Check the link for video highlight... All I can say is wow...this is like day of the triffords stuff http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml.../12/wtree112.xm Tree man 'who grew roots' may be cured By Matthew Moore Last Updated: 2:55am GMT 27/11/2007 An Indonesian fisherman who feared that he would be killed by tree-like growths covering his body has been given hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A. Dede, now 35, baffled medical experts when warty "roots" began growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident. Dr Anthony Gaspari and Dede Watch: Dr Anthony Gaspari believes that he has diagnosed Dede's rare condition The welts spread across his body unchecked and soon he was left unable to carry out everyday household tasks. Sacked from his job and deserted by his wife, Dede has been raising his two children - now in their late teens - in poverty, resigned to the fact that local doctors had no cure for his condition. To make ends meet he even joined a local "freak show", parading in front of a paying audience alongside victims of other peculiar diseases. Although supported by his extended family, he was often a target of abuse and ridicule in his rural fishing village. But now an American dermatology expert who flew out to Dede's home village south of the capital Jakarta claims to have identified his condition, and proposed a treatment that could transform his life. After testing samples of the lesions and Dede's blood, Dr Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland concluded that his affliction is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers. Dede Dede's problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system, meaning his body is unable to contain the warts. The virus was therefore able to "hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells", ordering them to produce massive amounts of the substance that caused the tree-like growths known as "cutaneous horns" on his hands and feet. Dede's counts of a key type of white blood cell are so low that Dr Gaspari initially suspected he may have the Aids virus. But tests showed he did not, and it became clear that Dede's immune condition was something far rarer and more mysterious. Warts aside, he had enjoyed remarkable good health throughout his life - which would not be expected of someone with a suppressed immune system - and neither his parents nor his siblings have shown signs of developing lesions. "The likelihood of having his deficiency is less than one in a million," Dr Gaspari told the Telegraph. Dr Gaspari, who became involved in the case through a Discovery Channel documentary, believes that Dede's condition can be largely cleared up by a daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been shown to arrest the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV. Dede with his teenage daughter Watch: Dede with his teenage daughter. He fears that his children may also become infected "He won't have a perfectly normal body but the warts should reduce in size to the point where he could use his hands," Dr Gaspari said. "Over the course of three to six months the warts should be come smaller and fewer in number. He will be living a more normal life." The most resilient warts could then be frozen off and the growths on his hands and feet surgically removed. Dr Gaspari hopes to get the necessary drugs free of charge from pharmaceutical firms. They would then be administered by Indonesian doctors under his supervision. Still intrigued by the origins of Dede's peculiar immune condition, the doctor would like to fly him to the United States for further examination, but fears the financial and bureaucratic barriers would prove too difficult to overcome. "I would like to bring him to the US to run tests on where his immune condition has come from, but I would need funding and to get him a visa as well as someone to cover the costs of the tests," he said. "I've never seen anything like this in my entire career." # "Half Man Half Tree", part of the "My Shocking Story" series, will be shown on the Discovery Channel at 9pm on Nov 15. For more details visit the programme's website.l
I saw that picture the other day. To be honest, it's disgusting. But I feel sorry for the man, and hope he gets cured.
jesus this is old... - they don't really know what exactly was has yet.. a lot of those lesions don't even look like a wart should look - just a massive eccess of keratin.. - it will be a good story to follow and see how he responds to hpv infection treatments - I wonder if systemic interferon-alfa wouldn't be a better idea instead of the vitamin A they mentioned (I suspect they really meant to say isotretinoin not vitamin A) - odd that the local docs didn't give it a try, or even biopsy it or test it - I guess they weren't kidding about him living in a "remote" part of Indonesia because they do have decent hospitals and docs, all he really he had to do is show up at one, most docs will see and take care of interesting cases for free anyway. -He supposedly has genital warts (HPV) and some genetic mutation that makes it spread like none other.
jesus this is old... - they don't really know what exactly was has yet.. a lot of those lesions don't even look like a wart should look - just a massive eccess of keratin.. - it will be a good story to follow and see how he responds to hpv infection treatments - I wonder if systemic interferon-alfa wouldn't be a better idea instead of the vitamin A they mentioned (I suspect they really meant to say isotretinoin not vitamin A) - odd that the local docs didn't give it a try, or even biopsy it or test it - I guess they weren't kidding about him living in a "remote" part of Indonesia because they do have decent hospitals and docs, all he really he had to do is show up at one, most docs will see and take care of interesting cases for free anyway. -He supposedly has genital warts (HPV) and some genetic mutation that makes it spread like none other.
I watched this on tv the other night, there was also some other guy on there with the same problem but not as bad as Dedes, he had his cut off though. They just have warts, his has spread that much because his ammune system is not functioning correctly. I also watched a program tonight 'My big foot'. You can get more information here: http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/myshocki...oot/index.shtml
I can't see the picture, but from reading, I can tell he's had a tough life. I hope he gets to live as normally as possible
yeh this was in the news last week, its preety sad i feel bad for him, it is like woh,,, but hope he gets cured.
Watched this last night, i was really freaked out but felt sorry for him at the same time.. check it out. http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/myshocki...ace/index.shtml
I watched this one the other night also, because of his religious beliefs he will not accept any blood. He decided to get some of it removed in London where they will do the little ones gradually, then hopefully go onto the bigger ones on his face.
dem posted this in irc last night quite scary but kinda cute http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?...mp;in_page_id=2
