Aging News and Research

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Rates of hepatitis A higher in an El Niño year

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology have examined the possible association between the Southern Oscillation Index and the occurrence of hepatitis A in Australia. The results indicate that the SOI is statistically significantly associated with the transmission of hepatitis A.

2 May 2004

$9 billion cost of depression in senior citizens

A new study reveals that depression among senior citizens carries a huge unrecognized cost: many extra hours of unpaid help with everyday activities, delivered by the depressed seniors’ spouses, adult children and friends.

1 May 2004

Counseling eases the depression of people caring for a loved one with the devastating brain disease

The spouses of Alzheimer's patients often experience extraordinary psychological stress, but a new study by NYU School of Medicine researchers shows that a six-session counseling and long-term support program substantially eases the depression of people caring for a loved one with the devastating brain disease, and that the mental health benefits apparently are long lasting.

1 May 2004

Adult height loss could suggest future osteoporosis problems

The loss of 2 or more inches in height during adulthood serves as a powerful predictor of osteoporosis in the hip, and thus the risk for hip fractures, in elderly women, according to a new study at The Ohio State University Medical Center. The finding has led researchers to recommend that primary care physicians routinely screen aging patients for height loss. Seth Kantor

1 May 2004

Stroke survivors have twice the risk of dementia compared to stroke-free men and women of the same age

The risk of dementia increases dramatically with advancing age. Our results show that sustaining a stroke increases this risk even further,” said lead author Cristina S. Ivan, M.D. a fellow in stroke and cerebrovascular disorders at the Boston Medical Center. “Dementia is a growing problem because of the aging of the population, particularly the ‘baby boomers’.

29 Apr 2004

Mystery surrounding ageing, death and cancer is dispelled by new study

Scientists from Cancer Research UK and Breast Cancer Campaign have uncovered the first evidence of an entirely new system for holding the ravages of time at bay.

29 Apr 2004

Results look promising in Alzheimer’s gene therapy trial

Surgical placement of genetically modified tissue directly into the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, an experimental approach to delaying brain cell loss associated with the disease, leads to increased metabolic activity in the brain, with cells apparently responding to the insertion of growth factor-producing grafts

28 Apr 2004

Menopause often wrongly blamed for poor sleep

Middle-aged women often complain that they sleep poorly, and both women and their health care providers point to menopause as the cause. But University of Michigan researchers Jane Lukacs and Nancy Reame say it may be time to put that assumption to rest.

27 Apr 2004

Helix BioMedix announces positive results of comparative product anti-wrinkle study

Helix BioMedix today announced that it has completed a 12-week consumer product test comparing the company's anti-wrinkle peptide, HB168 with Renova(R), a currently marketed FDA approved product.

27 Apr 2004

Ageing population no burden to the future rich

Living standards will increase by up to 35% over the next 25 years, even taking into account the ageing population and the higher cost of caring for older people, according to a Melbourne economist.

27 Apr 2004

$Safer flooring lowers risk of hip fracture$

Safer flooring lowers risk of hip fracture

Elderly people living in residential homes are at significantly lower risk of hip fracture if they fall on carpeted wooden floors than onto any other type of flooring, researchers from the University of Edinburgh have found.

26 Apr 2004

UK vital ageing research

Researchers at the University of Reading are setting up a clinical database of healthy older people willing to take part in a wide range of important research projects which could help shape the future of healthcare for senior citizens.

26 Apr 2004

Australia's health system is on alert for SARS

Australia's health system is on alert to detect any possible cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) following reports of four possible SARS cases in China, including one death.

25 Apr 2004

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) overview

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is an atypical form of pneumonia that first appeared in November 2002 in Guangdong Province, China.

24 Apr 2004

Palliative care improvements needed in Australia

While Australian expertise in palliative care to ease the suffering of dying people has developed rapidly over the past 20 years, there is still a long way to go, writes Professor Margaret O'Connor, who holds the inaugural Vivian Bullwinkel chair in palliative care nursing at Monash.

23 Apr 2004

Alzheimer Society of Canada new Alzheimer fact sheet

Dementia is a syndrome consisting of a number of symptoms that include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood, behaviour and communication abilities. Alzheimer Disease, the most common form of dementia, accounts for 64 per cent of all dementias in Canada.

22 Apr 2004

Scientist discovers why skin turns leathery

“The reason our skin becomes more leathery and thick as we age might be due to a loss of elasticity in the cells,” says Igor Sokolov of Clarkson University, who presented his latest research findings during a session on bio-imaging techniques at the Annual American Physical Society (APS) March meeting in Montreal.

21 Apr 2004

A promising new therapy for rheumatoid arthritis

A promising new therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) developed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine re-educates the body's immune system to prevent an attack against healthy joint tissue.

21 Apr 2004

Dieting greatly reduces risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes

People who severely restrict their caloric intake drastically reduce their risk of developing diabetes or clogged arteries, the precursor to a heart attack or stroke. In fact, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, some risk factors were so low they were comparable to those of people decades younger.

20 Apr 2004

Preventing antimicrobial resistance among long-term care residents

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is spotlighting an educational campaign to help long-term care medical directors and clinicians prevent antimicrobial resistance and protect the health of their residents.

20 Apr 2004