The habit of pinching the nose can actually end Alzheimer’s. How could it be?
A group of scientists from Griffith University in Australia has tested a bacterium called Chlamydia pneumoniae, which can infect humans and cause pneumonia. The bacteria are also found in many human brains, which are affected by dementia.
Launch Science noticeThe scientist then experimented with the use of mice and found that bacteria could travel up the olfactory nerve (the junction between the nasal cavity and the brain). Also, when there is an infection in the nasal epithelium (the thin sheet that runs along the nasal cavity), the nerve infection there gets worse.
Infection can appear when a person picks up their nose and causes sores on the nasal epithelium. As the infection got worse from the bacteria, the mice’s brains stored more beta-amyloid protein, a protein that is released in response to infection.
The protein pool was also found in significant concentrations in people with Alzheimer’s. “We are the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can travel up the nose and then into the brain, where it can develop a condition resembling Alzheimer’s disease,” said James St John of Griffith University.
“We have seen this in experiments with mice and the evidence is potentially frightening for humans,” he added.
Giacomo et al. he was very surprised at the speed C. pneumoniae had in the central nervous system of the mice, after infection occurred within 24-72 hours. Bacteria and viruses are thought to see the nose as a fast route to the brain.
Scientists are still unsure whether the same effect will occur in humans or whether beta-amyloid plaques are the cause of Alzheimer’s. However, more research is needed to understand this common neuro-degenerative condition.
“We need to do this study in humans and confirm if the same pathways work the same way,” John said.
The scientists involved in the study published the results of their research in Scientific Reports. In it, the scientists noted, C. pneumoniae could be rooted in the brains of mice in as little as 72 hours.
“Chlamydia pneumoniae is a respiratory pathogen, but it can also infect the central nervous system (CNS). Recently, the link between CNS C. pneumoniae infection and dementia has become increasingly clear,” they wrote.
“In mice, CNS infection emerged weeks to months after intranasal inoculation. By isolating live C. pneumoniae from the sheets and using immunohistochemistry, we showed that C. pneumoniae could infect the olfactory and trigeminal nerves, the bulb olfactory and the brain within 72 hours. hours, “he wrote.
Additionally, scientists also advise not to prick your nose frequently or pluck nose hairs due to potential damage to the protective lining of the nose.
Meanwhile, Alzheimer’s disease itself is a very complex disease. Because scientists from various disciplines are still trying to understand the disease.
(lesimo)
