Mobile Phone Apps Can Help with Early Detection of Alzheimer’s

 Mobile phones and wearable devices like Apple Watches and Fitbits are already helping people track their daily steps, heart rate, calories burned and more. Now, data scientists and Alzheimer’s researchers are looking at ways to turn these devices from simple trackers of information into something more: a way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

Diagnosis is the first step in treating any disease – from the common cold to diabetes and heart disease to cancer – but this has been a challenge for Alzheimer’s disease. To diagnose Alzheimer’s, physicians observe patients, test their memory and cognitive functions, and get input about changes in their abilities and behaviors from people who know them. Until recently, medical tests could only rule out other causes for dementia symptoms, not pinpoint an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

This is changing thanks to cutting-edge research into Alzheimer’s biomarkers. Short for “biological markers,” biomarkers diagnose and track all types of health conditions. For example, to diagnose HIV, physicians order a blood test that detects antibodies to the virus. To track how well HIV treatment is working, another biomarker blood test shows actual levels of the virus in the blood.

Today, biomarker tests for Alzheimer’s diagnosis currently exist. They include PET imaging scans of the brain, spinal taps and even a blood test to predict the amount of amyloid plaque in the brain—a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. But these tests can be costly and invasive. Anyone who has had a brain scan or spinal tap would probably tell you they’d prefer an easier way.

That may soon be a reality for Alzheimer’s patients. Data scientists and medical researchers are findings new ways to use digital technology to monitor subtle behavioral changes that can diagnose Alzheimer’s, sometimes even before symptoms are visible to the naked eye.

Advancements in data collection, storage, and analysis contribute to early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Mobile phones and wearable devices can monitor early, very subtle behavior changes that are usually missed in early Alzheimer’s disease. These signs include changes in a patient’s gait and balance, how they use written language, and changes in speech patterns.

In order to be useful for diagnosis, researchers need to collect and analyze enough data to determine the difference between normal age-related changes and warning signs for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. New advances in technology are making this possible. Cloud computing permits scientists to store larger sets of data, and machine learning and artificial intelligence are being used to analyze data to find meaningful patterns.

What once sounded like science fiction is now a reality. Here are just a few examples of the exciting digital research going on right now.

California-based digital health company Neurotrack has developed a comprehensive digital assessment tool for cognitive health in aging individuals. The assessment is completed by patients on smartphones, tablets, or computers either at home or in a doctor’s office. By using digital equipment, the tool collects a range of data about physical changes in patients that may help distinguish between normal function, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Swiss-based brain health technology company, Altoida, also has a smartphone and tablet-based assessment to assist with diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s dementia. The company recently received FDA breakthrough designation for the next generation of this test, called the Neuro Motor Index (NMI), which adds artificial intelligence to further analyze the data collected. Altoida believes the NMI test will be able to predict which MCI patients will develop Alzheimer’s within a year.

We are at an exciting moment in the development of diagnostics for Alzheimer’s disease. The development of accurate diagnostic tools brings us one step closer to therapies that will prevent or delay age-related diseases.

Howard Fillit, M.D. is the Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF).

https://www.realclearhealth.com/articles/2021/11/08/how_can_mobile_phone_apps_help_with_the_early_detection_of_alzheimers_111265.html

Coronavirus lurks and lingers in nursing home patients’ rooms: study

 Even though most COVID-19 cases come from exposure to airborne coronavirus, a new study points to the importance of surfaces as a reservoir of risk in nursing homes -- especially certain objects close to the beds of patients who have COVID-19.

The study finds that 90% of current COVID patients' rooms had detectable coronavirus on at least one surface, and that the virus was still detectable days later on certain surfaces, especially TV remote controls and nurse call buttons.

In all, 28% of the more than 2,000 samples taken from inside and near the rooms of 104 COVID patients turned up positive for coronavirus RNA. The researchers did not test to see if the viruses on the swabs were capable of causing an infection but it can help identify surfaces that need cleaning and inform infection prevention policies.

Reassuringly, the study also finds that the virus was rare or not detectable on surfaces outside the COVID patients' rooms -- probably reflecting the aggressive infection prevention protocols in COVID units. The study was conducted by University of Michigan researchers in four Michigan nursing homes between October 2020 and January 2021 when the state had a prolonged surge of cases.

"These data show that coronavirus is ubiquitous and persistent in the rooms of nursing home residents with COVID-19, and highlight the ongoing importance of rigorous cleaning and protection of staff and visitors," said Lona Mody, M.D., M.Sc., the study's first author and leader of nursing home infection prevention research at Michigan Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine as well as VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

She worked with Emily Martin, Ph.D., of the U-M School of Public Health, and members of their teams and the staff of the four nursing homes to conduct the study.

