Walked right up to my golf cart...
A classic!
😊
Posted on 11/15/2022 3:27:54 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Leprosy is one of the world's oldest diseases but the bacteria that cause it may also have the surprising ability to grow and regenerate a vital organ.
Scientists have discovered that parasites associated with leprosy can reprogram cells to increase the size of a liver in adult animals without causing damage, scarring or tumors.
The findings suggest the possibility of adapting this natural process to renew aging livers and increase healthspan in humans.
Experts say it could also help regrow damaged livers, thereby reducing the need for transplantation, which is currently the only curative option for people with end-stage scarred livers.
To overcome these harmful side-effects, researchers built on their previous discovery of the partial cellular reprogramming ability of the leprosy-causing bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae.
The team infected 57 armadillos—a natural host of leprosy bacteria—with the parasite and compared their livers with those of uninfected armadillos and those that were found to be resistant to infection.
They found that the infected animals developed enlarged—yet healthy and unharmed—livers with the same vital components, such as blood vessels, bile ducts and functional units known as lobules, as the uninfected and resistant armadillos.
The team believe the bacteria "hijacked" the inherent regenerative ability of the liver to increase the organ's size and, therefore, to provide it with more cells within which to increase.
Livers of the infected armadillos also contained gene expression patterns (the blueprint for building a cell) similar to those in younger animals and human fetal livers.
Genes related to metabolism, growth and cell proliferation were activated and those linked with aging were downregulated, or suppressed.
Scientists think this is because the bacteria reprogramed the liver cells, returning them to the earlier stage of progenitor cells, which in turn became new hepatocytes and grow new liver tissues.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Don’t touch anyone for about 20 years, and you will still need six months to a year of antibiotics to cure the infection, but at least you have an enhanced, even over-sized enhanced, younger liver, this study would appear to show.
Pretty extreme potential fix, but easy to try…
No, please don’t do it.
Please don’t inform Anthony Fauci. Please!
“A federal judge has just blocked the use of Title 42 at the border as a result of ACLU litigation. Title 42 allows the U.S. to immediately expel migrants on the basis of public health.”
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4109397/posts
The liver regenerates itself if you don’t poison it too bad.
I never expected to read this.
OK lets all go get leprosy. 😮
I’ll take Milk Thistle, eat healthy, exercise, and no “Grandpa’s cough medicine “…
I picked up an armadillo while intoxicated.
I figured the leprosy and booze canceled each other out.
Well, induced botulism is used to treat certain nervoe-muscle disorders. Nature can be amazing.
And, these other idiots want to enhance human livers to extend lives.
Or, am I seeing this through jaundiced eyes?
Anyway, an interesting paper...
Kynurenines in the Pathogenesis of Peripheral Neuropathy During Leprosy and COVID-19
“Ancient disease has potential to regenerate livers, study finds (Leprosy infection benefits livers)”
Unfortunately, leprosy rots out the rest of your body.
Livers regenerate on their own. One big problem is when damaged and dead and sclerosed liver cells block regenerating cells from proliferating to their normal anatomical position.. Gotta get the scar tissue to dissolve.
This finding may explain why extra tissue growths (nodules) occur on the bodies of untreated lepers.
There is a genetic disease that causes overproduction in the liver of, Alpha-1 proteinase. Alpha-1 causes irreparible lung damage. Basically, the enzyme is like scrubbing bubbles that never stop scrubbing and so tears the lungs up. There is no cure for this ‘genetic COPD’ although there is a somewhat controversial treatment, prolastin, that costs thousands of dollars through “speciality pharmacies” that requires weekly infusions. It would certainly be an astounding breakthrough if an off switch could be more cheaply produced from lab-rat ‘rejuvinated’ livers that could actually cure this genetic anomoly and eliminate the cost and need for weekly transfusions.
In most cases leprosy is easily cured or at worst controlled with common anti-biotics.
One problem with this treatment maybe that the number of people susceptible to leprosy is rather small outside of the Middle East
If you can’t be infected how can the bacteria do their work to grow your liver.
My liver is great. Unfortunately I’m missing and ear and a nose.
I figured the leprosy and booze canceled each other out.
Yay! Gotta liver little!
This was in 2002, so I’m all good.
Apparently, the little ones are blind?
Walked right up to my golf cart...
A classic!
😊
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