Fox News (12/4) reported that according to a review published in The Cochrane Library, “exercise may prove effective at helping older people with dementia retain their ability to complete simple, everyday tasks,” such as getting up from a chair or walking. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after examining data from “eight studies that assessed the ability of exercise to improve cognitive function in seniors with dementia.”

Related Links:

— “Exercise may be an effective treatment for some dementia patients,Fox News, December 4, 2013.

USA Today (12/5, Weintraub) reports that according to a policy brief released Dec. 4 “from Alzheimer’s Disease International [ADI], a federation of advocacy and research organizations…135 million people worldwide will be living with dementia by 2050.” Driven primarily “by increases in China and sub-Saharan Africa,” the updated “prediction is 17% above previous ones.”

Related Links:

— “Estimate: 135 million worldwide with dementia by 2050, “Karen Weintraub, USA Today, December 5, 2013.

Medwire (12/4, Oswald) reports that according to a study published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, “children with asthma and eczema are significantly more likely to have psychotic experiences during adolescence.” After studying data on some 6,784 youngsters who were interviewed at age 13, researchers discovered that “14.2%, 15.2%, and 16.0% of those with eczema, asthma, and both conditions, respectively, had had psychotic experiences in the previous six months compared with 11.7% among those with no atopy.” Then, after adjusting for confounding factors, investigators found that “equated to a respective 33%, 37%, and 44% increased odds for psychotic experiences compared with those with no childhood atopy.”

Related Links:

— “Childhood asthma, eczema linked to adolescent psychotic experiences, “Kirsty Oswald, Medwire, December 4, 2013.

Bloomberg News (12/4, Lopatto) reports that according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately six percent of US adolescents “report using a psychiatric medicine, such as an antidepressant or attention-deficit treatment,” while “drug therapy for the conditions remains steady.” The report found that boys were more likely to receive stimulants for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, while girls had an increased likelihood of using antidepressants. In fact, medications for AD/HD and depression “were the most-common medicines used by the 12- to 19-year-olds surveyed from 2005 to 2010.”

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric Drug Therapy Among U.S. Teens Steady at 6%, “Elizabeth Lopatto, Bloomberg News, December 3, 2013.

Medscape (12/3, Brooks) reports that according to a study published online Dec. 2 in the journal Pediatrics, “low birth weight, post-term pregnancy, low Apgar scores, and fetal distress were not factors for” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), “irrespective of sex.” Researchers arrived at that conclusion after studying data on 12,291 kids and teens with AD/HD and 30,071 youngsters without AD/HD who served as controls. The study did reveal, however, “an elevated risk for AD/HD in both boys and girls when mothers had a urinary tract infection during pregnancy…or preeclampsia.”