Latest news with #Ambati
Hans India
28-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Low-cost HIV drug to improve vision in patients with common diabetes complication
New Delhi: An inexpensive, long-approved HIV drug can improve vision in patients with a blinding complication of diabetes more effectively, according to preliminary results of a clinical trial. The drug, lamivudine, could represent an important new option for millions of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) -- a condition affecting about one in 14 people with diabetes. It causes fluid to build up in the retina of the eye and affects vision. As the drug is taken orally it potentially offers patients an alternative to monthly injections directly into their eyes, said the researchers from the University of Virginia in the US. "The mechanism of action of lamivudine is also different from that of existing treatments, so we could also develop combination therapies," said researcher Jayakrishna Ambati, from UVA Health's Center for Advanced Vision Science. The researchers explained that lamivudine is effective against DME because it blocks the activity of inflammasomes -- important agents of our immune systems. Inflammasomes normally act as sensors of infections, but they have also been implicated in the development of DME. For the study, published in the journal Med, the researchers enrolled two dozen adults with DME in a small randomised clinical trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either lamivudine or a harmless placebo, in addition to injections of the drug bevacizumab into their eyes starting after four weeks. Participants who received lamivudine showed significant vision improvements even before their first eye injections. Their ability to read letters on an eye chart improved by 9.8 letters (about 2 lines on the eye chart) at four weeks, while the participants receiving a placebo saw their ability decrease by 1.8 letters. A month after the bevacizumab injections, the lamivudine recipients had improved by a whopping 16.9 letters (more than 3 lines on the eye chart), while the placebo group, receiving bevacizumab alone, had increased by only 5.3. The results suggest that lamivudine may work both alone and in conjunction with bevacizumab injections, though larger studies will be needed to bear that out, the researchers said. Lamivudine alone could be life-changing for patients in many areas of the world with limited access to specialty doctors or who are unable to afford or travel to monthly eye appointments, Ambati said, while calling for more trials of lamivudine with larger numbers of patients.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alzheimer's disease could be prevented by antiviral drug already on market
An existing drug for HIV could double as a preventative therapy for Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers. NRTIs (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors) are antivirals that are approved to treat HIV infection, but scientists from UVA Health at the University of Virginia found that patients taking them were less likely to develop the common form of dementia. There was a roughly 10% annual reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in people taking NRTIs for every year of use of these drugs, according to lead study author Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at UVA, who spoke to Fox News Digital about the finding. Alzheimer's Brain Treatment Shows Promising Results In New Study After coming across another mechanism that could potentially prevent Alzheimer's, the researchers analyzed 24 years of health insurance data, including 270,000 patients. The Alzheimer's risk reduction among patients taking NRTIs was "significant and substantial," the researchers wrote in the findings, which were published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. Read On The Fox News App Now, the UVA team is calling for clinical trials of NRTIs to gauge their use for treating Alzheimer's. Approximately 10 million people worldwide are diagnosed with the common dementia each year. Alzheimer's Rates Have Reached Staggering Number As Experts Call For Change "This level of protection could translate into 60,000 fewer cases of Alzheimer's disease every year in our country, and up to one million fewer cases every year around the world," Ambati told Fox News Digital. In addition to keeping the HIV virus from replicating, NRTIs also prevent the activation of inflammasomes, proteins that are involved in the development of Alzheimer's. "We had previously shown that NRTIs blocked the inflammasome, so it wasn't altogether surprising that people taking NRTIs might be protecting against this disease," Ambati noted. "However, the degree of protection against Alzheimer's was quite surprising." Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings. "Inflammasomes are intracellular protein complexes that trigger the release of inflammatory cytokines," he told Fox News Digital. "HIV uses these inflammasomes to fight the immune system." "These chemicals are likely responsible for making Alzheimer's worse, or for accelerating the process of cognitive decline based on neuro-inflammation." Rebecca Edelmeyer, Ph.D., vice president of Scientific Engagement at the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago, also reviewed the study's findings, which she called "interesting." 'I'm A Neurologist — Here's Why Dementia Is Rising And How To Reduce Your Risk' "Further research and specifically designed clinical trials are needed to fully understand the potential future use of NRTIs to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, but the study highlights the potential role drug repurposing can play in advancing new Alzheimer's treatments," she told Fox News Digital. Repurposing existing drugs can offer a "promising pathway," according to Edelmayer. As existing drugs' safety and side effects are often already known, the studies can be quicker and less expensive than with new treatments, she added. The research team acknowledged some limitations of the study. "Like all retrospective health insurance database studies, the findings of our study are an association between this class of drugs and the development of Alzheimer's disease," Ambati told Fox News Digital. "They don't necessarily provide a cause and effect — however, the fact that we found this link in multiple databases increases confidence in this result." Siegel agreed that the new study is observational, but noted that it takes place over many years. "It also shows that only this particular HIV drug — inflammasome — dramatically decreases the risk of Alzheimer's, not the other HIV drugs, including protease inhibitors," the doctor said. "I think this is convincing preliminary evidence that warrants further study," Siegel added. "It is very possible that this drug may be useful in Alzheimer's prevention, given the increasing evidence implicating immune dysregulation and inflammation as causes of AD." Looking ahead, the researchers have developed a new drug called K9. Like NRTIs, the novel medication blocks inflammasomes, but is "safer and more effective," according to Ambati. