Aging News and Research

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Researchers explore communication needs, preferences of older Latinos with advanced cancer

The way in which bad news is communicated to patients at the end of their lives influences their quality of care. Researchers at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work are examining the perceptions and preferences of older Latinos with advanced cancer--one of the fastest growing segments in the aging population--about receiving news on their diagnosis or prognosis.

1 Jun 2016

Cleveland Clinic authors urge physicians to use staging models to manage obesity-related problems

Authors from the Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute recommend physicians use obesity staging models to recognize and manage weight-related health issues that may not be captured by traditional diagnosis criteria. The review article was published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

1 Jun 2016

Researchers identify potential therapeutic target against oncogenic viral infection

A benign virus normally found in the skin can lead to a type of rare, lethal skin cancer. Specifically, infection by the Merkel cell polyomavirus can lead to Merkel cell carcinoma in immune-compromised individuals.

1 Jun 2016

Need for standardised guidelines to fight Alzheimer's disease

Some 47 million people worldwide suffer from some form of dementia. Scientists are working feverishly to find a cure for the most common form, Alzheimer's. At the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen, Prof Gunhild Waldemar issued an appeal for researchers to work together and draw up standardised guidelines for early identification and treatment of the disease.

31 May 2016

Improving regulatory environment and raising the role of self-care could relieve pressure on worldwide healthcare systems

A white paper, written by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and released today reports that greater regulatory harmonisation and access to non-prescription medicines as a whole could improve the ability of patients to care for themselves and reduce needless costs to society, health systems, individuals and companies. Consumer Health: time for a regulatory re-think?, which is based on in-depth interviews with international experts from industry bodies, regulators, academia and patient groups, concludes that self-care and the topic of consumer health regulation is not receiving sufficient attention.

30 May 2016

Applying deep neural networks to predict pharmacologic properties of drugs and drug repurposing

Deep learning, frequently referred to as artificial intelligence, a branch of machine learning utilizing multiple layers of neurons to model high-level abstractions in data, has outperformed humans in tasks including image, text and voice recognition, autonomous driving and others, and is now being applied to drug discovery and biomarker development.

28 May 2016

Researchers develop new drugs for melanoma

Finding new, more effective and personalised treatments for cancer is the challenge of many researchers. A challenge that has been successfully met by a team from Inserm led by Stéphane Rocchi, which has just synthesised and developed new drugs for melanoma.

28 May 2016

Updates on sixty-ninth World Health Assembly

Delegates at the World Health Assembly have agreed resolutions and decisions on air pollution, chemicals, the health workforce, childhood obesity, violence, noncommunicable diseases, and the election of the next Director-General.

28 May 2016

NR supplements can reduce diabetes-related complications in mice

A naturally occurring vitamin, nicotinamide riboside (NR), can lower blood sugar levels, reduce fatty liver, and prevent peripheral nerve damage in mouse models of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Health Care System.

27 May 2016

Smell or taste of food can shorten lifespan by affecting sensory neurons

Animals can perceive changes in many environmental factors such as temperature and the taste or smell of foods. This is achieved by specialized nerve cells called sensory neurons. Interestingly, sensory neurons have been known to control the rate of aging in various animals, including the tiny free living roundworm C. elegans.

27 May 2016

World Health Assembly commits to implement two new health strategies

Delegates at the World Health Assembly today agreed to implement 2 new health strategies that are closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. One relates to women's children's and adolescents' health; the other to healthy ageing.

27 May 2016

Small drug-like molecule that alters perception of food may hold key to extending human healthspan

Researchers at the Buck Institute have shown a new effect on aging via a small drug-like molecule that alters the perception of food in the nematode C. elegans. Publishing in Aging Cell, researchers "tricked" the worm's metabolism into a state of caloric restriction, extending the animal's lifespan by 50 percent.

27 May 2016

Fasting-mimicking diet may help decrease multiple sclerosis symptoms

Evidence is mounting that a diet mimicking the effects of fasting has health benefits beyond weight loss, with a new USC-led study indicating that it may reduce symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

27 May 2016

Majority of older mobile phone users face age or gray divide problems

While close to 99 percent of seniors aged 65 and older in the United States and Europe use mobile phones, there appears to be a "gray divide" in how seniors use information and communication technology, according to a Ben-Gurion University of the Negev study.

26 May 2016

Alzheimer’s research raises questions on the role of infection

A new study has shown that A-beta (Aβ), the protein that forms β-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease, is a normal part of the immune system - raising questions about the role infection plays in Alzheimer’s disease and whether current treatment strategies should be changed.

26 May 2016

Health of 1 million over 65s at risk from low awareness of heart valve disease

New research has revealed that the UK’s over 60s could seriously be jeopardising their health due to a lack of awareness of heart valve disease.

26 May 2016

PET imaging with PiB may help in early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

The effort to find ways to detect and diagnose preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) has taken a big step forward with the use of positron emission tomography (PET), a "nuclear medicine" for imaging processes in the body, when PET is used with a special 'tracer' that binds to the amyloid plaques in the brain that are a characteristic cause of AD.

25 May 2016

Technical advances in neuroimaging offer new promise to clinicians

The current special issue of Technology and Innovation, Journal of the National Academy of Inventors, Volume 18, Number 1 (all open access), is devoted to the evolution of neuroimaging technology, with seven articles chronicling the latest advances in this critical area.

25 May 2016

Neuroscientist distinguishes different forms of dementia using MRI scans

Neuroscientist Anne Hafkemeijer is able to distinguish two different forms of dementia using advanced imaging techniques. This is the first step towards early recognition of dementia in patients on the basis of brain networks. PhD defence 26 May.

25 May 2016

ANK3 and other genes may play key role in affecting mood, stress and longevity

The visible impacts of depression and stress that can be seen in a person's face -- and contribute to shorter lives -- can also be found in alterations in genetic activity, according to newly published research.

24 May 2016