Nerd Factor Five

As an Information Technology professional I tend to accumulate equipment. I have a couple of old laptops lying around (some dating back to 1998). One of the slightly newer ones I connected to my TV via the external SVGA port (with an associated stereo sound cable connected to the headphone jack). Now I can stream Netflix and other online content to my big flatscreen TV while not using up the resources on my communication system. For independence I installed VNC which gives me full control over the remote machine. All I need is someone to power on the laptop and I am up and running. Currently I am watching live surfing being streamed from Bells Beach, Australia. Think I'll crack a Foster's and enjoy!

More Press

As many of you may already know, I was recently featured in an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. There was a lot of information to cover and I applaud Laura for getting it all in there. I did want to clarify some points: First (and least), I was the web group sysadmin for Lutris, building and maintaining the internal and external web infrastructure, and the I.T. manager for Mercedes-Benz Research & Development. Second, regarding vents, my point was that due to the costs involved, many never have a choice. Some make a choice not to vent, and I respect that. However, due to the financial expense, for many the choice is made for them regardless of their desire. This deprives the world of many potentially productive and engaged people, and is an ongoing concern of mine.

Another Victory

This is why we do it. Olya in the Ukraine needed a biPAP which she couldn't possibly afford. She contacted ALS Guardian Angels. I chat with the ALSGA coordinator quite frequently, heard the story, and donated my old biPAP. ALSGA shipped it to Poland and Olya's friends got it to her from there. Another PALS given more time alive by cooperation and action within the global PALS family. Although I appear in this story, it is not about me: It is about how we as PALS can change our own lives and the lives of each other. Without the new communications technologies now available (and the ability to use them) this could not have happened. The following is an email trail following receipt of the biPAP and a technical issue resolved. Some of the discussions took place over real-time chat and so aren't shown here. Total time from request to receipt and use was less than a month. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Olya@.ru To: @.com Subject: I want to say thank you Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:19:27 +0400 Hello, Lisa! I can't wait to share my happiness with you. Today I've used the bipap for an hour or so for the first time and I felt excellent. Much better than without it. I learned how to do settings. I find my mask to be comfortable too. I feel deep relief now. I'm not scared any more not being able to breath normally and sleepless nights are the past. I've attached a picture of me while bipap therapy. Now I'm thinking back and understand that is would not be possible without ALS GuardianAngels, Stu and your priceless help. There were obstacles to ship the bipap and receive it, but you were so patient and sympathetic to me and to all this process. I sometimes can't believe it's true. When I tell people, that an American organisation helped me with the bipap and tell them this story,they say: "It's something unbeliveble, it's really hard to believe that miracles do happen". You can't imagine how much your help means for me and my family. I'm writing this and understand that I can't find right words to express how grateful I am.I also want to tell Eric (the donar) that his donation means '"surviving" for one more PALS (for me). That this is more than a gift! That I will always be grateful to him and never forget it. I want to cry out THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING FOR PALS! IT'S PRICELESS! Happy Olya 29.03.2011, 17:18, "ALS GuardianAngels" <@.com>:YAY, I am so relieved! Here is the companies contact information: Respironics Inc - 6 reviews - Place page www.respironics.com - 1001 Murry Ridge Drive, Murrysville, PA - (724) 387-5200 From: olya@.ru To: @.com Subject: Re: Olya: Mission accomplished! Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:09:30 +0400 Hello Lisa, It was voltage issue (the user guide info was right). My husband bought another adapter and the bipap works with the new one. Actually, at first we used an adapter too (an American one, as we have American product and it does with the device), but the bipap didn't work with it, but Ukrainian adapter is good.Thank you, Lisa, for your help, anyway. I was really worried. But I still need the contact of a provider in case something goes wrong in future.Model ð 1003986PCA1SN:3074661My phone number +38 095 700-68-67 29.03.2011, 02:25, "ALS GuardianAngels" <@.com>;:Also, please send me the model number and serial number...any other information would be great. A detailed reply about what is happening will also be helpful. Send me your phone number again as well. From: @.com To: olya@.ru Subject: RE: Olya: Mission accomplished! Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:23:01 -0400 For now, bring it in to your doctor at your appointment...they may have some advice. I'm hoping it's not a voltage issue between US and Ukraine products...we looked into that and we were certain it wouldn't be an issue. I can look for contact info, I already called them to see where the device was originally made (needed that for Customs). I will call them tomorrow as they are closed already today. From: olya@.ru To: @.com Subject: Re: Olya: Mission accomplished! Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:59:47 +0400 Picture is attached. This is what I see on the screen, when trying start the bipap. 29.03.2011, 01:07, "ALS GuardianAngels" <@.com>;:Olya, here is the user guide: http://global.respironics.com/UserGuides/UserGuideBiPAPSynchrony.pdf Let me know if this helps or not. Otherwise, I can definitely ask the Donor if he has any suggestions. From: olya@.ru To: @.com Subject: Re: Olya: Mission accomplished! Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:51:09 +0400 Hello Lisa, We have just tried to start the bipap and failed. It does turn on, but in several seconds long alarm sound and red solid and yewllow solid turn on while system self test. I think we should adress the provider, but we don't have one. Could you advice what to do? 28.03.2011, 17:58, "ALS GuardianAngels" <@.com>;:I just received this wonderful update form Olya! Also, since Olya wished to thank the donor I included him on this message. Olya, his name is Eric Valor...and he's a wonderful man and PALS from Santa Cruz, California. Thank you all, and Olya I look forward to more updates on how you are doing! - LisaFrom: olya@.ru To: @.com Subject: Re: Need help to live with ALS Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:53:01 +0400 Hello, Lisa! I have news. I've just received the bipap and the mask. I didn't try it yet. I'm going to see a doctor tomorrow and she should do all the settings. But I'm very excited I have the bipap. I will do my best to get accustomed to it. There is a nice surprise. When I opened the box, I found a humidifier there.I can't express how grateful I am to you and Stu and the donor and to all the people who helped me to get it and of course to God, who arranged my meeting ALS GuardianAngels. I'd love to thank the donor who agreed to donate it to me. I hope you can deliver my thanks to him. I am really very very excited. I can't believe everything is done.I will write you how I am doing with the bipap. Olya

