Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Wearables Diagnosed Lyme

http://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/consumer-electronics/portable-devices/wearable-sensors-spot-lyme-disease

Stanford professor Michael Snyder recently was diagnosed with Lyme Disease by noticing changes in his body by wearing a Basis smart watch (since discontinued), a RadTarge radiation monitor, and iHealth, Scanadu, and Masimo oximeters, and also using the MOVES app on his smart phone. Together, information is collected on heart rate, blood oxygen, skin temperature, and activity, including sleep; steps; walking, biking, and running; calories expended; acceleration; and exposure to gamma rays and X-rays.

Snyder wore this gear regularly for two years as part of a study of 60 people, and frequently calibrated it with more standard medical tests.

After a plane ride he noticed that his oxygen levels—which he’d previously realized dropped during an airplane flight but returned quickly after landing—didn’t return to his baseline as expected. And his heart rate—that usually increased at the beginning of a flight but again quickly returned to baseline—didn’t come down as it normally would.

He remembered that two weeks earlier, he’d been building a fence in rural Massachusetts.  Then, his wearables also started recording a fever. He convinced a local doctor to treat him with antibiotics. Later tests for Lyme proved his theory.

Snyder and the other researchers who worked on the study, know that Lyme disease triggers particularly strong changes in heart rate.

Category:

Lyme, research

Gardasil, Vasculitis, & MSIDS

http://www.rescuepost.com/files/ltshaw-death-after-quadrivalent-hpv-vaccination-pharma-reg-affairs-2012.pdf  Researchers from University of British Columbia uncovered in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs evidence of cerebral vasculitis in the brain tissue of two young women who suddenly died after receiving the HPV vaccine Gardasil.

The researchers developed a specific IHC (immunohistochemical) to examine their brain tissue which found autoimmune cerebral vasculitis triggered by the HPV16L1 component of the vaccine, with particles all over the brain and adhesion to the vessel walls.

In 2012 the CDC panel gave concerns and a rebuttal, to which Chandler Marrs, PhD thoroughly rebuts and concludes that while additional research is clearly needed, the adverse reactions supports cerebral and other vasculitides.
https://www.hormonesmatter.com/gardasil-autopsies-reveal-cerebral-vasculitis/

Vasculitis can happen anywhere in the body and is an attack in the blood vessel walls caused by an autoimmune and inflammatory response that destroys blood vessels. Symptoms include skin rashes, fatigue, weakness, fever, joint pain, kidney problems with dark or bloody urine, Graves or Hashimoto’s, delay of gastric emptying of the stomach causing bloating, pain, burning, nausea, episodic vomiting, and early satiety. When it’s in the nervous system symptoms can include numbness, weakness, pain, severe headaches, stroke, confusion, delirium, speech and eye problems, seizures, encephalopthy, and trouble with emotions and senses.

Please notice symptoms are quite similar to Lyme/MSIDS.

Vasculitis, which can occur anywhere in the body, has also been found in the skin after receiving the HPV vaccine:
https://www.hormonesmatter.com/skin-disorders-post-gardasil-vasculitis-2/

Marrs has been sent pictures from patients of strange skin disorders that appear to be chronic and treatment resistant with incomplete and contradictory diagnosis after receiving the HPV vaccine. She feels they relate to undiagnosed vasculitis and lists avenues to consider with your doctor: (Please see link above for helpful pictures of the various types of rashes)

The vasculitis that directly relates to MSIDS patients is:

Chronic Urticaria, Urticarial Vasculitis: a common reaction to Gardasil, in which a severely itchy, red, blistery rash lasts longer than 6 months and is due to inflammation or attacks on blood vessel walls – possibly linked to Lupus and Sjogren’s, and in my opinion – Bartonella.   Patients also may get joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, fever, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, with a red dot rash red (petechiae) and bleeding/bruising under the skin (Purpura).

https://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=27:bartonella&Itemid=331                            Bart rash pictures.

Please notice similar symptoms to MSIDS – particularly Bartonella.

https://www.hormonesmatter.com/five-years-after-gardasil/  Here’s another woman’s story of symptoms after receiving Gardasil. She had fatigue, sore throats, pelvic and leg pain, fever, nausea, shoulder pain, low blood pressure, and the blotchy rash (petechial) so common after the vaccine. Blood tests revealed her red and white blood cells were wiped out leaving her a sitting duck for any infection that came her way. Missing weeks of school at times she was put on Zoloft for depression.

Even five years after the vaccine, the woman suffers with severe pain in her lower back, pelvis, hips, backs of legs and knee. Her legs sometimes turn dark purple.

