Forget Me Not

My grandmother had an Alzheimer's disease, but this was not the cause of her death.

Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia which is caused by low levels of neurotransmitter acetycholine in the cortex of the brain associated with the destruction of neurons.

According to research, enzyme cholinesterase can effectively raise the acetylcholine level in the brain but it cannot reverse the destruction of neurons.

Alzheimer's disease is irreversible and can be inherited.

Related Topics:
Human Diseases (Parkinson's Twitch)
Health (Skin Safety Campaign)

Elevated Amylase

After my uncle suffered from pancreatitis and fortunately, he was immediately brought to the hospital, all of us wanted to have our laboratory test done for amylase, which is used to detect or diagnose pancreatitis. However, according to my uncle's physician, elevated amylase level in the body will only occur if there's an injury to the pancreas.

Last March 29, 2002, Rico Yan, matinee idol, died of pancreatitis (bangungot).

Related topics: Health (Adrenoleukodystrophy), Medical Technology (Protein In Urine), Human Diseases (13's Huntington)

Lorenzo's Adrenoleukodystrophy

I know that most of you have already seen Lorenzo's Oil. It's a movie about a child having Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). ALD or Addison-Schilder Disease or Siemerling-Creutzfeldt Disease is a rare disease passed through by the mother. The patients with X-linked ALD are all male.

In this disease, an essential protein, called a transporter protein, is
missing in sufferers. This protein is needed to carry an enzyme which is used to
break down very long-chain fatty acids found in the normal diet. Lack of this
protein can give rise to a build-up of very long-chain fatty acids, (VLCFA) in
the body which can damage the brain and the adrenal gland.
–en.wikipedia.com

Most scientists are still skeptical about the effectiveness of Lorenzo's Oil and up to now, it is still under investigation.

On the other hand, Lorenzo died on May 31, 2008. According to HeraldSun.com:

Lorenzo Odone's battle with the rare Adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, a
genetic disease, died one day after his 30th birthday - 20 years longer
than doctors expected him to live.

He died of pneumonia after getting food stuck in his
lungs.

I could not get an accurate figure of ALD cases in the Philippines, but I find aldfoundation.org as a very informative site.

Related Topics: Health (Parkinson's Twitch), Human Diseases (13's Huntington)

Protein In Urine

[vet.uga.edu]

According to Strasinger, the most indicative of renal disease is the protein determination.

In a routine analysis, presence of excess protein in urine does not always signify renal disease but it does require additional testing to determine whether it's pathologic or normal.

Glomerular membrane damage, disorders affecting tubular reabsorption of filtered protein and increased serum levels of low-molecular weight proteins are some of the major pathologic causes of proteinuria (presence of excess protein in urine).

Related Topics: Health (Assessing Consciousness), Medical Technology (First Morning Specimen), Human Diseases (13's Huntington)