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WLOX Channel 13
Every seven seconds, someone in the world is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. More than 24.3 million people in the world are currently living with these conditions.
Experts say memory loss can occur for a number of different reasons, including Alzheimer's disease, arteriosclerotic disease, vascular disease, stroke, vitamin deficiencies and thyroid deficiencies; but with early and careful evaluation, many dementia-causing conditions are treatable and sometimes even reversible.
After Alzheimer's disease the second most common form of dementia is vascular dementia, which results from blockages in the brain's blood supply and the vital oxygen and nutrients it carries....
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Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
When it comes to Alzheimer's, brain size does matter
WMAQ NBC5 TV Chicago
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias usually shows up late in life, but researchers said that signs may appear decades in advance.
One of the signs could be poor school performance, University of South Florida researchers said.
The researchers based their conclusion on a study of nuns. Those who had a smaller head size were more likely to have had dementia or showed signs of Alzheimer's during an autopsy.
The people with smaller heads -- and, thus, it was assumed, smaller brains -- also were more likely to have done poorly in school.
A news release said that previous studies have found that Alzheimer’s disease is related to head size, with people having smaller heads more likely to show symptoms...
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click here for some additional comments
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias usually shows up late in life, but researchers said that signs may appear decades in advance.
One of the signs could be poor school performance, University of South Florida researchers said.
The researchers based their conclusion on a study of nuns. Those who had a smaller head size were more likely to have had dementia or showed signs of Alzheimer's during an autopsy.
The people with smaller heads -- and, thus, it was assumed, smaller brains -- also were more likely to have done poorly in school.
A news release said that previous studies have found that Alzheimer’s disease is related to head size, with people having smaller heads more likely to show symptoms...
read the full story
click here for some additional comments
Sunday, August 10, 2008
How Amyloid Plaques May Damage Brain Cells In Alzheimer's Disease
ScienceDaily (2008-07-31) --
A major question surrounding Alzheimer's disease -- whether and how amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients actually damage neurons -- may be closer to an answer. Using an advanced imaging technique, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease found that levels of intracellular calcium are significantly elevated in neurons close to Alzheimer's plaques in a mouse model and showed how excess calcium may interfere with neuronal signals and cause cell death. ...
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Still so many questions. Slowly but surely, we will get the answers
What do you think?
A major question surrounding Alzheimer's disease -- whether and how amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients actually damage neurons -- may be closer to an answer. Using an advanced imaging technique, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease found that levels of intracellular calcium are significantly elevated in neurons close to Alzheimer's plaques in a mouse model and showed how excess calcium may interfere with neuronal signals and cause cell death. ...
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Still so many questions. Slowly but surely, we will get the answers
What do you think?
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Still no cure for Alzheimer's
August 7, 2008 - 9:54AM
Joy Slagowski
Daily News-Sun
Clinical trial results and presentations were the highlights of the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease last week in Chicago.
About eight key researchers with the Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City joined approximately 5,000 other scientists at the annual convention.
Dr. Joe Rogers, president and senior scientist at SHRI, said he contributed to a presentation with members of the Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, and also was there to learn about other important clinical trial results.
"We presented new results from the Arizona investigators concerning the genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease," Rogers said. "From this we may be able to determine some day who will get Alzheimer's and who will not."
Rogers said the two clinical trial presentations produced mixed results.
click here to read the whole story
Joy Slagowski
Daily News-Sun
Clinical trial results and presentations were the highlights of the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease last week in Chicago.
About eight key researchers with the Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City joined approximately 5,000 other scientists at the annual convention.
Dr. Joe Rogers, president and senior scientist at SHRI, said he contributed to a presentation with members of the Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, and also was there to learn about other important clinical trial results.
"We presented new results from the Arizona investigators concerning the genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease," Rogers said. "From this we may be able to determine some day who will get Alzheimer's and who will not."
Rogers said the two clinical trial presentations produced mixed results.
click here to read the whole story
Friday, August 8, 2008
What is the news about the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia?
Innovative Alzheimer's medications offer hope
Dr. Beata Skudlarska
Article Last Updated: 08/06/2008 12:29:07 PM EDT
Q: What is the news about the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia? Are there any new medications available? How do they work? Do they have side effects? Is there any place close by where I can get my mom into a medication trial? She has been diagnosed with dementia 4 years ago and I think that the pills she is taking are not helping anymore. Any advice is welcome. Trish
A: The Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease just ended in Chicago last week. Many new drug trial results and potential new treatments were presented. Some were rather promising, others proved to be disappointing. I will try to summarize them for you, but first let me briefly describe what is available for treatment of dementia now.
