Must reads

• An October 2, 2013 Medical Xpress article reported on the negative impact of budget cuts on the National Institutes of Health. According to the article, "About one of every 500 members of the U.S. working population is in some way supported by the NIH, said Rockey, who was acutely mindful of the possibility of the looming government shutdown that has since become a reality. Between 1998 and 2003, the NIH budget more than doubled, from $13 billion to $27 billion. But now it has flattened, Rockey said, and about 25 percent of its buying power has been lost because of the increased cost of research."
• An October 1, 2013 NPR article reported link between stress and Alzheimer's in middle-aged women. According to the article, "Researchers in Sweden say that women who reported stress in midlife from experiences like divorce or a family member's illness were more likely to have dementia or Alzheimer's disease in old age."