Frontline: Phototherapy for Alzheimer’s Treatment; Timing of Exercise and Weight Loss; Knee Replacement Surgery
Phototherapy Demonstrates Promise for Alzheimer’s Treatment
A new study has demonstrated promising results using photobiomodulation (PBM) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). PBM is a type of low-level laser energy that is used to stimulate, heal, regenerate, and protect tissue that has been injured or is degenerating. In the study, researchers showed that PBM could effectively help with the removal of beta-amyloid from brain tissues in mice. AD is characterized by abnormal clumping of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the brain. Notably, the therapeutic impact of PBM was found to be more pronounced during sleep. Researchers monitored brain activity during different stages of sleep and wakefulness without using anesthesia. They discovered that applying PBM for seven days during deep sleep was more effective in promoting the removal of beta-amyloid from the brain compared with when the mice were awake.
Timing of Exercise May Be Associated with Greater Weight Loss
Exercising in the early morning may help people lose more weight compared with exercising at other times of the day, according to a study published in the journal Obesity. Researchers reviewed two years of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which included information on the exercise, eating, and lifestyle habits of more than 5,200 adults. The data showed that people who did moderate to vigorous exercise in the morning had lower body mass indexes (BMI) than people who exercised at midday or in the evening. Participants wore activity trackers during waking hours for 10 hours or more each day for four to seven days. Those who exercised in the morning—between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.—had an average BMI of 27.5, compared with midday and evening exercisers, who had a 28.3 BMI on average. The researchers noted that morning exercisers were the most sedentary throughout the day, even though they had the lowest BMI and waist circumference.
Half of Knee Replacement Patients Can Be Safely Discharged on Surgery Day
At least half of the patients who have total knee arthroplasty (TKA), also known as knee replacement surgery, could be considered for safe same-day discharge from the hospital or surgery center, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers who evaluated surgical outcomes of over 6,000 TKA patients from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. To answer questions about safe release dates and what criteria should be used to establish safe release standards, researchers separated patients into groups based on variables such as age and medical history, then calculated the incidences of all complications and major complications. Their findings indicated that among the healthiest patients undergoing TKA, there was no increased risk of complications among those discharged the same day compared with those who stayed in the hospital.
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