Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,
Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be
Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Alzheimer's patients have lower levels of ubiquilin-1 in their brains, a study finds.
Scientists have found that Alzheimer's disease patients have reduced levels of a critical protein. The protein, ubiquilin-1, is found in nearly all tissues and is used by the body to mark damaged or unnecessary proteins for destruction. Reduced ubiquilin-1 means that other damaged proteins persist in the brain and contribute to the formation of cells that are associated with Alzheimer's.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study observed for the first time, much lower than normal ubiquilin-1 levels in the entire set of 20 brains that were examined.
The lower levels means that other proteins, amyloid precursor proteins, which have been linked to Alzheimer's, are able to persist in the brains of patients instead of being properly regulated.
The information helps scientists to better understand the cause of Alzheimer's disease and may suggest new avenues for research and treatment.
Alzheimer's disease is a specific form of dementia that worsens over time and notoriously affects memory, thought, and behavior. It is also the most common form of dementia. Most patients are diagnosed as they grow older and find problems with language, decision-making and judgment.
Many simply attribute these symptoms to aging, but experts stress that such symptoms are not a normal part of the process. The rate of diagnosis of Alzheimer's is increasing, so scientists are anxious to learn more about the disease.
The link between ubiquilin-1 and Alzheimer's is new information for researchers.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Medical branch at Galveston and published in the journal of Biological Chemistry.
Showing posts with label University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Show all posts
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Two supplements that may raise dementia risk
Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,
Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be
Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two
health.lifegoesstrong.com
The brains of people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and similar neurodegenerative diseases are often found to contain high levels of iron and copper, and new research suggests a possible explanation.
According to scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, copper and iron cause cells to generate reactive oxygen molecules, which damage brain DNA, and also inhibit the brain's natural DNA repair mechanisms. Of course, our bodies need some amount of iron and copper to function, but it appears that having too much of these minerals circulating in the blood can be a problem.
These aren't the first researchers to raise alarms about copper and iron. Last year an article in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology suggested that people over 50 take steps to limit their exposure to copper and iron. The author of the article, Dr. George J. Brewer, a University of Michigan Medical School researcher, said at the time:
Both copper and iron toxicity are likely contributing to Alzheimer's disease. There is a major epidemic of Alzheimer's disease in the industrialized world (but) . . . it is still rare in India and Africa. There is something about industrialization that has brought this disease on in the developed world in epidemic proportions . . I think it may be due, in part, to increased meat ingestion because of the increased bioavailability of copper and iron from meat, but may also be due in part to the increased use of copper pipes for plumbing in developed countries, and the increased ingestion of copper supplements."
5 Ways to Protect Yourself
Dr. Brewer laid out some simple steps that mid-lifers can take to lower the risks of excess iron and copper (though he emphasized that these are not medical recommendations, and that you should consult your doctor):
1.Throw away supplements containing iron and copper
2.Lower your meat intake
3.Avoid drinking water with elevated levels of copper
4.Take zinc supplements to lower copper levels
5.Donate blood periodically to lower iron levels
The Supplement We Should Take
Another thing that might protect your brain from the possibly damaging effects of copper and iron: Curcumin, the main ingredient in the bright yellow spice tumeric. The University of Texas researchers found that when they exposed copper and iron to curcumin in the lab the spice binded with the metals in a way that stopped them from interfering with DNA repair.
Unless you eat curries every night, it might be a good idea to take a curcumin supplement. When I interviewed Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum on the subject late last year, he said that it's hard for our bodies to absorb curry powder, and recommended the supplements Curamed and Curamin. And the mysterious "miracle" pill Protandim contains it as well.
I don't take a curcumin supplement, but am always planning to start—because the spice has also been linked to reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and chronic pain. What's been holding me back is the price, since these supplements ain't cheap. But now that Alzheimer's and Parkinson's have been added to the list of things that curcumin might prevent, that price tag might start to look like a bargain!
Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be
Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two
health.lifegoesstrong.com
The brains of people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and similar neurodegenerative diseases are often found to contain high levels of iron and copper, and new research suggests a possible explanation.
According to scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, copper and iron cause cells to generate reactive oxygen molecules, which damage brain DNA, and also inhibit the brain's natural DNA repair mechanisms. Of course, our bodies need some amount of iron and copper to function, but it appears that having too much of these minerals circulating in the blood can be a problem.
These aren't the first researchers to raise alarms about copper and iron. Last year an article in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology suggested that people over 50 take steps to limit their exposure to copper and iron. The author of the article, Dr. George J. Brewer, a University of Michigan Medical School researcher, said at the time:
Both copper and iron toxicity are likely contributing to Alzheimer's disease. There is a major epidemic of Alzheimer's disease in the industrialized world (but) . . . it is still rare in India and Africa. There is something about industrialization that has brought this disease on in the developed world in epidemic proportions . . I think it may be due, in part, to increased meat ingestion because of the increased bioavailability of copper and iron from meat, but may also be due in part to the increased use of copper pipes for plumbing in developed countries, and the increased ingestion of copper supplements."
5 Ways to Protect Yourself
Dr. Brewer laid out some simple steps that mid-lifers can take to lower the risks of excess iron and copper (though he emphasized that these are not medical recommendations, and that you should consult your doctor):
1.Throw away supplements containing iron and copper
2.Lower your meat intake
3.Avoid drinking water with elevated levels of copper
4.Take zinc supplements to lower copper levels
5.Donate blood periodically to lower iron levels
The Supplement We Should Take
Another thing that might protect your brain from the possibly damaging effects of copper and iron: Curcumin, the main ingredient in the bright yellow spice tumeric. The University of Texas researchers found that when they exposed copper and iron to curcumin in the lab the spice binded with the metals in a way that stopped them from interfering with DNA repair.
Unless you eat curries every night, it might be a good idea to take a curcumin supplement. When I interviewed Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum on the subject late last year, he said that it's hard for our bodies to absorb curry powder, and recommended the supplements Curamed and Curamin. And the mysterious "miracle" pill Protandim contains it as well.
I don't take a curcumin supplement, but am always planning to start—because the spice has also been linked to reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and chronic pain. What's been holding me back is the price, since these supplements ain't cheap. But now that Alzheimer's and Parkinson's have been added to the list of things that curcumin might prevent, that price tag might start to look like a bargain!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
High iron, copper levels block brain-cell DNA repair
Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,
Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be
Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two
Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities
EurekAlert
Contact: Jim Kelly
jpkelly@utmb.edu
409-772-8791
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
High iron, copper levels block brain-cell DNA repair
Discovery could shed light on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative disorders
GALVESTON, Texas — No one knows the cause of most cases of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative disorders. But researchers have found that certain factors are consistently associated with these debilitating conditions. One is DNA damage by reactive oxygen species, highly destructive molecules usually formed as a byproduct of cellular respiration. Another is the presence of excessive levels of copper and iron in regions of the brain associated with the particular disorder.
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have discovered how these two pieces of the neurodegenerative disease puzzle fit together, a connection they describe in a review article in the current Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. A high level of copper or iron, they say, can function as a "double whammy" in the brain by both helping generate large numbers of the DNA-attacking reactive oxygen species and interfering with the machinery of DNA repair that prevents the deleterious consequences of genome damage.
"It's been suggested that an imbalance of DNA damage and repair produces a buildup of unrepaired genetic damage that can initiate neurodegenerative pathology," said postdoctoral fellow Muralidhar Hegde, lead author of the paper. "We don't yet know enough about all the biochemical mechanisms involved, but we have found multiple toxic mechanisms linking elevated iron and copper levels in the brain and extensive DNA damage — pathological features associated with most neurodegenerative disorders."
Humans ordinarily have small amounts of iron and copper in their bodies — in fact, the elements are essential to health. But some people's tissues contain much larger quantities of iron or copper, which overwhelm the proteins that normally bind the metals and sequester them for safe storage. The result: so-called "free" iron or copper ions, circulating in the blood and able to initiate chemical reactions that produce reactive oxygen species.
