New Alzheimer’s Test Makes Diagnoses 94.5% Accurate
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We’ve written before about early Alzheimer’s screening by means of blood tests:
So, what’s the latest?
Protein P-Tau217 has something to say
Researchers (Dr. Sara Matarranz-González et al.) followed 200 consecutive new patients aged 50 and older with adverse cognitive symptoms to test whether adding a blood biomarker (p-tau217) improves Alzheimer’s diagnosis in routine clinical settings.
In few words: elevated levels of this protein in the blood are one of the most accurate early warning signs of Alzheimer’s.
What it actually is: phosphorylated tau 217 (so, p-tau217) is a form of tau protein that becomes abnormally modified and forms tangles in the brain, inconveniently disrupting communication between neurons, and/but conveniently serving as a highly accurate biomarker of the underlying Alzheimer’s pathology (and thus, a top-tier diagnostic clue).
We wrote a bit about tau tangles before, here: Spermine vs Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s!
As for the accuracy of p-tau217 test results as a predictor of Alzheimer’s disease, accuracy rose from 75.5% using standard clinical evaluation alone to 94.5% accuracy after incorporating p-tau217 blood test results.
For those who like more detailed numbers:
- Confidence levels: neurologists’ average diagnostic confidence increased from 6.90 ± 1.74 to 8.49 ± 1.68 on a 10-point scale after seeing the biomarker data.
- Clinical findings: benefits were seen in both general neurology clinics and specialized memory units, and across all stages—subjective cognitive complaints (38.5%), mild cognitive impairment (47.5%), and dementia (14%).
- Agreement stats: pre-biomarker diagnoses matched final diagnoses in 71 of 200 cases (75.5%, kappa = 0.576), while post-biomarker diagnoses matched in 189 of 200 cases (94.5%, kappa = 0.906).
About that “kappa”: this is about Cohen’s kappa coefficient, a statistical measure of agreement. And in this case…
- Pre-biomarker diagnosis: kappa = 0.576, which indicates moderate agreement.
- Post-biomarker diagnosis: kappa = 0.906, which indicates almost perfect agreement.
So in other words, after adding the p-tau217 blood test, doctors’ diagnoses didn’t just improve in percentage accuracy, they also aligned much more strongly with the final confirmed diagnosis, far beyond what would be expected by chance.
And as for how much difference all this makes in real-world terms, 51 out of 200 patients had their diagnostic category changed after clinicians reviewed the p-tau217 results, correcting both false positives and missed Alzheimer’s cases.
In summary, a simple blood test for p-tau217 can provide a more accessible, less invasive alternative to expensive brain scans or deeply unpleasant spinal taps, improving early and accurate Alzheimer’s diagnosis and with it, improving people’s chances of getting a head start on managing the condition.
You can read the paper in full, here: Impact of blood p-tau217 testing on diagnosis and diagnostic confidence in cognitive disorders: a real-world clinical study
Want something more accessible than the latest blood tests?
People often forget and/or get confused about what the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s are, especially when it comes to forgetting and/or getting confused.
For example, dementia-related memory loss is less “where did I put my car keys?”, and more“what is this thing for?” (it’s your car keys). Or at a less advanced stage: “whose are these car keys?” (they are yours).
To learn more about this sort of distinction, see:
Is It Dementia? Spot The Signs (Because None Of Us Are Immune) ← If you’d like an objective test of memory and other cognitive impairments, this article also has a link to the industry’s gold standard test (it’s free)
(The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam (SAGE) is designed to detect early signs of cognitive, memory or thinking impairments)
Want to learn more?
For a much more in-depth coverage of the topic of Alzheimer’s treatment on the level of the personal rather than the molecular, you might like this excellent book we reviewed a while back:
…and if you just want to reduce your risk, then check out:
Take care!
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What’s the risk of infection from manicures and pedicures?
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Manicures and pedicures are big business, with the global nail care market estimated to be worth US$23.5 billion.
