Alzheimer's Disease

Prison for Bucks woman who bilked elderly man [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:58:00 +0000

Mar. 10--The widowed retired postal worker, 71, had a million dollars, a white Mercedes convertible, and a worsening case of Alzheimer's disease.

The divorced nurse, 45, had two kids, delinquent taxes, and a broken heat pump in her Perkasie home.

But within four months of meeting the man poolside at his Doylestown apartment, Donna Hammerstone had weekly marriage proposals, keys to the Benz, peace with the taxman, a toasty new heat pump, memories of Atlantic City, and bags of merchandise from Victoria's Secret, jewelers, and computer stores.

"I felt completely helpless against this predator," the ailing man's daughter testified in Bucks County Court.

Hammerstone, now 46, was sent to prison yesterday by a Bucks County judge who labeled her "an opportunist" and her thefts "an offense of greed." Judge C. Theodore Fritsch ordered Hammerstone to serve three to 23 months and repay more than $15,000 she stole from September 2008 to January 2009.

In...

Alzheimer's is on rise in Oklahoma, group says [The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:39:00 +0000

Mar. 10--About 74,000 Oklahomans have Alzheimer's disease, and the number is rapidly growing, according to a report by the Alzheimer's Association.

More than 96,000 Oklahomans are expected to have Alzheimer's by 2025, largely because of the aging of the baby boomer population.

"The disease is growing, unfortunately, and we only expect that to get worse," said Keili McEwen, Alzheimer's Association regional director.

McEwen said medical advances have led to longer lives and the increased risk of dementia.

"They are living longer but not taking quality of life into their aging," she said. "This disease is devastating."

Nationally, 5.3 million people have Alzheimer's.

The Alzheimer's Assocation report released Tuesday said family members provide at-home care for about 70 percent of patients.

That equates to $144 billion in unpaid care and can lead to tremendous emotional stress for caregivers.

In Oklahoma last year, 126,673 caregivers provided $1.6 billion in unpaid care for loved ones with Alzheimer's or another dementia.

Caregivers...

New Evidence Further Validates Ketone Body Therapy as an Effective Approach in Managing ...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:02:00 +0000

THESSALONIKI, Macedonia, Greece, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Accera, Inc., a biotechnology company delivering breakthrough therapies in central nervous system diseases, announced data which showed that augmentation with ketone bodies significantly improved cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.

An early feature of AD is region specific declines in cerebral glucose metabolism. One strategy has been to supplement the brain's normal glucose supply with ketone bodies. The company's data was drawn from two clinical studies which examined the cognitive effects of induced ketosis. In both acute and chronic dosing, AC-1202 (Axona®) significantly induced ketosis two hours after administration. Further analysis of the studies revealed that patients administered Axona who lacked the epsilon 4 variant of the APOE gene (E4(-)), demonstrated significant improvement from baseline values in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) and improvement compared to placebo. In the population of patients who were both APOE4(-) and dosage compliant, more...

Deadline set to close Chicago nursing home: Illinois authorities said they plan to shut ...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:51:00 +0000

Mar. 9--State authorities said Monday that they plan to shut one of the state's largest nursing homes by Friday and are working to transfer out the remaining 76 residents.

Medicaid funding to Uptown's troubled Somerset Place facility is being cut off, and the state health department has moved to revoke Somerset's license after repeated inspections that found violence, abuse and mistreatment of residents.

Somerset was licensed to hold more than 400 residents, but over the last several weeks, most of the residents have been moved to other nursing homes, said state Department of Public Health assistant director Teresa Garate. "Everybody will be out Friday," Garate said.

Somerset, which exclusively serves patients with mental illness, reported profits of $21.4 million on revenues of $132.8 million between 2000 and 2008, much of it from the Medicaid health program, according to cost reports filed with the state.

Eric Rothner, who through companies and family trusts has...

New Study Finds Cholesterol-Related Gene Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment, a Precursor ...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:01:00 +0000

Scientists find that a genetic mutation causing a common hereditary form of high blood cholesterol dramatically increase the risk of MCI.

(PRWEB) March 9, 2010 -- A new study from scientists in the United States and Spain has found that a mutation in a gene causing a common hereditary form of high blood cholesterol is associated with “mild cognitive impairment ” (MCI), a precursor stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Worldwide, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia affecting elderly individuals. It is usually preceded by a period characterized mainly by memory deficits known as MCI. The study will be published in the March issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

Leading the study were Dr. Miguel Pappolla and Dr. Kumar Sambamurti from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and Dr. Daniel Zambon from the University of Barcelona in Spain. Their groups of scientists examined memory and other brain functions in...

