Advanced dementia should be treated as terminal illness: StudyOctober 15th, 2009 LONDON - A new study has suggested that late-stage dementia should be considered as a terminal illness. "Dementia is a terminal illness.
Air pollution could trigger appendicitisOctober 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Air pollution may trigger appendicitis in adults, says a new study published in Canadian Medical Association Journal. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Calgary, University of Toronto and Health Canada, looked at 5191 adults admitted to hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
How pedestrians can reduce intake of traffic pollutionOctober 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research suggests that pedestrians walking in a heavy traffic zone can avoid the pollution by simply moving a little away. Professor of Environmental Modelling Alison Tomlin from Leeds' Faculty of Engineering who led the research claims that air pollution levels change dramatically within small geographical areas due to many factors.
Include dementia in India's national health programme: ExpertsSeptember 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Medical experts have demanded the inclusion of dementia in India's national health programme as the country has the world's second largest elderly population, of which 3 million suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Members of Alzheimer's and Related Disorder's Society of India (ARDSI), an NGO working to provide care and spread awareness about the disease, will also meet President Pratibha Patil later Tuesday and demand support for framing a national dementia strategy for India.
Alzheimer's is major threat, warns reportSeptember 22nd, 2009 TORONTO - Alzheimer's disease is on the rise worldwide, warns a new report that says dementia cases will double every 20 years to reach 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050. More than 35 million people worldwide will have dementia in 2010, says the report by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI).
South Asian dementia sufferers to rise by 107 percent in 20 yearsSeptember 21st, 2009 LONDON - The number of people living with dementia will nearly double in the next 20 years across the world, rising by as much as 107 percent in South Asia, researchers warned Monday. Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London said that by next year there will be 35 million people globally with dementia.
Report finds Alzheimer's, dementia afflict more than 35 million worldwide and rising rapidlySeptember 20th, 2009 Report: 35 million-plus worldwide have dementiaWASHINGTON — More than 35 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, says the most in-depth attempt yet to assess the brain-destroying illness — and it's an ominous forecast as the population grays. The new count is about 10 percent higher than what scientists had predicted just a few years ago, because earlier research underestimated Alzheimer's growing impact in developing countries.
Difficulties in performing daily activities linked to dementiaSeptember 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - People with mild cognitive impairment, who have problems in performing routine activities, are likely to progress quickly to dementia, suggests a new study. Mild cognitive impairment is recognized as a risk factor for dementia.
Raipur: home to polluting units, respiratory patientsSeptember 14th, 2009 RAIPUR - Thousands of people in and around the Chhattisgarh capital are believed to be suffering from respiratory problems because of polluting industrial units on this city's outskirts, and residents allege the government is turning a blind eye to it. Some 145 units based within a 20-km radius around Raipur have been identified as being "red category" industries because of their high pollution levels.
Swine flu surge: Karnataka blames pollution, IT employeesSeptember 12th, 2009 BANGALORE - With the H1N1 virus claiming 53 lives in Karnataka, the state authorities are blaming frequently travelling IT professionals and pollution in cities like Bangalore for the surge in swine flu cases. "We are trying our best to control it.
War talks can boost older adults' mental healthSeptember 11th, 2009 LONDON - Encouraging elderly to talk about old times can actually improve their memory and limit effects of dementia, finds a new study. The research team led by Professor Catherine Haslam, at the University of Exeter, showed that 'reminiscence therapy' can significantly increase cognitive recall and agility of the mind by up to 12 per cent within six weeks.
Indoor plants can reduce toxic ozone levels in offices, homesSeptember 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Potted plants in the house can make indoor air healthier by cutting down ozone levels, according to a new study. Ozone, the main component of air pollution, also known as smog, is a highly reactive, colorless gas formed when oxygen reacts with other chemicals.
Brain training's efficacy in preventing dementia being tested in UKSeptember 7th, 2009 LONDON - British people would be put on test to see if brain-training can help to prevent diseases like Alzheimer's. The Alzheimer's Society and the BBC are running Brain Test Britain to assess whether mind-training-such as with hand-held computers-can really help ward off dementia.
China stresses prevention of heavy metal pollution after child lead poisoning casesSeptember 3rd, 2009 China stresses prevention of heavy metal pollutionBEIJING — China needs to work harder to fight heavy metal pollution following the recent discovery of clusters of severe lead poisoning involving hundreds of children, the country's environment minister said Thursday. More than 1,300 children in central Hunan province, 200 in Yunnan province and at least 615 in northern Shaanxi province tested positive for lead poisoning in the last month.
Patients infected with particular HIV subtype more likely to develop dementiaAugust 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Johns Hopkins researchers have found that infections with a particular subtype of HIV increase people's likelihood of developing dementia, compared to infections with other subtypes. Writing about their findings in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, the researchers claimed that theirs is the first study to have shown that the specific type of HIV has any effect on cognitive impairment, one of the most common complications of uncontrolled HIV infection.
