Fresh fruits: chemopreventive effects in Alzheimer's

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Extracts from the fruit were tested in an in vitro lab study, which showed a reduction in oxidative stress-induced neuronal cell membrane damage, report Korean researchers in the Journal of Food Science. "[The new] result clearly demonstrated that PC12 cell death by oxidative stress was suppressed by pretreatment with phenolics," wrote the authors from Gyeongsang National University, Korea University and Kyung Hee University.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and currently affects over 13 million people worldwide. The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimer care is over $100 bn (€ 81 bn) in the US, while direct costs in the UK are estimated at £15 bn (€ 22 bn). Although the mechanism of Alzheimer's is not clear, more support is gathering for the build-up of plaque from amyloid deposits. The deposits are associated with an increase in brain cell damage and death from oxidative stress.

It is against the oxidative stress that the anthocyanins and other cabbage polyphenols appear to offer protection. The researchers used neuron-like PC12 cells and exposed them to fruit extracts at different concentrations (100, 300, 600, 2,000 micrograms per millilitre) prior to treating them with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to induce oxidative stress.

Significantly more cells were viable after incubation with the fruit extracts, said the researchers, with apple offering the best protection. Despite this, banana and orange phenolics still protected 118 and 103 per cent more cells, compared to the control, at the highest concentration used. "Our study demonstrated that antioxidants in the major fresh fruits consumed in the United States and Korea protected neuronal cells from oxidative stress," wrote the authors. "In addition, it has been reported that apple juice with antioxidative phytochemicals protected brain tissue against oxidative damage, and improved cognitive performance in genetically induced AD mice," they added. "Therefore, additional consumption of fresh fruits such as apple, banana, and orange may be beneficial to ameliorate chemopreventive effects in neurodegenerative disease such as AD," concluded the researchers.

The results follow hot on the heels of a study from Taiwan's National Chung Hsing University and Food Industry Research and Development Institute, which claimed to be the first to report that the flavanones hesperidin, hesperetin, and neohesperidin from citrus could protect against the toxicity of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), as well as protecting against DNA damage (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, doi: 10.1021/jf072826r).

Such is the interest in dietary approaches to improve brain health the world's largest food company, Nestlé, recently signalled its intention to get a head start on the competition with the signing of an agreement in November 2006 with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) to investigate the role of nutrition in cognitive function. http://www.nutraingredients.com/

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Dimebon to treat mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's

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Medivation, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDVN) announced that, based on its end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Company plans to begin a pivotal confirmatory Phase 3 trial of Dimebon(TM) for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's Disease in the second quarter of 2008. The FDA informed Medivation that the company's previously completed trial conducted in Russia can be used as one of the two pivotal studies required to support the approval of Dimebon to treat mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, as long as a significant proportion of the sites in the confirmatory Phase 3 trial are located in the United States.

"We are now a Phase 3 company with clear regulatory guidance on the pivotal trials required to seek marketing approval for Dimebon in the United States," said David T. Hung, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Medivation. "This is a significant step forward for Medivation, and validates our strategy to advance Dimebon directly into a pivotal Phase 3 trial."

The Phase 3 clinical trial will enroll approximately 525 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease at sites in the United States, Europe and South America. Patients will be randomized to one of three treatment groups: Dimebon 20 mg three times per day (TID); Dimebon 5 mg TID; and placebo. Patients will be treated for six months and may not be taking any other Alzheimer's disease drugs. The primary endpoints are the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and the Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change plus caregiver interview (CIBIC-plus).

In the previously completed trial Dimebon-treated patients were significantly improved over placebo patients on both the ADAS-cog and CIBIC-plus, with p values of less than 0.0001. This level of statistical significance is several times better than what is required to obtain marketing approval. "We changed as little as possible in the design of the Phase 3 trial given the highly statistically significant results of our previous trial," said Lynn Seely, M.D., chief medical officer of Medivation. "The primary endpoints, duration of treatment and patient inclusion and exclusion criteria are all substantially identical to the previous trial. The primary differences are that the Phase 3 trial will be global and will test two doses of Dimebon -- the dose studied in the previous trial plus a lower dose to address the regulatory recommendation that minimum effective dose be explored in the development of investigational drugs." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Soy isoflavone linked to better blood pressure
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Infra-red light on patients with Alzheimer's

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Medical experts in the North-East of England, UK, have found that safe exposure to infra-red light improves learning and cognitive functioning in the brain, and they are going to test the method by getting Alzheimer's patients to wear an infra-red "helmet" for a short time every day. The scientists believe the method can turn back the brain's biological clock and reverse some of the early stage damage typical of dementia and memory loss.

