You're Not Losing Your Mind, You're Fighting Bacteria

The fight against Alzheimer's may have gotten more complicated - there is a possibility that all the amyloid plaque building up in your brain and crashing your neural networks has been busy fighting off infections:

Infection Defense May Spur Alzheimer’s
By GINA KOLATA

For years, a prevailing theory has been that one of the chief villains in Alzheimer’s disease has no real function other than as a waste product that the brain never properly disposed of.

The material, a protein called beta amyloid, or A-beta, piles up into tough plaques that destroy signals between nerves. When that happens, people lose their memory, their personality changes and they stop recognizing friends and family.

But now researchers at Harvard suggest that the protein has a real and unexpected function — it may be part of the brain’s normal defenses against invading bacteria and other microbes.

Other Alzheimer’s researchers say the findings, reported in the current issue of the journal PLoS One, are intriguing, though it is not clear whether they will lead to new ways of preventing or treating the disease.

If the A-beta is playing a useful role, that may be a problem:

As for the link with infections, Dr. Steven T. DeKosky, an Alzheimer’s researcher who is vice president and dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, noted that scientists have long looked for evidence linking infections to Alzheimer’s and have come up mostly empty-handed.

But if Dr. Tanzi is correct about A-beta being part of the innate immune system, that would raise questions about the search for treatments to eliminate the protein from the brain.

“It means you don’t want to hit A-beta with a sledgehammer,” Dr. Tanzi said. “It says what we need is the equivalent of a statin for the brain so you can dial it down but not turn it off.” (Dr. Tanzi is a co-founder of two companies, Prana Biotechnology and Neurogenetic Pharmaceutical, that are trying to dial down A-beta.)

Oh, well - once Rahm rounds up the votes to pass ObamaCare and Nancy and Harry demonize Big Pharma, you know what we say about Alzheimer's treatments - fuggedaboutit.

Comments

[MikeS]

There is some question about the efficacy of treating people for things like Alzheimer’s, when you know for a fact that they are just going to die eventually.

[squaredance]

You know about Irish Alzheimer’s, right?

You forget every...except the grudges.

[Rahm's creepy brother]

you know for a fact that they are just going to die eventually

Sign that man up for a panel!

[windansea]

Oh, well - once Rahm rounds up the votes to pass ObamaCare and Nancy and Harry demonize Big Pharma, you know what we say about Alzheimer's treatments - fuggedaboutit.

too funny

how did a nice family guy like you inherit such a cynical sense of humor?

[Clarice]

well, keep encouraging TM, windansea. That's the ticket.

[windansea]

in a perfect world, TM would be the most famous opinionator

howz dat?

[Charlie (Colorado)]

There's some question about the efficiency of treating kids for tonsillitis, when you know they're going to die eventually.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Lookie here! Another auto-immune reaction, who knew life could be so complicated?

[windansea]

yikes!

Rep. Bart Stupak said he expects to resume talks with House leaders this week in a quest for wording that would impose no new limits on abortion rights but also would not allow use of federal money for the procedure.

"I'm more optimistic than I was a week ago," Stupak said in an interview...

[windansea]

“The president says he doesn’t want to expand or restrict current law (on abortion). Neither do I,” Stupak said.

“That’s never been our position. So is there some language that we can agree on that hits both points — we don’t restrict, we don’t expand abortion rights? I think we can get there.”

[matt]

Alzheimers's. where you meet new people every day....

[sylvia]

You know I read an article on MSN health a couple months ago on Alzheimers. And they talked about some researchers who thought for sure Alz was a reaction to the herpes virus, the cold sore kind. And they had some good evidence I thought.

They said that almost everyone gets the herpes virus, which never goes away, but as you get older, your body's defenses on it get less. They said specifically people with certian gene subtypes are very suceptible. And they found the herpes virus in the brain tissue etc. Sounded good to me,

Anyway, they said the normal Alz researchers didn't like the idea and the group got no funding and they had to close shop. But this dovetails with the NYT article that it's a reaction. So maybe this group will get more interest now.

