FOR YOUR HEALTH: New Hope for People with Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers are testing a new drug that may someday be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

(NAPSI)—There could be promising news for the more than six million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and the people who care for them.

The Problem

Although nearly one in every three people will eventually be afflicted and it’s the third leading cause of death of older adults in the U.S. (surpassed only by heart disease and cancer in non-pandemic years), there may be effective treatments on the horizon.

An Answer?

One contender is about to start a Phase I clinical trial. It’s a novel drug known as NVG-291 and it’s designed to repair damaged nerves. Originally developed by NervGen Pharma Corp. (TSX-V: NGEN) (OTCQX: NGENF) to treat spinal cord injury, it soon became apparent that the drug may be healing nerve damage at a biologically fundamental level. That suggests it can also help people who have multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

Why It May Work

According to NervGen President & CEO Paul Brennan, NVG-291 is a truly unique and logical approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease patients. “What differentiates NVG-291 from other drugs in development is that it leverages multiple mechanisms for repairing nerve damage,” he explains, “while most others focus on a single approach. Alzheimer’s disease is a complex condition and likely caused by multiple factors. We believe that a systems approach to treating the disease is an important distinction.”

NVG-291 is designed to achieve this by liberating the body’s own repair mechanisms to accelerate nerve repair. When nerve damage occurs, either as a result of an injury or disease, molecules called chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, or CSPG, accumulate and inhibit the body’s ability to repair itself. NervGen’s technology is designed to counteract this inhibition and result in the initiation of multiple repair mechanisms, including nerve regeneration and remyelination – the repair of the protective coating of the nerves. It should also improve plasticity, which is where surviving nerves take on additional function.

There are two additional mechanisms that are seen to be very important in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Data in animal studies show that inflammation in the immune cells of the brain is reduced and autophagy, a cellular cleaning mechanism necessary for healthy neurons, is promoted. Researchers believe the same nerve-rejuvenating biotechnology can be adapted to remedy this mind-desecrating disease.

Currently approved Alzheimer’s disease drugs merely address symptoms, whereas NVG-291 should act at a more fundamental level to let normal repair mechanisms kick in to create a favorable environment for nerves to grow and form entirely new nerve connections, according to Brennan.
The ability to bring to bear numerous mechanisms of repair, including two that are increasingly viewed as critical to addressing Alzheimer’s disease, represents an unprecedented medical breakthrough.

Learn More

For additional facts on the clinical trials and NervGen, visit www.nervgen.com.

Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting canceled

by Mary Grow

Due to a lack of agenda items, the Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting scheduled for Thursday evening, May 27, has been canceled.

EVENTS: Plant Giveaway & Permaculture Bed-Building

Ecology Learning Center (photo: Unity College)

The Unity Barn Raisers will hold Permaculture in the Park, hosted by the Ecology Learning Center, Unity Barn Raisers, and Triplet Park, on Saturday, May 29, at 11 a.m., at Triplet Park, 32 School St., in downtown Unity. Learn how to build beds and take home some plants to put in them!

Gather in this community park for a monthly talk and learning experience grounded in the principles of permaculture. Beginning with a talk by the experienced permaculture designer, Teddy Mattson, of Seed of Life Permaculture and Design, participants will learn about swale and hugelkultur creation, sheet-mulching to capture water, best uses of landscape organic matter debris, as well as how to suppress weeds and build soil. Once we’ve heard about these topics, we will join together in a community work session to apply them in the park. Stay as long as you like to help out and learn more!

Participants will take home their own raspberry cane and comfrey plant! With a donation of any kind, participants may take more than one of each.

RSVP requested at https://www.ecologylearningcenter.org/workshops. $15 suggested donation upon arrival.

EVENTS: Unity Parkinson’s support group meets monthly

Photo by Radio Alfa (flickr.com/photos/radioalfa)

Unity Area Parkinson’s Support Group for Parkinson’s Patients and Caregivers, meets second Thursday of the month from 3 to 4 p.m., at Unity Community Center, 32 School Street, Unity. Come for information, support, encouragement, and helpful tips on living with Parkinson’s disease. Free and informal. COVID compliant. Mask required. For more information, call Eleanor at 948-1474 or email: dogisland52@gmail.com.

