Researchers and public health officials are revising their views on the best methods to detect infections, the New York Times reports, ignoring long-held standards so that the spread of the coronavirus can be more quickly tracked and hopefully contained. These experts say the best chance to rein in the sprawling outbreaks in the United States now requires widespread adoption of less accurate tests, as long as they are administered quickly and often enough. This quantity-over-quality approach has its downsides, of course, and is contingent on an enormous supply of testing kits. Nevertheless, many experts believe more rapid, frequent testing would identify those who need immediate medical attention and perhaps even pinpoint those at greatest risk of spreading COVID-19. Susan Butler-Wu, a clinical microbiologist at USC, laments, "We are so far gone in this country. . . . It's kitchen sink time, even if the tests are imperfect." Of the dozens of coronavirus tests that have been granted emergency use authorization by the FDA, only a handful are quick and simple enough to be run in a point-of-care setting like a doctor's office or urgent care clinic. Such tests are still relatively scarce nationwide.

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society of 552 adults aged 70 to 93 years found 80 percent of subjects had at least one skin disease that required treatment, reports Medical Xpress . Fungal skin infections, rosacea, actinic keratosis, and eczema were the most common reported ailments. Moreover, 39.1 percent of participants had three or more simultaneous skin diseases, and they were more frequent in males than in females. The researchers also observed fragile associations between different skin diseases and socioeconomic status and living status. "This research emphasizes the importance of whole body skin evaluations in older patients, as skin diseases are common in this age group," said the University Hospital of Oulu's Suvi-Päivikki Sinikumpu. "A whole-body skin examination may reveal hidden skin symptoms and ensures timely diagnoses and appropriate treatment."

Residents at the Parmer Woods assisted living community in North Austin, Texas, are brewing their own beer to make life less isolating during the pandemic, reports Reform Austin . "We try to do as many things that can be independently led, so that it doesn't require so much staff to be present, but that still empowers our residents to be able to be a person," said Enrichment Director Amy Casillas. "It's very much their own thing." Residents have brewed cider, India pale ale, oatmeal stout, and wit beer in the community kitchen. Although this has been a freeing activity for residents, Casillas said social distancing is mandated in the brewing process. Regular participants typically number 14, but now the kitchen only allows groups of six at a time. "Different bottling days or brewing days are handled by different people, and they have the same gear that our nursing staff, or care staff, have to have," said Casillas. "Which is masks, six-feet apart when possible, gloves, lots of hand washing, and tons of sanitation afterwards."

A study in Redox Biology showed that a drug candidate that previously demonstrated the ability to slow aging in brain cells reversed memory loss in a mouse model of inherited Alzheimer's disease, reports Technology Networks . Developed by the Salk Institute, the CMS121 compound changes brain cells' metabolization of lipid molecules. A subset of the mice in the study were given daily doses of CMS121 beginning at nine months old — comparable to middle age in humans — after they had already started to exhibit learning and memory problems. Three months later, both treated and untreated mice were given memory and behavior tests, in which those with Alzheimer's-like pathology receiving CMS121 performed as well as healthy controls, while untreated animals with the disease performed worse. The researchers also noticed that mice with Alzheimer's-like disease had more lipid peroxidation than either healthy mice or those treated with CMS121. "That not only confirmed that lipid peroxidation is altered in Alzheimer's, but that this drug is actually normalizing those changes," said Salk's Gamze Ates. The drug also reduced concentrations of fatty acid synthetase (FASN), which in turn lowered levels of lipid peroxidation. Analysis of FASN in brain samples from humans who had died of Alzheimer's revealed higher amounts of the FASN protein than similarly aged controls who were cognitively healthy, suggesting FASN could be a drug target for treating Alzheimer's.

University of Arizona Professor Chris Hulme has earned a five-year federal grant of $3.8 million from the U.S. National Institute on Aging to further pursue medications to help prevent or reverse Alzheimer's disease, reports KTAR News . Hulme and his team at the college's Arizona Center for Drug Discovery will use the grant to continue development of a treatment to inhibit the activity of certain enzymes in people with Alzheimer's. "To date, most Alzheimer's treatments have focused on addressing only one disease symptom at a time, the most common being the appearance of amyloid plaques, proteins that accumulate in the spaces between nerve cells, which, in a healthy brain, normally are broken down and eliminated," Hulme stated. "Our unique approach provides an opportunity to intervene in several areas simultaneously by inhibiting the activity of the DYRK1A dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase-1A enzyme." Preliminary findings suggest that hindering DYRK1A lessens the decline of cognitive function and progression of Alzheimer's.

