Friday, January 31, 2020

Muscular Disorders Case Report Essay Example for Free

Muscular Disorders Case Report Essay A mother presents with her 13 y/o son with a history of frequent falls, difficulty getting up from a lying or sitting position, trouble jumping, large calf muscles and poor grades in school. Based on the description and symptoms given, the likely diagnosis would be Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, or DMD; although DMD and its symptoms tend to show up at an earlier age but not always. This type of muscular dystrophy is the most common and severe form of the dystrophinopathic diseases. Dystrophinopathic diseases are muscular dystrophies that are of a genetic nature caused by a deficiency in the protein dystrophin. This protein is vital to muscle function and contraction. In the case of DMD, there is a mutation in the gene, called the DMD gene, responsible for producing dystrophin causing a deficiency. This gene mutation is X-linked recessive and is inherited. This means that females in the family carry the gene mutation and can pass is on to their offspring male or female, but it is expressed in the males. DMD is usually diagnosed when a young boy shows signs of muscle weakness and there is a family history of the disease. Per Genome (2010), â€Å"a muscle biopsy for dystrophin studies can also be done to look for abnormal levels of dystrophin in the muscle. † Genome (2010), also states that â€Å"genetic testing on a blood sample for changes in the DMD gene can help establish the diagnosis of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy without performing a muscle biopsy. † For most individuals, a combination of these testing methods is used to confirm a diagnosis of DMD. There is no known cure for DMD. Treatment involves treating the symptoms and keeping the patient as comfortable as possible. Medline (2012) says that â€Å"steroid drugs can slow the loss of muscle strength and may be started when the child is diagnosed or when muscle strength begins to decline. † Other drugs, such as Albuterol, can be used to control breathing problems that occur in the later stages of the disease and drugs to help with heart functions are prescribed to help control any cardio symptoms that may be present. The prognosis for individuals with DMD is bleak; it is a rapidly progressive disease and patients with DMD usually surrender to the disease or complications from it in their 20’s or 30’s, sometimes even earlier. I grew up with a family next door to me in which the two oldest boys had DMD. The disease eventually took both of their lives. The oldest boy did live long enough to graduate from high school but the younger of the two died from complications when he was 16. It was horrible for the family to stand by and watch their sons slowly decline and eventually die. This disease continued to plague their lives when the daughters passed it on to their boys and probably still plagues them today. There have been great strides in the field of research in regards to DMD but as of yet no cure has been found. Hopefully one day, there will be a cure for this devastating, debilitating disease and no more families will be forced to watch their children die right before their eyes.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Sonnets 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16, and 17 :: Sonnet essays

Sonnets 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16, and 17 The first 17 sonnets are addressed to a young man of exceptional beauty who is encouraged to father children. What is striking about this series is that there are exactly 17 sonnets that are all centred on encouraging the young man to marry and father children. Seventeen is an unusual and distinctive number that seems to indicate its own significance. The content of the sonnets shows no evidence of input to them from outside of the author during their development: no questions are answered, there is no change of direction in response to any feedback from the subject, they appear to be a preset series issued together. The deliberate intent of these sonnets and the fact that a sonnet itself conforms to regular numbering schemes also suggests that the series containing precisely 17 is not accidental. The encouragement of a person to marry and father children is an unusual theme, if not unique, in the world of Elizabethan poetry. That the author himself should have been personally motivated to invest such time and effort and have the temerity to do such a thing strikes me as extremely unlikely. In an age of commissioned poetic works, this series of sonnets being commissioned from the author by another party seems to be the most plausible scenario by which such a poetic work could only come about. The series betrays a lack of understanding of why the subject fails to marry and have children of his own accord: Sonnet 3 asks what fair woman would not welcome the opportunity of being the subject's wife: "For where is she so fair whose uneared womb Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry?" and what man would willingly fail to leave children: "Or who is he so fond will be the tomb Of his self-love to stop posterity?" Sonnet 4 asks why the subject does not continue his legacy of beauty: "Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend Upon thyself thy beauty's legacy?" and why he fails to pass on his beauty in the form of children: "Then, beauteous niggard, why dost thou abuse The bounteous largess given thee to give?" and what he will leave behind him when has died:

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Comparing coverage in two different Newspapers Essay

