Doctors Baffled, Intrigued by Girl Who Doesn't Age

The Night Owl

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Fri Jun-26-09 12:01 PM
Original message

Doctors Baffled, Intrigued by Girl Who Doesn't Age

From ABC...

Doctors Baffled, Intrigued by Girl Who Doesn't Age
Years Pass, but Brooke Greenberg Remains a Toddler. No One Can Explain How or Why.

By BOB BROWN
June 23, 2009

Brooke Greenberg is the size of an infant, with the mental capacity of a toddler.

She turned 16 in January.

"Why doesn't she age?" Howard Greenberg, 52, asked of his daughter. "Is she the fountain of youth?"

Such questions are why scientists are fascinated by Brooke. Among the many documented instances of children who fail to grow or develop in some way, Brooke's case may be unique, according to her doctor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine pediatrician Lawrence Pakula, in Baltimore.

...

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=7880954&page=1

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ayeshahaqqiqa

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Fri Jun-26-09 12:13 PM
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1. That is indeed strange

She does look like "failure to thrive" children I've worked with before.

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rocktivity

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Fri Jun-26-09 12:13 PM
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2. Huh?

She's not a dwarf, not even a primordial one (they're the ones who are born without growth hormone). Majorly scrambled DNA!

rocktivity
:wow:

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Tuesday Afternoon

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Fri Jun-26-09 12:14 PM
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3. indeed. very interesting. bkmrkng

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kestrel91316

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Fri Jun-26-09 12:17 PM
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4. Oh, she's aging alright. She's simply not DEVELOPING.

I hate science/medical writers who don't know that words have exact meanings.

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tridim

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Fri Jun-26-09 12:35 PM
Response to Reply #4

5. But it does beg the question, what does "aging" mean?

If it's just the progression of time then of course she's aging, but what is "time" in relation to biology? We already know that biological clocks differ in different sized species. The smaller the organism, the faster the clock runs.

Are her cells dying and being replaced like in a normal human body? Or are her cells living longer than normal?

I think her case is definitely worthy of further study.

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kestrel91316

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Fri Jun-26-09 12:51 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. I suspect her cells are turning over at the normal rate, but that's speculation

on my part. And cells can only replicate and divide just so many times before they get "old". Something about telomeres, I think.

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Aragorn

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Fri Jun-26-09 12:54 PM
Response to Reply #6

7. telomeres

The mechanism which controls development is not the same as the mechanism which controls final cell death. But this case might have good clues into one or both. Too bad for the person though.

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momto3

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Fri Jun-26-09 11:00 PM
Response to Reply #7

8. Actually telomeres are repetitive regions of DNA at the end of chromosomes...

that protect the chromosomes from destruction during cell division. During every cell division, some of the telomere is lost. This limits the number times a cell can successfully divide and is believed to be the leading cause of cellular aging. Telomerase, the enzyme the body uses to elongate the telomeres, is often mutated in cancers allowing for unrestricted cell division.

I admit that I have not read the article at the link. I wonder if her telomeres are shortening, which would suggest that at least she is aging normally on the cellular level.

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Ganja Ninja

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Tue Jun-30-09 07:15 AM
Response to Reply #4

11. Yeah that's what I thought too.

Not developing is not the same as not aging.

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rocktivity

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Mon Jun-29-09 09:27 AM
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9. Brooke has a younger sister

Edited on Mon Jun-29-09 09:38 AM by rocktivity

I admire her parents' willingness to have another child--I don't think I would have. And I hope her sisters aren't shunned by future suitors because pass on what Brooke has to their children.

:headbang:
rocktivity

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supernova

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Mon Jun-29-09 07:35 PM
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10. Body is not a coordinated unit

One Doc in the piece says that she doesn't seem to be developing as a whole being, i.e.

- half her teeth are baby teeth, (half the adult set, I guess he meant)

- She's 16 chronologically but hasn't hit puberty.

Different parts of her seem to be developing at different rates.

:crazy:

Very cute child though.

Imagine having a toddler for the rest of your life!

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