigger attacks with acute porphyria. An attack can include muscle numbness or tingling, paralysis, cramping, and personality and mental changes. With many forms of porphyria, a person may experience red urine. Porphyria is a rare disease. All the forms of the disease together affect less than 200,000 people in the US. We will write a custom essay sample on Porphyria: the Vampire Disease specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Porphyria: the Vampire Disease specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Porphyria: the Vampire Disease specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The most common form, porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT), affects around 1 in 10,000 people, while only six reported cases of ALAD-deficiency porphyria have been documented. Erythropoietic protophyria is the most common form among children. Acute Prophyrias seem to occur more often in northern European countries such as Sweden and the United Kingdom. Hereditary coproporphyria is reported most often in Europe and North America. Variegate porphyria is most common in the Afrikaner population of South Africa. Symptoms usually don’t manifest until later in adulthood. Most of the time porphyria is inherited. It is caused from a mutation in one or more of the following genes: ALAD, ALHS2, CPOX, FECH, HMBS, PPOX, UROD, and UROS. These genes provide instructions on how to produce the enzymes needed to make heme. 20% of cases are related to mutations in the UROD gene. Some types are inherited in an autosomal dominate pattern. This means that one copy of the gene in each cell is mutated. This increases the risk of developing signs and symptoms of the disease. Other forms are inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, meaning that both copies of the gene in each cell is mutated. Most often, the parents do not show any signs or symptoms when this is the case. Erythropoietic protophyria has an X linked dominate pattern of inheritance. Males may experience more severe symptoms of the disease than women. One of the main treatment options is the avoid the sun. A patient should quit smoking and drinking alcohol not only to aid in the benefit of their porphyria, but for overall health. Therapeutic phlebotomy may be used to improve heme production. Hematin may be administered intravenously in the event of a sudden acute attack. Pain medication, propranolol, and sedatives may also be used in this situation. Other treatment may include: Beta-carotene supplements, chloroquine, and fluids and glucose to boost carbohydrate levels. A high carbohydrate diet is recommended for patients with porphyria. Panhematin ® is the only available heme therapy treatment in the US. It is administered via a large central line or port. It is used to correct heme deficiency in the liver and repress the production of porphyrin precursors. Next time you are watching Dracula, pay close attention to his skin. His purplish, easily bruised or injured skin closely resembles the skin of someone with porphyrin. These people have to limit their time in the sun or they will blister. Sometimes they can experience problems breathing or chest pains. This disease, nicknamed The Vampire Disease, is rare but very painful for those that suffer from it. Works Cited Porphyria. † NCBI. gov. U. S. National Library of Medicine, 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. â€Å"Porphyria. † MedlinePlus. U. S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Nov. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. â€Å"Porphyria. † Genetics Home Reference. U. S. National Library of Medicine, July 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. American Porphyria Foundation, 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Sassa, Shigeru. â€Å"Modern Diagnosis and Management of the Porphyrias. † Brittish Journal of Haematology 135. 3 (2006): 281-292. Academic Search Elite. Web. 29-Nov. 2011

Free Essays on Environmental Inequalities

Andrew Hurley, in â€Å"Environmental Inequalities,† seems to be answering the same question throughout his telling of class, race, and industrial pollution in Gary, Indiana. From 1945- 1980 there were three distinct groups in Gary. There were the middle-class made up of white doctors, lawyers and management, the working class composed of semiskilled workers earning a moderate pay, and African Americans generally working the jobs that white workers did not want. Wage earnings gradually declined from the middle-class down to African American workers. Throughout this reading Hurley continually answers the question of how industrialization in Gary shaped human activity through pay and pollution, and in turn how humans shaped their environment. Starting with the middle-class citizens of Gary, Indiana, Hurley tells how they are identified by fresh air, beautiful landscapes and space. Hurley says, â€Å"Through the 1970’s, the preservation of suburban amenities would remain the driving force behind middle-class opposition to industrial pollution† (Hurley, 47). The relatively high income of the middle-class, although it varied greatly depending on occupation, allowed for families to move into suburban areas. With the combination of greater pay and efficient transportation, Gary was able to decentralize. This resulted in the primarily white middle-class moving a few miles outside of the downtown area, having more space and concentrating more on health issues. This was also made possible through government programs that further solidified the line between middle-class and working-class citizens. The Federal Housing Authority lowered initial down payments and extending repayment schedules. However, these types of mortgages were not allotted to low-income, inner-city neighborhoods because they were too risky. This was not the case for all Gary residents. â€Å"Even by the 1970’s, Gary remained a predominantly working-class community with almost ... Free Essays on Environmental Inequalities Free Essays on Environmental Inequalities Andrew Hurley, in â€Å"Environmental Inequalities,† seems to be answering the same question throughout his telling of class, race, and industrial pollution in Gary, Indiana. From 1945- 1980 there were three distinct groups in Gary. There were the middle-class made up of white doctors, lawyers and management, the working class composed of semiskilled workers earning a moderate pay, and African Americans generally working the jobs that white workers did not want. Wage earnings gradually declined from the middle-class down to African American workers. Throughout this reading Hurley continually answers the question of how industrialization in Gary shaped human activity through pay and pollution, and in turn how humans shaped their environment. Starting with the middle-class citizens of Gary, Indiana, Hurley tells how they are identified by fresh air, beautiful landscapes and space. Hurley says, â€Å"Through the 1970’s, the preservation of suburban amenities would remain the driving force behind middle-class opposition to industrial pollution† (Hurley, 47). The relatively high income of the middle-class, although it varied greatly depending on occupation, allowed for families to move into suburban areas. With the combination of greater pay and efficient transportation, Gary was able to decentralize. This resulted in the primarily white middle-class moving a few miles outside of the downtown area, having more space and concentrating more on health issues. This was also made possible through government programs that further solidified the line between middle-class and working-class citizens. The Federal Housing Authority lowered initial down payments and extending repayment schedules. However, these types of mortgages were not allotted to low-income, inner-city neighborhoods because they were too risky. This was not the case for all Gary residents. â€Å"Even by the 1970’s, Gary remained a predominantly working-class community with almost ...