But sometimes clients visiting nail salons come away with more than beautiful nails. Several women from Perth recently told the ABC they contracted severe infections after visiting nail salons for manicures and pedicures.
Western Australia Consumer Protection says it has received eight complaints about nail salons so far this year.
This has left some people wondering whether it’s still worth getting their nails done at a salon. So what are the health risks of getting a manicure or pedicure, and what should you look out for?
yaroslav/Pexels How can germs spread in nail salons?
Nail technicians have physical contact with multiple people over a short period in the same space. If someone has a bacterial, viral or fungal infection of their hands or feet, it can transfer to surfaces and be picked up by the next person.
This is more likely if surfaces and equipment are not cleaned or sterilised between clients.
The skin on our hands and feet is different to the skin on other body areas. It’s thicker and more sweaty, which bacteria, viruses and fungi love.
Skin on the feet can produce a quarter of a cup of sweat per day, and feet are often kept in dark, warm, damp shoes. This makes pedicures more of an infection risk.
Manicures and pedicures can challenge our natural defences. Any breach of our skin, nails or cuticles risks infection. Nail and cuticle cutting, irritation from nail polishes and removers, and skin or nail buffing can all cause trauma to our skin and nails.
Even a warm soak can cause the skin of our feet to become too soggy, especially between our toes, and more likely to let bugs in.
The nail salon environment also can upset our microbiome, which is a diverse community of bugs, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, that live on our skin. The members of this microbiome live in a delicate balance with each other, and with us. Introducing new bugs to our skin can upset this balance.
The use of electronic nail drills and files dislodges skin and nail fragments, and the bugs that live on them, into the air and onto our skin and other salon surfaces.
How hygienic are beauty salons?
International research has found beauty salon surfaces often contain fungi and bacteria.
One Polish study found 30% of the pedicure bowls contained the bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis. This is common bacteria in our microbiome but can cause sepsis if it infects the body.
Sepsis is an extreme inflammatory response to an infection. It causes fast breathing, sweating, shivering and confusion. If left untreated it can progress to septic shock. This is when blood pressure plummets and organs begin to shut down.
Another Polish study found 70% of samples collected from the hands of beauticians contained mesophilic bacteria, a category of bacteria that grow best at body temperature and can cause severe illness if ingested. This includes E.coli, salmonella and listeria.
However it’s unclear if these findings directly apply to nail salons in Australia, as there don’t appear to be any studies that have investigated this.
What happens when you get an infection?
Reports from WA note bacterial infections of the skin around or under the nail led to one person needing to have their nail removed. In another case, a person was hospitalised with sepsis.
Bacterial skin and nail infections cause redness, swelling and pain, sometimes involving pus.
While most are treatable with antibiotics, if the bacteria is resistant or the person has health issues that delay healing, infections can cause permanent damage, or misshapen nails, fingers or toes.
Bacterial infections that don’t heal may require surgery to flush out the infection or, in rare cases, amputation to remove the dead tissue and stop infection spreading to other areas or organs.
Manicures and pedicures can also cause fungal nails. This fungal infection presents as a discoloured patch on or under the nail. These can be treated with over-the-counter anti-fungal nail medication, applied over several months. Without successful treatment, these infections change the nail structure, making it thick and crumbly.
While there are some reports of viruses such as human papilloma virus (which causes warts), hepatitis or HIV being contracted in beauty salons overseas, we aren’t aware of any confirmed cases related to manicures or pedicures in Australia.
I still want a pedicure. How can I reduce the risk?
Most risk associated with infection can be reduced by cleaning, sterilising and hygiene protocols.
Before you sit in the chair, check surfaces are being cleaned between clients.
Technicians should wash or sanitise their hands and use new gloves after each customer.
Make sure a new disposable bowl cover is applied before the pedicure sink is filled.
Ask about the instruments that will contact your skin. Are they single use? Or are they sterilised between clients, and if so how? Sterilisers that use chemicals or UV light are not as effective as steam sterilisers.
These precautions are likely to come at a cost: cheaper nail salons may be less likely to offer these protections.
