WEEK 4 - Topic 4: Cell Theory & Prokaryotes and Viruses, Prions & Viroids

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - WEEK 4 

Hello readers,

SCL ACTIVITY

Before the lecture for topic 4 is started, all the students have been doing the SCL activity that related to cell theory, scientists that contributed to the discovery and differences & similarities of prokaryotic and eukaryotic. We have to find the information by our own and discussed it in the class by groups. I think this is for generating the main idea of what we were going to learn for this topic to give us some clues by searching the information in our own research. I find out this was so helpful and i tends to understand it more after the lecture class. 



The sub units that I've learned in this topic are:
-Cell Theory and Prokaryotes
-Viruses
-Prions
-Viroids

Cell Theory and Prokaryotes

Three main ideas of Cell Theory

The biggest contribution to Cell Theory

The Cell Theory's timeline

Prions and Viroids are the new things that I've learnt. At first, I have no idea what prions and viroids are about. But all i know is there are all must be related to diseases causes. 
I really like this topic because it's related to human health. Most of people know variety of diseases but only just a few people know and conscious how and why our body can be infected.

Prions 

 Prion is actually an infectious protein (missed-folded protein) and it will form aggregated or clumped. Therefore this prion protein will not be degraded and caused it to resistance to proteases. So what do you all think the type of disease could be affected by this prion protein? 
The answers are Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases. 

One interesting fact that i love the most when i learnt this topic is the cure of the Alzheimer's disease. It's actually out of the syllabus but i earn extra knowledge from the lecture by Prof Madya Dr. Parameswari.

 Do you all ever known about a plant species called GINKGOBILOBA ? 

Yes, ginkgobiloba also known as Maidenhair Tree is the cure of the Alzheimer's disease which helps to slow down the Alzheimer's disease. It's mostly been used by the Chinese as traditional medicine. Ginkgobiloba sp. is actually the only one species that could survived and came from the dinosaur's era which is billion years ago. It's amazing fact right? 

Viroids

Referring to this helpful website: 

https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biology-textbook/viruses-21/prions-and-viroids-139/prions-and-viroids-558-11769/ 

  

Based on my previous knowledge from the lecture, viroids will only infected the plants. Human will not being infected and not harmful for health. Even though in our daily life we still eat the infected plant that caused by viroids. You never heard people get shrink because of eating the infected potatoes so far. But this infection will responsible for crop failures and the loss of millions of dollars in agricultural revenue each year.

Why is it happened? 

If you've been given choices, according to picture above which kind of potato that you will choose? Of course the biggest rounded potato is it? This will causes the left-over infectious potatoes will not being sold and caused a big loss for farmers. Therefore, even though this viroids infection will not harm our body people were finding the cure to prevent the loss of profits selling the potatoes. 

For my opinions, i think a lot of benefits we learned about all the causes of diseases. We can used our modern technology to create a new tools or treatment to prevent the diseases as well as to cure the diseases. 


Cheers, 
Nurul Syafiqah Azhar-published on 121015;0800pm