Welcome to our blog. The status of our project will be periodically updated in this page. In addition, Alzheimer’s disease-related research and other updates will be posted here.
March 08, 2023: Tripty Bhattacharyya Memorial Trust was provisionally registered under section 12AB of Income Tax Act.
March 10, 2023: Tripty Bhattacharyya Memorial Trust was registered under section 80G of Indian Income Tax Act 1961.
March 11, 2023: Honesty is not always the best policy. Surely, this is a surprising statement. We all have been taught to be truthful to ourselves and to the world. And yes, we have been taught the right thing. But what if the world that we live in is changed such that what we deem to be false suddenly become true? Now imagine someone living in that world different from that of ours and is unable to comprehend the facts of our world? Would you argue with that beloved someone and make him/her feel worse, or accept the truth as he/she defines it to be? Here is an interesting article on how insignificant white lies can act as comforting therapy for someone with Alzheimer’s disease.
April 10, 2023: Research perhaps explains link between midlife obesity and Alzheimer’s risk. “Do not worry, I am obese but otherwise totally fit. Maybe I cannot run like a horse but I can remember like an elephant.” Does this sound familiar? Just came across an article in the Feb.22 issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association” by a group of researchers from different centers, which has reported association between obesity and 21 genes related with Alzheimer’s disease. This study sheds some light on the more frequent occurrence of the development of Alzheimer’s disease among adults with midlife obesity.
May 10, 2023: Tripty Bhattacharyya Memorial Trust completed the registration process of purchase of a land measuring 6 cottahs (4320 sq ft) in Dr. B.C.Roy Road, Rajpur, South Jagaddal, Kolkata 700151. This could not have been possible without generous support from many kindhearted well-wishers. The next step is building the daycare and research centre on this land.
June 09, 2023: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Committee Unanimously Confirms Efficacy and Clinical Benefit of Leqembi for Early Alzheimer’s Disease. Just came across this exciting report in the Alzheimer’s Association’s website. To quote Joanne Pike, DrPH, Alzheimer’s Association president and CEO, “With this action we are one step closer to more people living with Alzheimer’s having more time with more of their capabilities intact — to do the things they want to do and love to do best.” Leqembi is made by Eisai and Biogen. Eisai’s study has found slowing of cognitive decline by 27% by this drug in early Alzheimer’s patients.
July 06, 2023: FDA grants traditional approval of Leqembi for the treatment of early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. This is a big day for all of us. This is the first time a drug that changes the underlying cause of the disease, has been traditionally approved by the FDA. To quote Joanne Pike, DrPH, “This treatment, while not a cure, gives people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease more time to maintain their independence and do the things they love”. More detail on this approval can be found here.
August 08, 2023: Here are some very useful information from an email from Alzheimer’s Association:
| 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease | |
| 1. | Memory loss that disrupts daily life — such as forgetting recently learned information, forgetting important dates and events or increasingly relying on memory aids. |
| 2. | Challenges in planning or solving problems — such as difficulty following a plan or recipe, working with numbers or keeping track of monthly bills. |
| 3. | Difficulty completing familiar tasks — such as driving to a familiar location, organizing a grocery list or remembering the rules of a favorite game. |
| 4. | Confusion with time or place — for instance, losing track of the day and date, or forgetting where you are or how you got there. |
| 5. | Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships — such as problems judging distance and determining color or contrast. |
| 6. | New problems with words in speaking or writing — such as difficulty following or joining a conversation, trouble naming familiar objects or struggling with vocabulary. |
| 7. | Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps — for example, putting things away in unusual places, being unable to find them again and accusing others of stealing. |
| 8. | Decreased or poor judgment — such as making uncharacteristic financial decisions or paying less attention to personal grooming. |
| 9. | Withdrawal from work or social activities — such as being unable to hold a conversation, avoiding social engagements and withdrawing from friends and hobbies. |
| 10. | Changes in mood and personality — for instance, becoming easily upset at home, at work, with friends or when out of your comfort zone. |
October 16, 2023: Click here for a CNN article that hot flashes during menopause associated with Alzheimer’s risk. New research suggests that intense hot flashes during menopause are associated with an increase in a blood biomarker that may predict a higher risk of Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain.
October 24, 2023: On October 13, 2023, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, USA approved the use of Positron Emission Tomography in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. This decision is expected to make earlier and more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease.
