A substudy of SPRINT MIND participants in JAMA Neurology indicated that aggressive blood pressure reduction in hypertensive older adults did not consistently impact Alzheimer's disease imaging biomarkers, reports Medpage Today . Magnetic resonance imaging markers of Alzheimer's — regional atrophy, cerebral blood flow, and mean fractional anisotropy — were similar over the four-year study period, regardless of whether patients received standard or aggressive blood pressure treatment. Yet intensive blood pressure treatment corresponded with a small but statistically significant larger shrinkage in hippocampal volume. "As vascular disease and Alzheimer's disease are the most common causes of cognitive decline in people of the age of those in the SPRINT study, we wanted to see whether brain biomarkers that are sensitive to these diseases could give a hint at whether either process was affected positively or adversely by the intervention," said the University of Pennsylvania's Ilya Nasrallah. "In short, we did not find a consistent difference between the two groups in measures of Alzheimer's disease or vascular disease, and all differences were of small magnitude."

A study in the Journal of Experimental Medicine demonstrated that a drug that modulates the behavior of one enzyme reduces the formation of plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, reports Medical News Today . The drug is a gamma-secretase modulator (GSM), which adjusts rather than inhibits the action of gamma-secretase; earlier research found inhibition induced toxic side effects, including worsening cognitive abilities relative to placebo. Following GSM testing in mice, rats, and macaques, the researchers found that it significantly reduced the accumulation of peptides that create plaques, with no toxic side effects. Administering the drug before or after the animals began to develop plaques lowered overall plaque formation, and reduced inflammation associated with plaque buildup. "We have pharmacologically characterized a potent GSM that, based on its preclinical attributes, appears to equal or exceed the potency of any previously tested GSMs," said Massachusetts General Hospital Professor Rudolph Tanzi. "Future clinical trials will determine whether this promising GSM is safe in humans and could be used to effectively treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease."

A study in the Journals of Gerontology, Series A details a possible link between chronic inflammation and frailty and the immune protein interleukin-6 (IL-6), reports Medical Xpress . Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers genetically engineered a mouse model that develops chronic inflammation but does not have IL-6. The model can be used to ascertain if the absence of IL-6 during uncontrollable chronic inflammation can shield against age-related physical and functional deterioration. The team learned that frail mice missing IL-6 built up circulating fat compounds critical in maintaining healthy mitochondria function, which decline with age in humans. The frail, IL-6-lacking mice also produced more heart energy compared to those mice that generated the protein, and both these findings indicate that improvements in mitochondrial function occurred in frail mice when IL-6 was lacking. In tests involving mice running on a treadmill, "frail mice without IL-6 had short-term improvements in running and fewer falls off the treadmill, but this improvement disappeared after three days," noted Johns Hopkins Medicine Professor Peter Abadir. "Surprisingly . . . we observed dramatically higher mortality in these mice in the presence of chronic inflammation — as high as a fourfold increase compared with nonmodified mice and with mice that developed chronic inflammation but could still produce IL-6." These observations imply a delicate balance between aging and chronic inflammation, and IL-6 may be needed to maintain long-term exercise ability and prevent premature death.

Keloland News reports that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is expected to sign into law a bill requiring assisted living communities to post visitation policies and the documentation they are using to base them on on their websites for families. This follows a investigation by Keloland last week, revealing that families were unaware that they could request essential and compassionate caregiver visits with their senior-age loved ones since June under the South Dakota Department of Health's reopening plan. The new law will only apply to assisted living communities.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New Yorkers 60 and older can sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations beginning Wednesday, reports the Wall Street Journal . The state has about 500,000 residents between ages 60 to 64 that previously did not qualify for the vaccine, who are now eligible with this expansion. New Yorkers 65 and up are presently eligible. Cuomo said that vaccine supplies have been improving but are still trailing demand for shots in New York, although availability should improve in the weeks ahead. New York has administered at least one dose to 3.75 million residents, or about 19 percent of the state population. Approximately 1.89 million people have been fully vaccinated thus far in the state, or roughly 9 percent of the population.

