Essays on Glycoprotein

Introduction

The Ebola virus has existed for centuries. Like all life forms and viruses, it has been changing and adapting since the beginning of time to survive. Despite this the disease did not make itself known until the twentieth century. However, once the virus revealed itself only three major outbreaks have occurred. There were two in 1976 and one which took started in 2014 (CDC, 2015). The latest outbreak has been the longest and worst, effecting numerous countries such as, Mali, Nigeria, Liberia and Senegal in West Africa (CDC, 2015). This paper will look at the scientific aspects of the ...

Novel drug sourced from snake venom

Abstract The cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases have continued to be some of the leading death causes across the globe. In the recent times, the field of medicine has received substantial advancements, particularly in the areas of pharmacological treatment and the prevention of the disorders such as the plasminogen activators, platelets GPIIb/IIIa antagonists and the direct thrombin inhibitors. The development of the novel drug, the tirofiban sourced from the Echis carinatus venom been highly reported to be of great importance. Tirofiban, an anticoagulant factors isolated from Echis carinatus has a variety of immune responses that includes both acute inflammatory responses ...

Biomolecules serve different functions in a cell. The three major classes of biomolecules in the cell are: proteins, nuclei acids and carbohydrates. These molecular structures serve nearly similar functions in most organisms. Though the function of protein in forming cell architecture, signaling and communication is well known, little is known about the role of carbohydrate in communication. Nevertheless, it goes un-denying that carbohydrates are indispensable for cellular communication and signaling, just like proteins and nucleic acids. The paper titled, Carbohydrates in Cell Recognition, by the authors Nathan Sharon and Halina Lis, is a good review that elucidates the significance ...

Introduction and Overview

The Rhesus factor (Rh) refers to the red blood cell’s(RBC) surface antigen;the name Rhesus comes from the small Indian monkeys in which it was first discovered. Rh incompatibility,sometimes referred to as Rh disease, is a condition that occurs when a woman with the Rh-negative blood type is exposed to Rh- positive blood cells, leading to the development of Rh antibodies. This condition can have fatal outcomes including haemolytic disease of the foetus or newborn, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and haemolytic transfusion reactions (HTRs). These conditions have, in the past, raised a lot of concerns, and some ...

Introduction

CD4 is a cellular immune response co-receptor that raises the avidity of relationship between an antigen-presenting cell and a T-cell through interaction with non-polymorphic parts of the complex between T-cell receptor and major histocompatibility class II molecules. It directly contributes to transduction of signal via cytoplasmic relationship with the lymphocyte kinase. CD4 also plays a role as the high-affinity receptor for attachment of cells as well as entrance of HIV. The CD4 extracellular part consists of domains that resemble immunoglobulin D1 to D4. This component of the CD4 has been qualified as a recombinant soluble protein, and crystal structures have been identified for ...

The regeneration of nerves throughout the human body has been a subject of much interest in biology recently. The unique characteristics of both the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) provide insights into the mechanisms occurring after once damage occurs. A good understanding of tThe differences between these mechanisms also may lead to new therapies for nerve-damaged patients, including stroke patients. Following injury, the nerves in the CNS of an adult mammal will not regenerate, while the PNS will. These differences appear in every stage of axon regeneration. Within hours of axotomy, the PNS begins ...

Introduction

African sleeping sickness is also called as Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT). This disease is fatal if left untreated and is endemic to Africa. HAT is caused by two sub species of the infectious protozoan Trypanosoma brucei. Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (T.b.g) infections are prevalent in western and central Africa, while T.b rhodesiense (T.b.r) infections are common in eastern and southern Africa. The disease spread by the tsetse fly (Glossina spp.). The disease gets its name from one of the major characteristic symptoms of HAT: disruption of sleep cycle. The patient experiences uncontrollable urge to sleep during the day followed by ...

BBB functions and physiology: The central nervous system (CNS) necessitates a highly controlled environment for its proper functioning. Blood brain barrier is the system which maintains the homeostasis of the CNS. It works by separating and shielding the brain from the constant changes in the nutrient and chemical composition of systemic blood. It protects the brain tissue from harmful chemicals that might be present in the blood. The key functions of the BBB are transport of nutrients from the blood to brain and metabolites in opposite direction to systemic circulation. Only a small number of molecules are allowed access through the ...

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV is a retrovirus, which is a unique virus family consisting of RNA as the genetic material instead of DNA. This genetic material is surrounded by an envelope of lipoprotein. HIV differs structurally from other members of the family retrovirus. It is roughly spherical and has a diameter of around 120 nm. Human Immunodeficiency Virus comprises of two copies of non-covalently joined positive single-stranded RNA enveloped by a conical capsid that consist of the p24 viral protein, which is typical of lentiviruses. Lysine tRNA is reverse transcriptase that is magnesium dependent and is involved in the packaging of both ...

Marburg Virus

Introduction Marburg virus refers to virus of the genus marbugvirus. The virus usually causes the Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever. The virus is said to have originated from Africa and specifically Central and East Africa. The virus got its name from the place where the first outbreak was discovered, Marburg in German. The virus infects both human beings and other animals, especially nonhuman primates. The virus usually lives in the animals hosts, and human being can easily contact the virus from the animals. After the initial transmission of the virus to human beings, the virus can be transmitted among ...

1.0 Introduction

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neural degenerative condition involving the progressive degeneration of the myelin sheath (the protecting cover to the nerve fibres (axons)) around the nerve cell leading to a break down in transmission of nerve impulses. The impairment of the transmission results in loss of the body’s ability to control and coordinate muscle movement. The disease progresses through a complex and diverse symptoms making it challenging to diagnose, treat and manage. The symptoms of MS may range from gentle to severe weakness, impaired body movement, lack of ordered senses, uncontrolled bowel and bladder, damaged cognition, impaired vision and a variety ...

Introduction

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neural degenerative condition involving the progressive degeneration of the myelin sheath (the protecting cover to the nerve fibres (axons)) around the nerve cell leading to a break down in transmission of nerve impulses. The impairment of the transmission results in loss of the body’s ability to control and coordinate muscle movement. The disease progresses through a complex and diverse symptoms making it challenging to diagnose, treat and manage. The symptoms of MS may range from gentle to severe weakness, impaired body movement, lack of ordered senses, uncontrolled bowel and bladder, damaged cognition, impaired vision and a variety ...

HIV VIRUS

The HIV virus is the causative agent of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It usually infects the CD4 + T Helper cell by binding to the cell membrane, this is then followed by membrane fusion; a process that allows the virus to release viral particles into the host cell. Once infected, the T-Helper cell turns into a HIV replicating cell since the viral RNA is converted into DNA by reverse transcriptase a process facilitated by the viral proteins [ CITATION bio \l 1033 ]. The double stranded viral DNA is then transported to the nucleus where it is fused with the normal host DNA by ...

1.0 Background of Immune Tolerance

The immune system is the natural defense that combats disease causing agents in the body[ CITATION Gre02 \l 1033 ] through an intricate and coordinated interactions of many classes of proteins and cells[ CITATION Len00 \l 1033 ].The immune system has a potential to destroy the body cells but in all vertebrates the system is capable of distinguishing “self” from “non-self” molecules. That way the immune system eliminates pathogens and molecules that are a threat to the integrity of the organism without “self-destructing”[ CITATION Len00 \l 1033 ]. The human body has several mechanisms of either suppressing or eliminating autoreactive immune cells. Some ...