Dementia research:
A cholesterol-lowering drug used to prevent heart disease and stroke may reduce the risk of dementia, according to two recent studies. The statin group of drugs helps to increase blood flow in small vessels.
Scientists are unable to say for certain whether this mechanism allows the statins to bring about a reduction in Alzheimer's disease. Further research will be needed before the statins could be recommended for the prevention of dementia.
--The Lancet and Archives of Neurology
Smoking and agoraphobia:
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a clear association between smoking in adolescence and agoraphobia and panic disorder in adulthood. Conversely, the New York researchers found no evidence anxious teenagers became smoking adults.
Infant deaths:
Babies who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome were significantly more likely than other babies to be infected with helicobacter pylori, according to this month's Archives of Disease in Childhood.
The bacteria, which is associated with peptic ulcer disease in adults, was found in the stomach, windpipe and lungs of sudden infant death victims. So far, no scientific explanation for the link has been found.
Music therapy:
Scientists at the Imperial College in London are studying the long-term benefits of music therapy for dementia patients. Initial trials have shown improvements. Neuroscientist Prof Susan Greenfield says the therapy could slow the progression of the disease by stimulating the connections in the brain.--BBC Health News
Wheelchair access:
The problems of wheelchair access to public and commercial buildings will be highlighted in a video to be launched tomorrow at the Open Door day-care centre in Bray, Co Wicklow. Written and produced at the day centre, the video will be distributed to local schools and community groups.
Miscarraiges:
Screening women for thyroid problems in routine prenatal blood-tests could help reduce miscarriages. Scientists at the Foundation for Blood Research in Scarborough, Maine, USA, showed pregnant women with hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid have a four times higher than average risk of miscarriage in the second three months of pregnancy. The thyroid regulates heart rate, metabolism, growth, energy and mood. About 2 per cent of pregnant women suffer from hypothyroidism.
--(Reuters Health)
Cushion the fall:
Padded hip-shields could save 60 per cent of frail elderly patients who fall from hip fractures, a Finnish study found.
--(Reuters Health)