Solving technology problems, one at a time
The influenza virus is unique in its ability to mutate and adapt, with new variants arising every year in animal populations around the world. This has been the chief obstacle to creating a once-in-a-lifetime vaccine
Continue readingThe last year saw some very exciting developments in Alzheimer’s research. Among them, the relationship of inflamation processes to cognitive decline and a possible relationship of the herpes simplex virus in the presence of a certain genotype to the development of Alzheimers.
Simon Cooke, who writes a blog called the "Accidental Scientist," has posted a very readable and informative summary of some of the most interesting highlights of the latest research. He does a great job of explaining the new discoveries, and speculates about links between infectious diseases and chronic diseases yet to be confirmed. In particular his post on the use of an anti-inflammatory drug to treat Alzheimers – in minutes!, and his post on the possible role of Herpes in many chronic diseases are particularly worth reading.
Continue readingA quick survey of some of the more interesting research on Alzheimer’s Disease recently:
I. Causes and Disease Mechanisms
Alzheimer’s Disease Could Be A Third Form Of Diabetes
Science Daily Insulin, it turns out, may be as important for the mind as it is for the body. Research in the last few years has raised the possibility that Alzheimer’s memory loss could be due to a novel third form of diabetes.
Now scientists at Northwestern University have discovered why brain insulin signaling — crucial for memory formation — would stop working in Alzheimer’s disease. They have shown that a toxic protein found in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, rendering those neurons insulin resistant. ..
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There were some incredible breakthroughs in medicine this year:
Diabetes and Nerve function linked
Drop in the incidence of breast cancer
New treatments for Macular Degeneration
Progress toward an Alzheimer’s Vaccine and other treatments
Diabetes linked to nerve function in the pancreas
One of the biggest stories, if it is confirmed by other researchers, is the discovery of the relationship between the nervous system and diabetes.
Diabetes Breakthrough | National Post
Continue readingI did a little research into why we now only have two (no, make that one!) suppliers of flu vaccine for the entire US, and why that supply is available only through the government. If the authors quoted below are correct, perhaps current policy needs to be revised.
I’ve heard various politicians and administrators lately (most recently Tommy Thompson) telling us how the flu vaccine shortage is not a public health problem, and people questioning how dangerous the flu can be. I have to disagree with them – for anyone who has asthma or respiratory diseases, or simply doesn’t have a lot of defense against the flu, ithe possibility of getting a bad case of the flu can be a pretty scary prospect.
Continue readingMany of my graphic designer and computer geek friends have some form of carpal tunnel syndrome. Several have had operations, and some are nearly crippled. Women seem to be the most frequent sufferers, but I
Continue readingHaving recently recovered from a bad case of the flu, I got to wondering why they can’t just make a vaccine to take care of it once and for all, like the measles?
It turns out the flu virus is unique in its ability to mutate and adapt, making it impossible to use a single vaccine to combat it. The situation is complicated by the fact that animals, both wild and domestic, are a sort of “mixing bowl” in which new strains of the virus are created.
The variation in the virulence of the flu is apparently due to the varying degrees to which our immune system recognizes the two types of proteins on the surface of the virus -hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N).
The virus strain is said to undergo “drift” when there are minor changes in the two proteins. This is what happens most years. But sometimes it undergoes a more major change, called “shift,” which is due to reassortment of the viral genes, often when it is mixed with another strain in animals. This is a really bad thing because it means humans will have no antibodies that recognize the new strain, and so no immunity to it.
Well, unlike previous years, I can officially say that this year’s flu vaccine did not work on me. I had the shot about 5 weeks ago, and yesterday came down with a full-blown case of
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