THE DIFFERENCE: PET scans taken before and after 10 months of weekly injections of Enbrel show improved brain activity in a male Alzheimer’s patient, as indicated by more red and orange areas.(Edward Tobinick, M.D.)
Posted on 06/19/2006 6:04:08 PM PDT by neverdem
An arthritis drug shows promise in a small, experimental study targeting a root cause of Alzheimer's -- inflammation in the brain.
WALTER Skotchdopole worked for 20 years as a police officer and 20 years in the film industry before succumbing to the relentless decline of Alzheimer's disease. In his prime, he joked with everyone he met. By his early 70s, he had become a shell of his former self.
"He's there, but he's not," says his son James Skotchdopole. "There's no real interaction, no real stake in life."
Walter Skotchdopole had tried several drugs, with no noticeable improvement. But when he began experimental treatments with Enbrel (etanercept) — a drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis — it was as if someone flipped a switch.
Within minutes of his first injection, he was making jokes. Later that afternoon, he ditched his cane to dance with a worker at his assisted-living facility. After a year and a half of weekly injections, Skotchdopole still gets confused sometimes, but requires far less help than he used to.
"The results we've seen are unprecedented with any kind of treatment," says Dr. Edward Tobinick, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCLA who led a recent pilot study of Enbrel's effects on 15 Alzheimer's patients.
Though still preliminary, the study's findings add to a growing list of approaches that scientists are taking to uncover the biological roots of Alzheimer's and hit the disease where it hurts.
About 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and healthcare costs total $100 billion a year, according to estimates by the Alzheimer's Assn. and the National Institute on Aging. By 2050, there could be as many as 16 million people with the disease.
Since 1992, the Food and Drug Administration has approved five drugs for treating the forgetfulness, communication problems...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
That said; almost looks like this disease could be interpreted as. . .'arthritus of the brain'. . .(albeit, there is more to it. . . but what an intersting perspective and new possibilites for research.)
bttt
Pray for a miracle.
Very, very interesting. Thanks.
THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!my mom is fighting Alzheimers right now and we are looking for anything to help her.....THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ENBREL, aka ETANERCEPT, only works for rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease. It doesn't work for osteoarthritis, aka degenerative joint disease, which is thought to come from wear and tear.
Someone should try it against vCJD.
Nothing to lose for the next test subject, for real - and some (tinfoil hat acknowledged, this poster does too) suspect a possible relationship between the two.
I'd like to try some. Maybe it'll help me remember what I put in the microwave.
Good news.
LOL, You're not alone. I made my grandson a bottle..
1. filled bottle with Milk.
2. replaced cap
3. took carton of Milk to baby..
Its tough when they say the same thing 50 times a day....Its like taking care of a child and they can't help it.. Today,my mom asked me about a knick knack and who gave it to her...I gave her the gambling knick knack 4 weeks ago for mothers day..She loves gambling and right now I take her to breakfast and the casino every day....In six months,she won't be here[at least not mentally]...I hope all goes good for your mom and you..I will keep you in my prayers....
pong
" might cause severe side effects especially it will reduce the function of the immune system. It might as well give an increased incidence of cancer,"
RA is already an autoimmune ds; a possible increase in lymphoma....well, there are a number of RA drugs out there that might be a bit safer than Enbrel, so I'm not sure if the benefits outweigh the side effects for RA.
Though, I can understand trying it for Alzheimers.
The embrel was injected directly into or around the brain...so it can get past the blood brain barrier. The regular subQ route doen’t allow it to reach the brain.:)
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