Tribe Evolves Brain Disease 'Resistance Gene' Nov 21, 2009
Familial prion diseases of humans include classic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Str ... Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a prion disease that was first described in 1996 in the United Kingdom ... 10, 2005) Diffusion-weighted MRI is "extremely useful" in detecting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a close cousin of "mad cow" disease, very early in its progression--even before the onset of. (Science Daily)
* Lessons to learn from beef debacle Nov 8, 2009
However, mad cow disease and its human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD) disease have long incubation periods, increasing the risk of infection going unnoticed. Not only did the decision brush aside the rights of consumers, it could also affect future generations. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
* Legislators assail minister on US beef Nov 3, 2009
As a result, officials said the risk of consumers contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was around one in 10 billion. . (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
* EDITORIAL : Time for some facts about US beef Oct 30, 2009
The ferocity of politicians would be entirely justified if it were imports of UK beef we were talking about, as the UK was where the BSE epidemic was first identified and where the vast majority of cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human form of BSE, have been reported ... Figures from the UKs National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit show that at the end of last month there had been 167 deaths from vCJD in the UK, with the peak (28 cases) occurring in 2000. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Taiwan's ruling party split over end of US beef ban Oct 27, 2009
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Human form of mad cow reported in Italy Oct 24, 2009
ROME - The Italian Health Ministry reported Friday a "likely" case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, the human form of mad cow disease. Since national records were established in 1993, Italy has had only one known case of the disease, in 2002, the ministry said. (MSNBC -- Health)
Taiwan lifts ban on US beef in bone Oct 24, 2009
Mad cow disease is a brain-wasting disease in cattle, which in humans can cause a variant form, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
Prion study reveals first direct information about the proteins molecular structure Oct 7, 2009
Prions are the infectious proteins responsible for human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" disease, scrapie in sheep and several other related nervous system disorders in mammals. For a number of years, scientists have been using the tools of genetic engineering to create synthetic versions of these particles so they could study them more easily. (EurekAlert!)
Evolutionary Origins Of Prion Disease Gene Uncovered Sep 30, 2009
Diseased prion proteins are responsible for the fatal neurodegenerative Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, and BSE, scrapie and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in livestock ... (May 9, 2008) Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side. (Science Daily)
Alzheimer's disease Sep 21, 2009
Other rarer causes of dementia include progressive supranuclear palsy, Korsakoff's syndrome, Binswanger's disease, HIV and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). People with multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease can also be at an increased risk. (BBC News -- Health)
Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology Sep 10, 2009
Prion diseases are transmissible, and inevitably fatal, neurodegenerative disorders that are responsible for BSE in cattle, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, and scrapie in sheep and goats. The first cases of BSE were reported in the United Kingdom in 1986 and reached epidemic proportions by 1992 at which point up to 185,000 cattle had succumbed to the disease. (EurekAlert!)
WTO Panel to Probe Canadian Complaint Against Korean Ban on Beef Imports Sep 1, 2009
Eating meat from BSE-infected animals has been tied to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an incurable human illness that destroys brain tissue. Canada has reported 16 cases of mad cow disease. (Bloomberg -- Canada)
Gene Mutation Alone Causes Transmissible Prion Disease Aug 28, 2009
Prions cause several diseases, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE, or "mad cow disease") in cows, and scrapie in sheep. Some prion diseases, like BSE, can be transmitted from feed animals to humans. (Science Daily)
Is hair loss tied to B-12 deficiency? Aug 26, 2009
Because of a lack of testing for the specific disorder, Alzheimer's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and related disorders should be ruled out before diagnosis can be made. Nonverbal communication and communicative assistive devices from the National Aphasia Association may be beneficial. (Erie Times-News, PA)
Window Into The Brain: Diffusion Imaging MRI Tracks Memories And May Detect Alzheimer's At Early Stage Aug 18, 2009
10, 2005) Diffusion-weighted MRI is "extremely useful" in detecting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a close cousin of "mad cow" disease, very early in its progression--even before the onset of. (Nov. (Science Daily)
People Who Eat Deer And Elk With Chronic Wasting Disease May Avoid Infection Because Of Species Barrier, Study in Monkeys Suggests Aug 4, 2009
Other TSE diseases include mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. Humans are not susceptible to sheep scrapie, but BSE appears to have infected about 200 people, primarily in Europe in the 1990s. (Science Daily)
Blood Transfusions Associated With Infection Aug 1, 2009
1, 2008) A nine-year study in sheep has added to the evidence that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) can be transmitted through blood transfusion in humans. The likelihood of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy. (Science Daily)
UW Hospital warns 53 patients about possible exposure to fatal brain disease Jul 24, 2009
The instruments had been used on a woman who died Tuesday of the brain disorder, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease ... It s a horrible situation, and I m sure the university is as devastated by this as they possibly can be, said Florence Kranitz, president of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation in Akron, Ohio. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
How Prion Protein Damages Brain Cells: Findings Could Advance Understanding Of Mad Cow Disease, Related Disorders Jun 16, 2009
(May 9, 2008) Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side. New research shows that normally functioning prions prevent neurons. (Science Daily)
Scientists Devise Accelerated Method To Determine Infectious Prion Strains Jun 2, 2009
(May 9, 2008) Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side ... 12, 2007) Scientists have developed two new tests for prions, infectious proteins that cause a number of diseases including "mad cow disease," and a human counterpart, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. (Science Daily)
Former Commissioner McCarter dead at 71 May 27, 2009
His death followed bouts with prostate cancer and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare brain disorder that left him confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak at the end of his life, former colleagues said ... About 300 Americans are diagnosed annually with Creutzfeldt-Jakob ... A variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob is caused by eating beef contaminated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Prevalence Of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Agent In Britain Remains Uncertain May 25, 2009
