A Novel Approach to the Treatment and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease Based on the Pathology and Microbiology

Utilizing the pathology and microbiology found in tissue from patients with documented Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the pathogenesis of this fateful disorder has been made clear. Borrelia burgdorferi and Treponema denticola spirochetes enter the brain, mostly via neuronal pathways and the entorhinal circulation. These organisms easily pass through the blood-brain barrier and have an affinity for neural tissue. Once in the brain, the spirochetes make intra- and extracellular biofilms, and it is the biofilms that create the pathology. Specifically, it is the intracellular biofilms that are ultimately responsible for neurofibrillary tangles and dendritic disintegration. The extracellular biofilms are responsible for the inflammation that initially is generated by the first responder, Toll-like receptor 2. The hypothesis that arises from this work is two-pronged: one is related to prevention; the other to treatment. Regarding prevention, it is very likely possible that AD could be prevented by periodic administration of penicillin (PCN), which would kill the spirochetes before they made biofilms; this would prevent the disease and would not allow any of the above deleterious changes generated by the biofilms to occur. As regards treatment, it may be possible to slow or prevent further decline in early AD by administration of PCN together with a biofilm disperser. The disperser would disrupt the biofilm coating and enable the PCN to kill the spirochetes. This protocol could be administered in a trial with the control arm utilizing the current treatment. The progress of the treatment could be evaluated by one of the current blood tests that is semi-quantitative. The specific protocols are listed.

Efficacy of a single oral dose artesunate plus sulfalene/pyrimethamine versus praziquantel in the treatment of Schistosoma mansoni in Kenyan children: randomised, exploratory, open-label trial

Background: The global control strategy for schistosomiasis is the periodic administration of praziquantel. Schistosomes have developed reduced susceptibility to praziquantel. Artemisinin-based drug combinations are promising alternatives to praziquantel, but it is unclear whether a single dose of an artemisinin-based drug combination is as effective and safe as praziquantel. We assessed the efficacy and safety of a single oral dose of artesunate plus sulfalene/pyrimethamine in the treatment of schistosomiasis. Methods: An exploratory, open-label randomized trial, was carried out in Rarieda sub-County, western Kenya to compare the efficacy of a single oral dose of artesunate plus sulfalene/pyrimethamine (12mg/kg of artesunate) to a standard single dose of praziquantel (40mg/kg) in the treatment of school children (aged 6 to 15 years) with S. mansoni infection. The primary outcomes were cure and egg reduction rates on day 28 after treatment in the per-protocol population.Results: A total of 73 S. mansoni infected children were included and randomized to receive either artesunate plus sulfalene/pyrimethamine (n=39) or praziquantel (n=34). 67 children completed the study. The cure rate was 69.4% (25/36) in the artesunate plus sulfalene/pyrimethamine group and 80.6% (25/31) in the praziquantel group (p=0.294). Egg reduction rates were 96.2% in the artesunate plus sulfalene/pyrimethamine group and 82.9% in the praziquantel group (p=0.339). Ten children treated with praziquantel developed adverse events compared with four in the artesunate plus sulfalene/pyrimethamine group. There was no serious adverse event. Conclusion: A single oral dose of artesunate plus sulfalene/pyrimethamine was safe and as efficacious as praziquantel in the treatment of S. mansoni in Kenyan children. These results should be confirmed in larger randomized controlled trials. Combination treatment with praziquantel plus artemisinin-based combination therapies may be a potential alternative for improving praziquantel efficacy and transmission control. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01054651.

Malignant Transformation of an Ovarian Endometrioma during Endometriosis Treatment: A Case Report

Dienogest (DNG) is considered to be effective against ovarian endometrioma (OMA). We report a rare case of OMA transformation to ovarian cancer during long-term endometriosis treatment with a periodic administration of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (Gn-RH agonist) and DNG. The patient was a 41-year-old Japanese woman. OMA and adenomyosis of the uterus were revealed via computed tomography. Consequently, she underwent conservative treatment without undergoing surgery because her overall status was poor. She received cyclic therapy (Gn-RH agonist and DNG) for approximately eight years. However, she reported lumbago and underwent close medical examination at our hospital after about eight years of treatment. Under the suspicion of malignant transformation, she underwent surgery. The pathological diagnosis was clear cell carcinoma of the right ovary (stage 2B). After surgery, she received six courses of chemotherapy (conventional TC). No evidence of disease was observed after chemotherapy. Our findings suggest that malignant transformation of OMA can occur during DNG treatment. Since the delayed detection of ovarian cancer greatly affects the prognosis, women older than 40 with OMA are encouraged to undergo regular check-ups every few months.

Supplementation of organic acid blends in water improves growth, meat yield, dressing parameters and bone development of broilers

The present study was conducted in order to examine the effects of supplementing two liquid organic acid blends on growth performance, meat yield, dressing parameters, organ weights and bone development of broilers. A total of 120 broiler chicks were assigned to five dietary treatments in four replications with six birds per replication over a period of 5 weeks, following a completely randomized design. Dietary groups included; Control = Without organic acids; AW-C = Activate continuous administration; AW-P = Activate periodic administration; N-C = Nutrilac continuous administration; N-P = Nutrilac periodic administration. Results indicated that supplementation of organic acids improved (P<0.05) growth performance of broilers compared to the control. Among the supplemented groups, highest (P<0.05) body weight and body weight gain were in the AW-C group, followed by the N-C, AW-P, and N-P groups. Feed intake was higher (P<0.05) in the AW-C and N-C groups compared to the N-P and control groups. Feed conversion ratio was improved (P<0.05) in the organic acid groups, and the AW-C group showed the best value. Dressing yield as well as thigh and drumstick meat relative weights were higher (P<0.05) in the organic acid groups compared to control, whereas breast meat increased (P<0.05) in the AW-C group compared to the AW-P and control groups. Increased (P<0.05) relative weights of head and neck were observed in the AW-C group as well as that of gizzard in the N-C group compared to the other groups. On the other hand, abdominal fat content decreased (P<0.05) in the organic acid groups. Whole leg and wing bone relative weights increased (P<0.05) in the AW-C, AW-P, and N-C groups compared to the other groups. Further, longer (P<0.05) shank in the organic acid groups as well as longer drumstick bone length in the AW-C group were observed compared to the other groups. It was concluded based on the study results that supplementation of both organic acid blends improves growth performance, increases meat yield, organ development, dressing parameters and influences bone development of broilers. Therefore, as continuous addition of Activate showed better results compared to Nutrilac in terms of some tested parameters, it could be applied to broiler water to exert beneficial effects.Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2016. 45 (1): 7-18