Maybe Bad News or Male Truckers

  According to a study presented at the 70th AAN annual meeting, people with consistently high occupational exposure to diesel exhaust may have a higher risk of ALS.
  Men with any diesel exhaust at jobs held for at least 10 years were 20% more likely to develop ALS than men with no exposure.
  For men with a 50% likelihood of diesel exhaust exposure due to their occupation, the link was stronger ie. 45% more likely to develop ALS.
  NO association was observed with women with such exposure.
AAN 70th Annual Meeting 2018

Factors Identified as Increased Risk of ALS at an Earlier Age

  People with a BMI (body mass index) above the highest 1/3 percentile (greater than or equal to 25) have a higher risk of developing ALS at a younger age. People with an IQ above the highest 1/3 percentile have a significantly higher risk of developing ALS at an age of 56 and older. People with physical fitness above the highest 1/3 percentile have a higher risk of developing ALS before age 45.
European Journal of Neurology October 2016

Copper Therapy for ALS ?

  Mutations in copper-zinc-superoxide dismutase ( SOD 1 ) are believed to cause ALS in humans and transgenic mice. Researchers found that most of SOD1 in the spinal cord of mouse models of ALS was copper deficient. Treatment with copper ( ATSM ) could provide a therapy for patients with ALS.
Journal of Neuroscience June 4, 2014

Prevent or Delay ALS

  High dietary intakes of foods high in carotenoids (beta-carotene and lutein) may help prevent or delay the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Annuals of Neurology Jan. 29 2013

ALS/FTD Major New Gene Discovery

The gene , called chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72), contributes to 40% of familial (inherited) and 7-10% of sporadic (non-inherited) ALS and is linked to a seemingly unrelated neurodegenerative disorder (but known to be associated with ALS) Frontotemporal Degeneration (dementia).The function of the gene is as yet unknown. This mutant gene causes a toxic build-up of RNA .

C9ORF72 can be traced back to a "founder"...one person in Scandinavia 1500 years ago! This discovery prompts investigators to question whether there is actually a "sporadic" form of ALS, given that careful investigation of such patients may in fact reveal a relative with FTD.
NEURON 2011; E-pub Sept 21 2011

BROKEN DOWN RECYCLING SYSTEM

Feinberg School scientists found the cause of ALS by discovering a protein, ubiquilin2, whose critical job is to recycle damaged or misfolded proteins in motor and cortical neurons and shuttle them off to be reprocessed. In people with ALS, Feinberg researchers found ubiquilin2 isn’t doing its job. As a result, the damaged proteins and ubiquilin2 loiter and accumulate in the motor neurons in the spinal cord and cortical and hippocampal neurons in the brain. The protein accumulations resemble twisted skeins of yarn -- characteristic of ALS -- and cause the degeneration of the neurons. Researchers found ubiquilin2 in these skein-like accumulations in the spinal cords of ALS cases and in the brains of ALS/dementia cases.

http://alsn.mda.org/news/ubiquilin-2-abnormalities-connected-als

ALS-AAN NEW GUIDELINES

The American academy of Neurology has updated its 1999 guidelines to the treatment and managegment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), highlights include:

1.Riluzole should be offered to slow disease progression

2.PEG tube to stabilize weight and prolong survival

3.NIV (non-invasive ventilation) for respiratory insufficiency to slow the decline in FVC (forced vital capacity) and improve quality of life

4.Creatine(5-10 mg) or high-dose vitamin E should not be given

5.Sialorrhea (increased salivation) can be reduced with botox type B

Neurology 2009;73:1218-1226 and 1227-1233