Lyme Wars — Chronic Lyme Disease Controversy And Treatment Explained

Fibromyalgia (FMS) is one of the most elusive diseases that affect the human body. Given its many vague symptoms – numbness, anxiety, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, depression and more – it's very hard to diagnose, which explains why the cause of FMS is currently unknown. Like any idiopathic disease or medical condition, not fully understanding the cause and treatment can be the most devastating part. Some experts believe FMS is related to hormonal disturbances and chemical imbalances affecting the nervous system. Others link the condition to illness, trauma or just plain stress. Still other researchers blame genetics or claim there is no explanation at all. Indeed, even today, fibromyalgia is often labeled as a somatoform disorder, meaning "it's all in the head," but anyone actually suffering from FMS will tell you this not the case.

Read the rest of the story:
http://www.sheamedical.com/the-fibromyalgia-myth

Study Shows Lyme Persists in Monkeys

I posted about this in an earlier blog post, but it's good to repeat it from time to time, because so many articles keep showing up in the media (I just read another one today) that seem to miss the point that there IS evidence showing persistence of Lyme bacteria well after short-term antibiotic therapy has ended.

This is a clear, understandable, interpretation and report put together by the "Lyme disease policy wonk" at LymeDisease.org. 

This is Part 1 of a series of posts I will do on this study. A new study by Drs. Monica Embers, Stephen Barthold and colleagues has found that the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) persist in monkeys after antibiotic treatment. It is the latest in a number of studies that have demonstrated persistent infection in animal models despite treatment. The issue of persistent infection in Lyme disease is a highly controversial issue. Probably the most controversial issue actually. The authors conclude that their studies "offer proof of the principle that intact spirochetes can persist in an incidental host comparable to humans, - See more at: 

http://lymedisease.org/news/lymepolicywonk/lymepolicywonk-new-study-shows-lyme-persists-in-monkeys.html#sthash.KO5Ze8Rf.dpuf

Or:

http://lymedisease.org/news/lymepolicywonk/lymepolicywonk-new-study-shows-lyme-persists-in-monkeys.html

Review of evidence for Immune evasion and persistent Lyme

In case you're ever wondering whether there's actually a strong argument to be made for the persistence of Lyme bacteria after antibiotic treatment, look no further. Here is a review of research papers and scientific studies addressing that issue. If you run into trouble with a medical practitioner or insurance company claiming there is no proof of persistence, and they want to take you off of antibiotics that your Lyme doctor is prescribing, you may want to refer them to this.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3636972/pdf/ijgm-6-291.pdf

This is a 16-page PDF file. This literature review was published by the International Journal of General Medicine. It is an open-access, full-text article.

Off topic: Movie review -- Elysium

Yesterday I went to see Elysium at the IMAX theater in Emeryville, CA. You can save your $17. (Yes, here in the US it was $17, or $16 for seniors -- Oh boy, we saved a dollar!) There is lots of fantastic, grungy post-apocalyptic eye candy in it, yet the overall experience was very disappointing. Predictable, almost campy plot and script, an unusually disappointing performance by Jodie Foster as sinister lady, Matt Damon as Matt Damon, and way too much insipid brutality. 

The fight scenes were somewhere close to ridiculous, and shot so close and jerky that I had a hard time figuring out who was punching, knifing and shooting whom. And, of course the principal nefarious bounty hunter in search of Matt Damon sports an Australian accent that's so thick you wish they had subtitled it, and carries a Samurai sword as his primary weapon, just for the gruesomeness of it all. Carrying a sword makes a lot of sense and when you're up against ubermachine guns, laser beams and grenade launchers. The only thing missing was that cheery old line from Crocodile Dundee, "That's not a knife. THIS is a knife." 

I wouldn't have minded the violence so much if there hadn't been so many seemingly-endless minutes of it. After a while you kind of want to know what's going on and who's winning in all that hand-held, Blair Witch Projecty, slo-mo shake and blur. In the obligatory Shoot out at the OK Corral in space, the Robotically-enhanced dudes (the Aussie vs Matt) propel each other 10 or 20 feet repeatedly, landing on broken glass, spikes, pointy edges of rocket ships, being Mega-tasered, and yet never bruise or a nose-bleed.  Even Ironman would've had a short-circuit and called timeout for a reboot. (Okay, Matt Damon gets a cut on his hand once and you see a few drops of blood, and he gets a kiddy Band-Aid on his eyebrow.)

