In 2019, there were roughly 54 million Americans aged 65 and older. By 2050, there will be nearly 86 million, a population increase of nearly 60%. The future, according to the latest Senior Report by United Health Foundation, looks mixed.

On the plus side, geriatric services and providers are increasing, as are vaccination and exercise rates. On the negative side, drug-related deaths and frequency of mental distress are rising.

Earlier Screenings for Colorectal Cancer

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is now recommending that people start getting screened for colorectal cancer at age 45, five years sooner than the previous recommendation of 50. Although the disease kills more than 50,000 people in the U.S., with case numbers rising in younger adults, early screening can help make it among the most preventable cancers.

Body of Knowledge

Like bats, humans possess the ability to echolocate, which is the ability to use sound signals to determine the space and objects around them. The sense is much weaker in people, of course, but it has been discovered that with training, a blind human can learn to locate a pole six inches in diameter at a distance of at least three feet through echolocation.

Get Me That, Stat!

Hepatitis A and C infections in the U.S. are rising, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2015 and 2019, hepatitis A infections rose more than 1,300% and 63% for hepatitis C. Injection drug use was a major reason for both spikes.

Counts

Four million: The number of people who would gain health insurance if U.S. states that have yet to expand Medicaid did so under President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan

Source: Commonwealth Fund

Stories for the Waiting Room

For decades, scientists have been developing a hit list of genes believed to control the aging process throughout the animal kingdom, from worms to humans. In a recent study, however, researchers fed fruit flies antibiotics and then monitored the lifetime activity of hundreds of these presumed aging genes.

To their surprise, the antibiotics not only extended the lives of the flies but also dramatically changed the activity of many of these genes. The results suggest that only about 30% of the genes traditionally associated with aging set an animal's internal clock while the rest reflect the body's response to bacteria.

Doc Talk

Aphthous stomatitis: Mouth sores.

Phobia of the Week

Chromophobia: A fear of colors.

Never Say 'Diet'

The Major League Eating record for sweet corn is 57 ears in 12 minutes, held by Gideon Oji. That much corn might make some people fat, but Oji, a professional speed-eater, just became husky.

Best Medicine

Doctor: "How much physical activity do you get each day?"

Patient: "I usually sit on a computer for at least 12 hours a day."

Doctor: "That's not good for your health."

Patient: "You're telling me. I should sit on a chair."

Observation

"He that lives upon Hope dies farting." — American statesman, inventor and all-around wise guy Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) in "Poor Richard's Almanac" (1736 edition).

Medical History

This week in 1955, Ian Donald conducted his first tests using ultrasound in medical diagnoses. Donald was a researcher for boilermakers Babcock and Wilcox in Scotland. He used an industrial ultrasonic device to detect metal flaws and image tumors from human organs. The approach was based on his knowledge of sonar from his naval service during World War II. With other engineers, he developed practical applications for ultrasounds in the local hospital where he also worked, including the life-saving diagnosis of a huge, easily removable, ovarian cyst in a woman who had been diagnosed by others as having inoperable stomach cancer.

Perishable Publications

Many, if not most, published research papers have titles that defy comprehension. They use specialized jargon, complex words and opaque phrases like "nonlinear dynamics." Sometimes they don't, and yet they're still hard to figure out. Here's an actual title of actual published research study: "Termination of Intractable Hiccups With Digital Rectal Massage."

This was a single 1990 case study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. The authors probed no further.

Sum Body

The medical term is flatus, but throughout history and colloquially, it's been called passing gas, fizzling, floating an air biscuit, barking tree spiders, harmonic distortions, toot flutes and many, many more. Here are six things to know about something everybody does.

No. 1: The average person produces 0.6 to 1.8 liters of intestinal gas each day.

No. 2: There is no significant difference between the amount younger and older people fart.

No. 3: Healthy individuals pass gas between 12 and 25 times per day.

No. 4: Only 1% of gases expelled smell bad, such as hydrogen sulfide. The rest are odorless, such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

No. 5: People pass more gas when they are asleep.

No. 6: The word "fart" comes from the Old English word "feotan," which means "to break wind."

Curtain Calls

In 1992, a tourist named Greg Austin Gingrich was visiting the Grand Canyon. As a prank, he pretended to fall to his death from a cliff edge. He lost his footing and actually fell to his death.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: stevepb at Pixabay