Category Health/Medical

Subjective vs Objective Grading of Floater Resolution at 6 Months Using a 5-Level Qualitative Scale

Patients reported improvement in symptoms of eye floaters after treatment with a laser, according to a study published by JAMA Ophthalmology. Floaters become more prevalent with age and although most patients grow accustomed to them, many find them bothersome, and they can worsen visual quality. Three management options exist for floaters: patient education and observation; surgery; and the laser procedure, YAG vitreolysis, of which there are limited published studies on its effectiveness for treating floaters.

Chirag P. Shah, M.D., M.P.H., and Jeffrey S. Heier, M.D...

Shanon L. Casperson, Clint Hall, James N. Roemmich. Postprandial energy metabolism and substrate oxidation in response to the inclusion of a sugar- or non-nutritive sweetened beverage with meals differing in protein content. BMC Nutrition, 2017; 3 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s40795-017-0170-2

Having a sugar-sweetened drink with a high-protein meal may negatively affect energy balance, alter food preferences and cause the body to store more fat, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Nutrition...

Regular physical exercise not only enhances fitness but also has a positive impact on brain metabolism.

Credit: © Giorgio Pulcini / Fotolia

Numerous studies have shown that physical exercise seems beneficial in the prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia in old age. Gerontologists and sports physicians at Goethe University Frankfurt have examined the effects of regular exercise on brain metabolism and memory of 60 participants aged between 65 and 85 in a randomised controlled trial. Their conclusion: regular physical exercise not only enhances fitness but also has a positive impact on brain metabolism.

As the researchers report in the current issue of the medical journal Translational Psychiatry, they thoroughly examined all the participants in the SMART study (Sport an...

One in three cases of dementia could be prevented by addressing nine lifestyle factors, according to a report from the first Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care. Credit: Keck Medicine of USC

Managing lifestyle factors such as hearing loss, smoking, hypertension and depression could prevent 1/3 of the world’s dementia cases, according to a report by the first Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care. Presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2017 and published in The Lancet, the report also highlights the beneficial effects of nonpharmacologic interventions such as social contact and exercise for people with dementia.

“There’s been a great deal of focus on developing medicines to prevent dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,” says com...