[sylvia]

"Oh, well - once Rahm rounds up the votes to pass ObamaCare and Nancy and Harry demonize Big Pharma, you know what we say about Alzheimer's treatments - fuggedaboutit."

Oh please. Don't be such a Chicken Little. I thought RPubs were supposed to have fortitude. There is barely anything left in the bill anyway. All that will be there is that you can't be denied for bogus preconditions and dropped arbitrarily. Oh the horrors!

[Dave (in MA)]

According to the current Moonbat Palin-gotcha meme, Sarah's family took her brother to the nearest big town (in Canada) for emergency medical care when Sara was a little kid and despite the fact that Canada didn't have socialized medicine yet and they paid for his care, and this makes Palin a big teabagging hypocrite about socialized medicine, or something, you betcha.

[sylvia]

You know, as a medical buff, the more I read the more I am convinced that bacteria and viruses and parasites cause or indirectly cause almost all human ailments.

[srp]

Actually, this makes me think about treatments that would target the chronic infections so that the amyloid response wouldn't be over-triggered in the first place. Kind of like how flossing your teeth reduces inflammation from infections and may therefore reduce heart disease.

[sylvia]

Exactly srp. Actually I am sort of pissed now after reading that article. To me it makes perfect sense about the herpes virus. I'll bet $100 bucks that's what it turns out to be.

I'm pissed because I know this group already had that or a similar idea years ago and the regular researcher's pooh poohed it. And now that Harvard comes up with it, it's gold. That seems to happen a lot in medicine research for some reason. That they are really dense about new ideas. Remember the idea about H Pylori and ulcers? Same thing here.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Dense about what, dear sylvia?

That there are commonly three herpes viruses present in most lung cancers?

How dense is that? They even check for them now.

Really dense.

[srp]

An old Mad Magazine had medical nursery rhymes, one of which ended "Neuritis, bronchitis, acute hepatitis? He'll say it's a virus--you'll see!" That's the problem with the mystery-pathogens-cause-everything view. Until you identify the damned thing to near Koch postulate levels it's all speculation.

[sylvia]

"Until you identify the damned thing to near Koch postulate levels it's all speculation."

Yeah but if you never even give it a try and try and research it, you'll never figure it out.

[JM Hanes]

sylvia:

"There is barely anything left in the bill anyway."

Yep. 2,400 pages of filler.

"You know, as a medical buff, the more I read the more I am convinced that bacteria and viruses and parasites cause or indirectly cause almost all human ailments."

LOL! What did you used to think caused human ailments?

[daddy]

LOL! What did you used to think caused human ailments?

Duke LaCrosse Players.

[Stephanie]

"You know, as a medical buff, the more I read the more I am convinced that bacteria and viruses and parasites cause or indirectly cause almost all human ailments."

Translation... I'm a doctor. I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[Jane]

Ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[hit and run]

Bad update:

She's not doing well. As before, I won't post details here, you can email me ... jomhitandrun @ gmail . com (or Jane... fwdaj @ live . com ) to get on the email updates.

But please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, as well as her entire family.

She really needs them right now.

[hit and run]

(oh, and if you were on the email list before, check your email)

[drjohn]

This would imply that Alzheimer's is an autoimmune phenomenon and might be treated with the autoimmune suppression meds.

[Rick Ballard]

The Vanishing Mythical Mexicans

DHS knocked off 800K (note divergence from the Pew Hispanic Center twaddle). Census is trying rather desperately to generate a higher count of Mythical Mexicans in the Blue Hells in order to protect pelf distribution.

On Tuesday, the Census Bureau will launch a campaign stressing the importance of counting infants and young children on the forms. As part of Children Count Too, Nickelodeon will broadcast a promotional spot featuring the children's character Dora the Explorer. Census officials say children are undercounted because people in hard-to-count groups, including immigrants and minorities, tend to have more children in their families and because many people do not list babies on the questionnaire.

The DHS "methodology" using residuals is risible. It's also untestable and totally uncorroborated by Mexican Census numbers. Try and fit a rational scenario to this gem:

Of the 10.8 million unauthorized immigrants in 2009, 4.0 million (37 percent) had entered the United States on January 1, 2000 or later (see Table 1). An estimated 0.9 million (8 percent) came to the United States between 2005 and 2008 while 3.0 mil lion (28 percent) came during 2000 to 2004.

