Losing someone close to you can make you age faster, a new study finds. People who lost a parent, partner, sibling or child showed signs of older biological age compared with those who hadn’t experienced such a loss, researchers reported July 29 in the journal JAMA Network Open. “Our study shows strong links between losing loved ones across the life course from childhood to adulthood and faster biological aging in the U.S.,” said lead researcher Allison Aiello, a professor of health longevity with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in New York City. Biological aging involves the gradual decline in how well your cells, tissues and organs function. Scientists measure this type of aging using DNA markers known as epigenetic clocks, and they can compare it against a person’s calendar age to see how much different factors cause premature aging. For this study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 4,500 people who provided blood samples for DNA testing as part of a long-term study on health. The participants were tracked from their teenage years into adulthood. Researchers tracked deaths among people close to the participants, to see how these losses might relate to their biological age. People who had experienced two or more losses during their lifetime had older biological ages, based on epigenetic testing, researcher found. Further, two or more losses in adulthood…  read on >  read on >

A new test gauging levels of key proteins in the blood was far more accurate than doctor assessments in spotting Alzheimer’s disease in people with early-stage illness. The test, called APS2 (the amyloid probability score 2), was 91% accurate in diagnosing Alzheimer’s in people with mild cognitive decline or early dementia, compared to the 61% success rate of primary care doctors who examined the same patients. The test isn’t yet approved for routine use. But Dr Teresa D’Amato, director of geriatric emergency medicine at Northwell Health in Forest Hills, NY, called the new data “very exciting.” “This blood test would be great as a first round of diagnostic testing because it it looks like it’s pretty accurate,” said D’Amato, who wasn’t involved in the new study. The findings were published July 28 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They were published simultaneously at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philapdelphia. An accurate, easily administered blood test for Alzheimer’s could be a game-changer, according to a team of dementia experts who wrote an editorial accompanying the research. “Diagnosing Alzheimer’s is challenging, especially in primary care. Having a reliable blood test is essential to help primary care physicians make an early and accurate diagnosis,” the editorialists said. They included Dr. Stephen Salloway, of Brown University, Dr. Christopher Rowe, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and…  read on >  read on >

Peak asthma month is upon parents as summer draws to a close, experts warn. “September is known as Asthma Peak Month because kids have returned to school, and viruses are being passed around,” said allergist Dr. Gailen Marshall, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “September also sees higher levels of environmental allergens like mold and ragweed. In addition, children may have stopped their regular asthma management routine over the summer,” Marshall added in a ACAAI news release. “Generally, allergists see an increase in patients in September — more asthma attacks and more hospitalizations — especially in children.” But there are ways parents can help their kids keep their allergy and asthma symptoms at bay as the school year resumes, Marshall said. Find an allergist. A pre-school appointment with a board-certified allergist can arm parents with an allergy or asthma action plan that identifies triggers and prepares prescriptions. Asthmatic kids under the care of an allergist have a 77% reduction in lost time from school, Marshall said. Teamwork helps. It’s important to work with a child’s teacher regarding their allergies and asthma, Marshall said. Most teachers have experience helping kids with asthma. Parents should be sure to share their child’s treatment plan with school staff, including their asthma triggers and any treatments or medications they use. Avoid viruses. Respiratory viruses like the…  read on >  read on >

Wildfires raging in several states and Canada are triggering air quality alerts and evacuation orders across the western parts of the United States. Smoke and haze have filled the skies in California, Oregon, Arizona, Washington and several other western states: As of Wednesday, there were 79 large, active wildfires that have burned over 1.4 million acres across the country, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Evacuation orders are in effect for 15 fires in the Northwest, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, Canada is battling about 430 active wildfires in British Columbia and 177 in neighboring Alberta, including two that led to the evacuation of up to 25,000 visitors and residents of the Canadian Rockies’ largest national park, the AP reported. To deal with the pollution spewing from these wildfires, air quality alerts and advisories have been issued in many parts of the western United States: The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued air quality alerts for the eastern counties of Harney, Malheur, Grant, Baker and Morrow until further notice. In Idaho, air quality advisories were sent out to the central counties of Ada, Canyon, Gem, Owyhee, Payette and Washington. In north central Washington, the Colville Reservation, all of Chelan County, plus the Methow Valley down to Brewster in Okanogan County were under air quality alerts until further notice. Last but not least, Canadian authorities issued an air quality advisory for…  read on >  read on >