CHICAGO — For years, researchers have documented the therapeutic benefits of exercise for patients with neurological and movement disorders. Now, a pilot study shows that boxing may ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

About six years ago, retired firefighter Catherine Renar was having difficulty walking and developed pain in her feet.

“I was trying going from doctor to doctor, trying to figure out what was going on and nobody could quite figure it out,” she said.

It was Parkinson’s disease. The diagnosis for Renar, a former athlete, was something that redefined who she was as a person.

“I have come to terms with I am not as physically strong as I once was.”

She took up boxing as part of a Parkinson’s Foundation-funded pilot study on its impact on patients.

The program was modified specifically for people with stage two Parkinson’s—when patients have symptoms like tremors, rigidity and difficulty walking.

“No one's going to hit you in the head, and we don't expect you to hit anybody else in the head. So, that is really the difference here. And although it's a basic difference, it's an important difference,” said Dr. Deborah Hall, director of the Parkinson's Disease Center of Excellence.

The boxers were then followed for three months.

“We found was that they not only had improvement in their motor symptoms, which has been shown before again in similar pilot studies, but also they had improvement in non-motor symptoms, especially depression,” said study co-author Dr. Abhimanyu Mahajan an assistant professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center.

They also found decreases in anxiety, sleep problems and pain.

And while there have been studies on the benefits of community-based exercise programs on motor symptoms for Parkinson’s patients, less has been done on the impacts on non-motor symptoms.

“Parkinson's is actually a very widespread disorder, and it can cause problems with movement and tremor, but it can also cause these non-motor symptoms, which can be just as impactful and debilitating for people,” said Roshni Patel, the study’s co-author, and a neurologist at the Jessie Brown VA Medical Center.

“Every time I left there I was in a better mood,” said Renar.

She says she felt a difference after each session not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

“You have to really concentrate on your moves. The change-up of movements stimulates the endorphins and the dopamine, which is what we're lacking in our brains. And so, by the end of it, you feel energized,” she said.

Researchers say they hope to do larger, longer-term studies that also target specific non-motor symptoms like apathy.

Alzheimer’s disease is a complicated condition, and experts are still trying to figure out why some people develop it while others don’t. Now, a new study suggests that what you eat can play a role in your risk of developing Alzheimer’s — and two diets in particular may help lower your chances of developing the devastating disease.The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, examined the brains of more than 580 people who donated their body to Rush University’s Memory and Aging Project, which has been collecting annual dietary information and doing annual check-ups on study participants since 2004. The study analyzed data on the dietary habits of participants from 2014 through 2020 or 2021, and compared that with the number of plaques and tangles that were in each person’s brain during an autopsy.Plaques and tangles, in case you’re not familiar with them, are key markers of Alzheimer’s disease. In a person who has Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid proteins clump together to form plaques that collect between neurons and interfere with cell function, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Tangles are an accumulation of a protein called tau that collect inside neurons and interfere with communication between neurons, the NIA says.The researchers discovered that people who had eating patterns that closely followed the MIND or Mediterranean diets had almost 40% lower chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease than others.The researchers specifically found that green leafy vegetables were the most beneficial, with brain tissue from people who ate the most leafy greens looking nearly 19 years younger in terms of plaque buildup than those who only had one or less servings of leafy greens a week.The study raises a lot of questions about diet’s role in Alzheimer’s disease, as well as why these eating plans in particular may be helpful in lowering your risk. Here’s the deal.How can diet impact a person’s Alzheimer’s risk?There are a lot of potential factors that can influence your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, including genetics and aging, the NIA says. As for diet, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that it’s possible that what you eat may influence your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The NIH also points to the MIND and Mediterranean diets as being especially helpful in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.“We and others previously found that healthy diets are associated with reduced dementia risk and better cognitive function in an aging population,” says lead study author Puja Agarwal, Ph.D., an assistant professor of internal medicine at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. What the latest study shows is that diet may be directly related to the formation of plaques and tangles in the brain, Agarwal says.“The exact mechanism of how diet and plaques and tangles relate needs further investigation and we speculated that there might be other mechanisms through which diet may impact the risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” she says.And, at a basic level, you are what you eat, says Amit Sachdev, M.D., M.S., medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University. “Diet is a metric for overall wellness,” he says. “In general. healthy body means healthy brain.”Why might the MIND and Mediterranean diets lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s?Again, this is still being explored. However, there are some theories.“One of the proposed mechanisms is that both the MIND and the Mediterranean are plant-based diets rich in various essential nutrients and bioactive compounds that are required to maintain brain health,” Agarwal says. “They also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which may help prevent amyloid burden and neuronal loss.”Dr. Sachdev agrees that the diets’ anti-inflammatory properties may play a role. “Some diets are better at controlling body-wide inflammation,” he says. “Unfortunately, the typical starch-heavy American diet is not a great choice.” However, he says, the Mediterranean and MIND diets “balance styles of food and portion size in a way that reduces overall burden of body inflammation.”Dr. Sachdev also notes that the Mediterranean diet in particular is linked to blood vessel health. “When we think of Mediterranean diet, we think of the health of blood vessels in the brain and reducing strokes. There is strong evidence for this,” he says. Research has also found that blood vessel issues are linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.Mediterranean diet basicsThe Mediterranean diet is based on the lifestyles of people who live in the Mediterranean region, which includes Greece, Italy, and Spain, explains Jessica Cording, R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. It focuses on high intakes of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, grains, fish, seafood, extra virgin olive oil, and some red wine. The diet also encourages followers to limit red meat, Cording says.“The Mediterranean diet is designed to be a lifestyle,” Cording says, noting that people on the diet are also encouraged to be active. Research has linked the Mediterranean diet with good heart health, optimal blood sugar levels, and a lowered risk of dementia.MIND diet basicsThe MIND diet (which stands for Mediterranean–DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is a form of the Mediterranean diet that focuses on plant-based foods linked to dementia prevention, according to the NIA. It specifically encourages people to eat from these food groups:Leafy green vegetables, at least six servings/weekOther vegetables, at least one serving/dayBerries, at least two servings/weekWhole grains, at least three servings/dayFish, one serving/weekPoultry, two servings/weekBeans, three servings/weekNuts, five servings/weekWine, one glass/dayOlive oil