Unfortunately, while there are state- and industry-based codes of conduct for the beauty industry, and nail salons must comply with work health and safety and public health acts, the industry itself is unregulated.
If a nail salon is disregarding public health by reusing instruments on multiple clients, complaints can be made to state-based health consumer agencies. If injuries occur, then the only recourse is seeking compensation through the civil courts.
Helen Banwell, Program Director for Podiatry, Adelaide University and Kristin Graham, Lecturer in Podiatry, Adelaide University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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How to Change – by Katy Milkman
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Sometimes it seems that we know everything we should be doing… We have systems and goals and principles, we know about the importance of habits, and we do our best to live them. Yet, somehow, life has other plans for us and things don’t quite come together they way they did in our genius masterplan.
So, what happened? And more importantly, what are we supposed to do about this? Katy Milkman has answers, right from the start.
Sometimes, it can be as simple as when we try to implement a change. It’s not that there’s a “wrong time” for a good change, so much that there are times that are much more likely to succeed than others… and those times can be identified and used.
Sometimes we’re falling prey to vices—which she explains how to overcome—such as:
- Impulsivity
- Procrastination
- Forgetfulness
- Laziness
We also learn some counterintuitive truths about what can boost or sabotage our confidence along the way!
Milkman writes in a compelling, almost narrative style, that makes for very easy reading. The key ideas, built up to by little (ostensibly true) stories and then revealed, become both clear and memorable. Most importantly, applicable.
Bottom line: this is a great troubleshooting guide for when you know how everything should be working, but somehow, it just doesn’t—and you’d like to fix that.
Click here to check out “How To Change” on Amazon, and get those changes rolling!
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5 unexpected ways your oral health affects your overall health
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What you need to know
- The health of your teeth and gums affects the health of your whole body.
- Research shows that poor oral health can increase your risk of heart disease, dementia, breathing issues, and even cancer.
- You can protect your oral and overall health by cleaning your teeth daily, getting regular dentist checkups, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding tobacco.
When you brush and floss daily, you don’t just prevent cavities and gum disease: You also support your overall health.
Research shows that poor dental health may put you at risk for serious health issues, including infections, certain types of cancer, and dementia. People who are older, are pregnant, or have chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease are the most vulnerable to oral health-related risks.
Here are some unexpected ways that dental health impacts your overall health and well-being.
Cardiovascular health
For decades, researchers have studied a potential connection between oral health and cardiovascular diseases (conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels). Although it isn’t clear that dental issues cause cardiovascular issues, there is evidence that the two are linked.
“Some studies have found that people with gum disease may be twice as likely to have a heart attack or a stroke,” said Dr. Nicholas Ruthmann, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, on a 2021 episode of the “Love Your Heart” podcast.
Our mouths are home to an entire ecosystem of bacteria, some of which form plaque that sticks to your teeth and cause gum disease. These bacteria can also travel through blood vessels to other parts of your body. This causes inflammation, which can damage your blood vessels and even lead to blood clots and other cardiovascular issues.
Research suggests that gum disease-related inflammation can have a profound impact on your cardiovascular health. A 2017 review outlined multiple ways that the oral bacteria that cause tooth plaque and gum disease may also contribute to the buildup of harmful plaque in the arteries.
“Gum disease can also create a portal for bacteria to enter the bloodstream,” added Ruthmann. “Research has shown that the same bacteria from common oral infections has also been found in plaques and blockages that form in our heart arteries.”
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Like the heart, the brain is also susceptible to the germs that cause oral health issues. A 2019 study found that one of the bacteria that causes gum disease may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis, travels from the mouth to the brain, where it can damage brain cells. High levels of the bacteria are found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
A larger study the following year supported these results, showing that older adults with a history of gum disease were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Meanwhile, two 2022 studies found that an enzyme released by Porphyromonas gingivalis can contribute to the buildup of the two major proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease.
Several studies have also found a connection between dementia risk and tooth loss, which may result from gum disease, cavities, or physical trauma. A 2021 study showed that dementia risk increased with each tooth lost.
