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☆ Screen time linked with developmental delays, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The study fills an important gap because it identifies specific developmental delays (in skills) such as communication and problem-solving associated with screen time,” said Nagata, noting there haven’t been many prior studies that studied this issue with several years of follow-up data. The study measured how many hours children used screens per day at age 1 and how they performed in several developmental domains — communication skills, fine motor skills, personal and social skills, and problem-solving skills — at ages 2 and 4. By age 2, those who had had up to four hours of screen time per day were up to three times more likely to experience developmental delays in communication and problem-solving skills. “Kids learn how to talk if they’re encouraged to talk, and very often, if they’re just watching a screen, they’re not having an opportunity to practice talking,” he said. Be choosy about when you rely on screen time, and turn devices off when they’re not in use, Nagata said.

Persons: “, who’ve, ”, Jason Nagata, wasn’t, Nagata, haven’t, John Hutton, “ It’s, Hutton, they’re, ” Nagata, ” Hutton, that’s, “ There’s Organizations: CNN, University of California, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, “, American Academy of Pediatrics Locations: San Francisco, Japan, Tohoku, Miyagi, Iwate, Cincinnati

☆ Somalia bans TikTok, Telegram and 1XBet over 'horrific' content, misinformation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Residents gather outside the Pearl Beach Restaurant following an attack by Al Shabaab militants at the Liido beach in Mogadishu, Somalia June 10, 2023. REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOGADISHU, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Somalia has banned TikTok, messaging app Telegram and online-betting website 1XBet to limit the spread of indecent content and propaganda, its communications minister said. Members of insurgent group al Shabaab often post about their activities on TikTok and Telegram. The decision comes days after Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said a military offensive against al Shabaab aims to eliminate the al Qaeda-linked group in the next five months. TikTok, Telegram and 1XBet did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Persons: Al Shabaab, Feisal Omar, Jama Hassan Khalif, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, 1XBet, TikTok, Abdi Sheikh, George Obulutsa, Devika Organizations: Pearl, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Mogadishu, Somalia, Rights MOGADISHU, Shabaab, TikTok, United States, Montana

☆ How Nursing Homes Failed to Protect Residents From Covid
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Paula Span | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I kept waiting for the cavalry to come, and it really hasn’t, even today,” Dr. Grabowski said. “At no time during the pandemic did we prioritize nursing homes.” More than 167,000 residents have died, Medicare reported this month, along with at least 3,100 staff members. It was Dr. McGarry, Dr. Grabowski and their co-authors who discovered the failure to deliver antiviral medications. This is “the highest of the high-risk groups,” Dr. McGarry said. As the saying went, a nursing home was like a cruise ship that never docked.

Persons: “, Dr, Grabowski, McGarry, Dr . Grabowski, Paxlovid Organizations: Medicare, Food and Drug Administration, JAMA

☆ Running for the bus or hurrying up the stairs for just 3 minutes a day may lower your risk of cancer, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Moving quickly, even for as little as three minutes a day, may lower your risk of developing more than 10 types of cancer, a new study found. "They called it 'vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity,' so they weren't specifically saying exercise. Little things like taking the stairs and parking farther away from your destination may be very helpful in terms of cancer prevention, Crane tells CNBC Make It. Moving quickly for three to four minutes each day was linked to a 17% to 18% lower risk of developing cancer, and a nearly 30% lower risk of developing one of the 13 types of cancers the study focused on. "In fact, people who are able to have these bursts of energy throughout their day, of activity, seem to see protection from it."

Persons: Tracy Crane, Miami's Sylvester, Crane, we've, Warren Buffett Organizations: JAMA, Digital Health, Lifestyle Medicine, Cancer, The University, Miami's, Cancer Center, CNBC

☆ Cancer diagnosis rates are going up in younger adults, study finds, driven largely by rises in women and people in their 30s
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The study found that overall, early-onset cancers increased over that decade, by an average of 0.28% each year. There were 34,233 early-onset cancer cases in women in 2010 and 35,721 in 2019, an increase of 4.35%, the study says. The rate of cancer diagnosis increased in adults in their 30s over the decade but remained stable in other under-50 age groups, the study found. Cancers with the highest numbers of early-onset cases diagnosed in 2019 were breast (12,649 cases), thyroid (5,869) and colorectal cancers (4,097). Previous research has shown a rise in cancers of the digestive system, particularly colorectal cancers, among adults younger than 55 since the 1990s.

