Slashing research money won't help, may hurt.
Times are tough ... belts must be tightened ... everyone should sacrifice. These are the messages Congress conveys as it debates the next year's federal budget. But indiscriminate across-the-board cuts harm areas that promote the general welfare and help stimulate the nation's economy. Biomedical research is one...

Buy organic: (some restrictions and limitations apply): organic food is healthier and environmentally friendly--and rarely found in Chicago's black neighborhoods.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On a one-acre vegetable farm in Chicago, a bearded, 6 foot, 3 inch-tall black man squats before a bed of green, leafy radishes. Unlike most produce, these have been grown without toxic chemicals. As he reaches into the dense foliage to harvest them,...

High, low hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] levels may boost dementia risk.
CHICAGO -- Excessively high and extremely low levels of glycosylated hemoglobin were associated with an increased risk for dementia in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes, according to the findings of a cohort study involving more than 22,000 patients. Dr. Rachel Whitmer surveyed a cohort of 22,852...

Metabolic syndrome may hasten 'neuroaging'.
CHICAGO -- Older people with metabolic syndrome are significantly more likely to experience depression and deficits in cognition and function as they age than are their healthier peers. The presence of metabolic sydrome explained up to 34% of the age-related declines that Dr. Matheus Roriz-Cruz observed in...

Breaking the barrier: a technique combining ultrasound pulses with microbubbles may help scientists move therapeutic drugs across the brain's protective divide.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A blog entry on the Sussex Amateur Brain Surgery Club's website boasts that "these days, brain surgery is very much the preserve of professional surgeons, but we at the Amateur Brain Surgery Club believe that anyone can do it, with a few basic tools and...

The phytoestrogenic isoflavones from Trifolium pratense L. (Red clover) protects human cortical neurons from glutamate toxicity.
Abstract The endogenous steroid estrogen has been shown to affect neuronal growth, differentiation and survival. Genistein, daidzein and other isoflavones have been shown to mimic the pharmacological actions of the gonadal steroid estrogen with which they have structural similarities. Several studies have looked at the effect of...

Dr. Robert Butler Elected to the BioTime Board.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY CLOSE-UP-9 August 2008-Dr. Robert Butler Elected to the BioTime Board(C)2008 - CloseUpMedia - newsdesk@closeupmedia.com BioTime announced that Robert N. Butler, M.D., has been elected to BioTime's Board of Directors. Dr. Butler is the founder, Chief Executive Officer, and President of the International...

Potential Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Discovered in Wales, UK.
Cardiff University Researchers Find Antibody That Could Block Disease CARDIFF, Wales, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- An antibody with the potential to block production of the brain chemical linked to Alzheimer's disease has been developed by researchers at Cardiff University in Wales, UK. The research is published today...

Alzheimer's Disease Discovered 100 Years Ago, November 4th.
CHICAGO, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease was discovered 100 years ago on Saturday, November 4, 2006. Currently 4.5 million people in America have Alzheimer's and that figure is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. On November...

BMI link to Alzheimer's disease.
A persistent decrease in body mass index (BMI) over time appears to be a strong clinical indicator for Alzheimer's disease. The findings are the first to link a declining BMI with the eventual onset of the disease. The research conducted at the Rush University Medical Center in...