New Report Says African-Americans and Hispanics More Likely to Have Alzheimer's Disease And ...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to the Alzheimer's Association's® 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, African-Americans are about two times more likely and Hispanics are about one and one-half times more likely than their white counterparts to have Alzheimer's and other dementias. Although whites make up the great majority of the more than five million people with Alzheimer's and other dementias, African-Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk for developing the disease.

There are no known genetic factors that can explain the greater prevalence of Alzheimer's and other dementias in African-Americans and Hispanics than in whites. On the other hand, conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which are known risk factors for Alzheimer's and other dementias in all groups, are more common in African-Americans and Hispanics than in whites. Socioeconomic factors, such as having a low level of education and low income are also associated with...

Outreach Program to Increase Awareness of New Advances in Biomedical Research to Treat Down ...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:57:00 +0000

CHICAGO, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Research Down Syndrome (RDS) has launched an international outreach program to focus awareness and support for the rapidly advancing area of biomedical research leading to safe and effective approved medical therapies to treat cognitive impairment in individuals of all ages with Down syndrome -- improving memory, learning and communication.

Until the past decade, research to understand and treat the cognitive impairments associated with Down syndrome had been largely unexplored, according to Robert C. Schoen, Ph.D., President of RDS. "In 2000, researchers working on the Human Genome Project fully sequenced human chromosome 21, spurring a renewed interest in exploring the causes of the intellectual impairments of Down syndrome. In the last five years, applying modern scientific tools and techniques, researchers have made significant progress toward understanding and treating the cognitive issues associated with Down syndrome, successfully correlating cognitive impairment with specific genes, in specific cells, during...

Month-Long Spotlight on Alzheimer’s Disease in Rockefeller Center

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:17:00 +0000

EHE International Donates Huge Display Window to Help Raise Awareness about Alzheimer’s

Important information on display at 10 Rockefeller Plaza from March 1-31, 2010

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Throughout the month of March, visitors to Rockefeller Center in the heart of midtown Manhattan will get an unexpected lesson on Alzheimer’s disease.

Thanks to the generosity of EHE International, a recognized national leader in employee and individual Preventive Healthcare Plans...

New form of prion disease discovered

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:44:00 +0000

U.S. scientists say they've discovered a new form of prion disease that damages brain arteries and might lead to new Alzheimer's disease therapies.

The researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases studying how prions -- infectious protein particles -- destroy the brain said they observed a new form of the disease that doesn't cause the sponge-like brain deterioration typically seen in prion diseases. Instead, it resembles a form of human Alzheimer's disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, that damages brain arteries.

"The study results … are similar to findings from two newly reported human cases of the prion disease Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome," the NIH said, adding the finding represents a new mechanism of prion disease brain damage, according to Dr. Bruce Chesebro, chief of the Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases at the institute's Rocky Mountain Laboratories.

Prion diseases -- also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies -- include mad cow disease, in cattle;...

Alzheimer's Association Honors Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue With Humanitarian Award

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:04:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue is the recipient of the Alzheimer's Association's 2010 Humanitarian Award. The award is given each year to a public official who has made a significant contribution to help those who are struggling with Alzheimer's disease. This year, the award will be given to Commissioner Astrue in recognition of his exceptional leadership in creating the Compassionate Allowances Initiative and the decision to include early-onset Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in that initiative.

"Commissioner Astrue has worked tirelessly to ensure that disabled Americans receive the Social Security disability benefits they've earned in a timely way. I congratulate Mike for receiving this honor, and I know he joins me in admiration for the tremendous work that the Alzheimer's Association does every day," said President Barack Obama.

Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association, thanked President Obama for his comments about...

Dealing with Alzheimer's disease [Danville Register and Bee, Va.]

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:35:00 +0000

Mar. 7--Karine Garcia of Danville can relate to the stories shared in HBO's four-part documentary series, "The Alzheimer's Project."

Placing her mother in a nursing home was the most difficult decision of Garcia's life. Yet, when a horrific disease like Alzheimer's affects a family member, tough decisions must be made for the health of the patient and caregiver.

