Higher bone-lead levels associated with dementia

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Environmental Health News

van Wijngaarden, E, JR Campbell and DA Cory-Slechta. 2009. Bone lead levels are associated with measures of memory impairment in older adults.
Synopsis by Kim Harley, Ph.D.


Older adults with higher amounts of lead in their bones exhibit greater memory impairment than adults with low lead levels.


In a study of men and women 55 to 67 years old, higher lead levels were associated with poorer performance on tasks used to assess memory deficits. Poor performance on these same tasks is frequently observed among adults with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Although other studies have found associations between lead exposure and cognitive deficits in older adults, this is the first study to link lead exposure with specific measures of memory impairment that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia, the loss of memory serious enough to interfere with normal life. Alzheimer’s Disease affects more than 5 million Americans. The disease is characterized by impaired ability to learn new information or recall old information, as well as other alterations of thinking and behavior.

The causes of Alzheimer’s Disease are unknown. However, some studies suggest that environmental exposures may increase the risk of the disease.

In this study, the researchers measured lead levels in the bones of the shin and heel of 47 volunteers using X-ray fluorescence. Lead levels in bone reflect exposure over several years or even decades.

Individuals with higher bone lead level were...read all of Higher bone-lead levels associated with dementia

'Still Alice' book events bring awareness to Alzheimer's Disease

IndyStar*com

Provided by Jeff Johnson

The Alzheimer's Association will be showcasing the novel Still Alice and promoting Alzheimer's disease awareness throughout Metro Indianapolis in during the months of July and August.

A representative from the Alzheimer's Association will have a booth set up at Greenwood Borders, 1251 N. U.S. 31, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 1. There will be copies of "Still Alice" to purchase, plus association staff will be available to answer questions and provide materials on Alzheimer's disease and how the Association can help those dealing with this devastating disease.



"Still Alice" is the best-selling novel about the descent of a 50-year-old university professor diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease. The story is told through Alice's perspective.

The Alzheimer's Association assisted author Lisa Genova with her research, which included interviews with several members of past Early Stage Advisory Groups. The Association is also featured prominently in the book's plot.

Julia Fox Garrison, author of "Don't Leave Me This Way," has said, "You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to read this book. It will scare you. It will change you.

Today, approximately 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, including 120,000 Hoosiers. Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's disease, making Alzheimer's disease the 7h leading cause of death. The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's disease and other dementia amount to more than $148 billion annually.

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Berks woman finds joy in caring for father with Alzheimer's disease

ReadingEagle.com

A Stony Creek Mills resident lives with her dad, who has Alzheimer's disease. It hasn't always been easy, but she's glad to care for him the way he always did for her.
By Bruce R. Posten
Reading Eagle


Sometimes Penny Chille's 93-year-old father, Matthew Oleskow, recognizes her and sometimes he doesn't.

"Every once in awhile he will say 'I love you,' and I have a glimpse of my father again," said Chille, 66, Stony Creek Mills, a retired delicatessen clerk. "It's a joy to have him with me. I always call him Daddy. Other people just call him Handsome."

Suffering in the latter stages of Alzheimer's, Oleskow, a widower whose wife died of congestive heart failure in 1988, has lived with his daughter for about 10 years.

But he didn't leave his Philadelphia home easily or willingly.

"My father is a wonderful man, a caring person, and was a great role model," Chille said. "He was a strict dad, but he never was upset or depressed. He'd say being like that is just a waste of time."

Oleskow falls into the extreme end of the category of what national gerontology experts refer to as once strong, independent and self-reliant men who, as they age or become debilitated, don't readily admit that they need medical help or family or social support."

Years ago, during the first signs of dementia, the longtime shipper for a car company still wanted to drive his own vehicle even though he often couldn't remember where he parked it.

"I used to go down to Philadelphia and visit my father regularly," Chille said. "He was just disappearing from his home on occasion. He was not eating right. One time, he had packed up the house, went to the bank and intended to move to North Carolina."

Chille said that when her father was hospitalized and diagnosed with Alzheimer's, he was angry.

