Must reads

• A December 2, 2013 Los Angeles Times article reported that Alzheimer's death rates doubled in Los Angeles County between 2001 and 2010. According to the article, "Los Angeles County's mortality rate dropped 19% between 2001 and 2010, according to a new report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health…One ailment that bucked the trend was Alzheimer's disease, which saw death rates double, a sign of the aging population as well as increased awareness of the condition, the report noted. We're making great progress against several leading causes of death in the county," said public health director Dr. Jonathan Fielding, in a statement. But "as the baby boomer generation ages," he added, "the burden of Alzheimer's disease is expected to increase significantly.""
• A December 2, 2013 Think Progress article reported that "A 72-year-old who suffered from Alzheimer’s was shot dead after wandering onto a man’s property early Wednesday morning, ringing the doorbell and turning the door handle." According to the article, "After Joe Hendrix’s fiancé called 911 to report a possible intruder, Hendrix went outside to take matters into his own hands, and fired four shots at a silhouette in his yard, killing Ronald Westbrook."
• A December 2, 2013 National Institutes of Health article reported that "Researchers can now freely access the first batch of genome sequence data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP)." According to the article, "The first data release includes data from 410 individuals in 89 families. Researchers deposited completed WGS data on 61 families and have deposited WGS data on parts of the remaining 28 families, which will be completed soon. WGS determines the order of all 3 billion letters in an individual’s genome. Researchers can access the sequence data at dbGaP or the National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease Data Storage Site (NIAGADS), https://www.niagads.org."

• A December 2, 2013 Reuters article reported that "President Barack Obama on Monday announced a boost to funding for research into HIV/AIDS prevention and pledged up to $5 billion to support an international effort aimed at combating HIV/AIDS."
• A December 2, 2013 Wall Street Journal article reported that "Bill Gates said he plans to nearly double his foundation’s contribution to the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to as much as $500 million. Coupled with matching grants from other donors, Mr. Gates and his foundation’s officials said this could mean a total $1.6 billion contribution to the Global Fund."