CHICAGO — The record-shattering COVID surge has proven new variants like omicron can quickly throw the public health response off balance. It’s why scientists around the world are digging deep into the molecular structure of COVID-19 to stay ahead of what could come next.

Scientists inside a level 2 bio-safety laboratory at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago are hunting for coronavirus variants.

“It's really critical that we understand which variants are present now, which ones are starting to emerge,” said Dr. Mary Hayden, the Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rush’s Regional Innovative Public Health Laboratory (RIPHL).

Over the last year, genomics sequence testing labs like this have been popping up all around the U.S. and the world. Tens of thousands of COVID specimens are tested each day.

“Every time a patient is infected, you're getting so many new viral particles and each one of those is an opportunity for a mutation that could change the activity of the virus,” said Stefan Green, director of the Genomics and Microbiome Core Facility.

It’s why scientists are studying the virus’ genetic code.

“It's basically a long string of letters,” explained Hannah Barbian, a co-investigator and genomic virologist with RIPHL.

That chain of letters can reveal whether any changes or mutations have taken place. That can help determine whether the virus is becoming more dangerous or transmissible or potentially vaccine-resistant.

“That's why omicron was so concerning and also just the sheer number of mutations there were so many compared to what we had seen before,” said Barbian.

It was a genomic sequencing lab in South Africa that first spotted the omicron variant, identifying the more than 30 mutations on its spike protein.

“Making that information widely available to the world as quickly as they had, it gave the rest of us a little bit of an advantage to look out for this and to and to prepare,” said Hayden.

The CDC’s Nowcast modeling data shows just how quickly a new variant like omicron can emerge and spread.

On Nov. 24, the World Health Organization received reports of the new variant from South African scientists. The first case in the U.S. was confirmed a week later. By Jan. 1, it had eclipsed the delta variant in the U.S., making up 95 percent of new cases.

“There were a lot of predictions from very smart people who I respect greatly, who thought that delta was so efficient at transmission that we weren't going to see a big jump in mutation anymore in COVID that we'd see like minor alterations in delta,” said Hayden. “And clearly, that's not the case.”

In April, the Biden Administration pledged $1.7 billion to fight variants by scaling up genome sequencing work around the country.

The National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance Program, as it’s known, is essentially a genetic dragnet to catch the next potentially concerning variant.

“We need these global centers like ours because we don't know where the next novel strain will develop,” said Green.

There are about 68 state and local public health laboratories sequencing 15 to 20,0000 randomly selected coronavirus specimens each week – quadrupling the sampling that was being conducted just over a year ago.

“I think it's going to be really critical to sort of give the world a heads up that something new is coming in. And, you know, it's worth keeping a close eye on,” said Barbian.

Public health experts say investing in a global network of sequencing labs like this will not only help scientists stay ahead of new COVID variants but future pandemics as well.