The incident covered in the two articles I have studied was a train fire in the Austrian ski resort of Kaprun on Saturday 11th November 2000. The first article I looked at was in the tabloid paper the Sunday Express. The second article I looked at was in the broadsheet paper the Observer. The two articles were very similar but had some differences. Both the articles emphasised that British people were among those that had died. The Sunday Express said â€Å"Britons among 170 victims† and The Observer said â€Å"Britons among 170 dead† The Observer also stated that children died â€Å"Children among victims†. Although both articles covered the same subject and seemed to emphasise the greatness of the tragedy, they had different approaches, The Sunday Express’ article was sensationalist and over emotive â€Å"†¦ inferno as it tore through carriages† The Observers article was a calmer and more concise report â€Å"†¦ and, within a few minutes, almost everyone on board was dead. † The articles both contained similar factual information. In the Article in the Sunday Express, facts were intertwined with opinions and emotive language. â€Å"†¦ engulfing tourists in temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Centigrade. † The Observer had some emotive language but seemed to keep the facts separate â€Å"†¦ which reached temperatures of more than 1,000 C† The only discrepancy between the two articles was over the initial cause of the fire. The Sunday Express interviewed a cable car technical expert Klaus Einsenkolb. â€Å"He said†¦ that either a short circuit in the batteries or the possibility that someone had started it with a naked flame was more likely,† This was their only reference to the cause of the fire. The Observer had many different statements about the cause of the fire. â€Å"Yesterday’s fire is believed to have started†¦after one of the cables that pull the train up the mountain snapped, apparently starting the blaze† They also had a statement from the local company Gletscherbahn Kaprun who owned the train. â€Å"†Due to a fire in the tunnel there was a shorting in the electrical circuit, consequently causing the train†¦ to catch fire. â€Å"† They also interviewed Klaus Einsenkolb, but stated nothing about his opinions of what caused the fire as in The Sunday Express. Both articles used similar language, but The Sunday Express used more emotive variations of language to put across the same point. The Sunday Express said â€Å"†¦ the harrowing task today of identifying 170 young skiers burned alive† The Observer stuck to the facts, however, some sensationalist language was used. â€Å"†¦ 170 people were killed yesterday when a fire†¦ engulfed an Austrian funicular train† The Sunday Express sensationalised the incident by using words like â€Å"inferno† and â€Å"disaster† repeatedly throughout their report. This created a mood in the article, expressing how terrible this tragedy was. Despite The Observer being a broadsheet paper, their article also used this type of language, such as â€Å"inferno† and â€Å"tragedy†. I think this also was used to create the mood. The underlying feeling in The Observers report was that this incident could have been prevented or its consequences reduced, had their been adequate safety measures and better maintenance. â€Å"†¦ Manfred Muller, security director for the railway, admitted that there had been no emergency fire fighting equipment in the tunnel, or on the train† The journalist’s use of â€Å"admitted† in this sentence supports his views that safety precautions were inadequate. After reading this article the reader was left with the impression it was just a terrible accident. â€Å"Yesterdays disaster was the second tragedy to hit Kitzsteinhorn this year. † â€Å"†¦ announced a criminal investigation into the tragedy. † No blame seemed to be pointed at anyone in this article. The Sunday Express’ article contained many interviews and comments from people involved with the incident. Most of the people interviewed were officials linked with the accident, like Norbert Karlsboeck, the town mayor of Kaprun, and Franz Schausberger the Salzburg governor. â€Å"Mr Karlsboeck said: â€Å"I did not realise the full extent of the catastrophe†Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Salzburg governor Franz Schausberger said: â€Å"I have declared a day of mourning. We can presume that everyone still on board the train is dead. â€Å"† They were commenting on their feelings about the incident. Klaus Eisenkolb, a cable car technician who worked on the planning of the line was also interviewed and spoke of what he thought about the occurrence of this incident and what could have possibly caused it. One witness and one survivor were also quoted. The Observer had fewer people interviewed, but had interviews with relatives and witnesses. They also had a statement from the company who owned the train, Gletscherbahn Kaprun, who commented on their feelings about this incident. â€Å"In a statement, the company said: ‘We and the whole town of Kaprun are in mourning. ‘† An unidentified man whose son had gone skiing that day, and a deacon were also interviewed. This gave the article a more personal feel, as the reader felt that they could relate to the people who’s lives had been affected by this and so understand the tragedy better. The layout of these reports was very different. Article I had a large bold headline on the front cover saying â€Å"INFERNO† in capital letters, to draw people’s attention. There was also a large illustration of one of the survivors with a caption. There was then a double page spread. On the first side of the double spread was a pull quote in large bold letters â€Å"There’s no hope left, the fumes were just terrible† next to another illustration of a survivor with a caption. This would also get peoples attention; the reader may look at the pictures and then want to read on. Under the title was a diagram of the mountainside with text pointing out where the events took place. This was quite easy to understand and gave the basic information. Inside that diagram was another diagram showing where Kaprun was in context to Austria and then to the rest of Europe. The text was in columns around these illustrations. The double page was split into three blocks of text, an individual report started on the second page written by Greg Swift, a continuance of the first article by David Dillon, and then an additional report: â€Å"Rising tide of Alpine tragedies†. The Observer had a medium sized headline â€Å"Inferno in the Alps† in bold letters. Underneath was a large illustration of a survivor (the same as in article 1) with a caption. The article was started with two large bullet points, which would