She took her mother to a nursing home when her mom fell on the floor, couldn't get up and was taken to the hospital one morning. Garcia is finally coming to terms with her decision after feeling so much guilt.

"It's impossible to articulate what this disease is and what it does to your family," Garcia said. "It's personal. It's a horrific disease."

Garcia told her story to attendees at the screening of the HBO series about Alzheimer's disease at Danville Regional Medical Center on Thursday night.

The Spanish teacher at Westover Christian Academy urged caregivers...

HarborChase awarded for efforts [Aiken Standard, S.C.]

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:03:00 +0000

Mar. 6--Taking a stand against Alzheimer's disease is the top priority for one local organization.

"Alzheimer's disease affects over 80,000 people in South Carolina," said Erin Stone, Alzheimer's Association director of development, Midlands region. "Every 70 seconds, someone in South Carolina is diagnosed, and Alzheimer's disease affects everyone in the family. The mission of the Alzheimer's Association is to provide support and care for all affected."

The 2009 Memory Walk raised more than $36,000 and reached the organization's goal by 100 percent. The 2010 goal is $40,000 and to have 200 people participate. The Memory Walk is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's disease.

"There is so much potential to raise funds. The community as a whole provides so much support," Stone said.

HarborChase of Aiken was awarded by the Alzheimer's Association on Wednesday for being the top fundraising team for the 2009 Memory Walk held in Aiken....

Major depression more than doubles dementia risk in diabetic adults

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Washington, March 6 (ANI): A new study has shown that major depression more than doubles the risk of dementia among adults with diabetes.

Dementia is the progressive decline of thinking and reasoning abilities. These can include memory loss, difficulty with basic math, wandering, living in the past, personality changes, and not recognizing familiar people.

"Diabetes alone has shown to be a risk factor for dementia, as has major depression by itself," said the lead author of the study, Dr. Wayne Katon, University of Washington (UW) professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

The study team also included researchers from the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Puget Sound Health Care System, as well as UW researchers in medicine and in epidemiology.

Katon and the other authors noted that various other population studies have shown that the risk of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other types of dementia is from...

SHIELDS STRUGGLING WITH MUM'S ALZHEIMER'S

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:28:00 +0000

Mar 05, 2010 (WENN via COMTEX) -- BROOKE SHIELDS is struggling with her mother's Alzheimer's - because she can only remember things from the actress' childhood.

The memory-robbing disease is slowly claiming Teri Shields and her daughter admits it's tough at times trying to have a conversation with her mum.

She tells Ladies Home Journal magazine, "Now my mother lives in the past. She wants to talk about the trip we took to Manila when I was 15 and what (Philippines former First Lady) Imelda Marcos said to her.

"I'm like, 'Mum, how about just today?'"

The actress admits she still seeks her mother's approval on all life matters: "I'll see her and think, 'She's going to say my hair's too dark. She's going to ask if I've gained weight.' I might as well be 10. I'm confident in my own mothering, I've been making all my own decisions for a long time, but...

How the demons of dementia possess and damage brain cells

Jennifer Hageman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:27:43 +0000

EPFL's Brain Mind Institute finds clues to the role of brain plaques typical in Alzheimer's patients

A study from EPFL's (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Laboratory of Neuroenergetics and Cellular Dynamics in Lausanne Switzerland, published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, may lead to new forms of treatment following a better understanding of how Amyloid-Beta found in cerebral plaques, typically present in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, may lead to neurodegeneration. Researchers in Lausanne have studied how the functions of certain cells called astrocytes–which normally protect, repair, and transfer energy to neurons–are impaired when "possessed" by aggregated Amyloid-Beta.

Alzheimer's disease currently affects more than 26 million people worldwide and estimates of up to four times as many sufferers by 2050 has made studying its causes a top priority for neuroscientists.

While the exact mechanisms by which the formation of plaques occurs and how they cause neurodegeneration and dementia is still a matter of...

Glenn Anderson returns to the ice in Edmonton and encourages public to help 'stick it' to ...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:15:00 +0000

    <<
        The puck drops in the final countdown to Edmonton's inaugural
                      Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer's
    >>

EDMONTON, March 4 /CNW/ - Six-time Stanley Cup champion Glenn Anderson faced-off today in a shinny game to preview the Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer's coming to Edmonton April 9, 10, and 11, 2010. Anderson and fellow NHL alumni Dave Lumley, Norm Lacombe, Nathan Dempsey, Brian Benning and Rob Brown, hit the ice at West Edmonton Mall's Ice Palace to play with and against leading Scotiabank Pro-Am fundraisers and media personalities to raise awareness of the event and encourage Edmontonians to support the cause. NHL alumni Al Hamilton and Ron Low joined George Marlatte, Scotiabank Senior Vice-President, Prairie Region, at...

