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BRADENTON - A 94-year-old man whose arrest in a prostitution sting here caused an international buzz will not be prosecuted. A judge ruled Tuesday that Frank Milio was a victim of entrapment. Milio, who has dementia, was unable to get into a care facility while his case was pending. The undercover Manatee County Sheriff's Office detective on the street corner that afternoon in November took 30 steps to go chat with Milio, who authorities say had honked his car horn at the woman to get her attention. Milio, who turned 94 this month, stopped his car in a parking lot...

Women over 90 are significantly more likely to have dementia than men of the same age, according UC Irvine researchers involved with the 90+ Study, one of the nation's largest studies of dementia and other health factors in the fastest-growing age demographic. The researchers reviewed an analysis of 911 people enrolled in the 90+ Study. Of those, 45 percent of the women had dementia, as opposed to 28 percent of the men. The analysis did not determine when the subjects first experienced dementia. The 90-plus age group, or the "oldest old," is the fastest growing segment of the population, according...

Low Levels Of Good Cholesterol Linked To Memory Loss, Dementia Risk ScienceDaily (July 1, 2008) — Low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) -- the "good" cholesterol -- in middle age may increase the risk of memory loss and lead to dementia later in life, researchers reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association. Observing 3,673 participants (26.8 percent women) from the Whitehall II study, researchers found that falling levels of HDL cholesterol were predictors of declining memory by age 60. Whitehall II, which began in 1985, is long-term health examination of more than 10,000 British...

Ramona Lamascola thought she was losing her 88-year-old mother to dementia. Instead, she was losing her to overmedication. Last fall her mother, Theresa Lamascola, of the Bronx, suffering from anxiety and confusion, was put on the antipsychotic drug Risperdal. When she had trouble walking, her daughter took her to another doctor — the younger Ms. Lamascola’s own physician — who found that she had unrecognized hypothyroidism, a disorder that can contribute to dementia. Theresa Lamascola was moved to a nursing home to get these problems under control. But things only got worse. “My mother was screaming and out of it,...

Everybody is depressed! The sky is falling! Woe is us! Seemingly ...

When older people can no longer remember names at a cocktail party, they tend to think that their brainpower is declining. But a growing number of studies suggest that this assumption is often wrong. Instead, the research finds, the aging brain is simply taking in more data and trying to sift through a clutter of information, often to its long-term benefit. The studies are analyzed in a new edition of a neurology book, “Progress in Brain Research.” Some brains do deteriorate with age. Alzheimer’s disease, for example, strikes 13 percent of Americans 65 and older. But for most aging adults,...

Short Arms And Legs Linked To Risk Of Dementia, Study Shows ScienceDaily (May 6, 2008) — People with shorter arms and legs may be at a higher risk for developing dementia later in life compared to people with longer arms and legs, according to a study published in the May 6, 2008, bonus issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers say the association between short limbs and dementia risk may be due to poor nutrition in early life, which can affect limb growth. Several studies have shown that early life environment plays an important...

SAN FRANCISCO — When David Bunnell, a magazine publisher who lives in Berkeley, Calif., went to a FedEx store to send a package a few years ago, he suddenly drew a blank as he was filling out the forms. “I couldn’t remember my address,” said Mr. Bunnell, 60, with a measure of horror in his voice. “I knew where I lived, and I knew how to get there, but I didn’t know what the address was.” Mr. Bunnell is among tens of millions of baby boomers who are encountering the signs, by turns amusing and disconcerting, that accompany the decline...

Either the years haven't been kind to veteran actor Peter Falk or he wasn't having a very good day. The 80-year-old former Columbo star looked dazed and confused as he walked near his Beverly Hills home on Tuesday afternoon.

NEW YORK - Having a big belly in your 40s can boost your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease or other dementia decades later, a new study suggests. It's not just about your weight. While previous research has found evidence that obesity in middle age raises the chances of developing dementia later, the new work found a separate risk from storing a lot of fat in the abdomen. Even people who weren't overweight were susceptible. That abdominal fat, sometimes described as making people apple-shaped rather than pear-shaped, has already been linked to higher risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease....

