Hasta ahora, únicamente contamos
con medicación
que ayuda en mejora la calidad de vida de familiares, cuidadores y pacientes con demencia
tipo Alzheimer .
Aunque son estudios preliminares y no medicina basada en la
evidencia; la cual requiere de comprobar las hipótesis en grandes grupos de
población por diferentes grupos de investigadores, esta información da un rayo
de esperanza en este tema.
En
primer lugar se habla de que sustancias que se
encuentran en las palomitas de
maíz que suelen vender en
los cines, contienen sustancias que facilitan la aparición
de
la enfermedad de Alzheimer
NEW
YORK (CBS NEWS) - An ingredient used in artificial butter flavoring for
popcorn may worsen the effects of an abnormal brain protein that’s been linked
to Alzheimer’s disease.
A new study in Chemical Research in
Toxicology examined diacetyl (DA), an ingredient used to produce the buttery
flavor and smell in microwave popcorn, margarine, candy, baked goods and even
pet food. It is also created naturally in fermented drinks like beer, and gives
some chardonnay wines its buttery taste, according to the study.
Scientists at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis conducted an analysis
of DA, a chemical which previously has been linked to respiratory problems in
employees at microwave popcorn and food-flavoring factories. They found that DA
has a structure that’s similar to a substance that makes beta-amyloid proteins.
Too much amyloid that clumps together to form plaques are a tell-tale marker of
Alzheimer’s disease in the brain. The researchers wanted to see whether DA
would clump those proteins in a similar fashion to form plaques.
They found DA did lead to an increase in
levels of beta-amyloid clumping, leading to toxic effects on nerve cells the
scientists grew in a laboratory.
El
segundo tema es el de la enfermedad de Alzheimer como
un trastorno inmunológico
que responde al tratamiento con
dosis de gama globulina humana.
IVIG Stops Alzheimer's in Its Tracks
By John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today
Published: July 17, 2012
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of
Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN,
Nurse Planner
Action Points
This study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference.
These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until
published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Note that this very small study reports long term stabilization of
Alzheimer's disease symptoms with IVIG treatment over a period of 36 months.
VANCOUVER -- Three years of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin
(IVIG, GammaGard) prevented further cognitive decline in patients with
Alzheimer's disease, according to a small study presented here.
As measured by multiple standard instruments -- the Alzheimer's Disease
Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC)
index, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and others -- the four patients who
received the full 36 months of treatment at 0.4 g/kg every 2 weeks showed no
decline in scores, reported Norman Relkin, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College
in New York City.
At a press briefing prior to his formal presentation at the Alzheimer's
Association International Conference, Relkin said the treatment was
"generally well-tolerated" but did cause some adverse effects. None
were unusual and most were relatively mild infusion-related reactions such as
rashes.
Some were more serious, though. These included a stroke in one patient,
presumably related to the viscosity of IVIG, which is known to increase risk of
ischemic events.
A phase III study with 390 patients is already nearing completion, with
results expected by mid-2013, he said.
The rationale for IVIG in Alzheimer's disease is that it contains
antibodies against beta amyloid proteins and it also modulates immune function
to reduce inflammation, Relkin explained.
The current report covered a second open-label extension of an earlier
placebo-controlled, double-blind trial that initially lasted 6 months,
involving 24 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (baseline
Mini-Mental State Examination scores of 14 to 26).
As a phase II study, it tested multiple doses and schedules. Besides the
four patients assigned to 0.4 g/kg every 2 weeks, four patients each received
0.2 g/kg every 2 weeks, 0.4 g/kg every 4 weeks, and 0.8 g/kg every 4 weeks.
Eight patients received placebo.
Results from the randomized phase indicated that, in pooled data for all
patients assigned to IVIG, the treatment outperformed placebo in the primary
outcome measures of ADAS-Cog and CGIC, as well as in other cognitive
assessments.
Participants were allowed to receive an additional year of open-label
treatment with IVIG. With continued favorable results -- including inhibition
of brain atrophy as well as cognitive protection -- a second 18-month extension
was offered, with 21 patients accepting. For this second extension, all
patients received 0.4 g/kg every 2 weeks, since that appeared to be the most effective
regimen in the previous data.
These included all 16 initially receiving IVIG and five of the placebo
group.
The second extension essentially confirmed the earlier findings and
showed that the benefits last 3 years, Relkin said.
Patients initially assigned to placebo showed continued decline in
cognitive function, but there was "a bend in the curve" when they
were switched to IVIG, Relkin said, reflecting a slowing in decline.
Pooled data for the 16 patients in the original IVIG groups showed a
significant protective effect relative to the initial placebo group. Mean
values for ADAS-Cog and CGIC scores indicated some loss of cognitive ability,
but it was relatively small.
But the highlight finding, Relkin said, was that 3-year ADAS-Cog and
CGIC scores in the four patients who received 0.4 g/kg every 2 weeks throughout
the study were the same as at baseline.
Untreated Alzheimer's disease patients in his clinic nearly always show
measurable decline in 3 to 6 months, he said.
"If we have a patient who goes out to 18 or 24 months without
changing, usually we begin to doubt that they have Alzheimer's disease. If we
have two patients like that in our practice, we begin to doubt our own
diagnostic prowess," he said.
"To have four patients... all of whom are effectively unchanged
after 3 years, is a remarkable result."
Relkin started his press conference talk with the customary presentation
disclaimer that he would be discussing the off-label use of an approved
product, but then gave it an unusual emphasis.
He noted that the findings were from very few patients, and therefore
very preliminary. "It's a very important point because this agent is in
limited supply, and the indications for which it is approved, some of them
represent disorders in which patients can only survive by getting this
particular product. So we don't want to bankrupt the available supplies."