DHS is saying that four times as many illegals came in during the period containing 9/11 and the subsequent recession as did during the building boom of 2005-07 - when every Mexican who could swing a shovel or a hammer was very visible on every new tract of houses.

I really wonder if the DHS statisticians were trained by the same professors who gave us the Climate Scientologists.

[That's bad.]

I'm so sorry, h&r.
========

[narciso]

So sorry, to hear that h&r,

So is DHS, being as vigilant investigating the 120 Arab nationals that were doing the
"Ted Kennedy at Harvard" gig of paying people
to take their tests for them, so they could hold on to their visas, I know rhetorical question,

In this brouhaha, over the AQ 7, why doesn't ask the question plainly, is there
anybody at Main Justice, who is willing to
protect us against terrorists, I 've found
Starr (has he learned nothing in 10 years,
another rhetorical question) and more dissapointing, Rivkin and Stimson, who was
fired for asking these sorts of questions

[Rob Crawford]

LOL! What did you used to think caused human ailments?

Insurance companies.

Duh.

[Janet]

I was walking into a bookstore while reading my list...I caught eyes with a big biker guy and smiled and said I needed lists to help me remember. He said that was one of the signs of getting old....he couldn't remember what the other signs were. Heh!

[cathyf]

email from bad's husband

Sue asked me to let you know that she is nearing the end of her fight with the Leiomyosarcoma and she asked me tonight to send you a note to let you know so that you can update the JOM gang. It looks like we will only have her for a few more days so we are doing everything we can to make sure that she is as comfortable as possible. I know that she is comforted in the knowledge that this is not the end, but only the next step in her continuing journey with the Lord. She is at the Community Hospice of Texas “Hospice House” in downtown Fort Worth and the staff there is doing a great job keeping her comfortable. Here is a quick update on the last few days.

At Sue’s last doctors appointment her doctor suggested that we have the Community Hospice of Texas come out and be ready to help us if needed. Their assessment nurse came out this past Monday March 1st and was very nice and helpful. We were scheduled to meet her nurse sometime on Wednesday. Unfortunately the next day Sue started feeling multiple waves of nausea that we could not control with the meds that she has been taking for some time. I guess it was fortuitous that we were set up with the hospice as I was able to call the nurse on early Wednesday morning about the nausea and she consulted with Sue’s doctor and they recommended transporting her to their “Hospice House” in downtown Fort Worth . The staff there was able to get Sue’s nausea under control and she slept most of that day. On Thursday she was still drifting in and out of sleep, but she was pretty alert and sharp for someone who did not sleep for about 36 hours and I think the new nausea med tended to make her drowsy as well. The facility has a nice dining room / kitchen area and we used that on Thursday evening to celebrate our daughter Katie’s 19th birthday. Our Sunday school class took our orders and basically catered in a bunch of Mexican food so that we were able to have the same party that we had originally planned to have at home. Sue was not able to enjoy the food but I know she had a good time. She had asked a friend to pick up a bouquet of pink roses for her to give to Katie and they were the most perfect ones any of us had seen. Starting that night and ever since she has had a continuous flow of family and friends dropping by to visit her. She almost always offers them a hit off her bong (how she refers to her oxygen machine).

On Saturday Sue had a very good day at the Hospice House. She enjoyed the high tech whirlpool tub very much. They picked her up in her room with a special stretcher device and then used that to wheel here to the whirlpool room and it has a built in lift system so they just lowered her directly into the whirlpool and returned her the same way. She said it felt so good she was going to tell them it only takes her a few hours and she is dirty enough for another bath. She also enjoyed visits from several friends and family but especially from one special visitor. The Hospice House is open to pets and a nurse encouraged me to bring up “Baby” our cat for a visit. I went home and brought Baby back for a 3 hour visit. After about a half hour of checking out the room she settled into bed with Sue. I think this was very therapeutic and the highlight of the day. Today (Monday) Sue was very tired and slept most of the day. However late this afternoon they told her it was time for a bath and she perked up in anticipation of the whirlpool. I asked her if she would rather take the bath or watch Charles Krauthammer on Fox News. She voted for a bath with Charles and the nurse just about rolled on the floor. I also brought Baby back for her second visit tonight and Sue was very happy with her company. I have some pictures that I will try to remember to share with you when I am able to transfer them from my camera.

