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Konzo
Konzo is an epidemic paralytic disease occurring among hunger-stricken rural populations in Africa where a diet dominated by insufficiently processed cassava results in simultaneous malnutrition and high dietary cyanide intake. Konzo was first described by Giovanni Trolli in 1938 who compiled the observations from eight doctors working in the Kwango area of the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). Signs and symptoms The onset of paralysis ( spastic paraparesis) is sudden, symmetrical and affects the legs more than the arms. The resulting disability is permanent but does not progress. Typically, a patient is standing and walking on the balls of the feet with rigid legs and often with ankle clonus. Initially, most patients experience generalized weakness during the first days and are bedridden for some days or weeks before trying to walk. Occasional blurred vision and/or speech difficulties typically clear during the first month, except in severely affected pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tropical Ataxic Neuropathy
Tropical ataxic neuropathy (TAN, also known as Strachan-Scott syndrome and prisoners of war neuropathy) is a disease or category of diseases that commonly causes disability and increases mortality. The causes of TAN are not understood; there is no generally accepted treatment, and the reported outcomes are inconsistent. The disease affects poor tropical populations; there are no good statistics on how many people are affected worldwide, but in some populations, more than a quarter of people are affected. Malnutrition may play a role. TAN is one of many tropical myeloneuropathy, tropical myeloneuropathies. It was first described in Jamaica in 1897, by postmortems of 510 cases; in 1959, it was dubbed "tropical ataxic neuropathy". Epidemiology TAN has only been described as developing in Africa, South-east Asia, and the Caribbean (if Guiana be included). It does not seem to occur in temperate countries. People affected by TAN tend to be poor and live in rural areas. In some area ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Howlett
William Patrick Howlett (born 16 March 1946) is an Irish general physician and neurologist whose work primarily focuses on the study and treatment of neurological diseases in Africa. He is known for his contributions to the early diagnosis of AIDS and to the understanding of konzo, a foodborne disease. In 2019, he received the Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award, presented to Irish citizens abroad who have brought honor to their nation.Looby 2019 Medical career and contribution Early education Howlett completed his medical training between 1970 and 1975. He began as an intern in Dublin, then continued with residency training in internal medicine in the United States at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, New York. Upon returning to Ireland, he worked as a registrar and tutor in medicine at University Hospital Galway and Mercer's Hospital, Dublin. Work in Uganda He first traveled to Africa in 1980 as part of the humanitarian response to the famine in Karamoja, Uganda, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neurology
Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine) , medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the Human brain, brain, the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system , peripheral nerves. Neurological practice relies heavily on the field of neuroscience, the scientific study of the nervous system, using various techniques of neurotherapy. IEEE Brain (2019). "Neurotherapy: Treating Disorders by Retraining the Brain". ''The Future Neural Therapeutics White Paper''. Retrieved 23.01.2025 from: https://brain.ieee.org/topics/neurotherapy-treating-disorders-by-retraining-the-brain/#:~:text=Neurotherapy%20trains%20a%20patient's%20brain,wave%20activity%20through%20positive%20reinforcement International Neuromodulation Society, Retrieved 23 January 2025 from: https://www.neuromodulation.com/ Val Danilov I (2023). "The O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linamarin
Linamarin is a cyanogenic glucoside found in the leaves and roots of plants such as cassava, lima beans, and flax. It is a glucoside of acetone cyanohydrin. Upon exposure to enzymes and gut flora in the human intestine, linamarin and its methylated relative lotaustralin can decompose to the toxic chemical hydrogen cyanide; hence food uses of plants that contain significant quantities of linamarin require extensive preparation and detoxification. Ingested and absorbed linamarin is rapidly excreted in the urine and the glucoside itself does not appear to be acutely toxic. Consumption of cassava products with low levels of linamarin is widespread in the low-land tropics. Ingestion of food prepared from insufficiently processed cassava roots with high linamarin levels has been associated with dietary toxicity, particularly with the upper motor neuron disease known as konzo to the African populations in which it was first described by Trolli and later through the research network initia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benjamin Oluwakayode Osuntokun
Professor Benjamin Oluwakayode Osuntokun (6 January 1935 – 22 September 1995), was a researcher and neurologist from Okemesi, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Known for discovering the cause of ataxic tropical neuropathy, he was a founding member of the Pan African Association of Neurological Sciences and an early advocate and researcher on tropical neurology. Education He had his primary and secondary education at the Holy Trinity School, Ilawe Ekiti, the Emmanuel School, Ado Ekiti and Christ's School Ado Ekiti. After finishing his secondary education, he studied medicine at the University College, Ibadan when it was still affiliated to the University of London. Research and career In 1963, he was invited by Prof Harold Scarborough to spend a year at the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff. He joined the research staff of the University College, Ibadan in 1964, as a medical research fellow. However, upon gaining a Smith and Nephew fellowship, he went abroad for further stu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tropical Neuropathies
