PHARMA PULSE

PHARMA PULSE

BY LINU MOHAN,ASST  PROFESSOR,DEPT OF PHARMACY PRACTICE,ACP

ALZHIMERS THERAPY NEW HOPE

Alzheimer’s disease is an age dependant disease that may be seen as early as age forty .It is responsible for about 55% of the cases of dementia. Dementia is a pathologic deterioration of cognitive and other intellectual function severe enough to interfere with occupational or social performance. The risk factors for Alzheimer’s dementia include age and sex, a history of serious head trauma, thyroid disease etc. There also seems to be genetic predisposition in some families.

The major biochemical abnormality observed in Alzheimer’s disease is a 40-90% decrease in the enzyme choline acetyltransferase in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. This deficiency causes decreased synthesis of acetylcholine in the brain. This appears to begin within the first year of onset of symptoms and there seems to be a strong correlation of reduced amount of enzyme with decline of mental status scores.

Alzheimer’s patients suffer a selective and early breakdown of cholinergic nerve cells, which require a specific nerve growth factor (NGF) necessary to function. When NGF levels decline, the cholinergic nerve cells begin to degrade and the patient’s condition slowly deteriorates. Now scientists have come up with a new technique of introducing NGF directly into the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. For this they are using NGF-producing cell capsules, placing them in the basal fore-brain where the cholinergic cells reside,with the help of surgical method. There the capsules, which can easily be removed, release NGF to the surrounding cells in order to prevent their degradation.

As the cholinergic function is improved in the Alzheimer’s patients who had received NGF therapy, this is a new hope in the treatment of patients with dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

IMPLANT DEVICE TO TREAT PRESBIOPIA

Presbyopia is a common type of vision disorder that occurs with ageing. Presbyopia usually occurs, beginning at around age 40 and usually in this condition near objects is beginning to appear out of focus. According to the World Health Organization more than a billion people in the world are presbyopic and did not have adequate correction with eyeglasses.

Presbyopia generally is believed to stem from a gradual thickening and loss of flexibility of the natural lens inside the eye. The age-related changes occur within the proteins in the lens, making the lens harder and less elastic. Nature of muscle fibers surrounding the lens also changes. All these results in difficulty in focussing close objects. Until recently, reading glasses were the primary option for people with presbyopia. But, many people prefer not to wear reading glasses because they can be inconvenient to use, inaccessible when needed the most, or unappealing for cosmetic reasons.Recently FDA approved an implant device to treat this condition, which is a dark, ring-shaped device that is implanted in the cornea.

The device is 3.8 mm in diameter with a 1.6 mm diameter hole in the centre. It has tiny holes to allow oxygen and nutrients to flow across the cornea. With the help of laser technology, eye surgeons make a pocket-shaped cut in the cornea to implant the device. The device works by blocking unfocused light rays entering the eye resulting in improved near vision. The use of this device is preferred in patients between the ages of 45 to 60 who have not had cataract surgery.