A case study in Nature Medicine of a woman with a genetic mutation that kept her from developing dementia for decades, despite already-existing brain damage from Alzheimer's, may suggest a possible way to prevent the disease, reports CBS News . She and about 1,200 other women in Colombia carry the E280A mutation of the Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene, which is known to increase the odds of developing Alzheimer's at a far younger age than usual. The subject in question was predisposed to develop Alzheimer's in her 40s, yet she had fewer neural tangles in her brain than is typical for persons with Alzheimer's. By the time she reached her fourth decade, she had the same abnormally high level of brain amyloid-beta deposits as others with the PSEN1 mutation. Genetic analysis uncovered the presence of two copies of the "Christchurch" mutation in the APOE3 gene. This appeared to protect the subject against Alzheimer's, preserving memory and clear thinking. Harvard Medical School Professor Joseph Arboleda-Velasquez suggested Alzheimer's-related dementia could be prevented if "new drugs that mimic the effect of the mutation" can be synthesized.

China has given conditional approval to Oligomannate, its first self-developed treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD), reports Reuters . The country's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) last week granted the conditional OK to use the drug, which employs extract from marine brown algae to treat mild-to-moderate level AD. "Trial results demonstrated that Oligomannate statistically improved cognitive function in mild-to-moderate AD sufferers as early as week four and the benefit was sustained at each follow-up assessment visit," stated drug co-developer Shanghai Green Valley Pharmaceuticals. China is expediting approval for innovative drugs at home in order to offer more and less expensive options to consumers, as many older adults in the nation struggle to find alternatives to costly treatments sold by multinational drug manufacturers for chronic diseases. China's government announced in August that conditional approval could be granted to some still-under-researched medications of "predictable" clinical value for life-threatening ailments for which effective treatment is not immediately available. The NMPA admitted that further research on Oligomannate's pharmacological mechanism and long-term safety and efficacy is necessary, while Green Valley said the drug's launch in China will happen "very soon."

Rutgers University aims to widen the scope of its study of older minority adults to better understand the effects of Alzheimer's, dementia, and cancer on that population, using a $3.6 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), reports the North Jersey Record . "New Jersey ranks among the top states in the country for overall health, but it is also among the worst in health equity," said XinQi Dong with the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research. Dramatic underenrollment of ethnic and racial minorities in cancer treatment studies was reported in an earlier study, reducing the utility of research findings because these populations are most affected by cancer. Aging, low-income, and rural communities also face substantial hindrances to clinical participation. The NIH grant will be used to educate and engage older adults in Hispanic, African-American, and Asian communities, and help scientists understand the obstacles and challenges to research participation among these populations. Dong noted trust between researchers and older minority participants has long been a major barrier to participation, and the grant will enable the collaboration to design research study approaches that overcome linguistic and cultural barriers.

A study in the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences by Johns Hopkins researchers found wearable accelerometers can more reliably measure physical activity than surveys and other means doctors use to evaluate five-year risk of death in older adults, reports Medical Xpress . The investigators examined accelerometry data from a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey to grade 33 predictors of five-year all-cause mortality, ranking physical activity and other factors to determine which variables best predict mortality within the following five years of the study population. The team suggests physicians could apply these findings to accelerometers' fitness profiles to help persons quit unhealthy behaviors, boost physical activity, and extend their lifespans. "People can overestimate or underestimate on surveys how much and when they move, but wearable devices provide accurate data that cuts through the bias and guesswork," says Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Professor Jacek Urbanek. "The technology is readily available and relatively inexpensive, so it seems feasible to be able to incorporate recommendations for its use into a physician's practice."

The Alzheimer's Association says Daylight Saving Time can confuse persons with Alzheimer's and dementia, reports WHSV-3 . As it starts to get dark sooner, people living with dementia will start feeling more fatigued in the evenings, which can cause confusion. They also can have disrupted sleep patterns, insomnia episodes, and wandering, adding to caregivers' stress. "It's up to the caregivers to brainstorm on how to water down drinks or look at decaffeinated or healthy snacks that can replace some of the items that might be normal or common and traditional for someone with Alzheimer's disease,' says Alzheimer's Family Services Director Annie Marrs. She also suggests caregivers keep their house well-lit into the evening hours to make it appear like daytime, then slowly start turning the lights off to help smooth the transition to nighttime.

