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Antibiotic prescription for older patients in end-of-life care: a randomized survey among physicians in Switzerland
CONCLUSION: These findings highlight ongoing uncertainties and cultural variations in antibiotic prescribing practices at the end of life, highlighting the need for clinical decision-support tools and educational resources directed not only at physicians, but also at nursing teams, families, and caregivers. In the context of an aging population and rising antimicrobial resistance, a deeper understanding of the factors influencing antibiotic use in palliative care is essential to inform the...
Urban environments and depression among older adults: policy implications from the WHO age-friendly cities framework
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the critical role of age-friendly urban environments in supporting the mental health of older adults. Urban planning should prioritise accessible green spaces, elderly-friendly housing, inclusive leisure opportunities, and improved access to life information. Promoting social respect and volunteer engagement can further enhance emotional well-being. These findings provide empirical support for implementing the WHO Age-Friendly Cities Framework as a strategic...
Network-based identification of central ADL and IADL items in older adults living alone
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study highlight central ADL and IADL items within the functional network of older adults living alone. These results provide insights into the interrelationships among functional abilities and may guide future research on strategies to support or prevent functional decline in this population.
Community-dwelling older persons' level of functional ability and heat-related vulnerability: results from the Heat-Health Action Plan study in Cologne, Germany
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that considering healthy ageing from the perspective of functional ability rather than focusing on chronological age has the potential to more precisely address those community-dwelling older people living with functional decline, frailty or disability who are most vulnerable in heat situations. The measurement of functional ability by screening community-dwelling older people with a self-administered questionnaire on functional resources and risks proved to be a...
AI can design viruses, toxins and other bioweapons. How worried should we be?
Can AI tools assess coding assignments?
A rare cancer-fighting plant compound has been decoded
Scientists at UBC Okanagan have uncovered how plants produce mitraphylline, a rare natural compound with promising anti cancer potential. The team identified two enzymes that work together to build the molecule’s unusual twisted structure, solving a mystery that had puzzled researchers for years. Because mitraphylline appears only in tiny amounts in tropical plants like kratom and cat’s claw, the discovery could make it far easier to produce sustainably in the future.
Scientists discover a weak spot shared by polio and common cold viruses
Scientists at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, have uncovered a crucial trick used by enteroviruses—the group behind diseases like polio, myocarditis, encephalitis, and even the common cold—to reproduce inside human cells. The team captured, in unprecedented detail, how viral RNA recruits both viral and human proteins to assemble the machinery needed for replication, acting almost like a molecular “on-off switch” that controls whether the virus copies itself or makes proteins.
New drugs could wipe out the “zombie cells” linked to cancer and aging
Researchers found a new way to kill harmful “zombie” cells that linger after chemotherapy and help cancers become more aggressive. These senescent cells survive by relying on a protective protein called GPX4, even while sitting on the edge of a deadly iron-triggered collapse. New drugs remove that protection, causing the cells to self-destruct. In mice, the approach reduced tumor size and boosted survival, hinting at a promising new cancer therapy.
Scientists make old blood stem cells young again in major anti-aging breakthrough
As blood stem cells age, their lysosomes become overactive and damaged, triggering inflammation and weakening the body’s ability to regenerate healthy blood and immune cells. By calming this cellular “overdrive,” researchers restored the stem cells’ youthful function, dramatically boosting their ability to regenerate and produce balanced blood cells.
Scientists reversed biological age in older adults with a 4-week diet change
A four-week diet change was enough to make some older adults appear biologically younger in a new University of Sydney study. Participants who reduced fat intake or shifted toward more plant-based protein showed improvements in key health biomarkers tied to aging. The strongest results came from a lower-fat, higher-carb diet, while people eating closer to their usual diets saw almost no change.
Democratic lawmakers demand Trump explain—and reverse—termination of NSF’s governing board
Letters from Senate and House of Representatives question purge of the National Science Board
Scientists discover hidden fat-burning switch that could strengthen bones
Scientists at McGill University have uncovered a hidden molecular “switch” that turns on a powerful calorie-burning system in brown fat — the body’s heat-generating fat linked to metabolism and weight control. The breakthrough centers on glycerol, a molecule released when fat is broken down in the cold, which activates an enzyme called TNAP and triggers an alternative heat-producing pathway that scientists had struggled to explain for years.
Plasma p-Tau217 and Aβ42/40 for Identifying Amyloid PET Positivity in Cognitively Unimpaired Asian Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
CONCLUSIONS: In cognitively unimpaired Asian populations, plasma p-tau217 and Aβ42/40 showed good discriminative performance for Aβ PET positivity. Further standardization, external validation, and prospective evaluation are needed.
Brain endothelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles (c-BEEVs) as a promising biomarker for brain vascular pathology and cognitive decline
Accurate measurement of brain vascular pathology is essential for understanding its role in cognitive aging. Here we classified participants using the amyloid-tau-neurodegeneration framework in a multicenter cohort and identified cerebrospinal fluid brain endothelial-derived small extracellular vesicles (c-BEEVs) as a sensitive biomarker, which correlated with vascular risk factors and the severity of small-vessel disease. c-BEEVs showed high diagnostic performance for vascular cognitive...
Somatic variants in microglia-like cells linked to Alzheimer's disease pathology
No abstract
Temporal patterns of depressive symptoms and risk of osteoarthritis: A multi-cohort longitudinal analysis
CONCLUSION: Adverse trajectories of depressive symptoms, particularly persistent and increasing patterns, are consistently associated with elevated osteoarthritis risk across diverse populations. These findings underscore the importance of longitudinal mental health monitoring and suggest that early intervention for depressive symptoms may represent a modifiable pathway for osteoarthritis prevention. The observed effect modification patterns highlight the need for population-specific and...
Interpretable machine learning with SHAP analysis identifies redox-modulating dietary antioxidants for predicting accelerated biological aging
CONCLUSION: The interpretable machine learning framework based on dietary antioxidant profiles can robustly predict accelerated biological aging. XGBoost demonstrated the best performance in predicting accelerated aging risk. Daidzein, apigenin, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin E are core dietary antioxidants closely associated with a reduced risk of accelerated biological aging. This study provides analytical reference at the large population level for the development of nutritional intervention...
Validity of the individualized load-velocity profile to predict one-repetition maximum on a pneumatic leg press device in adults aged 55-81 years
CONCLUSION: Although 1-RM estimates derived from the corrected V(1RM) showed minimal average bias, interindividual variability persisted across both estimation methods, limiting the accuracy of 1-RM predictions at the individual level.
The relationship between intrinsic capacity and functional ability - identifying key environmental features to support healthy ageing
CONCLUSION: In addition to the vitality, cognition and psychology IC domains, environmental factors including sufficiency of care, housing prices and PM(10) showed important direct associations with FA. Interactions between IC and the environment primarily involved social environmental factors. Further longitudinal research is needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying these direct and interactive associations.