Madison County, Ill., is mailing postcards to adults 65 and older to help them schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments, reports RiverBender . The Madison County Health Department (MCHD) and Madison County Community Development (MCCD) are collaborating to mail 23,965 postcards, with information on where to find links for scheduling appointments online and the phone number for scheduling appointments. MCHD supplied notification of vaccine eligibility and availability through various media. However, many seniors lack access to or do not employ Internet-based resources. To help with the postcard campaign, MCCD asked local communities, the Madison County Assessor's Office, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to provide a list of seniors to receive the mailing. "We are excited to have this collaboration to help get the word out to one of our most vulnerable populations who otherwise may not know how to schedule an appointment for the vaccine," said MCHD Director Toni Corona.

A study published in JAMA Neurology suggests Vietnam War veterans who reported being exposed to Agent Orange were twice as likely to receive a dementia diagnosis than non-exposed veterans, reports Neurology Today . The researchers analyzed the health data for 316,351 vets. The vets were almost all men (98 percent) and on average 62 years old at the study's launch. A total of 38,121 participants (12.1 percent) reported a history of exposure to Agent Orange. Following statistical adjustments to account for confounding factors, exposed vets were determined to be 1.68 times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia, and were on average 1.25 years younger at diagnosis — 67.5 years old versus 68.8 years old. These findings do not definitively demonstrate a cause-and-effect mechanism between Agent Orange and dementia risk, or specify a possible biological mode of action. University of California, San Francisco Professor Deborah Barnes suggested Agent Orange's chemical ingredient dioxin could be having an effect. "Dioxin could have a direct toxic effect on the brain or could act indirectly by impairing blood circulation or increasing the risk of other diseases that, in turn, increase dementia risk," she said.

The Rappahannock News reports that the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District in Virginia has partnered with Aging Together, the PATH Volunteer Hub, and Novant University of Virginia (UVA) Culpeper Medical Center to set up COVID-19 vaccination appointments for area seniors. Aging Together has enlisted and coordinated a corps of volunteers, mainly through its County Team members, to call and make appointments for residents on the Health District's survey list. They are calling those 65 and older who filled out the regional health department's online "survey" before Feb. 16. This initiative aims to expedite the response to high volume, and is part of a mobilization alliance with Novant UVA Culpeper Medical Center, which will distribute the vaccines at Germanna Community College in the weeks ahead. The volunteer call team has been trained to identify themselves properly, and must sign a confidentiality agreement. They are not permitted to ask recipients for credit card, bank, or other payment information, or query for social security numbers; however, they are asking certain screening questions that are fairly simple or that relate to direct information. "We especially understand the concern about scammers who target older adults by phone to fraudulently acquire personal information," said Aging Together Executive Director Ellen Phipps. "We are very serious about protecting those who are called for these appointments."

The World Health Organization's (WHO) first World Report on Hearing forecasts that almost 2.5 billion people worldwide — one in four — will have hearing loss by 2050. At least 700 million will need ear and hearing care and other rehabilitation services unless action is taken. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said the study "offers . . . evidence-based interventions that we encourage all countries to integrate into their health systems as part of their journey towards universal health coverage." The analysis determined that healthcare providers often lack knowledge about hearing loss prevention, early identification, and management of hearing loss and ear diseases. About 78 percent of healthcare systems in low-income countries have fewer than one ear, nose, and throat specialist per million people, while 93 percent have fewer than one audiologist per million. Moreover, just 17 percent have one or more speech therapist per million, and 50 percent have one or more teacher for the deaf per million. The incorporation of ear and hearing care into primary healthcare through strategies like task sharing and training can help close this gap, according to the WHO report. In cases where hearing loss cannot be reversed, rehabilitation can ensure that those affected avoid the adverse effects of hearing loss, with hearing aids, cochlear implants, sign language, and speech reading recommended options.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune calculates that the COVID-19 vaccine has been provided to 66 percent of Minnesota's seniors, bringing the state within days of reaching its 70 percent goal to extend eligibility to people with certain high-risk health conditions and food plant employees. Close to 1.1 million Minnesotans have received the vaccine, which has been initially distributed to healthcare workers, educators, long-term care community residents, and seniors. The state originally expected not to reach 70 percent senior inoculation until April, but it had not incorporated the newly-authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine.