Possible Hope for Dementia

An article in the New York Times states that there is promise in reducing the risk in dementia.  The study has stated that patients (over the age of 50 and do not have diabetes or history of a stroke) who are being treated with hypertension are less likely to show early warning signs in dementia such as memory loss.  The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and is now the first large scale randomized trial that shows promise to combating early stage Alzheimer's and dementia.

The treatment shows promise due to the overwhelming number of applicable patients due to the fact that more than 75% of people over the age of 65 are affected with hypertension.  The research through SPRINT started in 2010 involving more than 9000 "racially and ethnically diverse people" who were all independent and did not need assistance in daily living.  The study is still going on and is not complete yet due to the fact that the risk of dementia increases with age and they would like to narrow studies to age 80 and older.

How Much of Autism is Genetic?

For a long time, autism wasn't understood well about where it comes from, and many people would argue. Nature vs. nurture: whether or not autism was a result of genetic makeup, or was a symptom of the environment (childhood experiences, vaccinations, etc). In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and reported by Time Magazine, genetics was stated to account for about 83% of the disorder. A number of different case study designs were utilized including the study of identical twins, non identical twins, siblings, and parent/child relationships. What the study concluded was that a substantial proportion of autism causation could be traced back to genetics and a child's DNA could eventually be used as a predictor for if and when autism presents itself. The research is still in it's infancy, as the study only reported on the correlation between certain gene features and the presence of autism. Even though this study provides valuable insight into the nature of autism, and could lead to earlier and better diagnosis, as well as better treatment and care for autistic people, it does open up new issues to be dealt with. Should babies get screened for autism? Could knowing you're having an autistic baby be a valid reason for abortion? The scientific value of this study is great, but what kinds of moral and ethical implications is it going to entail? I think that although this is great knowledge to have about the condition, it is going to be the beginning of new moral and ethical controversies, similar to those we've had in the past over Down Syndrome and the like.