Highest risk Alzheimer's genetic carriers take positive steps after learning risk status

No signs of increased distress, anxiety after learning Alzheimer's risk status, Penn-led study shows

2013-07-16

(Press-News.org) BOSTON - People who found out they carried an uncommon genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease did not experience more anxiety, depression or distress than non-carriers, and were more active in efforts to reduce their risk of Alzheimer's disease - by exercising, eating a healthy diet and taking recommended vitamins and medications - report researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania today at the 2013 Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC). Researchers note that this study will inform how research studies and clinical practices reveal genetic and other risk factors to people interested in being tested in the future. "This study informs our understanding of the impact of people finding out their genetic risk for Alzheimer's in the absence of any treatments to prevent dementia," said lead study author Jason Karlawish, MD, professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics and Health Policy in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine. "We saw that, following their genetic counseling session, people took positive steps to mitigate their Alzheimer's risk, such as following a healthy diet and exercising. They might also be willing to join an Alzheimer's dementia prevention trial." As part of the NIH-funded REVEAL study led by Robert Green, MD, at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, an analysis of 648 people tested for the Alzheimer's disease genetic risk marker APOe4 was conducted, where participants learned their risk estimate, based on genotype, gender, ethnicity and family history. Only 4 percent of participants (28 people) were in the highest risk group, carrying two copies of APOe4, while 34 percent (221) had a single copy of the gene and 62 percent (399) carried no genetic risk marker. After a year of following the three groups, there was no inflated perceived risk of getting Alzheimer's disease, nor was there any significant difference between groups for scores on anxiety, depression and test-related distress. "What is the experience of being an APOE4 homozygote? Findings from the REVEAL Study" by Karlawish et al will be presented on Tuesday, July 16 at 12:00pm ET. The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (HG002213, HG005092, HG006500 and AG027841. ### Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise. The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year. The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital — the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region. Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Weill Cornell presents updated results from Phase 3 trial of IVIG for Alzheimer's disease

2013-07-16

NEW YORK (July 16, 2013) -- Weill Cornell Medical College neurologist Dr. Norman Relkin reported new findings today from the Phase 3 clinical trial of IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in Boston, Mass. While the primary study outcomes were negative, observations from the subgroup analyses include whether there may be a dose-dependent reduction of beta amyloid in the blood and brain of IVIG-treated Alzheimer's patients who have the ApoE4 genotype. IVIG is a mixture ...

Even healthy-looking smokers have early cell damage which destroys necessary genetic programming

2013-07-16

NEW YORK (July 16, 2013) -- Smokers who've received a clean bill of health from their doctor may believe cigarettes haven't harmed their lungs. However, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have found that even smokers who seem healthy have damaged airway cells, with characteristics similar to cells found in aggressive lung cancer. The study, published today in the journal Stem Cell, compared cells that line the airway from healthy nonsmokers with those from smokers with no detectable lung disease. The smokers' cells showed early signs of impairment, similar ...

Men cut back on needed health care after switching to high-deductible insurance plans

2013-07-16

Philadelphia, Pa. (July 16, 2013) – After switching to high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) in the US, men make fewer emergency department visits for even severe problems—which may lead to a later increase in hospitalization rates, suggests a study in the August issue of Medical Care, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. In contrast, women respond to HDHPs more appropriately, reducing emergency visits only for less-severe problems. The gender differences raise concerns that "[M]en who transition to HDHPs may forego needed care in ...

Electronic data methods for health care research -- update from the EDM forum

2013-07-16

Philadelphia, Pa. (July 16, 2013) - Research using electronic clinical data (ECD) has the potential to make major contributions to health care research and improve patient outcomes. However, many complex issues remain unanswered. A special August supplement to Medical Care presents an update from the Electronic Data Methods (EDM) Forum, with a commissioned set of papers discussing "challenges and innovations from the research and QI community using ECD." Medical Care is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The supplement "highlights ...

Chest radiation cancer patients with risk factors should have CV screening every 5-10 years

2013-07-16

Sophia Antipolis, 16 July 2013: Cancer patients who receive chest radiation should be screened for heart disease every 5-10 years, according to the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). Their recommendations are outlined in the first expert consensus statement on screening for radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD), published today in European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Imaging.1 Professor Patrizio Lancellotti, chair of the expert task force and president ...