Hope for an Alzheimer's breakthrough remains despite Dimebon's failure

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:15:00 +0000

Mar 04, 2010 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- A Phase III trial evaluating Medivation/Pfizer's Dimebon in Alzheimer's disease has failed to meet any of its clinical endpoints, despite high hopes of the drug after promising Phase II results. This is a significant setback for Dimebon's developers, particularly Medivation, but hope for the millions of Alzheimer's sufferers and their caregivers remains in the pipeline.

CONNECTION fails to validate positive Phase II results

On March 3, Medivation announced that its big hope for Alzheimer's disease, Dimebon (latrepirdine; Medivation/Pfizer), failed to achieve clinical benefit over placebo in one of its pivotal Phase III trials. In the trial, dubbed the CONNECTION study by the company, investigators were unable to demonstrate that Dimebon significantly slowed the progression of the disease based on any of the five commonly used endpoints. Speaking in a press conference, Medivation's CEO David Hung stated: "The outcome of the trial was unexpected, and is...

Pfizer and Medivation report results from Phase III Alzheimer's trials

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:15:00 +0000

Mar 04, 2010 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- Pfizer and Medivation have reported results from two Phase III trials of the investigational drug dimebon in patients with Alzheimer's disease, or AD. In the Connection trial, dimebon did not meet its co-primary or secondary efficacy endpoints compared to placebo. Co-primary endpoints were measures of cognition and global function.

Connection is a Phase III, multi-national, double-blind, placebo-controlled safety and efficacy trial involving 598 patients with mild-to-moderate AD at 63 sites in North America, Europe, and South America. Patients had a mean age of 74.4 years and a mean score of 17.7 on the mini-mental state examination upon entry into the study. More than 40% of the patients enrolled were in the US.

In the study, patients were randomized to one of three treatment groups, receiving dimebon 20mg three times a day (TID), dimebon 5mg TID, or placebo TID for six months. The 5mg arm was...

Pfizer Alzheimer's drug proves ineffective: Dimebon fails in clinical trials [The Day, New ...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Mar. 4--Alzheimer's-disease patients and their families lost a flicker of hope Wednesday.

Pfizer Inc. announced early in the day that its experimental drug Dimebon -- considered to be the most promising of all drugs currently targeting the disease -- failed to show signs of effectiveness in improving cognition or overall functioning of patients with Alzheimer's.

The announcement, based on two late-stage clinical trials, was a surprise in light of previous reports in mid-stage clinical settings of significant improvements seen in Alzheimer's patients. The so-called CONNECTION study looked at the effect of Dimebon on patients with early- to mid-stage Alzheimer's at doses of 20 mg and 5 mg, but found no significant effect at either level.

The failure of Dimebon is one in a series of late-stage drug busts for Pfizer, which most notably had to pull the plug on billion-dollar-plus investments in the inhaled insulin Exubera and the cholesterol-fighting torcetrapib.

"The very high-risk...

New Alzheimer's Prevention Efforts, and Non-Drug Treatments, Featured at 25th Conference of ...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000

LONDON, March 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Beneficial Alzheimer's therapies that don't use drugs, and an update on prevention efforts, are the focus of the second day's plenary sessions at the 25th International Conference of Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), March 12, 2010 at the Grand Hotel Palace, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Prof. Robert Woods of Bangor University, Gwynedd, United Kingdom, says, "Psychological therapies have been used with people with dementia for at least 50 years, aiming to improve or maintain cognition, functional abilities, and quality of life, and reduce distress, anxiety, depression and behavioral difficulties."

In his presentation at the conference, titled "Psychological Interventions with People with Dementia," Woods will share encouraging findings from recent research, including cognitive stimulation and behavioral approaches. Effect sizes comparable to drug therapies have been reported, with fewer side effects, according to Woods.

Prof. Esme Moniz-Cook of the Institute of Rehabilitation, Hull York Medical School, United Kingdom, will define psychosocial intervention in dementia care and review some of the...

