geriatrics

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a common neurological change that frequently coexists with other pathologies like Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, which led a team of researchers to investigate the risk factors and prevalence of CAA. The study found that not only is age a risk factor for CAA, but CAA is also seen in patients with Lew body pathology alone and in patients with both Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body pathology. Dive further into the findings with Dr. Charles Turck and Dr. Jagan Pillai, a behavioral neurologist at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

Death induced by survival gene elimination (DISE) is a cell death mechanism mediated by short RNAs. And according to a recent study, there may be a correlation between toxic DISE, DNA damage, and neuronal cell death in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more about the study’s findings and potential implications with Dr. Andrew Wilner and Dr. Marcus Peter, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology as well as a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Toxic tau protein refers to an aberrant form of the tau protein in the brain, commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease, where it forms tangles and disrupts normal cellular function, which contributes to cognitive decline and neuronal damage. To learn more about the role of toxic tau proteins in Alzheimer’s disease, tune in to hear Dr. Andrew Wilner speak with Dr. George Bloom, Professor of Biology, Cell Biology, and Neuroscience at the University of Virginia.

A recent phase 1 study investigated the safety and feasibility of combining focused ultrasound and aducanumab, which is a monoclonal antibody for amyloid, to open the blood-brain barrier in patients with Alzheimer's disease. And what the researchers found was about a 50 percent overall reduction of cerebral amyloid-beta load in the target areas compared to the untreated areas. Dive further into these findings and next steps in this line of research that may impact the way we treat Alzheimer’s disease with Dr. Andrew Wilner and Dr. Marc Haut, Director of the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute’s Memory Health Clinic at West Virginia University.

According to new research featured in Aging Biology, a treatment involving 4-phenylubrate (PBA) may delay or reverse signs of Alzheimer’s disease. To learn more, Dr. Andrew Wilner dives into the results and potential implications of this mouse-model study with Dr. Jini Naidoo, Research Associate Professor of Sleep Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Due to the evolving treatment landscape, the way we think about treating adult and elderly patients with atopic dermatitis has shifted. So what are some special considerations we need to think about when selecting a treatment option for long-term control, and how can we best involve patients in the decision-making process? Joining Dr. Raj Chovatiya to help answer these and other key questions in atopic dermatitis care is Dr. Melinda Gooderham, Medical Director for the SKiN Center for Dermatology in Peterborough, Ontario.

Dr. Steven H. Landers, MD, MPH is President and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife ( https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/services/profiles/steven-h-landers-md-mph ), a nonprofit Harvard Medical School affiliate offering senior living communities and senior health care services for older adults in the Boston metropolitan area. They also conduct aging research that is improving the way we grow older, and education for the next generation of health care providers and caregivers. Dr. Landers is a practicing physician, certified in family medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine. Dr. Landers is also a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, and holds an appointment as clinical associate professor of medicine and community health at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Prior to joining Hebrew SeniorLife, Dr. Landers served for 11 years as president and CEO of Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group, Inc., a multistate home health, hospice, and community health organization. He previously served as the director of the Center for Home Care and Community Rehabilitation and director of post-acute operations for the Cleveland Clinic. In 2014, Dr. Landers received the NJBiz 40 Under 40 Award, a recognition of New Jersey’s most accomplished young business leaders. Dr. Landers is a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (MD) and the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health (MPH). He has authored several articles in national publications on the role of home care, including in the New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of the American Medicine. He was also a regular blogger for the Huffington Post, focusing on health policy, family caregivers, and nurses and finding ways to improve quality and value in American health care. Dr. Landers is a recognized leader and innovator in home health, primary care, and aging services and is an outspoken advocate for nursing, the front-line workforce, and improving care for older Americans. 

Early detection of cancer is essential to reducing the significant burdens associated with it. When cancer is detected at earlier stages, treatments can be initiated sooner, resulting in improved outcomes, reduced morbidity and mortality, and better quality of life. While the implementation of current screening guidelines has resulted in an overall reduction in cancer deaths, only 25 percent of cancers are diagnosed using traditional screening modalities, leaving much room for improvement. Blood-based multi-cancer early detection, or MCED, tests that can screen from four to greater than 50 types of cancers have been developed to complement the population-based screening of asymptomatic individuals. At the spring 2023 American Association for Cancer Research, also known as AACR, American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network, orNCCN, annual conferences, a multitude of data was presented on MCEDs, including real-world data, clinical trial data, novel MCEDs in development, MCED accuracy, and the inherent health equity challenges that their implementation will face. This educational activity has two parts. Dr. Candace Westgate delivers an MCED Primer designed to build primary care clinicians’ knowledge about the science of MCEDs and how to implement their use in primary care practice, followed by chapterized discussions between …

Due to their clinical overlap, distinguishing between neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders can be challenging, but an accurate diagnosis is crucial for timely assessment and treatment. Find out how we can better identify and treat complex neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia with Dr. Charles Turck and Dr. Lokesh Shahani, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UT Health Houston McGovern Medical School who presented on this exact topic at the 2023 APA Annual Meeting.

