Alzheimer's Cause Identified? 71
JediJeremy writes "Naturehas this article on the possibility that researchers have identified the cause of Alzheimers. Their research says that amyloid beta, a protein in the brain, may cause plaques and makes an enzyme -BACE1-that causes dimentia. In the study mice, those without BACE1 did not get dimentia, while the others did. The article also says that there are current market drugs that can stop BACE1 production and all that needs to be done is for a human trial to begin. Looks like there is hope for those that suffer."
Relosing one's mind (Score:5, Interesting)
I can only hope that this drug helps patients before they suffer a decline in mental faculties -- going through it once is bad enough, losing your mind twice is hell for both the patient and their loved ones.
Re:Relosing one's mind (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Relosing one's mind (Score:3, Informative)
dementia correcting drugs eventually stop working (Score:4, Insightful)
But here the drug isn't being used for dementia correcting, it's being used to stop BACE1 production. As long as the drug continues to do that, it holds the promise of preventing Alzheimer's. Of course, the last line of the Slashdot story (Looks like there is hope for those that suffer.) is off the mark - block BACE1 production and you may prevent the disease; but there's no reason to think that if you block production you somehow crue those who already have the disease and the plaques.
Great news! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Great news! (Score:1)
hopefully (Score:2, Funny)
twice.
Re:hopefully (Score:1, Funny)
twice.
scientists probably would take a "dim" view of that mentia alright.
AB? Is anyone else chuckling about that? (Score:1)
Re:AB? Is anyone else chuckling about that? (Score:4, Funny)
OTOH, at least they got "dementia" right :)
Dementia (Score:1, Flamebait)
I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:3, Interesting)
I question the high rate of this problem and the high rate of TV watching of its victims. I don't think TV builds up the plaque in the brain. I think it comes down more to life style.
The progression of this disease is quite depressing. I bought a house from a couple, and the wife was getting into to the later stages. They moved next door to their daughter, because he could hardly leave the house.
I hope this drug doesn't just delay the disease, we need a cure. I want to start watching TV again.
Don't you ever wonder if your starting to get this. Walk into a room and forget why you are there.
Don't you ever wonder if your starting to get this. Start posting and .....
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:4, Insightful)
Now, if you'll excuse us, some people actually prefer real science, based on research and evidence than your so-called "facts".
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:2, Insightful)
I agree the grandparent is way out of line with his statement, but I wouldn't disregard homeopathy that easily.
For many years western medicine did not recognize, and either ignored or laughed at any "alternative" medical treatments. This has changed though, check Harvard's Osher Institute [caregroup.org]
Just think how homeopathic cures came by: most likely people in the past discovere
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:1, Interesting)
Whereas what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against is the more traditional use of ipecac to induce vomiting. This was a complicated decision based on various things including but not limited
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:5, Informative)
Normally I don't read @ -1, nor do I reply to AC posts, but this is a very interesting topic, and what you said is a common myth I've seen repeated too many times:
Without going into positive or negative aspects of eating meat, you can't deny biological facts. Human body WAS (I would say "IS", but you used past tense) designed to eat meat. Ever looked at your teeth? If humans were designed to be vegetarians, our teeth structure would be different. Some teeth exist only so we can process meat. Check with any dentist if you don't believe me.
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:1, Insightful)
Humans (and primates in general) are clearly evolved to be omnivores. It doesn't mean meat is the optimal food, but it does mean an awful lot of vegetarian activists are idiots.
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:5, Informative)
Of course, try convincing a rabid vegan with facts...
I like to point out the thousands of insects killed in the growing, harvesting and transportation of their "death-free carrots". 1 cow or thousands of crickets - make them explain how they make their value judgements about what can live and what must die.
"Life lives on life", somebody once said. How sad but true.
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:3, Funny)
Do Not Try to Approach a Rabid Vegan! Call the Authorities at Once! On No Account Try To Use Reason! This May Induce Biting!!!
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:1, Funny)
Only if you're a carrot.
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:2)
It seems that with all of the renewed "interest" in BSE, CJD, vCJD, scrapie, etc., someone noticed that the effects of these diseases are very similar to alzheimers. Could be that the problem isn't meat per se but that the meat industry is throwing a few too many "downer" cows into the food chain and the older you get, the more likely it is that you get exposed. I only had a chance to skim the article but appar
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:2)
Hmmm, I thought alzheimers was characterized by amyloid plaques growing on the neuronal dendrites and BSE/CJD was characterized by the presence of prions destroying brain tissue.
