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Gerontology & Geriatrics news

Gerontology & Geriatrics

New organ-on-a-chip platform allows the testing of cancer vaccine efficacy in aging populations

Dr. Vadim Jucaud's lab at the Terasaki Institute has introduced a new organ-on-a-chip platform that recapitulates age-dependent immune responses, offering a more accurate testing bed for evaluating cancer vaccine performance ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Friendship can be an important lifeline for older adults without children

Friendship can be one of the keys to staying healthier later in life—that was one of the key findings from new research at the University of New Hampshire that took a closer look into the growing public health concern of ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Who are the loneliest Americans?

Middle-aged Americans are most likely to feel the pinch of loneliness in their lives these days, a new AARP survey has found.

Gerontology & Geriatrics

Age-related muscle wasting tied to cell recycling defect

Two related studies published today in Nature Metabolism show that a specialized intracellular recycling mechanism—chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA)—is essential for muscle health.

Diabetes

Diabetes drugs may help older adults slow frailty

A new study shows that older adults with type 2 diabetes who start treatment with sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors—such as empagliflozin (Jardiance) and dapagliflozin (Farxiga)—or glucagon-like peptide-1 ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Navigating grief in the aged care system

Grief for families in the aged care system begins long before the death of their loved ones, new research has found, highlighting the need for a systemic rethink of how grief is understood and supported.

Genetics

Why important genes 'go quiet' as we get older

The human gut renews itself faster than any other tissue: every few days, new cells are created from specialized stem cells. However, as we get older, epigenetic changes build up in these stem cells. These are chemical markers ...

Inflammatory disorders

Chronic pruritus prevalent among older adults

Chronic pruritus is prevalent among older adults and is associated with moderately impaired pruritus-specific quality of life, according to a study published online Nov. 10 in Acta Dermato Venereologica.

Medical economics

Curbing the CNA workforce shortage

As the American population ages, the nation faces a crisis in its long-term care system—a shortage of certified nursing assistants.

Psychology & Psychiatry

For seniors: The mental health payoff of staying curious

In a pair of new studies, researchers found that older adults who challenge themselves to learn new things are less likely to experience loneliness or depression, even during times of major upheaval.

Genetics

Genes reveal why some older people suffer from frailty

A new study has identified genetic variants linked to brain function, immune defense and metabolism that contribute to the development of frailty in older people. The study, published in Nature Aging by researchers from Karolinska ...

Medical economics

Residential care increases social participation but gaps remain

A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus finds that older adults become more socially active after moving into long-term care communities like nursing homes or assisted living facilities but we ...

Health

Free air conditioner programs help amid life-threatening heat

With heat advisories blanketing the eastern half of the U.S., air conditioners are once again working over time as essential resources to keep millions cool. But they're unevenly distributed: Many poor households are unable ...