Genetic code puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease identified

A genetic risk factor that contributes to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease has been discovered by researchers from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The team screened the patient’s DNA (genetic materials) for the presence of abnormal genes. Then the patient’s brain neural networks were scanned by using an advanced scan technology to detect brain impairment.   

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the debilitating psychiatric problems in elderly people. Gradual erosion of brain’s neural network results in impaired thinking, emotions and memory loss – the cardinal symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. As of now, there is no therapeutic cure for Alzheimer’s disease that left 20 million patients, worldwide.

Every person in the world is prone to risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and two-fold risk in elderly people over 65 years old.

Changes in the genetic code that leads to Alzheimer’s disease have been identified, said Dr. Paul Thomas, Professor of Neurology, UCLA. Presence of such genetic codes can predispose the disease and gets worsen upon aging-related problems such as dementia, he added.  

According to the scientists, a common, genetic abnormality leads to Alzheimer’s disease and around nine culprit genes were identified, so far. An easy to prevent the onset of the disease is switching off the causative genes by advanced biotechnological methods such as gene silencing and gene knock-off.

Such techniques are being used in biotechnology and basic medical sciences. So it is not difficult to implement the technology in fend-off the elderly disease.

Red wine pill can combat dreadful disease

Red wine can be helpful against cancer and other killer diseases. Nothing latest?! From glasses to pills, the scientists developed a wonder pill with health promoting powers of red wine. The red wine pill can combat dreadful diseases such as cancer and increase longevity.

This could be the latest news for us.

The health effects of red wine pills were reported by scientists in Science, an esteemed academic journal.

According to scientists, resveratrol present in red wine directly promotes health and increase longevity in the study. The observation was validated by phases of clinical trials, and the underlying molecular mechanisms were uncovered. The study results were compared with other potent drugs that are against aging and aging-related diseases.

Sirutin (SIRT1), a group of genes are associated with anti-aging and against diseases of aging. SIRT1 is present in mitochondria, a powerhouse of the cell. Mitochondrial damage as a result of aging and environmental factors leads to many degenerative disorders and dreadful diseases such as cancer and heart diseases.

Several research findings pointed that resveratrol present in red wine, grapefruits, berries and peanuts increase the activity of SIRT1 and prevent mitochondrial damage as well as from aging and aging-related disease.

The study results found concrete evidences of anti-aging and anti-obese effects of resveratrol in experimental animals treated with red wine pills. When compared with animals treated with other drugs, enhanced life span was observed in resveratrol pill treated animals.

As of now, no pharmaceutical medicines are available that activates SIRT1, said Dr. David Sinclair, Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School. Resveratrol works in a novel way and acts faster on SIRT1 than anything else, he said.

Almost all the available medicines either block or reduce SIRT1 activity, he added.