After medical treatment and legal proceedings, it was thought best that Oleskow live with Chille, while her sister, who lives in Scranton, handles the finances, Chille said.

His primary caregivers now are Chille and her neighbor Patti Rebeiro, who thinks the world of Oleskow, Chille said.

"When Daddy first came here, it was hard: the strain of it all ended my marriage," Chille said. "I had some help from agencies. But my father could walk then and ultimately I had to secure my home.

"One December, he left the house, fell on the rock and just laid outside until we found him."

In the past five years, Oleskow mainly has been confined to his bed.

At first, Oleskow, out of frustration or anger, would reach out to hit his daughter. In more recent years, he's become calmer.

"Strangely, as the disease progresses, it does get easier in some ways," Chille said. "Early on, when my father would break down and cry, it would devastate me because it meant he was remembering. But there are just things you have to get used to."

While Chille feels caring for her aging father is a duty, she believes it is a loving one. That belief comes with the knowledge that her father always cared for her - he adopted her.

"I didn't know that until........read the whole article

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New FDA approved medical food product to combat Alzheimer's Disease

Examiner.com

David Lindberg

When I first began reading about this new approach to fighting Alzheimer’s Disease, my first thought was that this was probably a vitamin supplement product, like the thousands of supplemental products that may or may not do what they promise. I started doing some research and discovered that there is actually an FDA category for medical food, which is what this new product is, named Axona. Axona is a product of Accera, Inc.

NOTE - (This is not an endorsement of a product, but a presentation of a new therapy in the fight against Alzheimer's Disease)

The first interview was with P. Murali Doraiswamy MD is professor of psychiatry at Duke University and co-author of The Alzheimer’s Action Plan.

Q1.) Can you tell me a little about Axona, what you’re role is in this discovery and what you’re general thoughts are about Alzheimer’s research going on right now?

The answer and much more

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Virtual dementia demonstration in Fort Myers

news-press.com

Step inside the mind of an Alzheimer's patient
By JENNIFER BOOTH REED • jreed@news-press.com •

Caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients can get a glimpse into the deteriorating worlds of their loved ones Thursday at a dementia demonstration in Fort Myers.
The Virtual Dementia Tour replicates the sensory loss that victims of Alzheimer's and related diseases experience. The simulator will be at Magnolia Park at Health Court, a skilled nursing facility for dementia patients.

Neuropsychiatric Associates, a Fort Myers medical practice and research center operated by Dr. Frederick Schaerf, is organizing the event. It is financially sponsored by Abbott Labs.

"You've got to remember they are not perceiving the same things we are," said Melissa Schaerf, director of the practice's research division. "(The simulator) allows the family member or caregiver to actually experience what it's like."

The event will feature a mock bedroom and challenge participants to get out of bed and move about the room. Following the virtual tour, participants can talk to Dr. Schaerf and representatives from organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association and Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center.

Alzheimer's affects....read the whole post

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Making Your Home Safer for a Loved One with Alzheimer's

Expert Tips to Adapt a Home for Alzheimer's Disease
By CARI NIERENBERG
ABC News Medical Unit

After someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the first thing the patient and their loved ones want to know is how to treat this progressive, degenerative brain disease.

But the next thing they want to know more about is safety -- a huge issue, since adults with Alzheimer's and dementia have a much higher risk of injuring themselves around the home than their healthier counterparts.

Although safety becomes a primary concern, people often don't know where to begin or the practical things they can do in their homes. Plus, making a caregiver aware of these options can be a challenge.

"We need to find a balance between.................read the whole story

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Impact of Alzheimer's disease growing

Fort Myers News-press.com

Impact of Alzheimer's disease growing
Alzheimer's disease has joined cancer as the word that people do not want to utter aloud for fear it might happen to them. Alzheimer's disease is second only to cancer as the illness we worry most about getting Ironically, the projected number of new cases of Alzheimer's disease exceeds that of breast and prostate cancer combined. The Centers for Disease Control's Web site lists Alzheimer's disease as one of the top 10 leading causes of death. The CDC reports that "notably, mortality rates for Alzheimer's disease are on the rise, unlike heart disease and cancer death rates which are continuing to decline."