Tropical neuropathy is a class of illnesses with similar signs and symptoms, including konzo, tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), and tropical ataxic neuropathy Tropical ataxic neuropathy (TAN, also known as Strachan-Scott syndrome and prisoners of war neuropathy) is a disease or category of diseases that commonly causes disability and increases mortality. The causes of TAN are not understood; there is no ... (TAN). TAN is poorly understood, and some researchers subdivide it further into separate illnesses. References {{nervoussystem-disease-stub Neurological disorders ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polio
Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe symptoms develop such as headache, neck stiffness, and paresthesia. These symptoms usually pass within one or two weeks. A less common symptom is permanent Flaccid paralysis, paralysis, and possible death in extreme cases.. Years after recovery, post-polio syndrome may occur, with a slow development of muscle weakness similar to what the person had during the initial infection. Polio occurs naturally only in humans. It is highly infectious, and is spread from person to person either through fecal–oral route, fecal–oral transmission (e.g. poor hygiene, or by ingestion of food or water contaminated by human feces), or via the oral–oral route. Those who are infected may spread the disease for up to six weeks even if no symptoms are pre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia
Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of inherited diseases whose main feature is a progressive Gait abnormality, gait disorder. The disease presents with progressive stiffness (spasticity) and contraction in the lower limbs. HSP is also known as hereditary spastic paraparesis, familial spastic paraplegia, French settlement disease, Strumpell disease, or Strumpell-Lorrain disease. The symptoms are a result of dysfunction of long axons in the spinal cord. The affected cells are the primary motor neurons; therefore, the disease is an upper motor neuron disease. HSP is not a form of cerebral palsy even though it physically may appear and behave much the same as spastic diplegia. The origin of HSP is different from cerebral palsy. Despite this, some of the same anti-spasticity medications used in spastic cerebral palsy are sometimes used to treat HSP symptoms. HSP is caused by defects in transport of proteins, structural proteins, cell-maintaining proteins, lipids, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tropical Spastic Paraparesis
Tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), is a medical condition that causes weakness, muscle spasms, and sensory disturbance by human T-lymphotropic virus resulting in paraparesis, weakness of the legs. As the name suggests, it is most common in Tropics, tropical regions, including the Caribbean. Blood transfusion products are screened for human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) antibodies, as a preventive measure. Signs and symptoms Some of the signs of Tropical spastic paraparesis are: :::::::*Leg instability :::::::*Urinary dysfunction. :::::::*Bowel dysfunction :::::::*Back pain :::::::*Erectile dysfunction, Erectile problems :::::::*Psoriasis Individuals with TSP may also exhibit uveitis (inflammation of the uveal tract of the eye), arthritis (inflammation of one or more joints), Extrinsic allergic alveolitis, pulmonary lymphocytic alveolitis (inflammation of the lung tissues), polymyositis (an inflammatory muscle disease), keratoconjunctivitis sicca (persistent dryness of the corne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neurolathyrism
Neurolathyrism, is a neurological disease of humans, caused by eating certain legumes of the genus ''Lathyrus''. This disease is mainly associated with the consumption of ''Lathyrus sativus'' (also known as ''grass pea'', ''chickling pea'', ''kesari dal'', or ''almorta'') and to a lesser degree with ''Lathyrus cicera'', ''Lathyrus ochrus'' and ''Lathyrus clymenum'' containing the toxin Oxalyldiaminopropionic acid, ODAP. This is not to be confused with osteolathyrism, a different type of lathyrism that affects the connective tissues. Osteolathyrism results from the ingestion of ''Sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus'' seeds (''sweet peas'') and is often referred to as odoratism. It is caused by a different toxin (beta-aminopropionitrile) which affects the linking of collagen, a protein of connective tissues. Another type of lathyrism is angiolathyrism which is similar to osteolathyrism in its effects on connective tissue. However, the blood vessels are affected as opposed to bone. Signs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
''PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal devoted to the study of neglected tropical diseases, including helminth, bacterial, viral, protozoan, and fungal infections endemic to tropical regions. ''PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases'' is abstracted and indexed in PubMed and the Web of Science. It is the seventh and youngest member of the Public Library of Science family of open access journals. Established in 2007 by founding editor Peter Hotez, with US$1.1 million in grant support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ''PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases'' was created to be "both catalytic and transformative in promoting science, policy, and advocacy for these diseases of the poor."McNeil, D.G., Jr. (6 November 2007Shining Light on Diseases Often in the Shadows ''The New York Times''. As with all journals of the Public Library of Science, ''PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases'' is financed by charging authors a publication fee, while adve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