Dr Gordon Dougal, a director of medical research company Virulite, in County Durham, came up with the idea of using infra red to repair damage to human brain cells after successfully developing a cold sore machine that boosts the body's own ability to fight the virus instead of attacking it directly. The idea has been tested independently by researchers at the University of Sunderland, who showed that low power infra-red light (1072nm) improved learning.

Human trials on patients with diseases like Alzheimer's are due to start. The low level of infra-red light is the same as that which occurs in natural sunlight and is completely safe, said the researchers. The level of exposure is the same as that used in the cold sore machines, which have now been approved for prescription on the NHS.

The idea is that patients could use an infra red helmet for ten minutes a day in their own home and notice a significant improvement in the space of four weeks. The researchers are hoping to start testing the idea on patients with Alzheimer's and other degenerative brain diseases this summer. It is possible that the method not only halts but actually reverses the effects of dementia, said Dougal, who went so far as to suggest that one day the method might even be used to change the rate at which our bodies age.

"As we get older, cells stop repairing themselves and we age because our cells lose the desire to regenerate and repair themselves," said Dougal. "This ultimately results in cell death and decline of the organ functions, for the brain resulting in memory decay and deterioration in general intellectual performance," he added. "But what if there was a technology that told the cells to repair themselves and that technology was something as simple as a specific wavelength of light? Near infrared light penetrates human tissues relatively well, even penetrating the human skull, just as sunlight passes through frosted glass," explained Dougal.

Neuroscientists at the University of Sunderland, Drs Dr Abdel Ennaceur and Paul Chazot carried out the independent research that confirmed Dougal's findings. Chazot said: "The treatment can indeed improve learning ability. The results are completely new this has never been looked at before. Dr Dougal's treatment might have some potential in improving learning in a human situation by delivering infra red through the thinnest parts of the skull to get maximum access to the brain". http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Indian gooseberry - the new superfruit?
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Innovative brain scanning system

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Researchers at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging are launching an Alzheimer's screening clinical trial with Neuronetrix's innovative brain scanning system, called COGNISION(TM). The study will involve brainwave assessments using a technology called event-related potentials (ERP's). The study is expected to validate the performance of the COGNISION(TM) system and to demonstrate the system's applicability in a primary care setting. Up to 100 Alzheimer sufferers and controls will participate over the next 6-12 months.

During the study patients will wear a sophisticated electronic headset which will record brain activity in response to an auditory stimulus. The process is similar to hearing screening tests performed on newborn infants throughout the country. The data is then uploaded to an online database where a powerful pattern recognition engine will correlate the ERP tests with known brainwave patterns.

The COGNISION(TM) test is expected to be the first approved Alzheimer's disease screening test which directly evaluates a patient's cognitive performance. "We are not looking at a surrogate biomarker which may or may not correlate with Alzheimer's. Instead, we are directly measuring the cognitive deficits caused by the disease," says K.C. Fadem, co-founder of Neuronetrix.

It is generally believed that the drugs used to treat Alzheimer's, such as market leader Aricept(R) from Pfizer, are most effective early in the disease process. Because of this, a national focus has been placed on the importance of Alzheimer's screening to determine optimum treatment paths in the early stage of the disease. At least one organization of medical experts, the AD Screening Discussion Group, has advocated that Alzheimer's disease screenings become a routine part of the application for Medicare. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Probiotics, friend or foe?

The headlines are sensationalist: twenty-four people have died in a probiotic trial. Therefore, probiotics may be fatal. Throw those yoghurt shots away! http://www.nutraingredients.com

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Turning back the brain's biological clock and reverse the effects of dementia

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Medical experts in the North-East of England believe they could have found the key to turning back the brain's biological clock and reverse the effects of dementia and memory loss. Pioneering research at the University of Sunderland has shown that regular exposure to safe low level infra-red light can improve learning performance and kick-start the cognitive function of the brain.

The results are a scientific breakthrough as to date medical treatments for dementia can only slow down brain deterioration and now human trials are to start to see if the treatment could provide a cure to illnesses like Alzheimers. Independent research carried out at Sunderland has demonstrated that low power infra-red (1072nm) can improve the learning performance. The low levels of infra-red light used are completely safe and occur naturally in sunlight. They are currently being used in innovative new machines for the treatment of cold sores, which have been approved for NHS prescription.

Experts claim that early stage dementia patients should see an improvement in their cognitive function within four weeks, by wearing a lightweight helmet in their home for just ten minutes a day. Human testing of the ground-breaking infra-red treatment on the brain is due to start this summer and medical experts hope this will halt and even reverse the effects of dementia. The new infra-red device was created by Dr Gordon Dougal, a director of Virulite a medical research company based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham which is also behind the innovative cold sore machine. He came up with the idea of using a safe level of infra red light on the human brain after it had proved effective in the treatment of cold sores a process that relies on boosting the cells within the body responsible for killing the virus, rather than attacking it.