Persons: Otis Brawley, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ”, “, “ There’s, Brawley, John Bonifield Organizations: CNN, National Cancer Institute, JAMA, Bloomberg, Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, CNN Health Locations: Alaska Natives, Black, United States

☆ Two research teams detail advancements in transplanting pig kidneys to humans, marking key steps on path to clinical trials
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —New advancements in transplanting pig kidneys to humans, detailed by two separate research teams on Wednesday, mark key steps forward in the evolving field of xenotransplantation, the use of non-human tissues or organs to treat medical conditions in humans. Both research teams used genetically modified pig kidneys that were transplanted into recipients experiencing brain death in what is considered pre-clinical human research. Other studies have demonstrated that this can occur when pig kidneys are transplanted in non-human primates. The team has been monitoring pig kidney transplants in a brain-dead decedent – a man named Maurice Miller, known as Mo, who died of a brain tumor – for nearly two months. “Over the last 20 years, we’ve gained a lot of information about how pig kidneys work to replace the functions in primates.

Persons: ”, Jayme Locke, Locke, ” Locke, NYU Langone, Maurice Miller, Mo, Robert Montgomery, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, “ We’re, Adam Griesemer, we’ve, ’ –, we’re Organizations: CNN, University of Alabama, Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, New York University, Health, Comprehensive Transplant Institute, ”, UAB, NYU, NYU Langone Transplant Institute, CNN Health, Liver Transplant, FDA, US Department of Health, Human, Transplantation Network

☆ Surgeons Improve Function of Kidneys Transplanted From Genetically Altered Pigs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

A number of studies last year demonstrated that pig kidneys that had been transplanted into brain-dead individuals made urine, an essential function, for short periods of time. “The really new finding here is that these pig kidneys can clear enough creatinine to support an adult human,” Dr. Locke said. “If you want to have life-sustaining kidney function, the kidneys have to do more than just make urine,” Dr. Locke said. A few months later, researchers at the University of Maryland transplanted a heart from a genetically modified pig into a 57-year-old patient with heart failure. So far, transplants of genetically modified pig kidneys have been made only to brain-dead patients.

Persons: ”, Jayme Locke, Dr, Locke Organizations: Transplant Institute, NYU Langone Health, University of Maryland, Revivicor, United Therapeutics Corporation, Langone Health, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Alabama, New York

☆ Living with air pollution, especially from wildfires or agriculture, raises risk of dementia, US study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The study authors said it’s the first nationally representative study of the potential effects of particle pollution on dementia in the US, and the link to dementia was most robust in areas with pollution from agriculture and wildfires. Pesticides are neurotoxins to animals, she said, so those may be the particles in agriculture pollution that are affecting human brains, as well. As for wildfires, the smoke doesn’t just come from burning trees; things like homes and gas stations burn too, becoming the particle pollution that people breathe in. The new study cannot determine the exact mechanism connecting particle pollution and dementia, but scientists have some theories. A study in England found that adults living with the highest annual concentration of air pollution had 1.4 times the dementia risk as those living with the lowest annual concentration.

Persons: it’s, ”, Sara Dubowsky Adar, Boya Zhang, Adar, Caleb Finch, William F, It’s, Masashi Kitazawa, Kitazawa, ” Kitazawa, Finch, Zhang, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Zhang, “ Organizations: CNN, US Environmental Protection Agency, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Pesticides, ARCO, William, Kieschnick, University of Southern, World Health, Alzheimer’s Association, University of California, Alzheimer’s, CNN Health, World Health Organization Locations: United States, University of Southern California, Irvine, Canada, England, California

☆ Opinion | The Wagner Group Is Always Ready for a Coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Colin P. Clarke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But the nation’s successive elected governments were at least willing to cooperate with Washington, allowing the U.S. military to conduct regional counterterrorism activities. Washington has stopped short of calling the crisis a coup — a move that would require the United States to halt security and economic assistance. Wagner will be ready. Their operations have frequently resulted in the deaths of civilians, with credible accusations of sexual violence, torture and extrajudicial killings. Within days of Wagner’s aborted advance on Moscow, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that Wagner’s African footprint would remain.

