Anesthesia, Surgery Linked to a Doubling of Dementia Risk

OH NO...THIS STUDY IS BAD NEWS FOR MY FRIENDS!!!      XOXOX ANNE

Older patients who undergo anesthesia and surgery have a significantly increased risk for dementia, a large population-based study shows.

Investigators at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan found that patients older than 50 years who underwent anesthesia for the first time had nearly a 2-fold increased risk for dementia, mainly Alzheimer's disease, compared with nonanesthetized patients.

"The results of our nationwide population-based study suggest that patients who undergo anesthesia and surgery may be at increased risk of developing dementia. Anesthesia and surgery are inseparable in clinical settings. Thus, it is difficult to establish whether the increased risk of dementia development we observed was attributable to the anesthesia per se, the surgical process, or both," principal investigator Jong-Ling Fuh, MD, said in a statement.

The study was published online July 25 in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Although generally considered safe, there is growing concern that anesthetic drugs may have neurodegenerative complications.

The investigators point out that in vivo studies and imaging studies have shown that "inhaled anesthetic agents can promote amyloid β peptide (Aβ) peptide oligomerisation and enhance Aβ-induced neurotoxicity."

Other potential mechanisms of anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity include calcium dysregulation.

The researchers note that postoperative confusion/decline is generally thought to be short-lived, with normal cognition returning within a few days. However, they add that in some cases, it can last for weeks.

"Although anesthesia and surgery have provided immeasurable health and social benefits, our observations in this piece of research highlight the need for further studies to understand the association and causality between anesthesia with surgery and subsequent dementia," said Dr. Fuh.

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This is a great article I found and wanted to share with everyone. It's a great way to stay independent!

FALL PREVENTION PROGRAM HELPS SENIORS

A community-based fall prevention program effectively reduced the risk for falls among older adults, researchers said here.

The evidence-based program, called Step Up to Stop Falls, includes exercise, home assessment/modification, and community and/or healthcare provider education, according to Mary Gallant, PhD, MPH, at the University of Albany School of Public Health in Rensselaer, N.Y., and colleagues.

Exercise participants in the program saw significantly higher Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) scores, Gallant reported at the American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting. In addition, among those participants who had their homes inspected or modified, 60% resolved 100% of identified hazards, they added.

Finally, participants in the community educational programs demonstrated a significant increase in their belief that they could do things to reduce the risk of falls. Women were more likely than men to have actually done something in the past year to achieve that goal, the authors said. The program was coordinated by seven counties in upstate New York. In total, 2,073 adults, ages 61 to 80, took part in the study with 1,018 in exercise programs, 591 in home assessments, and 464 in an education arm.

Gallant's group conducted a cross-collaborative evaluation to examine the reach and impact of the program's activities over an 18-month period. They also assessed the attitudes and actions of healthcare providers regarding fall prevention interventions. In the exercise program, 33% of participants were over age 80 as were 42% of those in the education program, and 51% in the home assessment group. Among those ages 61 to 80, 61% participated in exercise, 43% in home assessment, 47% in education. The vast majority of participants (80%) were women, Gallant told MedPage Today.

Healthcare professionals were the most difficult group to engage, Gallant's group said. However, of 183 clinicians who participated in the education program, there was a significant change in the extent to which they agreed that they could do things to reduce their patients' risk of falling.

"This project shows that community agencies working together can successfully coordinate evidence-based fall prevention programs," Gallant said. "More importantly, they can succeed in reducing the risk of falls in patients up to the age of 80."

Preventing unintentional falls among seniors (65 and up) is crucial, commented David Sugerman, MD, MPH, from the CDC in Atlanta, adding that falls can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Sugerman gave a separate APHA talk on fall prevention. He said that about one-third of older U.S. adults fall annually, and even though many outcomes are minor, between 10% and 20% sustain serious damage, such as traumatic brain injury, contusions, and fractures.

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I saw this article and had to share!  Eternal life? Stop aging? Sounds good to me!

Anne Robbs, Columnist

Away from the dinner table, lobsters may actually hold the secret to a long, healthy and possibly even eternal life.

They are usually associated with a life of gastronomic indulgence and heart-stopping excess. But away from the dinner table, lobsters may actually hold the secret to a long, healthy — and possibly even eternal — life. For this crustacean is one of a handful of bizarre animals that appear to defy the normal ageing process. While the passing years bring arthritis, muscle loss, memory problems and illness to humans, lobsters seem to be immune to the ravages of time. They can be injured, of course. They can pick up diseases. They can be caught and thrown into a pot, then smothered in béchamel sauce.

