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WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A cream medication that eases skin inflammation might offer a safer treatment option for people with psoriasis, a new clinical trial suggests. Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that affects more than 8 million Americans, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. The disease arises from an abnormal immune response that triggers rapid turnover of skin cells, causing them to pile up on the skin's surface. Most people have a form called plaque psoriasis, where they periodically develop red, scaly patches on the skin that can be itchy and painful. The new study tested an experimental cream medication that may bypass the side effects of current topical treatments for psoriasis. The cream contains a drug called roflumilast, which...

WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Dirty air is the curse of urban living, and studies have shown that breathing it in harms the brains of men and women alike. But a new study suggests that diet can help reverse the damage: Older women who regularly ate fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids seemed to better withstand the neurological effects of smog. "Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to fight inflammation and maintain brain structure in aging brains," explained study author Dr. Ka He, of Columbia University in New York City. "They have also been found to reduce brain damage caused by neurotoxins like lead and mercury. So we explored if omega-3 fatty acids have a protective effect against another neurotoxin, the fine particulate matter found in air pollution." To do so, He's...

WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The older people get, the less likely they are to share memories, researchers say. And when they do reminisce, older folks don't offer as much detail as younger adults do, new study findings show. Over four days, University of Arizona researchers used a smartphone app to record random bits of conversations as 102 mentally healthy 65- to 90-year-olds went about their daily lives. Thirty-second snippets were recorded every six to 18 minutes. Participants didn't know when they were being recorded. The recordings were analyzed in order to determine how often participants shared stories about their life experiences. "We found that the older individuals in our study shared fewer memories," said Aubrey Wank, a graduate student in psychology...

WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For New York lawyer Roseann Schuyler, her family's pets -- a dog (Jackie), two cats (Hudson and Winter) and a fish (Atticus fish) -- eased the long, lonely days of lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic this spring. "Those early days were so surreal. There was not a lot to do other than to sit in the house and worry," Schuyler said. "The fact that we had pets -- Jackie in particular -- gave those days a structure. Jackie still had to go out, and we would take really long walks. Those walks were good for all of us. We were away from the news and our screens." Schuyler said that during "normal" times, she and her husband often have long days at their private law practice, and their two kids are busy with school. "The one silver lining to...