I want to thank you and all the JOM gang for your love, prayer and support. It really means a lot to her and also to me.

Frank Donvan

PS: If any of her online friends would like to do something for her, she has specifically asked that contributions be made to any of four special causes that mean so much to her. Sue has always had a green thumb and loved to work in her flower beds. She also loves her church and in particular wants to support the “ Oak Tree Park ” project that is part of a beautification effort on the church property. Sue has always loved kids and had made it her mission to reach out to them and nurture them anytime she had the opportunity. Delana was one of the kids at our church that Sue loved and she has grown up, gotten married and is doing mission work in Peru and Sue wants to continue to support Delana and her work. Anyone that knows Sue will know how she leveraged her love of kids to become the ultimate Band Booster for two local High School Bands. Our oldest son Clay attended Summit where he was a Drum Major. Our daughter Katie started at Summit but she was re-zoned to Legacy when that new school opened and was the Color Guard Captain. Through all of these years Sue was the ultimate Band Booster, volunteer coordinator and Band Mom to so many of the kids, many of whom have visited her over the last few days to let her know how much of a difference she made in their lives. Sue loves both programs and wants to encourage support for both. Donations can be made as follows:

South Oaks Baptist Church
The “ Oak Tree Park ” Project
5925 Hwy 287
Arlington, TX 76017

Delana and Bryan Davis, Missionaries - Peru
Global Ministries
c/o South Oaks Baptist Church
5925 Hwy 287
Arlington, TX 76017

Summit Band Boosters
c/o Brad Bonebrake
Summit High School
1071 W. Turner Warnell Rd
Arlington, Tx 76001

Legacy Band Boosters
Sue Donovan Memorial Fund at Frost Bank
You can donate at any Frost Bank location or mail donation to:
Legacy Bronco Band Boosters
P.O. Box 450
Mansfield , TX . 76063

I was a little hesitant to post something with that much personal info on the internet, but, you know, I think bad would want everyone to know.

[Clarice]

bump.

(Will people from time to time please bump this thread so everyone can see it? Thanks.)

[Porchlight]

Thank you, cathyf. I think bad would want people to know, too.

[You know I'm not responsible for all this.]

Soon I can claim both Puk and bad for muses.
=====================

[cathyf]

I figure that if I ever make it to heaven, bad will be easy to find. Wherever you see angels giggling behind their hands with the I-shouldn't-be-laughing-but-she's-just-too-funny-not-to look, bad will be in the middle of the crowd!

[narciso]

I'm so sorry to read of that, always with the sense of humor. I'm genuinely at a loss for words, what can I say. She conforted me, when
I was complaining about that relatively small
but acute problem my mother was going through
a little over a year ago How she had the will to press on, despite all obstacles

[Clarice]

Yes, that's true--there has to be salty humor contests there every day, and if I'm in the other place, I hope one of the scientist types here will rig up a speaker system so I can hear what's going on.

[centralcal]

lol, cathyf - snickering angels.

Oh heck, Clarice, we know you'll make it to the "right" place!

[Porchlight]

If anyone can make an angel snicker, it would be our dear bad.

[Captain Hate]

Ouch. Thanks for bumping this but I'm very sad about our good friend bad.

[Jane]

Bump -

[Jim Ryan]

Bad was friendly to me and she's in my thoughts and prayers.

[Janet]

I know that she is comforted in the knowledge that this is not the end, but only the next step in her continuing journey with the Lord.

The great blessed assurance. Her and her family will be in my prayers.

[glasater]

Not easy writing with tears in the eyes but had to say isn't it amazing how someone you've never met can touch your heart so very much.

God bless Bad--we love you.

