Leaky blood vessels in the brain may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say. They followed 161 older adults for five years and found that those with the most severe memory declines had the greatest leakage in their brain’s blood vessels, regardless of whether the Alzheimer’s-related proteins amyloid and tau were present. The findings could help with earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and suggest a new drug target for slowing down or preventing the disease, according to the researchers from the University of Southern California. “The fact that we’re seeing the blood vessels leaking, independent of tau and independent of amyloid, when people have cognitive [mental] impairment on a mild level, suggests it could be a totally separate process or a very early process,” said study senior author Dr. Berislav Zlokovic. He is director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the university’s Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. “That was surprising, that this blood-brain barrier breakdown is occurring independently,” Zlokovic added in a university news release. The blood-brain barrier prevents harmful substances from reaching brain tissue. In some people, this barrier weakens with age. “If the blood-brain barrier is not working properly, then there is the potential for damage,” explained study co-author Arthur Toga, who is director of the Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute at Keck. “It suggests the vessels aren’t properly providing…  read on >

Three weeks in a cast or brace may be just as effective in healing ankle fractures as the typical six weeks, a new study shows. While six weeks in a cast is the usual treatment, there are risks associated with prolonged immobilization, including stiffness, skin damage and blocked blood vessels. Finnish researchers decided to find out if three weeks of treatment would be as effective as six. Their study included 247 patients who were 16 and older with a common type of stable fracture that didn’t require surgery. Eighty-four patients wore a cast for six weeks; 83 spent three weeks in a cast; and 80 spent three weeks in an ankle brace. They were assessed at six, 12 and 52 weeks after their fracture. The healing process for those who spent three weeks in a cast or brace was as successful as among those who spent six weeks in a cast, and shorter treatment brought no added harm, according to the study published Jan. 23 in the journal BMJ. In addition, those who wore a brace for three weeks had slightly better ankle mobility than participants who wore a cast for six weeks. The findings were similar after accounting for patient differences, according to the researchers led by Dr. Tero Kortekangas, from Oulu University Hospital in Finland. His team used an external-rotation (ER) stress test…  read on >

Nearly 25 percent of antibiotics prescribed in the United States are given for conditions they aren’t meant to treat, a new study finds. Antibiotics are miracle drugs that can cure deadly bacterial infections. But too often they are given to treat viral infections, such as colds and flu, for which they are ineffective. And the overuse of antibiotics brings public health dangers, experts have been warning. “Antibiotic prescribing is a major driver of the development of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics,” said lead researcher Dr. Kao-Ping Chua, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the greatest threats to health worldwide, he said. Every year, 2 million Americans develop antibiotic-resistant infections and 23,000 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Given this, it is urgent for providers to eliminate inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, both for the sake of their own patients and for society more broadly,” Chua said. For the study, Chua and his colleagues studied insurance records of more than 19 million kids and adults under age 65. All patients were privately insured. The researchers said more than 23 percent of prescriptions were inappropriate, or not medically justified. The inappropriate prescriptions were mostly for colds, chest infections and coughs. About 36 percent of the prescriptions might have been appropriate but…  read on >

Poor blood sugar control puts people with type 1 diabetes at increased risk for fragility fractures, a new study shows. A fragility fracture is a broken bone caused by a fall from standing height or less. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 3,300 people with type 1 diabetes and more than 44,000 with type 2 diabetes, in the United Kingdom. The data included a three-year average of patients’ A1C blood tests. The test measures a patient’s average blood sugar levels over two to three months. On average, there were nine A1C measurements for type 1 patients and 11 for type 2 patients. Poor blood sugar (glycemic) control with an A1C level above 8 percent was linked to a greater risk of fragility fractures in people with type 1 diabetes, but not in those with type 2, according to the study published Jan. 16 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. “We investigated the association between the degree of glycemic control and fracture risk by using a large cohort of newly diagnosed type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients,” said study co-author Dr. Janina Vavanikunnel. She practices in the endocrinology, diabetology and metabolism department at University Hospital Basel, in Switzerland. “Both types of diabetes are associated with fragility fractures and we showed that poor glycemic control is associated with an increased risk…  read on >

U.S. dermatologists are prescribing fewer antibiotics overall but are writing more short-term orders for the drugs, a new study finds. Dermatologists prescribe more antibiotics per doctor than any other medical specialty — more than 7.1 million prescriptions per year, the University of Pennsylvania researchers said. According to their analysis of 2008-2016 data from privately insured patients, antibiotic prescriptions by dermatologists fell from 3.36 to 2.13 per 100 visits. That works out to about 500,000 fewer antibiotic prescriptions a year. The drop was significant among patients taking extended courses of antibiotics — down 53 percent over the study period. That includes a 28 percent reduction in antibiotic prescriptions for acne, the study authors said. But the investigators found a nearly 70 percent surge in short-term use of antibiotics, especially for skin-surgery patients. Those prescriptions rose from 3.92 to 6.65 per 100 visits. In addition, antibiotic prescriptions associated with cysts increased 35 percent, according to the study published Jan. 16 in JAMA Dermatology. Many dermatological patients, including those taking antibiotics for inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and rosacea, may stay on antibiotics for long periods. That’s an issue, because overuse of antibiotics can lead to reduced effectiveness, the researchers explained. “Overall, our findings are hopefully a sign that we’re making progress, but we need to evaluate how we can optimize the use of antibiotics in dermatologic…  read on >

Not every budding musician will become a rock star, but studying music has brain bonuses for kids, even those who don’t take up an instrument until their teen years. There’s no doubt that participation in in-school music programs boosts motivation. Mastering an instrument or performing with a group brings a sense of accomplishment and is a wonderful creative outlet. What’s more, it can enhance other types of learning, research has revealed. Scientists compared the brain gains among high schoolers involved in band classes for two or three hours a week to those participating in a fitness program. The young musicians showed faster maturation in the brain’s response to sound and in sensitivity to sound details. Both are important for language skills and, in turn, academic success. The students developed what’s called learning to learn. (This isn’t to say that kids should ignore exercise — fitness has other essential benefits, so it’s important to make time in your children’s lives for both types of activities.) Ideally, music instruction would begin in middle school and continue through high school. One study found that this continued involvement was associated with a high-level of math proficiency in grade 12. Unfortunately, music programs are often the victim of budget cutbacks. If your child’s school doesn’t have a music program, consider investing in outside lessons from a local musician or a…  read on >