A study published in Scientific Reports discovered two short peptides, or strings of amino acids, can improve memory when injected into mice with Alzheimer's, as well as mitigate physical damage in the brain, reports Medical Xpress . "In the mice that received the drugs, we found less amyloid plaque buildup and a reduction in brain inflammation," said University of Alberta Professor Jack Jhamandas. The research builds on earlier work on a compound called AC253, which blocks the toxic effects of amyloid beta by preventing the protein from binding to certain receptors in brain cells. Because AC253 is rapidly metabolized in the bloodstream, treatment is impractical. Jhamandas thus segmented AC253 into smaller peptide strings, which replicated the compound's effect in mice. Via computer modeling and artificial intelligence, the researchers formulated a small-molecule drug, similar to medications used to treat high blood pressure or cholesterol, which is currently under development as an oral delivery system for human trials.

A study presented at the 2019 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing suggests that popular mobile games could better identify signs of cognitive decline than traditional tests, reports Healthline . The researchers performed paper-based cognitive tests among 21 healthy subjects, then asked them to spend 10 minutes playing mobile games such as Tetris, Candy Crush Saga, and Fruit Ninja. Data about the players' taps, swipes, and rotational gestures was recorded using sensors in the mobile phones. A clear connection between the speed, length, and intensity of users' gestures during gameplay and cognitive performance was established. The researchers concluded that such games may be used to detect changes in motor abilities among people with Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injuries, or other conditions that can trigger cognitive decline.

Japan will take steps to increase employment opportunities for its senior population, based on findings that 8.62 million people 65 or older held jobs last year, reports Inquirer.net . A panel on a social security system for all generations chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will discuss specific strategies, with plans to support companies' efforts to continue employing older adults. A poll by the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry found 25.8 percent of companies in 2018 had systems that allowed employees 70 or older to work, through measures like raising the mandatory retirement age or the age for continued employment. A government policy to promote employment of seniors was thus initiated. Employers are currently mandated to keep employing people who wish to work until age 65, but the plan directs companies to offer job opportunities until age 70 through continuing employment, extending the mandatory retirement age, or reemploying people at other companies. The government also plans to amend the Law on Stabilization of Employment of Elderly Persons in 2020. Companies are subsequently becoming more flexible, especially as knowledgeable seniors gain importance in the midst of a labor shortage.

Gerontologists, demographers, and government officials are counting down to 2030, the year America's youngest baby boomers will reach retirement age, reports Kaiser Health News . The nation is already feeling the effects of an aging population. However, California — its most populous state — is bracing for a particularly hard hit as retirement collides with increasing poverty and the high cost of living. By 2030, an estimated one in five Californians will be 65 or older, a segment of the population that will be growing faster than working-age Californians at that point, calculates the Public Policy Institute of California. A recent forum hosted by The SCAN Foundation, which advocates for the welfare of seniors, forum revolved around the creation of a statewide Master Plan for Aging. Due in October 2020, it is intended to address how California must adapt to the needs of its aging residents. California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order earlier this summer calling for the plan, which would both coordinate and improve the confusing web of existing programs and possibly create more, if necessary. The forum met for the first time this week in Sacramento.

A study from the University of California, Berkeley published in the Journal of Neuroscience found cognitively healthy adults whose sleep quality deteriorated in middle age were more likely in late life to accrue Alzheimer's-associated proteins in the brain, reports the U.S. National Institute on Aging . The implication is that sleep assessment could eventually find use as a noninvasive, affordable predictor of Alzheimer's risk, or that treating sleep problems during "windows of sensitivity" in middle age might help retard disease progression. The researchers examined 101 older adults for beta-amyloid and tau level accumulation, and evaluated their sleep quality. Higher levels of beta-amyloid levels in the cortex and tau in the medial temporal lobe were detected in certain individuals, while shorter sleep periods among participants in their 50s or their 70s correlated with more beta-amyloid buildup in later life. Participants who reported shorter sleep in their 60s also exhibited significantly more tau in later life compared with those whose sleep increased or was unchanged.