Beer bellies may double the risk of dementia 20:00 26 March 2008 NewScientist.com news service Jim Giles Bad news for those with bulging bellies: fat that builds up around the waist during middle age may cause dementia decades later, say researchers who examined the health records of thousands of senior citizens. Scientists already know that overweight adults risk developing diabetes, heart problems and other medical conditions. But over the last few years researchers have noticed that obesity in middle age is linked with cognitive problems in the aged. Now it seems that overall body mass is not so important –...

HAVING a large belly in middle age nearly triples the risk of developing dementia, a study released today found. Being overweight in midlife and beyond has long been linked to increased risk for disease such as stroke, diabetes and heart disease. But this is the first study to link excess fat to dementia and, the research found excess abdominal fat increased the risk even among those who were of normal weight overall. "Considering that 50 per cent of adults in this country (US) have abdominal obesity, this is a disturbing finding," said study author Rachel Whitmer of the Kaiser Permanente...

PARIS (AFP) - Lack of folate, also called vitamin B-9, may triple the risk of developing dementia in old age, according to a study published Tuesday. Researchers in South Korea measured naturally occurring folate levels in 518 elderly persons, none of whom showed any signs of dementia, and then tracked their development over 2.4 years. At the end of the period, 45 of the patients had developed dementia, including 34 diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said the study, published by the British Medical Association's Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. When the researchers, led by Jin-Sang Yoon of Chonnam National University...

A Party brought together the family. I have not seen my sister in two year's and I was shocked. My sister is 67 yrs old but was very busy and vibrant, travels the world with her husband.

The retired Supreme Court justice's spouse, John O'Connor, has had Alzheimer's disease for 17 years, and after moving into an assisted-living center in Phoenix, he began a romance with a fellow patient also suffering from the mind-debilitating ailment. But the justice isn't jealous - the O'Connor family believes the love has given John, 77, a new lease on life. "Mom was thrilled that dad was relaxed and happy and comfortable living here and wasn't complaining," their son Scott O'Connor, 50, told Phoenix's KPNX-TV. Scott said that when his father recently arrived at the Huger Mercy Living Center, he was depressed....

'Silent' abnormalities lurk within ageing brains 21:00 31 October 2007 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi One in eight people over 45 unknowingly has a brain abnormality such as weakened blood vessels, dead tissue or a tumour. That is the conclusion of a study of 2000 healthy participants, which found that a higher number than expected had an undiscovered brain lesion. The study by Aad van der Lugt at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and colleagues was designed to understand the risk factors for dementia in a population of seemingly healthy people aged 45 years and above....

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Researchers have developed a simple blood test that may be able to predict whether mild lapses of memory could be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease. In a study published on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, an international team of researchers describe 18 cell-signaling, or communication, proteins found in blood that predicted with 90 percent accuracy whether a person would develop Alzheimer's disease. They said tests to detect changes in these proteins could be used to predict the disease two to six years ahead of its onset and may be useful in the search for treatments....

Jimmy Carter calls Cheney a "disaster" Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:28pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday denounced Vice President Dick Cheney as a "disaster" for the country and a "militant" who has had an excessive influence in setting foreign policy. Cheney has been on the wrong side of the debate on many issues, including an internal White House discussion over Syria in which the vice president is thought to be pushing a tough approach, Carter said. "He's a militant who avoided any service of his own in the military and he has been most forceful...

http://www.dailynk.com/korean/read.php?num=46852&cataId=nk06000 Kim Jong-il May be Developing Dementia ... U.S./British Intelligence Investigating /begin my translation Kim Jong-il 'May be Developing Dementia' ... "U.S./British Intelligence Investigating" U.S. official "(Kim Jong-il)Shows symptoms of early stage of dementia... Kim Jong-il 'under the care' of the (personal) Secretary's Office" [2007-09-20 00:01 ] U.S. government picked up the intelligence that Kim Jong-il is suffering from the early stage of dementia, and is trying to verify it, it has been revealed. Credible sources in Japan told The Daily NK on Sept. 19 that they confirmed it from a high-level U.S. official on Sept. 14. The sources said,...

Let's cut to the chase: conservative Republicans have only one choice for President in 2008: Congressman Ron Paul of Texas. Unlike the GOP frontrunners, Paul is the real deal. No real conservative could support Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Fred Thompson, or Newt Gingrich. When it comes to historic conservative principles, each of these men is as phony as a three dollar bill. That they are now attempting to cast themselves as conservatives is more than laughable: it is downright hilarious. [ snip ] If one wants a true photograph of how a congressman or senator votes on conservative,...