Jodie Foster (to my disappointment, since I usually enjoy her), has apparently no idea how to act the role of the despicable, Machiavellian political usurper. I think her prep for the part consisted of crib notes from Cruella Deville for Dummies. I just don't think mean is in her nature. Glenn Close must not have been available. Central Casting earned a Fail. 

And, of course, the "IMAX Experience" (probably by contractural terms with Dolby THX) requires that the sound level be cranked so high that you leave the theater with hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing). I had my trusty earplugs with me, thank goodness. Filmmakers wonder why we want to stay home and watch movies on Netflix. At least we can control the volume and cost of the popcorn.

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Vaccine

From:

Single-dose vaccine for tick-borne encephalitis:

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus is the most important human pathogen transmitted by ticks in Eurasia. Inactivated vaccines are available but require multiple doses and frequent boosters to induce and maintain immunity. Thus far, the goal of developing a safe, live attenuated vaccine effective after a single dose has remained elusive. Here we used a replication-defective (single-cycle) flavivirus platform, RepliVax, to generate a safe, single-dose TBE vaccine. Several RepliVax-TBE candidates attenuated by a deletion in the capsid gene were constructed using different flavivirus backbones containing the envelope genes of TBE virus. RepliVax-TBE based on a West Nile virus backbone (RV-WN/TBE) grew more....

 

http://www.pnas.org/content/110/32/13103.abstract?maxtoshow=&hits=8&RESULTFORMAT=&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&fulltext=tick&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&usestrictdates=yes&resourcetype=HWCIT&ct

 

Pomegranate juice breaks down biofilms

Here's a fascinating factoid about a study of Pomegranate juice and its apparent ability to break down biofilms.

Biofouling. 2013 Aug 1. [Epub ahead of print]

The anti-biofilm potential of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) extract against human bacterial and fungal pathogens.

Bakkiyaraj D, Nandhini JR, Malathy B, Pandian SK.

Source

a Department of Biotechnology , Alagappa University , Karaikudi , India.

Abstract

Infectious diseases caused by bacteria and fungi are the major cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe. Multi-drug resistance in these pathogens augments the complexity and severity of the diseases. Various studies have shown the role of biofilms in multi-drug resistance, where the pathogen resides inside a protective coat made of extracellular polymeric substances. Since biofilms directly influence the virulence and pathogenicity of a pathogen, it is optimal to employ a strategy that effectively inhibits the formation of biofilm. Pomegranate is a common food and is also used traditionally to treat various ailments. This study assessed the anti-biofilm activity of a methanolic extract of pomegranate against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Methanolic extract of pomegranate was shown to inhibit the formation of biofilms by Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant S. aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. Apart from inhibiting the formation of biofilm, pomegranate extract disrupted pre-formed biofilms and inhibited germ tube formation, a virulence trait, in C. albicans. Characterization of the methanolic extract of pomegranate revealed the presence of ellagic acid (2,3,7,8-tetrahydroxy-chromeno[5,4,3-cde]chromene-5,10-dione) as the major component. Ellagic acid is a bioactive tannin known for its antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Further studies revealed the ability of ellagic acid to inhibit the growth of all species in suspension at higher concentrations (>75 μg ml^-1) and biofilm formation at lower concentrations (<40 μg ml^-1) which warrants further investigation of the potential of ellagic acid or peel powders of pomegranate for the treatment of human ailments.

PMID:

23906229

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

See the links here, for more info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23906229

Man misdiagnosed with ALS has Lyme - short ABC video

Informative story about a man misdiagnosed with ALS.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=9121552

Clinical evidence for rapid transmission of Lyme disease following a tickbite

Eleanor D. Hynote, Phyllis C. Mervine, Raphael B. Stricker

Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, online before print, November 20, 2011.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2011.10.003

 Abstract

 Lyme disease transmission to humans by Ixodes ticks is thought to require at least 36–48 h of tick attachment. We describe 3 cases in which transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of Lyme disease, appears to have occurred in less than 24 h based on the degree of tick engorgement, clinical signs of acute infection, and immunologic evidence of acute Lyme disease.

