A new Alzheimer’s therapy has shown potential in the first human trials.

Researchers at the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) found that by pairing focused ultrasound in combination with antibody therapies, they were able to accelerate the removal of amyloid-beta plaques from the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

The study findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Jan. 11.

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An abnormal buildup of amyloid-beta proteins is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, as these proteins clump together to form plaques that interfere with neurons in the brain. 

Anti-amyloid-beta monoclonal antibody treatments, such as aducanumab and lecanemab, have proven to be effective in clearing these plaques and slowing disease progression.

But until now the drugs have been limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which is designed to keep harmful substances from reaching the brain, according to a press release from RNI.

“A study like this is important because it demonstrates that there may be safe ways to increase drug delivery to the brain without any serious adverse effects.”

More than 98% of drugs are blocked by the barrier, which means patients require higher doses and more frequent therapies, the researchers noted.

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In this study, scientists used a focused ultrasound (FUS) system to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, which allowed the antibodies to have greater access to areas of the brain with high amyloid-beta plaques.

After six months of antibody treatment, the study participants had an average of 32% more reduction in amyloid-beta plaques in areas where the BBB was opened compared to areas where the drug was used without the ultrasound, the release stated.

The WVU RNI team, shown in the MRI suite’s control area, plans ultrasound blood-brain barrier treatment. (Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) at West Virginia University (WVU))

“This was a first in human safety and feasibility study in three participants demonstrating that the BBB opening can accelerate clearance of beta amyloid plaques,” study lead Dr. Ali Rezai, director of the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) at WVU, told Fox News Digital. 

“Non-invasive focused ultrasound is an outpatient procedure that allows for targeted delivery of therapeutics to the brain that can potentially accelerate the benefit of the antibody treatment in Alzheimer’s disease,” he added.

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The three patients, between the ages of 59 and 77, all had mild Alzheimer’s disease.

During the study, they received six monthly infusions of the aducanumab antibody. 

After each treatment, the focused ultrasound was used to open the BBB at the sites of the highest plaque buildup.

While there are some potential risks associated with ultrasound use, such as brain swelling and hemorrhage, Rezai said those effects were not observed in this study.

The focused ultrasound helmet unit with 1,024 ultrasound transducers attaches to the MRI table for MRI-guided treatment. (Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) at West Virginia University (WVU))

“We verified with MRI scans that the BBB opening was temporary and it closed 24 to 48 hours after the FUS procedure,” he told Fox News Digital.

The reductions in amyloid plaques were verified in PET scans.

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This was the first step toward larger studies; in those, researchers will be able to evaluate more patients and larger areas of the brain, Rezai noted.

In the next phase of the clinical trial, the ultrasound therapy will be paired with lecanemab, another anti-beta amyloid antibody.

This 3-D illustration shows how ultrasound waves from inside the helmet converge on a focal point on the brain used for blood-brain barrier opening.  (Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) at West Virginia University (WVU))

Dr. James Galvin, director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at UHealth, the University of Miami Health System, was not involved in the WVU research but shared his reaction.

“A study like this is important because it demonstrates that there may be safe ways to increase drug delivery to the brain without any serious adverse effects,” he told Fox News Digital. 

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“Focused ultrasound has been used in other treatment paradigms for brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and brain tumors,” Galvin went on. 

Galvin also cautioned that this research was conducted with only three patients and was not a placebo-controlled study. 

As of 2023, an estimated 6.7 million Americans age 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s. (iStock)

“It was also designed as a safety study and not appropriately powered to detect significant clinical changes,” he added. “It is still too early to make any specific recommendations, but I am excited to see if there are planned follow-up studies with a larger number of patients.”

Rebecca M. Edelmayer, PhD, senior director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association, was also not involved in the study but called the results “very intriguing,” albeit preliminary.

“The blood brain barrier, in its healthy form, protects the brain from harmful agents that could reach it via the bloodstream,” she told Fox News Digital via email.

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“Getting therapeutics across this barrier — from the bloodstream into the brain tissue — is a challenge for any drug used to treat brain diseases, including drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease.”

Edelmayer added that while this was a “very small study of relatively short length,” it was a worthwhile way to test a “cutting-edge idea” for improving the effectiveness of Alzheimer’s medications.

This illustration of the MRI-guided focused ultrasound system includes a representation of treatment delivery, the target region, and the corresponding opening of the blood-brain barrier demonstrated by contrast enhancement. (Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) at West Virginia University (WVU))

Focused ultrasound-induced blood-brain barrier opening has also been shown to improve drug delivery to treat brain tumors, Edelmayer pointed out. 

