STEAM Projects
My steam project is about how the Zaire Ebola Virus EBOV Attacks The Immune System. I have used a wood stove as my abstract drawing. The Liver represents the wood stack. Where the wood stack filters out all the smoke and particulates caused by the fire. The Spleen represents the smoke filter/catalyst filter itself. When closed it forces the fire to burn the smoke, accumulating more energy from the smoke before it is ejected out of the smoke stack. It acts somewhat as a filter, as the smoke has to go through the catalyst before exiting through the smoke stack. The Lymph Nodes represent the catalyst handle. The handle opens and closes the catalyst. When closed the catalyst forces the fire to continue to burn the smoke before being filtered through the catalyst and out the chimney. When open the fire burns hotter and much quicker. This is less efficient. The Lymph nodes when activated weakens the body’s efficiency/strength. When the immune system/lymph nodes are not activated, the body works at normal efficiency. The window seal represents the epidermis, if the skin is broken, the EBOV is able to enter the body. If the seal of the window is broken, smoke is able to enter the house. The metal frame represents the blood vessels. The frame holds the fire inside, the life force of the wood stove. If the frame is exposed on any spot of the wood stove, smoke will enter the house, potentially killing the residents. If the blood vessels hemorrhage internally, you can die in a matter of minutes. The objectives that this project relate to are from Unit 5) The Muscle Tissues, Unit 6) The Nervous System, and Unit 3) All Main Types Of Tissues. My project is related to the muscle tissues by the various organs that are attacked by the EBOV. The project relates to the nervous system as the nerves, specifically the dendritic cells. The project relates to the main types of tissues, as connective, epithelial, and nervous tissue are directly affected by the EBOV. The Zaire Ebola Virus EBOV is the most common strain among humans, accounting for the greater majority of deaths across the world-(NLM Cell Death and Differentiation). The virus is transmitted through bodily fluids, direct contact of an infected person, and sexual transmission. EBOV enters the body through cuts of the superficial epidermal layer, mucous membranes, or through direct dissemination by bodily fluids. EBOV attacks the immune system by infecting the dendritic cells, monocytes, and macrophages. From this point on the EBOV targets the lymph nodes(Catalyst), resulting in swelling. The EBOV moves to strike the liver and spleen. This infection causes a strong inflammatory response. This is characterized by the massive release of chemokines and cytokines, the cytokines are proteins that signal anti inflammatory responses, while the chemokines contribute to the migration of the white blood cells. This massive immune response disrupts the regulation of the blood vessels. This results in Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), and multiple organ dysfunction, which results in death. The DIC is characterized by the blood vessels clotting strongly in various sections of the blood vessels. This causes massive bleeding both internally and externally. This hemorrhagic event is what defines EBOV, where you bleed out of every orifice. DIC eventually leads to Hepatocellular Necrosis, which is the death of the liver tissue, specifically the hepatocytes.


References
  1. Feldmann, H., Author AffiliationsFrom the Laboratory of Virology, Mikuls, T. R., Gessain, A., Munshi, L., Y. Feng and F. Wang, T. L. Cowger and Others, & Mikuls, T. R. (1970, November 17). Ebola: Nejm. New England Journal of Medicine. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1901594 
  1. Hasan, S., Ahmad, S. A., Masood, R., & Saeed, S. (2019, July 7). Ebola virus: A global public health menace: A narrative review. Journal of family medicine and primary care. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6691429/
  1. World Health Organization. (2021, February 28). Ebola virus disease. World Health Organization. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease

One Comment

  1. Overall, I thought David’s project was great! I really liked the wood stove imagery, as I really think it drove the purpose of the project home, while giving a nice visual to look at. I can tell that he put a lot of thought into what exactly he wanted his image to portray, and how it loops back into explaining the Zaire Ebola virus. Super clever!
    I will say that I was a bit confused as I began reading, due to having no knowledge about the Ebola virus, but in the second half of the text, David explained the virus itself. My suggestion would be to flip the passage about the imagery, and the passage about the virus, so then your reader knows exactly what they’re supposed to be looking for in the image.
    In summary, the Zaire Ebola virus is an illness that attacks the immune system, after being transmitted through bodily fluids. The virus, EBOV, attacks the immune system by infecting the dendritic cells, monocytes, macrophages, lymph nodes, spleen, and liver. It is an extremely deadly virus, damaging both muscle and nervous cells.

    Alayna Walker

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