Protestant Reformation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Protestant Reformation - Essay Example This belief gave immense power to the priests and the Pope, who was the highest titled priest of the world. The priests used that power of intercession to ensure the growth and prosperity of the 'church' to the detriment, many times, of the citizenry that made that immense power and wealth possible. Many times, the arrogance and power that were wielded by these priests caused an environment of resentment among the people that were supposedly being served. Not only was this power a continuing slap in the community's face, but salvation was also for sale! In order to raise funds for more and more elegant buildings and to support the avaricious appetites of the clergy individuals were told that the only way to be "saved" was by literally paying for your sins. An individual at that time may have to do a few "hail Mary's" but in order to ensure salvation, silver and gold coins given into the hands of the local monasteries was by far and away a more viable option. This air of resentment and anger had been simmering for decades and along with the 'salvation for sale environment" was part of the problem according to Luther's eyes.

Literature review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Literature review - Research Paper Example Studies where there was no MRSA screening were also excluded because these studies did not offer the information needed to address the major goal of this review. In addition, studies where MRSA infection was not confirmed by microbiologic techniques were excluded because this review was designed to study only patients that were confirmed to carry the infection after both screening and microbiologic techniques. Based on the findings from the cases in the literature, the broad problem was that too many patients are transmitting Methicillin resistant Staph aureus in ICU. Specifically, the literature aimed to provide evidence for the question, â€Å"Would the high transmission rate decrease if screening in adult patients was conducted upon admittance to the ICU unit as opposed to not screening?† This problem is important to pursue because it affected patient outcomes including the length of stay and complications from other illnesses. This problem also had a potential impact on th e quality of treatment due to overcrowding and understaffing. The costs were also affected since the hospital was forced to use more money for testing, medicine, and housing patients. Finally, the access to needed medications was limited, and ordering caused further delays. For the purposes of this study, the patients in each case study were limited to adults who were admitted to the ICU section. Children were not included in any of the studies regarding MRSA, and patients in other sections of the facility were also excluded. The following review placed eleven case studies into discussion, focusing on the interventions, comparisons, and outcomes of the studies. Each study included a report on the interventions used for that study, with interesting results from each case study. Clancy, Grepler, Wilson, Douglas, Johnson, and Price (2006), used swab samples which were obtained upon admission to ICUs and weekly thereafter patients who tested positive from nasal or clinical specimens wer e placed in contact isolation, even after readmission DNA fragments were analyzed for similarity of banding PFGE patterns. Dalla Valle, Pasca, De Vitis, Marzani, Emmi, and Marone (2009), also gathered swab samples, although they obtained the samples upon admission and twice-weekly thereafter. Patients who screened positive received isolation and/or antibiotic or colonization therapy. Honda, Krauss, Coopersmith, Kollef, Richmond, Fraser, and Warren (2010), conducted nasal screening, and had the patients who screened positive had contact precautions implemented with no antibiotic or colonization therapy. Clancy and Dalla Valle would have probably described Honda’s practice as irresponsible since antibiotics were not administered and patients were not relocated to a secluded area. This made the study ineffective, because there was no way to prevent the spread of MRSA between patients in the ICU. Other case studies that used the swab method included Lucet, Paoletti, Lolom, Paugam -Burtz, Trouillet, Timsit, Deblangy, Andremont, and Regnier (2005) used nasal swabs to obtain within 24 hours at admission and weekly thereafter. Although once a week was a consistent testing window, the case study probably would have generated far stronger results if testing had been conducted at lease twice a week. Contact precautions were implemented in MRSA positive patients. Another method used to determine MRSA was the standard culture method. Cunningham, Jenks, Northwood,