“This is a great example of how learnings from research in other diseases might be repurposed for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia.”

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Looking ahead, Edelmayer said the results of this early research point to the need for larger-scale, longer trials.

“We need more research in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease from all communities to know the full impact this approach could have.”

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health. 

While identical twins share a significant amount of DNA, their dietary choices can lead to very different health outcomes for them.

In March 2022, 22 sets of identical adult twins participated in a randomized clinical trial in which one twin adopted a vegan (fully plant-based) diet — and the other ate an omnivorous (meat-eating) diet.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open on Nov. 30, 2023, showed that the twins who consumed a healthy vegan diet had “significantly improved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, fasting insulin level and weight loss” — compared to the twins who ate diets containing meat.

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LDL (low-density lipoprotein), also known as “bad cholesterol,” should be kept low to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease, experts agree.

The reduced fasting insulin level, which dropped by 20%, indicates the twins had less insulin resistance, which means they were less likely to develop diabetes and metabolic syndrome. 

“Even when compared to a healthy omnivorous diet that includes plant foods, there can be additional health advantages to incorporating more plants in the diet, and eating less meat,” lead researcher Christopher Gardner, PhD, a professor of medicine at Stanford Medicine, told Fox News Digital.

All participants were healthy and had no history of cardiovascular disease.

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The twins adhered to their assigned diets between May and July 2022, for an eight-week period.

Both the vegan and omnivorous diets were considered healthy — “replete with vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains and void of sugars and refined starches,” the study article noted. 

The vegan diet contained only plant-based foods, with no meat or animal products. 

The omnivore diet included chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy and other animal-sourced foods, the researchers noted.

Both the vegan and omnivorous diets were considered healthy — “replete with vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains and void of sugars and refined starches,” the study article noted.  (iStock)

For the first four weeks of the study, the participants’ meals were provided by a delivery service. 

For the second half of the study, the twins all cooked their own meals.

Researchers gathered weight data and blood samples for the participants at the start of the study, then at the four-week and eight-week marks.

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When evaluating the outcome at the end of the eight weeks, the Stanford researchers partnered with a Kentucky-based company called TruDiagnostic, which measures biological age based on epigenetics, the study of how someone’s environment and lifestyle affect their genes.

“Following a vegan diet in this study has been linked with better cardiovascular health, but a completely vegan diet may not be the right answer for everyone.”

“The TruDiagnostic group initially reported back to us that one of the groups had experienced a statistically significant shift that implied a decrease in biological age. Both the vegan and omnivorous diets were considered healthy — “replete with vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains and void of sugars and refined starches,” the study article noted, as Gardner told Fox News Digital.

“At the time, they were blinded to the study groups and didn’t know if this was for the omnivorous or the vegan group.”

Based on the study findings, the researchers recommend that people try experimenting by adding more vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains to their diet.  (iStock)

It turned out the vegan group was the one that showed the decrease in age. 

“This was the most surprising finding for me,” said Gardner. “I assumed the eight-week intervention from this study would be too short to cause any meaningful changes.”

Looking ahead, he noted that further research is warranted to replicate these findings.

Dietitians weigh in

Michelle Routhenstein, a New York City-based cardiology dietitian who was not involved in the study, said there are many different factors that could explain the outcome.

“People seeking to change their diet should seek assistance from a registered dietitian to ensure they are meeting their nutrient needs and health goals.”

“The cardiometabolic advantages observed in healthy, adult identical twins adhering to a healthful plant-based vegan diet, in contrast to those on a healthful omnivorous diet, can be explained by factors such as decreased saturated fat intake, increased dietary fiber, increased antioxidant content, incorporation of beneficial fats, enhanced insulin sensitivity and potential positive effects on the gut microbiome,” she told Fox News Digital. 

“These elements collectively contribute to favorable alterations in lipid profiles, insulin levels and body weight, highlighting the potential benefit of a well-structured plant-based diet in addressing cardiometabolic risk factors among healthy individuals.”

Although the vegans in the study (not pictured) also lost an average of 4.2 more pounds than the omnivores, weight loss isn’t always the most important factor when determining a diet’s success, a dietitian noted. (iStock)

The key components of healthy dietary changes are education and personalization, said Routhenstein. 

“A fully vegan diet can be deficient in iron, calcium and Vitamin B12,” she told Fox News Digital.

“People seeking to change their diet should seek assistance from a registered dietitian to ensure they are meeting their nutrient needs and health goals — that is very different for a teenage male trying to gain muscle compared to a woman in her 30s trying to become pregnant,” she added.

