Have you ever heard of pay forward? If ever anyone has been kind to you and has done something for you with no expectations and you felt like you owed it to them to be kind to someone else. Well now is the time that people have shown it really does work. Ravi, Aaditya's Dad's major calling and emailing efforts have resulted in an overwhelming response from all his friends and others that have received emails from us. We have been able to raise $7225 not including the $1200 in the HFA fund giving us $8325 and funds still trickling in every day. Ghassan Moubarak has swiped all his cards for his daughter to go through the Intracranial stem cell transplant today. So please do not wire funds to BGS global. We are going to reimburse Ghassan with what we have and will raise. Those of you that are still considering it, please use the website link paypal feature. And those of you that can't, please forward this email to those that can.
And as always please keep Aaditya, Sawsan and all our Niemann Pick kids, teens and adults in your prayers.
Thank you and God Bless,

Share 

Comment

You need to be a member of Hope for Aaditya to add comments!

Join this Ning Network


Niemann-Pick Disease

Niemann-Pick disease is an inherited condition involving lipid metabolism (the breakdown and use of fats and cholesterol in the body) in which harmful amounts of lipids accumulate in the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow, and brain.

There are three variants of Niemann-Pick disease based on the genetic cause and the symptoms exhibited by the patient. All variants are inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.

Mutations in the NPC1, NPC2, and SMPD1 genes cause Niemann-Pick disease.

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means two copies of the gene must be altered for a person to be affected by the disorder. Most often, the parents of a child with an autosomal recessive disorder are not affected but are carriers of one copy of the altered gene. If both parents are carriers, there is a one in four, or 25%, chance with each pregnancy for an affected child. Genetic counseling and genetic testing is recommended for families who may be carriers of Niemann-Pick.

Type C is characterized by onset in childhood, although infant and adult onsets are possible. Other signs include severe liver disease, breathing difficulties, developmental delay, seizures, increased muscle tone (dystonia), lack of coordination, problems with feeding, and an inability to move the eyes vertically. People with this disorder can survive into adulthood. The incidence of Niemann-Pick disease, type C is estimated to be 1 in 150,000 people. The disease occurs more frequently in people of French-Acadian descent in Nova Scotia.

Mutations in either the NPC1 or NPC2 gene cause Niemann-Pick disease, type C. The NPC1 gene produces a protein that is located in membranes inside the cell and is involved in the movement of cholesterol and lipids within cells. A deficiency of this protein leads to the abnormal build up of lipids and cholesterol within cell membranes.

The molecular basis for this disease is extremely complex due to the role that endosome formation has on affected patients. Recently, three theories have attempted to explain the buildup of cholesterol in the lysosomes of affected patients of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C due to the malfunction of the protein NPC-1.

* The contention by Neufel et al is that the buildup of mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPRs) in the late endosome suggests that the retrograde breakdown of cholesterol via the Trans Golgi Network cannot occur.[1]

* Another theory suggests that the blockage of retrograde cholesterol breakdown in the late endosome is due to decreased membrane elasticity and thus the return vesicles of cholesterol to the Trans Golgi Network cannot bud and form.

The support of these theories has considerable evidence using mutant proteins in vitro to determine the buildup of cholesterol in the lysosomes. Researchers have also discovered that the NPC-1 protein may function as a pump of cholesterol.[2]

The overall effect of a malfunction in NPC-1 is that low levels or an absence of the protein lead to the abnormal accumulation of lipids and cholesterol in the cells of people with this condition.



© 2010   Created by duriya on Ning.   Create a Ning Network!

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Privacy  |  Terms of Service

Sign in to chat!