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peachhedgehog469Lv1

28 Sep 2019

1. If you were in charge of distributing one-hundred million dollars in research funds but could only chose one viral disease to provide for, which disease would you endow and why?

2. How do you think the medical and scientific community should use your millions?

Please provide a thorough explanation of at least 250 words, including references.

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Casey DurganLv2

28 Sep 2019

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Many emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic diseases and tracking down viral origins and reservoirs can be challenging. This video illustrates both the tremendous strides we have made in our understanding of viruses and how fragile humankind remains in the face of infectious agents

1.If you were in charge of distributing one-hundred million dollars in research funds but could only chose one viral disease to provide for, which disease would you endow and why?

2.How do you think the medical and scientific community should use your millions? The Age of Viruses (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Video, 50:39 mins)

beigesheep401

The Scientific Method

For any controlled scientific study, a scientist starts with an observation, does some research to develop a hypothesis, and then designs an experiment that compares some baseline group with a test group. Data are then collected to confirm or refute the hypothesis.

As you review the following study, consider whether the researchers correctly followed the scientific method.

In the late 1990s, gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield, along with a research team, set out to determine if bowel disease caused by vaccines led to autism.

He compiled a group of 12 children who had loss of acquired skills, developmental delays in language, diarrhea, and abdominal pain-essentially, those with both bowel disease and autism. He questioned each parent about the behavior and personality of the child before the child was vaccinated with the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. He then ran tests on the children to determine the health of the gastrointestinal tract, brain, and nervous system.

His reported data (tabulated below) included that children experienced either gastrointestinal or autism-like symptoms, sometimes within a short period after being vaccinated. From these data, the researchers concluded that there was no link between autism and the MMR vaccine. Wakefield though, contradicted this conclusion and stated that the vaccine caused changes in the gastrointestinal tract of the children, which then led to autism (Wakefield, et al., 1998). Currently, he still contends that the MMR vaccine contributes to autism (Ziv, 2015).

Many researchers tried to duplicate this study and could not replicate Wakefield's results. In fact, they found no link between the vaccines, bowel disease, and autism. In the United Kingdom, the MMR vaccine was not introduced until 1988. If Wakefield's conclusions were correct, one would then expect a jump in autism cases after 1988, but this was not observed, even when hundreds of children were studied (Taylor et al., 1999). In these additional studies, children who had not been vaccinated were included as a control group, and no difference in the rates of autism was observed.

In 2011, Brian Deer reviewed Wakefield's study and all available records from the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom for these 12 children. He found that at most, two children showed symptoms days after vaccinations. At least five children showed developmental delays before being vaccinated. Six out of the 12 children may have had autism symptoms. None of the 12 children tested had all three-regressive autism, colitis, and symptoms days after vaccination.

Symptom	Wakefield	Wakefield NHS Records (Deer)
Symptoms days after vaccination	8	2?
Non-specific colitis	12	3
Regressive autism	9	6?
Intestinal/autism/symptoms after vaccine	12	0

(Wakefield, et al., 1998; Deer, 2011)

Wakefield's statements led to a worldwide panic about the safety of vaccines, but after Deer's report, Wakefield's study was retracted and his medical license was revoked for falsifying data. Click on the following links to review materials to enhance your knowledge of the scientific method and to support your analysis of Wakefield's experiment:

Steps of the Scientific Method: A simplified explanation of how the scientific method works, the steps taken to investigate phenomenon with diagrams

Do Vaccines Cause Autism?: A review of research demonstrating that vaccines and their components are not the cause of autism

Fifteen years after a vaccine scare, a measles epidemic: An analysis of vaccination trends and an increase in measles cases seen the UK

Answer the following 4 questions:

What was wrong with Wakefield's study? Discuss at least 1 variable or approach that should have been controlled or assessed.

Consider the source of some of his data (parental memory, for example), the small sample size, and whether he considered other variables (genetics, diet, and so on) that could have resulted in symptoms in these children.

Discuss the importance of a control group when using the scientific method.

Did Wakefield deserve to be barred from medical practice?

What were the consequences of his inflated conclusions?

Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii), the worldâs largest carnivorous marsupials, are facing extinction. Not from hunting, or habitat loss, but from within; a transmissible cancerous derivative of Schwann cells, responsible for devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). First seen in 1996, the disease has spread widely though the population, and is now estimated to be present in 80% of the population. With the grim prognosis of ~100% mortality in 12-18 months, animals that once went through multiple breeding cycles are now lucky to reproduce once before death, resulting in a 70% decline in their population over the past decade. The cancer is transmitted by biting (a common ritual used by these animals to establish and maintain social position), with cancer cells from one animal (the biter) being implanted in the wound inflicted on the other animal. Equally common in both sexes, the disease itself is more prevalent in animals higher on the social scale, presumably reflecting higher levels of social interaction (biting). The cancer is usually first evident as facial tumors, from which metastasis to cervical lymph nodes occurs, often followed by dissemination to other organ systems. Cause of death is by organ failure or by malnutrition in those with facial tumors large enough to prevent feeding. Based on what we have covered regarding the Major Histocompatibility Complex, you would expect the passage of a cancer from one individual to another* to be a rare event (to see just how rare, read the accompanying popular press piece from the New York Times). Here are some things that you already know: *Yes, some viruses can cause cancer (example: Hepatitis B virus and liver cancer), and you can transmit a virus from one individual to another; but that is not the same thing as passing the cancer itself. v Almost all nucleated cells express high levels of class I MHC proteins on their surface. v Class I MHC proteins collect peptides produced from endogenous proteins and display them at the cell surface. v Different Class I MHC proteins bind and display different peptides. v Developing cytotoxic T-cells that recognize self-antigens are eliminated. v Mature cytotoxic T-cells conduct surveillance by scanning the peptides displayed by class I MHC proteins. v Mature cytotoxic T-cells that recognize an antigen on a cell will kill that cell (recall that cytotoxic T cell activity is important in rejection of tissue transplants).

Before the questions:
v Tasmanian Devils are not immunosuppressed.
v Tasmanian Devil cytotoxic T-cells are not broken, they can kill cells.
So neither of those should be part of your answers.
This is an ongoing research topic with large gaps in our knowledge; we really donât fully understand how this works
and so there is no âcorrectâ answer. Your job is to provide a logical argument, with some research and details to
support your contention. Note that in questions 1 & 2 class I MHC should be part of your answer, but not in
question 3.

Questions:
1.) Acquiring DFTD is basically like receiving a transplant that is not rejected. How can that be? Suggest a possible
way this could occur. Be sure to explain why you think this would work, and then explain how you would test
that model to determine if it were correct. (10 point question).
2.) Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (CTVT) is the other know transmissible cancer in mammals. Unlike
DFTD, CTVT does not usually result in death. Do a little research on this disease and summarize how it is
different from DFTD. Provide an explanation as to why one is lethal and the other is generally not. (10 point
question).
3.) Recently, researchers at Washington State University determined that some Tasmanian devils had developed
resistance to this cancer. By scanning partial genome sequences of resistant and susceptible animals (a
complete devil genome has yet to be assembled) they identified a set of genes where mutations appeared to
enhance resistance. Speculate as to the function of the proteins these genes encode, and explain why that
might provide for resistance (note: they were NOT MHC genes).

Mainly need guidance/ideas for #1's 1 and 3!

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