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Someone can become a vegan and still eat cookies, sodas, french fries and other processed foods all day long, she noted — but that wouldn’t lead to healthier outcomes.  

Although the vegans also lost an average of 4.2 more pounds than the omnivores, weight loss isn’t always the most important factor when determining the success of a diet, noted Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, who practices as The Lupus Dietitian.

Consuming more beans, lentils, chickpeas, mushrooms, nuts and seeds — as well as fewer processed meats for protein — is a great way for anyone to get started on improving their cardiovascular health, a dietitian said. (iStock)

“For example, bodybuilders would seem to be overweight if you were just examining their weight to height because their muscle weighs so much,” Freirich, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. 

“Additionally, people can be healthy in a variety of shapes, sizes and weights.”

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“Ideally, we should look more in-depth at the type of weight lost with each diet,” Freirich said. “That is dependent on many other factors, such as exercise and the actual foods chosen in the vegan or omnivore diet, including portions and meal combinations.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the North American Meat Institute for comment on the study findings.

Study had ‘many’ limitations

As all of the study participants were generally healthy to begin with, Gardner acknowledged that the outcomes can’t be generalized to younger or older people, or to those with health issues.

The eight-week timeline was another limitation.

“Ideally, we would run studies for many months or years to better understand how sustainable these kinds of diet changes are,” he said. “The reality is, very few people are willing to volunteer to be randomized to one diet or another if the study period is going to go on for months or years.”

Gardner also emphasized that there are many different ways to follow an omnivorous or vegan diet. 

Although the vegans also lost an average of 4.2 more pounds than the omnivores, weight loss isn’t always the most important factor when determining the success of a diet, a nutritionist said. (iStock)

“It is fairly easy for a nutritionist to design both a healthy and an unhealthy version of both of those diet patterns,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“If others reading about the study are interested and want to try this, they may choose an unhealthy vegan diet — for example, soda is vegan, many candies are vegan and white refined flour is vegan.”

Based on the study’s findings, the researchers recommend that people try experimenting by adding more vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains to their diet. 

Across all popular diet plans, there is a “broad consensus” that focusing on more whole foods, more vegetables, less added sugars and less refined grains would lead to a “striking degree of health improvement,” said Gardner, who is vice chair of the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee.

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“My best recommendation for [those] trying to change their diet for the better is to focus less on the label of being completely vegan or omnivorous, and instead focus on how many unprocessed foods, especially plants, you can include in your diet,” said Frierich.

“Your diet needs to work for you and your lifestyle for your whole life, not only eight weeks.”

Consuming more beans, lentils, chickpeas, mushrooms, nuts and seeds — as well as fewer processed meats for protein — is a great way for anyone to get started improving their cardiovascular health, Frierich noted. 

“These foods are generally lower in saturated fats and sodium and higher in fiber,” she said. 

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“Your diet needs to work for you and your lifestyle for your whole life, not only eight weeks,” Frierich noted. 

“Following a vegan diet in this study has been linked with better cardiovascular health, but a completely vegan diet may not be the right answer for everyone.”

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

A growing number of patients and providers are heralding the benefits of bringing hospital care into private homes — but a lack of permanent federal funding could put such programs at risk.

The shift to in-home care began with the onset of COVID in March 2020, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched its Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program in response to a shortage of beds.

The program enables hospitals to receive the same reimbursement for home care as they would for patients who are treated in actual facilities.

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Since the program’s launch, hundreds of hospitals in 37 states have implemented home care for thousands of patients.

One of those is the Mass General Brigham (MGB) network in downtown Boston, which launched its Healthcare at Home program in 2016.

MGB’s Home Hospital is one of the largest in the country, serving 66 neighborhoods from five of its facilities. 

Since its launch, the program has had over 2,400 home hospital admissions, translating to more than 12,700 acute care bed days saved, according to a press release from the hospital.

Dr. Stephen Dorner, chief clinical and innovation officer at MGB Healthcare at Home, talked to Fox News Digital about the program’s growth and goals, as well as the benefits for patients and providers.

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“In January 2022, we had an average census of nine patients — today, we have an average census of 36 patients with an overall capacity for 40,” he said in a Zoom interview. 

“We will continue to grow that in the months and years ahead until we ultimately shift at least 10% of current inpatient volume out of hospitals and into patients’ homes.”

Dorner sees home-based care as a viable solution for the “massive capacity crisis” facing the nation’s hospitals.