"Reactive oxygen species cause the majority of the brain cell DNA damage that we see in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, as well as most other neurodegenerative disorders," Hegde said. "It's bad enough if this damage occurs on one strand of the DNA double helix, but if both strands are damaged at locations close to each other you could have a double-strand break, which would be fatal to the cell."
Normally, special DNA repair enzymes would quickly mend the injury, restoring the genome's integrity. But experiments conducted by Hegde and his colleagues showed that iron and copper significantly interfere with the activity of two DNA repair enzymes, known as NEIL1 and NEIL2.
"Our results show that by inhibiting NEIL1 and NEIL2, iron and copper play an important role in the accumulation of DNA damage in neurodegenerative diseases," Hegde said.
The researchers got a surprise when they tested substances that bond to iron and copper and could protect NEIL1 from the metals. One of the strongest protective agents was the common South Asian spice curcumin, which also has been shown to have other beneficial health effects.
"The results from curcumin were quite beautiful, actually," Hegde said. "It was very effective in maintaining NEIL activity in cells exposed to both copper and iron."
Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be
Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two
Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities
EurekAlert
Contact: Jim Kelly
jpkelly@utmb.edu
409-772-8791
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
High iron, copper levels block brain-cell DNA repair
Discovery could shed light on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative disorders
GALVESTON, Texas — No one knows the cause of most cases of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative disorders. But researchers have found that certain factors are consistently associated with these debilitating conditions. One is DNA damage by reactive oxygen species, highly destructive molecules usually formed as a byproduct of cellular respiration. Another is the presence of excessive levels of copper and iron in regions of the brain associated with the particular disorder.
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have discovered how these two pieces of the neurodegenerative disease puzzle fit together, a connection they describe in a review article in the current Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. A high level of copper or iron, they say, can function as a "double whammy" in the brain by both helping generate large numbers of the DNA-attacking reactive oxygen species and interfering with the machinery of DNA repair that prevents the deleterious consequences of genome damage.
"It's been suggested that an imbalance of DNA damage and repair produces a buildup of unrepaired genetic damage that can initiate neurodegenerative pathology," said postdoctoral fellow Muralidhar Hegde, lead author of the paper. "We don't yet know enough about all the biochemical mechanisms involved, but we have found multiple toxic mechanisms linking elevated iron and copper levels in the brain and extensive DNA damage — pathological features associated with most neurodegenerative disorders."
Humans ordinarily have small amounts of iron and copper in their bodies — in fact, the elements are essential to health. But some people's tissues contain much larger quantities of iron or copper, which overwhelm the proteins that normally bind the metals and sequester them for safe storage. The result: so-called "free" iron or copper ions, circulating in the blood and able to initiate chemical reactions that produce reactive oxygen species.
"Reactive oxygen species cause the majority of the brain cell DNA damage that we see in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, as well as most other neurodegenerative disorders," Hegde said. "It's bad enough if this damage occurs on one strand of the DNA double helix, but if both strands are damaged at locations close to each other you could have a double-strand break, which would be fatal to the cell."
Normally, special DNA repair enzymes would quickly mend the injury, restoring the genome's integrity. But experiments conducted by Hegde and his colleagues showed that iron and copper significantly interfere with the activity of two DNA repair enzymes, known as NEIL1 and NEIL2.
"Our results show that by inhibiting NEIL1 and NEIL2, iron and copper play an important role in the accumulation of DNA damage in neurodegenerative diseases," Hegde said.
The researchers got a surprise when they tested substances that bond to iron and copper and could protect NEIL1 from the metals. One of the strongest protective agents was the common South Asian spice curcumin, which also has been shown to have other beneficial health effects.
"The results from curcumin were quite beautiful, actually," Hegde said. "It was very effective in maintaining NEIL activity in cells exposed to both copper and iron."
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