ScienceDaily (May 24, 2009) First results from a large tissue survey in Britain of the agent that causes variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) are unable so far to establish that the prevalence is lower than that given by previous estimates, concludes a study published on the British Medical Journal website ... (May 19, 2006) A small study in this week's British Medical Journal suggests a new human genotype may be prone to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) ... 19, 2008) Researchers... (Science Daily)
Tragic treatments aimed to make kids 'normal' May 12, 2009
Among this group, nearly a decade later, a handful of cases of human mad cow disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) began to emerge. In 1985, cadaver-derived human growth hormone was pulled off the shelves in the United States. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Quarantine the footwear? Apr 28, 2009
Footwear or rather, its removal thereof by authorities for examination and disinfection could possibly be a means of containing this potential pandemic, as was the case when the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (better known as the human variant of BSE or Mad Cow disease), SARS and avian flu made their destructive debuts in the last two decades. After all, authorities engaged in studying and isolating the flying footwear epidemic are said to be mulling similar monitoring measures, given... (India Times)
Prominent Valley attorney dies of rare brain disease Apr 19, 2009
A prominent Phoenix attorney has died of an apparent case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is so rare it literally strikes one in a million. It was the first case recorded in Arizona this year; only two cases were confirmed in the state last year. (AZCentral -- News)
Large Number Of New Prions Discovered: Scientists Redefining What It Means To Be A Prion Apr 8, 2009
Over the years, researchers have identified a small number of other prions in humans and other animals, most of which cause degenerative neurological diseases, including scrapie in sheep and goats, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans ... (May 9, 2008) Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side. (Science Daily)
Redefining what it means to be a prion Apr 3, 2009
Over the years, researchers have identified other degenerative diseases caused by PrP in humans and other animals, including scrapie in sheep and goats, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. A few other prions have also been found in model organisms, such as yeast. (EurekAlert!)
Obama bans 'downer' cows from food supply Mar 15, 2009
Mad cow disease is the common name for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE. In people, eating meat contaminated with BSE is linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare and deadly nerve disease ... There have been three cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease confirmed in people living in the U.S., but those were linked to meat products in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Iron is involved in prion disease-associated neuronal demise Mar 14, 2009
Unlike other neurodegenerative conditions, prion disorders are sporadic, inherited, and infectious, and affect both humans and animals; common examples are mad cow disease in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. The causative agent is a misfolded protein referred to as PrP-scrapie that replicates itself by changing the conformation of neighboring copies of the same protein, namely the prion protein. (EurekAlert!)
Prion discovery gives clue to control of mass gene expression Mar 14, 2009
The discovery in common brewer's yeast of a new, infectious, misfolded protein -- or prion -- by University of Illinois at Chicago molecular biologists raises new questions about the roles played by these curious molecules, often associated with degenerative brain diseases like "mad cow" and its human counterpart, Creutzfeldt-Jakob. Susan Liebman, distinguished university professor of biological sciences, and postdoctoral research associate Basant Patel propagated the new prion from a normal... (EurekAlert!)
Antibody Key To Treating Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) Mar 13, 2009
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) is part of a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders, called prion diseases, which affect both animals and humans ... (July 10, 2007) Scientists have made significant advances towards the development of a technique that could be used to confirm whether someone is infected with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob ... 19, 1999) The development and validation of a test that allows earlier diagnosis of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), in... (Science Daily)
Spain reports fifth human death from mad cow disease... Mar 7, 2009
The health ministry said laboratory tests confirmed that the woman had Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) as the human variant of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, is known. "The appearance of sporadic cases of the disease does not indicate new risks for the health of the public," it said in a statement. (The Drudge Report)
Scientists make strides in unraveling Alzheimer's secrets Feb 27, 2009
On Wednesday, a team at Yale University reported in the journal Nature that prions - proteins known to wreak havoc on the brain in mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases - appear to kick-start the toxic effects of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease. The findings shed new light on the complex brain mechanisms behind Alzheimer's, which is marked by memory loss, confusion, and eventually the inability to care for oneself. (Boston Globe)
Research hones in on mystery of Alzheimers Feb 27, 2009
reported in the journal Nature that prions proteins known to wreak havoc on the brain in mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases appear to kick-start the toxic effects of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease ... These proteins are normally harmless unless they are mangled or misshapen in some way, as in mad cow or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. (MSNBC -- Health)
Link found between Alzheimer's, mad cow protein Feb 26, 2009
The study by Dr. Stephen Strittmatter and his Yale colleagues raises the possibility of a link between Alzheimer's and the family of prion diseases that includes mad cow disease and a related human neurodegenerative illness called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. But the evidence so far shows no sign that Alzheimer's disease involves a prion protein with the deformed structure seen in mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
Wales News Infected blood tragedies Feb 24, 2009
It emerged last week that a haemophiliac contracted the human form of mad cow disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) after being treated with a blood-clotting agent from an infected donor. Jenny Willott, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, said: The Government must not hide from this tragedy anymore. (WalesOnline)
Potential Health Risks Associated With Stressed Foodstuffs Such As Foie Gras Feb 20, 2009
Greger explains that a biochemical mechanism akin to the replication of similar protein fragments in the brain diseases Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), scrapie, and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, might occur when amyloid fibrils enter brain tissue or the pancreas. He points out that high levels of these materials can be found in p t; de foie gras, fatty liver pate, produced by force-feeding poultry. (Science Daily)
