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Scientists Find Link Between Parkinson's Disease and the Appendix (gizmodo.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Scientists have found further evidence that the gut, or more specifically the appendix, might play a role in the development of Parkinson's disease. The international team of scientists reviewed two datasets, including a large registry from Sweden, and found that removal of the appendix was associated with a decreased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. They also found that the human appendix contains clumps of a protein called alpha-synuclein in a form associated with the disease. There's more work to be done, and the authors are not advocating that people preemptively remove their appendixes, but they hope that the research could provide a pathway towards treatment.
The study found that of the 1,144,745 Swedes who did not have appendectomies, 1,608 had Parkinson's, but of the 551,003 who had, only 644 had Parkinson's. This is amounts to a 16.9% decrease in the odds of acquiring the disease -- but in absolutes, that's the difference between an 0.14 percent chance of acquiring the disease for those who hadn't gotten their appendix removed versus an 0.11 percent chance for those who had. The effect was also stronger in those living in rural areas, according to the study published today in Science Translational Medicine. The researchers also found that for those who had appendectomies at least 30 years before developing Parkinson's, the procedure was associated with a 3.6-year delay in disease onset. The appendix samples contained alpha-synuclein proteins and shortened and mis-folded alpha-synucleins like the ones found in people with Parkinson's disease. Professor Viviane Labrie from the Cancer of Neurodegenerative Science at the Van Andel Research Institute in Michigan suggests that the alpha-synucleins "can travel up the nerve that connects the G.I. tract to the brain." She added: "If it were to enter the brain, it can seed and spread from there and have neurotoxic effects that could eventually lead to Parkinson's disease."
The study found that of the 1,144,745 Swedes who did not have appendectomies, 1,608 had Parkinson's, but of the 551,003 who had, only 644 had Parkinson's. This is amounts to a 16.9% decrease in the odds of acquiring the disease -- but in absolutes, that's the difference between an 0.14 percent chance of acquiring the disease for those who hadn't gotten their appendix removed versus an 0.11 percent chance for those who had. The effect was also stronger in those living in rural areas, according to the study published today in Science Translational Medicine. The researchers also found that for those who had appendectomies at least 30 years before developing Parkinson's, the procedure was associated with a 3.6-year delay in disease onset. The appendix samples contained alpha-synuclein proteins and shortened and mis-folded alpha-synucleins like the ones found in people with Parkinson's disease. Professor Viviane Labrie from the Cancer of Neurodegenerative Science at the Van Andel Research Institute in Michigan suggests that the alpha-synucleins "can travel up the nerve that connects the G.I. tract to the brain." She added: "If it were to enter the brain, it can seed and spread from there and have neurotoxic effects that could eventually lead to Parkinson's disease."
The one thing that we can deduce from this study is that 100% of the people that had appendectomies don't have an appendix anymore.
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Together we can change the world, just one random act of kindness at a time. -- Ron Hall
There appears to be a strong positive correlation between people who vote for Trump and people who have their heads up their ass.
Just sayin'.
Have also noticed over the last decade or so that there's a strong correlation between parties adopting smug, condescending, holier-than-though opinions of the superiority of themselves and their party ... and losing nearly a thousand legislative seats, most of the governorships, both houses of congress, the White House, the Supreme Court, and the good will of millions of two-time Obama voters who turned their backs on their former default party exactly, specifically because of people like you. Ever noticed that?
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
I'd argue that we are living outside what we were designed for.
By designed, I mean our technology has advanced far in excess of evolution and natural selection. We have not had nearly enough time to adapt to the environment that we ourselves created. Natural selection is a joke in first world countries considering that we can keep the braindead alive, so that isn't helping either.
We're rapidly outgrowing our fish tank, and I think the only (somewhat) lasting solution will be genetic modification or one seriously huge culling of the population, both of which are pretty disturbing.
I'm pretty sure this underlines the fact that humans were not designed by some intelligent superbeing in the sky.
I'm honestly not sure how you draw that conclusion at all. Many religious people believe that there is a purpose behind these sorts of things. That they are opportunities to learn and grow. Children certainly do not grow as individuals when they have every problem in life solved for them.