_ Why Some Lyme Disease Patients Don't Respond To Treatment By Jane Farrell article Study: Scientists are coming closer to understanding exactly how variations in immune-system reactions can play a part in patients’ widely differing responses to Lyme disease. The study, conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins and Stanford, was published in the journal PLOS One.
_ Obesity Can Up Bone and Muscle Loss in Older Women By article Here’s yet another compelling reason to stick your diet if you’re 50+ and considerably overweight. Florida State University researchers have identified a new syndrome called "osteosarcopenic obesity" that links the deterioration of bone density and muscle mass with obesity.
_ Low-Calorie Menus and Bad Food Choices By Jane Farrell article “Low-calorie” menus may not be so healthy after all, because they can lead people to eliminate good foods right away, a new study shows. “People have come to expect low-calorie food to taste bad or not fill them up,” write authors Jeffrey R. Parker (Georgia State University) and Donald R. Lehmann (Columbia University). “We propose that by calorie organizing a menu, restaurants make it easier for people to use the general ‘low-calorie’ label to dismiss all low-calorie options early in the decision process.”
_ Medicare's Flawed Adjustment Methodology By article The methodology Medicare uses to adjust the billions of dollars it pays health plans and hospitals to account for how sick their patients are is flawed and should be replaced, according to study by Dartmouth Atlas Project investigators published in the journal BMJ in April 2014.
_ New Program Could Improve Dementia Care By Jane Farrell article A new model of coordinated brain care improves treatment and outcomes for patients with cognitive impairment. Researchers from the Regenstrief Institute, Eskenazi Health and Indiana University Center for Aging Research, who developed the Healthy Aging Brain Center care model, said the new program also produces substantial cost savings. In the program, patients have an initial cognitive assessment, including neuropsychological testing, brain imaging, a medication review and structured neurological and physical evaluations.
_ Specialist Docs Up Feeding Tube Use in Dementia Patients By article When elderly patients with advanced dementia are hospitalized, the specialties of the doctors at their bedside have a lot to do with whether the patients will end up with a gastric feeding tube -- a practice that some medical organizations recommend against for frail, terminal patients. That is the finding of a study done at Brown University and published in the April 2014 edition of the journal Health Affairs,
Heart Health Misdiagnosed Strokes Common For Women And Minorities By Jane Farrell article ER doctors overlook or minimize early signs of stroke in tens of thousands of patients, especially with minorities, women and people under 45 – often in the week before they suffered the debilitating incident. A report on the research, from a team led by a Johns Hopkins specialist, was published in the journal Diagnosis. In analyzing federal health care data, the investigators said that younger people in the study were nearly seven times more likely to be given an incorrect diagnosis and sent home without treatment despite such symptoms.
_ Caffeine May Help Guard Against Dementia By Jane Farrell article Ordinary caffeine appears to have a positive effect on one of the key proteins responsible for Alzheimer’s, researchers report. Researchers from the University of Bonn and the University of Lille said the discovery may pave the way for treatment of Alzheimer’s. The results were published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.
_ Surge in Joint Replacements Predicted By article A new study appearing in the April 2014 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery showed that the economic downturns in the 2000s did not substantially influence the national growth trends for hip and knee arthroplasty in the United States. The current data support the authors' existing projections, made in 2007, that predicted a significant surge in demand for total joint replacement through 2030.
_ Watch: A More Accurate Knee Replacement Surgery By Jane Farrell article Here's another addition to our ThirdAge video collection. Press play to start learning.
_ CDC Sodium Recommendation Too Low By article Research published in the American Journal of Hypertension finds evidence that the average daily sodium intake of most Americans is actually associated with better health outcomes than intake levels currently recommended by the CDC and major health departments, which are now being viewed by many in the scientific community as excessively and unrealistically low.
_ Customers Like Menus With Nutrition Facts By article Customers are more likely to frequent restaurants that provide both healthful foods and nutrition information, according to researchers at Penn State and the University of Tennessee. The results appeared in the February 2014 issue of the International Journal of Hospitality Management.
The Power of Validation Techniques In Caring For Dementia Patients By blog Editor’s Note: Last spring, Rita Altman, Sunrise Senior Living's Vice President of Memory Care and Programming, spoke with the Washington Post, discussing her experiences caring for Sunrise residents diagnosed with advanced dementia. We thought the article that followed their conversation with Rita included some good tips on communication tactics with family members and friends who may be suffering from cognitive impairment, as did the blog shared by Sunrise. We've posted both below.
_ Women's Health and Wellness Diet Drinks May Be Risky for Older Women By article Healthy postmenopausal women who drink two or more diet drinks a day may be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session in March 2014 in Washington D.C..
_ New Era of Lung Cancer Treatment By article A new era of lung cancer therapy is close to dawning, using drugs that can prevent tumor cells from evading the immune system, according to experts who presented their findings at the 4th European Lung Cancer Congress in March 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.
_ Women's Health and Wellness WomenΓÇÖs Peak Heart Rate Different from MenΓÇÖs By article The formula for peak exercise heart rate that doctors have used for decades in tests to diagnose heart conditions may be flawed because it does not account for differences between men and women, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session in March 2014 in Thousand Oaks, CA.
_ Heart Health Repeat Aortic Valve Replacement Safe at 80+ By article Surgical aortic valve replacement generally improves patients' symptoms and prolongs survival. However, the perceived risk of surgical aortic valve replacement in patients over 80 may result in surgery being denied or a recommendation for alternative therapy. Investigators at the Mayo Clinic challenge the way these patients have been managed. They report that repeat sternotomy in patients over 80 who have previously had coronary bypass graft surgery can be done with low risk.