The empirical paper, on which this critique is based on (Pagan et al., 2016), aimed to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, clinical outcomes and biomarkers of Nilotinib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor) in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD), Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). PD Subject selection was based on diagnosis of PD in accordance with the UK Brain Bank Diagnostic Criteria. 12 subjects were assigned to either 150mg (n = 5) or 300mg (n = 7) groups at random and were orally administered Nilotinib daily for 24 weeks with a 12 week follow up. Measurement of exploratory biomarkers were completed at regular intervals, as were motor and non-motor symptoms using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease-Cognition (SCOPA-Cog) were also administered for the measurement of dementia. The authors conclude suggesting improvements in symptoms of PD and dementia occurred. The following critique however, will focus solely on PD. Critique Although the study provides valuable information by adding to what is known about the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of Nilotinib in PD, there are some flaws in this research. First, the basis for this study is the assumption that Nilotinib, being a c-ABL inhibitor (Manley et al., 2010), can prevent the build-up of neurotoxic substrates in the brains of PD patients, thus improving symptoms (Karuppagounder
Knowing the difference between the two is very important when explaining this to a patient. Knowing exactly what dementia results from compared to how Alzheimer's comes to is important to know as a medical assistant.This gives you the advantage of making the patient fully aware of what is going on.
The disease called Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Weiner, 1987). It is estimated that the elderly population will double between now and 2030. During this period, the number of elderly will grow by an average of 2.8% annually (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). By 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to range from 11.3 million to 16 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005). These startling numbers should prompt an examination into one of the leading causes of death among this group of people. Understanding what Alzheimer’s is and the known causes of the disease are a good starting point. For those who have aging family members, knowing the risk factors and warning
Alzheimer’s Disease is a disease of the future. With the growing aged population, this disease, which affects primarily the elderly, will become of increasing relevance to the medical profession. Also, the high frequency of Alzheimer’s, and the high cost in labor, money, and material of caring for its victims shall put considerable burden on the society as a whole. Here, however, these issues are not going to be debated. Instead the pathology of Alzheimer’s will be reviewed to the extent it is known today.
Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, genetically linked illness. This disease was chosen for the topic of this essay under the consideration that in many families the illness can be incredibly tragic, passing down for generations without mercy. It is not rare to encounter families in which each member is afflicted with a form, mild or severe, of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a progressive brain disease which comes in two separate types: Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. These will be discussed in full later on in the paper.
Alzheimer’s disease, considered the most common form of dementia, is a degenerative brain disorder which leads to loss of memory and decline of cognitive thinking. Alzheimer’s disease effects over 5 million Americans, a number which is expected to triple in the projected future, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (Dougherty, R.J., et al). Majority of these affected people are sixty-five years of age or older and have what is called late-onset Alzheimer’s, whilst a smaller margin of individuals is younger than sixty-five years of age and are said to have early-onset Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease presents itself in three main stages, is caused by the degeneration of neurons and by the changes in protein composition in the brain, and despite the lack of definitive, early diagnosis or preventative treatment the disease can to a certain degree be detected and managed.
Alzheimer’s disease or AD is an incurable disorder of the brain that results in loss of normal brain structure and function. In an AD brain, normal brain tissue is slowly replaced by structures called plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The plaques represent a naturally occurring sticky protein called beta amyloid and in an Alzheimer’s brain, sufferer’s tend to accumulate too much of this protein. Neurofibrillary tangles represent collapsed tau proteins which, in a normal brain along with microtubules, form a skeleton that maintains the shape of the nerve cells. In Alzheimer’s disease, the tau proteins break loose from their normal location and form tangles. Without the support of these molecules, nerve cells collapse and die. As normal
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease that is seen in the elderly. It is the most common form of dementia, which is a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life (Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia). Alzheimer’s is one of the leading causes of death in America. Dementia and Alzheimer’s have been around for centuries, but Alzheimer’s disease wasn’t first described until 1906 by Dr. Aloysius Alzheimer. In the past, there was a stigma for elderly people with the disease and people with dementia and Alzheimer’s were seen as a burden on society. Society has only recently accepted and cared for people with the disorder. There are now treatments and research being done for dementia and Alzheimer’s, but no cure remains and many individuals still suffer from the disease. Future treatments for the disease include taking aim at significant aspects of the disease like fighting beta-amyloid plaques, recruiting the immune system, reducing brain cell inflammation, and studying the heart-head connection (Alzheimer’s Treatments: What’s on the Horizon?). There are other ways to possibly treat the disease in the future as well. Hopefully from looking at the history of the disease, how the disease affects the brain and body, and future treatments, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia will be a thing of the past.
Alzheimer 's disease is a condition that affects the cognitive status of many people around the world regardless of wealth, ethnicity, intelligence or any other factor. A specific case study that demonstrates the destructive nature of the disease can be seen in the case of Akram. Akram was an 80-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension, diverticulitis, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and diabetes. She had a history of serious head injury at the age of 45 from an automobile accident, but she recovered well after some time in the hospital. She could remember childhood friends and family from 20+ years ago quite well. Her early symptoms were simple daily processes of life. She might put food in the oven to cook, but fail to turn it on after doing all the prep work. She also began to frequently misplace her keys and have trouble remembering where she put household items. She had been a very intelligent person with a lot of energy and had previously been involved in many volunteer projects she helped run. Her husband, mentioned that she had been having similar difficulties over the past two years. Driving was a big issue as well; she felt she could recall how, but still had trouble operating her vehicle. She also frequently got lost on routine trips, like to the grocery store. Additionally, she would forget whether she had eaten and had several extra meals in a day unless a helper or a
Alzheimer’s disease, first described in 1907, is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Ramachandran, 2016). This disease gets worse gradually over time. People, predominantly women, are expected to live approximately eight to ten years after diagnosed (Bird, 2015). According to the Alzheimer’s Disease Association, there are approximately three million cases in the United States each and every year alone (Association®, 2016). People with Alzheimer’s disease suffer from a wide range of difficult incurable problems. Alzheimer’s disease is believed to prevent correct workflow of the 100 billion nerve cells in the human brain. Oxygen sluggishly being supplied to the brain causes several Alzheimer indicators to occur; memory loss, behavior changes, slurred speech, poor judgment, and hallucinations. According to Bird, 95% of patients with Alzheimer’s are over the age of sixty-five (Bird, 2015). At the age of sixty-five individuals brain activity starts to slow causing build-ups.
According to Mayo Clinic Staff, “Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Alzheimer’s disease is “the most common cause of dementia that results in the loss of intellectual and social skills (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases” (Alzheimer’s Association). During “Alzheimer’s disease, the brain cells themselves degenerate and die, causing a steady decline in memory and mental function” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Alzheimer’s disease was first described a peculiar disease in 1906, by a German physician Dr. Alois Alzheimer” (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). In 1910, “Emil Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist who worked
According to the National Institute on Aging’s recently revised criteria for dementia, impaired language functions, including difficulties in speaking, reading and writing are among the core clinical criteria of Alzheimer’s disease (AD; McKhann et al. 2011). During the early/mild clinical stage of AD, individuals exhibit subtle word finding problems, and difficulty using and understanding complex language forms such as idioms, figurative forms, metaphors and similes, and sarcasm (Bayles 1982, Bayles et al. 1992, Kempler et al. 1988). In the middle/moderate clinical stage of AD, individuals demonstrate pronounced word-finding problems to express feelings/intent or to express unmet needs such as their spoken, written and gestural outputs are
Alzheimer’s disease is relentlessly destroying the brains and lives of our nation’s older adults, robbing them of memory, the ability to reason, and affecting their emotions and behavior. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the brain. The longer we live the greater the risk: one out of every two Americans aged 85 and older and one out of every 10 aged 65 and older are afflicted with the disease. It affects two groups of people: those with the disease and the loved ones who care for them. By the year 2050, an estimated 14 million Americans will be in its grip.
Alzheimer’s is a disease of the brain that causes a steady decline in memory. This results in dementia, which is loss of intellectual functions severe enough to interfere with everyday life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting ten percent of people over 65 years old, and nearly 50 percent of those age 85 or older. My grandmother was diagnosed with “probable” Alzheimer’s disease over two years ago.
As a neurodegenerative brain disorder, Parkinson’s disease affects the neurons in the human brain. This disease affects everyone differently. However, there are common symptoms that all patients with Parkinson’s experience. At this time, there is no cure for the disease, but there are several ways to improve the quality of life. Although research is never complete, there is a lot of information on Parkinson’s disease that individuals should know.
Abstract: Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type commonly referred to as Alzheimer’s disease, has a subtle onset and gradual progression. The features of dementia are multiple collected deficits that usually include memory impairment and at least one of the following experiences in the absence of delirium that might explain the deficit: aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, or a disturbance in executive functioning (the ability to think abstractly and to plan, initiate, sequence, monitor, and stop complex behavior). The order of onset and relative height of the cognitive disturbances and associated symptoms vary with the specific types of dementia