One-third of the people in the United States who have died from COVID-19 have been nursing home residents, mainly in the early months of the pandemic.

Now, despite high rates of vaccination among nursing home residents, and growing vaccination among nursing home staff, the risk to unvaccinated patients, staff and visitors, and the risk of breakthrough cases among chronically ill, recently hospitalized and frail elderly residents, is still significant.

All of the patients had been diagnosed with COVID in the past two weeks and were staying in dedicated COVID units to keep them away from other nursing home residents. Nearly one in four had been in the hospital in the past month.

More than half of the patients had dementia, and most needed extensive help with bathing, dressing and eating. Half of the patients were short-stay residents of the nursing home, and by February nearly a third of the sample had gone home.

The more independently the patients could move or function, the higher the chance that surfaces such as bed and TV remote controls, nurse call buttons, windowsills and doorknobs had persistent coronavirus present. Very few positive swabs turned up in the sitting areas, nurses' stations and elevator buttons nearest the COVID units.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging (3P30AG024824-16S1AG041780, AG050685, AG024824).

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Story Source:

Materials provided by Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan. Original written by Kara Gavin. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Lona Mody, Kristen E. Gibson, Julia Mantey, Liza Bautista, Ana Montoya, Karen Neeb, Grace Jenq, John P. Mills, Lillian Min, Mohammed Kabeto, Andrzej Galecki, Marco Cassone, Emily T. Martin. Environmental contamination with SARS‐CoV‐2 in nursing homes. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2021; DOI: 10.1111/jgs.17531

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211112122540.htm

Obesity raises risk of gum disease by inflating growth of bone-destroying cells

 Chronic inflammation caused by obesity may trigger the development of cells that break down bone tissue, including the bone that holds teeth in place, according to new University at Buffalo research that sought to improve understanding of the connection between obesity and gum disease.

The study, completed in an animal model and published in October in the Journal of Dental Research, found that excessive inflammation resulting from obesity raises the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), a group of immune cells that increase during illness to regulate immune function. MDSCs, which originate in the bone marrow, develop into a range of different cell types, including osteoclasts (a cell that breaks down bone tissue).

Bone loss is a major symptom of gum disease and may ultimately lead to tooth loss. Also known as periodontal disease, gum disease affects more than 47% of adults 30 years and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Although there is a clear relationship between the degree of obesity and periodontal disease, the mechanisms that underpin the links between these conditions were not completely understood," says Keith Kirkwood, DDS, PhD, professor of oral biology in the UB School of Dental Medicine.

"This research promotes the concept that MDSC expansion during obesity to become osteoclasts during periodontitis is tied to increased alveolar bone destruction. Taken together, this data supports the view that obesity raises the risk of periodontal bone loss," says Kyuhwan Kwack, PhD, postdoctoral associate in the UB Department of Oral Biology.

The study examined two groups of mice fed vastly different diets over the course of 16 weeks: one group a low-fat diet that derived 10% of energy from fat, the other group a high-fat diet that drew 45% of energy from fat.

The investigation found that the high-fat diet group experienced obesity, more inflammation and a greater increase of MDSCs in the bone marrow and spleen compared to the low-fat diet group. The high-fat diet group also developed a significantly larger number of osteoclasts and lost more alveolar bone (the bone that holds teeth in place).

Also, the expression of 27 genes tied to osteoclast formation were significantly elevated in the group fed a high-fat diet.

The findings may shed more light on the mechanisms behind other chronic inflammatory, bone-related diseases that develop concurrently with obesity, such as arthritis and osteoporosis, says Kirkwood.

Additional investigators include Lixia Zhang, PhD, research scientist in the UB Department of Oral Biology; Jiho Sohn, doctoral candidate in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB; Victoria Maglaras, student in the UB School of Dental Medicine; and Ramkumar Thiyagarajan, research scientist in the Jacobs School.

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Story Source:

Materials provided by University at Buffalo. Original written by Marcene Robinson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. K.H. Kwack, L. Zhang, J. Sohn, V. Maglaras, R. Thiyagarajan, K.L. Kirkwood. Novel Preosteoclast Populations in Obesity-Associated Periodontal Disease. Journal of Dental Research, 2021; 002203452110407 DOI: 10.1177/00220345211040729

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211112083106.htm

Microbiome discovery may open new doors to treatments for GI diseases

 University of Calgary researchers probing the gut -- "the inner tube of life" -- have for the first time discovered specific factors in its workings that in the future may help improve treatment for patients facing gut damage or gastrointestinal disease.