Extra help available for students at Vassalboro Community School

Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School staff and officials are offering extra help to students who need to make up for parts of subjects they missed because of Covid-19.

Projects and plans discussed at the May 18 Vassalboro School Board meeting included on-going after-school classes, planned summer school in August and teachers’ extra preparation for the 2021-22 school year.

Vassalboro Community School Principal Megan Allen said the after-school academic support program, led by different staff members on different days, is “kind of like the homework club” VCS used to offer. Students who stay get help with things they’re stuck on, a snack and a ride home. On May 18, 18 students had attended, she said.

Viking Summer Camp is scheduled for the first two weeks in August, to offer both remedial study to cover “gaps that were inevitable” and enrichment. Half a dozen staff will lead; students will get two meals and transportation.

Teachers plan extra time this spring and before school reopens in the fall to review the past year and plan ways to make sure every student can master material that should have been covered and move well-prepared into the next grade’s curriculum.

Allen is also scheduling a staff barbecue “to end the year on a positive note to let us get set up for next year.”

The rest of the school board’s business included review of the current year’s budget, continuing review of school policies, approval of promotions and acceptance of resignations. Finance Director Paula Pooler said the budget picture would be clearer after she made final tuition payments the following week.

Resolving a problem that was troubling Assistant Principal Greg Hughes at last month’s meeting, sixth/seventh-grade science teacher Taraysa Noyes was appointed baseball coach.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer reminded those present that Vassalboro’s annual town meeting, at which voters approve or amend the 2021-22 school budget, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 7, in the VCS gymnasium. On Tuesday, June 8, voters will approve or reject the June 7 budget decision by written vote, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the town office.

Because of the unusual number of ticks this spring, Vassalboro school grounds will be sprayed, Pfeiffer said. The brown-tail moth caterpillars in the trees cannot be sprayed, however, because getting rid of them would require aerial spray too close to the VCS building.

The next Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 15.

SOLON & BEYOND: The time I attempted to publish my own ‘hometown’ newspaper

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

When I opened my computer this morning I was very pleased to find this bit of news about the Embden Thrift Shop: The Embden Thrift Shop is planning to be open Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Clean donations are accepted, however no electronics. Items can ONLY be left on Saturdays while the Thrift Shop is open.

Now for some news that I wrote about 0n March 25, 2005, in the small paper I started. It started with the words Solon and Beyond! Good Morning My Friends, Don’t Worry be Happy! From Percy and me. I had become upset with the paper I was writing for at the time, and decided to start my own paper.

Would like to say once again how much I appreciate the many, many kind and encouraging words I have received from so many of you in response to this little paper. Tears of joy have formed in my eyes more than once at your appreciation for my efforts to bring you love and laughter via the written word. To a certain extent this is the way I have always written, some editors have let me get away with it, some have not! (Being the editor of this paper, I got away with it.) Could write a book about editors, have written under many in the more than 40 years that I’ve been writing. This is a neat example of some of the support I have received from loyal readers when I was having a problem with an editor. This was many years ago when I was writing for the Somerset Reporter. This lady in her middle 80s who didn’t have a license to drive, hired someone to take her to the Somerset Reporter office in Skowhegan. She had whoever had taken her to Skowhegan go in the office and bring the editor out so she could give him a piece of her mind. She was a lady who only needed a few words to get her message across, She helped my case immensely! As I said, I could write a book, but only once did I ever quit writing( for a short time) because of an editor!

I had taken a picture of four of my friends and put it on the front page of this particular paper. And this is what was written beside the picture, “And since this issue is dedicated to friendship, I am going to print a picture of some of the UCCEBDMSS members. For those of you who have never heard what those letters stand for, we are Solon Chapter Chowder Eating Beer Drinking Marching and Singing Society members. And to set the record straight, we are not a boozing bunch! They don’t know I’m putting this picture on the front page, it was taken 16 years ago, the picture is of Gloria Barnes, Dorothy Brown, Marge Adams and Alice Heald.

