You have likely heard the advice encouraging you to keep your brain active by doing crossword puzzles, going to museums, learning new languages, etc. to help ward off Alzheimer’s disease. However, even a person who is extremely mentally active throughout his or her life can still develop dementia. A new study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center may shed some light on this dilemma.
The study found that mentally stimulating activities may, at first, slow cognitive decline. However, once patients are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, those who had a more mentally active lifestyle experienced a faster rate of decline than those who were less mentally active.
According to lead author, neuropsychologist Robert S. Wilson, PhD, mentally stimulating activities may somehow enhance the brain’s ability to function relatively normal despite the buildup of lesions in the brain associated with dementia. However, the benefits from brain exercises may be of no help after the pathologic burden exceeds some threshold.
“So we think by the time that cognitively active people begin to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, they actually have more pathology in their brains than do affected people who were less cognitively active. As a result, they decline faster. That is, the benefit of delaying the initial appearance of symptoms comes at the cost of more rapid dementia progression,” said Wilson.
Wilson advice hasn’t changed. He still urges you to keep your brain active.
“Mental activities compress the time period that a person spends with dementia, delaying its start and then speeding up its progress. This reduces the overall amount of time that a person may suffer from dementia. And that’s a good thing,” he said.
The study is published in the September 1 online issue of the journal Neurology.
Construction has begun on the Edward A. Brennan Entry Pavilion, a dramatic three-story, sun-drenched entranceway linking the new hospital building that is under construction at Rush with its existing hospital facilities. When completed, the pavilion will be Rush’s new “front door.”
It will be located on West Harrison Street, with the new hospital building that will open in 2012 to the east and the existing Atrium hospital building to the west. The project is a component of the Rush Transformation, the most comprehensive campus renovation project in the medical center’s 170-year history.
The pavilion is named in honor of Edward A. Brennan, chairman of Rush’s Board of Trustees for nearly ten years until his death in 2007. During his tenure as chairman, Brennan spearheaded the vision for the Rush Transformation. The construction of the pavilion is funded solely by philanthropic gifts from friends, family and business associates of Brennan, including members of the Rush Board of Trustees. Through their generosity, $11.4 million of the $15 million project cost has already been committed.
The structure embraces Rush’s spirit of innovation, with a design that is at once highly contemporary, yet welcoming and accessible.
The centerpiece is a three-story, four-season terrarium, which is open at the top and encased in a display that pays tribute to those who have made Rush an extraordinary place of healing.
In the first study of its kind, neurointerventionalists at Rush University Medical Center, are examining whether hormone changes explain why brain aneurysms are more frequently found in menopausal women.
While the research is in its early stages, doctors at Rush say the findings may be significant. Study results suggest that oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may yield additional benefit of protecting against the formation and rupture of brain aneurysms in women.
By understanding the potential link between low levels of estrogen and aneurysms, we can focus our areas of study with the hope of providing women who are at risk for brain aneurysms with preventative therapies,” said Dr. Michael Chen, study lead investigator and neurointerventionalist at Rush.
Hip problems can sideline even the best athletes, but a new study led by orthopedic experts from Rush University Medical Center indicates that the use of minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery to treat painful disorders of the hip may give athletes who undergo the procedure another opportunity to resume their sport back at their pre-injury level of competition.
The researchers at Rush determined that 78 percent of athletes suffering from hip labral tear caused by internal ball and socket joint damage to the hip also known as hip femoral acetabular impingement (FAI) were able to return to their sport within an average of a little more than nine months following a hip arthroscopy. Also, 90 percent of the athletes were capable of competing at the same level as they had prior to their initial hip impairment.
Arthroscopic hip surgery is an outpatient procedure that can decrease soft tissue trauma and decrease blood loss, leading to a faster recovery period compared to a more invasive open surgery,” said study lead investigator Dr. Shane Nho, who is a sports medicine and hip arthroscopy expert at Rush University Medical Center and co-head of the Hip Study Group at Rush University.
The study looked at arthroscopic surgical outcomes of 47 high-level, college and professional as well as high school varsity athletes in a wide range of sports including ice hockey, soccer, baseball, swimming, lacrosse, field hockey, football, running, tennis, horseback riding and crew. The average age of patients involved in the study was 23. All patients underwent arthroscopic surgery and were tracked for an average of 16 months to assess their ability to return to a high-level of competitive sport.