First, no new drugs for dementia have been approved since 2003. We hope that some new medications will get approved soon (which, in the world of pharmacological intervention is 12-24 months). We do not know for sure when because the Food And Drug Administration tends to be more careful with new drugs these days, trying to make sure that medications have no harmful side effects (remember Vioxx?).
Currently, there are two groups of drugs on the market to treat Alzheimer's. One type blocks an enzyme responsible for the breakdown of a chemical, acetylcholine, which is believed to play a major role in memory transmission in the brain. As a result, there is more of that chemical available for brain cells to use. In this group we have three drugs to click here to read the whole story and comments
Dr. Beata Skudlarska
Article Last Updated: 08/06/2008 12:29:07 PM EDT
Q: What is the news about the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia? Are there any new medications available? How do they work? Do they have side effects? Is there any place close by where I can get my mom into a medication trial? She has been diagnosed with dementia 4 years ago and I think that the pills she is taking are not helping anymore. Any advice is welcome. Trish
A: The Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease just ended in Chicago last week. Many new drug trial results and potential new treatments were presented. Some were rather promising, others proved to be disappointing. I will try to summarize them for you, but first let me briefly describe what is available for treatment of dementia now.
First, no new drugs for dementia have been approved since 2003. We hope that some new medications will get approved soon (which, in the world of pharmacological intervention is 12-24 months). We do not know for sure when because the Food And Drug Administration tends to be more careful with new drugs these days, trying to make sure that medications have no harmful side effects (remember Vioxx?).
Currently, there are two groups of drugs on the market to treat Alzheimer's. One type blocks an enzyme responsible for the breakdown of a chemical, acetylcholine, which is believed to play a major role in memory transmission in the brain. As a result, there is more of that chemical available for brain cells to use. In this group we have three drugs to click here to read the whole story and comments
Saturday, August 2, 2008
ICAD: Int. Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Diementias Meeting
By Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today
Published: August 01, 2008
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
CHICAGO, Aug. 1 -- Dementia patients who persistently took medication for the condition had increased median survival by about three years, but it is unknown if the drugs were associated with delayed institutionalization, researchers here reported
Action Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explain to interested patients that this report describes observational findings that suggest an association between treatment with approved antidementia drugs and overall survival, which includes survival in nursing homes.
Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented as a poster at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
click here to
read the full article
MedPage Today CMES for healthcare professionals
Published: August 01, 2008
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
CHICAGO, Aug. 1 -- Dementia patients who persistently took medication for the condition had increased median survival by about three years, but it is unknown if the drugs were associated with delayed institutionalization, researchers here reported
Action Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explain to interested patients that this report describes observational findings that suggest an association between treatment with approved antidementia drugs and overall survival, which includes survival in nursing homes.
Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented as a poster at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
click here to
read the full article
MedPage Today CMES for healthcare professionals
Friday, August 1, 2008
Overthinking may offer protection from Alzheimers and other dementias
By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY
People who tend to overthink things might be protecting themselves from Alzheimer's, according to research presented Wednesday at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease.
A slew of studies were presented at the meeting in Chicago that looked at how certain lifestyle factors, like rumination, and family history may affect a person's risk for dementia. Among their findings:
HEALTH BLOG: Latest research on dealing with dementia
• Overthinking family and work troubles may be a good thing when it comes to late-life brain health, according to Israeli researchers. More than 9,000 men in midlife were asked to rate their tendency for rumination on a scale from 1 (always forget) to 4 (usually ruminate) when it comes to family and work difficulties. The scientists followed up three decades later performing dementia assessments in 1,892 of the 2,606 men who had survived. Dementia prevalence was up to 40% less in men who said they ruminated about life's matters more often, compared with men who had the lowest ruminating scores
click here to read the whole article
People who tend to overthink things might be protecting themselves from Alzheimer's, according to research presented Wednesday at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease.
A slew of studies were presented at the meeting in Chicago that looked at how certain lifestyle factors, like rumination, and family history may affect a person's risk for dementia. Among their findings:
HEALTH BLOG: Latest research on dealing with dementia
• Overthinking family and work troubles may be a good thing when it comes to late-life brain health, according to Israeli researchers. More than 9,000 men in midlife were asked to rate their tendency for rumination on a scale from 1 (always forget) to 4 (usually ruminate) when it comes to family and work difficulties. The scientists followed up three decades later performing dementia assessments in 1,892 of the 2,606 men who had survived. Dementia prevalence was up to 40% less in men who said they ruminated about life's matters more often, compared with men who had the lowest ruminating scores
click here to read the whole article
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