scholarly journals Why Did Grandma Put Her Underwear In The Refrigerator?: An Explanation Of Alzheimer's Disease For Children by M. Wallack & C. Given

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Frail
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Loved One ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Boston University ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Right ◽  
The University

Wallack, Max, and Carolyn Given. Why Did Grandma Put Her Underwear In The Refrigerator?: An Explanation Of Alzheimer's Disease For Children.  n.p.: [United States] : Puzzles To Remember, Inc., 2013. Print.This book is a must read for any family affected by Alzheimer’s with elementary school- aged children. Co-author Max Wallack has the right credentials for this project both personally and professionally. At the time the book was published, Max was a 17 year old junior and researcher in the Molecular Psychiatry in Aging Laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine. He was also caregiver to his great grandmother who had Alzheimer's disease and foundedwww.PuzzlesToRemember.org.The book is told from the point of view of 7 year old Julie, who recounts her experiences over the past three years of living with her grandmother who has Alzheimer's.  It conveys several important and complex themes in crayon-like drawings and simple text that would appeal to children. Some of the images also appear to be a combination of drawing and somewhat pixelated computer generated images. However, on the whole it fits with the child’s perspective. In addition, it states in the inside flap that 50% of the proceeds from the book will support Alzheimer’s research and the care of Alzheimer’s patients.When Grandma first comes to live with them she and Julie are very close and do lots of activities together. As the disease progresses, Grandma is able to do less but Julie finds new ways of maintaining their relationship such as: taking walks outside, telling her Grandma happy stories when she becomes confused or afraid, getting her a special red plate and cutting her food to help her remember to eat, and colouring or drawing together.The stressful and embarrassing situations presented in the book would be particularly useful in helping children to understand what can happen, why and ways to address these types of issues. When grandma leaves the house by herself in the middle of the night without her coat and is brought home by the police, Julie’s mother explains: “Grandma is probably having beautiful memories of her childhood and she wanted to find the place where she used to live so she could enjoy more of those happy, wonderful times.” The family then installs a bell on the door so they always know when someone is going in or out. Through Julie, the authors acknowledge that it is normal for children to feel worried, embarrassed and upset in these types of situations. Grandma is so terrified of Julie’s Halloween costume that she begins to cry. Julie has to remove it and cannot go trick or treating. Julie’s reaction is honest: “I was really angry at Grandma...the next day I felt sorry...I know it’s not her fault...but I’m also sad that my Halloween was spoiled”.The authors use kid-friendly metaphors to explain how the disease affects the brain. For example, one illustration depicts the transmission of messages across brain cells as a baseball being pitched and caught. In the cells affected by Alzheimer’s the pitcher drops the ball.The authors also highlight the humorous side of things such as when Grandma puts her underwear in the refrigerator or a toothbrush in the toaster. The book concludes with a brief section about the role of medicine, scientists and research studies.On a personal note, as someone who has also been a caregiver for a grandmother with Alzheimer's disease, the most touching aspect is that it teaches children how to maintain a close bond with a loved one in spite of the many challenges they will face together.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Kim FrailKim is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. Children’s literature is a big part of her world at work and at home. She also enjoys gardening, renovating and keeping up with her kids.

scholarly journals The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by J. Bryant

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Mixed Media ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Older Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Grand Rapids ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Right ◽  
The University

