[thepossum]

Hi all

I just came across this interesting story regarding Alzheimer's research and medications, and recent investigation

It is made even more interesting by the connection with short-selling against questionable research

Would love to hear any comments, especially from assembled experts and others

Interesting read to us ordinary people

P

Interesting Story

PS I should credit Mad in America again for bringing it to my attention

[pilowsky]

If you want to keep track of articles that have been retracted - representing only the stuff that has been caught and dealt with, you can search the "Retraction Watch" database.
Here are the results for amyloid: the stuff that is seen in the brain of people that had Alzheimer's disease.

A simple example is the old saw that Bridge improves cognitive function and decreases the risk of dementia.
There is no evidence for this.
The 'findings' (very slender indeed) show an association between playing Bridge/Chess/wordle/ etc etc and better levels of cognitive function but there are no studies that I'm aware of that demonstrate causation.

[kenberg]

"Interesting read to us ordinary people". Yes, definitely. Thank you.

[thepossum]

kenberg, on 2022-August-07, 10:34, said:

"Interesting read to us ordinary people". Yes, definitely. Thank you.

Sorry no insult intended Ken. I was talking about me

I think the thing that I am most curious about is the nature of the trading and whether the likes of the SEC have any interest in the matter

I am impressed at their use of public information and expertise etc

An impressive short indeed

[kenberg]

thepossum, on 2022-August-07, 17:52, said:

Sorry no insult intended Ken. I was talking about me

I think the thing that I am most curious about is the nature of the trading and whether the likes of the SEC have any interest in the matter

I am impressed at their use of public information and expertise etc

An impressive short indeed

And no insult was taken. My knowledge of medicine, genetics, etc is scant. Just looking back on my own life, I believe genetic material is very significant but of course not the whole story. Choices also matter, matter a lot. and while I am sorry to hear that someone may be stacking the cards a bit for research results, I know that gets tricky to prove. By " Yes, definitely. Thank you." I meant " Yes, definitely. Thank you."

[barmar]

pilowsky, on 2022-August-07, 01:52, said:

A simple example is the old saw that Bridge improves cognitive function and decreases the risk of dementia.
There is no evidence for this.
The 'findings' (very slender indeed) show an association between playing Bridge/Chess/wordle/ etc etc and better levels of cognitive function but there are no studies that I'm aware of that demonstrate causation.

Quite right. It's possible that the neurological traits that make you less susceptible to dementia also lead to more interest in playing mentally challenging games.

It's hard to perform controlled experiments to determine causal links for things like this. We can force mice to run around in mazes every day, but it's hard to make a random sample of people take up bridge. So bridge players are a self-selected group, and selection bias taints the results.

[kenberg]

Some of these "improvements" are amusing. I work crossword puzzles more often than I used to. Becky is much much faster at it than I am but I am starting to catch on to some of it. I work the daily puzzle in WaPo which is reprinted from the LA Times. I have learned that if the clue involves a cookie and the answer is to be four letters long then the answer is oreo. Similarly, a four letter answer to a clue that involves music is aria, and a four letter answer to a clue that involves colleges is yale. Yoko Ono makes frequent appearances in these puzzles. Also the musical group ELO. If I worked puzzles from a different source, I suppose I would need to learn a different set of frequently appearing answers.

I don't so much expect such activities to ward off dementia, it's more that I see it as reassurance that I have not yet completely lost it. On the physical side, I mow grass with a push mower. Sure, the blades spin by means of electricity, but I push it, I don't ride on it. My cardiologist has scheduled me for a stress test that I expect to do fine on, the reason being that I have no problems mowing the grass. Well, too hot lately but that will change, I hope.

So. I play bridge because I enjoy it, just as I mow my grass because I enjoy it. If I can no longer do one or the other, I will figure I have a problem. Warding off problems is partly genes, partly choices, partly luck.

Anyway, the thread is Alzheimer's and I am sorry to hear that some of the data might be fudged.

[pilowsky]

kenberg, on 2022-August-11, 07:07, said:

So. I play bridge because I enjoy it, just as I mow my grass because I enjoy it. If I can no longer do one or the other, I will figure I have a problem. Warding off problems is partly genes, partly choices, partly luck.

Maybe it's the element of danger that causes the enjoyment.

Simon HB Harvard Mens Health Watch. 1999 Jun;3(11):8. said:

I am married to a 63-year-old accountant who subscribes to the Harvard Men's Health Watch. My husband had a small heart attack last winter. He feels fine now, but he has to take five pills a day. He's back to his golf, and when he doesn't play he walks two miles a day. But he insists on mowing the lawn himself, pushing a heavy mower, and I'm worried. What do you think?

[kenberg]

pilowsky, on 2022-August-11, 16:29, said:

Maybe it's the element of danger that causes the enjoyment.

Quote

Simon HB Harvard Mens Health Watch. 1999 Jun;3(11):8. said:

I am married to a 63-year-old accountant who subscribes to the Harvard Men's Health Watch. My husband had a small heart attack last winter. He feels fine now, but he has to take five pills a day. He's back to his golf, and when he doesn't play he walks two miles a day. But he insists on mowing the lawn himself, pushing a heavy mower, and I'm worried. What do you think?

It's a legitimate question but what are the alternatives? You would have to know the individuals and even then it's a bit tough. I got most of the crazy out of my system when I was in my teens. Now, in my 80s, I take life very seriously. Somewhere along the way I came to realize that I want to live because there are several people who very much hope I will do so. Crazy is not the way to do it, but sitting around doing nothing is not such a good idea either. When I was 13 and going off to summer camp my doctor refused to sign off on some planned activities because I had a heart murmur. I ignored his restrictions and probably became healthier by doing so. That's not where I am now, but I am not sitting still either. Becky and I have good conversations regarding what is sensible and what is not. And we do pay attention to doctors. And then we make our own decisions.

We all make such choices, they just come up more often when you are 80 than they do when you are 40. 63 is between 40 and 80.

[pilowsky]

I'm with you Ken. It was hard to be certain which problem exercised Simon HB's correspondent the most.
Possibly she was most concerned about being married to a 63 year old accountant.