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This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm SarahLong.
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And I'm Bob Doughty. Coming up, we have reports about Alzheimer'sdisease.
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And, a scientific committee finds no link between autism and themeasles-mumps-rubella vaccine.
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There is more evidence that peoplewith diabetes have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Thisdisease kills brain cells and usually affects people late in life.It starts with mild memory loss, but gets worse. Over time, it leadsto death.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago studiedmore than eight-hundred people. The research was part of a projectcalled the Religious Orders Study. The men and women were all RomanCatholic, over the age of fifty-five. They included priests andnuns. They were tested yearly for an average of more than fiveyears.
One-hundred-fifty-one of the people in the study developedAlzheimer's disease. These included thirty-one people who also haddiabetes. The researchers found a sixty-five percent increase in therisk of Alzheimer's in those with diabetes. This was compared to thepeople who did not have the blood sugar disease.
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The researchers tested the ability of the people to remember andunderstand things. At the start of the study, they found that thosewith diabetes did not do as well on these tests as those withoutdiabetes. During the study, the researchers found that diabetes wasrelated to decreases in some mental systems but not in others.
Diabetes is already a known risk for stroke, which can cause somekinds of brain disorders. Diabetes has also been linked to otherhealth effects like heart disease, kidney failure and reduced mentalabilities. Some scientists believe that a build-up of sugar in thebrain could damage cells and increase the risk of Alzheimer's.
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The study adds to research on possible links between diabetes andAlzheimer's disease. The scientists say more research will tell iftreatments for diabetes may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.
There is no cure, but there are treatments that can ease some ofthe effects of Alzheimer's. Most scientists think the disease iscaused by a combination of genetic and environmental influences.
Earlier research found that eating foods high in vitamin E mayreduce the risk of Alzheimer's in some people. Such foods includegreen leafy vegetables, vegetable oils and nuts.
Researchers say people who remain intellectually active may alsoreduce their risk. But depression and being stressed a lot mayincrease the risk.
The National Institute on Aging paid for the study. The AmericanMedical Association published the findings in its Archives ofNeurology.
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More and more people are developing diabetes. In the UnitedStates, health officials estimate that one in three children born intwo-thousand could become diabetic. They say the only way to preventthis is for many more people to start eating less and exercisingmore.
People can reduce their chances of getting diabetes. Stepsinclude controlling their blood pressure and cholesterol, not usingtobacco and not drinking too much alcohol. Weight control is alsoimportant.
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In the United States, Alzheimer's disease affects an estimatedfour-point-five million people. This number is expected to growsharply as the population gets older. But a new report callsAlzheimer's an "unrecognized public health crisis" among the growingHispanic population in the United States.
The report is from the Alzheimer's Association, a group thatsupports research and provides services. It says abouttwo-hundred-thousand Hispanics in the United States currently areliving with Alzheimer's. It says this number is expected to grow toone-point-three million by two-thousand-fifty.
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Old age is the greatest risk for Alzheimer's disease. And thereport says Hispanics in the United States are expected to livelonger than any other ethnic group. It says that bytwo-thousand-fifty, life expectancy for Hispanics will reacheighty-seven years. They would represent sixteen percent of oldpeople in the United States. Hispanics now make up five percent ofolder Americans.
The Alzheimer's Association says Hispanics also have increasedrates of diabetes. This may put them at higher risk for Alzheimer's.But the group says Hispanics are less likely to see doctors andreceive medical treatment.
The report also notes that some studies suggest that educationmay help protect against Alzheimer's. But it says ten percent ofolder Hispanics never attended school. And it says more than halfhave eight years of schooling or less.
The association says there should be more efforts to educatepeople about Alzheimer's in their own language. And it wants thegovernment to spend more money on Alzheimer's research.
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There may be hope for better ways to slow the progress ofAlzheimer's disease.
In one small study, scientists from the University of California,San Diego, worked with eight patients and some genetic engineering.All eight had early forms of Alzheimer's. Doctors took skin cellsfrom each of them. The team changed the genetic structure of thecells to make them produce a protein called Nerve Growth Factor.
Later the doctors returned the cells to the patients. But not tothe skin. They placed the cells in a part of the brain involved inmemory and understanding. This is where Alzheimer's first begins toattack.
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At first the doctors operated with the patients in a light sleepunder anesthesia. Two of the people moved. This led to bleeding intheir brains. One of those patients died of a heart attack fiveweeks later. The doctors put the other six people in a deep sleepunder general anesthesia. They say those operations went smoothly.
The doctors later studied images of the patients' brains. Theyreported increased cell growth activity compared to other peoplewith Alzheimer's.
Also, the researchers tested the mental abilities of thepatients. They say that on one measure, the rate of progression ofthe disease dropped by half after the cell replacement. On another,the doctors say a reduced rate continued for the eighteen-month totwo-year period of the study.
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Doctor Mark Tuszynski led the study. He says no harmful effectshave been found more than a year after the last operation. But henotes that testing is needed on larger numbers of people. Also, anew study will test a method of directly injecting the geneticallyengineered cells into the brain.
The scientists reported their findings at the yearly meeting ofthe American Academy of Neurology.
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We close with news about a brain disorder in children. Last week,in the United States, the Institute of Medicine said it found noconnection between autism and a common vaccine. The Institute ofMedicine is a private organization that advises the government. Itis related to the National Academy of Sciences. A committee releasedits eighth and final report on vaccine safety.
The scientists looked at studies of autism and the M.M.R.vaccine. This is a combined vaccine that prevents measles, mumps andrubella. The scientists also looked at studies of a mercury-basedsubstance once used to protect the vaccine from bacteria. Thesubstance is called thimerosal. And they compared the use of thevaccine with rates of autism.
Doctor Marie McCormick of Harvard University led the committee.She noted that scientists do not know what causes autism. In fact,she says there may be many causes. And she says these may or may notinclude bad reactions to a vaccine or the effects of mercury in somepeople. But the committee found no evidence to support accusationsby some groups about the M.M.R. vaccine or thimerosal. The committeesays any such suggestions are theories only.
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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Caty Weaver and Cynthia Kirk,who was also our producer. This is Bob Doughty.
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And this is Sarah Long. Listen again next week for more newsabout science, in Special English, on the Voice of America.