Bryant, Jen. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus. Illus. M. Sweet. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2014. Print.Although it is difficult to find the ‘right word’ to describe this book, thanks to Peter Roget, it is much easier … exceptional, marvelous, superb, pleasing, or wonderful. Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet have teamed up to write their third picture book biography, this time about Peter Mark Roget and the journey that culminated with the publication of his Thesaurus.The story takes us through the life of Peter Roget, from a shy and lonely child to a successful doctor. Peter discovered as a child that books made good friends, and he developed a love of words. Throughout his life and experiences, Peter organized words into lists, enabling him to find the right words when he needed them. With the encouragement of his children much later in life, Peter spent three more years finalizing and organizing his many lists. In 1852, his Thesaurus was published.Complimenting this story is a visual experience comprised of a collage of paintings and mixed media. The effect is entrancing, giving the eye so many wonderful treasures to discover to go along with the text. While the magic of getting the answer to a question you did not know you had may be lost on children who have never seen a Roget’s Thesaurus, it is still a delightful book. Younger children will connect with one of the many aspects of Peter’s life growing up and the wide array of illustrations. Older children will connect with deeper themes, and pour over the many facets of the mixed media illustrations. And don’t miss the timeline, author’s note, and illustrator’s note at the end!As soon as I finished the book, I immediately turned to the beginning to read through again and see what I might discover the second time through.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Cindy JacksonCindy loved to read to her children as they were growing up, and now continues to impart her love of stories as a teacher with her grade six students. One of Cindy’s claims to fame is her daughter, who now carries on the tradition of storytelling with HER grade two students! Cindy is currently working on her Masters at the University of Alberta, focusing on language and literacy.

scholarly journals MALCOLM EDWIN JEWELL

2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (03) ◽  
pp. 585-587
Author(s):  
Bradley C. Canon
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Science ◽  
The Political ◽  
Legislative Behavior ◽  
Science Department ◽  
University Of Kentucky ◽  
Political Science Department ◽  
The University

Malcolm “Mac” Jewell was a mainstay of the Political Science Department at the University of Kentucky (UK) for 36 years. For that same period and even longer, he was one of the profession's leading researchers in explaining legislative behavior (particularly in the states) and how state political parties worked. Mac retired from UK in 1994 but continued being active in our profession. Around 2004, he began suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He died on February 24, 2010, in Fairfield, Connecticut.

scholarly journals Nonconvulsive status epilepticus associated with Alzheimer’s disease mimicking symptomatic focal epilepsy following the resection of a frontal parasagittal meningioma

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 469
Author(s):  
Keisuke Abe ◽  
Nobutaka Mukae ◽  
Takato Morioka ◽  
Yuhei Sangatsuda ◽  
Ayumi Sakata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Status Epilepticus ◽  
Focal Epilepsy ◽  
Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus ◽  
Histopathological Diagnosis ◽  
Epileptogenic Lesion ◽  
Consciousness Disorder ◽  
Impaired Awareness ◽  
The Right

Background: Epilepsies are frequent in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD); however, epilepsies in AD can easily go unrecognized because they usually present as focal impaired awareness seizures or nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) and can overlap with other symptoms of AD. Case Description: We performed an epilepsy surgery in a 69-year-old woman with progressive cognitive impairment and consciousness disorder, who was diagnosed with focal NCSE related to the resected meningioma in the right frontal parasagittal region. Intraoperative electrocorticography revealed localized periodic paroxysmal discharges with beta and gamma activities in the neighboring cortex where the meningioma existed. The histopathological diagnosis of AD was first made from the resected epileptogenic cortex. Conclusion: Even when there is a suspected epileptogenic lesion that could cause focal NCSE, AD should be ruled out in elderly patients with progressive cognitive decline.

scholarly journals Work: An Occupational ABC by K. Hatanaka

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Short Description ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Full Page ◽  
Coffee Table ◽  
The Many ◽  
The University ◽  
First Time

Hatanaka, Kellen. Work: An Occupational ABC. Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2014. Print.At first glance, you may look at this book and think it just like the myriad of other ABC books for young children and preschoolers, but you would be delightfully wrong!  Yes, of course, each letter from A to Z is represented and indeed each letter is accompanied by an image that characterizes the letter.  But that is where the similarities end. Toronto-based designer, illustrator and artist Kellen Hatanaka, who can now also call himself a first time author, has created a beautiful and unexpected piece of art for the youngest readers and it is as much a delight to read as it is to behold.  With creamy paper and softly-coloured images, created digitally after first creating ‘hand-drawn patterns and images’, it is reminiscent of a small person’s version of a coffee table book, if said coffee table were in a nursery.It starts out simple enough, with A for Aviator and a full page spread with a boldly-coloured A as well as mountain tops that echo the A’s shape.  The next page, however, alerts the reader to the fun in store – B is for Butcher, shown chasing after a group of raccoons who have absconded with a string of sausages. Yes, there are occupations like Grocer and Tailor but there are also the Ice Cream Vendor, K-9 Officer and the Wedding Singer! What’s wonderful to note are the many alternative occupations, some that you may have not have heard of, and that there is a nice mix of women, men, and cultures taking part. For the curious reader, there is a section of funny ‘Want Ads’ which provides a short description of the occupation.This would make a wonderful new baby gift and is an excellent addition to a home or public library.Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