Tennessee on Tuesday took the wraps off its first-in-the-country proposal to cap federal funding for its Medicaid program and phase out the open-ended entitlement in return for new flexibility, according to Politico Pro . The sweeping overhaul requires Trump administration approval to go into effect. It would apply to people traditionally covered by the program, including poor seniors in nursing communities, the disabled, children, and pregnant women. GOP legislators in Washington, opposed to Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, have said it is crucial to preserve coverage for these populations. Tennessee officials have call the draft proposal a "block grant." But it diverges from that approach in several ways, including adjusting how much funding the state would get if program enrollment grows. Over 1.3 million people are enrolled in TennCare, Tennessee's Medicaid program. The Volunteer State is one of 14 that has not joined Obamacare's Medicaid expansion for low-income adults. The state will be accepting public comment through Oct. 18, after which the plan will be sent to the Trump administration. Opponents have cautioned the approach could result in major cutbacks in health coverage for low-income people.

Drexel University College of Medicine Professor Robert Sataloff, along with University of Washington, Seattle Professor E. Patchen Dellinger and Parkchester Medical Services' David Weiss offer their views on the need for cognitive testing for aging doctors, reports Monthly Prescribing Reference . "There is no good system to assess physicians' competency, and there are no good data to guide us," Sataloff admits. He continues that "it seems as though hospital systems are beginning to use cognitive tests just because they exist, but there is no valid way to know how to use the results." Dellinger, meanwhile, notes that discussions have been conducted on "developing a program where physicians are tested beginning early in their career and then tested sequentially to see over time how their cognitive and physical performance compared with their own cognitive and physical performance in previous years." He stresses that "we don't want these tests to be burdensome to physicians who are already completing regular tests for MOC maintenance of certification, although these tests of cognitive and physical abilities are quite different." Weiss argues that hospitals need to monitor all physicians of any age and have quality measures and oversight implemented. "Clinicians should also take steps if they see that a colleague is beginning to show signs of age-related decline — but again, peer responsibility applies to any age," he recommends.

The Baltimore County Department of Aging forecasts that one in four county residents will be a senior by 2020, reports the Baltimore Sun . "We could be more age-friendly," acknowledges department director Laura Riley. She notes the county lacks low-cost housing for older adults, and could benefit from more transportation options for those who might no longer have driver's licenses. Also of concern to county officials is social isolation, which can lead to poorer health outcomes for senior men and women. "Going out into public, and being faced with the awareness that 'I'm alone in the crowd' sort of encourages people to stay put," said Towson University's Mary Carter. Subsequently, people become more sedentary and their health can decline as a consequence. Baltimore County senior centers are helping cope with this problem via community events like No Senior Eats Alone day, but Riley said more work is needed. The Department of Aging's Dayna Brown admitted that more staff would help manage the projected senior boom.

A Berlin Aging Study of 500 people 70 and older determined older men and women who help watch their grandchildren or provide support on some level as a caregiver have a lower risk of death over 20 years compared to seniors who do not, reports Fox 17 . Dr. Ronan Factora of the Cleveland Clinic cited the study's indications that physical caregiving rigors and the act of providing care for another likely play a role. "If providing care to grandchildren and others in need is one way that can actually reduce stress, then these activities should be of benefit to folks who are grandparents and provide this care to their grandkids," he suggested. Factora cautioned that providing care is a balancing act, warning that excessive caregiving can have a detrimental effect.

A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that new cancer cases will rise by up to 2.1 million by 2030 concurrent with the increasing U.S. senior population, reports the Insider . More than 60 percent of all new cancer diagnoses are in people 60 and older, with men at greater risk of certain kinds of more prevalent cancers. According to the CDC, the rate of liver cancer increased by about 3 percent annually from 2006 to 2015, and an estimated 42,030 new cases will be diagnosed this year. The rate of oral cavity and throat cancer in white people has risen 1.2 percent and declined 2 percent in black men and women, with about 53,000 new cases forecast to be diagnosed in 2019. Skin cancer incidence also has grown by about 3 percent in both men and women 50 and older, says a report by the American Cancer Society (ACS). ACS adds that the uterine cancer rate has been increasing by about 1 percent annually for white women and 2 percent annually for black women since 2016, while pancreatic cancer cases have been growing by about 1 percent a year. Meanwhile, breast cancer rates are up slightly in women 65 to 84 years old, with ACS warning that older women are most at risk.