Curated News: National Institute on Aging (NIA)

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Vaginal estrogen cream, which is commonly prescribed to help women after surgery for pelvic organ prolapse (POP), did not prevent a recurrence of the condition, according to results of a multicenter clinical trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center. However, the medication did reduce symptoms of vaginal atrophy. The findings, reported in JAMA, could lead to new ways to improve outcomes of prolapse repairs, the study authors said.

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Needs related to housing, transportation, food, social support and more can be identified through AI/ML techniques.

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People with chronic pain who take opioids have trouble finding multimodal pain care; insurance and provider education changes are needed, experts say.

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With a $16 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Irvine will work with community partners to improve the representation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults in research on aging, caregiving, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

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New research in colorectal cancers directed by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center suggests that expression of transcription factors — proteins that help turn specific genes on or off by binding to nearby DNA — may play a central role in the degree of DNA methylation across the genome, contributing to the development of different subtypes of these cancers. Methylation is a process in which certain chemical groups attach to areas of DNA that guide genes’ on/off switches.

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People who carry the gene variant associated with the strongest risk for Alzheimer’s disease may lose their ability to detect odors earlier than people who do not carry the gene variant, which may be an early sign of future memory and thinking problems, according to a study published in the July 26, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The gene variant associated with this increased risk of Alzheimer’s is called APOE e4.

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More than 1.4 million times a year, people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia end up in emergency care, making up nearly 7% of all emergency visits for any reason by people over age 65, a new study shows. Compared with their peers who don’t have dementia, these patients have twice the rate of seeking emergency care after an accident or a behavioral or mental health crisis.

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A recent study from the lab of the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Director Linda Van Eldik, Ph.D., has been published in PLOS ONE. The work centers around the idea that various anti-inflammatory drugs could be effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study focused on a protein known as p38.

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The number of young people in the United States visiting hospital emergency departments for mental health crises increased sharply during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study led by researchers from the Department of Health Care Policy in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School.

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On July 6, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to lecanemab, marketed as Leqembi, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has been working with this drug and others like it for more than a decade.

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A $40.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will fund the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) study at Penn Medicine and 15 other academic research centers across the United States and Canada.

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People with low incomes who live in states that expanded Medicaid got more of the kind of health care that can keep them healthier in the long run, compared with similar people in non-expansion states.

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A soft robotic glove is lending a “hand” and providing hope to piano players who have suffered a disabling stroke. Combining flexible tactile sensors, soft actuators and AI, this robotic glove is the first to “feel” the difference between correct and incorrect versions of the same song and to combine these features into a single hand exoskeleton. Unlike prior exoskeletons, this new technology provides precise force and guidance in recovering the fine finger movements required for piano playing and other complex tasks.

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In a study that followed more than 2,000 community-dwelling older adults over eight years, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have significant new evidence of a link between decreased sense of smell and risk of developing late-life depression.

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People with TBI may continue to improve or decline years after their injury, making it a more chronic illness, according to a study published in the June 21, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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The University of California, Irvine has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to lead a multi-institutional study of specific brain cell vulnerabilities to abnormal tau protein deposits in regions affected in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

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The quality of care for nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is best when they are in the majority, but most facilities also accommodate a heterogeneous population, where specialized staff training is limited, according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine.

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New UCLA-led research suggests that patient mortality rates, readmissions, length of stay, and health care spending were virtually identical for elderly hospitalized patients who were treated by physicians with Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees.

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Blood vessel abnormalities in the eye are a major factor in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from Cedars-Sinai investigators published in the peer-reviewed journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

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Surviving a stroke can bring many long-term effects – including a much higher risk of dementia. But a study suggests that blood sugar may play a key role in that risk.

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An increased risk of depression and anxiety among US older adults with dementia and poor activity participation has been demonstrated through an analysis of data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative population-based study.

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Romantic relationships and neighborhood quality are both important predictors of mental and emotional wellbeing. But the larger societal context also influences how these factors affect individuals. A new study from the University of Illinois looks at the intersection of relationships, neighborhood, and mental health for Black Americans.