Each degree of global warming might ultimately raise global sea levels by more than 2 meters

2013-07-16

While thermal expansion of the ocean and melting mountain glaciers are the most important factors causing sea-level change today, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets will be the dominant contributors within the next two millennia, according to the findings. Half of that rise might come from ice-loss in Antarctica which is currently contributing less than 10 percent to global sea-level rise. "CO2, once emitted by burning fossil fuels, stays an awful long time in the atmosphere," says Anders Levermann, lead author of the study and research domain co-chair at the Potsdam ...

New mode of cellular communication discovered in the brain

2013-07-16

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have discovered a new form of communication between different cell types in the brain. Nerve cells interact with neighboring glial cells, which results in a transfer of protein and genetic information. Nerve cells are thus protected against stressful growth conditions. The study undertaken by the Mainz-based cell biologists shows how reciprocal communication between the different cell types contributes to neuronal integrity. Their results have been recently published in the journal PLOS Biology. Brain function ...

Long-forgotten seawall protected New Jersey homes from Hurricane Sandy's powerful storm surges

2013-07-16

Picture two residential beach communities on the New Jersey shore: Bay Head and Mantoloking, which sit side-by-side in Ocean County on a narrow barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay. Before Hurricane Sandy landed on Oct. 29, 2012, a motorist traveling north on Ocean Avenue would seamlessly travel through Mantoloking into Bay Head, noticing few changes in residential development, dunes, beaches, and shoreline. The difference was hidden under the sand. A forgotten, 1,260-meter seawall buried beneath the beach helped Bay Head weather Sandy's ...

CAMH scientists discover genetic changes that may contribute to the onset of schizophrenia

2013-07-16

Toronto -- Scientists from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have discovered rare genetic changes that may be responsible for the onset of schizophrenia. Several of these same genetic lesions had previously been found to have causal links to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This discovery gives new support to the notion that multiple rare genetic changes may contribute to schizophrenia and other brain disorders. This discovery also suggests that clinical DNA (genome-wide microarray) testing may be useful in demystifying one of the most complex and stigmatized ...

Owner to dog -- 'Just do it!'

2013-07-16

Dogs can learn, retain and replay actions taught by humans after a short delay. According to a new study by Claudia Fugazza and Adám Miklósi, from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, this deferred imitation provides the first evidence of dogs' cognitive ability to both encode and recall actions. The research is published in Springer's journal Animal Cognition. Domestic dogs are particularly keen on relying on human communication cues. They learn by observing humans and are easily influenced by humans in learning situations. Living in human social groups may have favored ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Black youth, especially Black girls, use mental health services less than their White peers

Canada must protect youth from sports betting advertising

First-in-human trial shows promising results for DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate SHR-4849 in relapsed small cell lung cancer

Ifinatamab deruxtecan demonstrates high response rate in previously treated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: Phase 2 IDeate-Lung01 trial

Higher blood pressure in childhood linked to earlier death from heart disease in adulthood

AI helped older adults report accurate blood pressure readings at home

High blood pressure in childhood and premature cardiovascular disease mortality

Zidesamtinib shows durable responses in ROS1 TKI pre-treated NSCLC, including patients with CNS disease and ROS1 G2032R mutations

Crizotinib fails to improve disease-free survival in resected early-stage ALK+ NSCLC

Ivonescimab plus chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in patients with EGFR+ NSCLC following 3rd-generation EGFR-TKI therapy

FLAURA2 trial shows osimertinib plus chemotherapy improves overall survival in eGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC

Aumolertinib plus chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in NSCLC with EGFR and concomitant tumor suppressor genes: ACROSS 2 phase III study

New antibody-drug conjugate shows promising efficacy in EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients

Iza-Bren in combination with osimertinib shows 100% response rate in EGFR-mutated NSCLC, phase II study finds

COMPEL study shows continuing osimertinib treatment through progression with the addition of chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in EGFR-mutated NSCLC