Didn’t get a flu shot yet? Join this study
Last winter, the flu killed 80,000 Americans, the highest death toll in more than 40 years. Many had not been vaccinated, and those that were, particularly older adults, may not have gained enough protection. Now, researches at six locations around the U.S., including Rockville, Md., are looking at a possible new way to boost the flu vaccine’s effectiveness by using stem cells. Stem ... READ MORE
Hopkins study focuses on ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, progressive disease that affects nearly 1 million Americans. Up to one-third of patients with UC will require hospitalization for severe symptoms such as pain and bloody stools, often within the first year after diagnosis. While new therapies have revolutionized the medical care available to patients, offering a greater possibility of achieving... READ MORE
How well do we think when we can’t hear?
When you strain to hear a conversation in a noisy restaurant, what’s happening inside your brain, and how does that affect your thinking skills? Those are the questions a University of Maryland study is asking in hopes of better understanding complicated hearing issues and ultimately what can be done to help. Researchers in the Center for Advanced Study of Language are now looking for... READ MORE
Can a high-fat diet improve cognition?
Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center is currently recruiting adults over the age of 60 who have been diagnosed with mild memory impairment (especially those with early Alzheimer’s disease) for a research study of dietary treatments for the condition. Alzheimer’s disease is known to be associated with insulin resistance, or abnormal glucose metabolism. Abnormalities ... READ MORE
Studies aim to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
It may be too late to stop Alzheimer’s in people who already have some mental decline. But what if a treatment could target the very earliest brain changes while memory and thinking skills are still intact, in hope of preventing the disease? Two big studies are going all out to try. Clinics throughout the United States and some other countries are signing up participants — the only... READ MORE
Study seeks those regularly using opioids
According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 21 and 29 percent of patients who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them, and 8 to 12 percent become addicted. Even worse, each day more than 115 people in the U.S. die after overdosing on opioids. Faced with these daunting statistics, the National Institutes of Health is trying to better understand just how opioids... READ MORE
Study on healthy aging seeks volunteers
Two years ago, the National Institute on Aging launched the GESTALT study, which stands for the Genetic and Epigenetic Signatures of Translational Aging Laboratory Testing study. The study takes one of the first large-scale, long-term looks at why aging progresses as it does — and how to help more people take advantage of ways to improve quality of life as they age. The GESTALT... READ MORE
Caregivers needed for coaching study
Over 85 percent of care for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders is provided by more than 15 million family caregivers. These caregivers typically have no training or support, and may wind up themselves experiencing multiple health risks, including depression. The National Alzheimer’s Plan Act has identified providing caregiver-supported programs as a national... READ MORE
Drug study will try to reverse Alzheimer’s
With 5.7 million Americans already living with Alzheimer’s disease, a number that is expected to more than double in 30 years, researchers are racing to find the culprits that lead to the memory loss and confusion Alzheimer’s disease can cause. One suspect is a type of protein in the brain called beta-amyloid. Researchers believe fragments of this protein can accumulate and stick... READ MORE
