Thursday, July 31, 2008

Diverse Approaches to Alzheimer's Therapies Continue to Show Progress at ICAD

A lot of good and encouraging news continues to come out of this week's Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2008.
--18-Month Data from an Extension of a Pivotal Trial of Dimebon in Alzheimer's
--First U.S. Double-Blind Phase II Clinical Trial of IVIg (Immunotherapy) in Alzheimer's
--Phase II Immunotherapy Trial with LY2062430 in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's
--Antidementia Drugs Contribute to Longer Life in People with Alzheimer's
Read More......
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Abnormal Thyroid Levels Can Increase Risk For Alzheimer’s Disease in Women

A year or so ago I first read about hyperthyroidism and its connection to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. I asked our doctor to check my mother. He termed the results as suspicious and prescribed a drug for her thyroid. After about two months my mother started smiling more and laughing. Was it the drug? I'll never know for certain. Buy, my belief is it does help. If you have a loved one suffering from an early stage of Alzheimer's or dementia I suggest you get the thyroid checked.
clipped from www.healthnews.com

Thyroid disease, resulting from either low or high thyrotropin levels, has been found to be associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in women only. Thyrotropin is a hormone that affects thyroid gland function and thyroid hormone levels. When a patient has low levels of the hormone, the condition is known as hypothyroidism, while a patient having high levels is referred to as having hyperthyroidism.

Both conditions are recognized causes of reversible dementia based on previous studies. In fact, routine screening of serum thyrotropin levels is included in evaluation of patients with suspected dementia. However, the effects of a normally functioning thyroid gland on the brain's cognitive abilities have not been made clear. It is not known whether thyroid function affects Alzheimer's or if it is Alzheimer's that affects thyroid function.

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Monday, July 28, 2008

Alzheimer's Reading Room: PBS Presents The Future of Alzheimer's

PBS will present a special evening of programming focused on Alzheimer's disease on Sunday, August 3 starting at 9 p.m.

The programming starts with a national encore broadcast of the Emmy-Award-winning THE FORGETTING: A Portrait of Alzheimer's, followed by a new half-hour discussion, The Future of Alzheimer's, moderated by actor and Alzheimer's champion David Hyde Pierce.




New Research Shows That People With Better Physical Fitness Have Less Brain Atrophy in Alzheimer's

I have been writing about Alzheimer's and exercise on the Alzheimer's Reading Room blog for years. I believe that exercise is a key component in fighting off the devastating effects of Alzheimer's on my mother--now 92 years old.

Exercising in a gym also gives my mother an added boost by keeping her socialized. Most days my mother goes kicking and screaming to the gym. On the way out she has a smile on her face, better balance while walking, and I feel like we are fighting the good fight.

I should mention that I am also getting some obvious benefits. If you are predisposed to Alzheimer's by birth you really need to incorporate Alzheimer's into your daily return.
clipped from www.alz.org
People with early Alzheimer’s disease who had better fitness ratings had less atrophy in key brain areas associated with memory, according to research reported today at the 2008 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD 2008) in Chicago.

This is the first time that MRI brain imaging has been used to demonstrate the connection between cardiorespiratory fitness and Alzheimer’s-related brain changes in the hippocampus, an area of the brain important for memory and spatial navigation. In Alzheimer's, the hippocampus is one of the first regions of the brain to suffer damage.

"We found that, in early-stage Alzheimer’s, cardiorespiratory fitness is correlated with regional brain volumes in key areas affected by the disease," said Honea. "This suggests that maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness may positively modify Alzheimer’s-related brain atrophy."

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Another Disappointing Year for Alzheimer’s Drugs

You can check out what is going on by following the links in the clip.

We can only hope and pray for a breakthrough.
clipped from blogs.wsj.com
Last month, Myriad Genetics said its late-stage trial of its experimental drug Flurizan failed to show any benefit for Alzheimer’s patients.
The results of the Flurizan study will be unpacked this week at a big annual Alzheimer’s conference,
as researchers look at what’s next in the field, the Los Angeles Times reports this morning.
Eli Lilly is running a late-stage trial of its drug LY450139, which is supposed to block the production of gamma secretase
Elan and Wyeth are in the midst of late-stage study of bapineuzumab, an antibody-based drug that’s supposed to clear plaques from the brain.
Results from the big test are expected in 2010. But the drug has generated some excitement among investors, even though preliminary results of a mid-stage study didn’t shoot the lights out. More details on those results are scheduled to be released tomorrow.
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Secondary Sources: Myths, Infrastructure Stimulus, Modest Proposal

clipped from blogs.wsj.com
Cherished Myths: Paul De Grauwe of the Financial Times looks at how the current financial crisis has exploded some cherished myths.
Infrastructure Stimulus: On his Economist’s View blog, Mark Thoma extends a debate over using stimulus for infrastructure spending.
Modest Proposal: The Macro Man blog presents a modest proposal for fixing the U.S. financial crisis: sell off the states to foreign governments.
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The New Financial Rally — Is It Real?

