Blog Archives
3 Things I Learned This Week: Origins of HIV and History of AIDS
The first week of my free online AIDS course from Emory University via coursera.org has been AMAZING! Aside from the instructor there are also guest speakers who have been heavily involved in AIDS research, campaigns etc. It’s very mind blowing! Serious nerdgasm over here!
The instructor of the class is Kimberley Hagen, EdD and this weeks guest speaker was James Curran, MD, MPH (who’s credentials make me giddy). Prof. Hagen encourages us to record “3 Things I’ve Learned This Week”. It’s not graded but it allows us to reflect on the material and show us what we’ve gotten out of the lectures.
I want to share what I’ve learned this week 
3 Things I Learned This Week- The Origins of HIV (Hagen)
HIV in the human body
- HIV originally spread from primates and mutated inside humans to become what we now know as HIV
- HIV is a numbers game (the more people in your community who have it the more likely you will get it)
- There are two types of HIV (1 and 2) and HIV 1 is the most common.
3 Things I Learned This Week- The History of AIDS (Curran)
- AIDS is a new syndrome (becoming known in the early 80′s)
- AIDS is a social issue as much as a medical issue
- Although prevention can be difficult PREVENTION WORKS
I’m Glad I Lived To See: Richard III Remains Found
While I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher last night he briefly mentioned how Richard III’s remains were found under a parking lot. I am a massive historic British monarchy fan so this was amazing news for me! I said to Michael, I’m so glad I lived to see this. Straightening my hair this morning I thought about that again and decided it would be a cool thing to blog about; all the events I’m glad I’m alive to see.
So, the first post is about: Richard III
Earliest surviving portrait of Richard III
Richard III had severe scoliosis of the spine.
Richard III was King of England for two years before he was killed in the epic battle called the War of the Roses and replaced with Henry VII (beginning the Tudor dynasty). He was the last Plantagenet and last of the House of York to sit on the throne of England. He was buried without any of the usual pomp that a King would deserve so his body has remained missing until 2012.
On August 24, 2012 the University of Liecester and Liecester City Council (in association with the Richard III Society) set out to find Richard III remains. Knowing there was a possibility that his remains could be found at the lost Greyfriars church they headed to that location. After a bit more matching of maps and finding places that were no longer there, remains were found under the parking lot.
The dotted brown line indicates the area Billson, 1920, identified as the extent of the Greyfriars grounds. The University of Leicester 2012 dig has posited the Church, Chapter House, Cloisters and monastic buildings as the pink area shown, with a black dot indicating the location of the grave which may have contained the remains of Richard III.
After DNA analysis and the like it was determined on February 4, 2013 that the remains found under the parking lot were in fact those of Richard III. A facial reconstruction was done and released on February 5, 2013.
Based on computer analysis of his skull combined with an artist’s interpretation of details from historical portraits.
The remains of Richard III will be placed in in Liecester Cathedral in early 2014.
Richard III is most noted for:
- Having the most turbulent and historic reign.
- Credited with the murders of his nephews and Henry VI
- Shakespeare play, King Richard III
- Campaigned in Scotland
- Played a role in the War of the Roses
- Appointed himself King Lord Protector for his 12 year old nephew, Edward V
- Attempted to ease tensions with Lancasters and Scotland
- Died in 1485, defeated by Henry Tudor (Henry VII)
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_III_of_England#Identification_of_remains
Daily Prompt: Revisionist History
There are so many events that I wish I could go back and change but I can acknowledge that probably without them happening then I probably wouldn’t be who I am today.
I guess one scenario I could have done differently (a scenario that I don’t mind talking about) is when I was first taken to the hospital for cutting. I should have been honest with the idiot doctors who were speaking with me.
“You know you shouldn’t do this right?” NO I DON’T!!!!
“Will you do this again?” YES I WILL!!!!
Maybe if I had told the truth it would have stopped. I would have saved myself years of scars, mockery and pain and learned how to cope better earlier on.
But, like I said before, the experience has given me something valuable.
BPD Awareness Month Day 6: A Brief History of Borderline Personality Disorder
BPD symptoms have been seen individuals since the ancient Greeks and as time has passed we’ve developed a language for it.
- folie maniaco-mélancolique, Théophile Bonet in 1684
- borderline insanity, C. Hughes in 1884 and J.C. Rosse in 1890
- excitable personality, Emil Kraepelin in 1921
Those are just some examples of the earlier language used to describe was is now Borderline Personality Disorder.
BPD was first thought to be on the “borderline” (1938) between neurosis and psychosis. In the 60′s and 70′s thinking went from associating the behaviour as a borderline schizophrenia and instead thought of it as a borderline affective disorder, or mood disorder. This is how it was described in the DSM II.
Finally standardized criteria was developed and BPD became what it is today (until the DSM V) in 1980 when the DSM III was published.
I have a an abnormal psychology textbook from 1972 and this is what it has to say about early BPD:
The cyclothymic personality was described as an ordinarily outgoing person who conveys the impression of being friendly, warm, and pleasant. These individuals are subject, however, to mood fluctuations in which cheerfulness is often replaced by sadness brought on by internal factors rather than external events. Individuals typified by persistence without alteration of a heightened mood state such as euphoria or depression were also regarded as cyclothymic personalities.
I also think that this personality type could come into play.
The emotionally unstable personality is an individual who becomes over-emotional and ineffective when confronted by a minor stress. His relationships with people are quite changeable, shifting as various strong, and poorly controlled, feelings such as anger, guilt or anxiety dominate.
Abnormal Psychology: Changing Conceptions by Melvin Zax and Emory L. Cowen, 1972
