CNN VIDEO - Rats partially overcome paralysis in stem cell study :
"Paralyzed rats partially regained the use of a previously immobile hind leg in a study in which scientists injected the rodents with stem cells from mouse embryos, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Results of the study were published this week in the journal Annals of Neurology.

Before the research began, the rats were given a virus that caused a neurodegenerative disease, paralyzing them. In the study, 11 of the 15 rats made a partial, but significant, recovery from paralysis, researchers said. The rats recovered enough muscle strength to bear weight and walk on the previously paralyzed hind leg...."

Report: Alzheimer's may affect younger age group
"Alzheimer's disease and dementia may afflict about a half-million Americans ages 55 to 64, said a report that challenges the widely held view that the conditions affect only elderly patients.

The finding points to a need for better diagnosis and treatment options for people in this age group, said the Alzheimer's Association, a Chicago-based research and advocacy group that prepared the report. The report found that 480,000 people from age 55 to 64 had cognitive impairments severe enough to be considered disabling.

Many people are still working when symptoms first emerge, the report said. Others leave the work force before cognitive problems surface, and then can't get private insurance or government health programs to cover the cost of treatment.
For younger people with dementia, 'it starts with cognitive impairment, then decreased performance on the job, then loss of the job, loss of income and then, later, a diagnosis,' said Stephen McConnell, vice president of advocacy and public policy for the Alzheimer's Association. It is a 'tragic sequence of events,' he said....

The disease, which starts with memory problems and ends with severe brain damage and death, affects about 5 percent of Americans from age 65 to 74, and half those 85 and older, according to the NIA.

Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's is difficult because patients, as well as their employers or families, can mistakenly attribute symptoms the normal absent-mindedness that comes with aging, said Dr. John H. Morrison, chairman of the department of neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York."

Screening Mammography Rates Overestimated for Older Women
- CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today
"Women in their Medicare years may claim to have regular screening mammograms but many aren't as good as their word, a study has found.

Overall, older women are significantly less likely to have regular mammograms than self-reported surveys suggest, according to a report in the June American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Widely cited self-reported data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the National Health Interview Study (NHIS) suggest levels as high as 70% to 80% for biennial screening of women ages 65 to 69, with no substantial difference in race or ethnicity. However, Medicare data tell a different story, found Rebecca Smith-Bindman, M.D., and colleagues at the University of California here and at Harvard Medical School...."

Cutting calories may help to prevent Alzheimer's

"First Ever Disease-Modifying Drugs Will Account for Nearly 60% of Market to Treat Alzheimer's Disease In 2015":

Regular Exercise May Delay Alzheimer's
a by as much as 30 percent to 40 percent, a new study reveals. Even better, the findings applies to everyone in their later years, not just those already in great physical shape.......