An enzyme found naturally in the brain snips apart the protein that forms the sludge called amyloid plaque that is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), researchers have found. They said their findings in mice suggest that the protein, called Cathepsin B (CatB), is a key part of a protective mechanism that may fail in some forms of AD. Also, they said their findings suggest that drugs to enhance CatB activity could break down amyloid deposits, counteracting one of the central pathologies of AD.In other words, scientists have discovered that this stuff that exists in your body anyway (CatB) can get rid of this gray sludge that they assume causes AD. It's not a definite cure, but considering how many people are touched by the disease, I think this should be much bigger news than it is. Hell, who hasn't had a grandparent get this thing? I, myself, have had two grandparents succum to it. Another thing I've lost a grandparent to is cancer. Wouldn't you know it? The media is all but ignoring a possible new cure for that, too. See, most people don't understand what cancer even is. For years, I thought cancer was some outside thing that entered the body. It turns out, cancer is your body. See, normally, your cells grow to a certain point, get old, stop functioning and then are destroyed by the cells' natural functions. Sometimes, the natural functions don't, well, function and the cell continues to grow and grow. When cells lose their ability to die, these cells are called cancerous. Now, here's where the breakthrough comes in. Check out this clip from [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00050D07-6D22-14EF-AD2283414B7F0000|an August 28, 2006 article] at SciAm.Com:
Suicide is the regular mode of cell death. When cells reach the end of their useful life, internal mechanisms kick in and the cell automatically perishes, a process known as apoptosis. But in cancer cells this mechanism has often been genetically disabled or otherwise broken, allowing tumors to proliferate. Now researchers have found a way to reactivate programmed cell death and thereby treat cancer.That makes sense, doesn't it? What doesn't make sense is why this isn't all over the news. Lung cancer, alone, killed just short of 150,000 Americans in 2002. That's roughly 50 times the number of people around the world killed by terrorists in the same year. Yet, which is the bigger threat and which is the bigger news story?
Orignal From: Possible Alzheimer's and Cancer Cures All but Ignored by The Media
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