Hip arthroscopy is a less invasive outpatient procedure compared to traditional open hip surgery. It is performed by an orthopedic surgeon who makes small incisions about one centimeter each that permits the insertion of a tiny camera in order to visualize the inside of a joint. Small surgical instruments are then used through the incisions to make the repairs.
A study just released today in the New England Journal of Medicine reported remarkable progress with a drug that at this point has no name, only an ID: PLX4032. The oral drug targets a mutated form of the BRAF gene, which is found in many melanomas, aggressive skin cancers that currently have no effective treatment. The study found that in 81 percent of 32 patients with a BRAF mutation, treatment with PLX4032 caused complete or partial regression.
Dr. Howard Kaufman, who heads the cancer program at Rush and leads a nationwide clinical trial of a vaccine for melanomas, was impressed with the results of the study.
The use of a molecularly targeted drug in patients with known mutations in the BRAF gene marks a major triumph in developing rational and effective treatments for patients with melanoma. Although the treatment is still in early development, the paper published today in the New England Journal of Medicine provides strong evidence that targeting individual genetic mutations in patients can be expected to have a significant impact on the course of the disease. Further studies are needed to better define the full extent of the benefit, but clearly personalized medicine for melanoma is at hand.”
Student athletes are back on the playing field practicing for fall sports, even though the temperature is up in the 90s. Physical exertion in these high temperatures can be very dangerous according to Dr. Bernard Bach, director of Sports Medicine at Rush. Heat stroke, a severe form of heat-related illness, is one of the three leading causes of death in athletes.
“Heat illness is largely preventable. Players, coaches and parents need to be aware of the impact of high temperatures on athletes,” said Bach.
Follow these tips from the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Stop Sports Injury campaign:
Be on the look-out for symptoms of heat illness, which include chills, dark colored urine, dizziness, dry mouth, headaches, thirst and weakness. More serious symptoms, which may be signs of heat stroke, include difficulty breathing, increasing body temperature, muscle cramps, nausea and tingling of the limbs.
When you see any signs of heat illness or heat stroke, call for immediate medical assistance while you begin cooling the person at risk. Get the athlete to a shaded area and provide cool beverages. If it is heat stroke, cool the athlete with water.
Prevent heat illness by staying properly hydrated; wearing appropriate light colored, loose fitting clothing; monitoring the intensity of physical activity; and preparing for the heat with proper training.
It is the worst mosquito outbreak in 20 years, and the city and surrounding suburbs are stepping up their efforts against West Nile, a disease carried by some mosquitoes.
With the start of the season for West Nile, neurological and infectious disease experts at Rush University Medical Center are testing a new drug therapy for the treatment of individuals with West Nile fever or suspected central nervous system infection due to the West Nile virus.
Rush is the only site in the Midwest enrolling patients into the $50 million dollar, NIH-funded, Phase II clinical trial called PARADIGM.
The new drug treatment for West Nile virus that is being tested, also known as MGAWN1, is a humanized monoclonal antibody, which is a drug engineered to help the body seek and destroy the virus. During the randomized, double-blind study, patients with the signs and symptoms of West Nile virus will receive either a single infusion of MGAWN1 or a placebo.
Currently, there are no approved treatments for people with severe West Nile virus infection and there is no standard of care that is highly effective against it,” said Dr. Russell Bartt, neurologist and lead site investigator of the study at Rush.
Patients with the disease are hospitalized and receive supportive care.
This new drug therapy has the potential of neutralizing the virus and could possibly reduce or prevent complications associated with the West Nile neuroinvasive disease.
This could represent a significant advancement for patients with West Nile.
The monoclonal antibody latches on to the West Nile virus in order for the body’s immune system to recognize and eliminate it. The treatment will hopefully reduce the severity and also shorten the length of the disease.
A new study in the current issue of JAMA, just released today, reports one in five adolescents now has hearing loss, a rise of about 30 percent since 1988-1994.
While the study does not explain why, and many diseases and conditions can cause hearing loss, Dr. Mark Wiet, chief of otology, neurotology and lateral skull base surgery at Rush, suspects the reason for the increase is exposure to loud noise.
