News by Subject Medicine & Health

A study by researchers at Yale has uncovered why belly fat surrounding organs increases as people age, a finding that could offer new treatment possibilities for improving metabolic health, thereby reducing the likelihood for diseases like diabetes and atherosclerosis that stem from inflammation.

Researchers funded by NIH have found that older Mexican Americans who suffer from pain were 1.7 times likelier to become frail, compared to study participants who did not report pain. The study published in The Journal of Pain by researchers at UTMB - Galveston, looked at pain as a predictor of frailty in older Mexican American adults in a follow-up period of 18 years. All participants were non-frail at the start of the study.

Nearly half of Americans in their 50s and early 60s think they're likely to develop dementia as they grow older, but only 5% of them have actually talked with a doctor about what they could do to reduce their risk, a new study finds. Meanwhile, a third or more say they're trying to stave off dementia by taking supplements or doing crossword puzzles -- despite the lack of proof that such tactics work.

For some women, sex becomes less satisfying with age, with a pronounced decline during perimenopause. A new study indicates that sexual dysfunction increases by nearly 30% during perimenopause, and vaginal dryness most often has the greatest effect on desire, arousal, lubrication, and overall satisfaction. Study results were published this week in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

The transition to electronic health records (EHRs) was supposed to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare for doctors and patients alike -- but these technologies get an 'F' rating for usability from health care professionals, and may be contributing to high rates of professional burnout, according to a new Yale-led study.

Staying fit or improving fitness over time should be a goal for anyone who wants to reduce the likelihood of getting dementia.

An international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found that microorganisms living in the gut may alter the ageing process, which could lead to the development of food-based treatment to slow it down.

Regular use of prescription drugs for pain and sleep increases frailty risk by 95% among older adults. The possible implications of these research findings are especially serious given that it is common for older Americans to use two or more prescription drugs at the same time and many of these prescription drugs are for pain and sleep, including analgesics and sedatives.

Frail patients were more likely to die within 30, 90 and 180 days after surgery than non-frail patients, even if the surgery was classified as low or moderate stress, according to a study that included a researcher from UT Health San Antonio.

Across the world, more people are living longer. But 'whether the extra years will be good ones -- and whether societies and economies will benefit as a result -- depends on the actions we take now,' states an editorial in a new supplemental issue of The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences from The Gerontological Society of America.