Hearing loss due to aging, noise and certain cancer therapy drugs and antibiotics has been irreversible because scientists have not been able to reprogram existing cells to develop into the outer and inner ear sensory cells — essential for hearing — once they die. But Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a single master gene that programs ear hair cells into […]
Whether they need a knee replaced, a hernia stitched up, a cataract in their eye removed or their gall bladder taken out, a new poll shows many older adults harbor concerns about scheduling elective surgery. But once they’ve had it done, most are glad they did. The new findings from the National Poll on Healthy Aging focus on elective surgery, a catch-all term […]
The use of marine omega-3 supplements by adults does not appear to prevent the onset of depression, researchers reported on Dec. 21, 2021 in JAMA/Journal of the American Medical Association. “Among adults aged 50 years or older without clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline, treatment with omega-3 supplements compared with placebo yielded mixed results, with a small but statistically significant […]
In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, older US adults who experienced social isolation had higher blood levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, two markers of inflammation that can have long-term negative consequences for the health of individuals as they age. The study included a nationally representative sample of 4,648 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. The […]
A Hebrew SeniorLife study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society provides a framework to better understand risk factors for developing delirium, a common psychiatric syndrome that is costly and potentially life-threatening when present in older adults. Attributable health care costs of delirium exceed $164 billion per year across all older adults, and represent a significant public heath […]
A new study led by researchers at UCLA Health has found that women over the age of 50 who had breastfed their babies performed better on cognitive tests compared to women who had never breastfed. The findings, published in Evolution, Medicine and Public Health, suggest that breastfeeding may have a positive impact on postmenopausal women’s cognitive performance and could have long-term […]
For decades, researchers have studied the impact of alcohol on cardiovascular health, often with mixed results. Scientists at Monash University in Australia set out to answer the question definitively using data from more than 18,000 people aged over 70 in the US and Australia. The landmark study found that moderate drinking of alcohol is associated with a reduced risk of […]
For survival and functional recovery, spinal anesthesia for hip-fracture surgery is not superior to general anesthesia, researchers reported on Oct. 9 in the NEJM/New England Journal of Medicine. “Available evidence has not definitively addressed the question of whether spinal anesthesia is safer than general anesthesia for hip fracture surgery, an important question to clinicians, patients, and families. Our study argues […]
New research carried out under the auspices of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) has found that cognitive decline is linked with accelerated bone loss and an increased fracture risk in women. In the study of 1,741 women and 620 men aged ?65 years without dementia who were followed from 1997 through 2013, both genders experienced similar declines in cognitive […]
The Bone and Joint Journal Early mobilisation after hip fracture surgery has become standard care on the basis of national guidance. The evidence for this is based on one trial of 60 patients which was of low to moderate quality.1 However, further trials may not now be ethical or feasible but analysis of real-world observational data presents an opportunity to […]
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