But rather than getting weaker and more vulnerable over the years, they become stronger and more fertile each time they shed their shells. The typical lobster weighs 1 to 2 lb. But in 2009, a Maine fisherman landed a colossus of 20 lb, which was estimated to be 140 years old. And that isn’t even the oldest lobster found so far. According to Guinness World Records, a 44 lb leviathan was caught in 1977, with claws powerful enough to snap a man’s arm.

The species belongs to an elite group that appears to be ‘biologically immortal’. Away from predators, injury or disease, these astonishing creatures’ cells don’t deteriorate with age. Scientists cannot be sure how long lobsters would live if they were simply left to exist — it wouldn’t be for centuries because of physical wear and tear, but it would certainly be for a lot longer than similar marine creatures.

Biological immortality isn’t just fascinating for wildlife experts. By studying the phenomena, scientists are shedding light on how age affects people and, as a result, developing new treatments for diseases such as cancer. It could even show us how to extend human life far beyond the standard three score years and ten. ‘The more scientists look, the more they find species that appear to be able to defy the ageing process,’ says Simon Watt, a biologist and TV presenter, who is speaking today at the British Science Festival in Newcastle. ‘These species of course still die. They get diseases, they are injured or hunted. But unlike humans, they don’t die as a result of their own metabolisms — there doesn’t seem to be a built-in life expectancy in their cells.’ There are many reasons why humans, along with most species on the planet, deteriorate with age. Mutations in DNA and the battering that our 100 trillion cells take every day contribute to the slow, inevitable decline. But scientists have discovered that our cells also have a built-in fixed lifespan — obsolescence if you like. Cells are constantly renewing and replacing themselves at a rate of millions every second. However, most human cells can only copy themselves 50 to 60 times before they die. The reason for programmed cell death lies in our chromosomes, the 46 strands of DNA found at the heart of almost every cell. The ends of every chromosome are protected with a chemical cap called a telomere. They act like the plastic tips on the end of shoelaces and stop the strands of DNA from fraying. But each time a human cell divides, these telomeres get shorter. Eventually — after 50 or so divisions — they are too short to protect the chromosomes, and the cell dies. It’s the same with almost all species — from frogs and goats to zebras and hummingbirds. But, amazingly, lobsters are different. They produce sufficient quantities of a substance called telomerase to renew these protective DNA caps and prevent cells dying. Lobsters aren’t the only creatures to have evolved biological immortality. One of the most incredible are the planarians, a group of flat worms.
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This is great! Technology helping people enjoy eating more? I Love it!

A Spoon That Helps Parkinson’s Patients Eat Without Spilling

As you get older, your hands start to shake. Those suffering from Parkinson’s disease have it even worse. And these hand tremors affect us most when we eat. Currently, there is no cure for these nerve disorders—solutions out there often fall short or are invasive. To take the frustration out of eating that’s caused by shaky hands, Lift Labs, a group of scientists and engineers of California, has created a spoon that cancels tremors. Called ‘Liftware’, the battery-operated electronic cutlery has sensors, accelerometers and a microprocessor embedded in its handle. The sensors and accelerometers detect hand tremors, while the microprocessor will adjust the handle’s spoon or fork attachment, to respond according to the user’s shaking—going in opposite direction of the tremor, to steady the attachment. According to clinical trials, the innovative dinnerware cancels up to 70% of shaking—making it easy for users with shaky hands to feed themselves. With this cutlery, Parkinson’s patients no longer need to feel embarrassed at the dinner table.
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More great news for exercise and its effects!! You have to read this!

Exercise's Antidepressant Effects Strengthened


Exercise may have a moderately beneficial effect on depressive symptoms, according to an updated literature review and meta-analysis. However, investigators note that more high-quality studies are needed to elucidate the type and intensity of exercise that may be most effective and whether these benefits are durable. "Our review suggested that exercise might have a moderate effect on depression," review author Gillian Mead, MD, of the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, said in a statement. "We can't tell from currently available evidence which kinds of exercise regimes are most effective or whether the benefits continue after a patient stops their exercise program," she added.  A previous Cochrane Review on exercise and depression found only limited evidence of benefit for exercise in depression, the reviewers say. However, more trials have been completed since then, leading the Cochrane team to take a second look. Data from 37 randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analyses. The severity of patients' symptoms was assessed using standard scales of depression. Among 35 trials (1356 participants) comparing exercise with no treatment or a control intervention, the pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) for the primary outcome of depression at the end of treatment was -0.62 (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.81 to -0.42), indicating a moderate clinical effect, the reviewers say. There was moderate heterogeneity (I² = 63%). When investigators included only the 6 trials (464 participants) with adequate allocation concealment, intention-to-treat analysis and blinded outcome assessment, the pooled SMD for this outcome was not statistically significant (-0.18; 95% CI, -0.47 to 0.11). The reviewers note that pooled data from the 8 trials (377 participants) providing long-term follow-up data on mood found only a small effect in favor of exercise (SMD, -0.33; 95% CI, -0.63 to -0.03). "The evidence base would be strengthened by further large-scale, high quality studies," the investigators note. The reviewers also recommend that future studies look in more detail at what types of exercise could most benefit people with depression and the number and duration of sessions that would provide the most benefit.
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OMG!!! I'VE HAD LOTS OF THIS!! HOW ABOUT YOU? "Midlife Stress May Trigger Dementia, Alzheimer's in Women"