The findings “underscore the importance of maintaining good oral health and its role in helping to preserve cognitive function,” said Bei Wu, co-author of the study and co-director of New York University’s Aging Incubator.
Cancer
In recent years, scientists have identified a type of bacteria most commonly found in the mouth that may play a role in some cancers. Fusobacterium nucleatum is a normal part of the community of bacteria that live in our mouths. But when there’s too much of the bacteria, it can cause infections like gingivitis.
The bacteria flourish in the intestines of people with colon cancer—and one type appears to drive tumor growth, according to a 2024 study. The study, conducted in mice, found that the bacteria improved conditions for tumor formation and increased tumor growth.
“Patients who have high levels of this bacteria in their colorectal tumors have a far worse prognosis,” said Susan Bullman, one of the study’s authors and an immunologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in a 2024 NBC News article.
“They don’t respond as well to chemotherapy and they have an increased risk of recurrence,” she added.
Previous research found that a history of gum disease is associated with a significantly higher risk of stomach and esophageal cancers, as well as breast cancer. Notably, Fusobacterium nucleatum is found at high levels in breast cancer tumors, suggesting that the bacteria may also play a role in one of the most common types of cancer.
Respiratory infections
Many bacteria can travel from our teeth, gums, and saliva to the lungs. Healthy lungs can typically fight harmful oral bacteria, preventing any harm.
But in people with existing respiratory conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, these bacteria can trigger inflammation and infections, worsening the conditions.
A 2022 review highlighted the evidence for a link between mouth bacteria and pneumonia, COPD, asthma, and other lung conditions. Bacteria and viruses that cause respiratory disease have also been found in tooth plaque, gums, and saliva.
Several studies have identified a connection between poor oral health and respiratory illness, although the exact relationship remains unclear. For example, data “strongly suggest” an association between gum disease and asthma and “higher odds” of tooth loss in people with asthma and COPD.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is known to take a toll on oral health. But there’s also evidence that the health of your mouth can affect the health of your pregnancy. In fact, gum disease during pregnancy has been linked to serious pregnancy risks, including early labor, low birth weight, and preeclampsia.
Preeclampsia, a potentially serious pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure, is the second most common cause of maternal death. Research suggests that hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy can worsen gum disease, which may in turn trigger an increased risk of preeclampsia.
Because of these risks, health care providers recommend maintaining dental hygiene, getting regular dental care, and quickly addressing any oral health concerns before and during pregnancy.
Tips to improve oral health
- Brush and floss daily: The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and flossing every day. You may also use a mouthwash for additional protection.
- Go to the dentist regularly: Regular dental cleanings help prevent gum disease and catch issues like cavities before they become a major concern. Don’t put off dental care until a problem arises. Prevention is better—and cheaper—than treatment.
- No dental insurance? Find low-cost dental care: Don’t forgo regular care if you don’t have dental insurance. Dental schools, public and free clinics, community health centers, nonprofit organizations like United Way, and local and state health centers may offer affordable options. Learn more about accessing free or low-cost dental care here and here.
- Eat a balanced diet with limited sugar and acid: Foods and drinks that are high in sugar and acid can cause tooth decay and weaken enamel, the protective outer layer of the tooth.
- Avoid tobacco: All types of tobacco use, including vaping, have been linked to gum disease, inflammation, and oral cancer.
For more information, talk to your dentist or health care provider.
This article first appeared on Public Good News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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Wanna read more?
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You’ve Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers!
Q: Tips for reading more and managing time for it?
A: We talked about this a little bit in yesterday’s edition, so you may have seen that, but aside from that:
- If you don’t already have one, consider getting a Kindle or similar e-reader. They’re very convenient, and also very light and ergonomic—no more wrist strain as can occur with physical books. No more eye-strain, either!
- Consider making reading a specific part of your daily routine. A chapter before bed can be a nice wind-down, for instance! What’s important is it’s a part of your day that’ll always, or at least almost always, allow you to do a little reading.
