"Common antidepressant medications may increase the risk of death in heart patients by as much as 55 percent.":
Researchers say many more studies need to be done. Past studies have found a link between depression and heart disease. Because of that, doctors have increasingly prescribed anti-depressants for heart patients."

InPharm.com - life support for the pharmaceutical industry: "Specialist pharma company Phytopharm says it is confident of finding a partner to develop and market one of its lead products, which could be a breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease. Pre-clinical studies suggest Cogane could actually reverse the effects of Alzheimer's disease, but the company's latest phase II trials have been inconclusive. The trials showed the drug was safe, but patients taking the treatment showed no better outcomes than those taking a placebo. The company says the Alzheimer's patients in the placebo group did not show the deterioration in cognitive function that would normally be expected, thereby possibly concealing any possible benefits of the new drug...."

NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) Issues its Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) on the use of Drugs for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Parkinson's study tries 'neurobiology of music': "Researcher wants to know which beats help patients improve movement...Howard Tomlinson and his wife of 57 years, Joy, recently returned from an 11-day Caribbean cruise, with stops in Panama and Costa Rica.

The Katy couple always have enjoyed dancing, though since the onset of Parkinson's disease about four years ago, Howard Tomlinson's capacity for cutting a rug has been somewhat diminished...."

Key stress protein linked to toxicities responsible for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's:
"Protein Disulphide Isomerase identified as marker for disease, potential drug target/// Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have discovered a mechanistic link between cellular stress caused by free radicals and accumulation of misfolded proteins that lead to nerve cell injury and death in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.... "

Behavioral problems common with Alzheimer's - Unmet needs can lead to agitation and restlessness
"Alzheimer's disease is commonly associated with poor short-term memory, impaired judgment and communication difficulties. While these aspects of the disease are frustrating for the person who is diagnosed and his caregiver, the onset of behavioral symptoms as the illness progresses can present further challenges, especially for the caregiver.

Behavioral symptoms are common as the person progresses into the middle stage of Alzheimer's disease. Agitation, often accompanied by restlessness and fidgeting, is one of the most common symptoms.

Agitation can result from unmet needs. As the person with memory impairment experiences difficulty in communication, including expressing thoughts verbally and processing information, he will begin to have difficulty recognizing and communicating basic needs. Something as simple as asking for a drink of water may be difficult.

If the caregiver does not realize subtle changes from day to day and recognize when more assistance is needed, the person with memory impairment may go for extended periods without basic needs like hydration being met.

Certainly, caregivers do not intentionally ignore these basic needs. Rather, the nuisances of this illness and the changes in their loved ones can happen so gradually that the caregiver misses early warning signs indicating the person needs more help.

When basic needs like hunger, pain and discomfort are overlooked, the person with memory impairment may become restless or fidgety leading to agitation. Caregivers can be proactive by paying close attention to whether their loved ones are able to meet their own needs throughout the day.

For example, hydration is critical on any given day but particularly on hot, summer days in our humid climate. Monitoring the fluid intake of the person with memory impairment is very important since he may not recognize his need for hydration or may not know how to go about getting himself a glass of water.

In addition to basic physical needs that should be assessed to determine why a person may be experiencing agitation, careful consideration of the environmental factors should be taken into account. Lighting, heat index and noise level can all affect a person with memory impairment.

Lighting is an important factor in caring for a person with memory impairment, especially in the middle stages. If a room is poorly lit, shadows and darkness throughout the room can be disturbing and confusing to the person with memory impairment. Allowing natural light to flow into the home during daytime hours and turning on lamps and overhead lights as the sun sets will help the person be less confused and reduce agitation.

The temperature of the home can also aid in reducing the risk of agitation. Keeping the room at a comfortable temperature helps eliminate the chance of the person becoming agitated. If he is too warm and does not know how to communicate his discomfort to his caregiver, he will likely become irritable and agitated.

While many of us carefully consider how we use air-conditioning in our homes as the cost of electricity continues to soar, it is important to weigh the benefits of saving a few more dollars vs. possibly increasing your loved one's agitation if the home is not a comfortable temperature. Turning the temperature too high on the air-conditioning and closing the window shades throughout the home may result in undesirable behavioral symptoms in the person with memory impairment.

A noisy environment can also result in agitation in the person. Because the person is experiencing difficulty processing information, overstimulation may cause increased confusion.

If a caregiver has the radio playing in the kitchen and the television going in the living room, it may be very difficult to get the person with memory impairment to sit down at the dining room table to eat dinner.

Eliminate unnecessary noise in the environment when trying to get the person with memory impairment to focus on a task.

Agitation may happen for reasons not obvious to the caregiver. It may occur as a result of communication or interaction that seemed innocent but caused frustration in the person with memory impairment, which then escalated to the point of agitation.

This can easily happen when a caregiver tries to reason with the person or tries to make him do something he does not want to do or does not understand. The caregiver is innocently trying to "help" the person, but instead causes agitation due to the person's inability to understand logic and reasoning or his inability to understand the verbal communication....."

Press Release: Medical Intelligence announces the expanded distribution of Columba phone-bracelets in France [click for full press release]
" This way, not only will the families of Alzheimer's patients be able to order the Columba phone-bracelets from France Telecom stores, branded as "Handicap Solutions", as originally expected, but they will also have access to the product through any France Telecom or Mobistore agency........The Columba phone-bracelet to prevent disappearance among Alzheimer's patients is a definitive solution to the problems of wandering and straying caused by Alzheimer's disease. Combining "handsfree" portable telephone, GPS positioning system and intelligent alert system that detects any wandering outside of a security zone, the Columba device is able to quickly locate the person who has strayed this pre-defined zone, thereby reducing the risks associated with Alzheimer's patients' wanderings."

Metabolic syndrome raises risk of heart failure

Heart Slowdown Rate Predicts Post-MI Mortality Risk - CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today: "The ability of the heart to slow down is a better predictor of mortality after a heart attack than the current gold standard measure, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), according to researchers here. 'This new measure can detect high-risk patients even if the current gold-standard measure fails,' said Georg Schmidt, M.D., of the Munich University of Technology..... "

Women at greater risk of heart disease than men: "Breast cancer gets more attention, but cardiovascular diseases kill 10 times as many women