Common psychosocial stressors experienced by women during midlife may lead to a higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), new research suggests.

The population study included 800 women from Sweden who were first examined in 1968 and then followed up periodically for 38 years.

Results showed that the number of stressors, such as workplace problems, serious illness, divorce, and widowhood, experienced at baseline was associated with a 21% higher risk of developing AD and a 15% higher risk of developing dementia during the follow-up period. It was also associated with significantly increased later-life distress.

The findings show that accumulated stress from common events "may have severe and long-standing physiological and psychological consequences," write Lena Johansson, PhD, RN, from the Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Unit at the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at Gothenburg University in Mölndal, Sweden, and colleagues.

They add that these physiologic consequences can include adverse reactions in the central nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems.

However, the investigators point out that more studies are now needed for replication and to investigate whether interventions such as stress management and behavioral therapy should be started in patients who are experiencing these stressors.

The study was published online September 30 in BMJ Open.


Biological Response

Some Peanuts a Day Keep Cancer, CVD Away

Eating more nuts correlated with significantly lower mortality, both overall and for cancer, heart disease, and lung disease, according to data from follow-up in two large cohort studies.
As the frequency of nut consumption increased, the mortality hazard decreased by 7% with weekly intake to 20% for daily nut consumption, as compared with people who did not eat nuts.
The benefits pertained to any type of nut consumption, not specific nuts, Charles S. Fuchs, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and co-authors reported online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"We did look at subtypes of nuts, but I can tell you that we really don't see a difference between the various nut types," Fuchs told MedPage Today. "So, peanuts as opposed to other nuts seemed to confer the same benefit in reducing mortality."

Nuts have a high nutrient density and a high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids. Observational studies have linked nut consumption to beneficial effects related to coronary heart disease and certain heart disease risk factors.

As a result of the evidence, the FDA in 2003 recommended consumption of 1.5 ounces of nuts daily as part of a low-fat diet that "may reduce the risk of heart disease."

More recently, a randomized trial of primary prevention in patients with a high cardiovascular risk showed that a nut-containing Mediterranean diet was associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events, as compared with patients assigned to a control diet.

Multiple observational and interventional studies have demonstrated favorable effects of nut consumption on various diseases (diabetes, colon cancer, gallstones) and in recognized mediators of chronic disease (oxidative stress, inflammation).

The accumulation of data has included minimal evidence that nut consumption reduces total mortality, the authors noted in their introduction. Additionally, the studies have been limited by small sample size, limited dietary information, and lack of adequate adjustment for confounders.
To examine the relationship of nut consumption to mortality, investigators analyzed data from 76,464 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study and from 42,498 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Both studies accumulated data from multiple follow-up visits and questionnaires over 20 to 24 years.

The final analysis comprised 3,038,853 person-years of follow-up, during which time 16,200 women and 11,229 men died. Comparison of the two studies showed no significant heterogeneity, so investigators combined the results into a single analysis.
As compared with study participants who reported no consumption, the mortality hazard declined significantly (P<0.001 for trend) as weekly nut consumption increased:

• Less than once -- HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.90-0.93
• Once -- HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.86-0.93
• Two to four times -- HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.83-0.90
• Five or six times -- HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.79-0.91
• Seven or more -- HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.73-0.86

The mortality benefit with increasing nut consumption ranged from 6% to 21% in women (P<0.001) and from 9% to 20% in men (P<0.001). Among both sexes, each category of nut consumption had a significantly lower mortality hazard as compared with people who reported no consumption.
Subgroup analysis showed no difference in benefit among peanuts, tree nuts, and other types of nuts with respect to all-cause mortality or death from heart or respiratory disease or cancer.
Commenting on possible concerns about the fat and calories in nuts, Fuchs said the evidence still supports regular nut consumption.

"We really don't see a problem with it," he said. "In fact, one might argue that nuts are probably a very good source of calories, namely, calories that don't seem to contribute to obesity."