Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/cjd-vcjd/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124903.php The cause of diseases such as BSE in cattle and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in humans is a prion protein. This protein attaches to cell membranes by way of an anchor made of sugar and lipid components (a glycosylphosphatidylinositol, GPI) anchor. The anchoring of the prions seems to have a strong influence on the transformation of the normal form of the protein into its pathogenic form, which causes scrapie and mad cow disease. A team headed by Christian F. W. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123590.php Prion protein, a form of protein that triggers BSE, is associated with other brain diseases in cattle, raising the possibility of a significant increase in the range of prion disease. Publishing their findings in the open access journal BMC Veterinary Research, scientists have detected changes in the production and accumulation of the prion protein in the brains of cattle with a rare neurodegenerative disorder. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Tue, 16 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/121558.php Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have discovered that an important cellular quality control mechanism may actually be toxic to some brain cells during prion infection. The research, published by Cell Press in the September 16th issue of the journal Developmental Cell, proposes a new general mechanism of cellular dysfunction that can contribute to the devastating and widespread neuronal death characteristic of slowly progressing neurodegenerative diseases. Neurology / Neuroscience Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/121243.php New findings about the causes of mad cow disease show that sometimes it may be genetic. "We now know it's also in the genes of cattle," said Juergen A. Richt, Regents Distinguished Professor of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Until several years ago, Richt said, it was thought that the cattle prion disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy -- also called BSE or mad cow disease -- was a foodborne disease. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120518.php Researchers have shown that they can create entirely new strains of infectious proteins known as prions in the laboratory by simply mixing infectious prions from one species with the normal prion proteins of another species. The findings are reported in the September 5th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication. Biology / Biochemistry Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120613.php Researchers have demonstrated that protein levels in urine samples can indicate both the presence and progress of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) disease in cattle. Publishing their findings in BioMed Central's open access journal Proteome Science, the scientists hope that their discovery might lead to the development of a urine-based test that could prevent the precautionary slaughter of many animals as now occurs when the disease is detected. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119829.php The findings underline the importance of precautions against vCJD transmission, such as the Government decision in 2004 to ban blood donations from anyone who had received a blood transfusion since 1980. The study published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology, looked at BSE transmission between sheep through infected blood with the aim of quantifying how vCJD - the human form of BSE - could be spread through transfusions. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119666.php Blood transfusions are a valuable treatment mechanism in modern medicine, but can come with the risk of donor disease transmission. Researchers are continually studying the biology of blood products to understand how certain diseases are transmitted in an effort to reduce this risk during blood transfusions. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119676.php Blood transfusions are a valuable treatment mechanism in modern medicine, but can come with the risk of donor disease transmission. Researchers are continually studying the biology of blood products to understand how certain diseases are transmitted in an effort to reduce this risk during blood transfusions. Blood / Hematology Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117939.php Prions, the pathogens that cause scrapie in sheep, can survive in the ground for several years, as researchers have discovered. Animals can become infected via contaminated pastures. It is not yet known whether the pathogens that cause BSE and CWD are equally resistant. A flock of sheep at pasture - a seemingly idyllic scene. But appearances can be deceptive: If the animals are suffering from scrapie, entire flocks may perish. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115544.php A treatment that prolongs survival in mice with prion disease has been found in research led by Dr Giovanna Mallucci at the Medical Research Council Prion Unit at UCL (University College London). Examples of prion diseases include vCJD and kuru in humans and BSE in cows. The results are published in PNAS. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114614.php A new dementia that is distinct from but resembles known forms of CJD, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, has been discovered in America, affecting 16 people, 10 of whom have died after gradually losing their mental and motor functions and being unable to think, speak or move. Alzheimer's / Dementia Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113745.php Abviva, Inc. (OTCBB: AVVA) announced that BioBDC International (BioBDC), Abviva's exclusive sales agent for Mad Cow diagnostic tests produced by Abviva's subsidiary company Prion Developmental Laboratories, Inc. (PDL), reported the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed a new case of mad cow disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was discovered in western Canada, increasing consumer's concerns over beef safety. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111820.php YouTube, the online video community that allows people to discover, watch and share originally created videos, has teamed up with scientists at The University of California, San Francisco to tap the video sharing platform to drive medical research. IT / Internet / E-mail Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111653.php Infectious proteins known as prions have been identified as the cause of "mad cow" disease (BSE). The culprits are "incorrectly folded" proteins that can "infect" healthy proteins. The molecular bases for such prion diseases are not yet fully understood. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110757.php A division of Nevada-based Plasma Etch, Inc. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Mon, 19 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107880.php Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown, in unprecedented detail, how a small molecule is able to selectively take apart abnormally folded protein fibers connected to Alzheimer's disease and prion diseases. The findings appeared online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Finding a way to dismantle misfolded proteins has implications for new treatments for a host of neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's / Dementia Thu, 08 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106727.php Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, also have a helpful side. According to new findings from Gerald Zamponi and colleagues, normally functioning prions prevent neurons from working themselves to death. The findings appear in the Journal of Cell Biology. Diseases such as mad cow result when the prion protein adopts an abnormal conformation. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105172.php In a move to reduce the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow disease", and protect the health of humans and animals, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned certain high risk animal parts from all animal feed, including pet food. The rule was issued yesterday, 23rd April, and will come into force in 12 months to give the industry time to put it into practice. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103068.php Two people have died of vCJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease), the human form of mad cow disease, in Castilla-Leon, central Spain. One person (51) died three months ago while the other one (26) died last week, say authorities. According to Spain's Health Department, these were not the first vCJD deaths in the country. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/102888.php Sunday, April 6 12:00 p.m. Alligator blood may put the bite on antibiotic-resistant infections Despite their reputation for deadly attacks on humans and pets, alligators are wiggling their way toward a new role as potential lifesavers in medicine. Biology / Biochemistry Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/101406.php Researchers from the United Kingdom and France have identified four separate biochemical subgroups in a selection of cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The study, published March 14th in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, suggests that these subgroups could represent distinct prion strains in what is the most common human prion disease. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/100862.php UK and French researchers have identified four separate biochemical subgroups in a selection of cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The study, published March 14th in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, suggests that these subgroups could represent distinct prion strains in what is the most common human prion disease. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease