Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) are exploring the energy metabolism of the living human brain as a potential early indicator of Alzheimer's disease, reports Medical Xpress . The team developed a unique method for illustrating energy consumption and reserves in the brain with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy using an ultra-high-field 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The results published in Frontiers in Neuroscience suggest neurological energy metabolism might be weakened in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The MRIs focused on measuring ratios between the energy molecules adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine (PCr), and inorganic intracellular phosphate. Scans of participants' temporal lobes found a correlation between the ratio of PCr to ATP and participants' cognition levels. "We believe this is the first paper to confirm that energy reserve decreases in MCI, in many cases, years before Alzheimer's disease sets in," said UT Dallas' Namrata Das. UT Dallas' Sandra Bond Chapman explained that "this research provides a promising new way to elucidate the brain's health — or early disturbance of its health — due to changes in metabolism. The new approach is the utilization of 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging, a noninvasive, safe technology."

Fifteen Wyoming libraries will soon offer arts-based programming to older adults 55 years and up in their communities through the Creative Aging in Wyoming Public Libraries Project, reports Wyoming News Now . "Creative Aging embraces older adults as learners," said Lifetime Arts CEO Maura O'Malley. "It expands the impact of teaching artists, and provides a positive and creative approach to programming." Each library qualifies for up to $4,000 to cover instructor fees, workshop materials, and supplies for two programs, for a total of $60,000 in funding statewide. The project includes training and coaching held by Lifetime Arts. Library programmers and teaching artists who have attended training will be skilled to plan, promote, implement, assess, and sustain both in-person and virtual creative aging programs.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a new law requiring state assisted living communities and their staff have an affirmative duty of care for their residents, reports KTAR News 92.3 FM . Caregivers must now perform lifesaving measures if a patient suffers a medical emergency in an assisted living community. Such measures include basic life support of initiating immediate cardiac resuscitation before firefighters or emergency medical services arrive, as stipulated by the resident's advance directives and do-not-resuscitate order. "What all of us as first responders hope is that the six to eight minutes before the firetruck arrives, is that everything possible is being done, everything that's necessary for that patient's outcome," said firefighter Steve Wagner. "That's what we hope this will accomplish." Proper lifesaving measure training is expected for all caregivers in Arizona, in accordance with the new law.

Slate reports that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged that COVID-19 spreads through the air and can be inhaled by someone more than six feet away. The agency said in a document published over the weekend that it has "repeatedly documented" such cases "under certain preventable circumstances." Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University aerosol expert Linsey Marr said, "CDC has now caught up to the latest scientific evidence, and they've gotten rid of some old problematic terms and thinking about how transmission occurs." Yet some experts still say the CDC has not done enough to warn of the danger because it continues to say transmission from far away is "uncommon," which Marr called "misleading and potentially harmful" because "if you're in a poorly ventilated environment, virus is going to build up in the air, and everyone who's in that room is going to be exposed." The amended wording has important implications and shows how good ventilation in indoor spaces is critical to prevent transmission, while people can stop worrying about cleaning surfaces so much. However, the fundamentals have not changed: "Although how we understand transmission occurs has shifted, the ways to prevent infection with this virus have not," said CDC. "All prevention measures that CDC recommends remain effective for these forms of transmission."

The University of Southern California (USC) has for the past academic year been engaged in the USC Interprofessional Geriatrics Curriculum, reports USC News . The curriculum beings together students from the fields of medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, psychology, pharmacy, and social work. They form teams to support seniors to get them through the pandemic. "It's a confluence of ideas," says USC Professor Seyed Parham Khalili. "It's teaching them to learn on their own how to work interprofessionally and how to break down these unfortunate silos between health professionals." Teams met online with faculty advisers over the past year to discuss patient care. Several raised issues about their older adult partners who were stuck at home and had limited mobility. Physical therapy students offered recommendations for safe exercises, while students from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work offered ideas about screening for mood disorders.

A Baycrest-Sunnybrook pilot study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that low doses of radiation administered to people with severe Alzheimer's disease appeared to improve their behavior and cognition within days, reports EurekAlert . "Each dose of radiation stimulates our natural protection systems to work harder — to produce more antioxidants that prevent oxidative damage, to repair more DNA damage, and to destroy more mutated cells," said Jerry Cuttler, a retired Atomic Energy of Canada scientist. The study followed up a 2015 case report about a patient in hospice with Alzheimer's, who showed significant improvements in cognition, speech, movement, and appetite after several radiation treatments to her brain. The authors of the new study gave four individuals living with severe Alzheimer's three computed tomography-administered treatments of low-dose radiation, each spaced 14 days apart. Three of the four subjects showed improvements within a day of the first treatment, with their relatives noting increased alertness and responsiveness, recognition of loved ones, mobility, social engagement, and mood.

A cashless world may be a daunting challenge for seniors, but they can prosper if they learn to appreciate its benefits and have the resources to capitalize on technological innovations, reports MarketWatch . One advantage to not carrying physical cash is a greater sense of security. Seniors may also discover that electronic payments help them better track their spending and keep to a budget. Many free budget apps connect to traditional saving or checking accounts, but they are even more useful when embedded within mobile payment platforms. Retirees who want to adopt to a cashless world may rely on family and friends for assistance. "Pick the right source to get informed on subjects like contactless payment, biometric identification, and open banking," recommends Paul Armstrong, founder of emerging technology advisory firm Here/Forth. "Seek help from those you trust." Deepali Vyas, senior client partner at Korn Ferry, advises seniors to adjust to a cashless world at their own pace.

WHBL reports that three-quarters of Wisconsin seniors are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as overall coronavirus activity in the state held steady on Monday. The state Department of Health Services disclosed 349 new confirmed cases, or 12.3 percent of the 2,843 people tested. The seven-day average of new cases slipped to 646, down from 649 on Sunday. Amid ongoing vaccination efforts, 81 percent of Wisconsin residents 65 and older have received at least one dose, and 75.4 percent have been fully vaccinated. Among all state residents, 2,527,645 (43.4 percent) have received at least one shot, and 2,009,464 (34.5 percent) have completed their vaccinations, with 4,479,776 doses administered in Wisconsin altogether.

A study published by the American Psychological Association in Psychology and Aging suggests that feeling younger could help cushion middle-aged and older adults against stress, reports EurekAlert . Investigators analyzed three years of data from 5,039 participants in the German Aging Survey of residents 40 and older. Respondents who reported more stress in their lives experienced a steeper decline in functional health over three years on average, and that connection was stronger for older participants. However, the connection was weaker among those who felt younger than their chronological age, and that protective effect was strongest among the oldest respondents. "Some individuals enter old age and very old age with quite good and intact health resources, whereas others experience a pronounced decline in functional health, which might even result in need for long-term care," said Markus Wettstein at the University of Heidelberg. "Our findings support the role of stress as a risk factor for functional health decline, particularly among older individuals, as well as the health-supporting and stress-buffering role of a younger subjective age."

Moderna said booster shots under development have helped improve immune responses against some COVID-19 variants among people administered its vaccine in a preliminary study, reports the Wall Street Journal . The drugmaker tested giving people boosts with either a single dose of its original vaccine, mRNA-1273, or the new mRNA-1273.351 vaccine, which was tweaked to better match a virus variant first identified in South Africa. The booster shots were administered roughly six to eight months after subjects received the second dose of the original vaccine as part of a midstage, Phase 2 study that started in 2020. Moderna said both booster shots increased immune-system agents known as neutralizing antibodies against the B.1.351 and P.1 variants, which was first identified in Brazil. The experimental boosters were generally well tolerated, with most side effects like fatigue and headache on the mild or moderate side. "We are encouraged by these new data, which reinforce our confidence that our booster strategy should be protective against these newly detected variants," said Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel.