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Evanger's Dog And Cat Food Company Formally Addresses FDA Action
In response to the recent Food and Drug Administration action, Evanger"s Dog and Cat Food Co., Inc. has filed a formal request, as allowed by FDA regulations, for reinstatement based on documentation that the company is operating in full compliance with mandatory requirements.
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Lobbyists Play Ball, Flex Muscles On Health Care Reform
The Associated Press reports on lobbying around biotechnology legislation. A letter urging the protection of biotech drug makers from generics from "the private National Health Council, sent to House leaders drafting health overhaul legislation, said the plea was on behalf of "the more than 133 million Americans living with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers." It urged lawmakers to protect the makers of high-technology biological medicines against early competition from lower-cost generic copycats. The letter did not mention that nearly $1.2 million of the council"s $2.3 million budget in 2007 came from the pharmaceutical industry"s chief trade group and 16 companies that sell or are developing the brand-name biotech drugs."
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Immunotherapy Linked To Lower Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease
IVIg treatments, the addition of good antibodies into the blood stream, may hold promise for lowering the risk of Alzheimer"s disease and other similar brain disorders, according to research published in the July 21, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
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High Risk Of Dementia For Middle-Aged People Living Alone

Middle-aged people living alone have twice the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer"s disease in later life compared with married or cohabiting people, while being widowed or divorced in mid-life carries three times the risk, according to a study led by Miia Kivipelto from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet and published on http://www.bmj.com. As life expectancy is increasing in various regions of the world, dementia is becoming a growing public health concern. In 2005 an estimated 25 million people had dementia, and the number is expected to reach 81.1 million in 2040. While there have been a number of studies linking being in a couple to good health and longevity this is one of the first studies to focus on mid-life marital status and the risk of dementia. So researchers based in Finland and Sweden interviewed a random sample of 2,000 men and women who took part in the cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia study. The participants came from two regions in Eastern Finland. Individuals were initially surveyed at around 50 years of age and again around 21 years later. Participants were divided into the following groups: married/cohabitant, single, divorced or widowed. The team also investigated whether there was a link between living alone and being a carrier of the apolipoprotein E e4 gene variant (or allele), the known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer"s disease. The results reveal that people living without a partner during middle age had a much higher risk of developing cognitive impairment in late life compared to those living with a partner. Individuals who are widowed at this age are three times more likely to develop dementia. The study also concludes that carriers of apolipoprotein E e4 gene variant who lose their partners and remain living alone have the highest risk of developing Alzheimer"s disease. The authors say these results are important for preventing dementia and cognitive impairment and that "supportive intervention for individuals who have lost a partner might be a promising strategy in preventive health care." These results also add to a growing body of evidence for the general importance of social factors in sustaining healthy brain functioning, they conclude. This study strengthens the hypothesis that the development of cognitive impairment and dementia is a long process that is affected by various factors throughout life, writes researcher and epidemiologist Catherine Helmer in an accompanying editorial. She believes that to understand the link between marital status and dementia, future research should focus on the stress caused by a separation and satisfaction with relationships. She also suggests that the findings could lead to preventive strategies that encourage unmarried, especially widowed, people to increase their social engagement by taking part in cultural, social, and sporting activities. Link to paper Link to editorial British Medical Journal


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