2004-5-24
VOICE ONE:
This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Sarah
Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Bob Doughty. Coming up, we have reports about Alzheimer's
disease.
VOICE ONE:
And, a scientific committee finds no link between autism and the
measles-mumps-rubella vaccine.
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VOICE TWO:
There is more evidence that people
with diabetes have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. This
disease kills brain cells and usually affects people late in life.
It starts with mild memory loss, but gets worse. Over time, it leads
to death.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago studied
more than eight-hundred people. The research was part of a project
called the Religious Orders Study. The men and women were all Roman
Catholic, over the age of fifty-five. They included priests and
nuns. They were tested yearly for an average of more than five
years.
One-hundred-fifty-one of the people in the study developed
Alzheimer's disease. These included thirty-one people who also had
diabetes. The researchers found a sixty-five percent increase in the
risk of Alzheimer's in those with diabetes. This was compared to the
people who did not have the blood sugar disease.
VOICE ONE:
The researchers tested the ability of the people to remember and
understand things. At the start of the study, they found that those
with diabetes did not do as well on these tests as those without
diabetes. During the study, the researchers found that diabetes was
related to decreases in some mental systems but not in others.
Diabetes is already a known risk for stroke, which can cause some
kinds of brain disorders. Diabetes has also been linked to other
health effects like heart disease, kidney failure and reduced mental
abilities. Some scientists believe that a build-up of sugar in the
brain could damage cells and increase the risk of Alzheimer's.
VOICE TWO:
The study adds to research on possible links between diabetes and
Alzheimer's disease. The scientists say more research will tell if
treatments for diabetes may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.
There is no cure, but there are treatments that can ease some of
the effects of Alzheimer's. Most scientists think the disease is
caused by a combination of genetic and environmental influences.
Earlier research found that eating foods high in vitamin E may
reduce the risk of Alzheimer's in some people. Such foods include
green leafy vegetables, vegetable oils and nuts.
Researchers say people who remain intellectually active may also
reduce their risk. But depression and being stressed a lot may
increase the risk.
The National Institute on Aging paid for the study. The American
Medical Association published the findings in its Archives of
Neurology.
VOICE ONE:
More and more people are developing diabetes. In the United
States, health officials estimate that one in three children born in
two-thousand could become diabetic. They say the only way to prevent
this is for many more people to start eating less and exercising
more.
People can reduce their chances of getting diabetes. Steps
include controlling their blood pressure and cholesterol, not using
tobacco and not drinking too much alcohol. Weight control is also
important.
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VOICE TWO:
In the United States, Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated
four-point-five million people. This number is expected to grow
sharply as the population gets older. But a new report calls
Alzheimer's an "unrecognized public health crisis" among the growing
Hispanic population in the United States.
The report is from the Alzheimer's Association, a group that
supports research and provides services. It says about
two-hundred-thousand Hispanics in the United States currently are
living with Alzheimer's. It says this number is expected to grow to
one-point-three million by two-thousand-fifty.
VOICE ONE:
Old age is the greatest risk for Alzheimer's disease. And the
report says Hispanics in the United States are expected to live
longer than any other ethnic group. It says that by
two-thousand-fifty, life expectancy for Hispanics will reach
eighty-seven years. They would represent sixteen percent of old
people in the United States. Hispanics now make up five percent of
older Americans.
The Alzheimer's Association says Hispanics also have increased
rates of diabetes. This may put them at higher risk for Alzheimer's.
But the group says Hispanics are less likely to see doctors and
receive medical treatment.
The report also notes that some studies suggest that education
may help protect against Alzheimer's. But it says ten percent of
older Hispanics never attended school. And it says more than half
have eight years of schooling or less.
The association says there should be more efforts to educate
people about Alzheimer's in their own language. And it wants the
government to spend more money on Alzheimer's research.
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VOICE TWO:
There may be hope for better ways to slow the progress of
Alzheimer'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 cells
from each of them. The team changed the genetic structure of the
cells to make them produce a protein called Nerve Growth Factor.
Later the doctors returned the cells to the patients. But not to
the skin. They placed the cells in a part of the brain involved in
memory and understanding. This is where Alzheimer's first begins to
attack.
VOICE ONE:
At first the doctors operated with the patients in a light sleep
under anesthesia. Two of the people moved. This led to bleeding in
their brains. One of those patients died of a heart attack five
weeks later. The doctors put the other six people in a deep sleep
under general anesthesia. They say those operations went smoothly.
The doctors later studied images of the patients' brains. They
reported increased cell growth activity compared to other people
with Alzheimer's.
Also, the researchers tested the mental abilities of the
patients. They say that on one measure, the rate of progression of
the disease dropped by half after the cell replacement. On another,
the doctors say a reduced rate continued for the eighteen-month to
two-year period of the study.
VOICE TWO:
Doctor Mark Tuszynski led the study. He says no harmful effects
have been found more than a year after the last operation. But he
notes that testing is needed on larger numbers of people. Also, a
new study will test a method of directly injecting the genetically
engineered cells into the brain.
The scientists reported their findings at the yearly meeting of
the American Academy of Neurology.
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VOICE ONE:
We close with news about a brain disorder in children. Last week,
in the United States, the Institute of Medicine said it found no
connection between autism and a common vaccine. The Institute of
Medicine is a private organization that advises the government. It
is related to the National Academy of Sciences. A committee released
its 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 and
rubella. The scientists also looked at studies of a mercury-based
substance once used to protect the vaccine from bacteria. The
substance is called thimerosal. And they compared the use of the
vaccine 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 not
include bad reactions to a vaccine or the effects of mercury in some
people. But the committee found no evidence to support accusations
by some groups about the M.M.R. vaccine or thimerosal. The committee
says any such suggestions are theories only.
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VOICE TWO:
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Caty Weaver and Cynthia Kirk,
who was also our producer. This is Bob Doughty.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Sarah Long. Listen again next week for more news
about science, in Special English, on the Voice of America.