The findings from Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases researchers immediately improve the understanding of factors that help regulate the enteric nervous system, the system of nerves that control the gastrointestinal tract. Researchers can now explore novel ways to treat gastrointestinal disorders using approaches based on these new findings, though the transition to treatment is likely years away.

The study's findings may impact future treatments for gastrointestinal diseases and disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and slow transit constipation, among others.

"We have uncovered microbial factors that help regulate the function and structural integrity of the enteric nervous system," says Dr. Keith Sharkey, PhD, a professor in the Cumming School of Medicine's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. He is also a member of the Snyder Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Sharkey is a senior author of the study and made the discovery with a research team from UCalgary and the University of Colorado.

"These and other gastrointestinal diseases with manifested changes in enteric neural control are all hard to treat. Our findings could impact approaches to their treatment," says Sharkey.

"Be aware, though, that there is a big jump from mice to men. In other words, translating our findings will be important, and our results are in only at the starting point of this journey."

The study examined the effects of microbiome depletion and restoration in animal models using approaches that cause structural and functional changes in the gut. The researchers discovered that while microbiome depletion caused a loss of neurons, natural microbiome recovery restored gut function and promoted the growth of new neurons.

"The findings from our work provide clues as to the mechanisms that control 'plasticity' or the ability of the gut nervous system to be repaired if it undergoes damage," says Sharkey.

The study, entitled "Intestinal Microbiota Shapes Gut Physiology and Regulates Enteric Neurons and Glia," has recently been published in the science journal Microbiome.

Dr. Fernando Vicentini, PhD, first author of the study, says, "The most challenging aspect of researching the unknown physiological roles of the intestinal microbiota lies in identifying specific microbial-derived molecules that may affect the host, as there is a myriad of molecules with the potential to do so."

He adds that after many discussions and brainstorming sessions with the research team, they were able to hypothesize and demonstrate a link for two different bacterial molecules involved in the regulation of neuronal integrity.

For Dr. Simon Hirota, PhD, the study's co-senior author, in addition to the thrill of discovery, this research was exciting in that it allowed him to collaborate with a great team of people who contributed the complementary expertise needed to test these novel hypotheses.

The research was funded in part by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada's federal funding agency for health research.

Next steps for Sharkey and the research team include exploring other potential microbial factors and their role in the neural control of the gut.

There is a rising awareness among the public through discussions in social media, on the internet and even through promotion of products such as yogurts that contain probiotics, that the gut microbiome plays a vital role in health as well as disease," says Sharkey. "These conversations are making their way into physicians' offices.

"As our understanding increases regarding the role the gut microbiome plays in gut health, I think we will ultimately have new ways to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal diseases on an individual level,"

Keith Sharkey is a professor in the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology at CSM and a member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.

Simon Hirota is an associate professor in the departments of Physiology & Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases at the CSM. Hirota is also a member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases and the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute.

Fernando Vicentini is a postdoctoral fellow, now in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University.

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Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Calgary. Original written by Mike Fisher. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Fernando A. Vicentini, Catherine M. Keenan, Laurie E. Wallace, Crystal Woods, Jean-Baptiste Cavin, Amanda R. Flockton, Wendy B. Macklin, Jaime Belkind-Gerson, Simon A. Hirota, Keith A. Sharkey. Intestinal microbiota shapes gut physiology and regulates enteric neurons and glia. Microbiome, 2021; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01165-z

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211112122237.htm

Kaiser Permanente Averts Strike in Deal With U.S. Healthcare Workers

 Union leaders representing 50,000 nurses and other U.S. medical staff reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente on Saturday, averting a strike that could have disrupted patient care at hospitals.

Thousands of employees at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon, California, Colorado and other states had threatened to walkout on Monday over the medical network's plan to create a two-tiered wage system with lower pay for new hires.

Kaiser and Alliance of Health Care Unions, which represents 22 local unions, agreed on a four-year contract that includes wage increases each year through 2025, the union said in a statement. The deal also includes health and retirement benefits and the introduction of a bonus plan. The statement did not include any financial details.

"This agreement will mean patients will continue to receive the best care, and Alliance members will have the best jobs," Hal Ruddick, executive director of the Alliance union, said in the statement. "This contract protects our patients, provides safe staffing, and guarantees fair wages and benefits for every Alliance member," he added.

Earlier, the union said the two-tiered wage system would deepen what the nurses describe as a staffing crisis in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic.

Kaiser ranks as one of the nation's largest not-for-profit healthcare networks and managed-care organizations, with operating revenues of nearly $24 billion last quarter.

"This landmark agreement positions Kaiser Permanente for a successful future focused on providing high-quality health care that is affordable and accessible for our more than 12 million members and the communities we serve," said Christian Meisner, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Kaiser Permanente.

