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Elder Care Information |
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New Hope for Alzheimers Treatment
There is now widespread agreement among research scientists and medical professionals that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a problem quickly growing to vast proportions. As the life expectancy of Americans continues to rise, increasing the percentage of the population over 65 years of age, so does the number of Alzheimer's cases. It is currently estimated that people over 65 years of age have a 10% chance of developing Alzheimer's, while those over 85 have a 50% likelihood of developing AD, making it the leading cause of dementia among older people. Though the disease is associated primarily with memory loss, its effects also comprise a number of other severe disabilities, including changes in personality, disorientation, difficulty with speech and comprehension, and a lack of ability to move normally. Consequently, most Alzheimer's patients require a great deal of care, costing society close to $100 billion annually. According to Christian Fritze, Ph.D., Director of the Antibody Products Division at Covance Research Products, "The impact of Alzheimer's Disease on our society will only increase as our population ages. The prevalence of the disease and disabling effects on the patient are significant by themselves. In addition we are becoming increasingly aware of the far-reaching effects on families, care-giver networks and the economics of our health care system. The drive for progress towards effective treatments by the research and drug development community is growing stronger every day." A New Consensus But recent developments in the medical research community do provide some hope. During the last two years, there has been a growing consensus among Alzheimer researchers about the cause of Alzheimer's disease, providing focus for scientists exploring the new treatment options. The focus is on amyloid beta oligomers, a new wrinkle on an older hypothesis called the "amyloid cascade hypothesis". Widespread acceptance of this new conclusion is something of a milestone in the history of Alzheimer's research. As Dr. Fritze says, "The decades old quest for the causative agent in Alzheimer's Disease has recently focused on the precursors of amyloid plaques. These precursors are part of a bewildering array of processed (APP) Amyloid Precursor Protein) variants, Tau isoforms and secretase components that play a role in neuronal cytotoxicity and subsequent brain dysfunction." Amyloid plaques are sticky protein deposits in the brain containing amyloid beta peptide. Researchers have associated the buildup of this plaque with Alzheimer's disease since its discovery in 1907. But despite the clear correlation, scientists were not sure what, exactly, spurred the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. The hypothesis that amyloid beta accumulation in the brain is the major cause of Alzheimer's Disease1 has been the focus of much attention over the past decade. Although this hypothesis was the leading explanation for the cause of AD, it had several weaknesses. The most obvious problem with the theory was the fact that the buildup of amyloid beta peptides did not necessarily correspond with the severity of Alzheimer's symptoms. However, in 19982 and in 20023, researchers proposed that it was not the amyloid beta plaques themselves that were neurotoxic - and therefore the cause of Alzheimer's - but rather precursors to amyloid beta plaques formed by smaller aggregates of amyloid beta. These new ideas are gaining widespread acceptance among the Alzheimer's research community, creating a consensus that had not existed before. This new focus provides one more spur to action for Alzheimer's researchers, and underscores the need for further advancement. "The AD field demands sophisticated, highly-sensitive research tools to track these components and quantitate the existence of monomeric, oligomeric and fibrillar amyloid forms present in the progression of Alzheimer's disease," says Dr. Fritze. Antibody Treatment Two new studies, both released in October 20044, suggest that new treatment options may be on the horizon. The studies are the modification of one of two previous attempts using amyloid beta (Aβ) antibodies in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. The previous attempts, though not successful, did at least suggest new courses of action in Alzheimer's research and provided invaluable information for researchers. In the first of the two previous attempts, researchers injected the antigen itself - pieces of the beta amyloid protein that makes up amyloid plaque - into mice, in the hopes that the injections would generate an immune (antibody) response against amyloid. Results were initially positive. The injected antigen produced Aβ antibodies and slowed the onset of the disease by decreasing Aβ levels. However, when tried on humans, the procedure led to meningoencephalitis (an inflammation of tissue around the brain) in some patients, and was therefore halted. In the second attempt, a passive immunity therapy was tried in which antibodies to amyloid beta (not amyloid protein) were injected into mice, but hemorrhaging and inflammation ensued due to the high antibody doses required to be effective. New Hope But now there appears to be new hope for the use of antibodies as therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's patients. In the first of the two new studies that appeared in October conducted by the National Institute for Longevity Sciences, NCGG, and the Center for Neurological Diseases, Brigham & Women's College, Harvard Institute of Medicine, researchers modified the first procedure. Concluding that the meningoenchaphalitis which occurred in some patients was caused by autoimmune T-cell activation, the researchers hoped to develop a vaccine that could minimize this T-cell activation while retaining the production of Aß antibodies. To accomplish this they created an oral vaccine that attached Aß DNA to an adeno-associated virus vector, which served to mitigate T-cell activation. Thus they were able to decrease Aß levels in the brains of the mice and yet not activate T-cells to the degree they had before, greatly reducing the risk of meningoencephalitis. In the other new study, conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago, researchers succeeded in making the passive immunity protocol much safer. This they accomplished by changing the point of entry for the Aß antibodies. Rather than injecting the antibodies into the body of the mice, as was done previously, antibody was injected directly into the brain of the mice. Because the antibodies were injected directly into the brain, smaller doses were needed, and side effects were minimized. The results of the above studies, and the potential for further optimized immunization strategies may prove to be watershed events in the history of Alzheimer's treatment. Covance is a leading provider of innovative antibody products and custom antibody development services to the research community for Alzheimer's disease. Visit www.Covance.com for more in-depth information and to view the suite of products for Alzheimer's disease. Boris Predovich is Vice President of Immunology and Surgical Services at Covance Research Products. Notes 1. J.A. Hardy, G.A. Higgins (1992), Science, 256:184-5. R. L. Fielding writes on many health-related topics.
