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In some places around the globe, the lights never go off. Streetlights, roadway lighting, and illuminated signs can deter crime, make roads safer, and enhance landscaping. Undisrupted light, however, comes with ecological, behavioral, and health consequences. In the US, some states have legislation in place to reduce light pollution; however, levels of light at night remain high in many parts of the country. Now, researchers there have investigated correlations between outside nightly light pollution and Alzheimer's disease (AD). "We show that in the US there is a positive association between AD prevalence and exposure to light at night, particularly in...

Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Friday that he will vote for Democrat Kamala Harris over fellow Republican Donald Trump in the November election, warning that the former president “can never be trusted with power again.”

The pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer's disease is becoming an increasingly competitive and contentious quest with recent years witnessing several important controversies. In July 2022, Science magazine reported that a key 2006 research paper, published in the prestigious journal Nature, which identified a subtype of brain protein called beta-amyloid as the cause of Alzheimer's, may have been based on fabricated data. One year earlier, in June 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration had approved aducanumab, an antibody-targeting beta-amyloid, as a treatment for Alzheimer's, even though the data supporting its use were incomplete and contradictory.

People 60 and older with untreated high blood pressure may have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease compared to both people who have been or are being treated for high blood pressure as well as people without the chronic condition. The new research, a meta-analysis, do not prove that untreated high blood pressure causes Alzheimer's disease, they only show an association. "High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke and cerebrovascular disease, and yet it can be controlled with medication, reducing a person's risk of these diseases," said Matthew J. Lennon, MD, Ph.D. "Taking blood pressure medications has also...

Early-stage trials in Alzheimer's disease patients and studies in mouse models of the disease have suggested positive impacts on pathology and symptoms from exposure to light and sound presented at the gamma band frequency of 40 Hz. A new study zeroes in on how 40Hz sensory stimulation helps to sustain an essential process in which the signal-sending branches of neurons, called axons, are wrapped in a fatty insulation called myelin. Often called the brain's "white matter," myelin protects axons and insures better electrical signal transmission in brain circuits. Said Li-Huei Tsai,"This study shows that it's not just gray matter, but...

Regular aspirin may help lower risk of colorectal cancer in people with greater lifestyle-related risk factors for the disease, according to a study. For the study, researchers analyzed the health data from 107,655 participants from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. They compared the colorectal cancer rates in those who took aspirin regularly with those who did not take aspirin regularly. Regular aspirin use was defined as either two or more standard dose (325 mg) tablets per week or daily low-dose (81 mg) aspirin. Study participants were followed starting from an average age of 49.4 years. Those...

AbstractBackgroundThe challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic extend to concerns about vaccine side effects, particularly potential links to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD).AimThis study investigates the association between COVID-19 vaccination and the onset of AD and its prodromal state, mild cognitive impairment (MCI).DesignA nationwide, retrospective cohort study leveraging data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service was conducted.MethodsThe study, conducted in Seoul, South Korea, analyzed data from a random 50% sample of city residents aged 65 and above, totaling 558 017 individuals. Participants were divided into vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, with vaccinations including mRNA and cDNA vaccines. The study...

Biden's Little Helper The Gaffing Stoned What a drag it is getting old "He is different today," I hear every voter say Biden needs something today to keep him up And though he's not really ill, there's a little yellow pill He goes running for the shelter of his brain’s little helper And it helps him on the campaign trail, he can talk through the day Doctor, please, some more of these Outside the door, he took four more What a drag it is getting old "Voters aren't the same today," I hear Jill Biden say They just don't appreciate...

Getting more than six hours of quality sleep a night may help prevent, or slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. The research has found the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, a process linked to the development and progression of the disease, is closely related to individual sleep patterns. The study highlighted that poorer sleep quality, and lower quantity, were associated with faster accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain, in older adults whose memory and thinking were still unimpaired. Associate Professor Stephanie Rainey-Smith said the findings suggest new hope for us all. "Alzheimer's disease is...

Researchers have found a potential link between putative retinal gliosis and Alzheimer's disease. The study demonstrates that putative retinal gliosis could be a sign of Alzheimer's disease-related neuroinflammation, an inflammatory response within the brain or spinal cord. Putative retinal gliosis refers to changes in the retina caused by activation of glial cells, which are support cells that become activated when there is damage or disease in the retina. In this study, Edmund Arthur, O.D., Ph.D. found that presumed neuroinflammation was larger in the retina of preclinical Alzheimer's disease patients compared to similarly aged controls, like from postmortem tissues and animal...