Positive and negative aspects of e-business for traditional retailing Essay

Positive and negative aspects of e-business for traditional retailing and whole-selling organisations - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that e-business or e-commerce is a significant trend in today’s business environment which is fundamentally facilitating change in the method of conducting commercial activities. E-business provides exceptional opportunities for retail and wholesale organisations by helping to overcome the geographic limitations. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can mainly benefit from e-business through collecting valuable information easily, promoting themselves through the internet and serving consumers in new markets with comparatively little cost than traditional business practices. E-business refers utilisation of information and communication technology (ICT) in the business environment which comprises knowledge and data exchange, web advertisements, online ordering and real–time delivery information among others. E-business implementation makes retail and wholesale organisations to rearrange the business procedures and to distribute goods and services more competently and effectually. However, despite rapid and sustained development of e-business several retail stores and wholesale organisations are still in the investment and brand development stage and have not utilised the benefits properly. E-businesses usually concentrate on the visual appearance and ease of use of their portals as a primary way for enlarging the customer base. The impact of e-business on retail stores and wholesale organisations is determined by the level to which they match the present retailing as a substitute channel or swaps existing networks. Environmental forces such as demographical, cultural, lifestyle, fashions, economic and political pressures and other commercial expansions impact the future possibility and practice of e-business in retail and whole-sale organisations. E-business is simply an enabler which results in retail or wholesale procedure innovation, where the products and the goods remain same. E-business acts as a re placement network which has resulted in fundamental alterations in shopping practices (Burt & Sparks, 2003). Positive Impact

Professional Development Of Teachers Education Essay

Professional Development Of Teachers Education Essay This study is to examine the role of leadership in teacher professional development in Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Klang Valley. The specific variables that will be investigated include teachers perceptions of teacher professional development; teachers expectations as well as the principals role in facilitating teacher professional development. Developments in leadership will lead to changes in the ways teachers work. These will subsequently increase the need to review teacher professional development. The purpose of this research is to establish how the dual of the principal and the teachers manifests itself in professional development. This research will be significant as it will examine the voices of teachers on how leadership contributes to teacher professional development. The research will be conducted using qualitative methodology. It will be based on a case study of two Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Klang Valley. Data will be collected using questionna ires and follow up interviews which will be administered to elicit responses from principals, deputy principals and teachers in both schools. The findings will reveal the need for teachers in Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Klang Valley to engage more in teacher professional development programmes in order for them to have a better understanding of the concept. This study will also demonstrate if teacher professional development should be the core work of both the principals and teachers in order to create a learning environment in their schools so that both can develop professionally. Based on the results obtained in this study, we will determine if Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Klang Valley need more awareness in teacher professional development and how it will influence the leadership. Keywords: Leadership, Principals, Teachers, Teacher Professional Development, Teaching and Learning INTRODUCTION The purpose of this proposed qualitative study is to help principals of Chinese Independent Schools in Selangor and their supervisors understand the interaction of leadership capacity and distributed leadership practices as they relate to professional development within a school. The study will capture leadership practices in an effort to reveal how the practices impact on the professional development of the teachers. The overall question under consideration is: How do schools and school leaders understand capacity building while using that process to build and/or sustain a culture for professional learning? The intention is to understand more about systems that promote professional development and as a result contribute towards school development. The role of the principal in facilitating the development of organizational learning and capacity building via professional development related to instruction, student achievement, leadership roles, inquiry, teacher engagement, vision, goal setting, shared norms and values will be examined using case study methodology. Interviews, open-ended survey results, focus groups, and documents as well as environmental observations will be analyzed to reveal the role of the principal in this context. The case studies will examine the behaviors, actions, and interactions of principals and teachers within schools where leadership and professional development is considered to be in place through formal and informal structures established at the district and building level. All of the principals in the study are from the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Selangor. Qualitative research is proposed in order to examine and articulate practices related to school leadership and professional deve lopment. Four case studies are proposed to help inform established and new principals embrace the paradox of leadership with purpose as well as an understanding that each story needs to be told in order to meet the obligation of building knowledge as part of a schools culture. Teachers are the main resources of an education system. They have important roles and responsibilities to exercise in the teaching profession and to mould students in accordance with the changing social needs. Therefore, professional development needs of teachers constantly change and develop along with the changing expectations regarding the quality of education, the changing social needs, technological changes and the effect of technology on learning, the change in student population, and the transforming paradigms in learning and teaching. Professional development of teachers is a must for school improvement and educational change. It is useful not only for teachers, but also for students, school administrators, parents, families and colleagues. Thus, it can be considered as both an individual and social implementation. In other words, investment on teachers is an investment on individuals whose consequences are directly reflected in the society as well. Professional development involves teachers acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes addressing improvements in education. It compensates the lack of education in pre-service training with the help of regular in-service training. Therefore, it can be considered as a process which starts in pre-service training and goes on with in-service training till the end of the profession. Teachers professional development is generally defined as activities such as seminars and set-courses which aim at training teachers through in-service training (Odabasi Kabakci, 2007). It is also defined as any kind of teaching-training activity to meet teachers needs that is necessary for their professional growth and development (Seferoglu, 2001). According to a broader definition, professional development consists of processes and activities designed to enhance the professional knowledge, skills and attitudes of teachers so that they can improve the learning of students. Therefore, professional development is a process that is intentional, ongoing and systemic (Guskey, 2000). The purpose of any professional development program is to inform and change teacher behavior as a result of new information. To achieve this purpose, educators spend countless hours on professional development activities, learning to use new instructional strategies or materials (Barnett, 2003) since the   professional development of teachers must be an on-going process of refining skills, inquiring into practice, and developing new methods.Professional development leads to knowledge acquisition on the one hand and update of current knowledge and skills on the other. In this respect, the advantages of professional development can be listed as follows (Librera et al., 2004). Professional development: Ø   ameliorates the field of application, Ø   helps teachers and students meet their individual or mutual needs by providing them with the opportunities to reflect on their personal experiences, applications and research, Ø   orientates professional experiences of high quality in schools, Ø   contributes to educational policies in heightening standards, Ø   helps teachers understand and explain ICTs. Most countries in the world consider teacher training as a crucial subject, and so does Turkey. Teacher training has several qualitative and quantitative insufficiencies in several countries. Regardless of the quantitative adequacy of teachers, professional development of teachers remains one of the most glaring problems of teacher training. Pre-service teachers still have the chance to develop themselves since they are still within an educational institution as learners. However, in-service teachers might find themselves abandoned as they have started working and hence feel deprived of constant mentoring and guidance. The only solution to sustain lifelong learning in Turkey is to provide in-service teachers with constant support through regular and effective professional development activities

