Trending News Today: Studies Aim to Find Prevention for Alzheimer Disease

Two new studies are looking to prevent Alzheimer disease in healthy older individuals, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, the goal of the studies is to block the earliest steps of plaque formation in healthy individuals who show no symptoms of dementia but are at higher risk due to age and genes. Those participating in the study must have at least 1 copy of the APOE4 gene, which raises the risk of developing Alzheimer disease, and will undergo periodic brain scans and testing for memory and thinking every 6 months, the article reported. According to the study, participants receive either an experimental drug to prevent plaque formation or a placebo.

A new study has found that cervical cancer could be eliminated in Australia due to a government program to vaccinate children against human papillomavirus (HPV), The New York Times reported. According to the article, the study found that fewer than 4 women in every 100,000 could be diagnosed with cervical cancer annually in Australia by 2028 and less than 1 woman per year could be diagnosed by 2066. The vaccination program was first introduced in 2007 as a cost-free 3-dose course for teenage girls and was expanded to school-age boys in 2013, the article reported.

Patients report higher levels of satisfaction with their physicians when they are prescribed an antibiotic after seeking care for a respiratory tract infection, whether they needed it or not, NPR reported. According to the article, a new study analyzed 8437 appointments for these infections through American Well’s Online Care Group, a national provider of telemedicine services to consumers. Overall, 66% of telemedicine patients examined in the study received antibiotics for respiratory tract infections, the article reported.