Early Ovarian Surgery Linked to Dementia Women who have their ovaries removed before menopause run a heightened risk of developing dementia or other mental problems later in life _ unless they take estrogen until age 50, a new study suggests. Experts said the research needs to be confirmed by further study, but the findings suggest another issue for premenopausal women and their doctors to discuss as they consider ovary removal.... Hormone therapy has been linked to a greater risk of dementia and heart attacks when given to women after age 65. But recent research indicates that when given before menopause...

Here is a photograph of the Ron Paul 2008 national office in Arlington, Virginia. We have the entire second floor; about 3,000 square feet. The photograph was taken around 6:00 o'clock this morning.

Close window Published online: 15 August 2007; | doi:10.1038/news070813-7 HIV triggers the 'opposite of cancer' in the brainStudy unpicks how AIDS causes dementia.Ewen CallawayA study showing how HIV could prevent the brain from making new neurons offers an explanation for why some AIDS patients get dementia — and suggests a possible treatment. Dementia due to HIV is the leading cause of cognitive decline in people under 40 years of age, says Stuart Lipton, a biologist at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, California, who led the study in Cell Stem Cell1. Researchers aren't sure what causes...

Calcium linked to dementia Last Updated: 1:27am BST 14/05/2007 Calcium and vitamin D in dairy products may help to cause brain damage and dementia in older people, new research suggests. Scientists believe too much calcium can narrow blood vessels in the brain, leading to neural damage. The effect may be compounded by vitamin D, which regulates calcium retention and activity. Researchers made the discovery after scanning the brains of 79 men and 153 women aged up to 86. All had at least a number of brain lesions - areas of tissue damage. But those consuming the most calcium and vitamin...

Watch for yourself Robert Byrd, apparently derranged or impaired, tries to add an Iraq War defunding amendment to a bill regarding prescription medicines. May 3, 2007

The scenario is all too real in South Florida: An Alzheimer's patient wanders away from home and is found by police officers who take him to a local hospital for care. But the patient cannot recall potentially life-threatening conditions like diabetes or heart disease, making a quick assessment difficult at best. To help solve that problem, a Delray Beach company and the Alzheimer's Community Care Association of Palm Beach and Martin Counties Inc. have begun a two-year study to determine whether it's practical to implant tiny computer chips containing medical records in dementia patients. If a patient becomes separated from...

CHICAGO, Illinois, March 1, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a link between vasectomy surgery and a form of dementia that usually strikes men in their 40’s and 50’s. Known as Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), the disease targets the language center of the brain, causing victims to have difficulty remembering and understanding words. People afflicted with PPA lose the ability to talk and understand speech, and gradually deteriorate in other areas of function until they are fully incapacitated. Lead researcher Dr. Sandra Weintraub, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and or neurology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of...

SAN FRANCISCO - A nice cup of the right kind of cocoa could hold the promise of promoting brain function as people age. In an increasingly aging world, medical researchers are seeing more cases of dementia and are looking for ways to make brains work better. One potential source of help may be flavanols, an antioxidant found in cocoa beans that can increase blood flow to the brain, researchers said Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Ian MacDonald of England's University of Nottingham reported on tests given to young women who were...

OTTAWA (Reuters) - People who are fully bilingual and speak both languages every day for most of their lives can delay the onset of dementia by up to four years compared with those who only know one language, Canadian scientists said on Friday. Researchers said the extra effort involved in using more than one language appeared to boost blood supply to the brain and ensure nerve connections remained healthy -- two factors thought to help fight off dementia. "We are pretty dazzled by the results," Professor Ellen Bialystok of Toronto's York University said in a statement.

A substance found in fish oil may be associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias, researchers reported yesterday. The scientists found that people with the highest blood levels of an omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, were about half as likely to develop dementia as those with lower levels. The substance is one of several omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fatty fish and, in small amounts, in some meats. It is also sold in fish oil or DHA supplements. The researchers looked for a reduced risk associated with seven other omega-3 fatty...

Applying a gentle electric current to the brain during sleep can significantly boost memory, researchers report. A small new study showed that half an hour of this brain stimulation improved students? performance at a verbal memory task by about 8%. The approach enhances memory by creating a form of electrical current in the brain seen in deep sleep, the researchers suggest. ... The students? various sleep stages were monitored using an electroencephalogram (EEG) machine. When the students entered a period of light sleep, Born?s team started to apply a gentle current in one-second-long pulses, every second, for about 30 minutes....