A Possible Cause

For some time it appeared that the inclusions found in the cytosol of neurons in degenerative disease were causing the disease, likely due to disruption of movement of organelles and proteins up and down the axons. But evidence is now suggesting that may not be the case. With TDP-43, it appears that depletion of it from the nucleus is the cause of disease. With SOD1, an unknown toxic gain of function is still theorized. However, a recent study reported that mutant SOD1 interacts with TDP-43 where normal SOD1 did not. Conflicting previous studies have found and not found misfolded SOD1 inclusions in the motor neuron cytoplasm of sporadic ALS patients, though a study using novel antibodies specific for denatured SOD1 reported small inclusions in all tested SALS patients. SOD1 is a highly complex protein and such are easily misfolded. Usually this is no problem as either chaperones refold the protein or intracellular autophagy destroys the errant protein. But age and stress can cause autophagy to decrease in effectiveness, possibly leaving errant proteins in the cell where they can do damage. So assuming that mutant SOD1 is present either by genetic mutation or routine misfolding not corrected or cleared by the cell, and assuming interactions between mutant SOD1 and TDP-43 where TDP-43 is depleted from the nucleus, it could be held that mutant or misfolded SOD1 causes disease through depletion of nuclear TDP-43.

Activation of the glial cells (astrocytes, microglia, etc.) is a driving force in ALS progression. Experiments where mutant SOD1 was limited solely to the glia demonstrated the ability to drive disease on their own. In the case of inherited forms of ALS where particular mutated genes produce mutated forms of proteins throughout the body it is easy to imagine disease spreading rapidly once initiated. But what drives the more common sporadic forms? A clue might be found by looking at prion disease. In fact, a recent study shows that Huntington's Disease may very well spread this way, and it may be applicable to other neurodegenerative diseases. Indeed another study found that extracellular SOD1 can induce microglia to release pro-inflammatory cytokines and free radicals which promote motorneuron damage. A more recent study showed that introduced mutant SOD1 can induce disease. The biotech company Amorfix makes antibodies against extracellular mutant SOD1 and is now in trials to use these antibodies as a vaccine against ALS.

So with mutant or misfolded SOD1 we have multiple paths for disease as well as a likely pathway for spread of disease. Each of these questions are comparatively easy to test and seemingly easy to intercept in the extracellular space. I look forward to more studies to further illuminate these questions.

Public Service Announcement #2

I have created another PSA to accompany my previous one. Please spread these links everywhere you can to increase awareness. Until we can get a serious advocate we must rely on each other.

Taze Me Bro!

Rob Goldstein of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS-TDI) talks to Dr. Seward Rutkove about his invention of device using Electrical Impedance Myography, which recently won the $1,000,000.00 Prize4Life award for biomarker development for ALS. This is available as an mp3 stream. Very interesting discussion and well worth a listen.

Press Release

This is a press release I created to help us get our story of struggle out to the media. Please cut and paste the text below and put your own contact information in the Contact: line then send to your local media with a cover letter explaining your own struggle and advocacy activities. With enough synchronous distributed local coverage we can generate national interest. If you can't cut and paste then email me and I will send you a copy. YOU are the story. But together we can create the change we demand. --------(cut and paste below)------------ People with ALS Changing Their Own World Contact: Much like the people in the Middle East, people here at home who are subject to another kind of tyranny are using social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to organize and spread the word about their condition. These people are known as PALS, or Person(s) with ALS. ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease after the famous baseball player who died from it, is a progressive and incurable deterioration of the nerves controlling voluntary muscle movement. This leaves the person totally paralyzed and eventually unable to even breathe. Because the expected lifespan from diagnosis rarely exceeds five years, the population of living PALS is low and those living aren't able to make themselves into public figures. Until now. With the advent of social media, as well as the technology of mobile computers with eye-tracking input systems and text-to-speech synthesis, PALS are able to compete on an even footing in cyberspace with more physically capable people. Many of these PALS are in serious medical conditions such as near total paralysis and some on mechanical ventilation via tracheotomy. As the astrophysicist and PALS Stephen Hawking said, "My body may be crippled but my mind is free." Unsatisfied with the level of advocacy and awareness generated by organizations with that as their claimed mission, PALS are doing it themselves and placing pressure on those representative organizations to change old operating procedures. Other organizations representing other medical conditions are very vocal and aggressive in public awareness (the foundation of funding and national priority for research) and this new group of PALS demand commensurate action from the organizations representing them. Examples of the new paradigm are: • an emergency Facebook movement to transfer one PALS from an abusive institutional care facility to an entirely new fully automated care facility (which was designed by another PALS who was also the first resident) http://www.govostes.com/blog/?page_id=172 http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=saling+als+residence+&aq=f • the "Often Awesome" serial documentary of a PALS' life with ALS from diagnosis to current time http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=often+awesome+&aq=f • various Facebook groups including a direct petition to the ALS Association http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petition-Against-ALSA-National/139603146055424?ref=ts • a movement to draft a Hollywood star as a spokesman https://www.facebook.com/alsspokesman • use of the popular video creation site xtranormal.com to craft and distribute their own Public Service Announcement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgNVvHbIIiI Facebook as a corporation is aware of this group of PALS and recently invited a few to its Palo Alto, CA, headquarters to take part in a documentary being aired in March, 2011, on MTV. The documentary will be about how various groups have used Facebook to effect change.