By virtually all accounts, Joe Biden's debate performance was disaster. At first the left was in denial and eventually shifted to "it was a just a bad night." The family gathered together at Camp David for a summit to determine Biden's future course. It was speculated that the family might be trying to talk Biden into stepping down, but apparently that was inaccurate. It was reported that they were rather displeased at some advisers. Members of Joe Biden’s family privately trashed his top campaign advisers at Camp David this weekend, blaming them for the president’s flop in Thursday’s debate and...

I've heard that sundowning may happen with dementia. What is sundowning and how is it treated? Answer From Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D. The term "sundowning" refers to a state of confusion that occurs in the late afternoon and lasts into the night. Sundowning can cause various behaviors, such as confusion, anxiety, aggression or ignoring directions. Sundowning also can lead to pacing or wandering. Sundowning isn't a disease. It's a group of symptoms that occurs at a specific time of the day. These symptoms may affect people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. The exact cause of sundowning is not...

The campaign previously said the single best hour of fundraising came immediately after Biden's debate against Trump The re-election campaign for President Biden says it has raised a whopping $27 million since his rocky debate performance against former President Trump. From the day of the debate through Friday evening, the Biden-Harris campaign told Fox News that it had raised $27 million. The updated figure comes after the campaign said on Friday that it raised $14 million in "a sign of strength of our grassroots support" on debate day and the morning after. The campaign also noted Friday that 11 p.m....

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) result in irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system. Research into these diseases typically focuses on the brain, but mouse studies from the last few years suggest that the microbiome plays a role in the onset and progression of some NDDs, as well. Those researchers report a new link in humans between a metabolite produced by gut microbes and three NDDs. Their analysis suggests that the metabolite DHPS (2,3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate) may help answer critical questions about how sulfur metabolism pathways can connect the microbiome to these diseases. DHPS has not previously been detected in people, and the...

Horses were domesticated at least twice, researchers report June 6 in Nature. Genetic data suggest Botai hunter-gatherers in Central Asia may have been the first to domesticate the animals for milk and meat around 5,000 years ago. That attempt didn't stick. But other people living north of the Caucasian Mountains domesticated horses for transportation about 4,200 years ago, the researchers found.Those latter horses took the equine world by storm. In just a few centuries, they replaced their wild cousins and became the modern domestic horse...ancient people from southwest Asia known as the Yamnaya have been credited with being the first...

It may or may not be the most significant retraction of a scientific paper ever, but it certainly is in the ballpark. The paper helped create and sustain the theory that amyloid protein buildups caused the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease and was one of a number of apparently fraudulent papers written by Sylvain Lesné, a professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. All the paper's authors agreed to retract, save Lesné, who has been under investigation for manipulating data. "Authors of a landmark Alzheimer’s disease research paper published in Nature in 2006 have agreed to retract the study in...

A substance naturally occurring in pomegranates, strawberries and walnuts can improve memory and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, a new study concludes. Forgetfulness, difficulty finding words and confusion about time and place. These are some of the most common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Now researchers have discovered that an ordinary fruit can help. "Our study on mouse models with AD shows that urolithin A can alleviate memory problems and other consequences of dementia," says Vilhelm Bohr. "Even though the study was conducted on mouse models, the prospects are positive. So far, research has shown promising results for the substance in the...

Donald Trump has reacted to a viral video of President Joe Biden freezing in a half-bent position during a ceremony on Thursday marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. In the video, Biden is seen on stage with French president Emanuel Macron, who remains standing as Biden awkwardly bends down, as if to sit. Biden then holds the squat position, before bobbing up and down slightly, apparently unable to decide if he will sit or stand. As a voice on the loud speaker announces that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is about to speak, First Lady Jill Biden...

It has long been known that a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and most other neurodegenerative diseases, is the clumping together of insoluble protein aggregates in the brain. During normal disease-free aging, there is also an accumulation of insoluble proteins. Researchers have recently completed a systematic study in worms that paints an intricate picture of the connections between insoluble proteins in neurodegenerative diseases and aging. Furthermore, the work demonstrated an intervention that could reverse the toxic effects of the aggregates by boosting mitochondrial health. "Our study shows how maintaining healthy mitochondria can combat protein clumping linked to both aging and Alzheimer's,"...

"Keeps Falling" - The Ballad of Joe Biden