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November 2016 Connect with us   Sign up  |  Archive  |  Advertise

Researchers are exploring the energy landscape associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The energy landscape maps the energies and structures of proteins that originate as chains of amino acids. A recent study is the first to examine the aggregation of pathogenic protein into toxic form. In addition to reading our e-newsletter, be sure to visit Today’s Geriatric Medicine’s website at www.TodaysGeriatricMedicine.com, where you’ll find news and information that’s relevant and reliable. We welcome your feedback at TGMeditor@gvpub.com. Follow Today’s Geriatric Medicine on Facebook and Twitter, too. — Barbara Worthington, editor Computer Simulations Explore How Alzheimer’s Disease Starts A new Rice University study uses computer simulations to explore the initial steps of the molecular process that leads to Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease starts by the aggregation of a common protein called amyloid beta. The Rice study is the first to model the energy landscape of the assembly of many copies of the pathogenic protein into its toxic form. The research, led by Peter Wolynes, PhD, of Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, is detailed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Wolynes and his team are pioneers in the development of the energy landscape theory for proteins. All proteins begin as chains of amino acids with their sequences determined by DNA, and each arrangement of the chain has a particular energy associated with it. The map of these energies and structures is called the energy landscape. For most proteins, the energy landscape guides the protein to fold into its useful functional shape. Wolynes and his colleagues developed a computer program, AWSEM (associative memory, water mediated, structure and energy model) that simulates the process and can predict the most important functional structures. Full story »   Computer Simulations Explore How Alzheimer’s Disease Starts 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Implications for Older Adults Elder Suicide Intervention New Approach to Assess Elders’ Balance National Report Calls for Better Resources for Caregivers Men Get Osteoporosis, Too Hospital Readmissions Decline in Ohio, Nationwide Drivers Older Than 85 Are Fastest-Growing Group on the Road Geriatrics Consult With Rosemary Laird, MD Tech & Tools Geriatric Hospitalist—Legacy Health Geriatrician—Samaritan Health Services Geriatrician—Main Line Health Geriatrician—Reading Health Post-acute Hospitalist—Reading Health

2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Implications for Older Adults Based on the newly developed 2015–2020 guidelines, experts offer recommendations on dietary patterns designed for optimal nutrition among older adults. Read more » Elder Suicide Intervention High rates of geriatric suicide require that providers become familiar with screening, education, and prevention strategies. Read more » New Approach to Assess Elders’ Balance A group of professors and students collaborated in designing a device that will be able to detect potential balance issues through a smartphone application. Read more » Spotlight on Diabetes As we observe Diabetes Awareness Month, it’s important to focus attention on a disease that continues to exact a devastating toll on older adults. Diabetes management is critical to the overall health and function of older patients. During my training in the late 1990s, patients who suffered the worst end-organs damage from diabetes fell into the ominous sounding category “triple-opathy.” That was house officer-speak for the presence of the three most common end-organ conditions: nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy. Unfortunately, as bad as we thought diabetes was at that time, we now know we were underrecognizing the ravages attributable to this illness. There is a growing understanding that the cascade of insulin-involved pathologies along with other cardiometabolic risk factors affects cerebral tissues in ways similar to the destruction of renal and retinal tissues, and ultimately contribute to cerebral dysfunction and dementia. As the size of the expansive elderly population continues to soar, so too does the number of individuals with diabetes and dementia. Read more » HOME Medical Alert System With AutoFALL Fall Detection A lightweight waterproof fall-detection pendant, AutoFALL technology offers the security of automatic fall detection, sensing the difference between a “drop” and an actual fall. Using sensors and software, the AutoFALL pendant can detect a fall and signal the medical alert console to initiate a call to the emergency response center. The device includes an extra button to wear or keep in the bathroom. Learn more » CogniSense CogniSense, a digital cognitive assessment tool, aids in a physician’s assessment, diagnosis, and care management of individuals with cognitive dysfunction. CogniSense is designed to overcome several limitations of conventional paper-based cognitive assessment, such as lack of objective easily trackable data over time and integration to electronic health records. Its features enhance the efficiency and ease of cognitive assessment, particularly in a primary care setting. It provides health care practitioners a digitized version of the Memory Orientation Assessment Test to assess a patient’s memory, orientation, sequential memory, and time through the use of memory recall techniques, information comprehension tests, and tablet-based clock drawing. Available as an app for Apple’s iPad, CogniSense is administered and scored electronically, providing an objective baseline score and progressive scores that can be stored in Care360, Quest’s lab-ordering platform, and any of nearly 600 other electronic medical records that connect to Quest. As part of a patient’s medical record, results from CogniSense allow clinicians to track and monitor a patient’s cognitive function over time. Learn more » Have a question you want answered by one of our experts? Send your question to TGMeditor@gvpub.com and it may be featured in an upcoming e-newsletter or print issue.   A Secure, Anonymous Résumé Bank Job Alerts Sent to Your E-mail National Report Calls for Better Resources for Caregivers An article in Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review highlights the difficulties related to family caregiving, as described in a new study that analyzed the problems. Men Get Osteoporosis, Too Physicians must be aware that elderly men as well as women are at risk for developing osteoporosis, according to an article in The New York Times. Hospital Readmissions Decline in Ohio, Nationwide Improved discharge planning, financial assistance with prescription medications, and home visits have helped to reduce hospital readmissions, according to an article in The Columbus Dispatch. Drivers Older Than 85 Are Fastest-Growing Group on the Road An article in the Los Angeles Times reports that people older than 85 comprise the fastest-growing group on US roads. 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