Neural Atrophy & Synaptic Disconnect Part II

Neural atrophy

&

Synaptic disconnect

Part II

Careful Samuel L Jackson!

Whilst this series of blogs is about the forthcoming human aphasia tsunami in order to understand how the iphone will cause that tsunami it is important to understand the normal physiology of speech, and about the current state of knowledge presumably known by medical professional about non iphone related cause or causes of aphasia.

In brief sound is produced by the larynx and that sound is refined or modified by the lips, teeth, tongue, and palate.  The first process is commonly referred to as phonation the modification is referred to as articulation.  It is important to note that the larynx separates the upper respiratory tract from the lower respiratory tract and accordingly in normal non iphone related atrophy can be affected by disease from above or from below.  Diseases can include inflammation, tumour, paralysis, singer’s nodules, and vocal cord polyp.  I am not suggesting that the forthcoming iphone dysphonia tsunami is going to be caused by the common and traditional causes that are known and are included in courses thought in medical schools and the ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) specialty. 

Aphasia - the future concern for neurologists

What I am suggesting is that the cause or causes of  iphone hoarseness resulting from misuse of the voice that prevents the two sides of the vocal cord meeting through their entire length will initially be much harder to diagnose.  Both the GP and the ENT specialist are going to shake their heads in disbelief.  Why?  After expensive investigation with the latest technology on offer all traditional causes of dysphonia are ruled out.  The iphoned patient will most likely be admitted to hospital to be assessed by seasoned neurologist who presumably can look outside the traditional ‘diagnostic square’.  If that seasoned neurologist did look outside the diagnostic square what I am suggesting he or she will be surprised to find is that the dysphonia is in fact a form of  dystrophy caused by or due to lack of use of neuronal pathways gradually engulfing the area of the brain that enable the patient, that is now referred to Mr, or Miss/Mrs iphonophile, to discern speech signals and thus speak.  The seasoned now fully alert neurologist will start asking iphonophile patient questions which the iphonophile patient cannot answer other than through messages or emails which are sent through the iphone!  A bizarre situation in which cause of the dysphonia now controls the means of communication between iphonophile patient and the seasoned neurologist!

Asphasia

This is a situation that is not dissimilar to a robot replacing human.   Regardless of the élan, fineness, and refinement with which that seasoned neurologist is held in the hospital, amongst his peers, and profession the chances are he or she will start using unkempt language with the iphonophile patient.     
 If he or she are visionaries the chances are he or she will realize that destiny had made them pioneers in discovering new modern day cause of dysphonia that is about to become a tsunami.  The dysphonic patient is now labeled ‘dysphonic iphonophilic’ admitted and totally dispossessed of his iphone and laptop.

Dysphonic Iphonphilic sufferers of the future

His first treatment must start with learning elementary books that are thought in kindergarten including those that teach phonation of all letters of the alphabet!  By necessity speech therapy will be destined to become well paid popular course on offer in tertiary institutions that will include universities and colleges. 

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Human Longevity And The Health Budget

Human Longevity

And

The Health Budget

Joe Hockey

A recent comment was made by the Federal Treasurer of Australia, the Honourable Joe Hockey, to the effect that a child born in 2015 may well live to the ripe old age of 150 years.  Although the primary motive of the Treasurer in making this comment was to highlight the plight of the spiraling health costs and his difficulties thus far convincing the Australian populous that unpalatable change must be made to Medicare, the comment is not as farfetched as it may sound and here is why:

Child born in 2015 will reach the age of 150 years old in 2165 or a century and half from now.  If one were to look at the progress of medical science over the last 150 years and how that progress improved the average lifespan from 35 years for male 40 years for female in the late 19th century to now - 82 years for male 86 for females.  Substantial part of that improvement was due to hygiene thanks to Louis Pasteur, antiseptics and washing of hands.

The next quantum leap in improving longevity came in the early part of the 20th century when microbes that cause swathe of infectious diseases such as diphtheria and whooping cough came under the focus of microscopes and researchers such as Florey and Fleming the pioneers principally responsible for the discovery of penicillin that led to the discovery of other antibiotics and vaccination:Discoveries that made significant reduction in the death toll of injured combatants in World War II.  

By the mid 20th century the average lifespan was 60 for male 65 for female. However, the most significant quantum leap, more like a revolution than a leap, came in the early 1950’s when Watson and Cricks were able to decode the genetic material in cell nuclei, the so called “double helix” the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) and RNA (Ribonucleic Acid).  

DNA has opened the doors for research once unfathomable

Let us stop here and think for a moment.  What the Watson & Crick discovery means, at least in theory, is that sample from diseased organ or abnormal growth can be genetically understood when compared with normal healthy cell. In other words the specific site in the double helix abnormal cell can now be identified and at least in theory, modified to make it normal.  The technology that enables that modification to take place is well within the realm of reality and herein is the reason for the fear and worry of Treasurer Hockey and his attempt to making the Federal Health Budget sustainable.

Within matter of 30 odd years after Watson and Crick decoded the double helix, DNA, RNA, and chromosomes thanks to ground breaking research by molecular biologist, the molecule of life revolution came into full swing and the hard disc of life became a reality.  We now know that 50 trillion cells make up the human body and that for as little as $1,500 one can obtain his or her full genetic hard disc!  

