Skip to main content

What Does AAQI Do With the Money?

If you have ever wondered where the money the Alzheimers' Art Quilt Initiative is spent, read on!  I am attaching information here I have just received from AAQI.  You can read this and more on the site!


The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) has awarded its ninth grant to Dr. Chris B. Schaffer, Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. The $30,000 grant is the second grant the charity has awarded for Alzheimer’s research at Cornell University.


Dr. Schaffer explains his work: “In the conventional view of Alzheimer’s disease it is thought that neurons in the brain are damaged by the accumulation of a small protein called amyloid-beta, but recent work shows that the blood vessels in the brain are also affected by amyloid-beta. In addition, Alzheimer patients have less blood flow in their brains than people without the disease. It is possible that the vascular effects of amyloid-beta and this blood flow decrease could contribute to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and add to the impact of the direct neuronal damage by amyloid-beta.

Our work suggests that the blood flow decrease may be caused by white blood cells that block small blood vessels in the brain. Normally, white blood cells become activated, stick to the wall of blood vessels, then exit the vasculature and tissue in response to an infection or injury. However, in Alzheimer’s disease such activation may be detrimental because it could slow blood flow and deprive brain cells of oxygen and nutrients. In addition, the decreased blood flow may trigger the accumulation of more amyloid-beta, producing a vicious cycle of injury to the brain.

In this work, we will test potential therapies that prevent the white blood cells from plugging blood vessels. We expect to see an increase in blood flow and hope to see a decrease in amyloid-beta accumulation. This work relies on new imaging techniques that enable us to track changes in amyloid-beta and blood flow with micrometer resolution in mice that are engineered to develop Alzheimer’s disease. If successful, this therapy could potentially slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in patients.”
Learn more about research that has been funded by the AAQI here:

http://www.alzquilts.org/researchawards.html

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Giveaway Day! (CLOSED)

I am very happy to be joining in the Giveaway Day through Sew, Momma, Sew .  I have chosen to share one of my finds from a shopping trip, or treasure hunts as I think of them.  This is an antique sewing box -  I could not resist it when I saw it for sale!  Were you able to guess the item from the sneak peek earlier in the week? The box itself is fairly small, 8 inchs X 6 inchs and 4 inches high (20 cm X 15 cm and 10 cm high).  From my research it is of Asian origin. Inside the sewing box is lined with hand-painted silk.  The inside of the lid features a neat little needlebook. In the bottom of the sewing box there are more beautiful hand-painted blossoms and an attached pincushion.  I hope you are as charmed by this little box as I was when I found it and that you will enter my giveaway.  I will be pleased to mail internationally so everyone is invited to enter. To enter, visit my Etsy shop and then come back and leave me a comment telling me which item you like best.  Feel fr

Save the Stitches Finished!

 I finally finished my "Covid Project"!  I worked on Elizabeth Almond's beautiful blackwork sampler design, "Save the Stitches" for much longer than I would like to admit...  I have to say though that it was very satisfying every step of the way.  I have not been able to concentrate on stitching in any significant way for some time now due to chronic pain and the dullness that the pain meds cause but having finished this piece gives me hope for my stitching future.  I also love the framing which was lovingly done by MJ of "Art Effects" in High River, Alberta.

BAS Week 35 - Bullion Stitch

This time the BAS Challenge is a stitch that can be used in either seams or motifs. It is an incredibly versatile stitch once you learn it. I put off learning the bullion stitch because I found it very intimidating, but I have to say that once I got the hang of it I have had a lot of fun with it. The possibilities are almost endless..... bullion roses... ... figures like watering cans... ...Christmas puddings... ... this little robin and worm - my personal favourite!... ....romantic hearts filled with roses... ... even a beehive and little bees.... ... or baby rattles! See, the possibilities really are endless! Now that I hope I have you inspired with ideas, here is the scoop on this stitch. It is simply a glorified french knot! There is an excellent video tutorial on Mary Corbet's Needle'nThread blog in her Video Library of Stitches. Mary has also written very good information and tips in this post. You can also check out Sharon B's Dictionary of Stitches