Well the puny, inferior, male gender are waffling on about something or other. They can be so irritating; contaminating the planet with their testosterone. What are they going on about now?

Oh, nothing important they think they've found some cure for.........



Alzheimer's!








SCIENTISTS SAY THEY'VE FOUND CURE FOR ALZHEIMERS




Alzheimers cure on the way


Sunday August 19,2007

By Lucy Johnston and Martyn Halle




SCIENTISTS believe they have discovered a “cure” for Alzheimer’s, the devastating illness that affects nearly 600,000 people in the UK.

For years experts have been looking for a way of preventing the debilitating brain condition.

Now British and American ­scientists have found a way of halting its spread.

Last night the discovery was being hailed by experts as a huge development in the fight against the condition – as the number of victims is likely to double over the next decade.

One of the researchers described the breakthrough as “blindingly simple”.

Alzheimer’s is caused when amyloid – a chemical that naturally occurs in the bloodstream – passes into the brain.
Once there it forms plaques that harden. These damage communication between brain cells and eventually cause brain cell death.

Scientists have discovered a synthetic human protein that is capable of soaking up amyloid – preventing it leaking into the brain.

Researchers say trials will start within two years.

Patients will be screened for the disease by a blood test that reveals if they have high levels of amyloid.

Professor Berislav Zlokovic, of Rochester University in the US, who is behind the new study, said: “Stop over-production of amyloid and you effectively cure Alzheimer’s disease. It’s very simple.”


He said lab experiments had been so successful that he and his team were “convinced it will work in humans”.

The research has been published in next month’s issue of the prestigious medical journal Nature Medicine.

Professor Zlokovic and his British co-researcher Dr Rashid Deane, formerly of King’s College, London, identified the protein that controls the levels of amyloid in the bloodstream.

In patients with Alzheimer’s this protein is not able to soak up amyloid and it is over-produced.

At the same time a gateway into the brain opens, allowing amyloid to flow in.

Professor Zlokovic said: “We know that in patients with Alzheimer’s there is 300–400 times more amyloid in the bloodstream compared to people who don’t have the disease. In these people the protein that soaks up the amyloid be­comes defective.

“Normally amyloid can’t get into the brain because of something known as the blood-brain barrier. But a chemical signal that controls the barrier also becomes defective.”

The research­ers believe the damage to the protein that normally soaks up amyloid is caused by changes in the body similar to those that lead to cancer.

Professor Zlokovic said: “In our research with mice we were able to clearly see that amyloid was reduced when we injected them with our protein.” The researchers are not sure if the injection would be a one-off or whether patients would have to have regular top-ups to keep amyloid levels down.

Dr Deane said: “Patients might have to be monitored and given top-up injections if amyloid levels start to rise again.
“We think that if we intervene early in human patients with this treatment we can clear the amyloid away preventing damaging and reverse some of the damage that has already taken place. But we need to get the treatment into patients while the amyloid is still soft and before it has had a chance to harden.

“We have seen no toxic effects or adverse reactions, which makes us extremely optimistic that the human trials will prove safe.”

The researchers discovered two types of amyloid. Professor Zlokovic said: “It’s rather like good and bad cholesterol. It is the bad amyloid that you find in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.”

A spokesman for the charity the Alz­heimer’s Society said: “Amyloid research is the most exciting area of research going on and over the last five years there has been major developments in this area.

“This is encouraging news and we are looking forward to hearing of further developments in this field.”

What do YOU think? Should more be done to find a cure?


http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...for-Alzheimers