New Alzheimer's Test

Yesterday the British Medical Journal published research on a new Alzheimer’s test called TYM. The test can be self administered. The new Alzheimer's disease test is designed to evaluate cognitive ability. The new test is called “Test Your Memory" or TYM. It is not considered a diagnostic test for Alzheimer's. It has only been tested in one clinical scenario, but the researchers feel that it has shown great promise in early screening of the disease and could be used in monitoring response to treatment.

The study involved 540 people, 18 to 95 years old, who had no history of neurological disease, memory problems or brain injury. It also included 139 people who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment. All were given the TYM, the new test for Alzheimer’s, as well as two other commonly used cognitive tests, the mini-mental state examination and the Addenbrooke's cognitive examination-revised.

The TYM Alzheimer's test includes 10 tasks such as the ability to copy a sentence, the ability to determine word meanings, the ability to do calculations, and recall. An example of a TYM question might be to name four animals that begin with the letter “S”. Each task can earn the test-taker a maximum of 50 points. The TYM requires less time to do than the other tests. It identified 93 percent of those with Alzheimer's, whereas the mini-mental state examination identified only 52 percent of the people with Alzheimer's.

Michael Roof

Michael Roof, a comedian known as "Chicken" who co-starred in the two XXX action movies, and had acting roles in both Black Hawk Down and The Dukes of Hazzard movie, died earlier this week. He was only 32. This sad news came to me from two knowledgeable sources overnight, both of whom alleged that Roof had taken his own life. Friends of Roof also began offering their condolences Tuesday afternoon and evening on Michael Roof's MySpace page.

Michael "Chicken" Roof had a wife and three kids. He got his nickname "Chicken" during college and started out his comedy career in Atlanta. After making his mark at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, he got cast in the WB sketch comedy show, Hype. But he got more notice as an actor, getting roles in the real-life war movie, Black Hawk Down, as well as a recurring role as the weapons nerd agent in the two XXX films. In fact, he gets more speaking lines in the trailer for XXX than either star Vin Diesel or Samuel L. Jackson.

One snowy night after a kill, a depressed Frank prepares to leap from the roof of a building. He's spotted by Kate, who has just emerged from her office. She cries out; he vanishes. It doesn't take long for Chicago cop Dave Murcheson (Tom Bastounes) to realize that the would-be jumper is most likely the killer. Both men begin to court Kate. Frank arranges an "accidental" meeting (to make sure she doesn't recognize him), then befriends the woman. His interest isn't sexual ... he seems simply to need some human contact.

MLB Draft 2009 Results

The first round of Major League Baseball's 2009 first-Year draft is held between June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network in New York. The first 2009 MLB pick was completed last evening at Studio 42 at MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The result is that 16 pitchers are selected on the first pick of the Draft, including 12 right handers and four left handers.

The MLB Draft results are momorable because of the coming of new players. With the Draft in prime time for the first time, Stephen Strasburg was the star of the show. Back in The Show, Boston moved to 6-0 vs. the Yanks, and the Mets outslugged Philly. Here is the list of MLB Draft 2009 Results. This is the first pick, according to Wikipedia.

MLB reports on the 2009 draft results "On one June evening, the newest players in the Major League universe - so new they haven't even signed contracts yet - shared the stage with the oldest and most storied rivalry in the game. Stephen Strasburg and the rest of the First-Year Player Draft newbies, meet Yankees-Red Sox, now deadlocked atop the AL East despite a lopsided head-to-head. On the same night, one of the game's best starters gave up four homers and still managed to win thanks to one of the game's best closers, as another Northeast rivalry was renewed."