Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by gradual loss of memory, decline in other cognitive functions and decrease in functional capacity. Increasing age and a positive family history of dementia are the defi nite risk factors of the disease. Molecular analysis of families with early onset of AD (EOAD) has made it possible to identify dominantly acting mutations in genes such as amyloid precursor protein precursor protein and presenilin 1 and 2 (PSEN 1 & PSEN 2). However, the etiology of the late onset of AD (LOAD) is less straightforward than EOAD. The availability of novel genetic tools such as high throughput methods for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping, which simultaneously genotype hundreds of thousands of SNPs using a single SNP array, may facilitate the discovery of genetic infl uences in the disease. These genome-wide association studies have great potential to revolutionize our ability to identify additional genes that contribute to the risk of sporadic AD. It is hoped that the identifi cation of individuals with a high genetic risk of AD will help to develop more rational, cost effective and novel prevention strategies and therapeutic approaches.

Background and Objective: Uric acid is a neuroprotective agent. However, its relationship with ischaemic stroke remains controversial. We analyzed the association between serum uric acid and ischemic stroke and clinical outcome. Methods: The study subject consisted of 550 ischemic stroke patients from the Nizam’s Institute of Health Sciences, Hyderabad, India with 550 matched healthy controls. Serum uric acid levels were estimated, and follow-up interviews conducted with patients. Results: There was a significant association of elevated levels of serum uric acid with stroke and its subtypes except lacunar stroke. Patients with high serum uric acid levels had a significant increased risk of poor outcome. Conclusion: Serum uric acid level is associated with ischemic stroke, and is an independent prognostic factor of poor outcome.