Treatments that Reduce Knee Buckling May Help Prevent Falls in Older Adults

General Posted by anthony Date March 2, 2016

Treatments that Reduce Knee Buckling May Help Prevent Falls in Older Adults Knee buckling, often described as a knee ÛÏgiving way,Û is a symptom of knee instability that frequently affects older individuals, in particular those with knee pain and knee osteoarthritis (OA), and may be caused by muscle weakness and balance difficulties. Symptoms of knee instability in older adults may indicate an increased risk of falling and of experiencing the various physical and psychological effects that can result from falling, according to a study published in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The findings indicate that determining effective treatments for knee instability should be an important priority as clinicians care for aging patients. If knee instability leads to frequent falls and fall-related injuries, exercises and other interventions that stabilize the knee may help maintain older individualsÛª health and quality of life. To investigate this potential link, Michael Nevitt, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and his colleagues prospectively studied 1842 participants, with an average age of 67 years old who had, or were at high risk for, knee osteoarthritis. At the end of 5 years, 16.8 percent reported knee buckling, and at the end of 7 years, 14.1 percent had recurrent falls. Bucklers at year 5 had a 1.6- to 2.5-times higher likelihood of recurrent falls, fear of falling, and poor balance confidence at year 7. Those who fell when a knee buckled at the start of the study had a 4.5-times, 2-times, and 3-times higher likelihood 2 years later of recurrent falls, significant fall injuries, and fall injuries that limited activity, respectively, and they were 4-times more likely to have poor balance. Said Dr. Nevitt. ÛÏFortunately, it may be possible to treat knee instability and prevent knee buckling with targeted exercises. Joint replacement surgery can also improve knee stability.Û Health professionals should ask their patients with knee OA about instability, buckling, and falls, and work with them to take preventive actions, including proper use of walking aids, leg strengthening, and appropriate footwear.Û And if they don’t ask, you should bring it up.

Brain Injury From Head Trauma May Contribute to Alzheimer’s

General Posted by anthony Date February 29, 2016

Brain Injury From Head Trauma May Contribute to Alzheimer’s A new suggests that people with brain injuries following head trauma may have buildup of the plaques related to AlzheimerÛªs disease in their brains. The research is published in the online issue of Neurologyå¨, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ÛÏThe study is small and the findings preliminary, however, we did find an increased buildup of amyloid plaques in people who had previously sustained a traumatic brain injury,Û said study author Professor David Sharp, MD, of Imperial College London, in the United Kingdom. ÛÏThe areas of the brain affected by plaques overlapped those areas affected in AlzheimerÛªs disease, but other areas were involved. People after a head injury are more likely to develop dementia, but it isnÛªt clear why. Our findings suggest TBI leads to the development of the plaques which are a well-known feature of AlzheimerÛªs disease.Û For the study, nine people with an average age of 44 who had a single moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) had PET and MRI brain scans. The brain injuries occurred between 11 months and up to 17 years before the start of the study. The participants were compared to 10 people with AlzheimerÛªs disease and nine healthy participants. Both the people with brain injuries and the people with AlzheimerÛªs disease had plaques in the posterior cingulate cortex, which is affected early in AlzheimerÛªs, but only those with brain injuries had plaques in the cerebellum. The researchers also found that plaques were increased in patients with more damage to the brainÛªs white matter. ÛÏIt suggests that plaques are triggered by a different mechanism after a traumatic brain injury,Û Sharp said. ÛÏThe damage to the brainÛªs white matter at the time of the injury may act as a trigger for plaque production.Û Can you say NFL!

Does Mercury in Fish Contribute to Dementia?

General Posted by anthony Date February 26, 2016

No not that Mercury!

Does Mercury in Fish Contribute to Dementia? Moderate seafood consumption has been correlated with lesser incidence of Alzheimer disease according to researchers.åÊ Seafood is a source of mercury, a neurotoxin that impairs neurocognitive development. Mercury toxicity is reduced by selenium, an essential nutrient present in seafood. Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and colleagues examined whether seafood consumption is correlated with increased brain mercury levels and also whether seafood consumption or brain mercury levels are correlated with Alzheimer’s. Seafood intake was first measured by a food frequency questionnaire at an average of 4.5 years before death. Among 544 participants, brain mercury levels were positively correlated with the number of seafood meals consumed per week and was significantly correlated with less Alzheimer disease pathology. Fish oil supplementation had no statistically significant correlation. Although seafood consumption was correlated with higher brain levels of mercury, the higher mercury levels were not significantly correlated with increased levels of brain disease. I think bottom line. Mercury alone is bad. Mercury in fish is not. Eat more fish!