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Test may provide early indications of Alzheimer's Philadelphia (June 14, 2002 11:58 p.m. EDT) - A urine test may be useful in predicting who will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease, which may enable physicians to begin treating people at risk before they develop irreversible brain damage from the illness, new research reveals. "It's very exciting because it could be used in the future to detect Alzheimer's and you can do something to prevent the evolution of the disease," Domenico Pratic̣, assistant professor in University of Pennsylvania's department of pharmacology and co-author of the study, told United Press International. Preventing the disease, which damages memory and language areas of the brain, is important because the brain damage it causes is irreversible, Pratic̣ said. At present there are no treatments that can prevent Alzheimer's, so the findings are also important because they will enable the testing of preventative drugs, he added. There are no tests that can reliably predict who will develop Alzheimer's, Pratic̣ noted. Brain scans or magnetic resonance imaging and drawing fluids fromthe spinal column can offer some clues, but these procedures are invasive, expensive and not totally reliable, he said. The urine test detects isoprostane, a chemical called a free-radical that is produced by oxidation-related damage to the brain characteristic of Alzheimer's. The test is non-invasive and could be done in a doctor's office rather than requiring the patient to go the hospital, as is necessary with magnetic resonance imaging, or MRIs. In the study, Pratic̣ and colleagues tested for isoprostane by taking urine samples from patients with mild cognitive impairment, a condition in which half of those afflicted will go on to develop Alzheimer's. The patients had levels of isoprostane similar to Alzheimer's patients and much higher than healthy people. Five of the patients with high isoprostane levels went on to develop Alzheimer's within two years, Pratic̣ said. One potential treatment for preventing the disease is taking large doses of vitamin E, he said, noting some studies have suggested vitamin E can slow the progression of the disease. ... snip ... The study appears in the June issue of the Archives of Neurology. Copyright 2002 by United Press International. Copyright 2001 Nando Media http://www.nando.net/healthscience/v-text/story/434909p-3478973c.html janet paterson: an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit primarily perky, parky pd: 55/41/37 cd: 55/44/43 tel: 613 256 8340 email: [log in to unmask] smail: 375 Country Street, Almonte, Ontario, Canada, K0A 1A0 a new voice website: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn