5 ms·

The discovery, if corroborated by others, could indeed be huge but I'm afraid it wouldn't open up new treatment options anytime soon. Fungal infections inside

The discovery, if corroborated by others, could indeed be huge but I'm afraid it wouldn't open up new treatment options anytime soon. Fungal infections inside the body are really really hard to treat in the first place. Add to that the blood-brain barrier which makes it very hard to treat any type of infection in the brain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood%E2%80%93brain_barrier#Function https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood%E2%80%93brain_barrier#Fu... Combination of these two factors sadly means that short of major breakthroughs in fungal antibiotic research or in drug delivery to the brain, Alzheimer is not likely to suddenly become more treatable even if the fungal infection theory proves to be true.

shostack 11y ago
Would the recent discovery of lymphatic tubes going into our brains[1] be a potential area of focus for potential treatment? [1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9647253 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9647253
- gus_massa 11y ago
  The article is not 100% clear, but I think the flux in the lymphatic tubes goes from the brain to outside, as in the other organs. So it will not be useful to send medicine inside the brain. The article describe an alternative theory for Alzheimer > In Alzheimer’s, there are accumulations of big protein chunks in the brain. We think they may be accumulating in the brain because they’re not being efficiently removed by these vessels.
kevinalexbrown 11y ago
First, there are antifungal drugs that pass the BBB, with varying efficacy: https://www.medicine.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/domfiles/infectiousdisease/EMT030408.pdf https://www.medicine.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/domfiles/i... Second, antifungals have positively affected AD-like symptoms, though possibly through misdiagnosis.
- et2o 11y ago
  It's known to be pretty difficult to treat a lot of fungal infections in the CNS. The agents we have are pretty nasty, with severe side effects.
  - kevinalexbrown 11y ago
    totally - but if you can effectively treat a substantial percentage, that's huge. And some effective antifungals have what many consider tolerable in the face of AD.
  - solofounder7 11y ago
    I'm a hacker not a doctor but I've done some research into water purification, and here is what I've learned: The body is mostly water. The task of removing microorganisms and fungus from water has been well studied. Science knows of effective agents which are proven to purify water of micro-organisms like bacteria and also fungus. Some of these are being utilized in public water decontamination, and others while also effective are not used because they are less cost efficient to produce. Water purifying agents have a varying range of effectiveness and also and a varying range of toxicity to the human body. There are a couple of agents in particular however which are both well tolerated by the body and are also remarkably effective at decontaminating water. The one which my research indicates leads the pack in this area is a white crystalline salt named Potassium Iodide, KI. KI has been used widely by both the military and by campers in portable water decontamination. A solution of Potassium Iodide in water (known colloquially as Iodine) was a leading and apparently very effective drug during the 19th century in the United States. There are doctors today who prescribe milligram doses of KI (many many times more than the RDA) to treat a wide array of ailments but especially in dermatology. They do not typically see serious side effects although they do frequently recommend monitoring thyroid levels while utilizing higher doses.
    - hamami 11y ago
      you cannot just decontaminate your body, the human body relies on beneficial microorganisms to function. without them you'd die
melling 11y ago
Could you be more specific about the timeline? I remember when people said there was nothing that could ever be done for people with HIV. My guess is that if you know a precise cause, you'll have some basic treatments within a decade and an effective "cure" within two decades.
Retra 11y ago
According to your link, there is a possibility that some cases of Alzheimers are caused by a degraded blood-brain barrier, which might also allow for fungal infections to take hold more readily.
Nano2rad 11y ago
There is no need for drugs to cross blood-brain barrier. If antifungal treatment is effective, drugs can be delivered directly to brain although that may need new series of research.
andrewtian 11y ago
Coconut oil seems to have benefits in Alzheimer's patients [1]. It also has anti-fungal properties. Worth a look. [1] http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_alternative_treatments.asp#Caprylic_Acid http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_alternative_treatments...

shostack 11y ago

Would the recent discovery of lymphatic tubes going into our brains[1] be a potential area of focus for potential treatment? [1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9647253 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9647253

gus_massa 11y ago
The article is not 100% clear, but I think the flux in the lymphatic tubes goes from the brain to outside, as in the other organs. So it will not be useful to send medicine inside the brain. The article describe an alternative theory for Alzheimer > In Alzheimer’s, there are accumulations of big protein chunks in the brain. We think they may be accumulating in the brain because they’re not being efficiently removed by these vessels.

kevinalexbrown 11y ago

First, there are antifungal drugs that pass the BBB, with varying efficacy: https://www.medicine.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/domfiles/infectiousdisease/EMT030408.pdf https://www.medicine.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/domfiles/i... Second, antifungals have positively affected AD-like symptoms, though possibly through misdiagnosis.

et2o 11y ago
It's known to be pretty difficult to treat a lot of fungal infections in the CNS. The agents we have are pretty nasty, with severe side effects.
- kevinalexbrown 11y ago
  totally - but if you can effectively treat a substantial percentage, that's huge. And some effective antifungals have what many consider tolerable in the face of AD.
- solofounder7 11y ago
  I'm a hacker not a doctor but I've done some research into water purification, and here is what I've learned: The body is mostly water. The task of removing microorganisms and fungus from water has been well studied. Science knows of effective agents which are proven to purify water of micro-organisms like bacteria and also fungus. Some of these are being utilized in public water decontamination, and others while also effective are not used because they are less cost efficient to produce. Water purifying agents have a varying range of effectiveness and also and a varying range of toxicity to the human body. There are a couple of agents in particular however which are both well tolerated by the body and are also remarkably effective at decontaminating water. The one which my research indicates leads the pack in this area is a white crystalline salt named Potassium Iodide, KI. KI has been used widely by both the military and by campers in portable water decontamination. A solution of Potassium Iodide in water (known colloquially as Iodine) was a leading and apparently very effective drug during the 19th century in the United States. There are doctors today who prescribe milligram doses of KI (many many times more than the RDA) to treat a wide array of ailments but especially in dermatology. They do not typically see serious side effects although they do frequently recommend monitoring thyroid levels while utilizing higher doses.
  - hamami 11y ago
    you cannot just decontaminate your body, the human body relies on beneficial microorganisms to function. without them you'd die

melling 11y ago

Could you be more specific about the timeline? I remember when people said there was nothing that could ever be done for people with HIV. My guess is that if you know a precise cause, you'll have some basic treatments within a decade and an effective "cure" within two decades.

Retra 11y ago

According to your link, there is a possibility that some cases of Alzheimers are caused by a degraded blood-brain barrier, which might also allow for fungal infections to take hold more readily.

Nano2rad 11y ago

There is no need for drugs to cross blood-brain barrier. If antifungal treatment is effective, drugs can be delivered directly to brain although that may need new series of research.

andrewtian 11y ago

Coconut oil seems to have benefits in Alzheimer's patients [1]. It also has anti-fungal properties. Worth a look. [1] http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_alternative_treatments.asp#Caprylic_Acid http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_alternative_treatments...