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Healthwatch
Can A Routine Vaccine Prevent Dementia?
~5.0 mins read
Shingles vaccination may come with unexpected benefits.
A colorful jigsaw puzzle assembled as a head with several pieces flying away where the brain would be; concept is dementia
It's fairly common for a medical treatment to cause side effects: think headache, upset stomach, sleepiness, and occasionally more severe side effects. Far more rarely, a side effect provides an unexpected benefit. This might be the case for the shingles vaccine.
Shingles is a painful, blistering skin rash caused by the varicella zoster virus responsible for chickenpox. The virus lies dormant in nerve tissue and can reactivate to cause shingles in anyone who has had chickenpox in the past. A vaccine to prevent shingles is recommended for adults ages 50 and older, and for people 19 and older who have an impaired immune system.
While we know the shingles vaccine is effective at preventing shingles, evidence is mounting that it might also reduce the risk of dementia. Yes, a vaccination to prevent shingles may lessen your risk of dementia.

Dementia is on the rise

Dementia is a devastating condition for those affected and their families. Currently, an estimated nine million people in the US have dementia. The number is expected to double by 2060, primarily because of the aging population. In most cases, no highly effective treatments are available. An effective preventive measure could have an enormous impact, especially if it's safe, inexpensive, and already available.

Can shingles vaccination prevent dementia?

Some (though not all) studies have found that having shingles increases your risk of dementia in the future. And that's led researchers to explore the possibility that preventing shingles through vaccination might reduce dementia risk.
Several studies suggest this is true. For example:
  • A study of more than 300,000 adults found that among those 70 and older, dementia was less common among those who had received shingles vaccination than among those who did not.
  • A study of more than 200,000 older adults compared rates of dementia between those receiving a newer (recombinant) shingles vaccine and those who had an older (live) vaccine that is no longer approved in the US. Researchers found that the risk of dementia was lower six years after receiving either vaccine. But the effect was larger for the newer vaccine: those given the recombinant vaccine spent more time living dementia-free (164 days longer) compared with those given the older vaccine.
  • What is a natural experiment?

    Perhaps the best evidence suggesting that shingles vaccination prevents dementia comes from a natural experiment recently published in the journal Nature.
    A natural experiment takes advantage of real-world circumstances by dividing people into an exposed group and an unexposed group and then comparing specific outcomes.
  • Examples of exposures might be an illness (like the COVID pandemic), a policy (like a smoking ban in one state), or a vaccination (like the shingles vaccine).
  • Outcomes might include virtual versus in-person learning during the pandemic, smoking-related illnesses in a state with a smoking ban compared to a state without that ban, or dementia rates among people who did or didn't receive a vaccine.
  • Natural experiment studies bypass the challenges of having to recruit hundreds or thousands of study subjects who might differ from one another in important ways, or who might alter their behavior because they know they're in a study. The results can be even more valuable than — and as credible as — standard randomized trials.

    What did this natural experiment study look at?

    In 2013, Wales made the shingles vaccination available to individuals based on their date of birth: anyone born after September 2, 1933, was eligible, while anyone born before that date was not. Researchers took this opportunity to analyze health records of nearly 300,000 people: half were two weeks older than the cutoff date and half were two weeks younger. The study looked at whether people developed dementia over a seven-year period.
    Researchers found that compared to those who didn't get the shingles vaccination, those who received it
  • developed shingles less often
  • were 3.5% less likely to develop dementia over seven years (a 20% reduction)
  • were more likely to be protected from dementia if female.
  • A study of this type cannot prove that shingles vaccination prevents dementia. But along with the studies cited above, there's a strong suggestion that it does. We'll need additional studies to confirm the benefit. We also want to understand other details of the vaccine's effect, such as whether protection applies more to some types of dementia (such as Alzheimer's disease) than others, and whether the effect of vaccination changes over time.

    Why might the shingles vaccine prevent dementia?

