Prions

Prions are proteins that accumulate in the brain, fold upon themselves and gum things up, causing miscommunication and other dysfunction in diseases like MSA. Prion irregularity has been likened by researchers to Mad Cow Disease, where a sheep-born brain spongeforma infects cow parts (fed sheep remains) and then crosses over into human subjects through consumption of beef products. Seems as likely a way to contract brain spongeforma as any. I don't eat beef, generally, but I did live in Moscow, Russia for 2 months of 1992 and may find myself subject to some bacteriological war during that time. I ate whatever food I was given in Russia.

A more likely cause for the accumulation of prions has been the misfortunate use of nickel-chromium in my dental work. I had a stainless cap (nickel-chromium) from the age of 12, then graduated to a stainless bridge from about age 25 to 35, when I finally had the sense and good advice to pull it out and replace with white gold, after taking a "materials sensitivity test". But the damage had been done, I knew that the stainless equipment leached metal into my body and brain, I saw the aftermath of staining to what was left of my teeth when the bridge replacement was underway. My most recent dentist remarked, after I asked him if I could expect any problems from nickel-chromium toxicity, that there could be "quality of life" issues. MSA is one hell of a quality of life change.

I am excited to hear that they will do a trial into the efficacy of Nilotinib, a chemo drug used on leukemia and thyroid cancers, at Georgetown University Hospital in the near future. They already tried Nilotinib on Parkinsons patients with some good results.