Cancer at the molecular level Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cancer at the molecular level - Essay Example (Normal cell cycle) (Genetic mutation- causes alteration in genes) (Alberts, 2007) Cancer is a genetic phenomenon that onsets as a result of trigger in the signal transduction of normal cell cycle, causing alteration in the cellular pathway for uncontrolled proliferation figuring malignant tumors. Cancer cells are not confined to one location and they turn invasive, spread to the nearby tissues initially and gradually their seedlings are carried to different parts/ organs of the body via lymph or blood causing invasion of the cancer to other tissues and organs. This stage is called metastasis. On the contrary, some cancer cells do not display uncontrolled growth, they are non-invasive and do not spread, such stage of cancer only forms benign tumors (Alberts, 2007). Cancer Proliferation Cancer is initiated in the cell, the basic unit of any living entity. Under normal conditions the cell follow the regular cell cycle but any chemical, physical or biological agent may trigger the conve rsion of proto-oncogene to oncogene, the active form of cancer causing gene which is responsible for the altered metabolism of the cell. The genetic basis of cancer has been revealed through numerous animal models. The human Genome Project aids in improving preclusion, analysis and management of cancer with better efficacy (Luo, 2008). Luo et al (2008) have identified essential genes in 12 cancer cell lines, they were exploited to find the presumed and established oncogenes such as KRAS, EGFR, MYC, MYB, BCR-ABL, CDK4 and CRKL that are vital for cancer cell proliferation and are found to be altered in the human cancers. Their findings postulate that tumoricidal agents trigger the expression of four genes PTPN1, NF1, SMARCB1, and SMARCE1. Moreover, five regulators are also activated in response to FAS activation, FAS, FADD, CASP8, ARID1A and CBX1. The information is beneficial for pursuing future cancer studies as well as for therapeutics. A comparative study between normal stem cells and cancer stem cells states that signal transduction namely Bmi1 and Wnt are shared by the normal as well as cancer stem cells for cellular proliferation. Perception and thorough understanding for cancer stem cells will certainly aid in recognition of the drug targets and cancer therapeutics (Lobo, 2007). Basis of cancer Any mutation may result in abnormal proliferation. However, mutations are generally insignificant and mutant cells are eradicated but accretion of mutation may occur in dividing cells resulting in cancer. Cancer causing mutation directly influence the cellular machinery including the genetic damage as well as signaling pathways and hence the entire cell division process is affected. As stem cells are pluripotent, long-lived as compared to their short lived descendant cells, they are vulnerable to the genotoxic elements causing oncogenic mutations (Pardal et al, 2003). Observations reveals that cancer tends to relapse after treatment. The genetic basis that has bee n postulated encompass the involvement of cancer stem cells. Research disclose that cancer stem cells play a pivotal role in cancer relapse as stem cells are not targeted by the conventional drugs and as these cancer stem cells are pluripotent they have potential to divide thereby generating tumor again. Much understanding of the cancer could be procured

Dangerous Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dangerous Method - Essay Example Conclusion 5. Work cited Dangerous Method Introduction Dangerous Method is a historical movie based on a non-fiction book â€Å"A Most Dangerous Method† written by Kerr John in 1993. It is a drama by genre, produced and directed by David Cronenberg in 2011. Christopher Hampton adapted the screenplay from his stage play, The Talking Cure cast in 2002. The starring of the movie includes Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Vigo Mortensen, and Vincent Cassel. The movie is an early 20th century story, and the storyline revolves around Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung, Keira Knightley as Sabina Spielrein,Vigo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud, Vincent Cassel as Otto Gross and Sarah Gadon as Emmah Jung. A Dangerous method is a movie based on a book. In relation to three books, this paper will present how the passionate relationship Carl Jung had with Sigmund Freud eventually resulted to psychoanalysis. Movie overview In the movie Sabina Spielren is a young woman from Russia, who suffers fro m hysteria related to psychological problems. The woman had experienced a difficult past and her psychological problems link to her childhood where she had a violent father. The young woman is however, highly ambitious and intelligent and aspires to be a Doctor and a psychiatrist in the future. On arrival in Switzerland from Russia, Dr. Carl Jung based in a Zurich hospital takes her in and hospitalizes her (Kerr 14). Dr Jung has just started using a talking cure method of dealing with psychological problems, designed by Dr Sigmund Freud. He decides to use it on Sabina. Freud becomes Jung’s mentor, and they develop a father-son relationship. Freud is proud of Jung and sees him as a likely successor of his work. With time as Dr Jung talks to Sabina, he discovers that her condition associates with her childhood experiences with her father. As a child, she felt humiliated and sexual aroused when her short-tempered father took off all her clothes and spanked her. Her mother was al so unfaithful to her father, and she felt her father’s abuse was a way to release her anger (Freud 25). The knowledge that she did not deserve such a punishment, together with the abuse that humiliated her, worsened her condition. Doctor Jung also discovers that Sabina comes from an affluent Jewish family in Russia, which managed to educate her well. Sabina has ambitions to study medicine and become a psychiatric doctor. The head of hospital together with Dr Jung recognize her intelligence, and allow her to use their equipments to learn. She assists them in experiments on psychoanalysis and learns a lot about psychological problems (Kerr 32). As Sabina’s awareness becomes sharp, Dr Jung finds a liking for her and sees her as a kind person who has a unique perspective in life. The two get attracted to each other, and as the attraction grows, Dr Jung finds it difficult to resist the idea of having an affair with a patient. He also sees it as breaking of medical taboos, w hich condemn the act of having sex with a patient. Dr. Jung is a married to an aristocratic wife, Emmah Jung, and he is guilty but devoted to her at the same time. Eventually they fall in love and Sabina loses her virginity to Dr Jung. In their affair, Jung starts the habit of spanking Sabina. They become so close to each other, and Dr Jung becomes an advisor to her dissertation. As time goes by, Dr. Jung and Dr. Freud disagree and become rivals. Dr. Jung’s comments that the talking cure can only detect the psychological problem and not cure it, fuels this rivalry. Dr Jung names the method psychoanalysis, but Freud thinks that using O to make it psychoanalysis is better (Kerr 64). Finally, Dr Jung attempts to break off from the relationship and decides to revert it to the