In California, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week moved forward on founding a new county department for serving older and disabled adults, reports SCVNews . Supervisor Janice Hahn commented that current efforts are fragmented and "bringing them under one roof will not only allow us to coordinate our work, but it would also give us the ability to be proactive rather than reactive to address the needs of older adults and adults with disabilities alike." Hahn and fellow Supervisor Sheila Kuehl proposed a new department in 2019, and a report by Dr. Kathleen Wilbur said such a measure is both recommended and necessary to properly serve the senior population. "Between 2010 and 2030, our older adult population will double," said Kuehl. "A standalone department of aging may be the best way to ensure the health and well-being of our current and future older adult populations." The Board approved a motion authored by Hahn and Kuehl instructing the County CEO's office to take the first steps to prepare for establishing the department, including creating a budget, and reporting back to the board in 180 days. The county also will set up a Leadership Council to coordinate the transition and improve coordination of the various departments serving older and disabled adults.

The latest issue of the Gerontological Society of America's What's Hot newsletter focuses on what is known concerning the prevalence, incidence, and effect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among older adults, reports Medical Xpress . The condition is underdiagnosed in older adults despite high incidence, which is attributed to poor awareness of symptoms among patients and providers, low suspicion of malady, and inadequate remuneration for diagnostic tests. Underdiagnosis may happen because older adults mistake shortness of breath or other symptoms as a normal sign of aging, and do not mention these symptoms to healthcare providers. Yet outcomes can be improved with proper disclosure of symptoms, screening, and treatment. COPD also has well-established guidelines for managing the disease, but greater awareness and compliance to guidelines among healthcare providers is necessary. "Early diagnosis and optimal management through pulmonary rehabilitation, immunizations, smoking cessation support, behavioral changes, oxygen therapy when needed, management of associated comorbidities, and pharmacotherapy will enable people with COPD to improve symptoms, increase functional capacity, and live life to its fullest," said Barbara Yawn, a member of the advisory board that oversaw the newest edition of What's Hot .

The Wall Street Journal states that "the coronavirus is challenging the assumption that Americans must stay physically tethered to traditionally hot job markets . . . to access the best work opportunities." Several months into the crisis, many workers find themselves in jobs that, at least for now, will allow them to work from anywhere. This, in turn, has created a wave of movement nationwide. Many newly remote workers are moving closer to family, giving up on leases they can't afford, or chasing opportunities in different locales. Americans in April were relocating at twice the pace they did a year prior, according to Cuebiq data, and continued to move at an elevated rate through mid-May. Telecommuting is fueling many of the moves, with more and more employers giving their employees permanent permission to detach themselves from the office.

A study of more than 18,000 U.S. adults 50 years or older published in JAMA found no evidence that Vitamin D prevents depression, reports CNN . Half of the subjects, who had no clinically relevant depressive symptoms at the start, took 2,000 daily international units of vitamin D3, exceeding the current recommended amount in the United States. The other half took a placebo, with participants monitored for 5.3 years on average. The researchers observed no significant difference between the cohorts in depressive symptoms or mood scores. "There is a longstanding issue of publication bias, in that studies with statistically significant findings get disproportionately published," said University College London Hospital dietitian Brian Power. "This conclusion should be replicated to increase the confidence that there is no effect. Doing so will ensure we don't waste resources into the future."

A recent Cochrane review cited by Medscape investigated whether withdrawal of antihypertensive medications has adverse consequences in more than 1,000 individuals aged 50 years and older across six randomized controlled trials. Compared with the groups that continued antihypertensive medication, the discontinuation groups had higher odds of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke. But the certainty of evidence was low and none of the differences were statistically significant. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were both significantly higher in the discontinuation groups. Also, more participants in the discontinuation groups experienced increased blood pressure or other clinical criteria that would require restarting of therapy or removal from the study. However, many of the studies in the review had limitations including selective reporting, incomplete outcome data, and lack of blinding of participants and personnel. These limitations "mean that we cannot make any firm conclusions about the effect of deprescribing antihypertensives on these outcomes," the authors conclude. "Older adults should not stop any of their medications without talking to a health care professional."