Brain Structure Changes Years Before Memory Loss Begins
People who develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease experience brain structure changes years before any signs of memory loss begin, according to a study published in the April 17, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers say these findings may help identify people at risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which leads to Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers performed brain scans and cognitive tests on 136 people over the age of 65 who were considered cognitively normal at the beginning of the five-year study. Participants were then followed annually with neurologic examination and extensive mental status testing. By the end of the study, 23 people had developed MCI, and nine of the 23 went on to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The brain scans of the 23 people with memory loss were then compared to the 113 people who remained cognitively normal.
Male births declining in the U.S. and Japan
Mother Nature has always ensured that male births outnumber female ones, but the gap has been gradually narrowing over the past three decades in the U.S. and Japan, according to a new study.
Researchers suspect the decline in male births can be explained, at least in part, by paternal exposure to environmental toxins, such as certain pesticides, heavy metals, solvents or dioxins—chemical byproducts produced during incineration or the manufacture of other chemicals.
Crohn’s disease has strong genetic link
Scientists have identified a handful of genes that increase the risk of developing Crohn’s disease, confirming that the often debilitating inflammatory bowel disease has a strong genetic component.
U.S. and Canadian researchers scanned the entire genome—all 22,000 genes—of about 6,000 people. Approximately half had Crohn’s disease and half did not, they reported in the medical journal Nature Genetics.
First gene test for diabetes risk now available
The world’s first genetic test to assess the risk of developing type 2 diabetes has been launched by Iceland’s Decode Genetics Inc.
The biotech company, which uses studies of the Icelandic population to find the genetic basis of common diseases, said on Sunday it would charge $500 to test for a genetic variation linked to a twofold risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Red and processed meat linked to breast cancer
Women who eat a lot of meat, particularly red or processed meats, may be more likely to develop breast cancer, according to a large study of British women.
Researchers found that among 35,372 women, between the ages of 35 and 69 years old, who were followed for 8 years, those who ate the largest amount of meat were more likely than non-meat eaters to develop breast cancer before or after menopause.
