Alzheimer’s disease

Background and aim of the study: Alzheimer's disease is the most common degenerative dementia with a predominantly senile onset. The difficult management of altered behaviour related to this disorder, poorly responsive to pharmacological treatments, has stimulated growth in non-pharmacological interventions , such as music therapy, whose effectiveness has not been supported by the literature up to now. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of video-music therapy on quality of life improvement in Patients affected by Alzheimer's Disease (AD).
Methods: A pre-post study was conducted in a residential facility. 32 AD Patients, who attended this facility daily to participate in supportive and rehabilitative programs, were treated with 2 cycles of 6 video-music-therapy sessions, which consisted of folk music and video, recalling local traditions. In order to investigate their cognitive status, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered and Patients were divided into stages according to MMSE scores. After each session of video-music-therapy, Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QOL-AD) was administered to our Patients.
Results: 21 AD Patients completed the 2 cycles of video-music therapy. Among them, only the Patients with questionable, mild and moderate neurocognitive impairment (MMSE Stages 1, 2, 3) reported an improvement in their quality of life, whereas the Patients with severe deterioration (MMSE stage 4) did not report any change. Many items of QOL-AD improved, showing a statistically significantly correlation to each other.
Conclusions: Video-music therapy was a valuable tool for improving the quality of life only in Patients affected by less severe neurocognitive impairment.
Key words: Quality of life, video-music therapy, non-pharmacological therapy, Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia

Purpose We aimed to identify the cortical regions where hypometabolism can predict the speed of conversion to dementia in mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD). Methods We selected from the clinical database of our tertiary center memory clinic, eighty-two consecutive MCI-AD that underwent 18F–fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET at baseline during the first diagnostic work-up and were followed up at least until their clinical conversion to AD dementia. The whole group of MCI-AD was compared in SPM8 with a group of age-matched healthy controls (CTR) to verify the presence of AD diagnostic-pattern; then the correlation between conversion time and brain metabolism was assessed to identify the prognostic-pattern. Significance threshold was set at p < 0.05 False-Discovery-Rate (FDR) corrected at peak and at cluster level. Each MCI-AD was then compared with CTR by means of a SPM single-subject analysis and grouped according to presence of AD diagnostic-pattern and prognostic-pattern. Kaplan-Meier-analysis was used to evaluate if diagnostic-and/or prognostic-patterns can predict speed of conversion to dementia. Results Diagnostic-pattern corresponded to typical posterior hypometabolism (BA 7, 18, 19, 30, 31 and 40) and did not correlate with time to conversion, which was instead correlated with metabolic levels in right middle and inferior temporal gyri as well as in the fusiform gyrus (prognostic-pattern, BA 20, 21 and 38). At Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with hypometabolism in the prognostic pattern converted to AD-dementia significantly earlier than patients not showing significant hypometabolism in the right middle and inferior temporal cortex (9 versus 19 months; Log rank p < 0.02, Breslow test: p < 0.003, Tarone-Ware test: p < 0.007). Conclusion The present findings support the role of FDG PET as a robust progression biomarker even in a naturalist population of MCI-AD. However, not the AD-typical diagnostic-pattern in posterior regions but the middle and inferior temporal metabolism captures speed of conversion to dementia in MCI-AD since baseline. The highlighted prognostic pattern is a further, independent source of heterogeneity in MCI-AD and affects a primary-endpoint on interventional clinical trials (time of conversion to dementia).

Curcumin and its eleven analogues obtained from the ZINC database were screened for its anti-Alzheimer's potential validated through in silico approach. Curcumin, eleven curcumin analogues from the ZINC database, and six standard anti-Alzheimer's drugs were obtained from SWISS ADME and Pub chem database. All obtained molecules were subjected to drug-likeness, molecular docking, and ADMET analysis. Curcumin and eleven curcumin analogues show no violations against five drug-likeness rules, whereas 2 standard drugs (CID_11269353, CID_46883536) out of 5 screened standard drug molecules shows violations in drug likeness property. Curcumin and curcumin analogues possess docking scores in the range of-7.5 to 9.9 Kcal/mol, whereas reference standard drugs docking score lies in the range of-6.4 to-11.0 Kcal/mol against all three Alzheimer's disease molecular targets. Finally, our present study has proven that curcumin analogues possess some novel anti-Alzheimer's properties over curcumin and standard reference drug. It needs to be validated and commercialized after in vivo preclinical trials.

