A study presented at the annual meeting of the Dysphagia Research Society focused on the changes that occur in people's ability to swallow as they age, in the hope that it will help rehabilitation specialists design exercises to prevent swallowing disorders in at-risk older adults, reports Medical Xpress . Included in the study were 31 adults, ages 62 to 91, with no swallowing problems, and 33 healthy young adults, ages 18 to 28. Both groups underwent an x-ray video test that visualized their swallowing mechanics, showing how long the windpipe was closed off during a swallow, how long it took to close the airway, and how food was prevented from getting into the lungs. The swallow was found to start later in older adults, placing this group at a higher risk of food entering their lungs and increasing the risk of aspiration pneumonia. About 50 percent of persons diagnosed with dysphagia were determined to die within one year of diagnosis, and treatments include rehabilitative therapy such as swallowing exercises that feature strength training.

A study published the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests a daily regimen of ibuprofen can prevent the onset of Alzheimer's if taken early enough, reports ScienceDaily . Last year, a research team led by Aurin Biotech CEO Dr. Patrick McGeer announced the development of a simple saliva test that can diagnose Alzheimer's and predict its future onset by measuring the concentration of the peptide amyloid beta protein 42 (Abeta 42). If the rate of Abeta 42 production is two to three times higher than normal, people exhibiting that rate are destined to develop Alzheimer's. The researchers showed that Abeta 42 is produced in all organs and is secreted in saliva from the submandibular gland. Consequently, an individual's likelihood to develop Alzheimer's can be determined with no more than a teaspoon of saliva. This offers them an early preventive treatment opportunity to start taking non-prescription non-steroidal drugs such as ibuprofen. "What we've learned through our research is that people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer's exhibit the same elevated Abeta 42 levels as people who already have it; moreover, they exhibit those elevated levels throughout their lifetime so, theoretically, they could get tested anytime," McGeer says. "Knowing that the prevalence of clinical Alzheimer's disease commences at age 65, we recommend that people get tested 10 years before, at age 55, when the onset of Alzheimer's would typically begin. If they exhibit elevated Abeta 42 levels then, that is the time to begin taking daily ibuprofen to ward off the disease."

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found administering anti-APOE injections into mice genetically engineered to host human APOE cut the amount of amyloid plaque buildup by up to half, reports HealthDay News . Over six weeks, different mice were exposed to different once-weekly injections, while others were given placebos. The antibody injections activated each mouse's immune system to varying degrees, causing it to destroy the human APOE. Subsequently, when the researchers measured brain plaque post-therapy, they observed significantly reduced overall amyloid buildup, with plaque levels declining by 50 percent following one particular antibody therapy. "The treatment we developed would need to be turned into a molecule that is safe to give to humans, and then be tested in humans," says David Holtzman with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

A report from the Alzheimer's Association estimates that the number of Americans with Alzheimer's and other dementias has climbed from 5.5 million in 2017 to 5.7 million today, reports Next Avenue . The 2018 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report forecasts 7.1 million Americans aged 65 and older will have Alzheimer's by 2025, rising to about 13.8 million by 2050. "The projections in the new report that by 2050 we're going to be seeing over a two-and-a-half-fold increase in Alzheimer's dementia prevalence is pretty accurate, and that is really driven by the aging of the population," says UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Professor Ron Brookmeyer. Women make up 66 percent of people with Alzheimer's, possibly because women live longer than men. Still, the Alzheimer's Association's Keith Fargo says researchers agree "that the age-specific risk for Alzheimer's is probably the same between men and women." The report predicts dementia-related spending on care will rise to more than $1 trillion by 2050, if current trends continue. Last year, relatives and other unpaid caregivers contributed 18.4 billion hours in care, at an estimated value of $232 billion. "Now that we're beginning to understand the pathogenesis of the disease, there's an excitement in the field for developing preventions," Brookmeyer says. "If we can delay the onset for just a couple of years, that would have a huge public health impact — on quality of life, on caregivers, and on the cost of dealing with this problem."

Limeade and ZeroIN HR are using algorithms to mine employee sentiment and offer managers action plans to help improve workforce socialization, reports Fast Company . The operating principle for Limeade's Inclusion+ and ZeroIN HR's Happy and Inclusion (HI Index) is that an inclusive organization can counter the adverse effects of social isolation for employees. Inclusion+ quantifies workplace inclusion through an algorithm that scores results of anonymized employee feedback surveys. Limeade CEO Henry Albrecht notes an overall inclusion score gives managers and executives a high-level abstract of how included employees feel, and it also produces automated action plans for individuals, managers, and leaders. These plans are adjusted to each company's culture and business goals. Meanwhile, HI Index measures workforce sentiment via anonymous polls, and it comes with a subscription-based application with a tiered structure founded on the number of employees in the organization. ZeroIN HR founder William T. Lewis says these cloud-based solutions can save money, particularly for small or mid-size companies that may lack the resources to hire on-site analysts. "Employers have to establish an open, transparent, and a continuous improvement work culture that fosters honest feedback," he argues.

