Study of world's oldest person reveals key to ageing well
They found that Maria Branyas Morera Morera's cells functioned as if they were about 17 years younger than her actual age, and her gut microbiome resembled that of a child, rich in anti-inflammatory bacteria.
The American-Catalan Caucasian woman's genome likely contained variations linked to a stronger immune system, reduced cancer risk, and heart disease protection, scientists say.
Ms Morera's lifestyle included avoiding alcohol and smoking, going on daily walks, and enjoying a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and yoghurt.
The study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, also found that Ms Morera had low levels of VLDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which are linked to heart disease.
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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning over common pain medicine after it triggered hallucinations and patient was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia
Doctors have sounded the alarm over a common daily pain drug amid fears it could trigger hallucinations in some patients. The medicine—known as Norco—is an opioid that interacts with parts of the brain that react to pain, helping to alleviate it. It is also prescribed occasionally to treat coughing and diarrhoea. Yet, medics have now discovered the drug may cause auditory and visual hallucinations when taken for prolonged period of time. Doctors labelled it a 'underreported' and 'misattributed' phenomenon, given it has only been documented in few medical reports. Their warning comes on the back of one American man who was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia after developing hallucinations while taking the drug. Writing in the journal Cureus, medics at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Centre, said the 67-year-old had reported auditory and visual hallucinations two years earlier, coinciding with beginning Norco for chronic back pain. It was only after the unidentified man from Shreveport in Louisiana, decided to stop taking the drug when he had increased his dose and the hallucinations suddenly became 'more vivid', that they stopped completely. The patient was suffering a range of serious medical conditions including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, chronic back pain and hepatitis C. He was also a regular cigarette smoker and confessed to occasionally taking cannabis once or twice a month. He had no family history of mental health issues or dementia. But at the age of 63 he was hospitalised for a seizure and roughly three weeks later began experiencing visual hallucinations, doctors said. He reported seeing people trying to attack him and animals that weren't present and he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Prescribed an antipsychotic medication, Quetiapine, this reduced his symptoms and aided his sleep. After two years on the drug, his dosage was lowered. During this time he began taking Norco in an effort to treat his chronic back pain. However, he soon began experiencing visual hallucinations again including seeing worms crawling across the roof of his house and reported feeling like someone was following him. After his back pain worsened, he also increased his intake of Norco to four tablets a day—still within the prescribed range. He sought help from a psychiatry clinic but also began to notice that the more Norco he took, the more vivid and intense the hallucinations became. Eventually, he decided to stop taking the drug and discovered his hallucinations also ended. 'The withdrawal of his medication settled his symptoms, and no further episodes of hallucinations or paranoia have presented since,' doctors wrote. 'While one of the common symptoms associated with schizophrenia is hallucinations, that alone does not mean one has schizophrenia. 'In the case of our patient, his hallucinations ceased when he stopped taking Norco.' The medics also noted that his first experience of hallucinations followed a seizure. 'Patients suffer a psychotic outbreak after undergoing a seizure cluster lasting several days,' they wrote. The state of mental disturbance that comes on after a seizure may leave the patient with confusion, dementia, hallucinations, delusions, and irritability,' Recreational cannabis also 'rarely induces full-blown psychosis', they added. Schizophrenia is also typically a condition that is diagnosed in early adulthood. 'A sudden onset of hallucinations and paranoia in a man in his mid-60s, especially without a family history of mental illness, should raise suspicion about alternative causes,' they concluded. Opioids can provide highly effective pain relief when used in the short-term. However, when used over longer periods they can lead to dependence, cause physical and mental health issues, or even death from accidental overdoses or heart conditions resulting from side effects. Health officials have long advised that Norco, which contains the substances hydrocodone and acetaminophen, should not be taken for prolonged periods of time. According to the US medicines regulator, the Food and Drugs Administration, Norco 'exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death'. High-dose opioids have also been reported to more likely result in 'neurotoxic effects including hallucinations', studies have suggested. But last year, analysis showed that NHS spending on addictive opioid painkillers had doubled since the pandemic. Research also showed that longer waiting times for routine care, such as hip and knee replacements, triggered by Covid lockdowns caused a 40 per cent increase in prescriptions for highly addictive opioids. Experts warned that many were reliant on the powerful drugs to get by, leaving them at risk of developing an addiction that continues even after their operation. Symptoms of schizophrenia usually begin between ages 16 and 30. They include hallucinations, muddled thoughts and speech and wanting to avoid people. Figures suggest around 1 per cent of the world population suffers from the condition, including around 685,000 in the UK and two million in the US. The cause of schizophrenia is not understood and it is believed to be a mix of genetics, abnormalities in brain chemistry and/or possible viral infections and immune disorders.
