A study published in Science Advances outlines three distinct Alzheimer's disease (AD) subtypes from brain tissue analysis, reports New Atlas . The team used RNA sequencing to screen more than 1,500 tissue samples, covering five different brain regions. The subtypes were identified according to factors like synaptic signaling, immune activity, mitochondria arrangement, myelination, and specific gene activity. Just one third of cases displayed "typical' AD hallmarks, including less synaptic signaling and higher immune response, in a subtype labeled class C. The research suggests the other two identified subtypes — class A and B — exhibited distinct characteristics. In some cases the subtypes displayed oppositional gene regulation, suggesting these findings could potentially help explain previous clinical trial failures. "These findings lay down a foundation for determining more effective biomarkers for early prediction of AD, studying causal mechanisms of AD, developing next-generation therapeutics for AD, and designing more effective and targeted clinical trials, ultimately leading to precision medicine for AD," said Bin Zhang at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "The remaining challenges for future research include replication of the findings in larger cohorts, validation of subtype specific targets and mechanisms, identification of peripheral biomarkers, and clinical features associated with these molecular subtypes."

CNBC News reports that CVS Health and Walgreens said they will finish the first round of COVID-19 vaccine shots at nursing communities across the United States by Jan. 25. Nursing and assisted living communities have highest priority, along with healthcare workers. Long-term care communities have been particularly hard-hit, with residents accounting for about 38 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the country as of Dec. 31, according to The Atlantic magazine's COVID Tracking Project. The pharmacy chains initiated vaccinations at long-term care communities in a few states on Dec. 18, and have since branched out to thousands of communities across 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. CVS noted that it has faced some challenges, with the actual number of residents in nursing communities about 20 percent to 30 percent lower than forecasts based on bed count, while "initial uptake among staff is low." "Despite these challenges we remain on schedule, and the number of vaccines we administer will continue to rise as more communities are activated by the states," pledged CVS CEO Larry Merlo. Meanwhile, Walgreens said it is working with states as they finalize plans for the next round of vaccine distribution, including administering shots to other high-priority groups like essential workers and people 75 and older.

A study in Alzheimer's Research and Therapy applied a blood test to predict the risk of Alzheimer's disease in people who were clinically diagnosed as not having the disorder, but who perceived themselves as cognitively impaired, reports ScienceDaily . The investigators identified all 22 subjects at the start of the study who developed Alzheimer's dementia and clinical symptoms within six years. The test also projected those at very low risk who would develop Alzheimer's dementia within six years. Blood samples were analyzed using an immuno-infrared sensor that detects misfolding of the amyloid-beta (Aß) peptide — a biomarker for Alzheimer's — and found it in the 22 subjects who developed the disease in the following six years. In subjects exhibiting mild misfolding, conversion to clinical Alzheimer took 3.4 years on average compared to 2.2 years in subjects with severe Aß misfolding. The statistical model determined that Subjective Cognitive Declined (SCD) subjects with mild misfolding have an 11-fold higher risk of developing clinical Alzheimer's in the following six years, while SCD subjects with severe misfolding have a 19-fold higher risk. "Through the plasma biomarker panel, we can monitor disease progression over 14 years, beginning in the asymptomatic state with misfolding of Aß and subsequent plaque deposition of Aß42 in the brain associated with the first cognitive impairments," said Julia Stockmann at Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients with high antibody concentrations seemed to delay or halt disease progression in mildly ill older adults infected with the novel coronavirus, reports CIDRAP News . The investigators infused convalescent plasma in 160 older adults within 72 hours of COVID symptom onset from June 4 to Oct. 25, 2020, of whom half received the treatment. Subjects were either 75 years and older with or without underlying illnesses, or 65 to 74 years with at least one underlying condition. Of the 80 subjects in the intention-to-treat cohort given convalescent plasma, 13 developed severe COVID-19, compared with 25 of 80 administered a placebo. Two people in the convalescent plasma group and four in the placebo group died. A larger effect was indicated in an intention-to-treat analysis, with nine of 76 patients who got convalescent plasma and 23 of 78 who received placebo becoming severely ill. Those in the convalescent plasma cohort also took longer to develop serious respiratory illness versus the placebo group. Although the authors acknowledged that the study was not statistically engineered to measure long-term outcomes, subjects who received convalescent plasma apparently did better than those who received a placebo in terms of developing life-threatening respiratory disease, critical systemic illness, and death.

