Thursday, October 16, 2008

Medicines for Alzheimer's disease already on the way

Scientists from Edinburgh University of St. Andrews (University of St Andrews)
find a way of blocking the processes that lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease - reports Daily Telegraph.

Scottish scientists together with their American colleagues have made a big step towards rede development mechanisms of Alzheimer's - degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, which gradually decreases intellectual activity and the brain suffers memory. Only in the United States of Alzheimer's disease affects 4 million people in Britain - half a million, mostly elderly. The disease is characterized by deposit amyloid protein in the brain - as the surrounding neurons education plaque, and within neurons in the formation of interlocking neyrofibrillyarnyh - these processes kill brain cells. On
cellular level essence of the disease is that amyloid «closes» at the castle enzyme, called amyloid-beta alcohol- dehydrogenase (Amyloid Beta Alcohol Dehydrogenase, ABAD), blocking its action.

Scientists managed to develop a chemical compound that prevents amyloid protein interact with brain cells. To understand how amyloid introduces himself in the box at St. Andrews have created three-dimensional model of ABAD. When the mechanism was understood, was a chemical trap - peptide, which attracted amyloid protein and «offered» him to join him, but not to ABAD. If amyloid has been introduced into the structure of ABAD, then the trap helped to be disconnected from the amyloid protein molecules ABAD and introduced into the structure of peptide.

Scientists have studied opportunities peptidnoy traps on laboratory mice and found that those animals that suffer from memory after memory of the drug seriously improved. Also they have recovered the ability to learn.

According to Frank Gunn-Moore (Dr Frank Gunn-Moore), a professor of biology at St. Andrews, «We have shown that it is possible to stop some signs of the development of Alzheimer's disease». The study, he said, provides a possible key to the treatment of disease, especially - in the early stages. However, according to Gunn-Moore, you will need to at least three years to convert peptide trap in the real drug, and several more years - to test its ability to humans.

The Fund support for research of Alzheimer's (Alzheimer's Research Trust) has been called the results of the study «exciting». Dr. Susanne Sorensen (Dr Susanne Sorensen), director of the Research Society of the fight against Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer's Society), said that the results of the study added an important piece of knowledge to razgadke nature of the disease and offer a possible way of treatment.

Alzheimer determined by blood

The company Power3 Medical Products, USA, has developed a test for the identification of Alzheimer's disease at an early stage of the analysis of blood, reports BBC News.

Suffers from Alzheimer's disease about 2-5% of people over 65 years and up to 20% of people over 85 years. It destroys the conscience, is absurd and beyond death. Now Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative disease, identified only when symptoms become pronounced.

The test NuroPro defines Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Gehrig's disease) on the levels of 59 biomarkers - blood proteins. Clinical trials that have already brought together 180 people, showed the success of the test in 70% of cases.

Last summer the company intends to issue a test of free sale in Greece, by the end of the year - in the United States.

While Alzheimer's disease is considered incurable, but scientists have announced razgadke mechanism for its development as well as taking a drug that can remove the symptoms of the disease at an early stage in 10 minutes.

Alzheimer's sparing no good and educated

Alzheimer's sparing no good and educated

Good people with a high degree of self-leading regular lives, less prone to the development of Alzheimer's disease, just as people with higher education; to the conclusions reached American and Swedish researchers, whose article published in the journal «General Psychiatry»
( «General Psychiatry») and «Neyrologiya» ( «Neurology»).

The first conclusion made by doctors at the University Medical Center Rasha (Rush University Medical Center) in Chicago, USA. They examined the health status of some thousands of Catholic monks and priests (an article in the magazine «General Psychiatry» quotes Reuters). It turns out that among most of which were measured, good life and restrict themselves to food and bodily pleasure (that is, have a high level of self), the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease was very low, much lower than that of ordinary people. In the surveyed group has not been a single case of dementia since 1994.

Data obtained from the survey of monks, researchers compared the data with ordinary people, who were asked to evaluate themselves on a scale «good» and the self (in the latter case it was necessary to put yourself from 0 to 48 points). The average level of self was 34 points. As it turned out, people with high self (who scored 40 points or more) to 89% less likely to suffer Alzheimer's than those who had low self (28 points or less).