MORE RESOURCES: How Japan's 'Macho Caregivers' Are Revolutionizing Elder Care Tokyo Weekender Kenora plans new hospital, expansion of long-term care home constructconnect.com Element Care Celebrates 30 Years of Providing Comprehensive Senior Care at Healthcare from the Heart Gala Yahoo Finance What can advisors do to help clients managing elder care, childcare costs Wealth Professional Opinion | The Worst Losers in Trumpâs Economy The New York Times Ontario government announces $50 million planning grant for Kenora hospital Ontario Construction News Baker Lake race focuses on new health centre, elder facility Nunatsiaq News Mental health of older adults World Health Organization (WHO) Sunshine Coast elder care project uses art to ask who cares Coast Reporter 'Wild west' of elder care: CT advocates point to overlapping oversight, underfunded agencies CT Insider âCommunities Should Build Elderly Services Pipeline Earlyâ: Anni Chung, Self-Help For The Elderly India Currents Ageing and health World Health Organization (WHO) Elders and housing top priorities in Uqqummiut Nunatsiaq News Heart of Health: Linda Armstrongâs passion for geriatric nursing care Nova Scotia Health Changes are coming for residential aged care. Hereâs what to know The Conversation Aging in Digital China: Senior influencers find new value online as China builds stronger elderly care system news.cgtn.com Frontline Acquires Integracare, Plans U.S. Entrance; Zingage Raises $12.5M Home Health Care News Critics say taxpayer dollars for nursing homes should be spent on care, not new buildings FOX 13 News Utah LETTER: Elder care a looming crisis for Oak Bay Victoria News Telangana Plans Law to Deduct 10â15% Salary of Government Staff Who Neglect Parents The Logical Indian Elderly care: The visible and invisible International Labour Organization FAU Historian Traces How U.S. Nursing Homes Evolved into Big Business Florida Atlantic University Use it or lose it: the new home care budgets you don't want to miss thesenior.com.au When a 91-year-old renter in Toronto is evicted with nowhere else to go, our governments have failed completely Toronto Star Nova Scotia Healthâs Dignity of Risk Program leading change in caring for older adults living with frailty and dementia Nova Scotia Health Elderly Care Market Size, Share & Trends | Growth Report [2032] Fortune Business Insights Police seeking suspectsâ identities after theft from New Westminster senior care home CityNews Vancouver Nursing homes receiving millions in extra taxpayer funds face allegations of poor patient care FOX 13 News Utah Wage-levelling to end in fully private seniorsâ care facilities Hospital Employees' Union Why seniorsâ care should have been on the election agenda The Conversation Elder Care Homecare Reaffirms Commitment to Providing Continuous 24-Hour Home Care in NYC. The Globe and Mail Police investigate suspicious death in Abbotsford senior care home CityNews Vancouver Elder Care Homecare Reaffirms Commitment to High-Quality ALS Home Care in Westchester County The Globe and Mail AI Companions Redefine Elder Care: 3 Ways They Fight Loneliness, Boost Safety And Scale Support Forbes Visionaries Unite: How the West Coast Conference on Aging is Rewriting the Future of Senior Care The Daily Scan NTI Invests in Community Facilities for Elder Care Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. New tracker finds rapid private equity expansion in elder care Private Equity Stakeholder Project PESP Pennsylvania launches C-Screen elder care screening tool Central Penn Business Journal Youth employment and elder care: a dual challenge in Morocco AFD - Agence Française de DĂ©veloppement Mark Yaffe: Pioneering Excellence in Elder and Mental Health Care | Department of Family Medicine McGill University BPK student research looks to history to find a way forward for Indigenous elder care Simon Fraser University Stepping towards better health: Early Mobility team wins Nova Scotia Health Quality Award Nova Scotia Health âWhat they wanted to seeâ: Rankin Inlet elder facility to welcome 22 residents in April Nunatsiaq News Emotional needs and service process optimization in combined medical and elder care: A TRIZ approach ScienceDirect.com 'Don't open another bed': St. Johnâs doctor says there's a better way to keep seniors out of long-term care PNI Atlantic News Elderly patients can deteriorate hourly in the ER. This team works against the clock to get them out CBC Organizations call for increased elderly facilities to address super-aging society macau daily times æŸłéæŻæ„æć ± Recreation therapy associates at the heart of the Early Mobility Program at St. Marthaâs Regional Hospital in Antigonish Nova Scotia Health Video: How the Immigration Crackdown Threatens Elderly Care The New York Times From Durham to Denmark: A global lens on elder care ArcGIS StoryMaps Nursing home death now investigated as murder CityNews Vancouver Unravelling the combination of medical and elderly care in China: a comprehensive policy analysis Nature Canadaâs aging crisis and a call for reform in eldercare The Hill Times MGMT Digital Helps Nursing Homes Reach Families Through Generativ The National Law Review Former MA caregiver pleads guilty to stealing from patients. Here's her sentence MetroWest Daily News The opportunity to innovate in senior housing McKinsey & Company B.C. government close-lipped on watchdog report that finds seniors care is worsening - Vancouver Sun |
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