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "The fact that the new drug reversed memory loss and improved spatial learning in mice further increases confidence in our findings," he told Fox News Digital. The UVA team now plans to test K9 in clinical trials for Azheimer's. Ambati noted that people should not take NRTIs for Alzheimer's prevention unless they are in the context of a clinical trial. "If interested, they should be on the lookout for such trials for themselves or loved ones who may be affected," he advised. For more Health articles, visit Nearly seven million people in the U.S. are currently living with Alzheimer's, and the number is expected to reach 13 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association. The UVA study was funded in part by the UVA Strategic Investment Fund and the National Institutes of article source: Alzheimer's disease could be prevented by antiviral drug already on market
Fox News
15-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Alzheimer's disease could be prevented by antiviral drug already on market
An existing drug for HIV could double as a preventative therapy for Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers. NRTIs (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors) are antivirals that are approved to treat HIV infection, but scientists from UVA Health at the University of Virginia found that patients taking them were less likely to develop the common form of dementia. There was a roughly 10% annual reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in people taking NRTIs for every year of use of these drugs, according to lead study author Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at UVA, who spoke to Fox News Digital about the finding. After coming across another mechanism that could potentially prevent Alzheimer's, the researchers analyzed 24 years of health insurance data, including 270,000 patients. The Alzheimer's risk reduction among patients taking NRTIs was "significant and substantial," the researchers wrote in the findings, which were published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. Now, the UVA team is calling for clinical trials of NRTIs to gauge their use for treating Alzheimer's. Approximately 10 million people worldwide are diagnosed with the common dementia each year. "This level of protection could translate into 60,000 fewer cases of Alzheimer's disease every year in our country, and up to one million fewer cases every year around the world," Ambati told Fox News Digital. In addition to keeping the HIV virus from replicating, NRTIs also prevent the activation of inflammasomes, proteins that are involved in the development of Alzheimer's. "We had previously shown that NRTIs blocked the inflammasome, so it wasn't altogether surprising that people taking NRTIs might be protecting against this disease," Ambati noted. "However, the degree of protection against Alzheimer's was quite surprising." "It is very possible that this drug may be useful in Alzheimer's prevention." Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings. "Inflammasomes are intracellular protein complexes that trigger the release of inflammatory cytokines," he told Fox News Digital. "HIV uses these inflammasomes to fight the immune system." "These chemicals are likely responsible for making Alzheimer's worse, or for accelerating the process of cognitive decline based on neuro-inflammation." Rebecca Edelmeyer, Ph.D., vice president of Scientific Engagement at the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago, also reviewed the study's findings, which she called "interesting." "Further research and specifically designed clinical trials are needed to fully understand the potential future use of NRTIs to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, but the study highlights the potential role drug repurposing can play in advancing new Alzheimer's treatments," she told Fox News Digital. Repurposing existing drugs can offer a "promising pathway," according to Edelmayer. As existing drugs' safety and side effects are often already known, the studies can be quicker and less expensive than with new treatments, she added. The research team acknowledged some limitations of the study. "Like all retrospective health insurance database studies, the findings of our study are an association between this class of drugs and the development of Alzheimer's disease," Ambati told Fox News Digital. "They don't necessarily provide a cause and effect — however, the fact that we found this link in multiple databases increases confidence in this result." Siegel agreed that the new study is observational, but noted that it takes place over many years. "It also shows that only this particular HIV drug — inflammasome — dramatically decreases the risk of Alzheimer's, not the other HIV drugs, including protease inhibitors," the doctor said. "I think this is convincing preliminary evidence that warrants further study," Siegel added. "It is very possible that this drug may be useful in Alzheimer's prevention, given the increasing evidence implicating immune dysregulation and inflammation as causes of AD." Looking ahead, the researchers have developed a new drug called K9. Like NRTIs, the novel medication blocks inflammasomes, but is "safer and more effective," according to Ambati. "The fact that the new drug reversed memory loss and improved spatial learning in mice further increases confidence in our findings," he told Fox News Digital. The UVA team now plans to test K9 in clinical trials for Azheimer's. Ambati noted that people should not take NRTIs for Alzheimer's prevention unless they are in the context of a clinical trial. "If interested, they should be on the lookout for such trials for themselves or loved ones who may be affected," he advised. Nearly seven million people in the U.S. are currently living with Alzheimer's, and the number is expected to reach 13 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association. The UVA study was funded in part by the UVA Strategic Investment Fund and the National Institutes of Health.
