The Wall Street Journal (1/21, Marcus, Subscription Publication) reports that with people who have Down syndrome living longer lives, they are now more often battling Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are now seeking ways to address this issue. For instance, the National Institutes of Health recently launched a new initiative with the goal of finding biomarkers that may help detect and track the condition in individuals with Down syndrome. Meanwhile, homes are being built to provide specialized care to this population.

Related Links:

— “Down Syndrome Is Thought to Hold Clues to Alzheimer’s,” Amy Docker Marcus, Wall Street Journal, January 21, 2016.

HealthDay (1/21, Norton) reports that research suggests “very premature infants may have an increased risk of being diagnosed with autism by age 4, although the research questions just how high the odds are.” Investigators “found that just under 2 percent of tiny preemies were later diagnosed with autism between 2 and 4 years of age.” But, “that prevalence, the researchers say, is lower than what’s been seen in” previous research, “where figures have ranged from roughly 4 percent to 13 percent.” The findings were published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “More Evidence Preterm Birth Could Raise Autism Risk,” Amy Norton, HealthDay, January 21, 2016.

Medscape (1/20) reports that new research suggests that middle-aged women may be at a greater risk of developing eating disorders (EDs) around the time of menopause. Investigators at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill conducted “a comprehensive search of articles published in PubMed on midlife EDs, as well as the hormonal etiology of EDs and other psychiatric disorders, including depression.” The findings were published online in Maturitas.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (1/20, Lupkin) reports that research suggests that individuals “who continue to use cannabis after being diagnosed with psychosis may be more likely to relapse and have other adverse health outcomes than those who stop smoking pot.” Investigators found, “in a meta-analysis of observational data,” that “continued use of cannabis after onset of psychosis was associated with more relapses compared with both discontinued use…and never having used cannabis at all.”

Related Links:

— “Quitting Pot Tied to Fewer Relapses in Psychosis Patients,” Sydney Lupkin, MedPage Today, January 20, 2016.

HealthDay (1/20, Preidt) reports that research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests “receiving general anesthesia for surgery after age 40 doesn’t appear to raise the risk for mild thinking and memory problems later in life.” Investigators “followed more than 1,700 people in Minnesota, aged 70 to 89, who had normal mental function when the study began.” Approximately “85 percent of the participants had at least one surgery requiring general anesthesia after age 40.”

HCP Live (1/20, Colwell) reports that during the “follow-up period, 31% of the participants developed” mild cognitive impairment (MCI). But, the research “showed no association between MCI incidence and having any anesthesia vs no anesthesia or between the number of exposures or the total cumulative duration of exposure.”

Related Links:

— “Anesthesia After 40 Not Linked to Mental Decline Later, Study Finds,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, January 20, 2016.