Persons: Jama’at Nusrat al, Barkhane, jihadists, Wagner, —, Al Qaeda, Bazoum, Prigozhin’s, Wagner’s, Sergei Lavrov, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: U.S, United, Nigerien, Islamic, West, Central African, Kremlin Locations: Sahel, Africa, Islamic State, Greater Sahara, Haram, Islam, Niger, Washington, United States, America, Mali, Libya, Central African Republic, Sudan, Moscow, St . Petersburg

"Our drone base in Niger is extremely important in countering terrorism in the region," one of the U.S. officials said. FOREIGN ASSISTANCEThe Biden administration has not formally labeled the military takeover in Niger a coup, a designation that would limit what security assistance Washington can provide the country. The U.S. drone base has grown in importance due to a lack of Western security partners in the region. The drone base, known as airbase 201, was built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has welcomed the coup in Niger and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's Wagner, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nusrat al, Cameron Hudson, Hudson, Terence McCulley, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Idrees Ali, Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Nigerien, Islamic State, Al, West African, Center for Strategic, International Studies, United States Institute of Peace, Wagner Group, ., U.S, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, United States, Sahel, Al Qaeda, France, Africa, insurgencies, Russia, China, Washington, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, Agadez, State, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Niger's, Nigerien

☆ These 10 medications are likely targets for Medicare price negotiations this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Though it is still unclear which 10 drugs Medicare will select, several pharmaceutical companies have already revealed in court filings that they expect four of their blockbuster medications to be targeted. Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson , in separate filings, said their blood thinners Eliquis and Xarelto will be subject to the negotiations this year. The list price of Januvia has surged 275% since 2006, according to the AARP. Johnson & Johnson reported $2.47 billion in revenue from Xarelto. "More and more people face cost-sharing that is directly affected by drug price increases," Leigh Purvis, who analyzes health-care costs for AARP, told reporters on a call Thursday.

Persons: Daniel Acker, Merck, Johnson, Abbvie, Imbruvica, Jardiance, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amgen Symbicort, Pfizer Xtandi, Breo, Biden, Januvia, Eliquis, Xarelto, Leigh Purvis Organizations: Merck, Co, Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, Medicare, Services, Myers Squibb, Johnson, Pharmacy, AstraZeneca Ibrance, Pfizer, Astellas Pharma, GSK, AARP, Bristol Myers Squibb, Jama Network, Industry Locations: Bristol, U.S, Januvia, Xarelto

☆ One-size-fits-all blood pressure cuffs ‘strikingly inaccurate,’ study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Giri Viswanathan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But after a second check from the blood pressure machine, and taking his own blood pressure at home, it had returned to much more acceptable levels. At the hospital, his first blood pressure cuff had been too small, and it was changed only at his request. Now, a new clinical trial highlights how much an improperly sized blood pressure cuff can distort blood pressure readings taken by automated blood pressure devices. But frequently, only regular-sized cuffs are used to take someone’s blood pressure, even though clinical guidelines recommend using cuffs suited for a person’s arm circumference. Either way, experts say, a one-size-fits-all approach can skew blood pressure readings, interfering with core metrics that doctors use to monitor and treat heart conditions.

Persons: Georges Benjamin, Benjamin, ”, “, Benjamin said, Tammy Brady, ” Brady, Brady, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, American Public Health Association, Johns Hopkins University, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: Baltimore

☆ Opinion: American women have an alcohol problem. It’s critical to understand why
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Opinion Jill Filipovic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —American women have a problem with booze. The messaging around women and drinking has reflected women’s shift toward the dysfunctional, which may then create a vicious cycle as more women see problem drinking cast as cheeky, fun or normal. And more women may now be paying the price for this normalization of alcohol abuse. I suspect many of them are turning to alcohol as one way to dull the painful reality of isolation. None of that will end alcohol abuse, which has been a centuries-long problem.

Persons: Jill Filipovic, —, White, ”, they’re, we’re Organizations: Twitter, CNN, American Medical Association, White Locations: New York, prurient, America, Europe

☆ A simple technique may help with nail-biting and other repetitive behaviors, new research suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Compulsive nail-biting, skin-picking, hairpulling, and lip- and cheek-biting are among a range of body-focused repetitive behaviors, or BFRBs, that can become a source of distress, but new research may offer hope for relief. Gently tapping the middle and index fingers against the thumb is one of the habit replacement techniques suggested by research. In the study, Moritz recruited 268 people with BFRBs — include participants exhibiting skin-picking, trichotillomania, nail-biting, and lip- and cheek-biting behaviors — who were between ages 18 and 80. After six weeks, 54% of people in the group using the habit replacement techniques reported improvement on a scale devised to measure the severity of body-focused repetitive behavior compared with 20% in the control group. However, she said she thinks habit replacement techniques are just part of a bigger BFRB treatment puzzle.

Persons: Steffen Moritz, ”, Moritz, “, They’re, I’ve, BFRBs, —, ” Moritz, Stacy Nakell, haven’t, Nakell, ” Nakell Organizations: CNN, University Medical Center Locations: Eppendorf, Germany

☆ How lifestyle exercise can lower your cancer risk, according to a new study
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —As little as one or two minutes of vigorous exercise a day could lower your cancer risk, according to a new study. Participants reported not regularly exercising in their leisure time, and they wore accelerometers to track their VILPA, or vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity, the study said. Adults who incorporated about 4½ minutes of vigorous activity in short one- or two-minute bouts had more than 30% lower incidence rates of cancer, the study found. “The large majority of middle aged and older adults, more than 70-80% in most countries, are not regular exercisers in leisure time, or simply never do any exercise,” Stamatakis said via email. “Previous early-stage trials (showed) that VILPA leads to rapid improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness,” Stamatakis said in an email.

Persons: Emmanuel Stamatakis, “, ”, Stamatakis, Charles Perkins, Dana Santas, ” Stamatakis, Glenn Gaesser, Gaesser, Keith Diaz, Diaz, ” Gaesser, Santas, It’s, ’ ” Organizations: CNN’s, CNN, Charles, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Columbia University Irving Medical Locations: Australia, New York City

☆ Somalia says Russia grants relief on debt worth $684 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOGADISHU, July 27 (Reuters) - Russia has granted debt relief on over $684 million owed by Somalia in a deal finalised on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, officials from the Horn of Africa nation said. Emerging from decades of civil war, Somalia is seeking to secure sweeping external debt relief under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The agreement signed on Wednesday between Egeh and Russian deputy finance minister Timur Maksimov concerned Paris Club loans, Somali Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Somalia owed Moscow nearly $695 million in 2019, according to the IMF. Reporting by Hereward Holland, Abdi Sheikh and Rachel Savage; editing by Joe Bavier and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bihi Egeh, Timur Maksimov, Salah Ahmed Jama, Jama, Vladimir Putin, Putin, pare, Hereward Holland, Abdi Sheikh, Rachel Savage, Joe Bavier, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Somali Finance, Moscow, Paris Club, RIA Novosti, African, IMF, Thomson Locations: MOGADISHU, Russia, Somalia, Africa, St Petersburg, Horn of Africa, Egeh, Paris, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Adults with depression are at a greater risk of developing dementia, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A diagnosis of depression in adulthood could more than double your risk of developing dementia in older age, according to a new study. But the latest study shows a connection between dementia risk and depression diagnoses in early and mid-life as well. “Our results therefore provide strong evidence that depression is not only an early symptom of dementia, but also that depression increases dementia risk,” she said. “For example, there may be shared common risk factors for depression and dementia that occur earlier in the lifecourse, depression may increase dementia risk through alterations in levels of key neurotransmitters, or depression may lead to changes in health behaviors that in turn increase risk for dementia,” she added in an email. Regardless of dementia risk, treating depression should be a priority, Elser agreed.