New York Post
12-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Doctors discover drug already on the market ‘could prevent 1 million new cases of Alzheimer's' a year
Alzheimer's affects nearly 7 million Americans, a number that's expected to spike to 13.9 million by 2060. Given the devastating effects of this incurable disease, the hunt is on for a drug that could help prevent or slow its progression. Now, a new study has found that nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) — a common class of medications for HIV — could dramatically decrease the risk of developing this neurodegenerative disorder. A new study has found that a common class of medications could dramatically decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Eric Hood – Analyzing data from over 270,000 patients aged 50 and older, researchers observed that the risk of Alzheimer's decreased by 6% to 13% for each year the patients were on NRTIs. These results are — to say the least — incredibly promising. 'It's estimated that over 10 million people around the world develop Alzheimer's disease annually,' said Jayakrishna Ambati, founding director of the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Vision Science. 'Our results suggest that taking these drugs could prevent approximately 1 million new cases of Alzheimer's disease every year.' NRTIs are primarily used to prevent HIV from replicating inside the body. Ambati's team discovered that these drugs also inhibit inflammasomes — immune system components implicated in Alzheimer's development. The risk of Alzheimer's decreased by 6% to 13% for each year the patients were on nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Atthapon – The next step would be to test NRTIs in clinical trials, although Ambati noted his team has already devised another drug that is going down that route. 'We have also developed a new inflammasome-blocking drug called K9, which is a safer and more effective version of NRTIs,' Ambati said. 'This drug is already in clinical trials for other diseases, and we plan to also test K9 in Alzheimer's disease.' The study was published last week in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia. This finding adds to a growing number of potential Alzheimer's treatments. A compound found in rosemary and sage — carnosic acid — has been shown to reverse memory loss and reduce brain inflammation in mice with Alzheimer's, bringing their cognitive function back to near-normal levels. A study from Stanford Medicine found that seniors who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over seven years. And researchers at Penn State and Stanford University discovered that a certain cancer drug could restore memory and brain function in early-stage Alzheimer's models.
New Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
If you argue in Telugu, we won't be able to stop you: AP HC's witty remark to YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu
VIJAYAWADA: Appearing as a lawyer, YSRCP senior leader Ambati Rambabu sparked amusement in the High Court while making his case during a hearing on Wednesday. While informing the court about the alleged bias of police in registering cases regarding offensive comments against him and his family members in English, the former minister sought the judges' permission to switch to Telugu. In response, Justice Tallapragada Mallikarjuna Rao quipped, 'If we allow you to argue in Telugu, we won't be able to stop you,' asking him to continue in English. Ambati informed the court that police registered only four cases against five complaints. He argued that police are obligated to register cases upon receiving complaints. However, government counsel Jayanthi clarified that cases are registered after preliminary inquiries, noting Ambati was not the victim in the fifth complaint. The court directed police to file a counter and adjourned the hearing to June 18, advising the former minister to present relevant arguments to make his case. HC's no to stay TTD tender The High Court declined to stay a tender notification issued by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Central Drug Store for medical supplies to its hospitals. The HC permitted the TTD to proceed with the tender process, however, clarified that finalisation would depend on its verdict. Furthermore, the HC directed the TTD to submit a detailed counter and adjourned the hearing to June. The case stems from a PIL filed by K Balaramudu, who alleged that the TTD favoured specific pharmaceutical brands, violating constitutional principles. TTD's counsel Prabhakar Sharma defended the process as transparent, while the petitioner's lawyer JUMV Prasad argued that unequal opportunities could inflate medicine prices. MLA's interference decried Expressing astonishment over an MLA interfering in works under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), the High Court questioned Vizianagaram MLA Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathi Raju about her interference in works finalised by Grama Sabhas. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Ch Ravi, questioned the Collector's issuance of administrative approvals based solely on the MLA's directives, bypassing the Grama Sabha resolutions. The HC directed the government to submit detailed reports and adjourned the case to May 7. The issue stems from a PIL filed by Mamidi Appalanaidu, alleging that the MLA unlawfully modified 889 NREGS works, with the Collector granting approvals without legal scrutiny. Plea for bail closed The High Court closed a petition filed by former I&PR Commissioner Vijay Kumar Reddy seeking anticipatory bail on Wednesday. The ACB case pertains to alleged irregularities in government notifications and bill payments. Acknowledging Vijay Kumar Reddy's assurance to cooperate with the investigation, the HC stated that ACB officials are free to take further action if the accused fails to cooperate. His counsel V Maheshwar Reddy informed the HC that his client had responded to ACB notices and pledging continued cooperation. Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas, representing the ACB, urged the court to allow legal action against the accused if he obstructs the probe, a request the court granted while resolving the petition.
