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New program improves outcomes for older people undergoing elective surgery

Compared to younger adults, older people have higher rates of complications from surgery. But many problems can be avoided by intervening with assessments and risk-reduction strategies before, during and after procedures.

5 Jan 2018

New study uncovers why sauna bathing provides health benefits

Over the past couple of years, scientists at the University of Eastern Finland have shown that sauna bathing is associated with a variety of health benefits.

5 Jan 2018

Scientists show how alcohol exposure leads to permanent genetic damage

Scientists have shown how alcohol damages DNA in stem cells, helping to explain why drinking increases your risk of cancer, according to research part-funded by Cancer Research UK and published in Nature today (Wednesday).

4 Jan 2018

Powerful imaging technique sheds light on how the brain responds to vascular injury

Pericytes, a little-understood type of cell on the brain's blood vessels, grow into the empty space left when neighboring pericytes die, report researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in a January 2nd, 2018 article in Cell Reports.

4 Jan 2018

Facial exercises improve appearance of middle-aged women

A 30-minute daily or alternate-day facial exercise program sustained over 20 weeks improved the facial appearance of middle-aged women, resulting in a younger appearance with fuller upper and lower cheeks, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

3 Jan 2018

New, sensitive screening test may allow clinicians to accurately detect Pompe disease

Researchers identified a new, more sensitive screening test to recognize Pompe disease, a metabolic disorder affecting cellular processing of glycogen in numerous tissues of the body.

2 Jan 2018

Care suffers as more nursing homes feed money into corporate webs

When one of Martha Jane Pierce's sons peeled back the white sock that had been covering his 82-year-old mother's right foot for a month, he discovered rotting flesh.

2 Jan 2018

New AAN guideline: Exercising twice a week may improve memory in people with MCI

Exercising twice a week may improve thinking ability and memory in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to a guideline released by the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Dec 2017

Regular skiing and running at low altitudes can delay aging

Most biologists and medical professionals would agree that skiing and running can delay aging. This is essentially because of the direct positive impact on the body due to good exercise and physical fitness.

27 Dec 2017

Medicare penalizes group of 751 hospitals for patient injuries

The federal government Thursday lowered a year's worth of Medicare payments to 751 hospitals to penalize them for having the highest rates of patient injuries.

21 Dec 2017

Ability to defend against environmental stress may affect longevity

A shorter life may be the price an organism pays for coping with the natural assaults of daily living, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues in Japan.

21 Dec 2017

Daily serving of green, leafy vegetables may be linked to slower brain aging

Eating about one serving per day of green, leafy vegetables may be linked to a slower rate of brain aging, according to a study published in the December 20, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

21 Dec 2017

Researchers develop highly precise sensor-based surgical robot for spinal operations

Researchers from the University of Bern, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology develop a high-precision, sensor-based surgical robot for spinal operations together with industry partners.

21 Dec 2017

Diet rich in tomatoes and apples may help restore lung damage caused by smoking

A study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found the natural decline in lung function over a 10-year period was slower among former smokers with a diet high in tomatoes and fruits, especially apples, suggesting certain components in these foods might help restore lung damage caused by smoking.

21 Dec 2017

The long goodbye: Coping with sadness and grief before a loved one dies

For years before her death at age 96, Nancy Lundebjerg's mother underwent a long, slow decline. Arthritis made it hard for Margaret Lundebjerg to get around. After two hip surgeries, she needed a walker when she was out and about.

21 Dec 2017

FDA-approved drug to treat high blood pressure increases life span in worms

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers find that an FDA-approved drug to treat high blood pressure seems to extend lifespan in worms via a cell signaling pathway that may mimic caloric restriction.

21 Dec 2017

A salad a day may keep memory problems away, study says

A new study published yesterday in Neurology, the online medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, Neurology, suggested that consuming about one serving of leafy vegetables per day may be associated with a slower rate of brain aging.

21 Dec 2017

Stem cells remain healthy following low-dose X-ray exposure, say biophysicists

Biophysicists have shown that following low-dose exposure to X-rays (at 80 milligrays), stem cells remain healthy, proliferate, and do not accumulate DNA damage to be passed on to their progeny. The paper was published in the journal Aging.

20 Dec 2017

Doing more harm than good? Epidemic of screening burdens nation’s older patients

Elena Altemus is 89 and has dementia. She often forgets her children's names, and sometimes can't recall whether she lives in Maryland or Italy.

20 Dec 2017

Epigenetics: A New Tool for Forensic Detectives

Developing analytical methods can help the triers of fact, judges and juries, better understand the events surrounding the circumstances of a crime. In forensic analysis, we are talking about determining the identity of unknown individuals through DNA and using DNA and other chemical signatures to determine and clarify the circumstances of the crime.

From Pittcon 20 Dec 2017