CHICAGO — The conversation over whether children unvaccinated against COVID-19 should continue to wear face masks is hotly debated in medical circles.

But more than a year of masking, hand-washing, and social distancing has made one thing clearer: children are getting sick less often. Some are now asking whether these protocols should be used to fend off other illnesses, well beyond the pandemic.

For the last 14 months, preschoolers at Laurance Armour Day School in Chicago have been masking up.

“Hand hygiene and masking has been crucial for us from the beginning,” said the school's program director Maria Walker. “Disinfecting, making sure everything's clean. High visible areas are cleaned every half an hour.”

Following strict protocols here has kept the virus at bay.

“Social distancing as much as you can with children and masking is one of the biggest ones and proper handwashing,” said Walker.

This day care and school for the children of healthcare workers and frontline medical staff never closed. It was granted emergency licensing to stay open, even when classrooms around the country were shut down.

“Everybody at first was fearful the children, 2 years and up, can't wear a mask,” said Walker. “Our children adjusted so well. We did a couple of activities with masks, and we had no problems.”

More than a year later, something remarkable has happened.

“I mean, pinkeye--the simplest thing as pinkeye--we have not seen any cases here the last 14 months,” she said.

Illnesses that frequently sweep through daycares and schools--like hand, foot and mouth disease, strep throat and influenza--have been nearly wiped out here.

“It may be more beneficial just to reduce the number of viruses that are around altogether so that you have less illness. And that, again, will protect the children for multiple reasons, including against COVID, flu and other things that put children in a hospital,” said Dr. Latania Logan, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The CDC reported more than 65,000 cases of influenza nationwide during the flu season the year before the COVID-19 outbreak (2019-2020), compared to just over 1,000 in the flu season during the pandemic (2020-2021).

Over the last four years, on average, 175 influenza-related pediatric deaths were reported during flu season. During the pandemic, there was just one.

“We have known for a long time actually that wearing masks during those times prevents the transmission of these viruses in the health care setting,” said Logan. “What we're seeing here is the same thing in the community.”

The CDC has relaxed mask-wearing guidelines for kids, but because there is no COVID-19 vaccine authorized for children younger than 12, the American Academy of Pediatrics says unvaccinated children still need to wear masks in certain settings.

For now, masks at the Laurance Armour Day School will continue to be part of the protocol, which could mean fewer germs on the loose for the time being.

“They're given the protocols,” said Walker. “And right now, it's mask-wearing, and that's keeping everyone safe.”

The United States is ranked number one in the world for pandemic preparedness, according to the Global Health Security Index. Still, hospitals and medical professionals are in dire need of personal protective gear, ventilators and beds as a looming surge in patients draws near.

Some hospitals are as ready as possible, but it’s unclear if even the best can handle what’s to come.

In the nation’s third largest city, Rush University Medical Center is one hospital tower built to handle disaster.

“That includes infectious disease pandemics, like we're experiencing now. So, not just did we build the tower, but we also routinely drill on these different scenarios,” says Paul Casey, Rush’s chief medical officer.

Constructed after 9/11, Rush’s CEO, Dr. Omar Lateef, says the facility was designed to handle mass casualty incidents, and now, it could be a model for epidemic response.

“Many of the same features of the building make it a building structured to treat highly contagious infections,” says Lateef.

The hospital has the ability to quickly ramp up to 130 percent capacity. Intake and extra beds can be added within minutes and are already on deck.

“We are essentially extending our emergency department into our ground floor pavilion area,” says capital projects construction manager Angela Tosic.

The ambulance bay area has been transformed into a triage area. They are converting spaces into what are known as “negative pressure” units that help to prevent cross-contamination.

“We can take entire quadrants of the building flip switches and make them negative pressure,” explains Lateef. “We can take massive areas of the building that when we built them are nice hallways but secretly inside the columns are oxygen dispensers.”

The incident command center is at the heart of the operation.

“We closely monitor both the activity of coronavirus locally, as well as our testing of coronavirus,” says Casey. “And then, we look at what's the next step that we need to be prepared to take.”

Keeping staff safe and preventing the spread of the virus is a top priority. Employees are being asked to self-monitor and check their temperature at home twice a day.

Once at work, facial recognition scanners not only confirm their identities but also take real-time temperature readings to ensure they do not have fevers.

Should staffer’s exhibit symptoms, a drive through COVID-19 testing area is already up and running.

Patients exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms enter and are housed in a completely separate unit.

Rush says it will max out its bed capacity as much as possible but has to balance that with not running out of available staff.

“The number we have is when patients stop coming in we'll figure out a way to not turn people away,” says Lateef.