Now to Bartonella, which is more prevalent than Lyme:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/?s=Bartonella+treatment   Bartonella also causes vascular disease, and has an affinity for endothelial cells, red blood cells, microglial cells, macrophages, and CD34 progenitor cells hindering nutrient, oxygen, and antibiotic delivery due to vascular trauma causing pain, fatigue, cognitive/mood issues, and vascular tumors.

Bartonella has been found in 50-95% in selected rodent, cat, deer, and cattle populations. It causes lameness, endocarditis, grandulomatous lymphadenitis (chronic inflammation and buildup of immune cells), and peliosis hepatis (blood filled cavities in the liver) in dogs.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88941/

Drs. Breitschwerdt and Mozayeni report over 60% of Lyme patients were also seroreactive to Bartonella antigens. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358077/

So what’s all this have to do with Gardasil?

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/04/24/gardasil-and-bartonella/ Gardasil has produced life-threatening reactions to those close to a cat, fleas, or ticks, and has activated dormant Bartonella confirmed by testing in previously asymptomatic girls.

So, the question begs to be asked, which came first in some of these poor patients; Bartonella or the HPV vaccine?

If you currently suffer from MSIDS, please be informed about the HPV vaccine. Also, tell others of the probable relationship between Bartonella and the vaccine.

Chandler recommends covering the rash with olive oil and taking a picture with your cell phone to help your doctor see the rash when it appears.

For more on the Gardasil vaccine:
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/07/19/motor-and-sensory-findings-in-girls-who-received-gardasil/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/10/study-showing-contaminated-vaccines/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/28/2016-vaccine-news/

Participate in Research and Support Hormones Matter
Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine, please take this important survey.

The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.  http://www.hormonesmatter.com/gardasil-cervarix-hpv-vaccine-survey/  (This link also has more fantastic information about the HPV vaccine)

Category:

Bartonella, Lyme, research, vaccines

GLA- 2 Million in Grants For Lyme Research

https://globallymealliance.org/press-releases/global-lyme-alliance-doubles-funding-commitment-for-lyme-disease-research/  February 7, 2017

Greenwich, Conn (February 7, 2017)–Global Lyme Alliance (GLA), the leading private nonprofit dedicated to conquering Lyme disease through research and education, announced today that it is awarding a record total of approximately $2 million in grants to top researchers at leading academic and medical research institutions across the U.S. These recipients of GLA’s 2016-2017 grant cycle are working on a wide array of projects to develop a greater understanding of the disease, improve diagnostics, treatment and prevention.

“For years our organization has led the Lyme community in identifying and backing innovative research, so we’re especially proud and excited that we’ve doubled our research funding since last year,” said Scott Santarella, GLA’s CEO. “The more funds we raise, the faster we can solve the mystery of Lyme disease and bring about change for millions who suffer from tick-borne illnesses.”

“GLA prides itself for providing the vision to drive the research agenda, initiating the teaming of top researchers to collaborate on projects and evaluating research proposals received globally. We continue to provide the leadership in scientific research that others follow and build upon,” said GLA Chairman and Scientific Advisory Board member Robert Kobre.

In announcing the new grants, Santarella noted that GLA had received the most grant applications in its history—$4.3 million in funding requests.

“While we were pleased to receive so many quality grant applications this year, such a profusion underscores the fact that there are far more talented scientists eager to focus on Lyme disease than there is funding to support them,” Santarella said. He noted, for example, that $25 million is allocated by the National Institutes of Health annually for Lyme research, which infects more than 330,000 in the U.S. each year, compared with $42 million for the mosquito-transmitted West Nile virus, which affected about 2,000 in the U.S. last year.

“Federal funding for Lyme research is miniscule, yet the Lyme threat keeps growing,” he said. “This speaks to GLA’s importance in working with private donors to fill the void and drive advancements in the field.”

GLA’s 2016-2017 grants were awarded to researchers at the following institutions: Columbia University; Cornell University; Institute for Systems Biology; Johns Hopkins University; Northeastern University; State University of New York-Stony Brook; Tulane National Primate Research Center; University of California-Davis; University of California-San Francisco; University of Illinois-Chicago; University of North Dakota; University of Pennsylvania, and University of Texas-San Antonio.

“As the number of Lyme and tick-borne disease cases continues to grow, there is a tremendous impetus to keep the science moving forward,” said Mayla Hsu, Ph.D., GLA’s Director of Research and Science. “GLA is proud to support the important research being conducted by some of the best and brightest men and women in the field today.”

