Elder Care (Everybody)

Stroke survivors who have attended some level of higher education may face even steeper mental declines, according to a study. The findings suggest that attending higher education may enable people to retain greater cognitive ability until a critical threshold of brain injury is reached after a stroke.

Tiny fragments of plastic have become ubiquitous in our environment and our bodies. Higher exposure to these microplastics, which can be inadvertently consumed or inhaled, is associated with a heightened prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases, according to new research.

A new study has discovered what researchers say is the first drug to fully reproduce the effects of physical stroke rehabilitation in model mice, following from human studies.

Lifestyle and health factors that are linked with heart disease appear to have a greater impact on cardiovascular risk in women than men.

A new study may help to explain why there is an over-representation of women experiencing chronic pain compared to men and why pain medication may not be as effective for women as it is for men. Findings show, male and females develop pain through different means.

As many as half of nursing home residents are cognitively impaired and may be unable to communicate symptoms such as pain or anxiety to those caring for them. Therefore, information needed for the evaluation of symptoms and subsequent treatment decisions typically does not reliably exist in nursing home electronic health records. A new paper reports on the novel adaptation of a commonly used symptom assessment instrument to more comprehensively acquire this difficult-to-obtain data with the ultimate goal of enabling knowledge-based expansion of palliative care services in nursing homes to address residents' symptoms.

For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates. Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) causes people to physically act out their dreams while sleeping. The disorder is also associated with a very high risk of Parkinson's disease and a related condition called Dementia with Lewy Bodies. This is a form of dementia that often causes memory and cognitive loss, as well as vivid visual hallucinations and movement difficulties similar to Parkinson's.

A novel analysis of more than 375 published studies concluded that the association between chronic pain and rates of depression and anxiety is staggering. The study found that 40% of adults with chronic pain experienced 'clinically significant depression and anxiety.' Among those most at risk, the analysis showed, were women, younger adults and people with fibromyalgia.

A recently launched Phase 1 clinical trial is examining the safety and feasibility of a groundbreaking treatment approach for Parkinson's disease in which a patient's stem cells are reprogrammed to replace dopamine cells in the brain. The clinical trial, based on more than three decades of research, has treated three-of-six participants who will be tracked for more than a year.

Researchers have used a new brain-mapping technique to identify memory-related brain cells vulnerable to protein buildup, a key factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease, an incurable, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills.

Scientists used positron emission tomography (PET) with edaravone, a drug used to treat ALS, to detect oxidative stress, which leads to brain damage, offering a clear path to detecting neurological conditions.

People who take over-the-counter pain relievers after a concussion may recover faster than those who do not take pain relievers, according to a preliminary study.

A new study challenges conventional thought regarding the benefits of continuity in nursing care within intensive care units (ICUs). The researchers found that increased nurse continuity was not associated with a reduction in in-hospital mortality -- in some shifts, it was even linked to a modest but statistically significant increase in mortality.

Some people living with chronic stress have a higher risk of stroke, according to a new study. The study looked at younger adults and found an association between stress and stroke, with no known cause, in female participants, but not male participants. This study does not prove that stress causes stroke; it only shows an association.

Researchers have successfully observed early vascular changes in stroke using an innovative photoacoustic technique.