How brain cells are possessed and damaged by demons of dementia

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Washington, March 4 (ANI): A new study has shed light on how Amyloid-Beta found in cerebral plaques, typically present in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, leads to neurodegeneration.

Researchers from EPFL's (Ecole Polytechnique Fidirale de Lausanne) Laboratory of Neuroenergetics and Cellular Dynamics in Lausanne Switzerland have studied how the functions of certain cells called astrocytes-which normally protect, repair, and transfer energy to neurons-are impaired when "possessed" by aggregated Amyloid-Beta.

While the exact mechanisms by which the formation of plaques occurs and how they cause neurodegeneration and dementia is still a matter of debate in the scientific world, this study sheds a new light on how astrocytes may participate in the development of Alzheimer's...

Medivation Rocked by Dimebon Miss in Late-Stage AD Study

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Shares in Medivation Inc. fell 67.5 percent Wednesday on news that its Phase III trials of Alzheimer's drug candidate Dimebon missed all of the study's stated goals, smashing some high hopes on Wall Street.

Medivation CEO David Hung, who in the past has touted the strong Phase II Alzheimer's data for Dimebon, called the latest study results "unexpected."

Pfizer Inc., which is collaborating with Medivation on the Dimebon development program, said that it would decide what its next steps would be after reviewing the study data. Some analysts predicted that the New York-based drugmaker will ultimately stop development of the drug.

For its part, Medivation pointed to the lack of placebo decline in patients with moderate disease as well as the lack of improvement in Dimebon-treated patients to help explain the disappointing study results in the Phase III study, known as the Connection trials.

"It was more than just the drug that was...

Pfizer drug Dimebon fails in Alzheimer's trials [The Day, New London, Conn.]

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:41:00 +0000

Mar. 3--Pfizer Inc. announced today that its experimental drug Dimebon failed to show signs of effectiveness in improving cognition or overall functioning of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The announcement, based on two late-stage clinical trials, was a surprise in light of previous reports in mid-stage trials of significant improvements seen in Alzheimer's patients. The so-called CONNECTION study looked at the effect of Dimebon on patients with early- to mid-stage Alzheimer's at doses of 20 mg and 5 mg, but found no significant effect at either level.

Pfizer, including scientists at company campuses in Groton and New London, had been developing Dimebon along with partner Medivation Inc.

"The results from the CONNECTION study are unexpected, and we are disappointed for the Alzheimer's community," said Dr. David Hung, president and chief executive officer of Medivation. "We are working with our colleagues at Pfizer to better understand the CONNECTION data and we plan to present...

Anavex comments on failure of Pfizer and Medivation's Alzheimer's investigational drug Dimebon ...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:32:00 +0000

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, March 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Anavex Life Sciences Corp. ("ANAVEX") (OTCBB: AVXL) today issued a statement following today's announcement from Pfizer and Medivation (NASDAQ:MDVN) that their investigational Alzheimer's drug Dimebon did not meet either its co-primary or secondary endpoints compared to placebo during pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials.

"While this is disappointing for the Alzheimer's community, there have been many doubts expressed about Dimebon. These doubts have been documented by leading scientists, including ex-National Institutes of Health (NIH) staffers. This failure of Dimebon, which was hypothesized to act as a mitochondrial pore blocker, on top of the repeated failures of every drug studied for removing beta amyloid from the brain as a way to manage Alzheimer's disease, suggests that novel mechanisms of action that attempt to modify the disease itself, rather than treat symptoms, are necessary," said Cameron Durrant, MD, MBA, Executive Chairman of the ANAVEX Board of Directors.

ANAVEX...

When the heart gets out of step

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:21:00 +0000

Atrial fibrillation is a cardiac arrhythmia - a chronic irregularity of heartbeat - which affects an estimated 1 million people in Germany. Although the condition is not acutely life-threatening, it does increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses, such as cardiac insufficiency, stroke and dementia. In the third of a series of genomewide asssociation studies, an international team of researchers, led by LMU physician PD Dr. Stefan Kaab, now reports the identification of a new gene locus that has a significant influence on risk for atrial fibrillation. The product of this gene is a so-called potassium channel, which plays a role in coordinating the electrical impulses that control heartbeat. "The discovery of this functional link will enable us to develop new and more specific drugs for the treatment of atrial fibrillation", explains Kaab. The discovery is the result of a meta-analysis of data from ten large-scale epidemiological studies,...