Patients are “more willing to accept home hospital care because they spend so much time dealing with their chronic illness and they’d like to be able to spend more time at home,” said one doctor. (Mass General Brigham)

“Health care just costs too much money,” he said. “And especially as we look at the aging baby boomer generation and the amount of care they’re going to need — particularly as longevity increases — we have to find new, lower-cost ways to do things.”

The ability to deliver acute inpatient care in people’s homes is a “phenomenal” way to improve overall access to care and reduce medical costs, Dorner noted.

Patients’ demand for home care

While home hospital care isn’t for everyone, many patients are more than willing to receive it.

“The patients who are most willing to accept home hospital care are those who are most in tune and aware of what their medical needs are,” Dorner told Fox News Digital.

“Health care just costs too much money … We have to find new, lower-cost ways to do things.”

That typically includes patients with chronic conditions that may lead to frequent hospitalizations, such as heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, he noted.

“They’re more willing to accept home hospital care because they spend so much time dealing with their chronic illness and they’d like to be able to spend more time at home,” the doctor said. 

MGB has also had “great success” in admitting patients with new, acute issues that they’ve never dealt with before, such as cellulitis, kidney infection or pneumonia, Dorner added.

The corporate offices of Massachusetts General Brigham hospitals is pictured in Assembly Square in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Jan. 27, 2022. Mass General Brigham launched its Healthcare at Home program in 2016. (Getty Images)

“Folks want to have the creature comforts of being in their own bed, eating their own food, petting their dog as they’re recovering, being able to have loved ones come and visit, and not having to trek into the city and pay for parking and all of those things,” he said.

Patients enjoy the personalized nature of in-home care, Dorner also said.

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“About 60% to 70% of our visits are actually conducted in the home, not virtually,” he said. “So we’re sending physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants into the homes of our patients to be able to see them firsthand, which gives them a unique vantage point of understanding the patients’ home environment.”

He added, “Many of the patients tell us they never want to receive hospital-based care again. They want to know how they can get all of their care from the comfort of their own home.” 

“The patients who are most willing to accept home hospital care are those who are most in tune and aware of what their medical needs are,” the chief clinical and innovation officer at MGB Healthcare at Home told Fox News Digital. (Mass General Brigham)

The program also has the potential to alleviate provider burnout.

“We’ve heard from our clinicians that the time they spend in home hospital care delivery is among the most meaningful encounters they’ve had in their entire careers,” Dorner said.

That doesn’t mean that all care can be brought into the home, however.

“We’re not building ICUs in the home, and we’re not looking to conduct surgeries in anybody’s living room,” Dorner said. 

“But in the right conditions, we’d like to be able to build a complement in the home-based environment.”

“We’re not building ICUs in the home, and we’re not looking to conduct surgeries in anybody’s living room.”

Dr. Shana Johnson, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, also voiced her support of the home hospital model.

“With appropriate patient selection, acute hospital care at home is an important care model to continue,” said Johnson, who is not involved with MGB’s program or research.

Researchers found that the patients who received home care had low rates of mortality (0.5% during hospitalization and 3.2% at 30 days). (Mass General Brigham)

“For certain medical conditions, the quality of care and outcomes appear equal to or better than in-hospital care,” she added.

“In particular, some studies have found fewer complications from inactivity, such as pressure sores, reduced need for skilled nursing facilities, and lower hospital readmission rates.”

Proven benefits

To measure the outcomes of its Home Hospital program, MGB researchers recently conducted a study that was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The team analyzed the outcomes of 5,858 U.S. patients who received home hospital care between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.

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The patients in the study had “medically complex conditions,” including 42.5% with heart failure, 43.3% with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 22.1% with cancer and 16.1% with dementia, the researchers noted.

The five most common discharge diagnoses were heart failure, respiratory infection (including COVID), sepsis, kidney/urinary tract infections and cellulitis.

The researchers found that the patients who received home care had low rates of mortality (0.5% during hospitalization and 3.2% at 30 days). Only 62.2% of them were “escalated” to the hospital.

Within 30 days of discharge, 2.6% of patients used a skilled nursing facility and 15.6% were readmitted, the MGB researchers found. (iStock)

Within 30 days of discharge, 2.6% used a skilled nursing facility and 15.6% were readmitted, numbers the researchers described as lower than expected.

“Home Hospital is serving very complex and acutely ill patients — these are not ‘cherry-picked’ patients,” study co-author David Michael Levine, M.D., clinical director for research and development for MGB’s Healthcare at Home, told Fox News Digital.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to show the true complexity and acuity of patients cared for in this model on a national basis.”

