_ Aging Well Senior Health What's So Funny? That Depends on Your Age By Jane Farrell article Mean jokes on TV sitcoms arenΓÇÖt funny to older people, according to a researcher from the University of Akron. The … Read More→
_ Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias Brain Health Senior Health Immune System Affects Cognitive Decline By Jane Farrell article Scientists have discovered that cognitive decline over the years may be connected to a weakening immune system. The study, by … Read More→
_ Senior Health Walking Patterns and Balance Problems By Jane Farrell article Researchers have learned how to precisely predict the way a foot falls from one step to the next ΓÇô and … Read More→
Too Many Patients Are Delaying Hospice Care By article Although hospice can benefit terminally ill patients over a period of time, one in six cancer patients enroll it in … Read More→
_ Staph and A Secret Weapon By article Researchers are getting closer to understanding the workings of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that causes more than 60,000 infections each … Read More→
_ A Warning About Dental Restorations By article Poorly-made dental restorations (veneers, crowns, inlays) can cause patients discomfort and even some health problems, but, according to dental-industry experts, … Read More→
_ A Sweet Solution to Dangerous Infections By Jane Farrell article Raw honey may spell victory in the battle against antibiotic-resistant infections. Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have identified a … Read More→
_ Understanding How Ebola Works By Jane Farrell article A new study has expanded our understanding of Ebola, by discovering one way the deadly virus dodges the bodyΓÇÖs defenses. … Read More→
_ A Good Way to Improve Nursing-Home Care By Jane Farrell article A ΓÇ£culture changeΓÇ¥ to a more residential atmosphere in nursing homes can lead to significant improvements in quality of care, according to a new study. Researchers from Brown University examined the effect of culture change ΓÇô an adjustment in nursing homes to allow a more flexible lifestyle for patients. Specifically, that means, among other adjustments, more resident choices in schedules and activities, and more input into care management from ΓÇ£front-lineΓÇ¥ workers who have close daily contact with residents.
_ Study: Watch Out for Prescription-Level NSAIDs By Jane Farrell article Three widely used drugs, known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, alter the activity of enzymes within cell membranes and could lead to unwanted side effects. Those side effects could be the results of taking the drugs for a long period of time and/or at a higher-than-approved dosage level. The NSAIDS, sold over the counter as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, would have the effects primarily at prescription levels.
_ Antibacterial Soap May Be Unhealthy By Jane Farrell article Antibacterial soap may not have the health benefits you thought: A new study shows that washing with the soap exposes hospital workers to a high level of the potentially unsafe levels of the chemical triclosan.
_ Watch: 4 Medical Tech Devices for Senior Care By Jane Farrell article Here's another addition to our Third Age video collection. Press play to start learning.
_ Progress in Fighting Tough Tumors By Jane Farrell article Spanish researchers have found the strongest proof yet that inhibition of a gene could be used to fight cancerous tumors. Research led by the Vall dΓÇÖHebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Barcelona, found that the inhibiting mutations of the Myc gene could be accomplished via the drug Omomyc. That inhibitor was designed by Laura Soucek, Principal Investigator of VHIO┬┤s Mouse Models of Cancer Therapies Group. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
_ Multiple Sclerosis: 5 Things You Should Know By Jane Farrell article MS can happen to just about anyone. The central nervous system disorder affects your brain and spinal cord. But it spares the nerves and muscles that lead away from the spinal cord. Nearly 350,000 people in the United States have MS. MS is a long-term illness. Infection-fighting white blood cells enter the nervous system and cause injury by stripping off the myelin sheath that protects nerves. When this happens, the nerves cannot conduct electricity as well as they should. This causes symptoms.
_ Many Elderly ER Visitors Are Malnourished By Jane Farrell article In a new study, researchers found that more than half of elderly patients in a hospital emergency room were either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Additionally, more than half of the patients who were malnourished hadnΓÇÖt been diagnosed with the condition. Researchers focused on patients 138 65 and older who were seen at the University of North Carolina hospitals over an eight-week period. The patients were not cognitively impaired or critically ill. None of them lived in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility.
_ Watch: Widow of Ebola Virus Victim Speaks Out By Jane Farrell article Here's another video from our Third Age collection. Press play to start learning.
_ Using a Computer to Help Treat Mental Health By Jane Farrell article Experts are developing a genetic computer model that may eventually predict whether a patient going to suffer from a mental illness, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The researchers, from the University of Texas, Arlington; the University of Illinois; and the Beijing Genomics Institutes in Wuhan, China, published their findings in the journal Biomed Research International.
_ More Health Research Needed on Natural Gas Drilling By Jane Farrell article Projects involving gas drilling, including hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, should be subject to public-health and community analysis before they begin, an expert panel says. The panel called for groundwater and air quality testing before, during, and after the drilling, saying that the analysis is a key component of guaranteeing the safety of communities near the drilling site.