Patients with glaucoma appear to have more rapid visual field change if they are older or if they have abnormal levels of anticardiolipin antibody (an antibody directed against a certain protein in the body), according to a report posted online today that will appear in the October print issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Reducing intraocular pressure - the pressure within the eyeball - modestly in these patients appears to ameliorate the rate at which they experience declines in visual field...

 High plasma levels of beta-amyloid-protein fragments associated with Alzheimer's disease when they accumulate in the brain-appear to be associated with faster cognitive decline even in those who do not develop dementia, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the December print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The amyloid cascade hypothesis suggests that Alzheimer's disease develops when the body is unable to metabolize glycoproteins, the precursors to amyloid, according to background information in the article...

 A "signature" consisting of three biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid was present in 90 percent of patients who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease but also was found in more than one-third of cognitively normal older adults, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "The initiation of the Alzheimer's disease pathogenic process is typically unobserved and has been thought to precede the first symptoms by 10 years or more," the authors write as background information in the article...

 A quarter of stroke patients discontinue one or more of their prescribed secondary stroke prevention medications within three months of hospitalization for an acute stroke, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the December print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Each year, there are an estimated 180,000 recurrent strokes in the United States, according to background in the article...

 Antibiotic use appears to have increased among older adults whose prescription drug coverage improved as a result of enrolling in Medicare Part D, with the largest increases for broad-spectrum, newer and more expensive drugs, according to a report in the August 9/23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals...

 Individuals with a large waist circumference appear to have a greater risk of dying from any cause over a nine-year period, according to a report in the August 9/23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Having a large waist circumference has previously been associated with inflammation, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels and heart disease, according to background information in the article...

 Two specific types of vena cava filters, devices used to prevent blood clots from reaching the lungs, appear to have evidence of fracturing inside the body, with some fractured fragments traveling to the heart and causing potentially life-threatening complications, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the November 8 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals...

 A woman in the US who survived a five year battle with flesh-eating bacteria, undergoing dozens of operations, including an unusual bowel transplant, has given an interview about her ordeal. 34-year old nurse and mother Sandy Wilson told the Associated Press (AP) that at one point she felt like she "was rotting from the inside out". She described coming round from the anasthetic, looking under the sheet at her belly and seeing that all the skin was gone and all she could see were her internal organs...

 WHAT: The American Psychological Association's 2010 meeting will include a full program of sessions summarizing the areas of research that have been key in recent same-sex marriage court cases and other legal decisions supporting equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Sessions will feature the latest scientific research into same-sex couples' relationships and family formation among lesbian, gay and bisexual people, as well as the effect of sexual stigma on individuals and families...