Latest news with #JamesStJohn
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Study on Mice Suggests Surprising Link Between Nose-Picking And Alzheimer's
A study published in 2022 revealed a tenuous but plausible link between picking your nose and increasing the risk of developing dementia. In cases where picking at your nose damages internal tissues, critical species of bacteria have a clearer path to the brain, which responds to their presence in ways that resemble signs of Alzheimer's disease. There are plenty of caveats here, not least that so far the supporting research is based on mice rather than humans, but the findings are definitely worth further investigation – and could improve our understanding of how Alzheimer's gets started, which remains something of a mystery. A team of researchers led by scientists from Griffith University in Australia ran tests with a bacterium called Chlamydia pneumoniae, which can infect humans and cause pneumonia. The bacteria has also been discovered in the majority of human brains affected by late-onset dementia. It was demonstrated that in mice, the bacteria could travel up the olfactory nerve (joining the nasal cavity and the brain). What's more, when there was damage to the nasal epithelium (the thin tissue along the roof of the nasal cavity), nerve infections got worse. This led to the mouse brains depositing more of the amyloid-beta protein – a protein which is released in response to infections. Plaques (or clumps) of this protein are also found in significant concentrations in people with Alzheimer's disease. "We're the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can go directly up the nose and into the brain where it can set off pathologies that look like Alzheimer's disease," said neuroscientist James St John from Griffith University in Australia back in October 2022, when the study was released. "We saw this happen in a mouse model, and the evidence is potentially scary for humans as well." The scientists were surprised by the speed at which C. pneumoniae took hold in the central nervous system of the mice, with infection happening within 24 to 72 hours. It's thought that bacteria and viruses see the nose as a quick route to the brain. While it's not certain that the effects will be the same in humans, or even that amyloid-beta plaques are a cause of Alzheimer's, it's nevertheless important to follow up promising leads in the fight to understand this common neurodegenerative condition. "We need to do this study in humans and confirm whether the same pathway operates in the same way," said St John. "It's research that has been proposed by many people, but not yet completed. What we do know is that these same bacteria are present in humans, but we haven't worked out how they get there." Nose picking isn't exactly a rare thing. In fact, it's possible as many as 9 out of 10 people do it… not to mention a bunch of other species (some a little more adept than others). While the benefits aren't clear, studies like this one should give us pause before picking. Future studies into the same processes in humans are planned – but until then, St John and his colleagues suggest that picking your nose and plucking your nose hair are "not a good idea" because of the potential damage it does to protective nose tissue. One outstanding question that the team will be looking to answer is whether or not the increased amyloid-beta protein deposits are a natural, healthy immune response that can be reversed when the infection is fought off. Alzheimer's is an incredibly complicated disease, as is clear from the sheer number of studies into it and the many different angles scientists are taking in trying to understand it – but each piece of research brings us a little bit closer to finding a way to stop it. "Once you get over 65 years old, your risk factor goes right up, but we're looking at other causes as well, because it's not just age – it is environmental exposure as well," said St John. "And we think that bacteria and viruses are critical." The research was published in Scientific Reports. A version of this article was first published in November 2022. There Are Good Health Reasons For Leaving Your Shoes at The Door Weight-Loss Drugs Like Ozempic May Guard Against Dementia, Research Finds A 5-Minute Workout Each Day Can Still Make a Huge Health Difference
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Paralyzed Man Standing, Learning to Walk Again After Injection of Hacked Stem Cells
In the first clinical study of its kind, researchers at Tokyo's Keio University have developed a stem cell treatment that they say allowed a paralyzed man to stand on his own again following a spinal cord injury. As Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun reports, the man is now learning how to walk through rehabilitation. The stem cell treatment involved the injection of roughly two million reprogrammed or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are created by hacking adult cells back into an embryonic-like state. The researchers turned these cells into neural precursor cells in a lab and then injected them into the site of patients' injuries. The goal is to have these cells then develop into neurons and glial cells, which support and protect neurons. In an announcement last week, the research team led by Keio University stem cell scientist Hideyuki Okano revealed that two out of four participants with a spinal cord injury saw improvements in their motor function. According to the researchers, no other serious adverse side effects were observed after a year of monitoring. But as experts told Science, it's too early to call the results definitive proof that the treatment works, let alone in all individuals with a spinal cord injury. For one, as Griffith University translational neuroscientist James St John told Science, it may be "very exciting for the field," but it'll take larger trials to establish whether the improvements were in fact the result of the treatment. There's also the possibility that the two patients recovered naturally. The results of the research also have yet to be peer-reviewed. Okano and his colleagues performed the first of the surgeries in late 2021, with the other three following in 2022 and 2023. The patients received the surgery between two to four weeks following the injury. As Science reports, other iPS cell treatments are being tested, including trials to restore vision by reversing damage to the cornea, and even reversing type 1 diabetes through the use of reprogrammed stem cells that can produce insulin. While questions remain, reversing paralysis from a spinal cord injury could be a big deal. In the US, roughly 18,000 people experience a traumatic spinal cord injury each year — and in addition to loss of motor control, they're also at risk of developing debilitating and even life-threatening secondary conditions. More on stem cell treatments: Woman's Own Stem Cells Appear to Reverse Her Type 1 Diabetes in First-Ever Procedure