November 30, 2023: A study funded by the Alzheimer’ Association and National Institutes of Health (USA) has shown that whole grains may reduce cognitive decline in older black adults. Researchers found that study participants of age 65-plus who consumed more daily servings of whole-grain foods — such as cornbread or oats — and fewer refined grains had reduced memory decline equal to eight years. Click here for the article. So, healthy whole grain diet and less processed food is always advisable.
December 08, 2023: Brain inflammation may influence mood in Alzheimer’s. How often do we see people with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia getting anxious or irritated. A recent study from University of Pittsburgh has associated neuro-inflammation / microglial activation to these psychiatric symptoms. Click here for a news report in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and click here for the research article published in JAMA Network Open.
Decmber 27, 2023: Bathing a person living with Alzheimer’s may require adjustments. Giving bath to a person with Alzheimer’s can be particularly challenging for the caregivers. The situation can be even more difficult if the person becomes resistant. Here are some helpful tips of bathing individuals with Alzheimer’s..
January 06, 2024: Common stomach bug linked to Alzheimer’s risk. A recent study by a group of researchers from McGill University, Canada and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany have reported that clinically apparent Helicobacter pylori infection(CAHPI) is associated with a moderately increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Helicobacter pylori is a stomach bug found in about 67% of people worldwide. Click here for the article.
January 17, 2024: Male caregivers can overcome unique challenges. Approximately two-thirds of Alzheimer’s caregivers are women, but gradually more and more men are taking on the role. Some of these men may encounter challenges specific to their gender. Click here for some personal and practical advice from a male caregiver.
January 26, 2024: Blood test may be able to screen for Alzheimer’s disease. A recent study led by researchers from different institutes and published in JAMA Neurology have shown that a test for the blood biomarker phosphorylated-tau217 is as accurate as spinal fluid tests in detecting abnormal levels of beta-amyloid and tau for Alzheimer’s screening, even in people with no symptoms of the disease.
February 07, 2024: Vision problems could be an indicator of Alzheimer’s. A study by Chapleau et al. published this month in Lancet reported that Alzheimer’s may begin to manifest in some people with vision problems. Study results showed that 94% of those diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy, a neurodegenerative condition that impairs vision, had Alzheimer’s.
April 02, 2024: Alzheimer’s Association’s just released their 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report. Here is the full report. Some of the notable facts are: (i) Between 2000 to 2021 deaths from heart disease have decreased 2.1%, while deaths from Alzheimer’s Disease have increased 141%, (ii) the lifetime risk for Alzheimer’s at age 45 is 1 in 20% for women and 10% for men, (iii) Alzheimer’s Disease causes more deaths than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
April 17, 2024: Safety needs may be different for a person living with Alzheimer’s. Here are some useful information pertaining safety issues for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Let us work together to improve safety of those with Alzheimer’s by spreading the words around.
April 30, 2024: Gut microbiome has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Using artificial intelligence, a group of researchers from Cleveland Clinic and other institutes have reported a connection between gut bacteria in body’s digestive system and the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. Detail of the findings can be found in this article in Cell Reports.
May 16, 2024: Staying physically active may help prevent cognitive decline. Physical activity and cardiovascular exercise can lower the risk of cognitive decline. However, taking proper safety measures during exercise is extremely important. Click here for further detail on this.
June 04, 2024: From Alzheimer’s Association here are some useful information.
| 3 Healthy Habits to reduce the risk of cognitive decline | |
| 1. | Challenge your mind — being curious, trying out new things etc. can have both long- and short-term benefits for brain. |
| 2. | Stay in school — education reduces the risk of cognitive decline and memory loss. |
| 3. | Keep moving — exercise, walking, dancing, gardening etc. increase blood flow rate to brain. |
September 14, 2024: How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed? For some reason the previous blog entry did not get published. Apologies for that. Click here for some useful information from Alzheimer’s Association about the importance of receiving an early diagnosis, the questions to ask your physician and ways of getting support after a diagnosis.
October 13, 2024: Innovative Blood Test Validated for Comprehensive Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis. Click here for an article from Molecular Neurodegeneration by a group of researchers from University of Pittsburgh validating a new blood test platform that can simultaneously measure more than one hundred biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. This method has the potential of early detection of the disease.
December 21, 2024: Microglia linked to Alzheimer’s identified. A team of researchers led by Cleveland Clinic has identified Alzheimer’s disease specific microglia and genes driving the disease transition. In this study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the researchers showed that ketorolac, a US Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-inflammatory drug, reduced occurrence of Alzheimer’s Disease by 11-17% in two independent patient cohorts, which is a significant upshot of the study.
TRIPTY BHATTACHARYYA MEMORIAL TRUST 