As suggested by the authors of the report, high levels of self allows people a long time to deal with the approaching dementia syndromes: cognitive failure and mild cognitive decline (they are the two main symptoms of Alzheimer's disease). People with high self-accustomed to cope with difficulties, and can for some time to cope with the disease, believed to University Medical Center Rasha.

The second interesting discovery made by scientists Karolinska Institute (Karolinska Institute) in Stockholm, Sweden. According to their data, the risk of the disease Alygeymera also directly linked to the level of education rights (article in the magazine «Neyrologiya» quotes Reuters).

According to the authors of the report, people who have 6-8 grades of education, ill with Alzheimer's disease at 43% less than those who had studied only five years or less. And among those who studied at the School of 9 or more years or have tertiary education, the risk of developing dementia is reduced by 84%. «Low level of education clearly increases the risk of dementia», no doubt Tiya Ngandu (Dr. Tiia Ngandu) from the Karolinska Institutet. According to her, people with high IQ, even feeling the first syndromes approaching Alzheimer's disease are able to resist, unlike those who had not previously engaged in intellectual activities. These findings are directly correlated with data obtained by American researchers.

According to the World Health Organization, from Alzheimer's disease worldwide suffer about 18 million people. As has been reported around the world, among the factors that increase the risk of developing the disease, known as smoking and loneliness.

Alzheimer DISEASE

Alzheimer DISEASE, degenerative brain disease, progressive decline reflected intelligence. First described by German physician A. Alzheimer in 1907, the disease is a common form of acquired dementia (dementia). Only in the U.S. Alzheimer's affects about 1.5 million. Of a total of 1.3 million people in the U.S. in nursing homes, 30% of people with Alzheimer's disease.

This disease affects people regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Most early disease recorded in 28 years, but usually manifests itself after 40-50 years. Although Alzheimer's disease often remains unknown, it ranked fourth among causes of death: in the U.S. die from it, it seems, more than 100 thousand people a year.

Alzheimer's was first described in people younger than 65 years, so the sooner it is called presenile dementia. It also mistakenly viewed as a manifestation of aging or as a «sclerosis» cerebral vessels. In fact, the disease associated with degeneration of nerve cells (neurons) and not the defeat of blood vessels.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's are diverse. Among them - a gradual decline in memory and attention, a violation of thinking and the ability to learn, disorientation in time and space, difficulty in selecting the words, the difficulties in communication, personality changes. Symptoms of dementia gradually progressing, leading eventually to the patient completely loses the ability to self and dies. The process of disintegration of the psyche may take several years, bringing suffering to the patient and his family.

Diagnosis. There is no test that would accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the doctor must exclude other causes symptoms of dementia diseases, especially those that may be cured, namely, tumors, trauma, infection, metabolic diseases, overdose of drugs, as well as psychiatric disorders such as depression or disturbing syndromes. Even after the exclusion of other diseases diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease remains conjectural. Confirm it can only microscopic examination of brain tissue, which usually posthumously. Only occasionally, the study conducted from a living person, which makes biopsy, and take small samples of brain tissue.

Changes in the brain, confirming the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, mostly identified in the outer layer of the brain (Korea) and the hippocampus, which lies deep in the hemisphere, and plays an important role in memory. In the microscopic study of these brain areas are found neurofibrillar glome and neyriticheskie plaque. Klubochki consist of the pathological changes of neurons containing abnormal proteins. Plaques represent areas of sediment in the intercellular space uglevodnyh-protein complexes - amyloid. The more in the brain and klubochkov blyashek, the more intelligent expressed violations.

Biochemical studies show that when Alzheimer's disease in the brain becomes much less acetyl transferring enzymes - an enzyme necessary for the synthesis of acetylcholine. The latter is neuromediator, and substance, which transmit the initiation of the one cell to another, and participates in the process of memory.

Treatment. Temporarily suspend or slow the progression of the disease through drug able takrina, but full recovery is now impossible. Therefore, mainly symptomatic treatment. Patients and their families to help adjust to the disease. We need to strive to maintain the patient may be more active lifestyles. If you have any nonsense, institution or other changes in behavior assigned medication.

The reason for Alzheimer's disease is unknown. Currently, numerous studies aimed at clarifying the role of viral infection, heredity, pathological immune responses, environment factors and toxic substances in the development of the disease.