grab the reader’s attention. There was then a tiny diagram of where in Austria the incident took place, and where it was in relation to Europe. The article was again written in columns. It then too went to a double page. The headline on this double page â€Å"A couple of breaths and they were lost† was also a pull quote, keeping the readers attention. There was a block of pictures with quotes in the top centre of the pages showing the rescue team, survivors and their families, and the train. This was really effective. The block of pictures would really attract the reader’s attention, urging them to read the article. There was a large diagram showing a picture of the mountainside and where the tunnel was, and then a diagram of the actual train, showing in steps what happened and when. This diagram was very clear, showing exactly what happened in an easily understandable way. The double page was again split into sections of text. There was the main report by Denis Staunton, and then two smaller reports. One was by Jason Burke telling how former British Olympic skier Martin Bell feared that some of his friends could have been on the train. This linked the incident back to this country and how it affected people here. The other was by Anthony Browne, talking of worries over how many recent tragic accidents have occurred in the Alps. I think that the article that explained what happened and suggested the full horror of this incident more effectively was the article from The Observer. I felt that the way in which it was written managed to create a balance between putting across the facts but still expressing the horror of the tragedy. I think because the facts were not clouded with opinions, they were easier to understand. I thought that the double page spread was particularly effective. The pictures were clearer and attracted the reader’s attention. The diagram on the double page was very clear and easy to understand. It showed exactly what happened in stages, with information about the mountain and the tunnel. I also thought that the headline â€Å"Inferno in the Alps† on the front page was really effective. It gave enough information for you to know what had happened but was short enough for the reader to read at a glance. I felt that The Sunday Express’ article was more difficult to understand as there were fewer facts and the writing was very opinionated. Also because there were fewer interviews with people who were directly affected by the incident, such as survivors, and relatives of victims, it wasn’t as easy to relate to that article. There was less text in general, as much of the space was taken up by large illustrations and headlines. Although the articles seemed to be similar they had differences which although may not be drastically apparent I felt they made a big difference to the effectiveness and success of the articles.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Dwarf Planet Pluto Facts about the Icy Former Planet - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 552 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2018/12/18 Category Science Essay Type Research paper Level High school Did you like this example? The following is an article authored by one contributor of space.com, Charles Q. Choi on November 14, 2017. In his article, Charles explores and reports what he considers as facts about the planet Pluto. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Dwarf Planet Pluto: Facts about the Icy Former Planet" essay for you Create order He starts by giving necessary information about the size, distance from the sun and other planets, among several different characteristics of Pluto. Charles then goes ahead to talk about the size of the planet and how it has stirred debates and attracted a lot of controversy both to the general public and the scientific community. For instance, the author first talks about how planet Pluto was initially thought to be the ninth planet and the most distant from the sun. Choi then comes on to state that more information had been discovered including the planets actual size, which was slightly wider than earlier thought, and a variety of the surface features on the planet. This information, he claims, was discovered and reported by NASA in 2015. The information written by Charles is based on a recent finding by the most proficient and skilled scientists in the world, this means that it is mostly factual although sometimes contradictive and unsure. A good example is his version of the planets formation and origin which is based on a hypothesis. A lot of theories for the same exist, but he sticks to his and believes it is accurate since it was reported by NASA. He has a perfect title for this article since most of the detailed information revolves around the title, though a bit fancy, it still fits1 the article. The facts he writes about are accurate and up-to-date according to the 2017 NASA reports. According to the reports from their research, Pluto is extremely cold with temperatures ranging from -375 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and because of its far distance, little information is known about, they rely on pictures taken their New Horizon spacecraft. The following is a report from a similar source as Charles. Pluto remained undiscovered until the year 1930 while it orbited in the frozen and dim outlands of the solar system. Early reports from scientists had put it that the planet Plutos size was almost like that of Earth. Further and detailed research, however, proved that Pluto is only about 1473 miles, which is an equivalent of 2370 kilometers in diameter. It has a sizeable heart-shaped feature that was unofficially named Tombaugh Regio, a name obtained from that of Plutos discoverer Clyde Tombaugh (Tate). Close photos of the heart-shaped element reveal something that seems to be a craterless plain called Sputnik Planum, a name that was also given by scientists after the first-ever space satellite. Astronauts and scientists estimate that the plain, which is mostly made of frozen carbon monoxide, is less than a hundred million years old. There are visible pits and mounds on the plain and also appears to be sub-divided into several irregular polygons. The arrival of New Horizons towards Pluto revealed more detailed information that included, Pluto has a more complex surface that is varied and has more bright patches as well as dark patches. It is covered or surrounded by a thin atmosphere comprising of carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen. Changes in the distance of the planet Pluto from the sun determine the thickness of its atmosphere. Work cited Tate, Karl. A Dwarf Planet Oddity. SPACE.com (2012).