scholarly journals Progressive Volume Atrophy in Hippocampal Subfields and the Correlation with Cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guixia Kang ◽  
Peiqi Luo ◽  
Xin Xu ◽  
Ying Han ◽  
Xuemei Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Reference Value ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Volume Changes ◽  
Brain Scans ◽  
Left Hippocampus ◽  
The Right

Abstract Objective: To assess the progression of volume changes in hippocampus and its subfields of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and to explore the association of the hippocampus and its subfields volumes with cognitive function.Methods: Five groups of participants including 35 normal controls (NC) persons, 30 MCI patients, 30 Mild AD patients, 30 Moderate AD patients and 8 Severe AD patients received structural MRI brain scans. Freesurfer6.0 was used for automatically segmentation of MRI, and the left and right hippocampus were respectively divided into 12 subfields. By statistical analysis, the volumes of hippocampus and its subfields were compared between the five groups, and the correlation of the volumes with Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) score was analyzed.Result & Conclusion: In the disease, each hippocampal subfield shows an uneven atrophy trajectory; The volumes of the subiculum and presubiculum are significantly different between Mild AD and MCI, which can contribute to the early diagnosis of AD; Parasubiculum is the least sensitive subfield for volume atrophy of AD, while subiculum, presubiculum, CA1, molecular_layer_HP and fimbria show much more significant volume changes. Meanwhile the volumes of these five subfields are positively correlated with MMSE, which may help in stage division of AD; Compared with the right hippocampus, the volume atrophy on the left side is more significantly, and the volumes are more significantly correlated with MMSE, So the left hippocampus and its subfields may provide a higher reference value for the clinical evaluation of AD than the right side.

scholarly journals The Many Faces of Astrocytes in Alzheimer's Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Monterey ◽  
Haichao Wei ◽  
Xizi Wu ◽  
Jia Qian Wu
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Reactive Astrocytes ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Current Therapies ◽  
Pathological Development ◽  
The Many

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and is the most common cause of dementia in an aging population. The majority of research effort has focused on the role of neurons in neurodegeneration and current therapies have limited ability to slow disease progression. Recently more attention has been given to the role of astrocytes in the process of neurodegeneration. Specifically, reactive astrocytes have both advantageous and adverse effects during neurodegeneration. The ability to isolate and depict astrocyte phenotype has been challenging. However, with the recent development of single-cell sequencing technologies researchers are provided with the resource to delineate specific biomarkers associated with reactive astrocytes in AD. In this review, we will focus on the role of astrocytes in normal conditions and the pathological development of AD. We will further review recent developments in the understanding of astrocyte heterogeneity and associated biomarkers. A better understanding of astrocyte contributions and phenotypic changes in AD can ultimately lead to more effective therapeutic targets.

scholarly journals Identification of a simple and novel cut-point based CSF and MRI signature for predicting Alzheimer’s disease progression that reinforces the 2018 NIA-AA research framework

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Devanarayan ◽  
Viswanath Devanarayan ◽  
Daniel A. Llano ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Multiple Reaction Monitoring ◽  
Pharmaceutical Research ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Hippocampal Volume ◽  
National Institutes Of Health ◽  
Decision Threshold ◽  
Research Framework ◽  
The University

