Statins a new hope for treatment of Multiple Sclerosis an autoimmune disease - ShoutasScience

University college of London (UCL) researchers in the initial phase of clinical trial have found out that taking high doses of Statins (Simvastatin), a cholesterol-lowering drug by the people with the secondary progressive form of multiple sclerosis (MS) had a significant reduction in the rate of brain atrophy (brain shrinkage) over two years and also had better disability scores at the end of study. The phase 2 Clinical trial was conducted in collaboration with National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the MS Society (UK), the National MS Society (US), the NHS and UK universities."

Lower risk of Alzheimer's disease mortality with exercise, statin, and fruit intake. - PubMed - NCBI

 "BACKGROUND:
Whether lifestyle affects Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk remains controversial.

OBJECTIVE:
Test whether exercise, diet, or statins affect AD mortality in 153,536 participants of the National Runners' and Walkers' Health Studies.

METHODS:
Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were obtained from Cox proportional hazard analyses for AD mortality versus baseline metabolic equivalent (MET) hours/d of exercise energy expenditure (1 MET equals approximately 1 km run), statin use, and fruit intake when adjusted for age, race, gender, education, and exercise mode.

RESULTS:
The National Death Index identified 175 subjects who died with AD listed as an underlying (n = 116) or contributing (n = 59) cause of death during 11.6-year average mortality surveillance. Relative to exercising <1.07 MET-hours/d, AD mortality was 6.0% lower for 1.07 to 1.8 MET-hours/d (HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.59 to 1.46, p = 0.79), 24.8% lower for 1.8 to 3.6 MET-hours/d (HR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.50 to 1.13, p = 0.17), and 40.1% lower for ≥3.6 MET-hours/d (HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.97, p = 0.04). Relative to non-use, statin use was associated with 61% lower AD mortality (HR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.82, p = 0.01), whereas use of other cholesterol-lowering medications was not (HR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.40 to 1.38, p = 0.42). Relative to <1 piece of fruit/day, consuming 2 to 3 pieces daily was associated with 39.7% lower AD mortality (HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.91, p = 0.02) and ≥3 pieces/day with 60.7% lower AD mortality (HR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.67, p = 0.0004).

CONCLUSIONS:
Exercise, statin, and fruit intake were associated with lower risk for AD mortality."



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BBC News - Statins 'may help control multiple sclerosis'

Early trial results in The Lancet show the cholesterol-lowering pills slow brain shrinkage in people with MS.
The University College London (UCL) scientists say large trials can now begin.
These will check whether statins benefit MS patients by slowing progression of the disease and easing their symptoms.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Prescribing an apple a day to all adults aged 50 and over would prevent or delay around 8,500 vascular deaths such as heart attacks and strokes every year in the UK -- similar to giving statins to everyone over 50 years who is not already taking them -- according to a study in the Christmas edition of The BMJ.

PLOS Pathogens: Toxoplasma gondii Relies on Both Host and Parasite Isoprenoids and Can Be Rendered Sensitive to Atorvastatin

Intracellular pathogens have complex metabolic interactions with their host cells to ensure a steady supply of energy and anabolic building blocks for rapid growth. Here we use the obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii to probe this interaction for isoprenoids, abundant lipidic compounds essential to many cellular processes including signaling, trafficking, energy metabolism, and protein translation. Synthesis of precursors for isoprenoids in Apicomplexa occurs in the apicoplast and is essential. To synthesize longer isoprenoids from these precursors, T. gondii expresses a bifunctional farnesyl diphosphate/geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (TgFPPS). In this work we construct and characterize T. gondii null mutants for this enzyme. Surprisingly, these mutants have only a mild growth phenotype and an isoprenoid composition similar to wild type parasites. However, when extracellular, the loss of the enzyme becomes phenotypically apparent. This strongly suggests that intracellular parasite salvage FPP and/or geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) from the host. We test this hypothesis using inhibitors of host cell isoprenoid synthesis. Mammals use the mevalonate pathway, which is susceptible to statins. We document strong synergy between statin treatment and pharmacological or genetic interference with the parasite isoprenoid pathway. Mice can be cured with atorvastatin (Lipitor) from a lethal infection with the TgFPPs mutant. We propose a double-hit strategy combining inhibitors of host and parasite pathways as a novel therapeutic approach against Apicomplexan parasites.

High-dose statin may reduce gum inflammation

  "A new study offers more evidence of a link between oral and heart health. It found that high-dose statins can reduce gum inflammation in heart disease patients in as little as 4 weeks."

PLOS ONE: Chronic Pravastatin but Not Atorvastatin Treatment Impairs Cognitive Function in Two Rodent Models of Learning and Memory

 Statins are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs and are used to reduce blood cholesterol. Recent evidence suggests that, in some patients, they may adversely influence cognitive function including causing memory impairments. These clinical observations have led to statin prescriptions now including a warning about possible cognitive impairments. In order to better understand the relationship between statin treatment and cognitive function, studies in animals are needed. The present study investigated the effects of chronic treatment with two statins, pravastatin and atorvastatin, in two rodent models of learning and memory. Adult rats were treated once daily with pravastatin (10mg/kg, orally) or atorvostatin (10mg/kg, orally) for 18 days. Before, during and after treatment, animals were tested in a simple discrimination and reversal learning task. On the last day of treatment and following one week withdrawal, animals were also tested in a task of novel object discrimination. Pravastatin tended to impair learning over the last few days of treatment and this effect was fully reversed once treatment ceased. In the novel object discrimination task, pravastatin significantly impaired object recognition memory. No effects were observed for atorvostatin in either task. These data suggest that chronic treatment with pravastatin impairs working and recognition memory in rodents. The reversibility of the effects on cessation of treatment is similar to what has been observed in patients, but the lack of effect of atorvostatin suggests that lipophilicity may not be a major factor influencing statin-induced cognitive impairments.