[Porchlight]

Bumping again for Bad. Imagine the welcome she will receive in heaven! They will bust out the cocktails for sure.

[Jane]

BUmp

[Tear in Rain.]

I'll bet that's messed up a photo or two, glasater, crying into the viewfinder.
==============

[White Doves and Painted Ponies.]

Well, if I weren't crying, I'd have written 'Tears in Rain'.
===========================

[We've an apt title for the thread, too.]

More ironies, I swear I'm going.
===========

[Sue]

Do you guys remember when bad was sad? I always thought it was the state of mind she was in until she told us it was her initials. She changed to bad and the rest is history. And baby, she can be "bad" when she wants to.

I gave her Cheney today. I hope she knows how much I love her with that act.

[Sue]

isn't it amazing how someone you've never met can touch your heart so very much

I was thinking that at lunch.

[daddy]

WE love you Mrs Bad,

Hoping this adds a little cheer on this sad day, I'm praying you run into folks like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn wherever you wind up. God Bless.

"Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on, had just come to live with her, and took a set at me now with a spelling-book. She worked me middling hard for about an hour, and then the widow made her ease up. I couldn’t stood it much longer. Then for an hour it was deadly dull, and I was fidgety. Miss Watson would say, “Don’t put your feet up there, Huckleberry;” and “Don’t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry—set up straight;” and pretty soon she would say, “Don’t gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry—why don’t you try to behave?” Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there. She got mad then, but I didn’t mean no harm. All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change, I warn’t particular. She said it was wicked to say what I said; said she wouldn’t say it for the whole world; she was going to live so as to go to the good place. Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it. But I never said so, because it would only make trouble, and wouldn’t do no good.

Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn’t think much of it. But I never said so. I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and she said not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together."

[Sue]

daddy,

::smile:: Bad can write Huck Finn speak almost as well as Mark Twain.

[glasater]

Just sent an email to Verner.....

[Sue]

Bump

[glasater]

Kim--you're fine....

Wasn't looking through a view finder at the time although the pixels on the screen got pretty blurry.

[Jane]

Do you guys remember when bad was sad? I always thought it was the state of mind she was in until she told us it was her initials. She changed to bad and the rest is history. And baby, she can be "bad" when she wants to.

I take full credit for that change. It was right after she told us she was living on borrowed time. I loved her for doing that - because she was never sad. Never.

[MayBee]

I remember that, Jane.

On Tapper's, she was "mad".

[hit and run]

Bump.

For those who may not have known or hadn't remembered (and I had failed to remember before going through old emails from Bad) her husband had a mild heart attack last year right before her last trip to the hospital.

Please remember Frank as well,this can't be easy on his heart -- figuratively and literally.

[centralcal]

A good reminder, Hit, about her hubby.

I remember sad, and bad, and mad - and have, and will continue, to miss them all.

Just think, she barely used up all the possible iterations of her name - cad, gad, lad, pad, etc, etc.

[Clarice]

As I recall bad had a very terrible prognosis. She hoped to live a few years longer until her children were older. Her doctor took a chance on a new drug which had not yet been used for the kind of cancer she had. In our sadness we should remember that she and her physician took a risk to gain a few more years and she won them .(And we had her company for that extra time.)

[centralcal]

An excellent point, Clarice.

And, probably the very kind of thing threatened by Obamacare.

[Ignatz]

Even though I emailed back and forth with bad occasionally I never knew what kind of cancer she had.
That she has lived as long as she has with what is a very difficult to treat sarcoma is a testament to her toughness and to her love for her family, who she has been living for.
Even while suffering with her own cancer she encouraged me greatly about my wife's.
Surely, God is taking home a beautiful daughter; she'll be fine. Pray most for those who are left here without her.

[Clarice]

That's very lovely, ignatz.

[JM Hanes]

What do people mean when they say, "Bump?"

[Ignatz]

Means they're "bumping" the thread back to the head of the line in "recent comments", JM.

[And a rumpety thump.]

Bad a boo, bad a bump.
============

[JM Hanes]

Thanks, Ignatz. So this would be a bump!