     On Monday's Countdown, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann delivered his latest anti-Bush, anti-GOP "Special Comment," this time accusing President Bush and Republicans of committing the "dictionary definition" of terrorism in trying to scare Americans into voting for them, even contending that "the leading terrorist group in this country right now is the Republican Party." Olbermann laid blame for the delayed discovery of the remains of 9/11 victims at the feet of | | More See & Hear the Bias President Bush and Republicans: "And yet you can actually claim that you and you alone can protect us from terrorism? You...

If the Christian base of the GOP gets its way, "All government employees — federal, state and local — would be required to participate in weekly Bible classes in the workplace, as well as compulsory daily prayer sessions." We would all have to carry religious identity cards that "would provide Christocrats with preferential treatment in many areas of life, including home ownership, student loans, employment and education." Non-Christians would be indulged as second-class citizens, "but younger members . . . would be strongly encouraged to formally convert to the dominant evangelical Christianity." Homosexual sex would be illegalized, while "known homosexuals...

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A fee of 25,500 euros ($32,000) is way too much for a woman to charge a man for fondling her bosom, a Finnish district court ruled. The court jailed a couple in their twenties for more than a year for charging a 74-year-old who suffers from dementia a total of 25,500 euros to enjoy the woman's breasts on 10 occasions...

Mr. Murtha has now taken it upon himself to surrender not only for the United States but for Israel as well. He seems not to concern himself either with the nature or the history (www.241.savethesoldiers.com) of our enemies.

I have had the honor of serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee for 43 years, during which I've participated in confirmation hearings for every one of the justices who now sit on the Supreme Court. Over that time, my colleagues and I have asked probing questions and listened attentively to substantive responses. Because we were able to learn a great deal about the nominees from those hearings, the Senate has rarely voted along party lines. I voted, for example, for three of President Ronald Reagan's five Supreme Court nominees... But the careful, bipartisan process of years past -- like so...

A blood product normally used to treat immune disorders and a type of leukemia may also slow or stop mental decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported yesterday at an Alzheimer’s conference in Madrid. The product is called IVIg (pronounced EYE-vig), for intravenous immunoglobulin, also known as gamma globulin. Made from pooled blood plasma, it is a thick soup of antibodies, the proteins made by the immune system to get rid of unwanted substances. It has been used for 30 years for other diseases and is dripped into a vein like a transfusion. But the findings in Alzheimer’s are...

Elizabeth Taylor Has Alzheimer's May 26, 2006 1:45 p.m. EST Christina Ficara - All Headline News Staff Reporter (BANG) - Elizabeth Taylor is reportedly suffering from Alzheimer's disease. According to reports, the Oscar-winning legend - who has been suffering from dementia for several months - has in fact been struck down by thedegenerating illness. A friend told: "Elizabeth is now beingtreated for early stages of Alzheimer's...At this point there is very little that can be done. She confided to her specialists that she finds herself more and more confused." The 74-year-old screen legend, who has survived a brain tumour and...

P-I REPORTER Determining your chances of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease could be as simple as timing your walk, testing the strength of the grip of your dominant hand and checking your balance when standing still. That's what a Seattle-based research team determined during a six-year study of 2,288 people 65 and older. Dr. Eric Larson, director of Group Health's Center for Health Studies, said the study started in 1994 and is ongoing, but the analysis of the first six years was published in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine. When the study began, none of the participants showed signs of...

Dementia off the Menu: Mediterranean diet tied to low Alzheimer's risk Ben Harder People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet are less likely than their peers to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research on elderly Manhattan residents. The study is the first to link brain benefits to a comprehensive dietary pattern rather than to individual foods or nutrients, say the scientists who performed the research. BRAIN FOODS. A diet rich in vegetables, their oils, and certain other menu choices appears to guard against Alzheimer's. Traditional Mediterranean menus are rich in fruits and vegetables, fish, and unsaturated fat. They contain little...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, in increasingly poor health before and since he left office three years ago, has vascular dementia and has moved into a convalescent center near his home, The News & Observer reported Sunday. "He has his good days and his bad days," his wife, Dot Helms, told the newspaper. "He still sees friends. Company is good for him. He is still signing books. But he is not able to conduct any business or make any speeches." The 84-year-old Republican has been slowed by a variety of illnesses, including a bone disorder, prostate cancer...