Persons: Holly Elser, Natalie Marchant, Marchant, Elser, ”, ” Elser, ” Marchant Organizations: CNN, University of Pennsylvania, University College London

☆ Medicare proposes removing limit on PET scans used to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Right now, the program for seniors will only cover one PET scan per lifetime for patients participating in clinical trials. The Medicare proposal would allow regional organizations, called Medicare Administrative Contractors, to decide whether to cover the diagnostic tool. It is still unclear when the decision on PET scans will be finalized. PET scans are a crucial diagnostic tool that detect an amyloid protein on the brain that is associated with Alzheimer's disease. People on Medicare generally pay 20% of the cost of a PET scan after meeting their deductible.

Persons: Jay Reinstein, Chiquita Brooks, LaSure Organizations: Georgetown University Hospital, Contractors, Centers, Medicare, Services Locations: Washington , DC, U.S

☆ Weekend-only workouts may also be protecting your heart health
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A cohort of more than 100,000 people used accelerometers to capture their movement over the course of a week, the study said. Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. “Even for me, if I have a crazy something or other going on, I might concentrate more on a weekend,” Freeman said. One study from 2021 found that as little as 11 minutes a day can increase your life span. On the days you miss a workout, Freeman encourages making sure to make up the time later in the week to get the 150 minutes.

Persons: —, ”, Shaan Khurshid, ” Khurshid, Andrew Freeman, Freeman, ” Freeman, Khurshid, Oleg Breslavtsev, “, Dana Santas Organizations: CNN’s, CNN, JAMA, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Jewish Health, Denver's National Jewish Health Locations: Massachusetts, Boston, Denver

Overall, an FDA spokesperson says that “trial participants should reflect the population that is likely to use the product if FDA-approved. Across a group of 10 novel cancer therapies approved by the FDA in 2022, data shows the share of Black participants in key clinical trials ranged from zero to 8%. “Access to clinical trials at the sites where patients are living is an important factor to changing the landscape,” Perez says. “There’s been some novel ways to recruit patients, like using the church and using barbershops to recruit Black patients,” Cho says. Haddad says a number of Mayo patients were receiving experimental therapies through clinical trials when the pandemic began.

Persons: ”, Leslie Cho, Robert, Suzanne Tomsich, it’s, Edith Perez, Bolt Biotherapeutics, ” Perez, Eli Lilly, “, Lilly “, they’ll, Craig Lipset, ” Lipset, ” Cho, “ There’s, Dr, Tufia Haddad, Haddad, Mayo, Jennifer Dahne, Larry Hawk, Hawk Organizations: Women’s Cardiovascular, Cleveland Clinic, of Cardiovascular Medicine, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, “, Health, Committee, Cancer, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Centers for Disease Control, Research Alliance, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Care, Mayo’s Center for Digital Health, College of Medicine, Medical University of South, of Psychology, University, Buffalo, SUNY, JAMA Locations: U.S, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Los Angeles County, Alaska, “, Medical University of South Carolina

☆ Lilly drug slows Alzheimer's by 60% for mildly impaired patients in trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Lilly expects the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide by the end of this year whether to approve donanemab. The company had previously reported that 24% of the overall donanemab treatment group had brain swelling. The deaths of three trial patients were linked to the treatment, researchers reported. For high tau patients, donanemab was shown to slow disease progression by about 17%, while the benefit was 35% for those with low-to-intermediate tau levels. Both medications are also being studied in large trials to see if they have an impact on delaying onset of Alzheimer's disease symptoms.

Persons: Seth Gale, Brian Snyder, Eli Lilly, Anne White, Lilly, Susan Kohlhaas, Liana Apostolova, White, Liz Coulthard, donanemab, Deena Beasley, Ludwig Burger, Will Dunham, Bill Berkrot, Caroline Humer Organizations: Alzheimer Research, Brigham, Women’s, REUTERS, Alzheimer's Association International, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Alzheimer’s Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Doctors, University of Bristol, JAMA, FDA, Alzheimer's Association, Health Organization, New York Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Boston , Massachusetts, U.S, Amsterdam, Eisai

☆ FDA approves AstraZeneca, Sanofi shot that protects infants and toddlers against RSV
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The FDA approval of nirsevimab, sold under the brand name Beyfortus, comes ahead of RSV season this fall. This is a major advantage over palivizumab, which is administered monthly throughout RSV season. Nirsevimab is administered either before or during an infant's first RSV season. Toddlers up to two years old who remain vulnerable can also receive the shot during their second RSV season. Pfizer has developed a vaccine that protects infants by administering the shot to the mother while she is pregnant.

