Daily Archives: January 11, 2008

An Instant Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease

Wow, this is great news:

An extraordinary new scientific study, which for the first time documents marked improvement in Alzheimer’s disease within minutes of administration of a therapeutic molecule, has just been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation.

They inject the drug entranercept in the spinal fluid and minutes later the patient is better.

I’ve watched as an elderly loved one faded with Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a heart breaking and frustrating disease. There are moments of clarity when the victim is able to respond more normally. Its almost like they are intoxicated – still there – but unreachable.

The reason this drug is thought to work sheds light on the disease. A molecule called “TNF” (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) regulates neural activity so its an essential part of brain function. But the problem with Alzheimer patients is that they have too much TNF.

Entranercept binds with the excess TNF and the patient improves at once. The TNF intoxication is lifted.

The $2,500 Car

Take a look at part of the reason that petroleum will never be cheap again:

2500 car.jpeg

This is Tata Motors “Nano” car. It will seat four adults comfortably and will sell for about $2,500 US in India and other developing countries. A version of this cute car might even make it to the US. This is the 21st century’s answer to the VW Bug.

A car this cheap will allow millions in India, China and elsewhere to purchase a car for the first time. As more people demand petroleum the price of that resource will continue to climb – even without the peak oil nightmare.

We as a country have to get serious about flex fuel vehicles, ethanol and biodiesel production, battery R&D, and nuclear power. The quicker we push the alternatives, the less the pain of transition.