Red meat consumption and risk of stroke in Swedish men
Conclusion: The findings from this prospective cohort of men indicate that processed meat consumption is positively associated with risk of stroke. The Cohort of Swedish Men is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01127711.
I just bought a package of bacon today. Then I read this abstract. The perfect definition of a quandary.
Spot the Lesion – MedPage Today Blogs – 27989
While the NEJM Image Challenge is challenging, the blog I’ve linked to is much more informative and educational. Click the first link for the patient pictures and problem description. The second link provides the answer and the physician’s deductive reasoning.
This post is dedicated to the medical student in my life who starts his Neurology block later this year.
The NEJM Resident e-Bulletin is one of the ways I keep up with medical information. While it will not be possible for me to reproduce every email that comes from this service, on occasion I will post topics of interest. Copyright remains vested with the NEJM so don’t try and steal this to make money.
R.C. Petersen
MCI represents an intermediate state of cognitive function between the changes seen in aging and those fulfilling criteria for dementia, often Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
What is the estimated prevalence of MCI?The estimated prevalence of MCI in population-based studies ranges from 10 to 20%. In the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a prospective, population-based study of non-demented persons ages 70 to 89 years at enrollment, the prevalence of amnestic MCI was 11.1% and of nonamnestic MCI, 4.9%.
How can the “worried well” be differentiated from patients with MCI?Neuropsychological testing may be necessary to corroborate a history of decline in cognition, usually memory. At times, the “worried well” can give a convincing history for memory loss, but neuropsychological testing reveals normal performance.
Figure 1. Diagnostic Algorithm for Amnestic and Nonamnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.
A. As compared with the incidence rate for dementia in the general population of 1 to 2% per year, the incidence of dementia in patients with MCI is significantly increased, with an annual rate of 5 to 10% in community-based populations and 10 to 15% in clinic-based populations. The degree of cognitive impairment at presentation is a clinical predictor of progression; those with greater baseline impairment appear more likely to progress more rapidly. The presence of the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele is also predictive of progression rate. Several MRI measures have also been reported to predict a faster rate of progression, including atrophic hippocampi, dilated ventricles, reduced total brain volume, and the presence of white matter hyperintensities.
A. Limited data support the potential benefit of cognitive rehabilitation approaches. Several clinical trials that treated persons with MCI with cholinesterase inhibitors used for AD (donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine) at standard AD treatment doses for 2 to 4 years have shown no significant reduction in the rates of progression to dementia.
Medical News: Olive Oil Protects Against Stroke – in Neurology, Strokes from MedPage Today
Observational study on French people.
I wonder if the researchers controlled for red wine consumption.
Interviews – Clifford Nass | Digital Nation | FRONTLINE | PBS
“It turns out multitaskers are terrible at every aspect of multitasking. They’re terrible at ignoring irrelevant information; they’re terrible at keeping information in their head nicely and neatly organized; and they’re terrible at switching from one task to another.”
This interview is worth reading in its entirety.
Mindfulness Meditation Is Associated With Structural Changes in the Brain [NCCAM Research Results]
Brain images in the meditation group revealed increases in gray matter concentration in the left hippocampus. The hippocampus is an area of the brain involved in learning, memory, and emotional control, and is suspected of playing a role in producing some of the positive effects of meditation. Gray matter also increased in four other brain regions (though not in the insula, a region that has shown changes in other meditation studies) in the meditation group. Responses to the questionnaire indicated improvements in three of the five aspects of mindfulness in the mediators, but not the control group.
The researchers concluded that these findings may represent an underlying brain mechanism associated with mindfulness-based improvements in mental health. Additional studies are needed to determine the associations between specific types of brain change and behavioral mechanisms thought to improve a variety of disorders.
Underwriting Quick Notes:
Memantine seems to improve global clinical status and behavioural symptoms of patients with mild to moderate DLB, and might be an option for treatment of these patients.
Underwriters love stuff like this!
In the business world, it’s a distinct advantage to have a brain that anticipates future demands and negotiates them well. Accurate predictions typically translate to success. Being able to envision future scenarios helps foster strategic planning and resist immediate rewards in favor of longer-term gains. The proactive brain flexibly recombines details from past experiences that, by analogy with your current surroundings, help you make sense of where you are, anticipate what will come next, and successfully navigate the transition.
lifeunderwriter.net 
You must be logged in to post a comment.