SUBJ: initial screening for colorectal cancer at age 45

SUBtitle: Start low, go slow: drug dosage in the elderly

Why did the banana go to the hairdresser? Because it had split ends.

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SHORT NOTES:

1.. Individuals should get an initial screening for colorectal cancer at age 45.

2..‘Start low, go slow’: The smart, safe approach to drug dosage in the elderly.

3..GLP-1 promotes proliferation of the type of stem cells.

4..Cells that can grow replacement organs.

5.. 4-minute heart arteries test. 94% correct in predicting blockages.

6..An implantable living pancreas.

7..Why cancer spreads to the brain.

8..CAR-T cancer therapy to cure brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

9..Treating resistant OCD-deep brain stimulation on a patient.

10..Exercises for hospital Fitness program early after surgery while in the hospital.

11..Aging study aged 65+ -higher protein intake aids lower risks of falls, etc.

12..Multiple grip-strength indicators linked with successful aging.

13..Stress linked to skin inflammation.

LONG NOTES:

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its guidelines in 2021 to say that individuals should get an initial screening for colorectal cancer at age 45, instead of waiting until they’re 50. Screening matters so much because colorectal cancer, which is projected to be diagnosed in 158,850 people in the U.S. in 2026, often doesn’t cause symptoms in the early stages.

 

‘Start low, go slow’: The smart, safe approach to drug dosage in the elderly. Lower starting doses with cautious titration reduce toxicity without sacrificing effectiveness.

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/start-low-go-slow-the-smart-safe-approach-to-drug-dosage-in-the-elderly/

 

Should you take GLP-1 drugs for longevity?  The evidence is tantalising. But that is not the same as proof.  Studies of how people age have identified a dozen or so distinct (though interlinked) “hallmarks” of the process.  Top of the list is “inflammaging”, the chronic rise in low-level inflammation which people experience as they get older. GLP-1 RAs seem to inhibit this in several ways., including stopping the formation of protein complexes that trigger inflammatory responses. They also promote the recycling of failing cellular machinery: worn-out mitochondria (a cell’s power packs) and misfolded proteins. This keeps cells ticking over for longer. They help, too, to modulate biochemical pathways that sense the presence of nutrients and orchestrate appropriate responses—the breakdown of which is yet another hallmark of ageing. And they promote proliferation of the type of stem cells that repopulate tissues with new, functional cells.

Cells that can grow replacement organs. Israel’s Renewal Bio, a startup spun out of Israel’s Weizmann Institute, is turning skin cells into stem cells that can be grown into replacement organs for cancer patients or to cure rare orphan diseases. They simulate embryonic development – and even employ a womb-like incubator.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/f2op09yes   https://www.renewal.bio/

4-minute heart arteries test. (TY Irene) Israel’s AccuLine (see here previously) conducted a trial of its CORA non-invasive coronary artery test on 305 heart patients. It was 94% correct in predicting blockages and 99% correct in giving the all-clear. Easier, faster, cheaper or more accurate than angiographs, imaging or stress tests.
https://sharingfromisrael.substack.com/p/israeli-startup-acculine-heart-disease-detection-cora

Living pancreas is possible. Technion and top US university researchers have conducted lab trials of an implantable ‘living pancreas’. It senses glucose, produces insulin, while its crystalline shield prevents immune system rejection. It paves the way for self-regulating, long-term diabetes treatment without daily injections.
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/hyfay5gdwe

Why cancer spreads to the brain. A Tel Aviv University-led international team, has deciphered a mechanism that enables breast cancer to metastasize to the brain. They found an anomaly in chromosome 17 and faulty p53 (“genome guardian”) genes increased the risk of cancer spread. Inhibiting the SCD1 enzyme greatly lowered it.
https://english.tau.ac.il/research/breast-cancer-mechanism

Blood cancer treatment for brain diseases. (TY Hazel) Weizmann scientists are now developing Israeli-invented CAR-T cancer therapy (see here previously) to cure brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The team of Israeli and American scientists have modified T cells to recognize and respond to amyloid proteins in the brain.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-world-first-israeli-researchers-use-blood-cancer-treatment-for-alzheimers-in-mice/  https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2530977123

Treating resistant OCD. Surgeons at Rambam Medical Center used deep brain stimulation on a patient with severe Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder that failed to respond to medication or psychotherapy. Four electrodes were implanted in two separate regions of the brain, handling anxiety, emotional regulation, & impulse control.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/rambam-medical-center-finds-solution-for-treatment-resistant-ocd/

Healthcare Providers’ Perception of Implementing the Bedside Exercises for Hospital Fitness (BE-FIT) Patient-Led Rehabilitation Program for Older Patients: A Qualitative Descriptive Study. Patients over the age of 65 often have multiple health conditions that put them at high risk for complications after surgery, such as longer stays in the hospital and loss of the ability to take care of themselves when released from the hospital. Starting to exercise early after surgery has been shown to lessen complications. The Bedside Exercises for hospital Fitness (BE FIT) program supports exercises early after surgery while in the hospital. Its three exercise levels: bed-based, chair-based, and standing-based allow for various patient strengths and post-surgical abilities.
Human diet-and-function signal: A new open-access npj Aging study in 532 adults aged 65+ reports that higher protein intake was associated with lower risks of falls, mobility limitation, ADL disability, frailty, walking-speed decline, and mortality over six years; protein intake also mediated part of the benefit of healthier dietary patterns.

Human “successful aging” signal: A new Scientific Reports paper in the CHARLS cohort links multiple grip-strength indicators with successful aging in middle-aged and older adults, reinforcing physical function as a serious aging metric.

 

Science 16 Mar 2026, pg 1208 – Stress linked to skin inflammation.  Worsens atopic dermatitis flare-ups.