    With any unexpected finding in science, it's a good idea to ask whether there is a reasonable explanation behind it. Scientists call this biologic plausibility. In general, the more plausible a result is, the more likely it is to hold up in later research.
    In this case, several lines of reasoning explain how a shingles vaccine might reduce the risk of dementia, including:
  • Reduced inflammation: Preventing shingles may prevent harmful inflammation in the body, especially in the nervous system.
  • Impact on immune function: Vaccination might alter immune function in a way that protects against dementia.
  • Reducing stroke risk: Some evidence shows that shingles may increase the risk of stroke. A stroke can contribute to or cause dementia, so perhaps vaccination leads to less dementia by reducing shingles-related strokes.
  • The observation that women had more protection from dementia than men after shingles vaccination is unexplained. It's possible that the immune response to vaccination is different in women, or that dementia develops differently in women compared with men.

    The bottom line

    All of us can take steps to lower dementia risk, mostly through healthy behaviors such as being active regularly and choosing a healthy diet. Evidence is mounting that shingles vaccination should be added to the list. It's a story worth following. Future studies of the shingles vaccine could even provide insights into how dementia develops, and how to better prevent and treat it.
    Until then, get your shingles vaccination if you're eligible for it. It can prevent painful episodes of shingles — and may do much more.

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    Investopedia
    How American Airlines Is Fighting 'Gate Lice' In The Boarding Process
    ~2.3 mins read
    Hate what a mess boarding an airplane can be? So do airlines.
    Many flights see dozens of passengers line up to board well before they should in order to snag limited overhead bin space. Some travelers try to scam their way onto flights early with wheelchairs. All told, the process is a source of stress for just about everyone involved at a time when most people likely just want to sit down and take off—which is why airlines are continually trying to refine things.
    American Airlines (AAL) is the latest.
    American is changing a procedure that may help eliminate "gate lice." For those of you unfamiliar with the term, "gate lice" is a pejorative used to describe people who hover around boarding gates well before it's time for their group to board.
    "Generally you'll find more 'gate lice' ... heading to or back from leisure destinations, and traveling at peak leisure times," said Gary Leff, proprietor of the travel blog . "Sundays in Orlando, for instance!"
    American Airlines is testing a system at three airports—Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico; Tucson International Airport in Arizona; and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport—that will produce a sound to alert gate agents when people try to board before their group is called.
    "We are in the early phase of testing new technology used during the boarding process," American Airlines said in a statement to . "The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team."
    Southwest Airlines (LUV), meanwhile, this summer announced it would be changing an open seating policy that has been in place for more than half a century, moving to assigned seats more in line with most of the industry.
    In doing so, it may inadvertently address another boarding wrinkle sometimes called the "Jetbridge Jesus" phenomenon. To get an early start on open seating, some Southwest passengers request wheelchairs so they can board early and get desirable seats. Some Southwest flights see 20 or more passengers need wheelchairs to board, but only a few who need them to deplane, reported.
    Behold, the healing powers of flying! ("Preboarding for those with disabilities is protected by DOT regulations," a Southwest spokesperson told . "It's not our place to pontificate on those disabilities.") Assigning seats might not completely eliminate some travelers' desire to board early, but it could reduce the tension that lead some to seek an edge.
    Whatever Southwest's intention when it announced the change—it had been under pressure for months from activist Elliott Investment Management to shake up the company—passengers will be thrilled that one of their annoyances could go away.
    Among other airlines adjusting their seating policies, United Airlines (UAL) earlier this year launched a feature that would alert travelers if seats they preferred on crowded flights became available after they booked their tickets, according to reports, and last year launched a "window-to-aisle" boarding process it says is intended to speed the process.
    Delta (DAL), meanwhile, earlier this year returned to boarding by zone numbers rather than by named groups, reportedly a bid for more simplicity.
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    Investopedia
    S&P 500 Gains And Losses Today: Intel Dives After Announcing Layoffs To Cut Costs
    ~1.7 mins read
    Major U.S. equities indexes tumbled Friday following the release of the latest U.S. labor market report, which revealed fewer-than-expected job additions in July and a jump in the unemployment rate to its highest level since October 2021.
    The S&P 500 lost 1.8% in the week's final trading session. The Nasdaq plunged 2.4%, while the Dow closed the day 1.5% lower. 
    Intel (INTC) shares posted the sharpest drop of any S&P 500 constituent, plummeting 26.1% after the chipmaker reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss and announced layoffs to cut costs. The semiconductor giant said gross margin headwinds related to the development of its artificial intelligence (AI) computer product hurt its results.
    The downdraft in the semiconductor industry was not confined to Intel stock. Shares of Microchip Technology (MCHP) sank 10.6% after the company issued a lackluster sales and profit forecast for the current quarter. The chipmaker cited macroeconomic headwinds, particularly softness in U.S. and European industrial and automotive markets, for the unfavorable outlook.
