Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 60. AD is the most common cause of dementia among older people, but it is not a normal part of aging. Dementia refers to a decline in cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities. AD starts in a region of the brain that affects recent memory, then gradually spreads to other parts of the brain. Although treatment can slow the progression of AD and help manage its symptoms in some people, currently there is no cure for this devastating disease.

Research shows how diet can improve health in the elderly

Adapting diets to reduce the occurrence of Alzheimer’s or osteoporosis and more generally to improve health among the elderly are some of the possibilities revealed by EU research on nutrition and health.

29 Nov 2004

Iris Murdoch's last novel reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease

The last novel written by author Iris Murdoch before she died reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the latest online issue of Brain.

29 Nov 2004

Rifampicin can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have shown that rifampicin, an antibiotic used to treat leprosy and tuberculosis, can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with the death of brain cells in people with Parkinson's disease. The drug also dissolved existing fibrils in laboratory tests.

29 Nov 2004

Movies help explain how proteins gather into clusters called amyloid fibrils

To get a better look at how proteins gather into clusters called amyloid fibrils – which are associated with important human diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and the so-called prion diseases like Mad Cow – researchers at North Carolina State University decided to make movies.

23 Nov 2004

Acid-resistant bug also alcohol-resistant

A chemist at Washington University in St. Louis has found surprisingly tough enzymes in a bacterium that "just says no to acid."

23 Nov 2004

Brain imaging shows differences in people at risk for Alzheimer's

Using brain imaging, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have found clear differences in brain function between healthy people who carry a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and those who lack the factor.

20 Nov 2004

Family experience guides Alzheimer’s research

After watching his father struggle with and ultimately succumb to Alzheimer’s disease, ASU professor Michael Sierks shifted his research focus from starch hydrolyzing to neurodegenerative diseases.

18 Nov 2004

Researchers find mutations in a multifunctional protein cause Parkinsonism

A team of researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. and colleagues in Canada and Germany have discovered a gene and six mutations of it that cause symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

18 Nov 2004

Eating apples may protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism

A group of chemicals in apples could protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism, according to two new studies from Cornell University food scientists.

18 Nov 2004

A challenging job protects against the development of dementia

Jobs that are both challenging and afford opportunities to take responsibility seem to protect against the development of dementia, concludes research in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

17 Nov 2004

Researchers find effective treatment for Unusual Fever Syndrome caused by cold exposure

Remember when Grandma used to say, "don’t go out in the cold; you’ll get sick”? It turns out that she was right for a small number of people who have a condition called familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS)

16 Nov 2004

Financial impact of diabetes on the American economy

Sick days, disability, early retirement, and premature death of diabetic Americans born between 1931 and 1941 cost the country almost $133.5 billion by the year 2000, according to a new estimate by researchers with the University of Michigan (U-M) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

16 Nov 2004

Atorvastatin slows down mental decline and improves depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease

The cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin slowed down mental decline and improved depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a small pilot study reported at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2004.

11 Nov 2004

Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl may be able to stay at home for longer compared

Shire Pharmaceuticals Group has announced that Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl (more than 36 months) may be able to stay at home for longer compared to those receiving treatment for shorter periods of time.

10 Nov 2004

Stem cell gene linked to a portion of one of the most common childhood brain cancers

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have linked a stem-cell gene to a portion of one of the most common childhood brain cancers, opening the door to tailored therapies that block the gene's tumor-promoting ability.

10 Nov 2004

Researchers find two locations in the human genome that may harbor genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found two locations in the human genome that may harbor genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. If confirmed, they will be the first genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease since ApoE4 was discovered in 1993.

8 Nov 2004

Autophagy may even provide a clue to the mythical fountain of youth

The cells of higher organisms have an internal mechanism for chewing up and recycling parts of themselves, particularly in times of stress, like starvation and disease. But nobody is quite sure yet whether this recently discovered process protects cells, or causes damage.

5 Nov 2004

Trial of new type of drug that attacks amyloid

Neuroscientists at the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia will begin a clinical trial testing a new type of drug that attacks amyloid, the protein substance that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

4 Nov 2004

Genetic mutations could collectively raise bowel cancer risk

Cancer Research UK scientists at the University of Oxford have found that a number of genetic mutations could collectively raise bowel cancer risk, reporting their findings in the journal PNAS.

4 Nov 2004

Californians say yes on 71

With a clear mandate, the voters of California yesterday overwhelmingly approved Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative.

4 Nov 2004

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Research shows how diet can improve health in the elderly

Iris Murdoch's last novel reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease

Rifampicin can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with Parkinson's disease

Movies help explain how proteins gather into clusters called amyloid fibrils

Acid-resistant bug also alcohol-resistant

Brain imaging shows differences in people at risk for Alzheimer's

Family experience guides Alzheimer’s research

Researchers find mutations in a multifunctional protein cause Parkinsonism

Eating apples may protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism

A challenging job protects against the development of dementia

Researchers find effective treatment for Unusual Fever Syndrome caused by cold exposure

Financial impact of diabetes on the American economy

Atorvastatin slows down mental decline and improves depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease

Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl may be able to stay at home for longer compared

Stem cell gene linked to a portion of one of the most common childhood brain cancers

Researchers find two locations in the human genome that may harbor genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Autophagy may even provide a clue to the mythical fountain of youth

Trial of new type of drug that attacks amyloid

Genetic mutations could collectively raise bowel cancer risk

Californians say yes on 71

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