Right under your nose: A more convenient way to diagnose Alzheimer's
disease
Certain proteins in nasal discharge can indicate the onset and
progression of Alzheimer's, providing an avenue for early detection

Date:
August 11, 2020
Source:
DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)
Summary:
Scientists discover a new way to diagnose Alzheimer's disease by
analyzing the levels of specific proteins in nasal discharge. This
simple and inexpensive method could help in timely diagnosis
of Alzheimer's disease, in order to start treatment as soon as
possible, thus delaying disease progression.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The Republic of Korea, like other countries with a rapidly ageing
population, is facing increasing numbers of patients with dementia,
of which Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most representative
type. Unfortunately, AD has no complete cure yet; but, some treatments
have been proven to delay its progression. Of course, this means that
timely diagnosis while the symptoms are still mild is essential to
maximize a patient's quality of life.


========================================================================== However, currently available technologies for diagnosing AD are limited
because they involve expensive machinery and invasive or inconvenient procedures. Now, in a recent study published in Scientific Reports,
scientists from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology,
Korea, hint at a novel way of diagnosing AD in a much simpler way
--collecting and analyzing specific proteins in nasal discharge samples.

Professor Cheil Moon, who led the study, explains how they came up with
the idea: "In 2017, we found that olfactory dysfunction occurred in the
early stages of AD in mice and suggested that the cause of the symptoms
was induced by soluble species of amyloid-? (Ab) oligomer accumulations
in the peripheral olfactory system. We hypothesized that soluble Ab
oligomers could be detectable in nasal discharge and that they may
be a useful parameter to monitor disease progression." To test their hypothesis, they gathered and compared nasal discharge samples from 39
patients with AD and 21 people from an age-matched control group.

They found that the levels of two particular Ab oligomers (the
aggregated forms of Ab implicated as characteristic of Alzheimer's)
were consistently higher in patients from the AD group. What's more,
the levels of the "soluble" form of this protein could be used to not
only separate healthy subjects from patients with AD, but also predict
the onset and progression of AD over a three-year period.

Although further research will be required to better understand the link between Ab oligomers in nasal discharge and the cognitive impairments
related to AD, the results are certainly promising. Prof Moon remarks,
"Routine nasal discharge screenings would be a better option to screen
for AD because of its various advantages, such as its relatively low
cost and non-invasive nature.

The results of our study introduce a novel and simple approach to assess
AD progression." This new diagnostic technique will hopefully help in
simpler and faster detection of Alzheimer's and improving the disease
outcome, thus bringing much needed relief to millions suffering from
the Alzheimer's worldwide.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by DGIST_(Daegu_Gyeongbuk_Institute_of_Science_and Technology). Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Seung-Jun Yoo, Gowoon Son, Jisub Bae, So Yeun Kim, Yong Kyoung Yoo,
Dongsung Park, Seung Yeop Baek, Keun-A Chang, Yoo-Hun Suh, Yeong-Bae
Lee, Kyo Seon Hwang, YoungSoo Kim, Cheil Moon. Longitudinal
profiling of oligomeric Ab in human nasal discharge reflecting
cognitive decline in probable Alzheimer's disease. Scientific
Reports, 2020; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68148-2 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811120116.htm

--- up 3 weeks, 6 days, 1 hour, 55 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)