Gerontology News and Research

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Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

Humans' evolutionary advantage also makes them susceptible to cancer, dementia and heart disease

The same evolutionary genetic advantages that have helped increase human lifespans also make us uniquely susceptible to diseases of aging such as cancer, heart disease and dementia, reveals a study to be published in a special PNAS collection on "Evolution in Health and Medicine" on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

28 Jan 2010

Sanofi-aventis U.S. brings national experts together to help aging Americans with AFib

National medical and lifestyle experts have been brought together by sanofi-aventis U.S. to help aging Americans learn to live life more fully despite a serious and increasingly prevalent heart condition – atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heartbeat.

21 Jan 2010

Scientists identify fast-acting compound to improve cognitive function impairments

A fast-acting compound that appears to improve cognitive function impairments in mice similar to those found in patients with progressive Alzheimer's disease has been identified by scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program in Drug Discovery.

13 Jan 2010

Interest in studying psychology on the rise

"I hope I will be able to touch the lives of people when they most need help and to offer them advice and guidance."

9 Jan 2010

Study suggests participating in volunteer activities may prevent frailty in older adults

Frailty is a geriatric condition marked by weight loss, low energy and strength, and low physical activity. UCLA researchers followed 1,072 healthy adults aged 70 to 79 between 1988 and 1991 to determine if productive activities - specifically volunteering, paid work and child care - prevent the onset of frailty.

9 Jan 2010

Data from national surveys shows few Americans receive consistent treatment for MDD

Only about half of Americans diagnosed with major depression in a given year receive treatment for it and even fewer - about one-fifth - receive treatment consistent with current practice guidelines, according to data from national surveys supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.

6 Jan 2010

Persistent disparities exist in nursing homes

Hispanic senior citizens are living in nursing homes in ever-increasing numbers, but they face a gap in their quality of care compared to white residents, according to new research from Brown University.

5 Jan 2010

Disability-related problems continue to rise among older adults

Disability rates among non-institutionalized older Americans increased between 2000 and 2005, a trend that could seriously impact the quality of life of seniors in the coming decades if it continues, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Toronto and the University of California, Berkeley.

22 Dec 2009

NSHAP study sheds new light on health and intimate relationships of older people

Researchers and the general public have a new resource for information on the health and intimate relationships of older people, thanks to a newsupplemental issue of The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences (Volume 64B, Supplement 1).

19 Dec 2009

GSA publication focuses on health disparities minority elders face

The premiere issue of an aging-focused newsletter deals with two pressing societal concerns - the economic downturn and health care reform - from the perspective of older minority adults.

19 Dec 2009

Research says importance of attractiveness varies with socio-cultural environments

Do good-looking people really benefit from their looks, and in what ways? A team of researchers from the University of Georgia and the University of Kansas found that yes; attractive people do tend to have more social relationships and therefore an increased sense of psychological well-being.

16 Dec 2009

Participating in social service programs can delay cognitive decline in older adults

Volunteer service, such as tutoring children, can help older adults delay or reverse declining brain function, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

15 Dec 2009

Springer and BSRA sign three-year agreement

Springer has just signed an agreement with the British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA) to enter into an affiliation with the journal Biogerontology for an initial period of three years.

15 Dec 2009

National Vaccine Plan aims to protect Americans from vaccine-preventable illnesses

While vaccines help prevent many diseases in the United States, we lack immunization protection against several serious illnesses, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine that identifies priority areas for updating the National Vaccine Plan.

14 Dec 2009

Nobel Prize discovery opens new perspectives for detection and prevention of age-related diseases

This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three American scientists Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase”. The research contributed to the understanding of how telomeres protect chromosomes from degradation and identified telomerase, the enzyme that preserves telomere length and integrity.

11 Dec 2009

HST Global and HMD team up to develop curriculum for FIT protocol

HST Global, Inc. (OTCBB: HSTC) today announced a Partnership with Dr. James W. Forsythe to facilitate the development of a curriculum for the licensing and/or certification to administer Dr. Forsythe’s immune therapy in clinics to be built or acquired by HST Global, Inc.

11 Dec 2009

Study shows middle-aged parents are more involved in their grown children's lives than ever

Middle-aged parents are more involved in their grown children's lives than ever, according to new research from Purdue University.

8 Dec 2009

Research study compares genetic make-up of humans and primates

In spite of their genetic similarity to humans, chimpanzees and great apes have maximum lifespans that rarely exceed 50 years. The difference, explains USC Davis School of Gerontology Professor Caleb Finch, is that as humans evolved genes that enabled them to better adjust to levels of infection and inflammation and to the high cholesterol levels of their meat rich diets.

3 Dec 2009

Journal policies call for authors to disclose COIs for improved transparency

Nearly 90 percent of medical journals with relatively high impact factors have policies addressing author conflict of interest (COI) available for public review, according to a report in the November 25 issue of JAMA. But many journals do not require authors to sign disclosure statements, and there is variability in how COI is defined.

25 Nov 2009

Ligand Pharmaceuticals' SARM LGD-4033 study data presented at the Gerontology Society of America meeting

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that data from a preclinical study on its selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) LGD-4033 was featured in a poster presentation at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Gerontology Society of America in Atlanta. LGD-4033 exhibited desirable in vivo efficacy on skeletal muscle and bone measurements in animal models of male hypogonadism and postmenopausal osteoporosis.

20 Nov 2009