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ALS, a diagnosis feared by patients and doctors alike Wednesday, June 21 is World ALS Day. It is a day to stop and consider amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS for short. This neurodegenerative disease causes the death of motor neurons, the nerve cells controlling the muscles. The result is a loss of strength which spreads throughout the body. Besides the muscles in the limbs, it also affects the muscles used for swallowing, breathing, and speaking. The average survival rate after the onset of the first symptoms is just 2 to 5 years. ALS is relatively rare; about 400 people a year are diagnosed with the condition in Belgium. As Prof. Philip Van Damme (VIB-KU Leuven, UZ Leuven) tells us: "Despite the severity of the disease, an ALS diagnosis relies heavily on the physician's clinical acuity. The typical disease progression of ALS, with the loss of strength extending from one body region to another, allows a definite diagnosis. In the early stages of the disease, diagno...

In humans, amyloids are associated with neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, and prion diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In these pathological amyloids, proteins are trapped in a toxic form that causes cell death, and leading to brain and organ damage and eventually death. Proteins with purpose Amyloid plaques are composed of proteins or protein fragments that organize into spiraling fibers that continuously grow by attracting new molecules. Previous research has indicated that the resulting tissue damage in human disease is mainly caused by small protein aggregates generated during the early stages of amyloid formation. These molecular predecessors to amyloids are composed of the same subunits, but differ in structure. Bacteria, however, have the remarkable ability to make 'functional amyloids' through a deliberate pathway that does not involve the formation of...

The findings, drawing on the unique data of the METSIM (METabolic Syndrome In Men) study ongoing at the University of Eastern Finland, were published in  Annals of Neurology . Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease strongly characterised by the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain tissue. Knowledge of the genetic background of Alzheimer's disease is crucial for finding new prevention measures and treatments, and for understanding the cellular level mechanisms of the disease. Uncovering the genetic pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease has been a target of great interest over the past few years, and genome-wide mapping studies focusing on risk genes have led to significant advances in the field. These studies have identified not only several new risk genes for Alzheimer's disease, but also gene variants that protect against it. Research groups focusing on Alzheimer's disease and diabetes at the University of Eastern Finland have now show that th...

Traditional plant medicines have been used by humans for a long time, and these therapies are still popular in many countries. Plants typically contain a huge variety of compounds, many of which have no effect in the body, and some which can have significant effects. If a plant medicine shows a therapeutic effect, scientists are interested in isolating and identifying the compounds that cause the effect to see if they can be used as new drugs. In many cases, scientists repeatedly screen crude plant medicines in lab experiments to see if any compounds show a particular effect in cells grown in a dish or in cell-free assays. If a compound shows a positive effect in cells or test tubes, it could potentially be used as a drug, and the scientists go on to test it in animals. However, this process is a lot of work and doesn't account for changes that can happen to drugs when they enter the body -- enzymes in the blood and liver can metabolize drugs into various forms called metaboli...

Their study, published in the journal  Pharmaceutical Biology , has shown that the extract taken from the leaves, stem and roots of  Carpolobia lutea , could help to protect chemical messengers in the brain which play a vital role in functions including memory and learning. The tree extract could pave the way for new drugs to tackle patient symptoms but without the unwanted side-effects associated with some current treatments. The study was led by Dr Wayne Carter in the University's Division of Medical Sciences and Graduate Entry Medicine, based at Royal Derby Hospital. He said: "As a population we are living longer, and the number of people with dementia is growing at an alarming rate. Our findings suggest that traditional medicines will provide new chemicals able to temper Alzheimer's disease progression." Neurodegenerative diseases represent a huge health burden globally, placing pressure on health services and having a negative impact on the lives of patie...

That is Domenico Praticò, MD, Professor within the Departments of Pharmacology and Microbiology and the Middle for Translational Drugs on the Lewis Katz Faculty of Drugs at Temple College. Credit score: Lewis Katz Faculty of Drugs at Temple College The Mediterranean eating regimen, wealthy in plant-based meals, is related to quite a lot of well being advantages, together with a decrease incidence of dementia. Now, researchers on the Lewis Katz Faculty of Drugs at Temple College (LKSOM) have recognized a selected ingredient that protects in opposition to cognitive decline: extra-virgin olive oil, a significant element of the Mediterranean eating regimen. In a research revealed on-line June 21 within the  Annals of Medical and Translational Neurology , the researchers present that the consumption of extra-virgin olive oil protects reminiscence and studying means and reduces the formation of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary ta...