[Jane]

I got an email this morning from a wonderful long time lurker who works for an international cancer group who offered "advocacy assistance/information services/pain specialists or anesthesiologist consults/referrals to world class teams" and more if it would be helpful for bad. It sounds like we are past that time. But I want everyone to know that there are some wonderful people out there that we don't get to talk to.

[Clarice]

That is nice to know, Jane.

[Many hands make light work.]

Yes, this is a bad time for a lot of people, more than we know.
============

[Pick up sticks, the frogs acroak.]

Bad a bloom.
=======

[Jane]

bump

[Clarice]

bump

I haven't permission to reveal the poster's name but when you are praying for bad, pray also for another poster who-- while he is in good health-- has been struggling alone with the death of one parent and the apparent fatal illness of another.

[Jane]

Oh dear Clarice.

It's a tough year all around.

[hit and run]

On my knees for that poster. Anonymous or not,any friend here is a friend indeed,and dearly loved.

[Clarice]

You are both so dear. I know we all wish we could help both of them.

[Porchlight]

Praying for that poster, too, Clarice. Thank you for letting us know.

[Rick Ballard]

H&R,

Given your training in soteriology and the fact that my only hope is a grace ticket, do you think my chances are affected by a request for a room in the Bad Wing? I imagine it as a rather cheerful place with Peter on his ax rather than the standard harp and choir mentioned in Daddy's comment.

[Jane]

I want that wing too Hit, in case you are in charge.

[Foraying on a wing and a prayer.]

They are just settling our island.
================

[hit and run]

Rick, I do think grace alone gets us everything we need, and more than we could ever even think to ask for.

[Clarice]

Rick, you can sit in the anteroom with me and help me with the translation of la Pelle.

[Flodigarry]

I have long admired bad's wit, humor and strength. Her observations on life and on those of us who inhabit it always brought a smile.

Prayers aplenty. I'm sure St. Peter has a warm and hearty welcome in store.

[Melinda Romanoff]

This has been a long day of thoughts and prayers for bad, and new, unknown friends.

And thanks again, clarice, for the reminder of Frank's set back.

I feel quite comfortable that I'll be doing the wiring for that speaker we'll both need.

[caro]

Oh, with the flurry of posts I had shut this one down too soon. I knew we were all missing bad's wonderful comments in the last month or so... I,too, am imagining a special bad and PUK party. Prayers for bad's wonderful family.

[Elliott]

Bad has few equals in courage, kindness, and humor.

[glasater]

Elliott--your kind words help ease a heavy heart.

[Ignatz]

I hope no one will mind if I bump bad's thread again.
She and her family are on my mind and I'm sure everyone else's.

[Clarice]

bump

[Jane]

bump

[Clarice]

Hit asked me to post this message from bad's husband, Frank:

Jeff, this it Frank. I just wanted to let you know that Sue has received multiple notes from the JOM group. Please let JOM know that I have been reading them to her. I don't get all the inside jokes, but she seems very happy to hear them as well as all the expressions of love and support. She is currently resting comfortably and is clearly at peace with this whole process. As you guys have figured out she is truely a wonderful woman and an inspiration to many. Also she loved the Yellow roses from JOM. Perhaps she had shared that with you guys or it was just another example of devine inspiration as yellow roses have always been her favorite.

[Will always bloom for thee.]

The Yellow Rose of Texas.
=============

[Sudden death is easy on the victim and hard on the survivors. Et vice versa.]

No one minds, Iggie. I hope tyhus doesn't cease comments.
==========

[Porchlight]

bump.

Frank sounds like such a dear. I can't imagine what they've gone through, and yet they both sound so serene.

[glasater]

Yes Kim--Bad's dear family is who my heart aches for....

[Holly]

In the midst of a dense chemo-induced brain-fog, I landed here at JOM a long time ago during the Plame drama. TM and you guys nourished my sick brain. Bad and Ignatz nourished my heart.

Darlin' Bad, I pray every day to be as bad as bad can be.

*smooches*

[Jane]

Awww Holly, what a nice thing to read early in the morning. I hope you are doing well now.