What if one fine day someone very near to you could not recognize you? Feeling is horrible, Isn't it? Yes, so many people are suffering from Alzheimer Disease (AD), which is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities. People with AD may have trouble remembering things that happened recently or names of people they know. Over time, symptoms get worse. People may not recognize family members or have trouble speaking, reading or writing.
AD usually begins after age 60. The risk goes up as you get older. Your risk is also higher if a family member has had the disease. Estimates vary, but experts suggest that as many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer's.

Signs and symptoms:

Memory problems that family members initially dismiss as "a normal part of aging" are in retrospect noted by the family to be the first stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Problems of memory, particularly for recent events (short-term memory) are common early in the course of Alzheimer's disease.

As the disease progresses, problems in abstract thinking and in other intellectual functions develop.

Later in the course of the disorder, affected individuals may become confused or disoriented about what month or year it is, be unable to describe accurately where they live, or be unable to name a place being visited.

Late stages of the disease, persons may become totally incapable of caring for themselves. Death can then follow.

Cause for Alzheimer disease is really not clear till now. One possible reason is disease is transferred genetically and inherited from parents. The biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is increased age. Some studies have found that Alzheimer's disease occurs more often among people who suffered significant traumatic head injuries earlier in life.

Safety concerns: People with Alzheimer's disease become increasingly unable to take care of themselves. So you need to take special care of them.

• Check the safety of your home regularly; this will help you take control of some of the potential problems that may create hazardous situations.

• It is more effective to change the environment than to change most behaviors. While some Alzheimer's behaviors can be managed with special medications prescribed by a doctor, many cannot. You can make changes in an environment to decrease the hazards and stressors that accompany these behavioral and functional changes.

• A safe environment can be a less restrictive environment where the person with Alzheimer's disease can experience increased security and more mobility.

Treatment: There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's, but scientific research is bringing us closer to a cure every day.The management of Alzheimer's disease consists of medication based and non-medication based treatments. Support and education for caregivers and family members is also crucial to the best care of people with Alzheimer's.

Ticks are tiny parasites, one of the types of spiders. Some are about the size of a sesame seed. They feed on blood and live in tall grass and wooded areas. Ticks can attach to any part of the body.

The two famous types of ticks are:  

Diseases transmitted by Ticks:

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF): This is a bacterial infection. Most cases of spotted fever occur in the southern United States. RMSF occurs most commonly in areas where ticks and wild animals are abundant. Usually appear 3-12 days after tick contact. A spotted rash usually develops on the wrists and ankles on the second or third day of fever.

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Stem cells are special cells that can turn into many different cell types in the body such as heart muscle cells, brain cells, and skin cells.

There are two kinds of stem cells:

• Adult Stem Cells - a supply of stem cells that can multiply when needed to repair adult organs and tissue. Adult stem cells are found in the human body and in umbilical cord blood. The most well known source of adult stem cells in the body is bone marrow but they are also found in many organs and tissues; even in the blood. Adult stem cells are more specialized since they are assigned to a specific cell family such as blood cells, nerve cells, etc.
• Embryonic Stem Cells - cells found early (less than 2 wks.) in the development of an embryo that can progenerate a developing fetus and ultimately a human baby. Embryonic stem cells are the most versatile because they can become any cell in the body including fetal stem cells and adult stem cells.

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Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders. This is passed on from parents to children through the genes. Thalassemia is also known as Mediterranean anemia and it is characterized by having less hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells in your body than normal. Defects in the genes that make hemoglobin cause thalassemia. If you have a mild form of thalassemia, you may not require any treatment. But, if you have a more severe form, you may need blood transfusions on a regular basis. Although thalassemia causes anemia, don't confuse thalassemia with iron deficiency anemia. People with thalassemia often have more iron in their bodies than they need, so this always needs to be checked before any supplements are given.

Types of Thalassemia:

Alpha-thalassemia: Four genes are involved in making the alpha hemoglobin chain. The more defective genes you have, the more severe your alpha-thalassemia:

• One gene. If only one of your alpha hemoglobin genes is defective, you'll have no signs or symptoms of thalassemia.
• Two genes. If you have two defective alpha hemoglobin genes, thalassemia signs and symptoms are mild.
• Three genes. If three of your alpha hemoglobin genes are defective, your signs and symptoms will be moderate to severe.
• Four genes. When all four alpha hemoglobin genes are defective, the condition is called alpha-thalassemia major or hydrops fetalis.

Beta-thalassemia: Two genes are involved in making the beta hemoglobin chain.

• One gene. If one of your beta hemoglobin genes is defective, you have mild signs and symptoms. This is a minor condition.
• Two genes. If both of your beta hemoglobin genes are defective, your signs and symptoms will be moderate to severe. This condition is called beta-thalassemia major or Cooley's anemia.

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