Maybe there is a connection, but the morphology at least are conventionally though of as dissimilar.
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:2)
I vaguely remember that the result of the plaques is that brain tissue gets destroyed leaving voids which are fairly indistinguishable from the results of BSE/CJD/CWD/scrapie and, while the prions seem to be the "infectious agent" in TSEs, no one knows how they actually end up destroying brain tissue. By the time an animal shows outward signs of TSE its brain is already p
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:1, Informative)
Why else do we cook meat? (Suggesting that if we were meant to eat it we wouldn't have to cook it.)
The "cooked meat" argument is not one I've heard before. Perhaps you are into raw foods as well as vegetarianism?
The primary non-animal sources of protein are grains and legumes (some vegetarians also eat eggs and dairy products, but those foods are animal in origin). Grains and legumes, like meat, typically require cooking or other processing to make them digestible. Grain
Re:I think this is a symptom and not the problem! (Score:2)
This is great! (Score:4, Informative)
My grandmother suffers from dementia. For a while (before her current medication), every few weeks she would have a dream where one of her children or grandchildren were out to kill her and she began mistaking them for real life.
Once we went over there and found she had hidden a knife under one of her table-cloths, and once she even ran away because she thought one of us was going to blow up her house.
It would be fantastic to see a cure.
Re:This is great! (Score:4, Interesting)
Alzheimer's is a terrible, terrible disease that I would not wish on my worst enemies...
Daniel
Re:This is great! (Score:2)
Daniel
Re:This is great! (Score:2)
Not me, I'd love it if Osama bin Laden got it... Maybe he'd start bombing all the wrong countries... Or forget that he's hiding from us... Or pull the pin on a grenade and try to figure out what it is (tick, tick). All good stuff..
So, I would definitely wish it on my worst enemies...
Re:This is great! (Score:1)
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you...
difference between preventing it and curing it (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:difference between preventing it and curing it (Score:2)
Re:difference between preventing it and curing it (Score:2, Informative)
Rather than blow all that money on prescribed drugs, he was talked into chelation therapy by a local country doctor to remove plaque from his blood.
He had chelation treatments for about 3 years, during which time he also had more TIA's and d
Re:difference between preventing it and curing it (Score:2)
Re:difference between preventing it and curing it (Score:4, Informative)
There are also Quacks who sell Books and Bogus Cures based on Bogus Claims and Bad Science.
Here is a good place to start if you'd like to understand why Chelation Therapy [quackwatch.org] and Homeopathy [homeowatch.org] are bunk.
If you don't want the specific debunkings because you're afraid someone might have something negative to say about your particular "alternative health remedy" (which is obviously Not Bunk, because You're No Mere Tool of the Medical Conspiracy, and because You're Obviously Too Smart To Fall For Bunk, and because Science Doesn't Have All The Answers Anyways!), at least read the articles on How Quackery Sells [quackwatch.org] 25 ways to spot it [quackwatch.org] and do your own due diligence.
Re:difference between preventing it and curing it (Score:2)
(My apologies for not using lots of Bogus Capitalized Phrases - I guess the Thought Police are working to Prevent Me From Agreeing with you).
Pardon me but... (Score:3, Funny)
Priorities at slashdot (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Priorities at Johns Hopkins (Score:5, Funny)
Another theory on the cause of Alzheimer's (Score:2, Interesting)
It has to do with excitotoxins, such as glutamates, aspartates, and others when present in abnormal, imbalanced quantities.
can't be that new (Score:3, Interesting)
yields slews of not so new results relating it to the disease.
According to some of what I read green tea is known to inhibit the enzyme.
Re:can't be that new (Score:1)
More microscopic images (Score:4, Interesting)
darn (Score:2)
What was this story about again?
So... (Score:1, Funny)
Step II after prevention (Score:4, Insightful)
I read a few days ago an article about figuring out how to bust apart the prions in BSE (mad cow) - but cannot for the life of me find the link. There's a similar disease in sheep, scrapie, which they've had some success using monoclonal antibodies [usnews.com] to reduce the damage from.
That would be a next step in Alzheimer research - if we can bust apart the amyloid beta plaques in sufferers, we might not be able to get back all old function, but it would very likely help current sufferers. One we have the ounce of prevention - it would be nice to have the pound of cure, too.
I Discovered the Cause of Alzheimer's... (Score:1, Redundant)
Plaques / Alzheimer (Score:2)
The post-mortem findings
Re:Plaques / Alzheimer (Score:1)