Spanish researchers analyzed data on 3,896 adults ages 60 and older and found that any of the components of the FRAIL scale -- fatigue, illness, limitation in ambulation, low resistance and weight loss -- was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, while pre-frail and frail people were at a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, compared with robust individuals. The findings in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society showed that CVD-related death rates among physically active but frail individuals were the same as those for pre-frail and physically inactive people.
A study in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications showed an association between adverse experiences in childhood and an increased risk for developing prediabetes indicators in adulthood, such as higher body mass index, insulin resistance or waist circumference. Researchers used a cohort of 1,054 individuals with a mean age of 55 and found that physical abuse was tied to increased fasting insulin levels and waist circumference, while sexual abuse and financial strain correlated with an increased BMI.
Older adults with higher pulse wave velocity readings, indicating elevated arterial stiffness, had 60% increased odds of developing dementia after 15 years, compared with those who had lower PWV values, according to a study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. The findings also showed that arterial stiffness, which can be curbed by healthy lifestyle changes and antihypertensive drugs, better predicted dementia than minor brain disease symptoms, prompting researcher Rachel Mackey, Ph.D., MPH, to suggest that dementia onset may be prevented or delayed even in old age.
The rate of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who were found to have therapeutically targeted mutations rose from 20.5% to 35.8% after the integration of plasma next-generation sequencing in standard care, researchers reported in JAMA Oncology. The findings also showed partial or complete treatment response or stable disease among 85.7% of those who underwent plasma NGS result-based targeted therapy.
Novartis is seeking to expand its radiopharmaceutical business with a $2.1 billion acquisition of Endocyte, which develops the Lu-177-PSMA-617 investigational radioligand therapy for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
RefleXion will showcase its novel biology-guided radiotherapy technology, which is used with FDG-PET scans to send radiation to tumors through the tracer's emission pathways, at the American Society for Radiation Oncology meeting.
Siemens Healthineers' Biograph Vision RT Pro edition PET/CT scanner for radiation therapy treatment planning will be unveiled at the American Society for Radiation Oncology meeting. The Biograph Vision RT Pro includes a new detector to provide better resolution, as well as PET/CT respiratory gating and other features to better manage respiratory motion in RT treatment planning.
Child Protective Services caseworkers in Sonoma County, Calif., have spoken at multiple Board of Supervisors meetings about how staff shortages increase risks to children. Wildfires in October 2017 added to stress levels and housing problems, said county Supervisor Shirlee Zane.
Free meals, food pantries and intensive mentoring with staff are among the ways Wisconsin's School District of La Crosse deals with rising numbers of homeless students. "It can be just so overwhelming, as a professional, much less for a family who is in that crisis," said Alicia Place, the school district's homeless liaison and community services coordinator.
A Massachusetts school system is probing the roots of classroom disruption by employing four Social Emotional Learning Support Specialists for elementary pupils. The specialists, including a social worker, address rising anxiety that may reflect home issues such as trauma and drug abuse, Billerica Public Schools leaders said.