Category: Newsletter

Dementia is a progressive disease that affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, and communication. More than 50 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with dementia. That number is expected to triple before 2050. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and accounts for two-thirds of all cases. Quality of life of patients diagnosed with dementia is affected by disturbances of behavior, mood, thought content, and perception. This cluster of symptoms is known as Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSDs) or Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPSs). Most patients diagnosed with AD will experience one of these symptoms over the course of the disease. Of these NPSs, agitation is one of the most challenging symptoms which features excessive motor activity, as well as verbal or physical aggression. Agitation is predictive of a worse prognosis and increased risk of injury. Treatment of dementia NPSs remains challenging as pharmaceutical approaches can have serious…

The distribution of community outbreaks of the current global pandemic shows
seasonal patterns associated with latitude, temperature, and humidity, which is
similar to the behavior of seasonal viral respiratory tract infections.

The seasonality of many viral infections is associated with a lack of sunlight, which results in low 25(OH)D concentrations and an uptick in diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.[2]^,[3]^,[4] While it’s obvious that winter in temperate climates interferes with sufficient exposure to ultra violet rays, the rainy season in tropical climates also results in low UVB exposure.

Low levels of vitamin D can cause immune dysfunction, including lack of antibody production and increased risk of inflammation. With regard to respiratory function, low levels of vitamin D are associated with numerous pulmonary diseases, including acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Vitamin D and its receptors have been shown to protect epithelial…