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- The Guardian
US pediatric organization diverges from CDC in Covid-19 vaccine advisory for children
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is urging that children as young as six months and up to 23 months old receive the Covid-19 vaccine – a position that diverges from the current federal guidance given by the Trump administration's health agencies. The AAP released its updated childhood immunization schedule, which outlines recommendations for vaccines against Covid-19, influenza and RSV for individuals under 18. 'It differs from recent recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices of the CDC, which was overhauled this year and replaced with individuals who have a history of spreading vaccine misinformation,' the organization said in a statement. The announcement follows a decision from health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr in late May to halt CDC recommendations for healthy children to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Previously, the CDC advised vaccination for everyone six months and older with the latest available dose. The CDC currently advises that Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six months through 17 years should be determined through 'shared clinical decision-making'. The AAP recommends vaccination for anyone under 18 who is at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, resides in a longterm care or congregate living facility, has not previously been vaccinated, or shares a household with someone at elevated risk. 'The academy has been making pediatric immunization recommendations since the 1930s, that has not changed,' Dr Susan Kressly, president of the AAP, told ABC News. 'But what has changed is that this year, we're doing it in the environment of misinformation, which makes it more important than ever that we provide clear and confident guidance, because the majority of American families really depend on us for this guidance.' AAP says infants and toddlers between six and 23 months face the greatest risk for severe outcomes from Covid-19 and vaccination offers protection against serious illness. Even as medical groups continue to disagree with federal agencies, insurers often base coverage on guidelines from the CDC's advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP). If ACIP declines to endorse a vaccine, families may have to pay out of pocket, and the shot may not be provided through the federally funded Vaccines for Children program. Kennedy's restructured vaccine panel has maintained support for annual flu shots but voted to limit them to single-dose formulations without the preservative thimerosal. The AAP, however, maintains that the preservative poses no risk and said physicians should administer any approved flu vaccine suitable for the patient.
The Guardian
21 hours ago
- The Guardian
US pediatric organization diverges from CDC in Covid-19 vaccine advisory for children
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is urging that children as young as six months and up to 23 months old receive the Covid-19 vaccine – a position that diverges from the current federal guidance given by the Trump administration's health agencies. The AAP released its updated childhood immunization schedule, which outlines recommendations for vaccines against Covid-19, influenza and RSV for individuals under 18. 'It differs from recent recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices of the CDC, which was overhauled this year and replaced with individuals who have a history of spreading vaccine misinformation,' the organization said in a statement. The announcement follows a decision from health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr in late May to halt CDC recommendations for healthy children to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Previously, the CDC advised vaccination for everyone six months and older with the latest available dose. The CDC currently advises that Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six months through 17 years should be determined through 'shared clinical decision-making'. The AAP recommends vaccination for anyone under 18 who is at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, resides in a longterm care or congregate living facility, has not previously been vaccinated, or shares a household with someone at elevated risk. 'The academy has been making pediatric immunization recommendations since the 1930s, that has not changed,' Dr Susan Kressly, president of the AAP, told ABC News. 'But what has changed is that this year, we're doing it in the environment of misinformation, which makes it more important than ever that we provide clear and confident guidance, because the majority of American families really depend on us for this guidance.' AAP says infants and toddlers between six and 23 months face the greatest risk for severe outcomes from Covid-19 and vaccination offers protection against serious illness. Even as medical groups continue to disagree with federal agencies, insurers often base coverage on guidelines from the CDC's advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP). If ACIP declines to endorse a vaccine, families may have to pay out of pocket, and the shot may not be provided through the federally funded Vaccines for Children program. Kennedy's restructured vaccine panel has maintained support for annual flu shots but voted to limit them to single-dose formulations without the preservative thimerosal. The AAP, however, maintains that the preservative poses no risk and said physicians should administer any approved flu vaccine suitable for the patient.