There is more local news in this issue, one tells about the Solon Congregational Church, the Embden Historical Society and other events and it ends with these words: Some people who have been picking up these little papers since the first issue on January 15 will know that I couldn’t afford to give them to you forever. This is the seventh and last issue of probably the smallest and shortest lived newspaper ever. I do believe that the newspaper business is in my blood, and when I couldn’t get the news printed in the paper I was writing for at the time, I decided to start my own paper. Knew I couldn’t keep giving them away forever and prayed for a miracle. As stubborn as I am , don’t know how deep a financial hole I would have dug myself into if the miracle hadn’t materialized! Next week you will be seeing Percy and me once again in The Town Line. Those of you who pick up that paper will have started to see how much it has improved since Roland Hallee has taken over as editor.

Just a few facts about this little paper I started, the first week I printed 62 copies with two pages in it on my printer. I distributed them to three stores here in Solon and to Pinkam’s Elm St. Market, in North Anson. The next three issues I also printed on my protesting old printer and they were now up to three pages. By that time I had started checking out the cost of having them printed professionally because I was having to buy a print cartridge for each issue. The fifth issue had a picture of my faithful helper Percy on the front page as well as a couple of ads and was printed by Deck Copy, in Skowhegan, and I expanded to two stores in Bingham. The last two issues were also printed by Deck Copy and the distribution is up to 170 papers a week, and again I can’t tell you, my friends, how much I have loved your support. Didn’t realize it was going to be a full time job, I had become an editor/publisher, writer, ad salesman, business manager and paper deliverer. I am going to print my financial statement so that you will understand that it takes money to run a paper and I hope businesses in this area will take out ads in The Town Line to keep it in Somerset County. My printing costs for the seven issues published: $231; received $20 for ads, making a total spent of $211, this doesn’t include money for gas, all the time I spent writing, postage for all the papers I mailed out. I’m not trying to make you feel sorry for me, just hope you know how much I want a small weekly paper in this area.

And now for Percy’s memoir: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow. Words by Garry Gogetter.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Little tidbits of information

by Debbie Walker

The other night I was flipping through my 2020 Farmer’s Almanac for the 100th (at least) time since I bought it last fall. I would have told you, if asked, that I had studied that volume front to back and there would be no surprises left for me in that issue. I discovered I was wrong. I had indeed missed something. I missed two of what I consider the funniest advertisements.

Let me first tell you I did not know the word “Biffy” is another term for toilet or outhouse. It may have come from the term Bivouac. This is a temporary military camp. The “Biffy Bag” was believed, in this description, to have been a carrier for the soldier’s toiletries. However, that is not the reason for the ad I saw.

The “Biffy Bag” advertisement I saw shows a cartoon picture of its use.

Next ad I saw was directly beside the Biffy Bag. This one is promoted by a company called “PStyle”. The ad reads “PStyle: A ‘Stand to pee’ device ideal for woman who work and play outside. The thing to me looks like a swim flipper, just a little smaller. I haven’t figured out just how easy or difficult this would be. I am still thinking a collapsible funnel with a tube attached would work!

I am sorry, I am sure some of you may be thinking how tacky this is. I admit that when I finished my last article about my Urinary Adventure, I had no plans to travel with anything else along that line. But this info was visible to me and I couldn’t resist.

Since I am still in that arena I may as well add that the surgery seems to have been a great success. Needless to say, I am thrilled. I will be going back to see the surgeon/urologist on May 26. Please don’t hesitate to contact me anytime.

There was an article in that same issue about salt being a miracle cure. It was written by Deborah Tukun. We always used salt to gargle when we had a sore throat. I am surprised my mom didn’t know about the cure for infected ears.

I always had trouble with ear aches and infections. Possibly that information was unavailable when we were kids. It is done with a warm ‘salt sock’. The warm salt sock is a do-it-yourself treatment. It creates a shift in the pressure within the ear, draws fluid out and eases the pain. There are boughten pillows or you can make one with a WHITE sock. It has to be white, no dyes.

