Alzheimer’s Drug Trials Fail Time And Time Again In Humans, But Before That They’re Successful In Mice

Stat: Can Building A Better Research Mouse Open The Black Box Of Alzheimer’s? 
Drug development for Alzheimer’s disease has been a series of disappointments, with only faint glimmers of hope from pharmaceutical companies or academic labs. What causes the disease is still hotly debated, with the amyloid hypothesis losing believers after each new trial failure. But before those drugs targeting amyloid plaques or tau tangles failed in human trials, they generally succeeded in preclinical studies — specifically, ones done with mice. Right now, about 160 mouse models for Alzheimer’s exist. But none is particularly good, experts say. (Sheridan, 9/24)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Dementia, Alzheimers Risk And Symptoms: Burden To Double By 2060
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday revealed that the country’s burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will double by the year 2060. ...In 2014, 5 million Americans — or 1.6 percent of the population — felt the burden of the diseases. The figure is expected to grow to 13.9 million, equating to nearly 3.3 percent of the projected population in 2060. (Pirani, 9/21)

The New York Times: The Couple Who Helped Decode Dyslexia
By now, Sally and Bennett Shaywitz might have retired to a life of grandchild-doting and Mediterranean-cruising. Instead, the Shaywitzes — experts in dyslexia at Yale who have been married to each other for 55 years — remain as focused as ever on a research endeavor they began 35 years ago. Sally, 76, and Bennett, 79, both academic physicians, run the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. (Hafner, 9/21)

The Associated Press: UN: Excessive Drinking Killed Over 3 Million People In 2016
Drinking too much alcohol killed more than 3 million people in 2016, mostly men, the World Health Organization said. The U.N. health agency also warned that current policy responses are not sufficient to reverse trends predicting an increase in consumption over the next 10 years. (9/22)

Stat: Ketamine Clinics Promise Depression Treatment, But Some Stray From The Evidence
Dozens of free-standing clinics have opened across the U.S. in recent years to provide [ketamine] to patients who are desperate for an effective therapy and hopeful ketamine can help. But the investigation found wide-ranging inconsistencies among clinics, from the screening of patients to the dose and frequency of infusions to the coordination with patients’ mental health providers. A number of clinics stray from recommendations issued last year by the American Psychiatric Association. (Thielking, 9/24)

The Washington Post: Autism Friendly Town In Spam Territory Makes Lives Easier
The tall teenager with the buzz cut opened the museum door, extended a large hand and said cheerily, “Welcome to the Spam Museum.” Samuel Ehret is an official “Spambassador”at the museum, a hot spot for tourists who have a taste for the much-mocked canned meat that has been made here by Hormel Foods for 81 years. Samuel is also autistic, and he got this job because he loves all things Spam — its taste, its history, and especially the museum’s showpiece: a motorcycle that runs on bacon grease. (Nutt, 9/23)

The Washington Post: Organ Transplant Documentary On Nova Reveals Hope As Well As Agony
Today, 20 Americans will die waiting for a donated organ. Meanwhile, the United States’ transplant waiting list — more than 114,000 — will add a name every 10 minutes. Nova’s “Transplanting Hope” tells the story of the people who wait, those who give and those assigned the terrifying privilege of saving lives with transplanted organs. (Blakemore, 9/22)

Philadelphia Inquirer: When Is It OK To Drink Alcohol While Pregnant? Never, Doctors Say.
The opioid crisis has sparked fresh awareness of babies born dependent on the drugs their mothers used. But it wasn't heroin or pain pills that caused Robert so much harm. His mother chose something far more common, and, scientists say, even more devastating. (Girodano, 9/24)

NPR: Teens, Parents Challenged By Screens When Its Time To Sleep
Within three days of starting high school this year, my ninth-grader could not get into bed before 11 p.m. or wake up by 6 a.m. He complained he couldn't fall asleep but felt foggy during the school day and had to reread lessons a few times at night to finish his homework. And forget morning activities on the weekends — he was in bed. We're not the only family struggling to get restful shut-eye. (Fulton, 9/23)

Los Angeles Times: Cornell Researcher Who Studied What We Eat And Why Will Step Down After Six Studies Are Retracted
A Cornell University professor whose attention-getting studies reported that guests at Super Bowl parties consumed more calories when served snacks from larger bowls and that couch potatoes ate nearly twice as much when watching an action-packed movie than when viewing a PBS talk show will step down from the university at the end of the academic year. Brian Wansink, the longtime director of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, submitted his resignation this week after a year-long review concluded that he committed academic misconduct, according to a statement from the university’s provost. (Kaplan, 9/21)

Kaiser Health News: Blood, Sweat And Workplace Wellness: Where To Draw The Line On Incentives 
Workplace wellness programs that offer employees a financial carrot for undergoing health screenings, sticking to exercise regimens or improving their cholesterol levels have long been controversial. Next year, they may become even more contentious. Two recent court rulings have cast uncertainty over what is the appropriate limit for financial incentives that employers can offer workers to participate in programs that require clinical testing or disclosure of personal health data. The dollar amount is subject to debate because it raises questions about when the incentives become so high that employees feel they don’t have a choice about participating. (Appleby, 9/24)

NPR: If Your Chair Hurts Your Back, Blame Technology, Then Try These Hacks
About a hundred years ago, something devious started happening in our homes and offices, in our cars and at restaurants — and our backs have never been the same. For hundreds — even thousands of years — chairs were made of wood. Maybe the seat was covered with cord or cattail leaves, and if you were rich, you could afford some padded upholstery, which began to take off in the 17th and 18th centuries. (Doucleff, 9/24)