GLA’s research portfolio includes a broad range of projects such as persistence of infection after antibiotic treatment and the development of new diagnostics. Studies focus on microbial physiology; genetic work to determine how the bacteria that causes Lyme survives in a host; efficacy of different modes of antibiotic therapy, and why some people continue to have symptoms despite the seeming absence of bacteria.

Researchers were selected following a rigorous evaluation process using guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Each proposal was evaluated by Grant Review Committee members of GLA’s Scientific Advisory Board and met the same scientific standards that NIH applies to its own grant review process. The resulting 2016-2017 grant awards represent projects judged to have exceptional prospects of delivering measurable advances.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S. There are no accurate diagnostic tests for the disease, no tests to prove that Lyme bacteria are eradicated or that an individual is cured. Some 20 percent of individuals with Lyme end up with long-term health problems.

ABOUT GLOBAL LYME ALLIANCE
Global Lyme Alliance is a leading private nonprofit dedicated to conquering Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through research and education. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit is headquartered in Greenwich, CT. For more information go to GLA.org.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research

Grant to Study How Bb Survives Hostile Environment

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-02/uota-upr020217.php

PUBLIC RELEASE: 2-FEB-2017
UTSA professor receives grant to study how Lyme disease survives in hosts

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO

Janakiram Seshu, associate professor of biology and associate dean of The Graduate School at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), has received a $404,250 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to support his research to better understand and prevent the spread of Lyme disease.

“Dr. Seshu’s top-tier efforts in infectious disease research are a source of immense pride for the UTSA College of Sciences,” said George Perry, Semmes Foundation Distinguished University Chair in Neurobiology and dean of the UTSA College of Sciences. “His work will undoubtedly have a great impact on our knowledge of Lyme disease, as well as our efforts to fight it.”

“As Lyme disease-carrying ticks increasingly spread to new areas of the country, we need to improve our understanding of the disease. Dr. Seshu’s bacteria research will help us limit Lyme disease’s spread and allow folks here in Texas and across the nation to live healthier lives,” said U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro. “Thanks to UTSA’s continued leadership, science thrives in San Antonio.”

Seshu, a member of the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, is best known by his peers for his inventive approach to stop the spread of Lyme disease. His work, described in a recent paper, leverages medication that is normally used to lower cholesterol.

“As a member of The South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (STCEID), Dr. Seshu’s work is always interesting and innovative. With Lyme disease-carrying ticks now present in over half the country, his research and findings will provide new insights in the treatment against the particular bacterium,” said Bernard Arulanandam, UTSA interim vice president for research.

The big question at the heart of Seshu’s research is how the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, called Borrelia burgdorferi, is able to adapt to its immediate environment inside the tick vector or infected mammalian hosts. Mammalian bodies are very rich in nutrients and fatty acids, which make it very easy for the bacteria to thrive. The tick’s body is very different. It’s very poor in nutrients. Yet the bacterium adapts very quickly and allows the disease to spread.

To limit the transmission of the disease, Seshu’s entire laboratory is focused on understanding how the Lyme disease-carrying bacterium can reinvent itself to live for so long in such a disagreeable environment.

“This award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease is an exciting investment to tackle a major debilitating disease in the US,” Seshu said. “I’m looking forward to advancing our understanding of this disease, so we can start finding better solutions.”

 

Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks, Uncategorized

Bartonellosis Needs a One Health Approach

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28133871

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Bartonellosis is a zoonotic infectious disease of worldwide distribution, caused by an expanding number of recently discovered Bartonella spp.
OBJECTIVES:
This review serves as an update on comparative medical aspects of this disease, including the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis, treatment and challenges.
RESULTS:
Of comparative medical importance, Bartonella spp. are transmitted by several arthropod vectors, including fleas, keds, lice, sand flies, ticks and, potentially, mites and spiders. Prior to 1990, there was only one named Bartonella species (B. bacilliformis), whereas there are now over 36, of which 17 have been associated with an expanding spectrum of animal and human diseases. Recent advances in diagnostic techniques have facilitated documentation of chronic bloodstream and dermatological infections with Bartonella spp. in healthy and sick animals, in human blood donors, and in immunocompetent and immunocompromised human patients. The field of Bartonella research remains in its infancy and is rich in questions, for which patient relevant answers are badly needed. Directed Bartonella research could substantially reduce a spectrum of chronic and debilitating animal and human diseases, and thereby reduce suffering throughout the world.
CONCLUSION:
A One Health approach to this emerging infectious disease is clearly needed to define disease manifestations, to establish the comparative infectious disease pathogenesis of this stealth pathogen, to validate effective treatment regimens and to prevent zoonotic disease transmission.

Category:

Bartonella, research, Testing, Ticks