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| Science & Technology |
| Dementia: New Alzheimer's drug 'could slow rate at which disease progresses' |
| 2019-10-26 |
| [BBC] Scientists believe they could be on the cusp of a breakthrough, after a drugs company said it had the first treatment of its kind for Alzheimer's. The drug, which is called aducanumab, cannot cure it but Biogen says it slows down the rate at which it progresses, essentially meaning people stay more like themselves for longer. This came as a surprise as the company had suspended the drug trial in March 2019 because of disappointing results. But now a larger dataset has been analysed and Biogen says it shows that higher doses of aducanumab can provide a significant benefit to patients with early Alzheimer's. The BBC has been to University College London to find out how the drug works. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #3 Sure am glad I studied at the cattle mutilation institute and did not allow myself to believe their bullshit ! Hey how is that biological delivery system and the food chain? |
| Posted by: Angens Turkeyneck2026 2019-10-26 18:53 |
| #2 I'm speculating now but... This non-cytoskeltal tau could be a problem EVERYWHERE and we call it heart disease, kidney disease, sarcopenia etc. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2019-10-26 14:41 |
| #1 High-salt diet promotes cognitive impairment through the Alzheimer-linked protein tau A high-salt diet may negatively affect cognitive function by causing a deficiency of the compound nitric oxide, ... The research team determined that the high-salt diet was causing cells in the small intestine to release the molecule interleukin-17 (IL-17), which promotes inflammation as part of the body's immune response. IL-17 then entered the bloodstream and prevented the cells in the walls of blood vessels feeding the brain from producing nitric oxide. This compound works by relaxing and widening the blood vessels, allowing blood to flow. Conversely, a shortage of nitric oxide can restrict blood flow. Based on these findings, Dr. Iadecola, Dr. Faraco and their colleagues theorized that salt likely caused dementia in mice because it contributed to restricted blood flow to the brain, essentially starving it. However, as they continued their research, they realized that the restricted blood flow in mice was not severe enough to prevent the brain from functioning properly. "We thought maybe there was something else going on here,'" Dr. Iadecola said. In their new Nature study, the investigators found that decreased nitric oxide production in blood vessels affects the stability of tau proteins in neurons. Tau provides structure for the scaffolding of neurons. This scaffolding, also called the cytoskeleton, helps to transport materials and nutrients across neurons to support their function and health. "Tau becoming unstable and coming off the cytoskeleton causes trouble," Dr. Iadecola said, adding that tau is not supposed to be free in the cell. Once tau detaches from the cytoskeleton, the protein can accumulate in the brain, causing cognitive problems. The researchers determined that healthy levels of nitric oxide keep tau in check. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-increase-nitric-oxide |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2019-10-26 14:39 |