Persons: Biden, Nirsevimab Organizations: Drug Administration, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, FDA, Disease Control, Children, CDC, Pfizer Locations: U.S, Nirsevimab

☆ Second Alzheimer’s drug to slow disease’s progression may be approved in the US this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

It was shown in May and in fuller Phase 3 clinical trial results released at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Monday to delay the disease’s progression. More than 6 million Americans are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease, with about 1 million estimated to be in the early symptomatic stages where these drugs have shown benefit. Both Leqembi and donanemab work by clearing buildups of a protein in the brain called amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. It’s been a hypothesis that treating Alzheimer’s earlier with amyloid-clearing drugs would yield better results; Skovronsky said the donanemab trial bore that out. “We could look at people who had mild cognitive impairment, MCI, which is the earliest stage, versus mild Alzheimer’s versus moderate Alzheimer’s,” Skovronsky explained.

Persons: Leqembi, Eli Lilly’s donanemab, Lilly, “ Donanemab, Jennifer Manly, Kacie, ”, Dr, Gil Rabinovici, Renaud La Joie, Daniel Skovronsky, “, Skovronsky, ” Skovronsky, It’s, Eric Widera, Sharon Brangman, University of Wisconsin’s Dr, Nathaniel Chin, Donanemab, Lilly hasn’t, Lawrence Honig, Honig, White, Sanjay Gupta, Deters, ” Lilly, it’s “, it’s, there’s, Joe Montminy Organizations: CNN, Alzheimer’s Association, Food and Drug Administration, American Medical Association, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, University of California, MCI, SUNY, University of Wisconsin’s, Leqembi, FDA, donanemab, CNN Health, ” Manly Locations: Los Angeles, “

☆ Treating Alzheimer’s Very Early Offers Better Hope of Slowing Decline, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Pam Belluck | More About Pam Belluck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Treating Alzheimer’s patients as early as possible — when symptoms and brain pathology are mildest — provides a better chance of slowing cognitive decline, a large study of an experimental Alzheimer’s drug presented Monday suggests. The study of 1,736 patients reported that the drug, donanemab, made by Eli Lilly, can modestly slow the progression of memory and thinking problems in early stages of Alzheimer’s, and that the slowing was greatest for early-stage patients when they had less of a protein that creates tangles in the brain. For people at that earlier stage, donanemab appeared to slow decline in memory and thinking by about four and a half to seven and a half months over an 18-month period compared with those taking a placebo, according to the study, published in the journal JAMA. Among people with less of the protein, called tau, slowing was most pronounced in those younger than 75 and those who did not yet have Alzheimer’s but had a pre-Alzheimer’s condition called mild cognitive impairment, according to data presented Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam. “The earlier you can get in there, the more you can impact it before they’ve already declined and they’re on this fast slope,” Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, Eli Lilly’s chief medical and scientific officer, said in an interview.

Persons: Eli Lilly, donanemab, “, they’ve, Dr, Daniel Skovronsky, Eli Lilly’s Organizations: Alzheimer’s Association International Locations: Amsterdam

☆ Get your eyes checked to keep your brain healthy, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The participants, who were all older than 71, were then screened for dementia using the Dementia Screening Interview, the study said. In people with distance visual impartment, that jumped to 19.5%; 21.5% for near visual impairment; and 32.9% for people who had moderate to severe visual impairment or were blind, according to the study. Another factor that might lead to the correlation is a possible decrease in opportunities and community participation that could come with vision loss, Silverman said. “When it comes to vision impairment and blindness, an estimated 80 plus percent is either preventable or even reversible,” he added. “If you notice that you have vision that is starting to be impaired, get it checked out.”But not every case of vision loss is treatable.

Persons: Joshua Ehrlich, Ehrlich, “, ”, Arielle Silverman, Silverman, Thomas Holland, Chicago . Holland, Holland, ” Holland, ” Silverman Organizations: CNN, Ophthalmology, University of Michigan, American Foundation for, Rush Institute, Healthy Aging, Rush Medical College Locations: United States, Ann Arbor, Chicago ., Holland

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