Alzheimer's Disease
Online CME
Do You Know Who I Am? A Look at the Devastating Effects of Alzheimer's Disease - Strategies for Early Recognition and Treatment
Credits:1.00
Fee:None
Expires:March 9, 2011
Multimedia:None
With the goal of providing “clinicians with an overview of emerging therapies, strategies for early recognition, and effective management of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD),” this program thoroughly reviews risk factors associated with AD onset, and strategies for disease prevention and brain health maintenance. Participants will also learn about clinical tools for identifying and assessing AD so that patients can receive early intervention and treatment, as well as available guidelines and quality measure that can be incorporated into one’s practice.
Link Code: pn12334
www.neurosciencecme.com/cecity/cmea.asp?ID=468
Exploring the Potential of Novel Mechanisms in the Treatment of Alzheimer's and Huntington's Diseases
Credits:0.50
Fee:None
Expires:February 16, 2011
Multimedia:Audio/Slides
This two-part activity features neurodegenerative disorder experts who discuss the latest happenings in Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease management. The experts review the pathophysiology and available therapeutic options for both diseases, the role played by altered energy metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease progression, recent trial data, and potential cellular targets for developing new treatments.
Link Code: pn12335
Improving the Quality of Patient Screening, Timely Diagnosis, and Institution of Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease Among Minority Populations in the Community and Long-term Care Settings
Credits:0.50
Fee:None
Expires: July 13, 2011
Multimedia:Slides/Audio
Complete this two-part program for a greater understanding of the various factors that can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s among minority patient populations. Delays in screening, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease due to sociocultural and professional barriers; tactics for improving the rate of diagnoses in minority populations who are at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease; and the application of recent date from pharmacologic studies in developing treatment plans for the disease in minority patients are all explored.
Link Code: pn12336
Mitochondria: An Emerging Therapeutic Focus in Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy
Credits: 2.00
Fee:None
Expires:August 31, 2011
Multimedia:None
With mitochondira representing an emerging therapeutic focus in Alzheimer’s disease research, as more and more evidence shows the cell components might play a key role in aging and neurodegenerative disease, this course reviews current Alzheimer’s disease treatments and their mechanisms of action; provides and overview of the suggested role played by mitochondria in aging and neurodegenerative diseases; and explores “recent evidence regarding the efficacy of an agent targeting the mitochondria in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.”
Link Code: pn12337
The Educated PatientTM
Alzheimer’s Disease Education & Referral Center (ADEAR)
This site from the National Institute on Aging is meant to help patients and caregivers “find current, comprehensive Alzheimer's disease (AD) information and resources.” Here, they will find extensive information on causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, all provided in and easy-to-understand, question-and-answer format. Family members will also find tips, advice, information, and links to more resources, directed specifically for them as caregivers or in regards to obtaining professional caregiving. Site visitors will also find the latest news, information on and links to clinical trials, and the opportunity to sign up for the Connectionsnewsletter in the “Research Information” section.
Link Code: pn12323
Alzheimer's Foundation of America
The AFA mission is to “provide optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families—through member organizations dedicated to improving quality of life.” With that in mind, this site provides both an introduction to Alzhemier’s and to caregiving. Links throughout the site direct visitors to such helpful resources as expert insights, financial help information, and other sites that are a part of the AFA network.
Link Code: pn12324
National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
Direct caregivers to this site to learn more about professional geriatric care manager (PGCMs), how families can decide whether the time is right to engage their services, and questions to ask when evaluating candidates. Visitors can also access a “consumer library” that provides information about Alzheimer’s disease, family caregiver agreements, hiring in-home caregivers, and housing options for older adults. Patients and family members can use the “Find a Caregiver” search engine to find PGCMs based on name or geographic location. Patients and their families can also download a copy of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers Standards of Practice for Professional Geriatric Care Managers.
Link Code: pn12325
http://hcp.lv/bmkbGy
Clinical Trials
Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Grand Opportunity
Study Type:Observational
Age/Gender Requirement:55-90 years (male/female)
Sponsor:Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study
Purpose:To “build upon the information obtained in the original Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI1), to examine how brain imaging technology can be used with other tests to measure the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's disease (AD),” and “to define and characterize the mildest symptomatic phase of AD, referred to in this study as early amnestic MCI (EMCI),” as this “information will aid in the early detection of AD, and in measuring the effectiveness of treatments in future clinical trials.”
Link Code: pn12361
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01078636?term=alzheimer&recr=Open&rank=36
Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Language in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Study Type:Interventional
Age/Gender Requirement: 50-90 years (male/female)
Sponsor:The New York Memory Services
Purpose: The researchers conducting this study aim “to investigate the efficacy of targeted repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on expressive language in patients with Alzheimer's disease.”