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) refers to a group of noncognitive symptoms that commonly occur in patients with dementia. While data shows efficacy for treatment modalities for these symptoms and behaviors, the use of psychotropic medications has been met with controversy due to their adverse effects. Tune in to hear Dr. Rajesh Tampi, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Creighton School of Medicine, discuss how we can address those controversies while providing optimal care for our patients, which was the focus of his presentation at the 2023 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

Emerging treatment options have helped patients with HIV live longer, but the aging population faces its own unique challenges. To explore how we can combat these challenges—including the ongoing stigma around HIV—Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Dr. Andrew Clark, who is the Global Medical Lead at ViiV Healthcare.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and symptoms become more severe over time. In fact, it’s the leading cause of disability and poor health in older adults. And although there’s no cure, a new medication called lecanemab recently received accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration. So what might this new development mean for the 6 million Americans living with this debilitating disease? Find out as Dr. Andrew Wilner speaks with fellow ReachMD host Dr. David Weisman, who’s also the Director of Clinical Research at Abington Neurological Associates.

In this episode, Daniel Kang talks with Dr. Erika Barber about the inescapable and widely varied experience of growing older. What are some helpful markers of holistic health in the latter part of life? How does the Bible speak about the human lifespan and the suffering that goes with it? What is the significance of dwelling with others in pain?

Dr. Erika Barber joined the physician assistant program as an assistant professor in 2021. In the eight years previous she worked as a float physician for the Providence Medical Group in Portland, providing in-person visits at family practice and internal medicine clinics, telemedicine visits for its Virtual Sick Clinic, and home and nursing home visits with Providence’s Elder At Home program.
Previously, Dr. Barber was medical director and primary care provider with Immanuel Pathways in Omaha, Nebraska, where she helped start a program for all-inclusive care of the elderly. She earned an MD from Creighton University and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (2007) and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas (2003). She holds board certification in internal medicine and geriatrics.

The host for this episode, Dr. Daniel Kang, joined George Fox’s Department of Physical Therapy as an assistant professor of physical therapy in 2013. Previously, he worked for nine years as owner and lead physical therapist of Kang Physical Therapy Inc. of Ventura, California. His teaching experience includes stints as an instructor of kinesiology at California State University of Channel Islands and as a teaching assistant of anatomy and physiology at Loma Linda University. He is in the process of earning a graduate certification of medical physiology with a specialization in cardiovascular/renal physiology and pathophysiology from the University of Florida. He holds a doctor of physical therapy degree (2004), a master’s degree in physical therapy (2002) and a bachelor’s degree in health science (2002), all from Loma Linda University.

These podcasts are also all video recorded and on our YouTube channel! You can also visit our website at https://georgefox.edu/talks for more content like this.

Hypertension affects nearly half of adults in the United States and is associated with cognitive decline and dementia. A wide variety of antihypertensive medications are prescribed to millions of people to control blood pressure and prevent vascular dementia. Could it be that certain medications are better than others in preventing brain injury from chronic hypertension? Dr. Andrew Wilner is joined by Dr. Zachary Marcum, Associate Professor in the School of Pharmacy-University of Washington, to discuss his recent study investigating the association between certain hypertension medications and reduced cognitive impairment.

Although there’s still no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, we’ve made great strides in understanding the tragic disease that affects more than 50 million people worldwide. So what are the latest updates in treating and alleviating this disease? To learn more about what’s new in Alzheimer’s disease research, Dr. Jerome Lisk speaks with Dr. Peter Whitehouse and Dr. Daniel George, co-authors of American Dementia: Brain Health in an Unhealthy Society.

The FDA’s recent approval of aducanumab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease has been met with a controversial response. So what do we need to know about this new drug and its potential to treat this progressive neurological disorder? Dr. Jerome Lisk is joined by Dr. Peter Whitehouse from Case Western Reserve University to break down the approval of this new drug and what it could mean for patients.