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COVID-19has surpassed heart disease and cancer as the leading cause of death in America, according to a report which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “It’s been a long time since an infectious disease was the leading cause of death for the whole country, Dr. Steven Woolf, lead author of the paper, told USA Today.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/12/17/covid-update-david-bernhardt-california-pfizer-vaccine/3929500001/
An Artificial Intelligence Program, AI, analyzed the language of study participants and found it could be able to predict whether people with no memory or thinking problems would develop Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Funded by Pfizer and conducted by IBM, the program accurately predicted up to 74% of participants that were diagnosed with the disease later in life. The study which was published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, analyzed 700 written samples from 27 participants in another study conducted decades ago. Based on written samples, the study more accurately predicts Alzheimer’s disease than other research. Experts say that tracking language over time could be done as part of routine medical exams. Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father died from this terrible disease, and I am a big fan of our local Monterey chapter of Alzheimer’s Association.
Several studies have found that there is a correlation between where you live and the likelihood that you will get Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia. U.S. researchers are now turning to see what, if any, common risk factors are involved. The data shows that the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is higher in the Southeast and Gulf States (including Florida and Texas), compared with Western states like Arizona and Colorado. Studies released this year have found higher rates of Alzheimer’s in poor neighborhoods and in rural Appalachia compared with non-Appalachian rural counties. Another study from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and the Urban Institute identified 25 counties with the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease for Blacks, Latinos and Whites based on Medicare data.   These studies are important as we need to identify where the hot spots are so we can devote more financial resources to combatting this terrible disease.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/alzheimers-research-looks-at-hot-spots-across-the-u-s-11605558173
There has been a dearth of good news on the Alzheimer’s front lately, but now researchers are saying Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a new use—detecting early-stage Alzheimer’s and dementia.  Scientists can use AI tools that analyze typing speed, sleep patterns and speech to detect signs of dementia. They can even use virtual assistants like Amazon Echo that can record the way we type, search the Internet and pay bills.  Cognitive changes can appear years before memory lapses become apparent so the use of AI is very hopeful. Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother passed away with Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a terrible condition that can rock the whole family. If you or a loved one are struggling with the disease, I encourage you to contact our local chapter of Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch. They are wonderful, caring people. They also have a 24-hour hotline if you are in distress, call 1-800-272-3900