AbstractThe 2018 NIA-AA research framework proposes a classification system with beta-Amyloid deposition, pathologic Tau, and neurodegeneration (ATN) for the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Data from the ADNI (AD neuroimaging initiative) database can be utilized to identify diagnostic signatures for predicting AD progression, and to determine the utility of this NIA-AA research framework. Profiles of 320 peptides from baseline cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of 287 normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD subjects followed over a 3-10 year period were measured via multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry. CSF Aβ42, total-Tau (tTau), phosphorylated-Tau (pTau-181) and hippocampal volume were also measured. From these candidate markers, optimal diagnostic signatures with decision thresholds to separate AD and normal subjects were first identified via unbiased regression and tree-based algorithms. The best performing signature determined via cross-validation was then tested in an independent group of MCI subjects to predict future progression. This multivariate analysis yielded a simple diagnostic signature comprising CSF pTau-181 to Aβ42 ratio, MRI hippocampal volume and a novel PTPRN peptide, with a decision threshold on each marker. When applied to a separate MCI group at baseline, subjects meeting this signature criteria experience 4.3-fold faster progression to AD compared to a 2.2-fold faster progression using only conventional markers. This novel 4-marker signature represents an advance over the current diagnostics based on widely used marker, and is much easier to use in practice than recently published complex signatures. In addition, this signature reinforces the ATN construct from the 2018 NIA-AA research framework.DisclosuresViswanath Devanarayan is an employee of Charles River Laboratories, and as such owns equity in, receives salary and other compensation from Charles River Laboratories.Data collection and sharing for this project was funded by the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) (National Institutes of Health Grant U01 AG024904) and DOD ADNI (Department of Defense award number W81XWH-12-2-0012). ADNI is funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and through generous contributions from the following: AbbVie, Alzheimer’s Association; Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation; Araclon Biotech; BioClinica, Inc.;Biogen; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; CereSpir, Inc.; Eisai Inc.; Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; EuroImmun; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and its affiliated company Genentech, Inc.; Fujirebio; GE Healthcare; IXICO Ltd.; Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy Research & Development, LLC.; Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development LLC.; Lumosity; Lundbeck; Merck & Co., Inc.; Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC.; NeuroRx Research; Neurotrack Technologies; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Inc.; Piramal Imaging; Servier; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company; and Transition Therapeutics. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is providing funds to support ADNI clinical sites in Canada. Private sector contributions are facilitated by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (www.fnih.org). The grantee organization is the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, and the study is coordinated by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study at the University of California, San Diego. ADNI data are disseminated by the Laboratory for Neuro Imaging at the University of Southern California.

scholarly journals Oscar Peterson: The Man and His Jazz by J. Batten

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Luyk
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Music Criticism ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Non Fiction ◽  
The Social ◽  
Jazz History ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many ◽  
The University ◽  
Adult Reader

Batten, Jack. Oscar Peterson: The Man and His Jazz. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2012. Print. This young adult non-fiction novel explores the life of the legendary Canadian jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson. Beginning with an account of Peterson’s 1949 breakthrough performance at Carnegie Hall as part of the influential Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) concert series, Batten traces the seventy year musical career of Oscar Peterson in an engaging and insightful style. This book seamlessly combines a personal and musical biography of Peterson with a history of the development of jazz from the 1920s to the time of Peterson’s death in 2007. True to the title of the book, Batten’s is indeed one about both the man and his music. From Peterson’s humble upbringing as the son of immigrants from the West Indies living in poverty in Montréal, the influence of his family on his personal and musical development is a consistent theme throughout the book. Batten does not hold back when describing the social conditions Peterson was operating under throughout his career. The racism Peterson encountered both at home and abroad, as well as the drug use prominent among jazz musicians is honestly explored, as are the personal tragedies Peterson faced, including his failed marriages and consistently poor health. Peterson’s many longtime musical collaborations are explored in great detail, with Batten highlighting the influential performing and recording achievements of his career. From his longtime relationship with the jazz promoter Norman Granz, through the many iterations of Peterson’s famous trio, Batten doesn’t leave out the details at any point. The addition of multiple photographs, quotes from Peterson’s teachers and collaborators, and a selected bibliography and discography add to the historical richness of this title. This book is recommended to the young adult reader with an interest in jazz history, and the life and accomplishments of one of Canada’s most cherished musicians.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sean LuykSean is the Music Librarian for the Rutherford Humanities and Social Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. Sean holds an MA in Music Criticism and B.Mus from McMaster University, as well as an MLIS from the University of Western Ontario.

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