News Team member Ananya Dash reports on the risks that consuming sweeteners can accelerate brain aging.
Why Are More Older People Dying After Falls?
By Paula Span, The New York Times
The death rate associated with falls in Americans over 65 has increased by three times over the past 30 years. Epidemiologists suggest that this rise in mortality might be partially due to prescription drugs that act on the central nervous system. These drugs cause drowsiness and dizziness that result in higher risks of falls.
Geriatric falls can cause severe injuries like bone fractures and traumatic brain injury. Studies are being done on how to prevent these falls, with interventions and preventative measures being the first approach, but they have not been largely successful. The conclusion that researchers and doctors are coming to is that certain drugs must be “de-prescribed.” Doctors must consider alternative treatments, harm-benefit analysis, and consider the needs and lifestyle of the patient.
— by Laniah Bowdery
Could These Eye Drops End the Need for Reading Glasses?
By Mara Magistroni, WIRED
Eye drops are a new potential treatment that could improve impaired vision in individuals over 55 years old. Many people begin suffering from vision problems after age 65, or even earlier. Age associated declines in vision are often due to stiffening of a part of the eyes called the lens. This can lead to farsightedness (struggling to see nearby objects) or nearsightedness (struggling to see far away objects). Previously, the treatments have been reading glasses or surgery to reshape or even replace the lens of the eye with an artificial one.
Two new types of eyedrops have recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The most exciting one contains an ingredient called Pilocarpine which helps increase the elasticity of the lens. There are some concerns of side effects such as irritation and discomfort, but another drug called diclofenac has been used alongside these eye drops to reduce adverse effects.
Scientists tested Pilocarpine at three different concentrations. Each of the tests showed significant improvement in vision in most of the subjects. There were some side effects observed, including eye redness, tearing, and blurred vision. More studies are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of these eyedrops, but they are a promising step in eliminating corrective surgery or the need for reading glasses.
— by Harrison Luba
The Next Frontier in RSV Prevention—A Vaccine for Young Children
By Tara Haelle, Scientific American
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common virus behind nearly 3.6 million hospitalizations and 100,000 deaths among children younger than 5 each year. In response, scientists have been working towards creating a safe and powerful vaccine, and new evidence has shown promising results.
In recent years, great strides have been made to combat the virus in children—largely through maternal vaccinations and monoclonal antibody infusions. However, both of these strategies only confer “passive immunity,” meaning that the children don’t have any immune defense themselves, instead they rely on their mother’s immunity or drug infusions.
These strategies have proven highly effective in reducing hospitalizations, but the benefits seem to be limited to younger children. Among older children, RSV hospitalizations have gone up. Indeed, half of all pediatric deaths from RSV in the hospital were among kids above 6 months of age.
Thus, a new approach is necessary. For decades, scientists have worked towards creating a RSV vaccine. However, historically, results have failed to give safe results, as vaccinated children would end up developing severe disease.
A novel strategy—live, attenuated, mucosal vaccinations—have been cleverly designed to bolster the immune response specifically in the respiratory tract where RSV commonly enters. This approach uses a weakened version of the virus and provides the added benefit of avoiding a painful shot for kids. The evidence is still developing, but a recent paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that kids may finally be able to develop their own immunity with the vaccine. With this evidence, the study will progress to phase 3 trials to see the effect on a much larger scale.
— by Jackson Bartelt
Trump’s Tylenol Directive Could Actually Increase Autism Rates, Researchers Warn
By David Cox, WIRED
President Trump recently claimed that Tylenol, a popular brand of acetaminophen, causes autism, alongside his directive for the FDA to add warning labels. Many medical experts fear the damages this directive may cause in increasing risks for autism and endangering public health.
A recent study conducted by Gardner and other scientists using health records from over 2.5 million children in Sweden, have shown no proven link between Tylenol and autism. Instead, scientists have pointed out that pregnant women who are experiencing pain, fever and prenatal infections—all risk factors for autism—tend to take Tylenol for their symptoms. Researchers warn that discouraging pregnant women from using Tylenol may backfire: untreated fevers themselves increase autism risk, and alternatives to acetaminophen often lack the same safety record as they may not be as well researched.
Experts critique the administration’s push to promote leucovorin, a folate supplement, as a treatment for autism due to correlations between folate metabolism and autistic children. While some preliminary studies suggest it may help children with folate deficiencies, not enough research has been done for broad recommendations. Experts fear that premature conclusions on treatments for autism will resurface at greater amounts without adequate research to back up these claims.
One positive aspect of Trump’s initiative is new NIH funding to study how genetics interact with environmental exposures in autism development. However, scientists worry that findings could be misrepresented to fit political narratives.
The Tylenol directive reveals the dangers of political influence on science and research, specifically the spread of misinformation that may increase risks and negative outcomes for people. Autism research is complex, and common stigmas also lead to incorrect treatments and conclusions being made about autism.
— by Victoria Charles
Items summarized by: Laniah Bowdery, Harrison Luba, Jackson Bartelt, Victoria Charles
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