General

Mobility

Research Latest News

Vitamin D Linked to Overall Health - [10/10/08]

Summary: Vitamin D has been linked to improved overall health. This vitamin affects 36 organ tissues in the body including bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and uterus tissues. It has also been linked to improving immune systems, insulin secretion, heart health, blood pressure, muscle, brain activity, and decreased risk of cancer. For most adults 200-600 IU of daily vitamin D is recommended, but some experts recommend up to 2000 IU daily.

Comment: Vitamin D has previously been thought to improve bone health, but this study shows that it can affect all areas of health. By increased intake of vitamin D people with mobility problems can experience improved health.

Read article - Medical News TODAY October 10, 2008

Advertisement

Cell Protein Fights Pain - [10/09/08]

Summary: A new cell protein has been discovered that is believed to treat pain eight times better than morphine. The protein FRAP has been previously used as a nerve marker in pain studies, but its gene code was unknown. Through their experiments researchers found that FRAP is identical to PAP, a protein often used to treat prostate cancer. They found that by injecting high levels of PAP they could reduce pain levels in patients.

Comment: PAP is as effective in reducing pain levels as morphine, but it is able to last for up to three days, much longer than morphine. PAP could be developed to be used as an injected pain killer, and researchers are doing more work to develop similar molecules to PAP that could be used in a pill. This research can help patients with mobility problems experience less chronic pain.

Read article - Science Daily October 9, 2008

Efforts to Reduce Ethnic and Racial Disparities - [09/29/08]

Summary: This article outlines current efforts are being made to reduce racial and ethnic health care disparities. These include the Respira program, which focuses on providing asthma education and outreach to Hispanic communities. Another program is a lecture that seeks to improve knowledge of blood pressure management and diabetes. Other efforts involve grants to increase levels of minority students in medical programs, and campaigns to increase medical literacy in minority communities.

Comment: Racial and ethnic disparities exist in most areas of medical care including mobility problems. These disparities can often be dangerous to the health of minority people. These programs are aiming to close the gaps in health care, which can result in better care for people with mobility difficulties.

Read article - Medical News TODAY September 29, 2008

Many American Adults Will Develop Osteoarthritis - [09/03/08]

Summary: By age 85 nearly half of all adults, and two-thirds of obese adults, will have developed osteoarthritis of the knee, a new study shows. The research is closely linked to data showing that body mass index will also increase over a persons lifetime, possibly linking the development of osteoarthritis with weight gain.

Comment: Maintaining a healthy weight is directly linked to maintaining overall health as one ages. Across the board, those who are overweight or obese suffer from more health problems than those who have maintained a healthy weight, BMI, and overall lifestyle.

Read article - Medical News Today. September 3, 2008.

Obesity Later in Life Leads to Mobility Problems - [08/25/08]

Summary: Obesity later in life does not necessarily raise the risk of death, but it does increase the chance of being disabled. The higher an elderly person's BMI the higher their risk of having a mobility problem or difficulty completing every day tasks. Obesity only increased the risk of death for elderly men who were severely obese.

Comment: A growing portion of the population is elderly, and of these people many are overweight. These findings can alert the medical community that preparations need to be made for an increased number of elderly people with disabilities and mobility problems. It is suggested that elderly people who are overweight consult their doctor about easy and fun ways to lose weight and maintain their health as they age to avoid disabilities and mobility problems.

Read article - Medical News TODAY August 25, 2008

More Americans Seeking Health Information - [08/22/08]

Summary: Recent statistics show that in 2007 56% of Americans adults, which is more than 122 million people, attempted to find information about a personal health concern from a source other than their physician. This statistic is up from 38% in 2001. Education levels were a key factor in determining whether a person sought medical information, 72% of those with a graduate degree compared to 42% of those with only a high school diploma. The number of Americans using the internet for medical information doubled from 16% in 2001 to 32% in 2007.

Comment: More than half of the people reported that the information changed their general approach to their health care, and 80% reported that the information helped them better understand treatments of their condition or illness. Doctors are always a good source of medical information, but it can often be hard to consult a doctor with every concern. Finding more information on medical conditions, such as mobility concerns, can help patients better understand their health.

Read article - HealthNewsDigest.com August 22, 2008

Using Animals in Pain Studies has Limited Value - [08/16/08]

Summary: It has been found that using animals in pain studies has a low value, and should be replaced by neuroimaging techniques, such as fMRI, PET and other scanning techniques, combined with other new techniques such as genetics. Other suggested methods are microdialysis, studies on twins, and tissue research.

Comment: Animals are common in pain research, which raises ethical questions and concerns about the difference in human pain and animal pain. These new techniques could offer a new perspective in pain research and help develop new drugs that could treat painful conditions such as mobility problems.

Read article - Medical News TODAY August 16, 2008

Link Between Physical Frailty and Alzheimer's Disease - [08/11/08]

Summary: Physical frailty, which commonly affects older patients, has been linked to Alzheimer's. In a recent study it was shown that those with Alzheimer's were more likely to suffer from physical frailty and that the more severe the level of Alzheimer's disease the more severe the symptoms of physical frailty.

Comment: While it may seem that high levels of Alzheimer's disease could be the cause of these symptoms of physical frailty, previous studies have shown that those with physical frailty but not cognitive impairment are still at higher Alzheimer's risk than their less frail counterparts. This clearly suggests that more research is needed to fully understand the correlation between these two conditions.

Read article - American Academy of Neurology. August 11, 2008.

Many Find Need for American Health Care Reform - [08/07/08]

Summary: In a recent study researchers found that about 82% of Americans believe that the health care system in America needs to be reformed. 90% believed that the presidential candidates need to develop health care reform plans to improve the quality and coverage of health care. 90% also believe that it is important to have one doctor responsible for their primary care and for coordinating care with specialists. 90% also reported believing that having access to their medical records, and doctors having the same access was important.

Comment: Mobility problems requires the best medical care possible, and many people in America do not believe that they are getting the level of care that they need. People with mobility problems, and all other people in America, can affect their health care system by contacting their representatives and voicing their concerns and thoughts about the current health care system.

Read article - Medical News TODAY August 7, 2008

Rise in Deaths from Home Prescription Use - [07/29/08]

Summary: Researchers examined the death rates from the incorrect use of prescriptions in the home, called FMEs. There are four types of FMEs as classified by the researchers. Type one is the domestic use of prescriptions with street drugs or alcohol, which has increased by 3,196% between 1983 and 2004. Type 2 is the domestic use of prescriptions without drugs or alcohol, which has increased 5%. Type 3 is the non-domestic use of prescriptions with drugs or alcohol, and has increased 564%, and type 4 is the non-domestic use of prescriptions without drugs or alcohol, and has increased by 555%.

Comment: While many of the medications involved were safe in a clinical setting is has been suggested that they are more dangerous when used at home, since an incorrect dose or use with drugs or alcohol are more likely. It is suggested that more research is done about the safety of medications at home or work and that patients are especially careful when taking prescriptions at home.

Read article - Medical News TODAY. July 29, 2008.