I caught this at MarketBeat. Gives a sense of what is going on out there. Read more by following the link.
clipped from blogs.wsj.com
The catalyst in Wednesday’s action appears to be word that President Bush will sign Congress’s housing bill, which solidifies support for the mortgage guarantors
that, though, other major banks are gaining ground, including Wachovia Corp., which is up 6.2% after a 29% gain Tuesday on the back of a quarterly report which detailed major losses at the Charlotte-based firm.
bkx_art_200_20080723114106.jpg
The banking stocks have put together a nice rally. In context, it seems mild.

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange/KBW Bank Index was lately up 1% and has gained 41% in six sessions. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision to crack down on “naked” short-selling has contributed to the improvement, as have better-than-expected-but-still-sorta-lousy earnings from banks includingCitigroup Inc., Wachovia and Washington Mutual Inc.

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Monday, July 21, 2008

Obama's paid staff dwarfing McCain's

clipped from www.boston.com

Behind the headlines about the unprecedented success of Democrat Barack Obama's fund-raising machine lies a more prosaic truth - his campaign will need every penny of its $300 million goal to bankroll an unprecedented 50-state general election campaign with a massive army on the ground.

His campaign already has by far the largest full-time paid staff in presidential campaign history, and unlike Republican rival John McCain's, continues to grow by the day.

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Friday, July 18, 2008

Which "eye-catching" word or phrase is NOT found in managing editor Allen Wastler's Two-Way Street blog post of July 8?

CNBC Bonus Bucks Answer--Two Way Street

Squawk on the Street

Which "eye-catching" word or phrase is NOT found in managing editor Allen Wastler's Two-Way Street blog post of July 8?
Answer: "perp walk"

Eye-Catching Words and Earnings Season

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

Gore pitches 10-year shift to clean energy

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com
Just as John F. Kennedy set his sights on the moon, Al Gore is challenging the nation to produce every kilowatt of electricity through wind, sun and other climate-friendly energy sources within 10 years, an audacious goal he hopes the next president will embrace.
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In the post, "Crazy Money: Wells Fargo Options Rocket," Matt Nesto reported that the August $27.50 call contract gained:

Get the Answers

In the post, "Crazy Money: Wells Fargo Options Rocket," Matt Nesto reported that the August $27.50 call contract gained:

Stagflation fears; High oil prices help U.S. foes

clipped from blogs.usatoday.com

Good morning. It's Thursday.

The Washington Post
describes mounting concerns about "stagflation" while The New York Times reports that oil prices fell yesterday because of "concerns about a slowing economy and rising inflation."

“The U.S. economy is becoming weaker and is unable to sustain oil consumption at these prices,” James Crandell, a commodity analyst, tells the Times. “But it is still too early to call this a tipping point because of some major risks we might face this summer, like hurricanes or geopolitical events.”

Thanks to high oil prices, the Los Angeles Times says the economic climate is a lot more favorable "in countries whose leaders are most hostile to the United States: Venezuela's populist President Hugo Chavez, Iran's stringent Islamic rulers and Russia's growing autocracy."

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

eb Video Hunt: In Monday's CNBC.com video, "Commodities Explosion", which precious-metals play was John Roque's pick?


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The Call
Web Video Hunt: In Monday's CNBC.com video, "Commodities Explosion", which precious-metals play was John Roque's pick?
Answer: GoldCorp.







Was Jimmy Carter an energy prophet?

As I listen to President Bush suggesting that Americans turn down their thermostat and use less gasoline I have to ask myself, Was Jimmy Carter a prophet??

Most people don't know it but Jimmy Carter wanted to set a goal of obtaining 20 percent of our energy from solar power by the year 2000.
clipped from www.ajc.com

Can we now acknowledge that Jimmy Carter was right all those years ago?

Americans, who hate to be told they must change, roundly condemned Carter's memorable "Crisis of Confidence" speech of July 15, 1979. In it, Carter outlined a program for achieving energy independence: "On the battlefield of energy we can win for our nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny."

He was right in seeking to raise the fleet auto mileage standard to 48 miles per gallon by 1995. (Even U.S. automakers admitted at the time that they could easily achieve 30 mpg by 1985.)

Carter was right in exhorting Americans to turn down their thermostats, even if he did look nerdy in a cardigan while urging us to do so.

In his July 1979 speech, he was right when he said, "I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 —- never." That worthy goal quickly went by the board.

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Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Sex gets better with age, study says

It will be a while before I can comment first hand on this one. It is interesting. I wonder if I will have to move to Sweden?
clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com

70-year-olds said they get it on now more than they did 30 years ago

More 70-year-olds are having good sex more often, Swedish researchers said on Tuesday in a finding bound to bring a smile to many an aging baby boomer.

They found 70-year-olds of both sexes are having more sex than they did 30 years ago, and many more women report being satisfied with their sex lives.

