- About 1 billion years ago, when earth's land mass was a single continent, the gap between what is now North America and Australia was probably filled by East Antarctica, researchers report in the July 11 Science. John Goodge and colleagues at the University of Minnesota at Duluth analyzed rocks in the Transantarctic mountains, which divide East and West Antarctica, and found they were a good match with rocks of the same age in the southwestern United States.
(John W. Goodge)
Discoveries
Blood pressure treatment may help keep mind clear
- About 1 billion years ago, when earth's land mass was a single continent, the gap between what is now North America and Australia was probably filled by East Antarctica, researchers report in the July 11 Science. John Goodge and colleagues at the University of Minnesota at Duluth analyzed rocks in the Transantarctic mountains, which divide East and West Antarctica, and found they were a good match with rocks of the same age in the southwestern United States.
(John W. Goodge)
DEMENTIA
Dementia is a disease of cognition, clouding the part of the brain that gives us the power to process information, to carry out daily routines, and perhaps most dramatically, the ability to remember. Nearly 4 million Americans live with dementia today. Researchers decided to test whether treating high blood pressure in the elderly might reduce the chances of getting dementia. Dr. Ruth Peters from the Division of Medicine, Imperial College, London, and her colleagues chose patients 80 years or older with high blood pressure but without signs of dementia and started them on a blood pressure medication or a sugar pill. Researchers found that patients who were on blood pressure medications had a 13 percent reduction in the chance of developing dementia. A link between dementia and high blood pressure also makes scientific sense. Think of it like a hose turned on high: the pressure of the blood can be traumatic to normal tissue, causing injury to the brain. "These findings make the argument for treating hypertension in the elderly even stronger," said Peters.BOTTOM LINE: Treating high blood pressure in the elderly may reduce the likelihood of dementia.
CAUTIONS: Only people with systolic blood pressures greater than 160 were used; it is unclear whether the reduction of dementia risk applies to those with less severe hypertension.
WHAT'S NEXT: The research group is continuing to follow these patients over time, to yield additional information on how antihypertensive treatment can affect cognition long term.
WHERE TO FIND IT: Lancet Neurology, July 8.
SUSHRUT JANGI
SEXUALITY
Older adults more active today than decades ago
Sexual activity is on the increase among older adults, and they are getting more satisfaction from it, according to Swedish researcher Nils Beckham. Beckham, of the University of Gothenburg, used surveys conducted twice in the 1970s, once in the 1990s and again in 2000-2001 to conclude that today's 70-year-olds have sex an average of several times a month, up significantly from earlier decades. In the most recent survey, 98 percent of married men reported having sex regularly, compared to 52 percent in the 1970s; among unmarried men the number jumped from 30 percent to 54 percent. Sexual activity among married women rose from 38 percent to 56 percent over the decades, and among unmarried women from 0.8 percent to 12 percent. Seniors today also reported happier relationships with more female orgasms, more sex before marriage, and fewer sexual dysfunctions. Beckham attributes the change in sexual activity and satisfaction to legislation, education, and attitude changes that began in the late 1940s. Also, average Swedish life expectancy has increased by several years since the 1970s, suggesting that today's 70-year-olds may be more sexually active in part because they are healthier.BOTTOM LINE: Older people are having sex more regularly and getting more pleasure from it than their predecessors did 30 years earlier. The study notes it is "important that sexuality is taken into consideration when dealing with elderly people."
CAUTIONS: The study did not include questions on nonheterosexual activity or the use of medications like Viagra. All data were self-reported, so it's possible that some respondents exaggerated their activity and/or satisfaction.
WHAT'S NEXT: "We will look for the determinants for being sexually active [in older people], and follow up with the same cohort next year when they will be 79," said Beckham.
WHERE TO FIND IT: British Medical Journal, July 12
DINA FINE MARON
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