Alzheimer's disease affects approximately 5 million Americans. The number of estimated cases in Lee County exceeds 22,000. In virtually every neighborhood across our community, someone is touched by Alzheimer's disease.

Despite these grim facts about the disease, there is hope for the future. The attention that Alzheimer's disease is receiving in the media is paramount in helping raise awareness and emphasize the need for continued research and care.

The news also brings hopeful information about current research and progress toward early detection, better treatments and strategies for prevention.

The Alzheimer's Project introduced by HBO this month is a wonderful example of the positive message we can deliver about what's happening with treatment and research for Alzheimer's disease.

HBO's Web site nicely summarizes the goal of the project with these words "While there is no cure for the disease, The Alzheimer's Project shows there is now genuine reason to be optimistic about the future."

Recent news stories and heightened awareness also call attention to the significance of supporting families who are caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease. Treatment, research, and care are each equally important in addressing the impact of Alzheimer's disease on our society and the health care system.

The Alzheimer's Project, which is a ......read the whole article

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Groundbreaking Drug Helping Alzheimer's Patients

Channel 6 WLNS News

Right now there is no cure for Alzheimers Disease, but those struggling with it here in mid-Michigan have the chance to be part of a groundbreaking clinical drug trial aimed at slowing the progression of the disease. One local woman says she's already seeing positive results.

Barbara Loudon, Alzheimer's patient: "I have been dealing with this since 1998. Short term memory loss is the big problem."

Barbara Louden is battling Alzheimer's disease and she's hoping that by taking part in a clinical study at Michigan State University, it will lead to developing a drug that will slow the progression of the disease. Barbara was one of the first patients to join the 18-month study . Every 3 months she gets an infusion, followed up with an MRI.

Dr. Andrea Bozoki, Asst. Prof., MSU neurology: "We know that people with Alzheimers have brain shrinkage over time due to the death of neurons. The MRI's help us to evaluate volume changes and compare it with the active drug as with a placebo."

After several months in the program, Barbara says she's noticed some improvement in her ability to read and do crossword puzzles.

Barbara Loudon: "Before I got into the study, I had to give up reading, I couldn't carry the characters from chapter to chapter."

And it's reactions like Barbara's that researchers are hoping others will see and then decide....read the whole article

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Making Your Home Safer for a Loved One with Alzheimer's

Expert Tips to Adapt a Home for Alzheimer's Disease
By CARI NIERENBERG
ABC News Medical Unit

But the next thing they want to know more about is safety -- a huge issue, since adults with Alzheimer's and dementia have a much higher risk of injuring themselves around the home than their healthier counterparts.

Although safety becomes a primary concern, people often don't know where to begin or the practical things they can do in their homes. Plus, making a caregiver aware of these options can be a challenge.

"We need to find a balance between not scaring a caregiver about what could happen when a loved one has Alzheimer's disease and supportively making them aware of what to be thinking about and watching for," said Scott Trudeau, project director for a home safety study of people with dementia funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Fortunately caregivers usually don't need to make elaborate and costly modifications to their homes, as there are simple things they can do to help their loved one remain safe -- and live more happily as well.


After someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the first thing the patient and their loved ones want to know is how to treat this progressive, degenerative brain disease. Click here to read more

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HBO's Alzheimer's series aims to push for cure

* Alzheimer's is second most feared illness in America

* Series aims to change how people think of Alzheimer's

* Maria Shriver calls it "epidemic for this generation"

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) - It's been almost 15 years since former U.S. President Ronald Reagan told the world he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, hoping his disclosure would promote awareness of the heart-breaking brain disorder that slowly destroys memory.

Now, with an estimated 26 million people worldwide living with disease and a predicted 11 million by 2050 in the United States alone, a unique series by cable TV network HBO (TWX.N) aims to change how people think of Alzheimer's so they will put time and money into finding a cure.

The unprecedented multi-platform series runs throughout May and features four documentaries, 15 short films, a book, a community outreach program and a website (www.HBO.com/alzheimers) covering every aspect of Alzheimer's.

