Thursday, February 14, 2019

Brain blood flow finding gives hope for Alzheimer’s therapy

You know that dizzy feeling you get when, after lying down for an extended period, you stand up a little too quickly?

That feeling is caused by a sudden reduction of blood flow to the brain, a reduction of around 30 percent. Now imagine living every minute of every day with that level of decreased blood flow.
People with Alzheimer’s disease don’t have to imagine it. The existence of cerebral blood flow reduction in Alzheimer’s patients has been known for decades, but the exact correlation to impaired cognitive function is less understood.

“People probably adapt to the decreased blood flow, so that they don’t feel dizzy all of the time, but there’s clear evidence that it impacts cognitive function,” said an associate professor.

A new study, offers an explanation for this dramatic blood flow decrease: white blood cells stuck to the inside of capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in the brain. And while only a small percentage of capillaries experience this blockage, each stalled vessel leads to decreased blood flow in multiple downstream vessels, magnifying the impact on overall brain blood flow.

“It turns out that … the blockages we were trying to induce were already in there,” she said. “It sort of turned the research around – this is a phenomenon that was already happening.”

The researchers, determined that only about 2 percent of brain capillaries had “stalls” (blockages), but the cumulative effect of that small number of stalls was an approximately 20 percent overall decrease in brain blood flow, due to the slowing of downstream vessels by the capillaries that were stalled. Recent studies suggest that brain blood flow deficits are one of the earliest detectable symptoms of dementia.

To test the effect of the stalls on performance of memory tasks in Alzheimer’s mice, they were given an antibody that interfered with the adhesion of white blood cells to capillary walls, which caused the stalled capillaries to start flowing again and thus increased overall brain blood flow. Memory function was improved within a few hours, even in aged mice with more advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers are quick to point out, however, that the antibody is not something that can be used in humans. Also, of course, interfering with white blood cell adhesion would render an individual immuno-compromised.

“What we’ve done is identify the cellular mechanism that causes reduced brain blood flow in Alzheimer’s disease models, which is neutrophils [white blood cells] sticking in capillaries,” the Dr. said. “We’ve shown that when we block the cellular mechanism [that causes the stalls], we get an improved blood flow, and associated with that improved blood flow is immediate restoration of cognitive performance of spatial- and working-memory tasks.”

“Now that we know the cellular mechanism,” he said, “it’s a much narrower path to identify the drug or the therapeutic approach to treat it.”

The team has identified approximately 20 drugs, many of them already FDA approved for human use, that have potential in dementia therapy. Some of them, however, were designed to be taken in high doses for short periods of time to treat sepsis, or in the immediate aftermath of a heart attack or stroke. “They weren’t really intended to be something that you take for the rest of your life,” he said. Nonetheless, the lab is screening these drugs in Alzheimer’s mice now. 

The Dr. said he’s “super-optimistic” that, if the same capillary-blocking mechanism is at play in humans as it is in mice, this line of research “could be a complete game-changer for people with Alzheimer’s disease.”


THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/       

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Thursday, July 05, 2018

Redness of skin

The involuntary redness of the skin usually occurs when a person is feeling ashamed, embarrassed, angry or if they have a physiological problem. This happens because the blood flows to the capillaries that are close to the surface of the skin. 
Fact: This bodily function is mostly social - people blush only when other people are around. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  

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Monday, January 16, 2017

VARIOUS HEALTH BENEFITS OF VITAMIN C

We all know that Vitamin C is water-soluble vitamin. So, we need to consume it daily.t plays a vital role in heart, eyes, skin, and prenatal health and immunity. Long-term non-availability of vitamin C can lead to various symptoms, which though are not immediately threatening, can turn dangerous in the long run.

 Skin bruises: Easy bruising is one of the early symptoms of vitamin C deficiency. There could be capillaries which appear superficial and have an increased tendency to bruise and bleed. There could also be unexplained reddish purple marks on the skin in people who have low levels of vitamin C.

 Bleeding gums: Another major indicator of vitamin C deficiency is swollen gums that tend to bleed easily. This again is related to their role in collagen formation and if not identified and treated in the early phases, it can lead to severe gum infection, periodontal disease, and even loss of teeth.


 Slow healing: Vitamin C has an important role to play in connective tissue formation, and if there is less of vitamin C in the body, collagen formation is delayed. This can lead to prolonged and delayed healing of wounds, even simple ones like cuts and bruises. The added role of vitamin C as an immune booster also leads to reduced healing when there is vitamin C deficiency.
 

 Nosebleeds: Frequent unexplained nosebleeds is another sign of vitamin C deficiency. Reduced amounts of vitamin C make the capillaries fragile causing them to bleed easily.

Dry skin: While weather does determine if the skin is dry or normal, vitamin C also does. The decreased levels of collagen can lead to an unhealthy skin which can turn red and can be dry and can also lead to keratosis pilaris, which is an accumulation of melanin pigments in the skin. Good amounts of vitamin D helps as a good anti-ageing agent and reduces wrinkles and retains moisture. It also has sun protective effects and antioxidant properties.


Unexplained weight gain: Vitamin C plays a vital role in fat metabolism and therefore deficiency leads to weight accumulation, especially around the waist. It helps oxidise fat and so helps in weight regulation.
 

Low immunity: Vitamin C deficiency affects the body’s susceptibility to infections, making it prone to more severe and frequent infections. People catching a common cold very frequently could be suffering from vitamin C deficiency.

Emotional health: Vitamin C is also a mood regulator, so inadequate amount can lead to depression. Try eating a juicy orange to start feeling better.
    

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.
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