You will need one white, cotton sock and 1-1/2 cups of coarse sea salt. Pour into a white sock and tie end in a knot. Heat in a clean, dry skillet over medium/low heat (NEVER a microwave) for about 4 – 6 minutes. Shake it around to make heat even. Heat till very warm, test on your arm to make sure it’s not too warm. Cover ear and jaw line and relax. I have never tried this so please do your own research.

I’m just curious what you thought was most useful in this column. Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Count Basie

Count Basie

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Count Basie

Count Basie (1904-1984) recorded Broadway Basie’s Way for Enoch Light’s Command label on August 18 and September 7 and 8, 1966. It contained 12 classic Broadway tunes:

Hello Young Lovers from The King and I. A Lot of Livin’ to Do from Bye Bye Birdie. Just in Time from Bells Are Ring­ing. Mame. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. It’s All Right With Me from Can Can. On the Street Where You Live from My Fair Lady. Here’s that Rainy Day from Carnival in Flanders.
From this Moment On from Out of this World. Baubles, Bangles and Beads, from Kismet. People from Funny Girl. Everything’s Coming Up Roses from Gypsy.

Basie’s arranger was the Cuban-born Chico O’Farrill (1921- 2001) and he had on hand the phenomenal trumpeter Roy Eldridge (1911-1989) who otherwise was a free-lancer after years in Gene Krupa’s band, and rhythm guitarist Freddie Green (1911-1987) who had been with Basie for over 30 years.

Except for a few desultory moments – almost as if everyone is on auto-pilot – the album is a good one. Part of its problem may have been the commercialized pressure to do tunes that the band wasn’t that excited about; what saved it from total boredom was the sheer professionalism of Basie and his players and their commitment to a minimum standard of quality and reliability in all of their sessions. As with Basie’s friend Duke Ellington (1899-1974), neither gentleman ever made a bad record and I have many of each of them.

Basie and his wife, Catherine, had one daughter, Diane, who was born in 1944 with cerebral palsy. The doctors told them she would never walk. His wife felt otherwise and taught the little girl to walk and swim.

Continuing with R. P. Tristram Coffin’s Kennebec Crystals:

“But back up on the farms the men were grinding their picks. Women were laying out armfuls of gray socks with white heels and toes, piling up the flannel shirts, packing up bacon and ham and sausage meat and loaves. Boys were oiling harness and polishing the glass sidelights of headstalls. Chains were clinking, and sleds were being piled with blankets and bedding and victuals and extra whiffle-trees, cant dogs, picks, and feed for the horses.”

More next week.

2021 Listing of Memorial Day Services

Memorial Day Services

ALBION

No parade. Memorial service, 9 a.m., in front of Albion Christian Church at the monument.

CHINA VILLAGE

Memorial service, 10 a.m., on the top of the hill in the cemetery. Return to China Baptist Church for another memorial service, following the cemetery service.

MADISON

No Memorial Day parade. Tardiff-Belanger American Legion Post #39 observances as follows:

9 a.m., at Starks Town Office.

9:30 a.m., Anson Town Office, followed by scattering of flowers off the bridge.

10 a.m., Madison Library.

10:30 a.m., at the U.S./Canada Monument at Forest Hills Cemetery.

11 a.m., East Madison, Joseph Quirion Monument.

SOUTH CHINA

The South China American Legion Boynton-Webber Post #179 will conduct a short flower-placing ceremony at the Windsor Veterans Memorial on Rte. 32 in front of the Windsor Christian Fellowship Church at 9 a.m.

A second ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. in South China at the Veterans Memorial Park at the intersection of Old Windsor Road and Village Street.

There will be no parade this year.

WINDSOR

Memorial ceremony, 9 a.m.

POETRY CORNER: They say

They say

by April Cookson

On the other side of the fence, the grass
is always greener,
That’s just a myth thought up by a dreamer.
You can wish upon a star,
It won’t change who you are.
There may be treasure at the rainbow’s end,
But you will find no gold to spend.
If a silver lining is what you’re looking for,
My friend, you need look no more.
They say these words to help them cope,
One thing is for sure, there’s always hope.
So they say.