Resumen
El documento presenta una propuesta reflexiva y polémica sobre la vejez; toma la enfermedad de Alzheimer como eje
nodal del proceso analítico, pero aborda el problema desde los modelos sociales de envejecimiento, la manera en que
es diseñado, difundido y asumido en un contexto global y dominado por lo inmediato, frugal, veloz, joven y de corta
vida. Se trata acerca de la dinámica de estos modelos y los costos para la seguridad social y el equilibrio emocional de
las personas de la tercera edad. Se discute sobre el concepto de ocio y uso del tiempo libre vinculado a las características
socioeconómicas de las jubilaciones y de la vida amorosa y sexual asociada a la salud y a los tabúes y mitos relacionados
con la edad. El Alzheimer pertenece a este contexto construido socialmente y como incapacidad deberá ser explicado
desde una visión cultural.
Palabras clave: envejecimiento, enfermedad de Alzheimer, procesos psicológicos, conducta de planeación, contexto
socio-cultural.
Abstract
This paper presents a thoughtful and controversial proposal about aging, assuming Alzheimer’s disease as the nodal axis
of the analytical process, approaching the problem from the perspectives of the social models of aging, the manner in
which they are designed, spread and assumed in a global context dominated by the immediate, the frugal, the fast, the
young and the short-lived. The dynamics of these models, the costs of social security and emotional balance of seniors
are also deliberated in this paper. It discusses the concept of leisure linked to socio-economic and the retirement pension
characteristics as well as love and sexual life associated with health taboos and myths on aging. The Alzheimer belongs
to this socially constructed context and as impairment it will be explained from a cultural perspective.
Keywords: aging, Alzheimer’s disease, psychological processes, planning behavior, socio- cultural context.

A new proprietary herbomineral formulation was formulated, consisting of essential ingredients viz. herbal root extract ashwagandha and minerals (zinc, magnesium, and selenium). The aim of the study was to evaluate the immunomodulatory potential of Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment on the herbomineral formulation in male Sprague Dawley rats. The test formulation was divided into two parts. One part was denoted as the control without any Biofield Energy Treatment, while the other part was defined as the Biofield Energy Treated sample, which received the Biofield Energy Healing Treatment remotely from seven renowned Biofield Energy Healers. Additionally, one group of animals also received Biofield Energy Treatment per se (day -15) by Biofield Energy Healers under similar conditions. The test formulation was evaluated for immunological parameters viz. humoral immune analysis, paw volume, hematological study, biochemistry, body weight, feed and water intake, and histopathology analysis were performed. The humoral immune response showed a significant increased primary and secondary antibody titre values by 26% and 150.4%, respectively in Biofield Energy Treatment per se group (G6, day -15), while primary and secondary antibody titre values were increased by 100.0% and 110.4%, respectively in the Biofield Energy Treated test formulation (G7, day -15) group compared with the disease control group (G2). The results of delayed type hypersensitivity showed a significant increase in the paw volume by 94.44% in the Biofield Energy Treated test formulation (G4) group with respect to the G2 group. However, a significant increase in paw volume by 61.11% and 44.44% was found in G6 and G7 group, respectively with respect to the G2 group. Hematological parameters showed a significant (p<0.001) increased platelet count by 85.6% in the G4 group, while 39.15% and 35.22% increase in the G6 and G7 groups, respectively compared with the G2 group. In biochemical analysis, a significant increase in calcium and phosphorus level were found in the G4 group compared with the G2 group. Animal weight parameters suggests that there were no treatment-related changes in any group, organ to body weight ratio, feed and water intake. The data described that the Biofield Energy Treated test formulation was found to be safe without any side effect during the course of the experiment. These data suggests that the Biofield Energy Treated test formulation and Biofield Energy Treatment per se can be used for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, enhancing stress management and prevention, and anti-aging by improving overall health.