Falls Are Top Cause of Injury, Death Among Elderly (HealthDay)
HealthDay - SATURDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Falls are a leading causeof serious injury and death among elderly people in the United States, andmost of those falls occur in the home, says the American Geriatric Society(AGS).
AFP - A nearly forgotten Russian-made drug, formulated to combat hay fever, helps improve cognitive abilities in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of a year-long trial published on Thursday.
Alzheimer's vaccine stopped plaque, not dementia (AP)
AP - Some doctors have long suspected that if the plaque that builds up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease could be removed, they could be saved. But a new vaccine that did just that suggests the theory is wrong.
Warming health report: Poor, elderly to hurt most (AP)
AP - Global warming will affect the health and welfare of every American, but the poor, elderly, and children will suffer the most, according to a new White House science report released Thursday.
Reuters - Falls by elderly people are cutsignificantly when health care providers take basic steps suchas prescribing physical therapy, monitoring medications andchecking standing blood pressure, researchers said onWednesday.
Scientists find key brain circuits for attention (Reuters)
Reuters - Scientists have identified the braincircuits that play a key role in helping us pay attention, afinding that may help explain why things go wrong in diseasessuch as Alzheimer's and attention deficit disorders.
Carotid artery distension predicts coronary events (Reuters)
Reuters - Ultrasound imaging is a simple,noninvasive way to detect distension of the carotid arteries -the arteries that pass through the neck to supply the brainwith oxygen -- which is an independent predictor of coronaryheart disease (CHD) in the elderly, French researchers reportin the current issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, andVascular Biology.
Physical fitness may slow Alzheimer brain atrophy (AP)
AP - Getting a lot of exercise may help slow brain shrinkage in people with early Alzheimer's disease, a preliminary study suggests. Analysis found that participants who were more physically fit had less brain shrinkage than less-fit participants. However, they didn't do significantly better on tests for mental performance.
Medical visit companions boost care satisfaction (Reuters)
Reuters - Elderly people who bring alonga companion when they visit their doctor may be more satisfiedwith the care they receive than those who go it alone, a studyindicates.
Reuters - People age 75 or older recover just aswell as younger patients from knee or hip replacements tocorrect the ravages of arthritis, researchers said on Monday.
New genetic mutation tied to Alzheimer's disease (Reuters)
Reuters - Scientists have found evidencethat a mutation in a gene called CALHM1 that results inabnormal calcium signaling influences the risk of Alzheimer'sdisease, a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affectsnearly 18 million people in the world.
Seniors Having More Sex Than Ever (HealthDay)
HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to sex,grandma and grandpa are having more of it these days, new Swedish researchsuggests.
Reuters - A former Wall Street banker who saidhe lost $3 million from compulsive gambling caused by a populardrug used to treat Parkinson's disease is suing companiesinvolved with the drug for his losses.
Medicare vote over HMO cuts to move in Senate (Reuters)
Reuters - A key U.S. Democratic lawmakercharged on Wednesday that members of the military's civilianhealth plan will suffer if a stalemate over health insurancereimbursement is not remedied.
Elderly may fare worse on prostate cancer drugs (AP)
AP - A prostate cancer study that could change how doctors treat some patients found that widely used hormone-blocking drugs did not improve survival chances for older men whose disease hadn't spread.