If employee engagement is poor, companies need to develop a plan for building it back up, and key to this is understanding the workforce's mindset, reports the Society for Human Resource Management . Finding the underlying reasons for disengagement is the first step, by asking in direct conversations with employees. HR practitioners should be empathetic and try not to defend or explain problems that come up. An anonymous survey that gives the workforce an opportunity to voice their complaints also can be helpful, as can tracking workforce-related key performance indicators. As they are gathering feedback, practitioners should ensure HR and the company's leadership are aligned with their solutions to employee disengagement. Once leaders receive feedback data, "they sometimes go into 'analysis paralysis' and can't decide on a focus area, which results in spinning wheels," says CultureIQ's Mila Singh. "The best thing to do is select one or two areas you think will have the biggest impact on engagement" and act on them. Also vital is transparent communication, and WorldatWork's Michelle M. Smith notes the quality of employees' interplay with their immediate supervisors "overwhelmingly determines the level of engagement and can account for as much as 70 percent of our engagement score." Advice from engagement professionals includes keeping senior leaders involved in any solution, setting specific goals and delegating responsibility for each one, applying awards in line with engagement programs, planning a clear budget, and staying constantly updated on workforce issues.

A new proposal being floated by Democrats in the New York City Council is designed to protect private-sector employees from being penalized for ignoring after-hours or weekend work communications, reports the Wall Street Journal . "It's important for workers to be able to draw a line between their work lives and personal lives," argues Councilman Rafael Espinal. His measure takes cues from France's "Right to Disconnect" statute, and would outlaw employers with more than 10 employees from forcing workers to access their work-related communications outside of normal work hours. Employers also would be barred from taking action against workers for not responding, although government workers would not be granted the same privileges. Advocates say such a law would help labor regulations adjust to the smartphone era. Meanwhile, business groups have complained that the measure is overly broad and would hobble employers, burdening them with new regulations. "I think they have to refine the industries this can be applied to," says Greater New York Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Helena Natt. Espinal notes the city's Department of Consumer Affairs would be tasked with probing and levying fines against employers who fail to comply with his bill.

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined ways to help older adults taper off and stop using sedatives, reports News-Medical . An earlier study determined providing older adults with an educational brochure outlining the problems posed by sedatives and instructions for taking themselves off the medication helped 27 percent of older adults stop taking them, versus 5 percent who did not receive the information. The researchers then designed their study to see whether a brochure accompanied by support from healthcare personnel at the time of hospitalization could help older at-risk adults stop taking sedatives. The study involved 62 participants who were about 79 years old. Among those who participated in the 30-day follow-up, 64 percent successfully stopped taking sedatives, which is three times the number who were able to stop before the program was launched. In addition, 94 percent of the participants who stopped taking sedatives said their sleep problems were about the same as when they were on the medication. The researchers concluded that their program was safe for hospitalized older adults, although future studies are necessary for determining whether this kind of program could help reduce adverse drug events for seniors who take multiple medications for chronic health conditions.

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found a possible link between slower walking speed and elevated dementia risk among older adults, reports EurekAlert . The researchers analyzed information from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, which included adults aged 60 and older in Britain, collected from 2002 to 2015. They evaluated participants' walking speed twice in 2002-2003 and in 2004-2005, and whether or not they developed dementia after the tests from 2006-2015. The team then compared the people who had developed dementia with those who had not. Of the almost 4,000 older adults studied, those with a slower walking speed had a higher risk of developing dementia. In addition, people who experienced a faster decline in walking speed over two years were at greater risk for dementia. People who had a poorer ability to think and make decisions when they entered the study, as well as those whose cognitive abilities declined faster during the study, also were more likely to receive a dementia diagnosis. The conclusion was that older adults with slower walking speeds, and those who experienced a greater decline in walking speed over time, were at higher risk for dementia. However, changes in walking speed and changes in an older adult's ability to think and make decisions do not necessarily interrelate to impact dementia risk.

The new $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill features a $3 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), bringing its budget to $37 billion for fiscal 2018, reports U.S. News & World Report . It also raises the Department of Health and Human Services' budget by $10 billion to $78 billion. The Senate passed the spending bill in the early morning hours of Friday, sending it to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. Under the measure, almost $4 billion more would be invested in opioid addiction, while $1 billion in grants is allocated to states and tribal groups for treatment and prevention and $476 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for opioid overdose monitoring, a $350 million hike over fiscal 2017. In addition, $500 million will go to NIH for research on addiction support. The budget for Alzheimer's disease research will go up $414 million, $140 million more will go toward brain research, and the total spent on research for a universal flu vaccine will rise by $40 million, for a total of $100 million. "As we confront daunting health challenges from Alzheimer's disease to the opioid epidemic, it is our responsibility as a nation to advance the discovery, development, and delivery of new treatments for patients anxiously waiting for the next medical breakthrough," says Research!America CEO Mary Woolley. "The increase will enable the NIH to expand and sustain innovative initiatives that will deepen our understanding of complex diseases, furthering efforts to eradicate many of these health threats."