Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Geriatrics for October 2018. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Link Between Statins, Non-CVD Outcomes Lacks Evidence
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 31, 2018 (HealthDay News) — There is a lack of convincing evidence for an association between statin use and non-cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, according to a review published in the Oct. 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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AMA Announces Initiative to Reinvent Physician Training
TUESDAY, Oct. 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The American Medical Association (AMA) today announced a new $15 million competitive grant initiative, the “Reimagining Residency” initiative, aimed at improving residency training.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors May Up Lung CA Risk
TUESDAY, Oct. 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer compared with angiotensin receptor blockers, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in the BMJ.
Therapeutic Lifestyle Intervention in Church Helpful for BP Control
TUESDAY, Oct. 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) intervention plus motivational interviewing (MINT) sessions delivered in churches can reduce systolic blood pressure (BP) among blacks compared with health education (HE) alone, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Community Health Worker Intervention Beneficial
TUESDAY, Oct. 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A standardized community health worker (CHW)-delivered intervention, Individual Management for Patient-Centered Targets, improves patient-perceived quality of care and reduces hospitalizations for low-income patients with chronic diseases, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Low Levels of Flu Reported in U.S. From May to October
MONDAY, Oct. 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — From May 20 to Oct. 13, 2018, low levels of influenza activity were reported in the United States, according to a study published online Oct. 25 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Many Hospitals Noncompliant With Record Request Regulations
MONDAY, Oct. 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Among top-ranked U.S. hospitals, data reveal discrepancies in information provided to patients regarding medical records release processes as well as noncompliance with state and federal regulations, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in JAMA Network Open.
Nurse-Led Care Efficacious, Cost-Effective for Gout
MONDAY, Oct. 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For patients with gout, nurse-led care is efficacious and cost-effective compared with usual care led by general practitioners (GPs), according to a study published Oct. 20 in The Lancet.
Trump Administration Announces Plan to Cut Drug Prices
FRIDAY, Oct. 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) — In an effort to cut high drug costs, the prices paid by Medicare for certain prescription drugs would be based on those in other advanced industrial nations, according to a proposal announced Oct. 25 by the Trump administration.
HHS Study
New York Times Article
Independent Links for Genetics, Lifestyle With Incident Stroke
THURSDAY, Oct. 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Genetic and lifestyle factors are independently associated with incident stroke among men and women aged 40 to 73 years, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in the BMJ.
Pneumococcal Vaccine Recs Cause Confusion Among Docs
THURSDAY, Oct. 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — While primary care physicians overwhelmingly recommend pneumococcal vaccines, there is a gap in their knowledge of how to implement related vaccine recommendations, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
Pace of Change Has Accelerated in Alternative Payment Models
THURSDAY, Oct. 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The impact of alternative payment models (APMs) on physician practices has been described in a study published by the RAND Corp. and the American Medical Association.
Half of Women to Develop Stroke, Dementia, or Parkinsonism
THURSDAY, Oct. 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — One in two women and one in three men will develop dementia, stroke, or parkinsonism during their lifetime, according to a study published online Oct. 1 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
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Tibia Lead Levels Linked to Risk of Resistant-Hypertension
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Tibia lead levels are associated with resistant-hypertension (HTN), according to a study published online Oct. 24 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
7 Children Dead From Adenovirus Outbreak in New Jersey
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) — New Jersey health officials on Wednesday confirmed the deaths of seven children after infection with an adenovirus.
More Information
Article from The Record (Bergen County)
Most Supplements Contain Prohibited Stimulants
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Many supplements contain one or more stimulants that have been the subject of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-issued public notices, according to a research letter published online Oct. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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White House Unveils New Insurance Option for Small Firms
TUESDAY, Oct. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A plan to allow small businesses to use tax-free accounts to provide health coverage for employees was announced today by the Trump administration.
AP News Article
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Inadequate Reimbursement May Mar Diabetes Prevention Program
TUESDAY, Oct. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The costs of delivering a new Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) may be higher than the expected reimbursement, according to a study published in the November issue of Medical Care.
Unrestricted Diet OK More Than One Day Before Colonoscopy
TUESDAY, Oct. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Unrestricted diets are acceptable more than one day before colonoscopy among patients using a split-dose bowel regimen, according to a study published in the October issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
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Neglect Higher in For-Profit Nursing Homes
TUESDAY, Oct. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Residents of for-profit nursing homes are more likely to suffer neglect compared with elderly residents living in the community or in not-for-profit facilities, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in Gerontology.
Changes in Nomenclature for Perioperative Cognitive Disorders
MONDAY, Oct. 22, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Recommendations have been developed for nomenclature of cognitive changes associated with anesthesia and surgery; the recommendations were published in the November issue of Anesthesiology.
Variability in Geographic Availability of New Antibiotics
FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) — There is considerable variability in the geographic availability of antibiotics, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in PLOS ONE.
Procurement Requirements Drive Interoperability in Health Care IT
THURSDAY, Oct. 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Interoperability of health care information technology (IT) must be improved to facilitate creation of a fully integrated health care system that can improve health and health care at lower cost, according to a report published by the National Academy of Medicine.