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The anti-dementia medication lecanemab and its ancillary costs could add $2 billion to $5 billion in annual Medicare spending if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revise their coverage decision. Currently, the medication is covered only for patients who are enrolled in clinical trials.

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UC San Diego researchers describe how exposure to ambient air pollution, such as car exhaust and power plant emissions — is associated with a measurably greater risk of developing dementia over time.

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A new study from a team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that signs of common infections in a sample of middle-aged and older adults were associated with poorer performance on a test of global cognitive function.

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Black and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients with peripheral arterial disease have more severe symptoms before bypass surgery – and are at greater risk for amputation and other complications after the procedure, a new study shows. Researchers say health care providers need to recognize the vulnerability of certain subgroups to adverse outcomes and be on alert for early signs and symptoms of PAD to manage patients accordingly.

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El uso de la prescripción de opioides puede tener un efecto negativo en la función cognitiva de los adultos mayores de acuerdo con un estudio reciente de Mayo Clinic publicado en la revista de la Sociedad Estadounidense de Geriatría.

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New UCLA research suggests that a novel machine-learning technique known as "causal forest" was about five times more efficient than the current clinical practice of treating patients with high blood pressure.

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New technologies that can capture subtle changes in a patient’s voice may help physicians diagnose cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms begin to show, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher who led a study published in the Alzheimer’s Association publication Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.

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Dopamine, a brain chemical long associated with pleasure, motivation and reward-seeking, also appears to play an important role in why exercise and other physical efforts feel “easy” to some people and exhausting to others, according to results of a study of people with Parkinson’s disease led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers. Parkinson’s disease is marked by a loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain over time.

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A 5-year, $41 million study will help researchers better understand the biological pathways underlying Alzheimer’s disease and ultimately create more personalized patient care through the development of a blood test for multiple pathways implicated in the disease – enabling earlier and less-invasive diagnosis.

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Following a Mediterranean-based ketogenic diet may decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

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Alzheimer's disease affects people of all ethnic groups. Armed with $41 million in new federal funding, Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues from 13 other institutions around the country are pursuing three multiethnic projects to identify targets for treatment.

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A remoção cirúrgica de ambos os ovários está associada a um risco aumentado de Doença de Parkinson e parkinsonismo em mulheres com menos de 43 anos, conforme relatam os pesquisadores da Mayo Clinic na revista médica JAMA Network Open.

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La extirpación quirúrgica de ambos ovarios se asocia con un mayor riesgo de enfermedad de Parkinson y parkinsonismo en mujeres menores de 43 años, informan los investigadores de la Mayo Clinic en JAMA Network Open.

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New research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identifies a common genetic signature that may increase a person's risk of developing substance use disorders. The work eventually could lead to universal therapies to treat multiple substance use disorders and potentially help people diagnosed with more than one.

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Discrimination experienced by Black people can affect their health and increase their frailty, which can be particularly impactful for cancer survivors, according to a new study by researchers at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. The researchers assessed frailty by a number of factors, including whether a participant had several chronic diseases, poor muscle strength and difficulty performing activities of daily living.

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Keck Medicine of USC has launched a clinical trial to study the effect of a novel hormone replacement therapy on postmenopausal cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.

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Cedars-Sinai investigators have produced the most extensive analysis to date of changes in the retina—a layer of tissue at the back of the eye where visual information originates—and how those retinal changes correspond to brain and cognitive changes in Alzheimer’s disease patients.

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A study inks precarious work with increases in body mass index and adds to a growing body of evidence that precarious work may contribute to poor health outcomes.

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According to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, people who experience discrimination during their lifetimes have an increased risk of dementia. The study appears in the February issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

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Pharmacology graduate student Kaitlan Smith was recently awarded a diversity supplement from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to study the effects of aging and necroptosis. She shares her resilient journey into scientific research while reflecting on her Lumbee roots.