New Study Links Dementia Risks To Symptoms Of Delirium
Scientists are focusing in on delirium as a key symptom for flagging dementia risks in older people. Also in the news: risks from secondhand vaping; human milk and the gut microbiome; covid's impact on heart tissue; and more.
Newsweek:
Scientists Reveal Symptom That Is Major Flag For Dementia Risk
Agitation, confusion and poor focus can all be strong risk factors for dementia and death in older age, a large new study has found. Over 5 million Americans over the age of 65 live with dementia, according to 2014 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dementia comes in different forms—the most common of which is Alzheimer's disease—and is characterized by an impaired ability to remember, think and make decisions. (Dewan, 3/28)
USA Today:
Like Secondhand Smoke, Secondhand Vaping May Harm Your Kids: New Study
We all know that secondhand cigarette smoke is a bad thing − the dangers of tobacco smoke exposure to children specifically have long been known to cause ailments from asthma attacks and infections to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. ... A recent study presented this month at the conference of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners found that secondhand "smoke," or vapor from vaping and e-cigarettes may, in fact, impact the children in your life, not unlike traditional cigarettes and tobacco. (Walrath-Holdridge, 3/28)
Stat:
Researchers Test Human Milk's Ability To Repair Gut Microbiome
For babies who are breastfed, their first source of sustenance is filled with proteins, sugars, hormones, vitamins, and minerals — just the right amount of nutrients for an infant. That milk could also lower the risk of asthma, diabetes, and allergies. And it could make low-birth-weight, preterm babies up to 10 times less likely to develop necrotizing enterocolitis, a common intestinal disorder. Researchers who study human milk understand how the molecules affect everything from the gut microbiome to curbing chronic disease risk factors in babies. (Balthazar, 3/29)
Reuters:
Bristol Myers' Bowel Disease Drug Fails In Late-Stage Study
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N) said on Thursday its experimental drug to treat Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition, did not help patients achieve disease remission in a late-stage study. Crohn's is a chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, and can lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. It affects about 12.6 million people worldwide, according to the company. (3/28)
In covid research news —
CIDRAP:
Study: COVID Booster Cuts Severe COVID Risk By A Third In Patients With Weak Immune Systems
One dose of the updated, single-strain COVID-19 vaccine introduced last fall is 38% effective against hospitalization in the 7 to 59 days after receipt and 34% effective at 60 to 119 days in adults with weakened immune systems, yet uptake in this group is low, estimates a study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers led the study, which was based on data from the Virtual SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and Other respiratory viruses Network (VISION) collected from September 2023 to February 2024. (Van Beusekom, 3/28)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
COVID-19 Can Damage The Heart, Even Without Infecting It, Study Says
COVID-19 can damage your heart, even when the virus doesn’t directly infect cardiac tissue. That’s the latest from a recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health. Published in the journal Circulation, the study observed the damaged hearts of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with the virus and determined that COVID-19 patients suffering from severe lung infections were at risk of heart damage. The findings may prove to be relevant to organs other than the heart and to viruses other than COVID-19, as well. (Boyce, 3/28)
CIDRAP:
Moderna Reports Promising Findings For Next-Generation COVID Vaccine
Moderna today announced promising interim phase 3 clinical trial findings for its next-generation COVID vaccine, which offers the potential for a longer shelf life and paves the way for a combination mRNA vaccine against flu and COVID. Diverse Stock Photos / Flickr ccThe mRNA-1283 vaccine showed a higher immune response—including in seniors—than its currently licensed vaccine, called mRNA-1273.222. Response was higher against Omicron BA.4/BA.5 as well as the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. (Schnirring, 3/28)
