Saturday, July 29, 2017

Is the Medical Community Behind the Times When It Comes to Treating Lyme?

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Thursday, July 27, 2017

The effect of artesunate on short-term memory in Lyme borreliosis. - PubMed - NCBI




https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=The+effect+of+artesunate+on+short-term+memory+in+Lyme+borreliosis.

Med Hypotheses. 2017 Aug;105:4-5. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.06.015. Epub 2017 Jun 24.
The effect of artesunate on short-term memory in Lyme borreliosis.

Puri BK1, Hakkarainen-Smith JS2, Monro JA3.


Abstract

Lyme borreliosis is associated with memory deficits. While this may be related to cerebral infection by Borrelia bacteria, it may also be caused by concomitant co-infection by Babesia protozoa. The anti-malarial artemisinin-derivative artesunate has been shown to be effective against a number of Babesia species and to have efficacy against human cerebral malaria. We hypothesised that concomitant administration of artesunate in Lyme borreliosis patients would help alleviate the severity of self-reported short-term memory impairment. This hypothesis was tested in a small pilot study in which patients were treated with both an intravenous antibiotic and oral artesunate (20mg four times per day); treatment was associated with a reduction in the severity of short-term memory difficulties (P≃0.08). In light of these findings, we recommend that a formal randomised, placebo-controlled study be carried out.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PMID:
   28735651
DOI:
   10.1016/j.mehy.2017.06.015




Sunday, July 9, 2017

Canadian review of existing Lyme vaccines

 2017 Apr 20;108(1):e62-e70. doi: 10.17269/cjph.108.5728.

A systematic review and meta-analysis for the adverse effects, immunogenicity and efficacy of Lyme disease vaccines: Guiding novel vaccine development.

Author information

1
Public Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Toronto, ON. alaa.badawi@phac-aspc.gc.ca.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: 

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most prevalent arthropod-borne infectious disease in North America. 
Currently, no vaccine is available to prevent LB in humans, although monovalent and multivalent vaccines have been developed in the past.

OBJECTIVE: 

The aim of the current study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate and compare the findings from these two classes of vaccines for their reactogenicity, immunogenicity and efficacy, in the hope this may assist in the development of future vaccines.

METHODS: 

A search strategy was developed for online databases (PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase). Search terms used were "vaccine/vaccination", "Lymedisease/Borreliosis", "clinical trial(s)" and "efficacy". 
Only seven clinical trials were included to compare the results of the monovalent vaccines to those of the multivalent one. 
Meta-analyses were conducted to evaluate the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of the two vaccine classes. Odds ratio (OR) for LB (and 95% confidence intervals; 95% CI) were calculated for the efficacy of the monovalent vaccine from three different clinical trials at different dose schedules.

RESULTS: 

Incidence of redness (local adverse effect) and fever (systemic side effect) were, respectively, 6.8- and 2.9-fold significantly lower (p < 0.05) in individuals who received multivalent vaccines compared to those receiving the monovalent one. Incidences of all other local and systemic adverse effects were non-significantly lower in the multivalent vaccine compared to the monovalent vaccines. 
Seroprotection was comparable among individuals who received the two vaccine classes at the 30 μg dose level. Efficacy in the prevention of LB was only evaluated for the monovalent vaccines. 
OR of LB ranged from 0.49 (95% CI: 0.14-0.70; p < 0.005, vs. placebo) to 0.31 (95% CI: 0.26-0.63; p < 0.005) for the initial and final doses respectively, with an overall OR of 0.4 (95% CI: 0.26-0.63, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: 

The current study further validates that the monovalent and multivalent LB vaccines result in mild local side effects and self-limiting systemic adverse effects, with the multivalent vaccine slightly more tolerable than the monovalent one. 
Both vaccine classes were similarly highly immunogenic. A new vaccine with high safety standards, better efficacy, low cost, and public acceptance is yet to be developed. Meanwhile, personal protection limiting exposure to ticks is recommended.
PMID:
 
28425901
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Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Parkinson's is partly an autoimmune disease

Parkinson's is partly an autoimmune disease

Researchers have found the first direct evidence that autoimmunity -- in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues -- plays a role in Parkinson's disease, the neurodegenerative movement disorder. The findings raise the possibility that the death of neurons in Parkinson's could be prevented by therapies that dampen the immune response. 

The study, led by scientists at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, was published today in Nature

"The idea that a malfunctioning immune system contributes to Parkinson's dates back almost 100 years," said study co-leader David Sulzer, PhD, professor of neurobiology (in psychiatry, neurology and pharmacology) at CUMC. "But until now, no one has been able to connect the dots. Our findings show that two fragments of alpha-synuclein, a protein that accumulates in the brain cells of people with Parkinson's, can activate the T cells involved in autoimmune attacks. 

"It remains to be seen whether the immune response to alpha-synuclein is an initial cause of Parkinson's, or if it contributes to neuronal death and worsening symptoms after the onset of the disease," said study co-leader Alessandro Sette, Dr. Biol. Sci., professor in the Center for Infectious Disease at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in La Jolla, Calif. "These findings, however, could provide a much-needed diagnostic test for Parkinson's disease, and could help us to identify individuals at risk or in the early stages of the disease." 

Scientists once thought that neurons were protected from autoimmune attacks. However, in a 2014 study, Dr. Sulzer's lab demonstrated that dopamine neurons (those affected by Parkinson's disease) are vulnerable because they have proteins on the cell surface that help the immune system recognize foreign substances. As a result, they concluded, T cells had the potential to mistake neurons damaged by Parkinson's disease for foreign invaders. 

The new study found that T cells can be tricked into thinking dopamine neurons are foreign by the buildup of damaged alpha-synuclein proteins, a key feature of Parkinson's disease. "In most cases of Parkinson's, dopamine neurons become filled with structures called Lewy bodies, which are primarily composed of a misfolded form of alpha-synuclein," said Dr. Sulzer. 

In the study, the researchers exposed blood samples from 67 Parkinson's disease patients and 36 age-matched healthy controls to fragments of alpha-synuclein and other proteins found in neurons. They analyzed the samples to determine which, if any, of the protein fragments triggered an immune response. Little immune cell activity was seen in blood samples from the controls. In contrast, T cells in patients' blood samples, which had been apparently primed to recognize alpha-synuclein from past exposure, showed a strong response to the protein fragments. In particular, the immune response was associated with a common form of a gene found in the immune system, which may explain why many people with Parkinson's disease carry this gene variant. 

Dr. Sulzer hypothesizes that autoimmunity in Parkinson's disease arises when neurons are no longer able to get rid of abnormal alpha-synuclein. "Young, healthy cells break down and recycle old or damaged proteins," he said. "But that recycling process declines with age and with certain diseases, including Parkinson's. If abnormal alpha-synuclein begins to accumulate, and the immune system hasn't seen it before, the protein could be mistaken as a pathogen that needs to be attacked." 

The Sulzer and Sette labs are now analyzing these responses in additional patients, and are working to identify the molecular steps that lead to the autoimmune response in animal and cellular models. 

"Our findings raise the possibility that an immunotherapy approach could be used to increase the immune system's tolerance for alpha-synuclein, which could help to ameliorate or prevent worsening symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients," said Dr. Sette. 

Journal Reference
  1. David Sulzer, Alessandro Sette et al. T cells of Parkinson's disease patients recognize alpha-synuclein peptides. Nature, 2017 DOI: 10.1038/nature22815

Comment: See also:

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Man With Parkinson’s Takes On ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Course,

Inspiring. 




Bob
 
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Bob Cowart
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Facebook: bcowart1
Twitter: @bobcowart