Posted on 01/11/2008 10:02:10 PM PST by Coleus
In a new report, U.S. researchers describe the improvement in brain function that occurred in a patient with Alzheimer's disease just minutes after receiving an injection in the spine of the arthritis drug Enbrel (also known as etanercept).
For instance, just prior to treatment the patient was agitated and could not name the state. Ten minutes after treatment, he appeared calmer, more attentive, less frustrated and was able to correctly name the state. Further improvements in mental functioning, memory, and other cognitive parameters were noted at 2 hours.
Dr. Edward L. Tobinick, from the University of California at Los Angeles, and Dr. Hyman Gross, from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, describe the case in the Journal of Neuroinflammation.
Their observations are consistent with a study they conducted in 2006, in which injection of etanercept given weekly over 6 months led to significant improvements in mental function in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
In that initial study, the protocol approved by the institutional review board called for monthly cognitive testing. However, the researchers noticed that cognition often seemed to improve just minutes after treatment, which led them to their current study.
Consistent with their earlier observations, etanercept injection rapidly improved cognition
Studies have suggested that a protein involved in inflammation known as TNF-alpha is involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease, the investigators note. Etanercept blocks this protein. Further studies looking at the effects of TNF-alpha blockers on symptoms of dementia are warranted, the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: Journal of Neuroinflammation 2008.
Interesting.
It was a pharmaceutical company that created Embrel and probably paid for this experiment.
Not Pharma industry hating Hillary, Obama, or Edwards.
Interesting....I wonder if it could help my dad.
Arthritis drug (Enbrel) may ease dementiaFinally, a cure for liberalism!
I hope it can Bro.
Regards to you and your Dad.
“Journal of Neuroinflammation”
Sounds like my kind of light reading, LOL.
Why isn’t AMGN up 110 pts on this news?
Sorry, just noticed you are a Freeperette. The sentiment is the same though.
I'll take a shot myself. ;^)
I will need it too soon enough!
.
Hope this works.
Thanks, he could sure some help. He will be 87 on the 19th but floats in & out . He still pays attention to the news though. ~Pandy~ ps I am a she lol
Thank you very much!
My mom is 90 and complaining about her memory. I'll be taking her to get an MRI of the brain to rule out a vascular dementia soon.
Dementia can be caused by a number of diseases. IIRC, the only way to definitely diagnose Alzheimer's is with a biopsy, which is very rarely done in unusual circumstances, and after an autopsy. Enbrel is for rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease. Enbrel has effects on the immune system. Occasionally patients taking it develop severe, sometimes fatal, infections. Eligible patients can enroll for free in government and private clinical trials.
You might want to save those links. Good luck!
My dad loves me to read him FR comments on Jimmy Carter. He truly hates that man & if he could be on FR I think he would really enjoy it.
Blessings to you and to your dad. A loved one of mine recently passed away after being an Alzheimers sufferer for about 8 years. I do hope and pray this new discovery will give hope to millions of people, and their loved ones, suffering from this terrible disease.
And hello to your dad from a fellow Carter loather.....:-)
I’m on Enbrel for Psoriasis. It’s basically changed my life.
I have a great deal of coverage, and it was getting to be such a hassle and expense dealing with ointments. During the winter, the dry air would cause my skin to basically burn all over. Very tough situation to deal with.
Enbrel has probably cleared about 50% of my plaques, and the bigger ones it can’t completely clear are now manageable and don’t bother me near as much as before.
Insurance is always a pain to get it approved, since it is still about $2K for a 1 months supply. But my Dr. makes phone calls on my behalf and takes care of it for me.
It does have some scary side effects and risks, but so far, I’ve been lucky (knock knock knock).
Thank you. I remember the year Carter didn’t want Christmas lights up on houses. My dad didn’t usually decorate the outside but that year our house had the most lights on the block & he put them up himself. Each Christmas we still joke about the year daddy did the lights. It was quite a sight! ~Pandy~
LOL - that’s so good to hear. I don’t remember about Carter and the Christmas lights.....so am glad your dad heard that and DEFIED that little Carter mandate.....
Main thing I remember is the 10% unemployment and the 19% inflation and the 12% interest rates (my second house was bought with a 12% mortgage rate!!!)
Numbers we will see again if another liberal gets into the WH!
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