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Focusing on collagen fibers may yield new insight into faster bone healing. In a recent article, researchers examine how tiny gaps in collagen’s fiber structure contribute to the nucleation of calcium phosphate, a necessary aspect of bone formation and maintenance.
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 atTGMeditor@gvpub.com. Follow Today’s Geriatric Medicine on Facebook and Twitter, too.
— Barbara Worthington, editor |
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Study Offers Insights Into Bone Development
A team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis looked deep within collagen fibers to learn how the body forms new bone and teeth, seeking insights into faster bone healing and new biomaterials.
Young-Shin Jun, PhD, SM, MS, a professor of energy and environmental and chemical engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and director of the university’s Environmental NanoChemistry Lab, leads a team of experts in nucleation, the initial step in forming a solid phase in a fluid system.
While nucleation of minerals in bone and teeth is not well understood, researchers know that bone minerals form inside of collagen, the main protein found in skin and other connective tissues. Jun and Doyoon Kim, a doctoral student in her lab, studied how miniscule gaps in collagen’s fiber structure facilitate the nucleation of calcium phosphate, which is necessary for bone formation and maintenance.
The findings, recently published in Nature Communications, provide a new view into the current theory of calcium phosphate nucleation in a confined space.
To observe nucleation in a collagen gap—about 2 nm high and 40 nm wide—the team studied calcium phosphate nucleation with in situ small-angle X-ray scattering at the Advanced Photon Source in Argonne National Lab. They found that without an inhibitor, nucleation initially took place outside of the collagen gap. When they added an inhibitor, the process occurred mainly within the collagen gap. Jun says the extremely confined space in the collagen gap allows calcium phosphate to form only along the length of the gap and minimizes surface interactions with the gap sidewalls. In other words, the topography of the collagen gap decreases the energy cost and enables nucleation.
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A Perfect Storm: Aging, Drugs, and Chronic Pain
Chronic pain requires specialized scrutiny without which older adults' quality of life is affected, often resulting in depression, isolation, or substance abuse. Read more »
How Physicians Can Help Prevent Elder Suicide
Patients' severe functional limitations, disability, increasing dependence on others, and the fear of becoming a burden are significant risk factors for elder suicide. Physicians must make efforts to ascertain their older patients' mental status and potential suicidal ideation. Read more »
Elders' Loneliness Constitutes a Health Problem
Loneliness, a prevalent problem for older adults, is linked to psychological and physiological health problems. Read more » |
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VoCare Vitals360
The Vitals360 device, a telehealth product for point-of-care and remote health monitoring, can be used by mobile health care clinicians as a complete turnkey point of care and remote patient monitoring solution. It provides comprehensive mobile remote patient telehealth monitoring utilizing a single advanced professional medical-grade monitoring device, which also acts as its own stand-alone wireless hub, eliminating the need for an additional external device such as a hub or tablet/phone. The Vitals360 combines six medical peripherals into a single hub small enough to fit in the palm of the hand. Its platform leverages one connected device to facilitate management of conditions such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, COPD, and hypertension. It can be connected to all major wireless carriers worldwide and Wi-Fi to allow it to be used at home and in health care facilities utilizing a provider portal as well as a patient/family access that utilizes the VoCare cloud to manage a patient’s health care information. Learn more »
Phonak Audeo B-Direct
Phonak has introduced its new Bluetooth hearing aid, Audeo B-Direct, which it says is the first of its kind to connect directly to any enabled cellphone. It allows users to answer or reject a phone call by pressing a button on the hearing aid. An additional adapter allows the device to connect to smart TVs or tablets, turning the hearing tool into wireless headphones. The hearing aid can automatically sense its wearer’s surroundings and adjusts sound to allow for more effortless conversation in noisier environments. Its proprietary technology enables universal connectivity to virtually any phone, not limiting users to particular devices or operating systems. Learn more » |
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‘Aggressive’ New Advance Directive Would Let Dementia Patients Refuse Food
An article at Kaiser Health News notes that a new document allows dementia patients in New York early in the course of disease to choose in advance to deny food and water at the end of life.
Research Casts Doubt Upon Memory and Brain Health Supplements
An article in The Washington Post points out that research shows there’s no scientific evidence that supplements marketed for memory enhancement can prevent mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
Ageism Pervasive Among Elders
A negative attitude toward older adults is common even in elder living communities, according to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Vitamins Remain Popular Among Older Americans
Older adults continue to spend money on and consume supplements that have been shown to be ineffective, according to an article at Kaiser Health News. |
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