“I’m not surprised by the increase,” he said. “Loud noise exposure can damage tiny hair cells in the inner ear, resulting in what is called sensory hearing loss. Although there have been great gains in the field of hair cell regeneration in animal models, currently there is no clinically applicable medication to correct the problem.”
“Unfortunately, once the damage is done, it’s too late. There are surgically implantable devices to correct hearing loss, but these are indicated only for patients who do not benefit from hearing aids.”
Dr. Wiet applauds the study’s release. “Hopefully, studies like this will raise public awareness about the problem.”
Nurses, doctors, patients and patient families from Rush University Medical Center will hop on their bikes and join the Chicago Blood Cancer Foundation’s “Out for Blood” team on Sunday, September 12, 2010, at the North Shore Century. Their mission: raise money and awareness to cure lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma.
Riders may ride one mile or choose from a variety of well-mapped and well-marked rides appropriate for biking enthusiasts of all ages and abilities up to the Century Classic (100-mile ride from Evanston to Kenosha). This year is the 26th annual North Shore Century and the event is known for its incredibly scenic biking and first-rate accommodations, including food and beverages, bike mechanics at all rest shops and the stop and start lines, SAG wagons along the routes, road monitors and live music.
“Chicago is leading the way to curing blood cancer” said Scott Seaman a co-founder of Chicago Blood Cancer Foundation. “We have made important progress, but there is much more to do. Awareness and funding research are the long-term survival weapons in the fight against these indiscriminant, but under-publicized killers.”
Chicago Blood Cancer Foundation is organized so that donations will have the maximum impact on curing blood cancer. The foundation partners with Rush University Medical Center, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and Children’s Memorial Hospital.
“Curing blood cancer requires the efforts of patients as well as clinicians and researchers,” says Dr. Stephanie A. Gregory, director of the Section of Hematology at Rush. “Having major research institutions working together and sharing information accelerates the pace of vital research and better treatment options. The Chicago Blood Cancer Foundation and the partnership among the area’s medical institutions are both unique and important,” she added.
Chicago Blood Cancer Foundation encourages non-riders to form “Virtual Vampire” Teams on-line, raise money, and qualify for incentive prizes. For more information and to register to participate on the “Out for Blood” Team or “Virtual Vampire” Team, please call (888) 792-9992 or visit www.chicagobloodcancer.org. Online donation and registration is available at outforblood.kintera.org. To sign up for the Rush team click “Join a Team” and select Rush Riders.
Bariatric surgery appears to be associated with reduced use of medications and lower health care costs among patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that of patients who were taking at least one diabetes medication before bariatric surgery, within six months nearly 75% had eliminated their diabetes medication and within two years 84.5 percent were no longer taking diabetes medications.
Dr. Jonathan Myers, a bariatric surgeon at Rush University Medical Center, says this study reinforces that bariatric surgery can improve lifestyle.
We have known for some time that bariatric surgery is one of the most effective means of improving or eliminating comorbidities in the morbidly obese population. This study reinforces the fact that, even with modest weight loss, diabetics can decrease or eliminate their medication needs after surgery. This results in health benefits for patients and heath care financial savings as well,” said Myers.
According to the researchers, independence from diabetes medication was almost immediate within months of surgery and did not correlate with the gradual weight loss expected.
“This supports the theory that the resolution of diabetes is not due to weight loss alone but is also mediated by gastric hormones,” the authors write.
The study also found that total annual health care costs increased by 9.7 percent the year following the procedure, but decreased by 34.2 percent in year two and by 70.5 percent in year three.
For more information on bariatric surgery at Rush, visit the Bariatric Surgery page on www.rush.edu.
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RT @KristanCole: At Rush Hospital meeting w/the best ortho hip trauma doc in U.S. Dr Virkus-he is putting humpty dumpty back together again 9 hours ago
Rush is a private, nonprofit health care, education and research organization comprising Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Health Associates.
You have likely heard the advice encouraging you to keep your brain active by doing crossword puzzles, going to museums, learning new languages, etc. to help ward off Alzheimer’s disease. However, even a person who is extremely mentally active throughout his or her life can still develop dementia. A new study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center may shed some light on this dilemma.