The potential for longevity provided by this genetic hard disc are beyond comprehension, a dream world   fantasy, but in reality it could well mean kissing death goodbye! We now understand that the much feared words cancer and metastasis are uncontrolled cell growth of cells that invade healthy vital organs leading to death.  But molecular research now tells us there are molecular causes for cancer in which a gene retrovirus hijacked normal health genes.  This behaviour could be replicated in laboratory mice, rats and guinea pigs.  This replication in laboratory mice, rats, and guinea pigs led to the discovery of new type of medications that enabled oncologists to successfully treat such conditions as chronic myeloid leukemia.  In recent years newer drugs became available to treat number of other cancers.  The costs of those drugs are currently prohibitive and one can fully understand treasurer Hockey fears about the explosive cost to the health budget.  It is likely in a matter of few years researchers will be able to crack the genetic genomes of currently untreatable cancers such as pancreatic cancer and cancers of the brain such as glycoma.   Once that genetic genome is cracked pharmaceutical conglomerates will come up with designer drug.

With this brief outline it is my opinion that Treasurer Hockey’s comment that a child born in January 2015 could well live 150 years dying in the year 2165 is by no means farfetched.

  Will this process will take 150 years?

 

Surreal as it may sound, it is my opinion that cracking the genetic code, understanding division of cells, mutation, and genomes had opened the possibility of genetic modulation of number of yet untreatable cancers.  If foresighted biotechnology companies focus attention on developing designer drugs human longevity becomes analogous to a string that in theory can be extended for as long as the eye could see.

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Forgotten Souls of the Titanic

Forgotten Souls of the Titanic

Third class passengers

It is common, indeed instinctive, and normal reaction for us to envisage scenes from the 1997 movie ‘The Titanic’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and credible cast of other supporting actors whenever we hear the word ‘Titanic’.  Spectacular as this epic movie attempted to re-create the catastrophic disaster of the maiden voyage of the Titanic when it struck iceberg on 12 April 1912 and sunk with massive loss of life. In my opinion the movie fails (in my opinion) to portrays the human element, the lives and expectations of the second and third class passengers who made up the bulk of the human cargo that is (if human were recorded as cargo not as passengers).

According to official record on board when the Titanic officially commenced its maiden journey through the Atlantic it had 337 first-class passengers with an estimated combined net worth of $500 million. The richest of all was John Jacob Astor aged 47.  His father (Jack) owned very significant portion of New York and did not have to shout about it.  In fact Jack was the forefather developer that started the forest and jungle of skyscrapers of today’s New York – Titanic of sort on dirt – with similar class differentiation to the Titanic on 12 April 1912. The average price for shared first-class cabin ticket is said to be in the region of 55 pound sterling.

There were only 271 second-class passengers representing forty percent of the Titanic second-class capacity which is an indication of the prevailing competition from German and Italian shipping lines. One of the second class passengers, and perhaps the only passenger on the Titanic was a black man by the name of Joseph Laroche born in Haiti in 1886.  Laroche with his French wife and two children was on his way back to Haiti after experiencing intolerable racial prejudice working or studying engineering. It is noteworthy to remember that in 1912 men were the bread winners and their wives were seen and treated as human appendage.  Despite their second-class passenger status on the   Titanic women status did not change and were not seen or treated anything other than human appendage.  The official price paid for second class ticket was 26 pounds sterling.

There were 712 third-class passengers some seventy percent of capacity.  As this blog is concerned with the forgotten souls of the third-class passengers it is only pertinent to take closer look at the nationalities, embarkation, and official recorded number of those passengers.  Four hundred and ninety seven (497) embarked at South Hampton. One hundred and two (102) embarked at Cherbourg and one hundred and thirteen (113) embarked at Queenstown.  The estimated breakdown of nationalities of the third-class passengers were: 118 British, 113 Irish, 104 Swedes, 79 Lebanese, 55 Finns, 43 Americans, 33 Bulgarians, 25 Norwegians, 22 Belgians, 12 Armenians, 8 Chinese, 7 Danes, 5 Frenchmen, 4 Italians, 4 Greeks, 4 Germans, 4 Swiss, and 3 Portuguese.  There were significant number of others which included sizeable numbers from what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Russia.  The discrepancy between the official number and the number from the various nationalities can be explained by the notoriety of the practice of travel agents, middle men, bribery, and official record keeping. 

This blog is intended as factual background to the human souls of the passengers who were heading in search of new life and opportunities.  The next blog in this series on the Titanic I will focus on the forgotten souls of the officially recorded 79 Lebanese passengers.  Why? Because the true number of Lebanese on the Titanic was significantly greater than that officially recorded and also I will try to answer the question as to why a tiny country like Lebanon, a mere spec on a world map, could have such a number of passengers on the maiden voyage of the unsinkable Titanic across the Atlantic in April 1912.   

  

Meantime, until the next blog it is important to note and remember that in 1943 Nazi Germany made a propaganda movie called ‘The Titanic’ which was intended to depict Britain as a society ruled by greedy wealthy ruling class that sways great control and influence.  It was Hitler’s way of saying he was not against the English populous before starting his bombing campaign of London.  Needless to say unlike the 1997 Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet movie the German movie was not shown in Germany and despite the massive expense involved in making the movie it proved to be financial disaster.  Despite all this credit must be given to men and women who undertake such challenges.

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