The researchers also concluded that Home Hospital delivers “equitable care across traditionally underserved populations,” Levine said.

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“We know that traditional hospital care has large disparities in outcomes across underserved groups, and we don’t see that with Home Hospital.”

Johnson, who reviewed the findings of MGB’s study, said she found them to be consistent with previous research.

“This study of acute hospital care at home showed low rates of mortality, hospital escalation and skilled nursing facility use,” she told Fox News Digital. “These positive outcomes were seen for socially vulnerable patients as well.”

Providers are concerned that the Acute Hospital Care at Home program is still a temporary payment mechanism, as the waiver is set to expire in Dec. 2024. (iStock)

The study was limited, however, as it was based on observational data and did not have the capability to compare the numbers to in-hospital patients.

“Comparing home hospital patients to traditional hospital patients takes a lot of additional research,” said Levine. “We wouldn’t want to compare home hospital patients to, say, surgical patients or labor and delivery patients.”

He added, “If you simply look at all hospitalizations, yes, these numbers are better — but that is not a worthwhile comparison. We are currently undertaking this more advanced analysis.”

Barriers to home hospital care

Providers are concerned that the Acute Hospital Care at Home program is still a temporary payment mechanism.

The waiver is set to expire in Dec. 2024 unless Congress takes action to extend it or make it permanent.

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“A permanent payment mechanism is critical in order for more people to have access to Home Hospital care,” Levine told Fox News Digital. 

“We wanted to conduct this national analysis so there would be more data for policymakers and clinicians to make an informed decision about extending or even permanently approving the waiver to extend opportunities for patients to receive care in the comfort of home.”

The shift to in-home care began with the onset of COVID in March 2020, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched its Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program in response to a shortage of beds. (iStock)

When contacted for comment, the American Hospital Association (AHA) provided a statement.

“Emerging evidence suggests hospital care at home is safe, effective and useful to many patients. The AHA supported last year’s congressional extension of the regulatory flexibilities that have enabled hospitals to continue their hospital at home programs, and is working to ensure this innovative model of care remains available to patients and communities.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting comment on the potential extension of the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program.

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Fort Collins, Colorado – One doctor is prescribing ping pong for patients who have serious neurological diseases. 

Dr. Antonio Barbera, a former obstetrician-gynecologist who is now living with multiple sclerosis, is founder and CEO of Table Tennis Connections in Fort Collins, Colorado, which launched its NeuroPong program in 2021.

The group gathers every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday to play ping pong — also known as table tennis — inside the gym at the Council Tree Covenant Church in Fort Collins, Barbera told Fox News. 

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For each session, the doctor collects data to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. 

Players are evaluated on their performance over time and the results are sent to scientists nationwide. 

Barbera got the idea for the NueroPong program in 2021 after he received his MS diagnosis in 2016 and had to quit his job as a practicing doctor.

“I completely lost the right leg motion and sensation for about three months and had to re-learn how to walk,” he told Fox News.

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Thanks to a combination of medicine and table tennis, Barbera was able to make a full recovery, he said.

Now, the doctor said he’s inspired dozens of people who have also been diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease, to join the NueroPong program. 

Barbera said he got the idea for the NueroPong program in 2021 after he received his MS diagnosis in 2016 and had to quit his job as an obstetrician-gynecologist. (Kennedy Hayes/Fox News)

“If the intervention of the paddle and a simple ball will improve the quality of our life, why not?” Barbera said. 

NueroPong members say the program has improved their symptoms in more ways than one.  

“There are so many things that Parkinson’s affects,” NeuroPong member Gil Wette told Fox News. 

“It’s not just tremors and stiffness and slow movements — it’s a lot of non-motor issues … the emotional part, like anxiety and depression.“

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Healthy lifestyle changes, including exercise, have been shown to help slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

“It’s not just the physical activity, but the fact that people are engaging in social activities … and interacting with other people. [This] can be beneficial,” Dr. Ronald Petersen of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minnesota, told Fox News.

Players in the NeuroPong program are evaluated on their performance every few weeks. (Kennedy Hayes/ Fox News)

Since his Neuropong program started three years ago, Barbera said the organization has spread from several cities in Colorado to gyms in New Mexico, Utah and New York, and has partnered with universities in Florida, Texas and Illinois. 

Barbera said he has also worked with scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

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“My goal is really to have gyms all over the place, where these people can go … where the neurologists can refer people and we can collect data to show the rest of the world that we are doing something good,” Barbera said. 

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Multiple sclerosis affects nearly one million people in the U.S., according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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