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The Latest News on
Aging Research
Good news to all of you who are in constant search in finding the ultimate
answer to all aging problems.
U.S.
researchers in Rochester Arizona said they have
identified a gene responsible for the onset of aging and certain
age-related disorders such as infertility and cataracts. The Mayo Clinic
researchers discovered the BubR1 gene regulates the production of a
protein that controls physical aging in genetically-modified mice, a
finding they said could lead to treatments for age-related disorders in
humans.
Meanwhile,
a
study that appeared last month in the Journal of the American Medical
Association offers a solution to the problem encountered by people
with Alzheimer’s disease who do not receive the hospice services they need
because those programs are reserved for people with only six months to
live.
Geriatrician Susan Mitchell of the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged
in Boston and her colleagues have developed a tool for predicting how long
people with advanced dementia will live. Mitchell's model is based on 12
risk factors, such as cancer, a need for oxygen therapy, and being older
than 83. The more factors the patients had, the greater their chance of
dying within 6 months.
Even with this new tool, figuring out when a patient is going to die still
remains "more of an art than a science," says Stephen Connor, vice
president for research and development at the National Hospice and
Palliative Care Organization in
Alexandria,
Virginia. Nevertheless, Mitchell's approach, which relies on precise and
easily obtainable data, has proven more accurate in estimating 6-month
mortality than current guidelines for assessing hospice eligibility for
dementia patients, which are based more on expert opinion.
Mitchell's study also stands to benefit family members--by giving them
access to the support and counseling services hospices offer, says Naomi
Naierman, president and CEO of the American Hospice Foundation in
Washington, D.C. And knowing when someone is likely to die allows for
end-of-life planning, in which all involved can prepare emotionally,
spiritually, and financially. The information could also help physicians
better treat those patients, allowing them to concentrate on providing
palliative care to ensure comfort rather than pursuing aggressive
treatment.
Moreover, “The
Female Patient,” a monthly peer- reviewed journal in Chatham, New Jersey
released an issue of the journal entitled “The Aging Female Patient.”
This article offers specific advice for doctors who diagnose and treat
well-known aging disorders including heart disease, osteoporosis,
depression, and sleep disturbances. Experts also address less reported,
but equally vital, concerns, such as assessing a patient's ability to
continue driving a car as well as managing menopause in patients with
cancer. Furthermore, experts claim that the issue will give people an
overview of several areas that related to aging and loss, and gives
up-to-date knowledge and skills to assist in the task of providing sound
advice and treatment in the care of elderly female patients. |