Dr Dougal said: "The implications of this research at the University of Sunderland are enormous so much so that in the future, we could be able to affect and change the rate at which our bodies age. "As we get older, cells stop repairing themselves and we age because our cells lose the desire to regenerate and repair themselves. This ultimately results in cell death and decline of the organ functions, for the brain resulting in memory decay and deterioration in general intellectual performance. "But what if there was a technology that told the cells to repair themselves and that technology was something as simple as a specific wavelength of light? Near infrared light penetrates human tissues relatively well, even penetrating the human skull, just as sunlight passes through frosted glass." Dr Dougal, who claims that ten minutes of exposure to the infrared light daily would have the desired effect on the brain, added: "Currently all you can do with dementia is to slow down the rate of decay this new process will not only stop that rate of decay but partially reverse it."

The research by University of Sunderland neuroscientist, Dr Abdel Ennaceur has led Dr Dougal to arrange clinical trials with patients with age related memory problems." Fellow neuroscientist Paul Chazot, who helped carry out the research, added: "The treatment can indeed improve learning ability. The results are completely new this has never been looked at before. "Dr Dougal's treatment might have some potential in improving learning in a human situation by delivering infra red through the thinnest parts of the skull to get maximum access to the brain.". http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Science stacks up for B vitamins and pregnancy
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We need public awareness campaigns

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Dementia is one of the biggest health and social challenges facing the country: in less than 20 years there will over a million people living with a form of dementia. Today's damning report by an influential group of MPs highlights the appalling state of dementia care in the UK. Only a third of people ever receive a formal diagnosis and thousands of people are not getting the care and treatment they deserve.

Dementia is the cancer of the 1950s yet the government is only just beginning to wake up to the reality of dementia. We are delighted to be working with them on the first National Dementia Strategy but the scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated. The strategy must contain real actions; be met with real commitment and backed by adequate resources if it is to make a real difference to people's lives. The public accounts committee is right: dementia needs to be given the same priority as heart disease and cancer in the NHS. We need public awareness campaigns; dementia training for all health and social care staff and services that can diagnose people early. The human and economic cost of dementia can't be ignored - if we live to 65, one in three of us will die with dementia.

The Alzheimer's Society is the leading care and research charity for people with all forms dementia and their carers. It provides information and education, support for carers, and quality day and home care. It funds medical and scientific research and campaigns for improved health and social services and greater public understanding of dementia. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Microalgae extracts beat synthetic antioxidants
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More education may be becoming aware of Alzheimer's

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A review of epidemiological data has found evidence that people who spend fewer years in school may experience a slight but statistically significant delay in the realization that they're having cognitive problems that could be Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reviewed data on 1,449 Alzheimer's patients from their center and 21,880 patients from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC), a collaboration of approximately 30 Alzheimer's disease research centers nationwide. "We may have a group of people who are at risk for slightly delayed detection of Alzheimer's disease," says lead author Catherine Roe, Ph.D., a neurology research instructor at the ADRC. "Early detection of Alzheimer's disease is important as we progress toward treatments and cures because those treatments will need to be applied as early as possible to have the maximum possible benefit."

In an earlier study of patients with a form of Alzheimer's disease linked to a genetic mutation, Roe and other Washington University researchers found patients with more years of education were likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease earlier. This surprised them because higher levels of education have typically been associated with decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease. The new study confirmed those surprising results, revealing that patients with 12 years or more of schooling were on average slightly younger when diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease than patients with less than eight years of schooling. Age of diagnosis for a group with eight to 11 years of schooling fell in-between the other two groups.

Next, researchers analyzed the severity of patients' dementia when they went to the Alzheimer's disease center for the first time. They found that patients with fewer years of education were likely to be more severely impaired on their first visit. Alzheimer's disease is cumulatively disabling: The longer one has it, the worse the symptoms become. This suggested to the researchers that those with lower education levels may be slower to notice the early signs of disease, only going to see a specialist after their symptoms become impossible to ignore. Those with more education may be becoming aware of their symptoms while they are still relatively subtle, and seek a specialists' help early on in the disease process. "People with higher education levels may be more likely to have a job or a hobby that highlights early cognitive impairment as well as better access to medical care," Roe says. "These could be factors that we need to incorporate into our procedures for screening patients for early signs of cognitive impairment." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Late-onset Alzheimer's slowed by DHA omega-3
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