A study presented at a meeting of the American College of Surgeons found persons 85 and older who undergo colon cancer surgery have high survival rates, reports U.S. News & World Report . The researchers analyzed short-term survival data on nearly 3,800 people 85 and older, with stage 2 and 3 colon cancer. Each person underwent surgery to excise part of the colon, and 89 percent were alive 30 days after surgery, while 83 percent were alive 90 days afterwards. Mortality risk was greater for those who had surgery during an unplanned hospitalization, as well as for those who had an open operation, compared to recipients of minimally invasive surgery. Risk also was elevated for seniors who had complications before surgery, like perforation, bleeding, and sepsis. Almost 50 percent were diagnosed and operated on during an unplanned hospitalization. "It seems a large number . . . are coming into the hospital with a problem that is severe enough to require admission . . . and then getting diagnosed with cancer and undergoing an operation during that same hospitalization," said the University of Rochester Medical Center's Roma Kaur. "We found that 80 percent had an open operation, as opposed to a minimally invasive one, so these seniors are being subjected to open operations because, in part, it's taking place in an acute setting."

Increasing numbers of older Americans are opting to keep working or pursue passions beyond retirement, reports CNN Money . Although some extend employment for the money, many want a combination of rewarding work on their own terms and extra financial security. Career experts say retirees facing this scenario should first consider what kinds of work they find meaningful, with MyLifestyleCareer.com founder Nancy Collamer noting it is easier to launch a new career with contacts already in one's possession, than beginning from the bottom up. Networking through LinkedIn and similar resources is vital for any post-retirement employment plan. Collamer adds that organizations like the Small Business Administration and SCORE offer free mentoring, online classes, and workshops. Jobs expert Kerry Hannon cautions that a new career will not initially earn as much money as the previous job, and people starting their own business may have to forgo a salary or accept a very low wage as they reinvest in the business. She recommends outlining a budget for the new business similar to household spending. Also necessary for post-retirement careers is mental and physical preparation, like energy levels and the presence one projects when entering a room.

A study in Frontiers in Physiology by the University of Birmingham in Britain found older adults with little past exercise training can still build muscle through resistance exercises, reports Safety and Health Magazine . The researchers compared eight "untrained older male" participants between 60 and 80 to seven "male master endurance athletes" in the same age range who trained more than twice annually for at least the previous 20 years. Both cohorts performed weight training using an exercise machine, and were given isotope tracers to characterize protein growth, in addition to undergoing muscle biopsies 48 hours before and after training. Surprisingly, "both groups had an equal capacity to build muscle in response to exercise," according to the university. "Our study clearly shows that it doesn't matter if you haven't been a regular exerciser throughout your life, you can still derive benefit from exercise whenever you start," said Birmingham's Leigh Breen. "Obviously a long-term commitment to good health and exercise is the best approach to achieve whole-body health, but even starting later on in life will help delay age-related frailty and muscle weakness."

The Nymbl startup has raised $2.8 million in seed capital with $1.55 million added in its latest funding round, reports American Inno . Denver-based Nymbl has created a smartphone solution to provide personalized balance training to help older adults cut their fall risk and continue to live independently. The Nymbl Training app guides users through dual-task training combining mental and physical exercises to enhance balance. Nymbl co-founder Tom Virden said the company's primary customers include residents of senior living communities and Medicare beneficiaries, and it sells its services directly to communities and insurers. Nymbl is offered as a perk to senior community residents. "By putting this technology on a phone, it allows people to do it 10 minutes a day in their home, when they want to do it," Virden said. "We finally have a scalable solution for balance." The latest seed funding comes as Nymbl plans to scale its offerings in both the senior living and Medicare sectors.

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could help prevent a misdiagnosis of Alzheimer's following traumatic brain injury (TBI), reports United Press International . Brain MRI scans of 40 TBI patients who later developed memory problems showed most damage was concentrated in the ventral diencephalon, with the least amount of damage in the hippocampus. The former is associated with learning and emotions, while the latter is associated with memory and emotions, and is the area most impacted by Alzheimer's. Washington University in St. Louis Professor Cyrus Raji said the MRI scan the team employed to quantify brain volumes "is useful because it can be applied on the same type of MRI scans we obtain in the clinic with no special type of imaging required."