Inaccurate Portrayal of the Dinosaur Face :: Anthropology Essays Paleontology Papers

Inaccurate Portrayal of the Dinosaur Face As time goes on, Paleontologists discover more and more fossil remains, and with that more and more information about dinosaurs. Yet even with the great deal of fossils that have been discovered in the past century, scientists are still forced to make educated guesses about certain dinosaur behaviors, traits, and appearance. Dr. Lawrence Witmer’s recent research addresses this issue. Dr. Witmer argues that the fleshy nostril of dinosaurs lies in a different place than has been assumed and portrayed for over the last one hundred years. Dr. Witmer’s discovery was published in the August issue of Science magazine in 2001 and may change how we envision dinosaurs forever. Movies like â€Å"Jurassic Park† and the BBC’s â€Å"Walking with Dinosaurs† portray dinosaurs with fleshy nostrils which lie very high on their head. Not only in popular media is this true but in sculptures, kids’ books and scholarly journals. How could so many scientists have been wrong for so long? Very easily. When a dinosaur fossil is discovered it has an extremely large nasal cavity in its skull, sometimes several feet in length. Since flesh does not preserve all too well over the course of millions of years, paleontologists have been forced to make an educated guess as to where the fleshy nostril lies within the larger nasal cavity. Since the 1880’s scientists assumed that the nostril existed near the top of the head. The reason for this is that when sauropods (long necked dinosaurs) were discovered, it was thought that they must live under water in order to avoid crushing themselves under their own weight. This would explain their long necks. It would also follow that the fleshy nostril would be near the top of the head so the creatures could breathe easily while their bodies were under water. Even after it was realized these dinosaurs did not live under the water, the idea that the fleshy nostril existed near the top of the head persisted. The idea was also spread to most other dinosaurs that were discovered thereafter. Perhaps you have noticed this in a drawing or movie, that Tyrannosaurus Rex’s large nostrils do not lie in the front of his face but instead halfway up his head. Witmer believes his years of research with his â€Å"DinoNose† project prove that dinosaurs’ fleshy nostrils actually exist on the front end of the nasal cavity instead of the back end as was once believed.