It’s 5 o’clock….

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

It’s 5 o’clock….

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

Alzheimer’s Disease and risky sexual behavior: not quite a false alarm?

Abel over at Terra Sigillata got is writ in a tinger over bad grammar and was concerned that Alzheimer’s Disease had been tied to risky sexual behavior. His conclusion was that he got a poorly worded email notice about two separate problems that were linked inappropriately by a semicolon. So everything’s fine, all clear, right? He’s free to engage in risky sexual behavior without fear of getting Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) later in life!
That’s not entirely true.
We’ve known that inflammation plays a huge role in the Alzheimer’s disease process. Unfortunately, inflammation is caused by a number of sexually transmitted diseases, such as those of the herpes family. What’s more, herpes viruses have a proclivity for neural tissue. Multiple herpes viruses have been found in the brains of AD patients; indeed (note the proper use of a semicolon, Abel), herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) is a known risk factor for AD. Additionally, other herpes viruses have been studied and it appears that human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) type B (but not type A) may be another with a strong link to incidence of AD. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and HSV-2 seems to lack a relationship, and very few control or AD brains are infected with them.
Now now now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying “Aha Evil! HSV-2 is the simplex virus commonly associated with sexual activity!” While this is true, HSV-1 infection can and does result from sexual activity, just as HSV-2 is not only transferred via genitogenital contact. CMV is also transmitted sexually.
As I said, thankfully, HSV-2 rates seem to be quite low in AD brain and in elderly control brain. However, that could change in the future. As Tara at Aetiology mentions, the elderly are a population that is at an increasingly high risk for STD transfer, as the geriatric population is largely ignored by educational efforts, and they are less likely to practice safe sex or use condoms . An increase in the incidence of HSV-2 in the elderly could conceivably change that.
To make matters worse, those at risk for AD due to the presence of the apoE4 gene get a double whammy: HSV-1 is present at higher levels in the brains of those with the apoE4 allele, and HSV-1 shifts processing of amyloid precursor protein into Abeta (1-40) and (1-42) overdrive, which is unfortunate since Abeta protein fragments are what aggregate and form one of the pathological hallmarks of AD; the amyloid plaque. Fibrillar Abeta is thought to “gum up” synapses and contribute to neuronal dysfunction and cell death.
On a related note, CMV may also cause problems for the aging noggin– it is transmitted sexually and also increase the risk of vascular dementia.
It is thought that merely having, say, HSV-1 isn’t causative (obviously it isn’t because 85% of people have HSV-1 from a young age and not that many people develop AD), but that HSV-1 “flareups” in the brain, over time, increase the inflammatory processes that contribute to AD, so that the effect is cumulative.
So Abel, you’re sorta right and unfortunately sorta not. We don’t have rock solid evidence that sex=Alzheimer’s by a long shot, but there’s definitely some cause for concern that STDs (or at least viruses that target the brain and can be transmitted sexually) may be contributing to the incidence of AD, and quite possibly to other neurodegenerative diseases.

Viva la Evolucion!!!

My simian brethren are taking over:

“Wildlife officials are trying to find them. As police we’re not experts in dealing with monkeys. We can deal with mad bulls but monkeys are more difficult,” he said.
Along with an estimated 35,000 sacred cows and buffaloes that roam free in the capital, marauding monkeys have been longstanding pests.
They routinely scamper through government offices, courts and even police stations and hospitals as well as terrorise neighbourhoods.

They even took down the deputy mayor of Delhi!!!

He was on his balcony reading a newspaper when four monkeys appeared. As he waved a stick to scare them away, he tumbled over the edge, his family said.
In the latest incident in Delhi’s Shastri Park area, residents reported the monkeys appeared late Saturday and rampaged for hours.

Monkeys rampaging for hours! People are dying! IT’S A MADHOUSE!!!!!
I find this whole situation quite interesting. Not just for the unfortunate freak accidents. There’s an interesting public health problem here someplace. While they’re not your average vermin, monkeys carry all sorts of nasty diseases like Herpes B virus. Some of them, like the B virus, are quite fatal. And I doubt that there’s a system in place to track the outbreaks.

Happy Birthday to me…

Great, I’m 33 now. More gray in my beard. Whohoo!
I have good news, at least. I’m getting the hell outta Dodge (aka Maryland) and heading west this weekend. Hopefully, I’ll have good news on a new job in the next two weeks or so. One that will allow me to blog without feeling like the fury of the federal government is going to come down on my head just because I happen to have an opinion on something…

The 2nd Annual Alliance for Science Essay Contest

Those crazy folks over at the Alliance for Science are putting up the notice for their 2nd Annual Evolution Essay contest!!! The first contest, while thrown together at the very last minute, turned out to be a success. Five high school students received cash prizes and a slew of autographed science books, plus a year’s subscription to Seed Magazine. The first place winner’s science teacher also received a cash prize to spend on classroom supplies, and additional teaching materials.
This year, they’re getting a jump on things early. The contest doesn’t happen until February, but start thinking about your essay now. Tell your teachers so they can get their classrooms involved. This year’s topics are rather timely: Climate, Agriculture, and Evolution.
The Alliance is also looking for a little help on the judging side of things, so please contact them if you’re interested. And as always, if you wish to donate a copy of a book or contribute financially to the prizes, all donations are tax-deductible.