Happy Monday, readers—I hope you had an awesome weekend. Alzheimer’s and dementia researchers have had to endure a cascade of heartbreaking drug development screw-ups in current years. Traditional pharmaceutical remedies based totally on the “beta-amyloid” principle have failed… and failed… and failed another time. So possibly it’s not unexpected that a few scientists are hitching their wagons to appreciably exclusive approaches. A team of Boston University researchers claims that a shape of electrical mind stimulation has produced surprising (if very, very early) effects in boosting cognitive capabilities.
It’s critical to take those sorts of preliminary results with a grain (or ten) of salt. After all, other conventional Alzheimer’s drug hopefuls have shown early promise simplest to stand humiliating defeats down the line.
But the research is undeniably thrilling. Neuroscientists determined that electrically (but harmlessly) zapping the regions of the mind associated with what’s known as “working memory”—i.E., brief-term reminiscences essential to engaging in specific instant tasks—can quickly enhance this kind of nostalgia in older humans. In truth, the electrical bridging of the prefrontal and temporal regions of the brain reportedly helped improve running memory characteristics in older adults to comparable stages as people who were substantially more youthful.
Still, this wasn’t a randomized clinical trial, and it indeed wasn’t a sturdy one. When it involves dementia treatment, beyond enjoy indicates a cautious outlook. Does telemedicine bring an antibiotic danger? According to the Associated Press, a new take a look indicates a correlation between the use of telemedicine and accelerated antibiotic prescriptions. In reality, the University of Pittsburgh researchers found that telemedicine visits weren’t merely related to ways increased antibiotic use by using youngsters—they have been linked to prescriptions that didn’t follow standard recommendations for such therapies. (Associated Press)
INDICATIONS
FDA approves Glaxo’s -drug HIV regimen. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline’s pioneering -drug blend therapy to treat a form of HIV. “Currently, the standard of care for sufferers who have never been dealt with is a three-drug routine. With this approval, sufferers who’ve by no means been dealt with having the option of taking a two-drug routine in a single tablet at the same time as eliminating extra toxicity and capacity drug interactions from a 3rd drug,” defined the FDA’s Dr. Debra Birnkrant, who heads the antiviral products arm of the enterprise. Fewer remedies in a drug regimen usually correspond with fewer facet outcomes and maybe cheaper. The GSK drug is called Lovato. (FDA)
Regeneron strikes an $800 million Alnylam deal. Regeneron is placing its cash where its mouth is on gene healing procedures, putting an $800 million deal (in immediately up cash and fairness) with the “gene silencing” biotech Alnylam. Alnylam has targeted RNA interference treatments, a method of turning disrupting gene communique used to make specific proteins (which can be associated with certain diseases).
THE BIG PICTURE
Measles cases maintain to upward thrust. There have now been 465 mentioned instances of measles in the U.S. This yr, a seventy-eight-case growth from just last week that threatens to suit 2014’s all-time report, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports. (CNN)
