CBS News | READ MORE: "Heart disease takes a life every 33 seconds, according to experts. The Early Show took on this issue with its week-long HeartScore series, ending on Friday with a visit from a noted cardiologist, whose life goal is to prevent heart attacks.......[MORE]

READ MORE: "Even though it can save lives threatened by stroke, only a very small percentage of patients are getting a powerful clot-busting drug, a new U.S. survey finds.

Of nearly 2,100 people treated for strokes caused by a blood clot at 15 hospitals in Michigan over a six-month period, just 2 percent received tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), according to a report published in Feb. 14 issue of Neurology.

The fault for the low use of tPA lies partially with hospitals, and partially with patients who wait too long to seek help for their symptoms. To work effectively, tPA must be given within three hours of the start of a stroke."

MRI scan of the lateral surface of a human brain's right and left hemispheres. The red/yellow areas represent brain regions that, in PET scan results averaged over 60 normal older people in a UC Berkeley-led study, predicted cognitive decline. These are the same brain regions that are affected in Alzheimer's disease. The lower the glucose metabolism in these brain regions, the faster the subjects declined on a global cognition test. (Image courtesy Dr. William Jagust/UC Berkeley)
READ MORE: UC Berkeley: "rain scans may detect neurological changes in people who exhibit no outward signs of cognitive decline but who later develop dementia or mental impairment, according to the results of a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.The study, to be published Feb. 8 in the journal Annals of Neurology, provides encouraging evidence that positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could eventually be used to detect preclinical signs of Alzheimer's disease. "Our paper is one of the few to show that it is possible to detect changes in the brains of normal older people who experience subsequent cognitive decline," said Dr. William Jagust, UC Berkeley professor of neuroscience and public health and lead author of the paper. "We don't have enough data, yet, to say that the brain scans can predict Alzheimer's disease. However, the locations of the affected brain regions have been associated in other studies with Alzheimer's, so it's possible that we are picking up early signs of the disease."

BBC NEWS |READ MORE: "It is thought high levels of education may ward off Alzheimer's by helping the brain better tolerate damaging changes.

But the latest study, involving 312 Alzheimer's patients, suggests once accumulated damage reaches a critical level, decline is relatively swift.

The study, by New York's Columbia University, features in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Overall mental agility declined every year among all the patients.

But each additional year of education equated to an additional 0.3% deterioration per year."

The New England Journal of Medicine...READ MORE: "Background: The illness of a spouse can affect the health of a caregiving partner. We examined the association between the hospitalization of a spouse and a partner's risk of death among elderly people......Conclusions Among elderly people hospitalization of a spouse is associated with an increased risk of death, and the effect of the illness of a spouse varies among diagnoses. Such interpersonal health effects have clinical and policy implications for the care of patients and their families."

"Hoping to turn back the clock? Find out if these popular anti-aging strategies have the evidence to back them up: Antioxidants....Hormones....Supplements....Calorie-restricted diets" Anti-aging therapies: Too good to be true? - MayoClinic.com: "The ads sounds too good to be true: All you have to do is take a pill, and you'll suddenly find yourself muscle-bound and full of youthful energy. What those ads don't tell you is you'll also empty out your wallet and possibly harm your body using an unproven therapy.

The aging process isn't fully understood and scientists have yet to find a 'magic bullet' that can reverse the effects of aging. To help you sort out the science from the hype, find out what evidence-if any - there is backing these anti-aging therapies....PLUS: What you can do to live a long and healthy life...MORE"

USATODAY.com - READ MOREt: "Taking estrogen does not reduce postmenopausal women's risk of a non-fatal heart attack or dying from coronary heart disease, although some data suggest it might protect women in their 50s, according to the final report on the subject from a landmark study....."

CBS ...READ MORE: "Finding The Cause Of Alzheimer's Disease Has Been A Challenge For Researchers.But Two New Studies Could Provide Some Answers.Doctors Think A Major Culprit Of Alzheimer's Is Plaque Which Builds Up In The Brain.And A New Study Shows.. People Who've Battled Major Depression In Their Lives.. Are More Likely To Have The Plaque Dr. Michael Rapp/Mt. Sinai School Of Medicine'We Specifically Looked At The Hippocampus Because It's The Area Of The Brain That We Know Consolidates And Forms Memories.....'"

READ MORE: "Why proffer roses or chocolate when you can serve up the perfect face for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day?As the traditional lovers' day approached in China, plastic surgery clinics in trend-setting Shanghai reported a huge rise in business.'We've had a 50 percent customer increase over the Valentine's season,' said Pan Jianjian, director of marketing at Shanghai ConBio Plastic and Laser Surgery Hospital, one of the largest cosmetic surgery centres in the city....."

READ MORE| Reuters.com: "Women with heart attack symptoms take far longer to get to the hospital than men do, according to a study in Ireland.Men, meanwhile, are more likely than women to make the dangerous choice of driving themselves to the emergency room, researchers found.The study, according to the authors, suggests that all adults -- but especially women -- need to be educated on the proper response to heart attack symptoms.The findings are published in the February issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing......"

READ MORE: "I've had epidurals in my back. I've had epidurals in my neck...I just want the pain to go away. Adams is one of 23 women and men enrolled in an eight-week exercise program designed for people with arthritis. .....t."

CBS NEWS...READ MORE: "
A red-faced auction house was forced to withdraw a letter it believed was written and signed by the late President Ronald Reagan while he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease after it discovered it was a forgery. "