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CNBC Stock Blog: On Monday, hospitality analyst Jake Fuller panned which casino stock?

CNBC Stock Blog: On Monday, hospitality analyst Jake Fuller panned which casino stock?

EF Hutton: Final CNBC Bonus Bucks Answers for Tuesday, July 8, 2008

What I Wish I’d Done Differently

Been there, done that. An excellent article worth reading and passing along to friend.

I found out that one of the most important decision that can ever be made is the selection of an excellent personal physician. Are they still updating their education? This is one question I would ask. And the first thing I would recommend is asking question.

I would suggest adding the New Old Age to your reader. Click the link in the clip to do it.

Looking back on the last few years of my mother’s life, with 20/20 hindsight and the belated knowledge that came from four years of reporting about aging for The New York Times, my single biggest mistake was not finding a doctor with expertise in geriatrics to quarterback her care and attend to the quality of her life, not merely its length.

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In Fast Money's July 3 post, "Our Favorite Inflation Trades", what was Guy Adami's play?

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EF Hutton: In Fast Money's July 3 post, "Our Favorite Inflation Trades", what was Guy Adami's play?

Thursday, July 03, 2008

In Darren Rovell's post on Nike's Air McFlys, what Back to the Future "science" term did he quote?

The Call

In Darren Rovell's post on Nike's Air McFlys, what Back to the Future "science" term did he quote?

Answer: all of the above






Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects

I thought I would shoot this in here in case you missed. The active ingredient is found in the flesh and rind of the watermelon. As you know this is not the tasty part. On the other hand, a lot cheaper then Viagra.

Have a great July 4th weekend everyone!

clipped from news.yahoo.com
A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra — but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks all night long.
Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation's top producers of the seedless variety.
Found in the flesh and rind of watermelons, citrulline reacts with the body's enzymes when consumed in large quantities and is changed into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart and the circulatory and immune systems.
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Meditation, Yoga Might Switch Off Stress Genes

clipped from health.usnews.com

There's more on meditation at the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Relax! Stress, if Managed, Can Be Good For You


You're aiming for stimulated and focused—but not frazzled.


Healthful Lifestyle Teaches Prostate Genes to Behave

Living right—with a good diet, exercise, and low stress—brings out the best in your genes.


Audio: Dr. Dean Ornish on How Diet Affects Genes

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On June 25, Erste Bank's Ronald-Peter Stoferle predicted a massive gold price rise. What is the "total demand for gold"?

EF Hutton: On June 25, Erste Bank's Ronald-Peter Stoferle predicted a massive gold price rise. What is the "total demand for gold"?


The Call

On June 25, Erste Bank's Ronald-Peter Stoferle predicted a massive gold price rise. What is the "total demand for gold"?

Answer: approx. 3,600 metric tons

The Death of Equities and the Housing Abyss

File this under food for thought.
This Business Week cover entitled the Death of Equities appeared August 13, 1979. It took about 3 years and then the market bottomed and started its big bull run.
Here is the July 7, 2008 cover of Business Week.
To you read about The Housing Abyss following the link.
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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

In a hypothetical letter penned by Bill Gross to "President Obama", what did the Pimco CIO say the markets needed?

In a hypothetical letter penned by Bill Gross to "President Obama", what did the Pimco CIO say the markets needed?

Power Lunch: In Fast Money's blog post "Second Half Options" what "trend" does Pete Najarian suggest following?

Power Lunch

In Fast Money's blog post "Second Half Options" what "trend" does Pete Najarian suggest following?
Answer: oil leading the market


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Lack of 'Good' HDL Cholesterol Linked to Memory Loss

If you are predisposed to Alzheimer's by birth you might want to take a close look at this article and vdieo.

My mother falls into this category so it does concern me.
clipped from health.usnews.com

News today that low levels of the "good" HDL cholesterol raises a person's risk of memory loss and memory loss and dementia may send many folks rushing to their doctor for a cholesterol check. Indeed, the findings are pretty scary. Study participants with the lowest HDL levels—defined as less than 40 mg/dL—were 53 percent more likely to perform poorly on short-term memory tests compared to those with high HDL, defined as 60 mg/dL or greater. (These healthy participants were age 61, on average, experiencing the earliest signs of dementia that typically start in middle age.) Those whose HDL levels plunged over the six-year study also experienced a decrease in the number of words they were able to recall on the memory test, says study leader Archana Singh-Manoux, senior research fellow in epidemiology at the University College London.

Video: Cholesterol: The Good and the Bad
Video: Cholesterol: The Good and the Bad
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In Monday's Stock Blog post "Four Stocks to Watch This Week," which of the companies discussed posts earnings today?

EF Hutton: In Monday's Stock Blog post "Four Stocks to Watch This Week," which of the companies discussed posts earnings today?

Squawk Box

In Monday's Stock Blog post "Four Stocks to Watch This Week," which of the companies discussed posts earnings today? Answer: Constellation Brands

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