Even moderate exercise can delay dementia for many older adults, and the frailest may benefit most, according to a new study led by Seattle researchers. In fact, just 15 minutes of exercise — such as walking or swimming — three times a week can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease or other dementia by 30 to 40 percent, the researchers report in one the largest, most definitive studies to date on the relationship between dementia and exercise. "What is striking is that it didn't take much to reduce the risk ... If you don't exercise, you should start. It's never...

ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK -- Older anti-psychotic drugs are no safer and might even be worse for the elderly than newer ones that the government warned about earlier this year - both raise the risk of death, a study suggests. The Food and Drug Administration asked drug makers in April to add warnings to the labels of newer anti-psychotics because studies showed the drugs nearly doubled the risk of death for older patients with dementia. These drugs are widely used to treat the aggressive behavior, delusions and hallucinations sometimes experienced by those with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at Harvard's...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Eating fish at least once a week slows the toll aging takes on the brain, while obesity at midlife doubles the risk of dementia, a pair of studies concluded on Monday. Omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish have been shown to boost brain functioning as well as cutting the risk of stroke, and eating fish regularly appears to protect the brain as people age, the six-year study of Chicago residents said. "The rate of (mental) decline was reduced by 10 percent to 13 percent per year among persons who consumed one or more fish meals per week...

In moments of lucidity, Santiago "Jimmy" Gallegos, 59, talks about his mother, Trinidad, his two daughters, Amy and Crystal, and his birthplace of Delicias, Mexico. Camp Wood nursing home resident Santiago 'Jimmy' Gallegos' suffers from liver and kidney problems, as well as dementia. He also reveals a wicked sense of humor, referring to his home at the Cedar Hills Geriatric Center as "the cuckoo's nest." "He jabbers a lot. Sometimes he has crying spells. Today when I walked in, he said, 'Merry Christmas.' I said, 'Merry Christmas to you, Jimmy,'" said nursing home operator Tamara Scotch, who rents the facility...

The parts of the brain that young, healthy people use when daydreaming are the same areas that fail in people who have Alzheimer's disease, researchers reported on Wednesday in a study that may someday help in preventing or diagnosing the disease. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that the way people use their brains could actually lead to Alzheimer's disease. "It may be the normal cognitive function of the brain that leads to Alzheimer's later in life. This was not a relationship we had even considered," said Randy Buckner, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Washington...

Mars, Incorporated, the privately held U.S. company company that produces M&Ms, Twix, Snickers and other confectionaries is in talks with several large pharmaceutical companies to develop medications based on flavanols -- plant chemicals with health benefits found in cocoa, according to a report from Reuters. Flavonoids are naturally-occurring compounds found in plant-based foods that have been shown to have a number of health-benefiting properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and anti-cancer activity. Cocoa, especially dark chocolate, has high amounts of the flavonoid Epicatechin and has been found to have nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- While a breakthrough for humans could be years away, a new study in mice suggests some memory recovery may be possible in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. "There basically are two prongs and we need to deal with both," said lead researcher Karen Ashe, a University of Minnesota neurologist. "What we're showing is that there are neurons which are affected (by Alzheimer's) but not dead." New research shows a mutant protein named tau is poisoning brain cells, and that blocking its production may allow some of those sick neurons to recover. It worked in demented mice...

June 23, 2005 Look to the Future: Preparing for Baby Boomer Dementia Epidemic INDIANAPOLIS — How can the U.S. health-care system and more specifically, primary care doctors - the physicians from whom older adults receive most of their care - prepare for the huge wave of dementia patients expected to engulf us in 2010, the year the baby boomers begin to reach 65? Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute, Inc. and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research begin to answer this difficult question in a study published in the July issue of the Journal...

New treatments, better detection and knowledge of prevention has doctors and researchers more hopeful than ever before About 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and it is predicted to strike 14 million by 2050 as the population ages. Currently there are treatments available that target the symptoms, but one experimental drug is actually working to slow the underlying disease process. NBC's Mark Mullen reports, and Dr. Giselle Wolf-Klein of the Parker Geriatric Institute shares information on other treatments, early detection and prevention.