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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ByJohn Harmon

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

• Affects voluntary muscle control by attacking motor neurons

• The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death

• Due to the death of motor neurons, the brain can no longer communicate with muscles in the body

• In time, muscles weaken and atrophy leading to the patient becoming paralyzed

• Disease becomes fatal as the muscles used for respiration are affected.

Lou GehrigBorn June 19, 1903Died June 2, 1941

• Glutamate toxicity is one possible cause for ALS

• Glutamate necessary for neural transmission• Glutamate reabsorption facilitated by cell membrane protein• People with ALS lack this protein• Excess glutamate toxic to motor neurons

• Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase type 1 gene (SOD 1) is responsible for converting superoxide anions into Hydrogen Peroxide• Mutation in SOD 1 gene prevents this conversion

Mutant SOD 1 genes become toxic to motor neurons due to an increase in oxidative stress,

ALS causes a breakdown in the motor neurons,Or pathways between the brain and spinalCord and the muscles of the body

Who Gets ALS?

• 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year. (That's 15 new cases a day.)

• Approximately 30, 000 people in the U.S. have ALS

• According to an ALS association database: 60% of those diagnosed with the disease are men and 93% are Caucasian

• Most people who develop the disease are between the ages of 40 and 70

• ALS is 20% more common in men than women

Categorization of cognitive impairment among patients with ALS

• Muscle weakness in one or more of the following: hands, arms, legs or the muscles of speech,

• Difficulty swallowing or breathing

• Twitching (fasciculation) and cramping of muscles, especially those in the hands and feet

• Impairment of the use of the arms and legs

• “Thick speech" and difficulty in projecting the voice

• In more advanced stages, shortness of breath, severe problems with inspiration and swallowing

Symptoms of ALS

Other common symptoms of ALS:

There is no cure for ALS And the available treatments areOnly moderately effective

Wednesday, Susanne and I performed a portable chest exam on a patient with Parkinson’s disease, A close cousin to ALS

“The length of the metacarpal bones in the palm of the hand — not the wrist or finger bones but the bones between them — depends on the amount of testosterone in the body during development. ‘If you're exposed to a lot of testosterone in utero, your ring finger is long compared to the index finger, and it's longer in men than in women.’( Anderson, 2011)"

Methods of treatment

Riluzole

Physical therapy

Gastrointestinal therapy

Respiratory therapy

Since July 29, 2014, The ALS Association has received $115 million in donations!

• Began as a dare among pro athletes.

• Golfer Chris Kennedy was the first to focus the challenge on ALS

The EndQuestions?

The End

Questions

• http://www.stem-cell- regeneration.com/images/sampledata/als_stem_cell.jpg

• http://phillysportshistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/lou_2.jpg

• http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/lou-

gehrig-426x540.jpg• http://media.hamptonroads.com/cache/files/images/

blogs/200841.jpg

• http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v7/n9/images/nrn1971-f1.jpg

• http://i.ytimg.com/vi/s0xRp7oYSkU/hqdefault.jpg

• http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v14/n4/images/nrn3430-f1.jpg

• http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v14/n4/images/nrn3430-f1.jpg

• http://img.medscape.com/article/755/622/755622-fig2.jpg•

http://biotuesdays.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ALS.gif

• http://thehealthsuccesssite.com/images/muscle-als.jpg

• http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1006/hand_pic.JPG

• https://s3.amazonaws.com/pharmacytimes/n_media/image/HSlouGehrigsTable1.jpg

• http://blog.patientslikeme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/als-symptoms-chart.jpg

References

• http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bIaJz8SMHHw/0.jpg

• http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00bKETAOLzaRka/300ma-High-Frequency-X-ray-Machine-YZ30G.jpg

• http://radioactivityci2010.pbworks.com/f/1290796905/Wisconsin-MRI-machine.jpg

• http://www.radiology-equipment.com/instrumentpics/lsplus.jpg

• http://medchrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/electromyographyemg.jpg

• https://sites.google.com/a/conncoll.edu/neurobiology-of-disease/home/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als---kelsey-fredericks-and-paige-landry/als-results-graph.gif

• http://www.leepbook.com/imagesuploads/8355_Lou-Gehrigs-Disease-Amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis.jpg

• http://saypeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Amyotrophic-Lateral-Sclerosis-ALS.png