 Health care providers and individuals exposed to ticks should be aware that transmission of Lyme disease may occur more rapidly than animal models suggest. A diagnosis of Lyme disease should not be ruled out based on a short tick attachment time in a subject with clinical evidence of B. burgdorferi infection.

VA Leads the US in Informing Patients about Inaccurate Tests

Office of Governor Bob McDonnell

Governor McDonnell Ceremonially Signs the Lyme Disease Testing Information
Disclosure Act of 2013
– Legislation Makes Virginia First State to Require Health Care Providers to
Notify Those Tested for Lyme Disease That Tests Can Produce False Negatives –

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2013

Contact: Paul Shanks
Phone: (804) 225-4262
Email: Paul.Shanks@governor.virginia.gov

RICHMOND - Surrounded by legislators and community leaders, Governor Bob
McDonnell ceremonially signed today HB1933, the Lyme Disease Testing Information
Disclosure Act of 2013. The legislation makes Virginia the first state in the
nation to require health care providers to notify those tested for Lyme disease
that current laboratory testing can produce false negatives, especially in the
early stage of the disease.

Speaking today about the bill signing, Governor McDonnell, "This legislation is
a major milestone in the fight against Lyme disease and an important step
towards ensuring the continuing health and welfare of Virginians. We must
continue to work together to make certain that all Virginians are properly
educated on the dangers of Lyme disease."

Delegate Barbara Comstock states, "When the Lyme Disease Testing Information
Disclosure Act goes into effect on July 1st, we will have a patient-centered
solution that gets information about testing problems directly to those
suffering from Lyme Disease so they can seek additional testing, if necessary,
as well as appropriate treatment. I would like to give a special thanks to
Governor McDonnell for his support of this legislation and to the National
Capital Lyme Disease Association for their grassroots commitment to ensuring
that this effort was a successful one."

Monte Skall, Executive Director of the National Capital Lyme and Tick-borne
Disease Association, adds that "With the passing of the Lyme Disease Testing
Information Disclosure Act of 2013, Virginia has established itself as a leader
in the fight against this dreadful disease and serves as a model for state
action across the country."

Today's bill signing was held at Claude Moore Park in the heart of Loudoun
County, Virginia. Speaking on behalf of the Board of Supervisors and the Loudoun
County Lyme Disease Commission, Chairman York says "I am very pleased that
Governor McDonnell has chosen to sign this important bill here in Loudoun County
as our Board of Supervisors continues its aggressive approach in slowing the
rate of Lyme disease with a 10-point-plan to mitigate this devastating illness.
We have taken an aggressive approach to slowing the rate of the disease by
raising awareness and educating residents on prevention measures in that we had
219 recorded cases of Lyme disease in Loudoun County last year."

Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United
States. The Virginia Department of Health reports that there were an estimated
1,110 cases of Lyme disease in the state in 2012, up 9 percent from 2011. Cases
were reported in all regions of the state.

For more information about Lyme disease please view the Virginia Department of
Health Lyme Disease Fact Sheet at:
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/DEE/Vectorborne/factsheets/lyme.htm or
contact Maribeth Brewster at (804) 864-7008 or at
maribeth.brewster@vdh.virginia.gov.

# # #

Study: Statins Might Reduce Parkinson's Risk

Posted by  Nate Herpich, July 30, 2013

Could that medication you're taking to lower your cholesterol also prevent Parkinson's disease (PD)?

Maybe, says a new population-based study from researchers at National Taiwan University in Taipei, which found that, in particular, individuals taking simvastatin (Zocor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor) had a lowered risk of developing PD.

According to MedPage Today, scientists hypothesize that the reduced risk seen in the study may be due to "the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of statins and the ability of the lipophilic subclass to cross the blood-brain barrier," which, in turn, "might be helpful in preventing the neuronal degeneration seen in Parkinson's disease."

The study authors admitted that long-term follow-up studies are needed to really understand if statins might reduce Parkinson's risk.

Read the rest of the story:

https://www.michaeljfox.org/foundation/news-detail.php?study-statins-reduce-parkinson-risk&utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=researchnews&utm_campaign=statinsprevent&s_src=statinsprevent&s_subsrc=facebook