Health
Mayo Clinic finds new type of memory loss that’s often mistaken for Alzheimer’s
Scientists at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota say they have identified a new type of memory loss.
Limbic-predominant amnestic neurodegenerative syndrome, or LANS, affects the brain’s limbic system, which helps to regulate emotions and behavior.
The syndrome is very similar to Alzheimer’s disease, but doesn’t progress as quickly and has a “better prognosis,” according to a Mayo Clinic press release.
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The researchers used data from more than 200 patients from the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative to create a set of criteria that can be used to diagnose LANS.
Scientists at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota say they’ve identified a new type of memory loss. “This paper is putting our clinical expertise into a precise framework that others can use to care for their patients.” (iStock)
The criteria include factors like age, brain scans, memory loss symptoms and certain biological markers, the researchers noted.
The findings were published in the journal Brain Communications on Wednesday.
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David T. Jones, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist and senior author of the study, said his team sees patients with symptoms of memory loss every day.
Before these criteria, analyzing brain tissue after a patient’s death was the only way to diagnose the syndrome.
“I’ve been seeing these patients for over a decade, where it’s clear what is going on is different from typical Alzheimer’s disease,” he told Fox News Digital via email.
Limbic-predominant amnestic neurodegenerative syndrome, or LANS, affects the brain’s limbic system, which helps to regulate emotions and behavior. (iStock)
“This paper is putting our clinical expertise into a precise framework that others can use to care for their patients.”
Jones said that in many cases, “it’s clear there is an issue with memory, which is then diagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease — but then a biomarker test or other test would show it was not Alzheimer’s.”
Added the doctor, “Typically, the most a doctor could say was, ‘I know what you don’t have.’ Now we have answers.”
Nick Corriveau-Lecavalier, PhD, the paper’s first author, further explained the difference between LANS and Alzheimer’s in the release.
“Typically, the most a doctor could say was, ‘I know what you don’t have.’ Now, we have answers.”
“Historically, you might see someone in their 80s with memory problems and think they may have Alzheimer’s disease, and that is often how it’s being thought of today,” Corriveau-Lecavalier said.
LANS is a different syndrome that happens much later in life, he noted.
“Often, the symptoms are restricted to memory and will not progress to impact other cognitive domains, so the prognosis is better than with Alzheimer’s disease.”
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The goal is for doctors to use these findings to create more personalized therapies for patients suffering from LANS, to better manage their cognitive symptoms, according to the researchers.
Rebecca M. Edelmayer, PhD, senior director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, reacted positively to the findings.
The syndrome is very similar to Alzheimer’s disease, but doesn’t progress as quickly and has a “better prognosis,” according to a Mayo Clinic press release. (iStock)
“This research exemplifies the great need to develop objective criteria for diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer’s and all other types of dementia, and to create an integrated biological and clinical staging scheme that can be used effectively by physicians,” Edelmayer, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital via email.
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The hope is that biomarkers will eventually be available to help distinguish between different types of dementia, she said, but until then, this “clinical criteria” will help doctors offer a “more personalized approach” to care and treatment.
The research was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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