"The numbers are growing at a rate that nobody ever fathomed. As babyboomers age, it is coming right at us and we have to do something," said Maria Shriver, wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and executive producer of "The Alzheimer's Project."

"This is an epidemic for this generation. A cure is within our reach if we......read the whole article

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Baby Boomers Will Change Nursing Home Care…For Better or Worse

By Karen Kallen-Zury, CEO Hollywood Hills Rehabilitation Center
HealthNewsDigest.com) - The Baby Boomer generation has had a profound effect on every aspect of our culture, and that trend will continue as the Boomers age – including significant changes in nursing home care.


If you have had any exposure to nursing homes, you know they have already changed dramatically. People used to enter nursing homes to stay for the remainder of their lives. Now these facilities are more commonly used for subacute care – someone enters the hospital to have a surgical procedure, enters a nursing home to recover and rehabilitate, and then leaves. Long-term residents are usually those who are disabled or suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Most Boomers are at the age now where the primary concern is their parents, so they are learning about the options available. This is a generation that likes to do research, but when choosing a facility there is no substitute for spending time on site. The best research is to walk around, see how residents are taken care of. Note the attitudes, the smiles, the smells. You want to find a place that makes you feel comfortable. All the statistics in the world won’t matter if you don’t feel good when you walk in.

As it becomes time for Boomers themselves to make use of these facilities, they will be much more demanding than previous generations, which will drive further changes. It also will very likely set up a clash between what they want and what Medicaid.....read the whole story

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Humanin Peptide May Be New Drug Target For Diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease

ScienceDaily — Recent studies have shown that the mitochondrial peptide Humanin (HN) protects against neuronal cell death such as happens in Alzheimer's disease. Now, in a study presented April 22 at Experimental Biology 2009 in New Orleans, Dr. Nir Barzilai reports that a small infusion of HN is the most potent regulator of insulin metabolism that his research team has ever seen, significantly improving overall insulin sensitivity and sharply decreasing the glucose levels of diabetic rats.

The finding is the first evidence of a role for.....read the whole article

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Project Lifesaver

WJFW-Channel 12
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Vilas County - If you have a loved one with Alzheimers or a cognitive disability you may worry about them wandering.

Now there's a new program in the Northwoods to help ease your worries.

It's only as big as your watch--but for people with Alzheimers or dementia related disorders it can save rescue time.

Julie Scmitz-Trachte says "We know that six out of ten people with Alzheimers will wander or have the potential to wander at some point."

It's called Project Lifesaver. Julie Schmitz-Trachte works for the Alzheimers Association. She says if a person wanders away it usually doesn't take long to find them.

Julie says "when they do leave the house, the caregiver would notify the Sheriff's Department who would immediately would start a search and the general time is about 30 minutes with the bracelet on."

The Vilas County Sherrif's Department is one of the departments working with the Alzheimers Assocation. Chief Deputy Joe Fath says Project Lifesaver makes Vilas County a safer place.

Project Lifesaver isn't only for people with Alzheimers or dementia related disorders--it's also availble to............read the whole story

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Dance Into a Healthy Old Age

NEWSMAX.com

By: Sylvia Booth Hubbard

The answer to staying healthy and happy as you age may be as close as the nearest dance floor, according to a chorus of studies.

Dancing offers mental, physical, and social benefits, while perhaps reducing the risk of illness and even counteracting the ravages of aging, a study at Queen’s University Belfast found.

“It alleviates social isolation and quite literally helps take away the aches and pains associated with older age,” said researcher Dr. Jonathan Skinner.

Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that ballroom dancing helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Another study found that older people who danced had better balance and gait than non-dancers.

In the dementia study......read the whole article

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Crisis in long-term health: Boomers caring for elderly parents, but who will care for them?

Pioneer Press

Updated: 04/17/2009 11:03:24 PM CDT

WHO WILL CARE FOR THEM?

The demands of caring for their aging parents are putting a strain on the generation born after World War II. But the children of baby boomers will face an even greater burden.
By Jeremy Olson
jolson@pioneerpress.com
Maggie Jessen was once the death of her mother — a teenage wild child who smoked and ignored schoolwork and left home at age 16 after an argument with her father.

