Addiction is a brain disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Addiction is a brain disease - Research Paper Example Addiction has been considered a major society’s problem and it is because of this that some experts believe it as a brain disease at some point. This paper tries to explain that addiction is indeed a disease of the brain. Addiction defined Addiction is a specific behavioral problem that is usually manifested with lack of control of using and seeking something just like drugs, sex and gambling (Gamonet & Piazza, 2010; Goodman, 2008). It is also known as a syndrome in which there is a considerable focus on the impaired control over a behavior (West & Hardy, 2006). Addiction therefore is something that takes control over someone’s life. Someone who is addicted to something else is after of uncontrolled longing for self gratification. Although addiction may differ from what a habit is, the entire point is that its manifestation can always be observed from a behavioral point of view. However, addiction can also be explained from the biological context and this primarily invo lves the study of the brain and its other related fields. Brain disease defined From a biomedical model, disease is defined based on the context of four assumptions in which one of them states that it is a deviation from normal biological functioning (Mishler, 1981). From this assumption, a brain disease therefore is implied as the brain’s inability to function well based on what a normal one can potentially do. This is a generic point of view, but the entire argument in the above assumption is that a deviation from the norm especially when there is involved biological functioning is ground to be considered as a disease. Evidences about addiction is brain disease In order to consider addiction as a brain disease, it is important to trace the very nature of a normal brain and its potential functions in the human body. The normal human brain is said to have the capacity to take control over the entire body. However, aside from the biological stand point, the brain does not only control the whole activities of the body, but primarily thoughts and behavior (Feldman, 2003). This implies that a normal brain has the capacity to create normal thoughts and behavior. Since addiction is a behavioral problem, the brain therefore has specific problem by itself considering that it should have the capacity to create normal thoughts and behaviors in the first place. Furthermore, based on the assumption about normal biological functioning of the body, a normal brain therefore has to function well as expected resulting to create normal thoughts or behaviors. Doctor Alan Lesbner, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse personally believes that addiction is a brain disease (Walsh, 1997). This is based on the idea that drug addiction is just a result of one’s brain inability to take control of a certain behavior. Doctor Lesbner argued that not all of those who abused drugs resulted to addiction because the brain has a certain capacity to control human behavi or. In fact, not all of those who tried prohibited drugs are addicted. Furthermore, not all of those who start gambling and having sex are addicted to such of these activities. However, the abuse of drugs for instance leads to some changes in the brain and to some extent they are harmful for its normal functioning (Heyman, 2009). Some recent findings showing addiction is a brain disease supported the idea of Doctor Lesbner. Recent findings suggest that addiction is associated with dysfunction of brain tissues resulting to the disruption of regions in the brain which are capable of controlling the normal process of motivation, reward and inhibitory control (Ries et al., 2009; Heyman & Brownsberger, 2001; Flores, 1997). The advent of technological breakthroughs makes this

Production of tpa using eukaryotic n prokaryotic cells Essay - 1

Production of tpa using eukaryotic n prokaryotic cells - Essay Example course of production, safety precautions have to be strictly adhered to, as the drugs are poisons in nature and could cause severe body harm if misused. A method for producing tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in eukaryotic host cells is disclosed. Enhanced levels of t-PA production are obtained by co-amplification of the t-PA gene through treatment of cultures transformed with mutant or wild type DHFR with methotrexate. Â  A cell culture comprising methotrexate (MTX) sensitive recombinant host cells transformed with an expression vector comprising a first DNA sequence encoding a dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) protein with a low binding affinity for MTX, and a second DNA sequence encoding human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), tPA encoded by said second DNA sequence, and an effective amplifying concentration of MTX. The invention herein relates to the production of human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in a transformant host cell culture. More specifically, the invention relates to vectors, cells, and methods of producing tPA in conjunction with expression of the sequences for coding for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) protein in such cells. Another example that describes use of CHO cells as host cells, and expression vectors which include the SV40 origin of replication as a promoter. However, it would be well within the skill of the art to use analogous techniques to construct expression vectors for expression of desired protein sequences in alternative eukaryotic host cell cultures. If cells without formidable cell wall barriers are used as host cells, transfection is carried out by the calcium phosphate precipitation method as described by Graham and Van der Eb, Virology, 52:546 (1978). However, other methods for introducing DNA into cells such as by nuclear injection or by protoplast fusion may also be used. Construction of suitable vectors containing the desired coding and control sequences employ standard ligation techniques. Isolated plasmids or