WLOX-TV said the Mississippi State Department of Health is now allowing seniors 75 and older to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations at several locations throughout the state. Appointments can be scheduled online, and the screening program also offers a walkthrough, asking patients a series of questions to confirm they are over 75 or a healthcare worker. The process also asks whether or not a person has been exposed or tested positive for the virus in recent weeks, and whether or not they have received any kind of monoclonal antibody treatment. As of Wednesday morning, the earliest available appointments start on Jan. 18. As more shots become available in the weeks ahead, vaccinations will be expanded to other groups, including essential workers like teachers and first responders, as well as those with chronic ailments that elevate their risk of serious complications from COVID-19.

A study published in JAMA Neurology found that the ratio of dementia risk across non-Hispanic black and white individuals in the United States appears to have held steady between 2000 and 2016, reports Psychiatry Advisor . The investigators analyzed data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS), specifically from nine HRS waves. Each wave served as a cross-sectional study to measure racial disparities in dementia prevalence at two-year intervals. Subcohorts with four years of follow-up were nested within the overarching HRS to quantify racial disparities over calendar periods with baseline years in 2000 to 2012, after which their data was added together. Dementia prevalence generally declined over time in both crude and standardized calculations, and point estimates suggested a slight dip in the crude prevalence ratio comparing the groups in later years. However, relative dementia prevalence across both groups did not change significantly. No evidence of shrinking racial disparity over time was indicated after age and sex standardization. Non-Hispanic black participants had an approximately 1.4 to 1.8 times higher incidence of dementia compared to non-Hispanic white participants across all subcohorts.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador this week announced that all citizens older than 60 will be vaccinated by late March, reports BusinessWorld India . Mexico already has received more than 53,000 shots and will have 1.4 million by the end of January to vaccinate its healthcare workforce. "In late January, we will begin vaccinating senior citizens with the Chinese vaccine CanSino," Obrador declared. "We are currently going through all procedures to acquire it." In April, Mexico will begin inoculating people younger than 60 with chronic diseases, then teachers. Obrador said the vaccination will be voluntary.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Wisconsin continues to have the highest rate of fatal falls among older adults in the United States. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist Elizabeth Burns said the death rate from falls among people 65 and older climbed 19.1 percent in the state from 2016 to 2019, when it was the highest in the country each year, versus a 7.6 percent increase nationally. During the four-year period, when Wisconsin's rate grew to 2.6 times the national average, 5,968 seniors in the state died from falls, including 1,675 last year. By comparison, the American Cancer Society said there were an estimated 740 deaths from breast cancer and 620 deaths from prostate cancer among all ages in 2019. "We need some leadership and some coordination to give this problem the focus it needs," said Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging Executive Director Betsy Abramson. Possible factors why Wisconsin leads the nation for fall deaths among seniors include icy winters, excessive drinking, the populace being older and whiter than the national average, and state officials potentially reporting falls as cause of death more than in other states. Abramson said the Wisconsin Aging Advocacy Network is seeking $1 million a year for falls prevention in the biennial budget this year.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Ohio will begin the next round of COVID-19 vaccinations — for older adults, teachers, and those at highest risk of infection — in about two weeks. However, it remains uncertain how many shots will be available, how they will be distributed, and who will be first in line. Gov. Mike DeWine said he will disclose the rollout plan in the coming days. If Ohio receives 100,000 vaccines weekly — which DeWine claimed would be available in mid-January — it would take months to immunize the three aforementioned groups. The governor said the Ohio National Guard will participate, with the rollout to be undertaken at multiple locations including county fairgrounds and drive-thru clinics. The state had administered at least 175,408 initial doses as of Tuesday afternoon, or roughly 48 percent of the nearly 360,000 doses that have been sent to Ohio, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DeWine said about six in 10 Ohio nursing community staffers have refused the vaccine, worried about side effects or mistrusting vaccines generally, while community residents have been more compliant.

A paper announcing a study in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association says the effort will probe whether COVID-19 elevates a person's risk for Alzheimer's disease and other brain disorders, reports the Washington Post . The investigation will track COVID-19 survivors over 50 or 60 years old, with initial funding from the Alzheimer's Association and technical guidance from the World Health Organization. Researchers from nearly 40 countries have enrolled, and scientists hope to recruit about 40,000 participants. "Abnormal brain imaging has emerged as a major feature of COVID-19 from all parts of the world," the paper said, adding that abnormalities have been identified even in a person whose only symptom was loss of smell. "The trail of the virus, when it invades the brain, leads almost straight to the hippocampus," said Gabriel A. de Erausquin at University of Texas Health San Antonio. "That is believed to be one of the sources of the cognitive impairment observed in COVID-19 patients. We suspect it may also be part of the reason why there will be an accelerated cognitive decline over time in susceptible individuals." Researchers aim to secure funding to follow study participants for five years or longer.