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Lorenzo's Oil: A Fight Against ALD

Part 1: Lorenzo experiences troubling symptoms at school. Medical tests reveal a devastating diagnosis. Part 2: The Odones face opposition and pursue unconventional treatments. Part 3: New hope emerges with experimental therapies. Will Lorenzo find a cure?

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Lorenzo's Oil: A Fight Against ALD

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  1. Lorenzo’s Oil

  2. Part 1

  3. 1. Lorenzo begins to experience problems at school. What symptoms first appear? • Acts out in class • Aggressive towards peers • Uncontrollable temper tantrums for no apparent reason

  4. 2. What medical tests were done to assess Lorenzo’s condition? • EEG • MRI • Blood test • Hearing and vision • Test for seizures

  5. 3. When Lorenzo is diagnosed with ALD the doctor explains the prognosis for his disorder. What does the doctor tell Mr. and Mrs. Odone? • Only affects males ages 5-10yrs • Myelin disappears from around the neurons • No cure • Fat chains build up in his blood because the enzyme that is suppose to break it down does not work • Die within two years of diagnosis

  6. 4. The inheritance pattern for this disease is referred to as … • Sex linked disorder

  7. 5. Lorenzo inherits ALD from which parent? Explain why it is always this parent. • Recessive trait comes from the mother • Mom is a carrier • Recessive gene found on the X chromosome and it does not have a matching allele on the Y chromosome- nothing to mask the trait in a male

  8. 6. What is myelin? How does ALD affect the myelin sheath of Lorenzo’s neurons? • Myelin is a fatty substance that coats the nerve cells and helps the nerves transmit the nerve impulse • ALD destroys the myelin

  9. 7. What trial studies did Lorenzo’s parents try in order to help their son fight ALD? • Special low fat diet • chemotherapy

  10. Part 2

  11. 1. What is the response of the foundation leader to the ideas of the Odone’s? • He doesn’t want to go against the doctors involved in the foundation • He wants the families to continue the test with the diet

  12. 2. Describe the opposition that the Odones face from the medical community. • The medical community wants to emphasize diet therapy • Medical community is afraid to try the oil without testing it first on lab animals

  13. 3. Augusto Odone makes a model to compare Lorenzo’s condition to a kitchen sink. What is the significance of the two faucets and the drain? • One faucet is the food we bring into the body and the other faucet represents how our body naturally makes the fat chains. The drain is the enzyme in our body that breaks down the fatty chains- in Lorenzo’s case the drain is clogged because the enzyme does not work properly so the “sink” backs up and the fatty acids collect in the sink.

  14. 4. Michaela found an interesting research article on Polish rats. What was the significance of this research? • Rats were deprived of fats because they had too many fatty acid chains in their blood stream • Then, their bodies began to make more of the fats to compensate for them being deprived in their diets

  15. 5. What oil offers a possible solution to Lorenzo’s high level of C24 and C26 fat levels? Where did Lorenzo’s father get the oil? How did Lorenzo consume the oil? • Olive Oil changed to Oleac acid • Prototem Chemical Company • Through his feeding tube

  16. 6. Explain why is this oil only partially effective. • It only takes care of part of the chain.

  17. Part 3

  18. 1. What is the name of the second oil? This oil is extracted from what plant? What is the medical basis for using this oil? • Rapeseed Oil • It is used for medical issues but it can cause cardiac issues. Erucic acid is toxic to humans in some doses

  19. 2. Who is Lorenzo’s rat? Why can the therapy of Erucic acid be tested on Michaela’s sister or Michaela? Why are the doctors and family concerned about toxicity? • His Aunt- Deidra • They carry the trait so they have high blood levels as well • Risk - it could kill the child because it can cause heart issues if it builds up in his system

  20. 4. After the administration of the oil, how does Lorenzo’s condition begin to change? • Some movement • Blood levels return to normal

  21. 6. Augusto gets a new idea for a “cure” for ALD from shaking puppies. Explain how. • The puppies do not have any myelin and the scientist explains how they are using cells to generate new myelin.

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