Statins may slow aging process

 " Spanish researchers have discovered that statins could reduce the rate at which telomeres "shorten," meaning they could potentially be used as an anti-aging therapy."
FASEB

A new pleiotropic effect of statins in elderly: modulation of telomerase activity

Recent evidence suggests a link between statins and telomere biology. Whether statin treatment may modulate telomerase activity and affect telomere erosion rate is unknown. We aimed at investigating the potential impact of statin therapy on peripheral blood mononuclear cells telomerase activity, its implication on LTL variability, and its association with telomere shortening rates along with aging. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 230 subjects (age range: 30–86 y) stratified according to statins treatment. LTL was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and telomerase activity by a PCR-ELISA protocol. Subjects on statin treatment showed higher telomerase activity (P<0.0001) and longer LTL (P=0.028) levels compared to the nonstatin group. Statin therapy was associated with higher telomerase activity independently of multiple covariates, including age, gender, smoking habits, lipid, systemic inflammation, glucose, and blood pressure levels (P=0.019). Indeed, subjects on statin treatment showed significant lower telomere erosion along with aging. Every 1 y increment in age, LTL decreases by 0.058 Kb in no statin and 0.033 Kb in statin groups, respectively, as well as the major difference in telomere attrition between groups was found after the age of 65 yr (P<0.0001). In summary, statins, modulating telomerase activity, affect telomere erosion along with agi

High dose statins prevents dementia, study suggests

"High doses of statins prevent dementia in older people, according to research presented at the ESC Congress today by Dr. Tin-Tse Lin from Taiwan. The study of nearly 58,000 patients found that high potency statins had the strongest protective effects against dementia."
 Almost all the statins (except lovastatin) decreased the risk for new onset dementia when taken at higher daily doses. A high mean daily dosage of lovastatin was positively associated with the development of dementia, possibly because lovastatin is a lipophilic statin while the anti-inflammatory cholesterol lowering effect of lovastatin is not comparable to that of atorvastatin and simvastatin

ACMA | Abstract | Antibacterial activity of statins: a comparative study of Atorvastatin, Simvastatin, and Rosuvastatin

Statins have several effects beyond their well-known antihyperlipidemic activity, which include immunomodulatory, antioxidative and anticoagulant effects. In this study, we have tested the possible antimicrobial activity of statins against a range of standard bacterial strains and bacterial clinical isolates.

It was revealed that statins are able to induce variable degrees of antibacterial activity with atorvastatin, and simvastatin being the more potent than rosuvastatin. Methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE), vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), acinetobacter baumannii, staphylococcus epidermidis, and enterobacter aerogenes, were more sensitive to both atorvastatin, and simvastatin compared to rosuvastatin. On the other hand, escherichia coli, proteus mirabilis, and enterobacter cloacae were more sensitive to atorvastatin compared to both simvastatin and rosuvastatin. Furthermore, most clinical isolates were less sensitive to statins compared to their corresponding standard strains.

Conclusion

Our findings might raise the possibility of a potentially important antibacterial class effect for statins especially, atorvastatin and simvastatin.

The effect of rosuvastatin on incident pneumonia

Statins may prevent pneumonia, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Researchers from Israel and the United States analyzed data from the JUPITER trial, a randomized, double-blind trial with placebo control groups conducted at 1315 sites in 26 countries to look at the use of the statin rosuvastatin in disease prevention. The trial involved 17 802 men aged 50 years or older and women aged 60 years or older without a history of heart disease or diabetes.

Depression Risk Lower In Heart Patients Who Take Statins

Heart disease patients who took statins, the drugs prescribed for lowering cholesterol, were significantly less likely to develop depression than counterparts who did not take the drugs, according to a new study led by Dr Mary Whooley, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. The researchers write about their findings in an article published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on 21 February.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs may reduce mortality for influenza patients

After adjusting for various factors, researchers found that patients not receiving statins were almost twice as likely to die from influenza as those who received the medication.

Related articles

• A New Use For Statins? (head trauma) (medicalnewstoday.com)

Gut bacteria may affect whether a statin drug lowers cholesterol

.............epistasis on statins

Related articles

• Diet May Be Enough For Cholesterol Problems; Avoid Statin Side Effects (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Simvastatin warning (gasstationwithoutpumps.wordpress.com)

Cheap drugs could save thousands of lives -- in Sweden alone

A major new international study involving researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital has revealed that aspirin, statins, beta blockers and ACE inhibitors are prescribed far too infrequently. They are cheap, preventive medicines that could prevent a huge number of deaths from heart attacks and strokes.


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A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of simvastatin to treat Alzheimer disease.

Although statins have been shown to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in some studies see Alzheimer''s risk factors , simvastatin was ineffective in patients already afflicted  with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, despite lowering cholesterol levels:  Tweet

Statins and the risk of developing diabetes - Health News - NHS Choices

Prospects of Statins in Parkinson Disease.

Statin use negatively correlates with the incidence of Parkinson's disease and statins are effective in the MPTP model (Selley, 2005) : They may have clinical potential in Parkinson's disease

Risk factors: Parkinson's disease  
Kegg pathways  Parkinson's 

Can Aspirin Treat And Prevent Depression?

Using a retrospective analysis. this group found that women taking aspirin or statins (yet again) were less susceptible to depression, supporting the idea that immune and inflammatory mechanisms may contribute to major depresive disorders. 

Long-time statin users have lower gallstone risk | Reuters

Gallstone Image via Wikipedia

Statins and cholesterol seem to have been hogging the limelight this last week. Here, statins may reduce the incidence of gallstones.

Cholesterol posts