Now, she is the lifeline keeping her 91-year-old mother, Maurine Martin, out of a nursing home.

Maurine has lived the past four years in Maggie's home in St. Paul, in a bedroom that Maggie's husband built in place of the back porch. She is forgetful and hallucinates about cats and children. Sometimes, she thinks her room is an apartment and calls her daughter's house "the building."

Caring for Maurine takes energy and patience — whatever Maggie has left after working with special-education students at Central High School. Friends tell Maggie she's "done her time," but they don't undersBut studies show that tand.

"You can't understand unless you've been through it," she said. "I mean, it's my mom!"

A cluttered nursing home may be the stereotype of elder care in the United States, but spouses, friends and adult children provide more than 90 percent of the care to the nation's frail and elderly. This informal network is the backbone of the nation's long-term-care system, and it will be needed more than ever as the baby boomers

But studies show that..........read the whole article and comments

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Learn About the Fisher Center For Alzheimer's Research Foundation.

The Fisher Center For Alzheimer's Research Foundation is team of internationally renowned scientists, under the direction of Nobel laureate Dr. Paul Greengard, has been at the forefront of seminal research that has provided the conceptual framework for modern day investigations into Alzheimer’s disease. The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research at The Rockefeller University headquartered in New York City collaborates with the other leading research institutions around the world in the global pursuit for the cause, care and cure of Alzheimer’s disease.

Of every dollar raised, 94 cents goes directly to research programs

The mission is dedicated to attacking the scourge of Alzheimer's with a 3-pronged assault focused on the cause, care, and cure for Alzheimer's disease as well as supporting the public with educational programs.

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Low Blood Sugar May Increase Risk for Dementia

By KSPR News

Story Created: Apr 14, 2009

Story Updated: Apr 14, 2009

Diabetes may raise the risk for dementia in older adults, new research finds.

Previous studies have suggested that high blood sugar can raise the odds of dementia, and now a new study finds low blood sugar may have the same effect.

Doctors tracking thousands of patients with type 2 diabetes found those hospitalized for episodes of low blood sugar had a greater chance of developing dementia.

Emerging research suggests adults with type 2 diabetes may face an increased risk for dementia as they grow older.

Those with high blood sugar levels are more likely to have mental impairment. Now for the first time, doctors have found a link between low
blood sugar and dementia in diabetics.

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente followed more than 16,000 seniors with type 2 diabetes.

They found that those who had........read the whole article

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Promising treatment for Alzheimer's disease: Clinical trial in Philadelphia area

Examiner.com
Lynda Seminara

Dimebon is a promising medication for Alzheimer's disease, which differs from the drugs commonly used for this condition.

This 25-year-old Russian antihistamine has been successful for stabilizing Alzheimer's disease. The difference it has been making is "the biggest ever seen in Alzheimer's disease," according to David T. Hung, MD, President and CEO of the the US firm developing Dimebon.

Dimebon is just one study away from FDA approval. The Phase III clinical trial is currently enrolling patients. There are 25 participating sites in the United States, including one in Norristown, PA.

Here's more about this investigational trial.....read the whole article

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Alzheimer's disease costly for patients

WWLP.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Every 70 seconds someone develops Alzheimer's disease in this country. Surprisingly, many don't realize the high cost of caring for Alzheimer's patients.

Kate Gagnon is one of the millions of American's who has a loved one who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Her 82 year old uncle Roland is living with the disease of the brain that takes away a person's memory and ability to care for them.

According to a report from the Alzheimer's Association, the care costs for the....read the whole story

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Drug makers stop top dosage in Alzheimer's trial

Forbes
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK , 04.02.09, 05:49 AM EDT

The developers of an experimental new treatment for Alzheimer's disease, and Wyeth, announced Thursday they have stopped the top dosage because trial patients are suffering from an increased risk of brain inflammation from water retention.

The companies said the setback would not affect their ongoing, advanced trials to win approval for bapineuzumab, a drug designed to combat Alzheimer's, an incurable disease that destroys the brain.

"Our review of the safety data and the feedback from the Safety Monitoring Committee made it clear....read the whole article

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