Aging News and Research

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Depressed elderly risk early death

Depression in elderly people is causing early mortality, a University of Liverpool study has found.

8 Mar 2007

Translaminar technique reduces neck pain without significant risk of paralysis

In the largest series of patients to date, recent research shows that the translaminar approach to cervical spinal steroid injections can reduce neck pain in eighty-three percent of those treated.

5 Mar 2007

Physical fitness and activity levels decline substantially as we reach middle age

Those are the findings of the largest, long-term study of physical fitness change, presented by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research today at the American Heart Association's 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in Orlando, Fla.

28 Feb 2007

Campaign seeks to counter influence of pharma sales reps

The Boston Globe on Monday examined the Independent Drug Service project, a $1 million campaign in Pennsylvania that sends consultants to inform physicians about the effectiveness of different medications based on scientific evidence to "combat the sales pitches" of pharmaceutical companies.

28 Feb 2007

Is Medicaid sustainable?

As Congress prepares to debate the President's budget and looks ahead to address the growing federal deficit and the future sustainability of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, a new study of future funding requirements for Medicaid by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) projects a less dire situation than suggested by conventional wisdom.

25 Feb 2007

Reduced brain growth in alcoholics with family drinking history

The brains of alcohol-dependent individuals are affected not only by their own heavy drinking, but also by genetic or environmental factors associated with their parents- drinking, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

21 Feb 2007

Swedish brain researchers gain access to unique IBM supercomputer

Approximately 127 million people in Europe are suffering from some kind of brain disease or injury. With the long term goal to improve diagnostics and find new therapies in their sights, the Stockholm Brain Institute (SBI) and IBM have embarked on a partnership that gives Swedish brain researchers access to a unique supercomputer.

21 Feb 2007

Scientists find new genes linked to Lou Gehrig's disease

In the first genome-wide search for the genetic roots of the most common form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Johns Hopkins scientists have newly identified 34 unique variations in the human genetic code among 276 unrelated subjects with ALS.

21 Feb 2007

Study looks at mental and physical health of caregivers

Having positive cultural beliefs about caring for elders and strong religious beliefs can ward off depression and other mental health difficulties for female caregivers of spouses and parents with dementia, but sustained elevated levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, puts these women at risk for physical health problems, according to a study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychology.

20 Feb 2007

Injections with "dermal fillers" containing hyaluronic acid may partially restore sun-damaged skin

Injectable skin fillers have become increasingly popular for correcting the lines and wrinkles associated with aging, as well as acne scars and other skin conditions, according to background information in the article.

20 Feb 2007

Aging bones may benefit from whole body vibration device

While running and jumping are some of the best ways to maintain or improve bone strength and help prevent fractures, they aren't the safest activities for the frail, elderly or physically impaired.

19 Feb 2007

More evidence that inflammation can fuel cancer

As evidence mounts that the body's normally protective inflammation response can drive some precancerous tissues to become fully malignant, UCSF scientists report discovering an apparent trigger to this potentially deadly process.

19 Feb 2007

C-Reactive protein plays a direct role in the onset of hypertension

We have discovered that C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is not merely a marker of the risk of hypertension, it actually induces hypertension.

19 Feb 2007

Chocolate can give a short-term boost to memory

Eating chocolate could help to sharpen up the mind and give a short-term boost to cognitive skills, a University of Nottingham expert has found.

19 Feb 2007

Senate committee on aging discusses Medicare budget cuts

At a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on Thursday, ranking member Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) expressed concern about proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid by the Bush administration, CongressDaily reports.

19 Feb 2007

Shortening chromosomes cause for earlier cancer onset in families with Li-Fraumeni syndrome

In families with a high incidence of Li-Fraumeni syndrome, the ends of individuals' chromosomes act somewhat like a lit fuse, according to researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Their findings detail how telomeres, the ends of the chromosomes, shorten with every successive generation, leading to more severe cancers at an earlier age.

15 Feb 2007

Folate and vitamin B12 preserve cognitive function among seniors

Folate and vitamin B12, two important nutrients for the development of healthy nerves and blood cells, may work together to protect cognitive function among seniors, reports a new epidemiological study from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (USDA HNRCA).

11 Feb 2007

Combined effects of aging and obesity epidemic results in bigger body size among the elderly

When it comes to body fat, today's older adults face a double whammy, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues. Up until age 80, older adults not only gain fat as they age -- but because of the obesity epidemic -- they actually begin their older years fatter.

7 Feb 2007

Power-boosting signal in muscle declines with age

As people age, they may have to exercise even harder to get the benefits afforded to younger folk. That's the suggestion of a report in the February issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, showing that a signal that gives muscles a kind of metabolic boost in response to exercise is blunted in older animals.

6 Feb 2007

Multivitamin/mineral supplements and chronic disease prevention

Some one hundred years after the first vitamin was named, what is known about them has not translated into beneficial, standardized recommendations for public health, says Irwin Rosenberg, MD, University Professor, and director of the Nutrition and Neurocognition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University.

6 Feb 2007