ST. LOUIS, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Alzheimer's disease may begin in midlife, although the mind-killing condition is not diagnosed until a patient begins to show symptoms, U.S. researchers say.

"Alzheimer's disease may be a chronic condition in which change begins in midlife or even earlier," Dr. John C. Morris, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis told The New York Times. (NYSE:NYT)

Morris has been studying the possible progression of Alzheimer's in a healthy 52-year-old woman whose mother, grandmother and maternal great-aunt all had dementia, to detect symptoms as early as possible.

The woman has volunteered for batteries of mental tests, MRIs, PET scans and spinal taps to help researchers who say early detection and treatment may be the only way to halt progression of Alzheimer's before brain damage spreads.

Since November, PET scans using an experimental radioactive dye called Pittsburgh Compound B have detected deposits of beta amyloid, an Alzheimer's-related protein, in the brains of five patients, The Times reported. Scientists say studies using the dye found A-beta deposits in up to 25 percent of normal people over age 65.

There currently is no definitive genetic test for biomarkers for Alzheimer's, which was first recognized in the early 1900s. The Alzheimer's Association estimates 5 million U.S. residents have Alzheimer's and 66,000 die of the disease annually.

MIT seeks funding for elastic spacesuit

BOSTON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are seeking funding to develop a skin-tight, next-generation spacesuit for a possible mission to Mars.

The lightweight, stretchable "Bio-Suit" was envisioned by NASA in the 1990s, but funding to develop the futurist garment dried up. A team of MIT researchers and engineers believe they could develop a prototype suit and have it ready for production by 2012, The Boston Herald reported Wednesday.

"It is possible that this could be worn by astronauts by the time we go back to the moon in 2020 and could even be worn to Mars," said David Newman, an aeronautics and aerospace professor who heads the "Bio-Suit" project at MIT.

The spandex and nylon spacesuit would be perfectly tailored to fit in the vacuum of space but would be extremely difficult to put on while on Earth, the newspaper said. Air pressure in a "Bio-Suit" would be directly on the skin of the wearer instead of inside the bulky pressurized spacesuits used today, Newman said.

Web sites offer test answers 'cheap'

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A Web site in Ohio is offering answers to hundreds of questions on qualifying examinations for professionals ranging from computer technicians to pharmacists.

The Boston Globe reports cheaters can buy pirated answers to a business school admissions test for just $30. The Web site calls the answers to tests for professions requiring certification a "VIP Pass."

Other exam answer keys are available for everything from school bus driver to medical technician, and for a range of military skills. The sites are called "brainbumps" in Internet jargon.

"It's impacting any industry or any business that certifies or licenses," said Susan Underhill, vice president of Hewlett-Packard's global certification program. "We live in a world where IT supports everything."

Easy availability of high-tech cheating is of particular concern to the U.S. Army, which was surprised when the Globe reported this month that thousands of soldiers had cheated on certification exams.

TestExam.com, a site headquartered in Pakistan, makes about $10 million a year selling answers to technology tests, the Globe said.

Rare genetic marker in Choctaw blood

OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Researchers at the Oklahoma Blood Institute are collecting blood from American Indians to see if a rare genetic marker linked to the Choctaw tribe shows up.

In 1997, researchers in Oklahoma City discovered by accident an antibody, ENAV MNS42 or "Avis," on the walls of red blood cells donated by a Choctaw. Only two other donors, both of Choctaw descent, have been found to carry the antibody, the Tulsa World reported.

OBI Medical Director Dr. James Smith said the finding is significant because it helps the blood bank find blood for patients with the rare antibody.

All three of the Choctaws with the antigen lived in southeastern Oklahoma. The Choctaw Nation has fewer than 200,000 registered members.

"We believe it's possible that the more Choctaw you are, the more chance that there will be this antibody," OBI reference laboratory manager Rosemary Persa told the newspaper. "At this point, it's basically a needle and haystack trying to find donors with this kind of antibody."

Researchers said specific antigens develop to protect carriers from disease and likely are inherited from parents. The findings were originally reported 10 years ago in the journal, Transfusion.