Recreational Marijuana Now Legal in Canada
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Recreational marijuana became legal in Canada today, and while many welcome the move, others have serious concerns.
The New York Times Article
CMAJ Editorial
Lung Cancer Deaths 28% Lower in California Than Rest of U.S.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Annual lung cancer mortality was 28 percent lower in California than in the rest of the United States in 2013, according to a study published online Oct. 10 in Cancer Prevention Research.
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Treatment Tied to Survival Benefit in Complex Bladder Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Cancer treatment is associated with a clinically meaningful survival benefit in older, medically complex patients with superficial bladder cancer (SBC), according to a study published online Oct. 5 in Cancer.
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Few Seniors Who Self-Harm Referred for Mental Health Care
TUESDAY, Oct. 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Most older adults who self-harm are not referred to mental health services, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in The Lancet Psychiatry.
High Risk for Readmission for Takotsubo Syndrome
TUESDAY, Oct. 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Patients with Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), which is characterized by transient left ventricular dysfunction with symptoms and electrocardiogram changes mimicking acute myocardial infarction (AMI), have lower mortality during the index admission than AMI patients but are frequently readmitted within 30 days, according to a study published online Sept. 28 in the European Heart Journal – Quality of Care & Clinical Outcomes.
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2006 to 2015 Saw Decrease in Medicare Beneficiary ICU Use
TUESDAY, Oct. 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — From 2006 to 2015, there was a significant decrease in intensive care unit (ICU) admissions among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, according to a research letter published online Oct. 15 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Without Medicaid Expansion, Poor Patients Forgo Medical Care
MONDAY, Oct. 15, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Doing without medical care is much more common among low-income residents of states that have not expanded Medicaid than among low-income people in other states, according to a Government Accountability Office report.
Cataract Surgery Tied to Drop in Cognitive Decline in Seniors
MONDAY, Oct. 15, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Cataract surgery is associated with a reduction in the rate of cognitive decline among older adults, according to a study published online Oct. 11 in PLOS ONE.
Hospitalization Tied to Brain Abnormalities in Older Adults
MONDAY, Oct. 15, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Hospitalization is associated with lower white matter integrity among older adults, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Active Pharmaceuticals ID’d in >700 Dietary Supplements
MONDAY, Oct. 15, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Dietary supplements often include active pharmaceuticals, even after warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a study published online Oct. 12 in JAMA Network Open.
Cases Show Periodic Fasting May Cut Medication Use in T2DM
MONDAY, Oct. 15, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Medically supervised, therapeutic fasting regimens can help reverse type 2 diabetes (T2D) and minimize the need for pharmacological interventions, according to a case series published online Oct. 9 in BMJ Case Reports.
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Zoledronate Lowers Fracture Risk in Women With Osteopenia
FRIDAY, Oct. 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The risk for fragility fractures is significantly lower in women with osteopenia who receive zoledronate than in those who receive placebo, according to a study published online Oct. 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Eye Trauma Secondary to Falls in Older Adults Increasing
FRIDAY, Oct. 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Eye trauma as a secondary admission diagnosis is increasing, largely because of an increased incidence of falls in older individuals, according to a study published online Oct. 4 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
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Skills-Based Intervention Did Not Cut Systolic BP After Stroke, TIA
FRIDAY, Oct. 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A culturally tailored, skills-based educational intervention did not reduce systolic blood pressure at one year after stroke/transient ischemic attack, according to a study published online Oct. 8 in JAMA Neurology.
Spending Often Persists in High-Cost Medicare-Medicaid Eligible
THURSDAY, Oct. 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — More than half of patients who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and are designated as high-cost in one year remain persistently high-cost over three years, according to a study published online Oct. 2 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Diet Less Important Than Genes for High Serum Urate Levels
THURSDAY, Oct. 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Diet explains little of the variation in serum urate levels in the general population, while genetic factors make a greater contribution, according to a meta-analysis published online Oct. 10 in The BMJ.
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Review: Vitamin D Does Not Appear to Prevent Fractures, Falls
THURSDAY, Oct. 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Vitamin D supplementation does not prevent fractures or falls or have a clinically meaningful impact on bone mineral density in pooled analyses, according to a review and meta-analysis published online Oct. 4 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
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Atrial Fibrillation Tied to Higher Dementia Risk in Older Adults
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a faster global cognitive decline and an increased risk for dementia in older people, though anticoagulants may reduce dementia risk in AF patients, according to a study published online Oct. 10 in Neurology.
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Aetna-CVS Merger Approved
Exercise Intervention Linked to Improved Attention, Memory in Breast Cancer 
Functional Decline Precedes Cardiovascular Disease Events by Many Years 
Midlife Employment Instability Linked to Later Cognitive Deficits 
Socioeconomic Inequalities Tied to Functional Aging 
Lower Cognitive Functioning During 60s Linked to Subsequent Stroke Risk 
Polypharmacy of Prescription Medications Increased for U.S. Older Adults 
Nearly 1 in 10 Older Adults Used Cannabis in the Past Year 
Lower Vertebral Bone Mineral Density Linked to Cognitive Decline 
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