(January 29, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

From Oregon - According to two studies published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, ADHD may arise because of lead exposure. The first study found that children with ADHD had higher levels of lead in their blood, though researchers could only connect these blood levels with hyperactivity. The second study, however, found a clear connection between levels of lead in the blood and the parent's and teacher's assessment of ADHD, an assessment that included both hyperactivity and attention problems.

From Sheffield - According to a report published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, researchers have found that it is possible to improve eating skills of dementia patients. Comparing two different step-by-step intervention methods with no intervention at all, researchers found that the two methods improved nutritional assessment and difficulty feeding scores in dementia patients.

And finally, from Sweden - A simple blood test may be able to predict rheumatoid arthritis even before symptoms develop, according to a report published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. Researchers studied blood samples of over 80 people prior to developing RA symptoms, 69 of these people after they developed RA symptoms, as well as 256 controls. They found that elevation of cytokine levels in the blood predicted eventual development of rheumatoid arthritis.