- If you drive, walk, run, or similar each day, a lot of people find that’s a great time to listen to an audiobook. Please be safe, though!
- If your lifestyle permits such, a “reading retreat” can be a wonderful vacation! Even if you only “retreat” to your bedroom, the point is that it’s a weekend (or more!) that you block off from all other commitments, and curl up with the book(s) of your choice.
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How a Michigan community center supports young people’s mental health
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Even before the COVID-19 pandemic made mental health problems worse for people of all ages, young people already struggled with a lack of support and treatment for issues like depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
Like many states, Michigan doesn’t have enough health care providers, and youth mental health professionals are in high demand.
Some local groups step in to support kids when they aren’t getting the help they need or experience long wait times for services.
To learn more about how one community-based organization tackles these challenges, Public Good News spoke with Avion Williams, Youth Coordinator at Community Family Life Center.
Here’s what she said.
[Editor’s note: The contents of this interview have been edited for length and clarity.]
Public Good News: Can you tell us more about your organization and where you’re located?
A.W.: Community Family Life Center is a community outreach center. We offer a multitude of after-school programs and services to Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor and even the Belleville community.
Ypsilanti is a small community. It was originally a farmer’s town. You will still see a lot of older families here.
A lot of our restaurants are like mom-and-pop shops. We have our downtown area, which is now being modernized a little bit, but again, a lot of shops are family-owned businesses that have been around for decades.
We have a lot of colleges. We have Eastern Michigan, which is the college I actually attend, and that’s in Ypsilanti. But we also have colleges right next door that are 10 minutes away, like University of Michigan and Concordia.
So it’s a college town, very family-oriented, but also a very small town with not too many resources.
PGN: Can you share some of your experiences as a youth coordinator trying to help young people access your organization’s services and programs?
A.W.: So we offer a ton of different programs, but our main focus is for kids to have something to do. There’s definitely a lot of young people in Ypsilanti.
I’m 25, and when I was in high school, a lot of people in my grade were having children. And they weren’t just having one baby, they were having multiple babies. You know, maybe one in tenth grade, another when we graduated our senior year, another right after. So a lot of people my age have a lot of children. And now I work with a lot of their children.
Many of those children come to after-school programs, and they’re in need of not just school things like math and reading, but they’re in need of, you know, love and care. Maybe mom can’t do everything because she has to work two or three jobs, or she doesn’t have the best financial help, and so she doesn’t know what to do.
And these young children get stuck with teachers that may not necessarily know how to give the best support, because maybe they’re stressed.
We have after-school programs and community centers like ours, where we get all of that.
Not only do we have to deal with mental health, we have to deal with these babies being hungry. We have to teach what mental health is.
PGN: What about therapy? How does that fit into the picture?
A.W.: Sometimes in society, people just throw therapy out there, like, ‘Go to therapy, go to therapy, go to therapy,’ but they don’t talk about the process of what it’s like getting a therapist.
I love the idea of therapy. Don’t get me wrong. Having somebody to talk to is very real. Having the right person to talk to is very real, right?
But I think sometimes we don’t talk about how everybody is not able to get therapy.
And a lot of times when people are ready for therapy, it’s after everything has happened.
You know, ‘Mom is gone, dad is gone. I’m doing terribly in school now. I’m acting out. Now I’m lashing out. I’m super hungry. I don’t have money for this. I don’t have money for that. I don’t know what to do about this…’ and then it’s like, ‘okay, I think I need therapy.’
Instead of us approaching it as, ‘Hey, this person’s mom is a young mom, maybe we should see if we can get therapy for both of them.’ Or when that child is being born, or when we see this young mom at the hospital and we see that she’s pregnant. Let’s offer some help before things start to hit the fan, right?
And maybe this mom doesn’t even have the proper health care to receive therapy, or let alone, doesn’t have the money to pay for it.
PGN: How does your organization respond to this need?
A.W.: We have a lot of ways to access our therapists. We started maybe two years ago, and at first a lot of people weren’t going. And now there’s so many people going that yes, we have this wait list.
So we also all do daily check-ins with our kids. We really do get to know our kids and their families and have consistent conversations with parents.
I always tell my kids this is a safe space to talk. I’m open to hear anything my students have to say.
This article first appeared on Public Good News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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The Most Dangerous Ingredients That Aren’t In Your Vape Device (Until You Use It)
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“No, officer, there are no explosives in this house” says the bomb-maker, truthfully, on account of keeping the ingredients in separate containers to be combined later.
In a similar vein, there are two very toxic substances that aren’t in vapes, and so don’t need to go on any labels, but get created inside the vape once heated.
And them, the newly-created chemicals, that weren’t there when you bought it, go into your lungs.
Spoiler: what they do there is not good
The last place you want a chemical factory to be is in front of your face
In few words: heating the main ingredient in most e-cigarette fluids—propylene glycol—creates two toxic chemicals, methylglyoxal and acetaldehyde, which are very harmful to human lung cells.
Both of these latter two chemicals disrupt key cell functions, but of the two methylglyoxal is the most damaging even at lower concentrations; it impairs mitochondria (famously: the cell’s energy-givers) and weakens the actin cytoskeleton, compromising cell shape and stability.
In case “the actin cytoskeleton” sounds like something that might be encountered as a monster in a Dungeons & Dragons game, we’ll take a moment to clarify:
- actin = a specialized kind of protein
- cyto = of or relating to cells
- skeleton = the most dry part that gives structure to the wetter parts
So, “actin cytoskeleton” = the relatively tougher protein structure that helps a cell to stay the shape it’s supposed to be
…until methylglyoxal comes along and starts breaking it down, that is.
And it’s worth bearing in mind also that lower-powered e-cigarettes—which many users assume are safer—usually generate higher levels of methylglyoxal.
Here’s the paper itself: Acetaldehyde and methylglyoxal: comparative analysis of toxic electronic cigarette degradation products in 3D and 2D exposure systems using human bronchial epithelial models
And here’s a pop-science article about it, that’s lighter reading than the paper, while also having a little more background information: Hidden toxins in vapes can harm lung cells
There are also other “bonus chemicals” from disposable vapes specifically, insofar as the chemicals you will inhale were (again) not included as ingredients, and in this case, they came from the heating element itself:
❝To place the potential for Pb exposure in the context of traditional cigarettes, Figure 3B compares the mass of Pb in a pack of traditional cigarettes (20 cigarettes) to the mass of Pb of a comparable nicotine dose from the Esco Bar devices.
In comparison to the highest Pb delivery measured for traditional cigarettes, on average Esco Bar devices (Flavored and Clear) emitted ∼4 to 13 times more Pb (4.9 and 15.4 μg, respectively) in the first 200 puffs than the highest reported for a pack of cigarettes (20 cigarettes; 1.2 μg).
For context, this level of Pb exposure is equivalent to smoking as many as 19 packs of cigarettes in a single day.❞
Pb = lead, as in the heavy metal of that name
Read in full: Guess How Much Lead Is Released By Disposable Vapes
Of course, even the base ingredients aren’t great either
While they indeed become much worse once turned into methylglyoxal and acetaldehyde, even the raw ingredients are Not Good™, for example:
- Potential harmful health effects of inhaling nicotine-free shisha-pen vapor: a chemical risk assessment of the main components propylene glycol and glycerol
- Inflammatory and Oxidative Responses Induced by Exposure to Commonly Used e-Cigarette Flavoring Chemicals and Flavored e-Liquids without Nicotine
So, the substrate itself can cause irritation, and flavorings (with cinnamaldehyde, the cinnamon flavoring, being one of the worst) can really mess with our body’s inflammatory and oxidative responses.
You can read more about this in our main feature on vaping, here:
Vaping: A Lot Of Hot Air? ← this also looks at which is worst, out of vaping and smoking (both are very bad, but can you guess which is relatively worst?)
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