It is the most common mind diminishing disease and approximately the seventh leading cause of death among individuals over the age of 60. But it is the least likely to be talked about or taken seriously, until it strikes one’s family—it’s Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Jeffrey Harris, of Harris Neurological Associates and an Alzheimer’s disease specialist in Alabama, says that Alzheimer’s is a progressive memory disorder that starts with the loss of short-term memory and progresses into long-term loss. One loses the ability to do any activity associated with daily living, for instance feeding themselves, grooming themselves or going places without assistance.

Although the number of HIV infections is growing at an alarming rate throughout the Black community, African-American women are the group most disproportionately affected. While representing only 12 percent of the U.S. female population, they account for 61 percent of all new HIV infections among women.

AWARENESS AND OUTREACH—Artistree performs at a National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event at Central Outreach Center Feb. 27.

“African-American women are 20 times more likely to get infected with HIV than White women,” said Dr. Debbie Hagins, clinical director of outpatient services for the Chatham County Health Department IDC Clinic. “This is in part due to the increased likelihood of being exposed to HIV through heterosexual contact because HIV is so prevalent in communities of color.”

Award-winning actors and recording artists Jamie Foxx and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges are joining other celebrities and African-American leaders to promote “i know,” a social media effort launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The “i know” effort will provide new channels for African-American young adults to talk openly and often about HIV, both online and off.

by Marilynn Marchione

SAN ANTONIO (AP)—A moment on the lips, forever on the hips? A bad figure is hardly the worst of it. Eating a lot of fat, especially the kind that’s in cookies and pastries, can significantly raise the risk of stroke for women over 50, a large new study finds. We already know that diets rich in fat, particularly artery-clogging trans fat, are bad for the heart and the waistline.

A computer image mapping parts of the brain.

The new study is the largest to look at stroke risk in women and across all types of fat. It showed a clear trend: Those who ate the most fat had a 44 percent higher risk of the most common type of stroke compared to those who ate the least.