Link Code: pn12362
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00814697?term=alzheimer&recr=Open&rank=12
Medical Websites
Alzheimer’s Association Resources for Physicians
A number of key resources are presented in this section of Alzheimer’s Association (AA) website that make it one of the most useful Alzheimer’s sites for physicians, including references for diagnostic criteria, guidelines for disease management, and links to resources from other professional organizations. Site visitors can download the 40-page Tools for Early Identification, Assessment and Treatment document, which the AA created with the National Care Consortium; link to information on treatment, counseling families, coordinated care, and educational and outreach materials for African Americans and Spanish-speaking, Chinese, and Korean populations; and view the Alzheimer’s Research Center website. External resources that are linked to include “Early Alzheimer’s Disease: Patient and Family Guide,” from the Agency for Health C are Policy and Research Guidelines; “Guideline Summary for Point of Care: Detection, Diagnosis and Management of Dementia,” from the American Academy of Neurology; and “Position Statement: Principles of Care for Patients with Dementia Resulting from Alzheimer’s Disease,” from the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry.”
Link Code: pn12312
http://www.alz.org/professionals_and_researchers_14899.asp#physicians
Dementia Care Mapping
“Dementia Care Mapping is a tool developed by the late Professor Tom Kitwood, and Kathleen Bredin in the late 1980s and was designed to assess quality of care from the perspective of the person with dementia,” explains this site, which adds, “In 1992 the Bradford Dementia Group began delivering training courses in use of the method and since then undertaking training in the method has become increasingly popular with those working with people with dementia from many professional backgrounds.” Access this site to learn more about dementia care mapping, what information is provided in the courses, and when and where the courses are held. Don’t be discouraged by the UK basing of the site and training group; courses are provided for US physicians.
Link Code: pn12313
http://dev-zone.cen.brad.ac.uk/acad/health/dementia/dcm/index.php
eAbstracts
Regional Differences in MRI Detection of Amyloid Plaques in AD Transgenic Mouse Brain
Journal:Neuroimage (August 20, 2010)
Authors:Wengenack T, Reyes D, Curran G, et al.
Purpose:To use “five-way anatomic spatial co-registration of MR images with three different histological techniques” to reveal “properties of amyloid plaques in AD transgenic mouse brain… that may explain their variable visibility in gradient- and spin-echo MR images,” as most MRI studies that attempt to detect plaques in AD transgenic mouse brains have “ployed techniques that exploit the paramagnetic effect of iron and have had mixed results.”
Results:In the MR imaging of human AD plaque, MRI methods might eventually be more successful if they rely less on iron magnetic susceptibility effect. This is especially believed by the authors because “human AD plaques more closely resemble the cortical and hippocampal plaques of AD transgenic mice than thalamic plaques.”
Link Code: pn12351
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.033
Relative Capability of MR Imaging and FDG PET to Depict Changes Associated with Prodromal and Early Alzheimer Disease
Journal:Radiology (September 2010)
Authors:Karow D, McEvoy L, Fennema-Notestine C, et al.
Purpose:“To quantify the effect sizes of regional metabolic and morphometric measures in patients with preclinical and mild Alzheimer disease (AD) to aid in the identification of noninvasive biomarkers for the early detection of AD.”
Results:No evidence was found that flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is more sensitive to preclinical and mild AD degeneration than is MR imaging. Thus, for early detection of AD, MR imaging findings might be more practical as clinical biomarkers.
Link Code: pn12352
http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiol.10091402
From the HCPLive Network
Protein Associated with RA Protects Against Alzheimer's
Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may have a natural guard against Alzheimer’s.
New Evidence in the Gum Inflammation—Alzheimer’s Disease Link
The first long-term evidence that periodontal disease increases risk for cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer's disease has been found by NYU College of Dentistry researchers.
Nitric Oxide Linked to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s
Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, have discovered that the untimely death of brain cells that characterize Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease can be traced back, in some cases, to the untimely transfer of nitric oxide from one protein to another.
A Two- to Three-fold Increase in Alzheimer’s Diagnoses?
The diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease could see its first update in a quarter century.
Plasma Protein Linked to Development and Severity of Alzheimer's
Higher concentrations of clusterin have been linked to the development, severity and progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to data from a recent study.
Red Wine may Help Stave off Alzheimer's
There appears to be more good news for red wine drinkers. Resveratrol, an organic compound found in red wine, has the ability to neutralize the toxic effects of proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.
Pharma Focus
Exelon (rivastigmine)
Clinical Trials
Compliance and Tolerability of Rivastigmine Transdermal Patch 10 cm² in Patients with Probable Alzheimer's Disease
Study Type:Interventional
Age/Gender Requirement:50 years (male/female)
Sponsor:Novartis
Purpose:To “evaluate compliance, tolerability, safety, efficacy and caregiver burden of rivastigmine patch 10 cm² treatment in people with Alzheimer's disease (MMSE 10-26) initiating therapy for the first time with a cholinesterase inhibitor, and in patients who were unresponsive to previous cholinesterase inhibitor treatment in a community setting.”
Link Code: pn12363
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00731224?term=rivastigmine&recr=Open&rank=12
Effects of Rivastigmine Patch on Activities of Daily Living and Cognition in Patients with Severe Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type (ACTION)
Study Type:Interventional
Age/Gender Requirement: 50 years (male/female)
Sponsor:Novartis
Purpose:This 24-week, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, multi-center study will compare rivastigmine patch 15cm2 to compare rivastigmine patch 5cm2 in regards to efficacy in patients with severe dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.
Link Code: pn12364
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00948766?term=rivastigmine&recr=Open&rank=7
