HJNO Sep/Oct 2022

36 SEP / OCT 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs These priorities include improving maternal and neonatal outcomes, improving early childhood health and development, reducing deaths and illness with a focus on preventive care, improving mental health and substance use outcomes, and improving health equity. The awards are part of the Louisiana Department of Health’s (LDH) inaugural Public University Partnership Program (PUPP). Forging new strategic partnerships with Louisiana’s public universities and colleges is a key initiative in the Fiscal Year 2022 LDH Business Plan. “Leveraging the expertise of public universities and colleges to inform Louisiana Medicaid policy and program operations will help LDH better understand and improve the outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of covered services,” said LDH Secretary Courtney N. Phillips, PhD. “In turn, the public universities and colleges benefit from a partnership with LDH through federal funding, new opportunities for students and junior researchers, and access to real-world data to maximize the impact of their research.” DCHC Celebrates National Health Center Week DePaul Community Health Centers (DCHC) celebrated National Health Center Week by hosting several events throughout metro New Orleans. National Community Health Center Week, sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers, is an annual celebration which raises awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s health centers. Community Health Centers – The Chemistry for Strong Communities serves as the theme for this year’s commemoration, which honors those frontline providers, staff, and patients who lost their lives during the ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic. From the very beginning of the crisis, Community Health Centers began finding innovative ways to provide preventative and primary care to their patients. Nationwide, community health centers lower healthcare costs by more than $24 billion annually, reduce rates of chronic diseases, and stimulate local economies. DCHC operates 11 health centers in both Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. Michael G. Griffin, PhD, president and CEO of DCHC, believes that the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically demonstrates the importance of health centers. DCHC kicked off the week at a school supply giveaway at 327 Treme. On Monday, DCHC focused on healthcare for the homeless by distributing gift bags. DCHC celebrated its patients by giving away water bottles at each of its 11 health centers on Aug. 10. Other events included Staff Appreciation Day, a food pantry giveaway event for Agricultural Worker Health Day, and a second back-to-school event at Fisher Playground. LSUHealth NODiscovers Major Contributor to Alzheimer’s Disease Research led by Yuhai Zhao, MD, and Walter J Lukiw, MD, at the LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center and the Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Neurology, and Ophthalmology, reported for the first time a pathway that begins in the gut and ends with a potent pro-inflammatory toxin in brain cells contributing to the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). They also report a simple way to prevent it. Results are published in Frontiers in Neurology. The researchers found evidence that a molecule containing a very potent microbial-generated neurotoxin (lipopolysaccharide or LPS) derived from the Gram-negative bacteria Bacteroides fragilis in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract generates a neurotoxin known as BF-LPS. “LPSs in general are probably the most potent microbial-derived pro-inflammatory neurotoxic glycolipids known,” said Lukiw. “Many laboratories, including our own, have detected different forms of LPS within neurons of the Alzheimer’s disease-affected human brain.” In this study, the researchers detail the pathway of BF-LPS from the gut to the brain and its mechanisms of action once there. BF-LPS leaks out of the GI tract, crosses the blood brain barrier via the circulatory system, and accesses brain compartments. Then it increases inflammation in brain cells and inhibits neuron-specific neurofilament light (NF-L,) a protein that supports cell integrity. A deficit of this protein leads to progressive neuronal cell atrophy, and ultimately cell death, as is observed in AD-affected neurons. They also report that adequate intake of dietary fiber can head off the process. The novel features of this newly described pathological pathway are threefold. The AD-stimulating pathway begins inside of us – in our GI-tract microbiome - and therefore is very “locally sourced” and active throughout our lives. The highly potent neurotoxin BF-LPS is a natural by-product of GI-tract-based microbial metabolism. Bacteroides fragilis abundance in the microbiome, which is the source of the neurotoxin BF-LPS, can be regulated by dietary fiber intake. “Put another way, dietary-based approaches to balance the microorganisms in the microbiome may be an attractive means to modify the abundance, speciation, and complexity of enterotoxigenic forms of AD-relevant microbes and their potential for the pathological discharge of highly neurotoxic microbial-derived secretions that include BF-LPS and other forms of LPS,” Lukiw explained. The researchers conclude that an improved understanding of the interaction between the GI tract-Central Nervous System axis and the GI-tract microbiome and Alzheimer’s disease has considerable potential to lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the clinical management of Alzheimer’s disease and other lethal, progressive, and age-related neurodegenerative disorders. It has been estimated that Americans eat 10-15 grams of fiber a day on average. The USDA recommends that women up to age 50 consume 25 grams a day and men 38 grams. Over age 50, women and men should consume 21 and 30 grams daily, respectively. According to the National Institutes of Health, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common diagnosis for patients with dementia and the sixth leading cause of death for Americans. Experts estimate that as many as 5.8 million Americans 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease, and the prevalence in the United States is projected to increase to 13.8 million by 2050. n