Thursday 28 April 2016

TOP SCIENTISTS' COLLABORATION ON LYME DISEASE - DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS AND EFFECTIVE CURE




Published on Apr 20, 2016 

Ten of the world's top scientists from leading institutions discuss their scientific insights on the problems and potential solutions for Lyme disease.

Senator Richard Blumenthall US Senate Speech

'The cases of Lyme are exploding in number and their severity impacts our economy as well as quality of life for Americans'

Introduced by David Rothman- Lyme Advocate

CDC reported 10 fold increase in the number of cases in 2013.

Dr Neil Spector Cancer researcher talks about implications in organ donation. He had a heart transplant due to undiagnosed Lyme Disease.


'In the era of genomics are we using archaic unreliable methods to test for Lyme?'

Dr William H Robinson Stanford University talks about the need to develop next generation tests that are much more accurate and sensitive to identify people with Borrelia Burgdorferi as well as other tick borne infections.

Dr Safwan Jaradeh Stanford University Neuromuscular and Neurological faculty. 'Nobody seems to think well could it be something like Lyme.'

Dr Brian Fallon Columbia University 
Director of the Lyme and Tick-borne diseases research center at Columbia.
 says - Lyme can cause many symptoms he talks about a child who manifested with compulsive cycling behaviour and anorexia which was caused by Lyme Disease and with treatment symptoms went away.

Dr Neil Spector goes on to say- 'Over 300000 cases a year I think demands more attention than Zika virus which overnight becomes a W.H.O. global health crisis. So it's not to minimize the problems of Zika but it is saying there are children who are equally suffering with Lyme disease and children who may be through the consequences of Lyme Disease dying and adults dying through consequences of Lyme Disease.

Stand 4 Lyme founder Sherry Cagan and her husband, Laird have joined forces with with Stanford Scientists to pave a medical path to wellness for patients at all stages of Lyme Disease. Stanford collaborative research with Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Columbia Universities. 

Dr Philip A Pizzo Stanford University Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Dr Pizzo appointed the Stanford Lyme Working group a collaborative effort between Stanford researchers and other major universities.

Dr Laura Roberts Stanford University says 'Lyme Disease has been neglected scientifically with the Lyme disease working group at Stanford and other universities we are hoping to change that.'

Dr William Robinson - 'Lyme disease shares molecular mechanisms with many different diseases both microbial infections as well as certain inflammatory diseases and the work of the Stanford Lyme working group can help uncover these mechanisms.

Irv Weissman MD Stanford University is working on macrophage problems and persistently infected cells.

Dr Nevena Zubcevk Harvard University is working on - ' Testing blood banks for Lyme and co infections' and also clearing up difficulty we are currently having  with 'In utero transmission of Lyme'

John Nathanial Aucott Johns Hopkins University says this has been an ideal collaboration it has really advanced our ability to do research in Lyme Disease, we collaborate with Dr Bill Robinson at Stanford to develop bio markers or tools to better measure Lyme Disease.

Ying Zhang M.D. PhD Johns Hopkins Medicine
 says' Stand 4 Lyme unique strategy in partnership with top notch scientists from Stanford will ensure that best minds and cutting edge research and diagnostic tools are applied to building a more effective cure  for this complex and illusive disease.  

Saturday 16 April 2016

LYME DISEASE RELIES HEAVILY ON IMPROVING UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISM OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION

Modelling the seasonality of Lyme disease risk and the potential impacts of a warming climate within the heterogeneous landscapes of Scotland

Sen LiLucy GilbertPaula A. HarrisonMark D. A. Rounsevell


Abstract

Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The abundance of infected nymphal ticks is commonly used as a Lyme disease risk indicator. Temperature can influence the dynamics of disease by shaping the activity and development of ticks and, hence, altering the contact pattern and pathogen transmission between ticks and their host animals. A mechanistic, agent-based model was developed to study the temperature-driven seasonality of Ixodes ricinus ticks and transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato across mainland Scotland. Based on 12-year averaged temperature surfaces, our model predicted that Lyme disease risk currently peaks in autumn, approximately six weeks after the temperature peak. The risk was predicted to decrease with increasing altitude. Increases in temperature were predicted to prolong the duration of the tick questing season and expand the risk area to higher altitudinal and latitudinal regions. These predicted impacts on tick population ecology may be expected to lead to greater tick–host contacts under climate warming and, hence, greater risks of pathogen transmission. The model is useful in improving understanding of the spatial determinants and system mechanisms of Lyme disease pathogen transmission and its sensitivity to temperature changes.

Friday 15 April 2016

SHORTCOMINGS OF PLEASE TRIAL LIMITING LYME DISEASE TREATMENT



Published on Apr 13, 2016
Dr. Daniel Cameron discusses the shortcomings of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine which claims that long-term antibiotics are ineffective in treating persistent Lyme disease symptoms.

Thank you Dr Daniel Cameron for explaining this so well.

I had been interested to hear how this PLEASE trial progressed but very disappointed when I read the published report in the NEJM. 

My interest was specifically because Clarithromycin has been an antibiotic that has helped me recover from my Lyme Disease more than other antibiotics. It was especially helpful when combined with Hydroxychloroquine. (One of the combinations in the trial). However in my case I still very slowly relapse when antibiotics end and quickly improve on further short courses of clarithromycin. 

The only time I have been symptom free was after a recent stay in hospital with Gall bladder problems and a couple of days of IV ceftriaxone followed by a week oral co amoxiclav but once again symptoms slowly returned. 

Without a good Lyme doctor to guide me I wait in hope of results of better research findings than this PLEASE study.

For me for now the best Guidelines are how I respond to treatment.

The NEJM PLEASE study has been much talked about in the press but some of the more interesting comments are those from patients and their doctors who experience Chronic Lyme Disease - the responses to the article are worth a read 




David Michael Connor Huffington Post-


Holly Aherne Poughkeepsie Journal -

Oh! perhaps I should just give a link to the article that has been so poorly received by the Lyme community -  http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1505425#t=article