With the multitude of skin cancer cases reported by the National Cancer Institute, sun damage to human skin could be reaching epidemic proportions. Reviva Skin Care Labs has stressed that a strong anti-oxidant cream formulated for absorption deeper than the sunscreen cream or lotion, and applied under the sunscreen, can offer an important extra level of protection against sun damage.

Sunscreens are important but they work only on the surface. Some degree of free-radical ultra-violet rays (particularly UV-A,the aging rays) often get through. A strong anti-oxidant cream could “zap” free radicals that get through the sunscreen.

Reviva Labs offers two such antioxidant creams formulated for deeper absorption.

• Ultra C Cream features a unique vitamin C component from cabbage juice (ascorbigen) in addition to standard vitamin C Ultra C’s usual usage is under make-up.
• Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin C Ester & DMAE Cream firms skin as it fights future skin damage with three unique ingredients in a soy liposome for deep penetration and time-release action.

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According to a new study from researchers at Duke University, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures performed in older patients with osteoarthritis of the knee result in long-term, significant improvement of physical functioning and motor skills when compared to patients who do not receive TKA.

Published in the July 2009 issue of Medical Care, the study examined physical functioning and gauged outcomes in a national sample of Americans aged 65 and older for up to four years-a longer period than previous TKA studies. Relative to the untreated comparison group, recipients of total knee replacements experienced significant improvement in function, including a 17.5% increase in mobility, a 39.3% improvement in motor skills; and a 46.9% decrease in limitations in activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing oneself.

The number of total knee replacements performed in the United States has increased dramatically since 1990; currently 581,000 such procedures are performed every year. This number is expected to increase markedly as Baby Boomers age.

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Men are twice as likely as women to not protect their skin in the sun, despite more men dying from melanoma than women, according to research due to be released at the British Association of Dermatologists annual conference in Glasgow next month.

The shocking survey of 1213 adults formed part of the Northern Ireland Omnibus Survey published in September 2008, a regular survey of the lifestyle and views of the people of Northern Ireland*.

It also found that people in their teens and early twenties are less likely than any other age group to use sun protection, despite increasing numbers of melanoma being diagnosed in this age group.

One in ten people surveyed (10%) take no protective measures at all against sun exposure (compared to 8% in 2000).

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Depression in older adults too often goes unrecognized and untreated, resulting in untold misery, worsening of medical illness, and early death. A new study has identified one important remedy: Adding a trained depression care manager to primary care practices can increase the number of patients receiving treatment, lead to a higher remission rate of depression, and reduce suicidal thoughts.

The two-year outcomes of the multicenter Prevention of Suicide in Primary Care Elderly: Collaborative Trial (PROSPECT) study are published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Lead author of the study is Dr. George S. Alexopoulos, director of the Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.

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Congress is turning its’ attention to long-term care insurance producing information about how such insurance may help consumers make informed decisions for their long-term care needs.

U.S. News & World Report reports on LTCI, which “is not health insurance but protection against progressive deterioration that renders people incapable of caring for themselves physically or mentally.” The magazine notes that “the cost of dealing with these conditions can be staggering, depleting life savings and forcing people into poverty” and describes this type of insurance as “an expensive and complicated product… sold by a shrinking number of financially challenged insurers and subject to differing state rules that aren’t always effectively enforced.”

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