Voting on the tentative agreement will occur over the next several weeks and once it is ratified, the agreement will be retroactive to Oct. 1, 2021.

https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2021-11-13/kaiser-permanente-averts-strike-reaches-deal-with-us-healthcare-workers

Philips updates on CPAP, BiPAP and Mechanical Ventilator recall

 On June 14, 2021, Royal Philips' subsidiary Philips Respironics initiated a voluntary recall notification* for certain sleep and respiratory care products to address identified potential health risks related to the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam in these devices. Following the substantial ramp-up of its production, service and repair capacity, the repair and replacement program in the US and several other markets is under way.

As expected, the FDA recently conducted an inspection of a Philips Respironics manufacturing facility in connection with the recall. The FDA provided a list of their observations to Philips Respironics, and in accordance with normal practice, Philips Respironics will submit its response to the inspectional findings for review by the FDA. Importantly, an FDA investigator's list of inspection observations does not constitute a final FDA determination of whether any condition is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or any of its implementing regulations. Additionally, the FDA has not changed its recommendation to patients and healthcare providers in relation to affected devices.

In June 2021, Philips Respironics initiated a comprehensive test and research program on the PE-PUR foam to better assess and scope potential patient health risks, and is getting third-party expert assessments on this. Philips Respironics plans to make more data available to the relevant competent authorities as soon as possible after completing the assessment of the above mentioned research and tests, which is anticipated to take place in the fourth quarter.

Separately, Philips Respironics has conducted testing to support the new silicone replacement foam. Silicone foam testing provided by Philips Respironics to the FDA on devices authorized for marketing in the US had demonstrated adequate results. Philips Respironics continues to coordinate with FDA and other competent authorities on its testing.

Philips is committed to supporting the community of patients who rely on these devices, and the physicians and customers who are dedicated to meeting patient needs.

* Voluntary recall notification in the US/field safety notice outside the US

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/PHILIPS-NV-6289/news/Philips-provides-update-on-earlier-announced-voluntary-CPAP-BiPAP-and-Mechanical-Ventilator-recal-37012082/

Best Fitbit Luxe Black Friday Deals 2021: Early Fitness Tracker Sales

 A summary of all the top early Fitbit Luxe deals for Black Friday, including the best sales on Fitbit memberships and accessories.

Early Black Friday Fitbit Luxe deals for 2021 are here. Find the top savings on Fitbit fitness trackers. Browse the full range of deals using the links below.

Best Fitbit Luxe Deals:

• Save on the Fitbit Luxe fitness & wellness tracker at Walmart - the Fitbit Luxe offers health tracking tools such as all-day heart rate monitoring, stress management & sleep tracking
• Save on the top-rated Fitbit Luxe health tracker at BHPhotoVideo.com - available in a variety of colorways including Black/Graphite, Lunar White/Soft Gold & Orchid/Platinum
• Save on the Fitbit Luxe fitness tracker at Verizon.com - check live prices on top-rated Fitbit Luxe featuring 20 exercise modes, water resistance & up to 5 days of battery life
• Save on the Fitbit Luxe health tracker & bands at Amazon - check the latest deals on the Fitbit Luxe fitness tracker, compatible silicone wristbands, metal bracelets & more

Best Fitbit Deals:

• Save up to 40% on the latest Fitbit smartwatches, activity trackers & bands at Walmart - click the link for the latest prices on the latest Fitbit models such as the Sense, Versa 2, Charge 4, & more top-rated activity trackers
• Save on best-selling Fitbit smartwatches & health trackers at BHPhotoVideo.com - including the Versa 3, Ace 3, & Luxe fitness tracker
• Save up to 33% on a wide range of Fitbit smartwatches & fitness trackers at Verizon - check out the latest savings on Fitbit Versa 2, Luxe, Sense, Charge 5 & more models
• Save up to 57% on Fitbit Versa 3, Versa 2 & Versa Lite smartwatches at Walmart - click the link to see latest deals on best-selling Fitbit Versa models & accessories
• Save up to 40% on the latest Fitbit Charge 5, 4 & 3 activity trackers at Walmart - check the latest savings on Fitbit Charge 5,4,3, HR activity trackers & Charge accessories

In need of some more deals? We recommend checking Walmart’s Black Friday sale and Amazon’s Black Friday page to compare thousands more live savings at the moment. Save Bubble earns commissions from purchases made using the links provided.

https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/Best-Fitbit-Luxe-Black-Friday-Deals-2021-Early-Fitness-Tracker-Sales-Found-by-Save-Bubble--37014781/