    Prudential Financial (PRU) shares fell 10% following mixed second-quarter financial results. Although total revenue slightly topped consensus forecasts, the insurer's adjusted operating income fell short of estimates. A year-over-year decline in the firm's international operating income dragged down its performance in the quarter, reflecting the impact of lower net investment spreads and depressed underwriting results.
    Clorox (CLX) shares notched the strongest gains in the S&P 500, jumping 7.4% after the provider of consumer and professional cleaning products posted better-than-expected quarterly profits. The implementation of a streamlined operating model focused on cost reductions helped the company achieve gross margin expansion and drive earnings growth. Clorox also announced an agreement to sell its Better Health Vitamins business and touted its progress on recovering from a cyberattack that affected the company last year.
    Shares of internet domain provider GoDaddy (GDDY) gained 7% after the company boosted its full-year revenue guidance. The company highlighted the progress of GoDaddy Airo, an AI-powered tool included with new domain purchases that can help customers with a variety of functions, including the creation of social media ads and email marketing campaigns.
    Shares of MarketAxess Holdings (MKTX), which operates an electronic trading platform for fixed-income securities, added 6.1% ahead of the company's second-quarter earnings report on Tuesday. In its most recent report, the firm reported better-than-expected profits, driven by record commission revenue from emerging markets, Eurobonds, and municipal bonds.
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    Worldnews
    US Supreme Court Orders Temporary Halt To Deportations Under Antique Law
    ~2.8 mins read
    Block on removal of migrants without due process sets up the possibility of another challenge by the Trump administration to the power of the courts. The United States Supreme Court has ordered a temporary halt on the deportation of two Venezuelan men using the antique wartime law invoked previously by the administration of President Donald Trump to send hundreds of people to El Salvador. The country’s top court issued the order to pause the deportation of the men in immigration custody early on Saturday, after their lawyers filed an urgent petition citing an imminent risk of removal without due process. The ruling sets up the possibility of another challenge by the Trump administration to the power of the courts, and even a full-blown constitutional crisis. “The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court,” the justices wrote in an unsigned order. Two of the nine justices on the Supreme Court, conservatives Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, dissented from the decision. The court issued the ruling following an emergency appeal filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), contending that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart removals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Trump’s use of the wartime legislation, last used during World War II, to deport alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang by claiming they are “conducting irregular warfare” in the US has prompted a vigorous debate over the constitution’s ability to rein in executive power. The Supreme Court had said in April that deportations could proceed only if those about to be removed had a chance to argue their case in court and were given “a reasonable time” to contest their pending removals. “We are deeply relieved that the Court has temporarily blocked the removals. These individuals were in imminent danger of spending the rest of their lives in a brutal Salvadoran prison without ever having had any due process,” ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said in an email to The Associated Press. The White House has not yet commented on the ruling. Two federal judges had refused to intervene to stop the latest deportation proceedings, and the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has yet to act, prompting the ACLU to file a petition directly with the Supreme Court. According to the ACLU, some of the men had already been loaded onto buses and were told they were to be deported. During a hearing on Friday, a government lawyer had said he was unaware of plans by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deport the men that day, but there could be deportations on Saturday. “I’ve spoken with DHS. They are not aware of any current plans for flights tomorrow, but I have also been told to say they reserve the right to remove people tomorrow,” Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign told a district court in a separate but related case. In March, the Trump administration deported 238 alleged Venezuelan gang members and 23 members of a Salvadoran gang to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. The deportations took place despite a US federal judge granting a temporary suspension of the expulsions. Among those deported was Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a resident of the US State of Maryland, who had secured a protection order preventing the process from going ahead. The Trump administration later acknowledged that it had wrongly deported Garcia, but has refused to abide by a separate Supreme Court order to return him to the US. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who met with Garcia in El Salvador on Thursday, said as he returned to the US that it’s “very clear that the president” is “blatantly, flagrantly … defying the order from the Supreme Court”. “This case is not only about one man, as important as that is. It is about protecting fundamental freedoms and the fundamental principle in the constitution for due process that protects everybody who resides in America,” Van Hollen said. Follow Al Jazeera English:...
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