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Being in shape may be as important to a long life as not smoking, according to an interesting new study of the links between fitness and mortality. The study also explores whether there is any ceiling to the benefits of fitness — whether, in essence, you can exercise too much. The answer, it found, is a reassuring no. (Reynolds, 10/31)

While common diabetes medication can help lower blood sugar levels, it may also be able to protect against blindness, according to a new report. Researchers from health institutions in Taiwan conducted a study, recently presented at an American Academy of Ophthalmology conference, to determine the relationship between metformin, a common diabetes medication, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that can cause vision loss. (Parker, 10/31)

The number of homeless veterans declined in 2018 in response to long-established federal efforts and a push by dozens of local communities, according to the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs. Nationwide, the number of homeless veterans fell to approximately 38,000, according to an overall count of the homeless taken in January. That represented a 5.3% decline since last year and about half the 73,367 veterans tallied in 2009. Dozens of towns, cities and states have declared an end to vet homelessness in their communities. (Kesling, 11/1)

According to interviews with doctors, government officials and pharmaceutical companies, few Alzheimer's studies include medical interpreters to help patients complete the specialized neuropsychological testing component required. One of the challenges is that clinicians and researchers have strongly cautioned against using interpreters to facilitate neuropsychological testing based on clinical experiences, observations and anecdotal evidence that they affect outcomes, according to a study published in Clinical Neuropsychology. (Eibelman, 10/31)

For decades, medical education has followed a timeworn path — heaps of book learning and lectures, then clinical rotations exposing students to patients. But as technology explodes into patient care (surgeons can preview operations using virtual 3-D images built from a patient’s scans), the gap between medical education and real-world care has “become a chasm,” said Marc Triola, director of N.Y.U. Langone’s Institute for Innovations in Medical Education, created in 2013 to address the issue. (Pappano, 10/31)

Mr. Mzee, now 33, is one of three men who lost the use of their legs years ago after severe spinal injuries, but who now are able to walk without any supports, if briefly and awkwardly, with the help of a pacemaker-like implant, scientists reported on Wednesday. The breakthrough is the latest achievement in the scientific effort to understand and treat such life-changing injuries. Several recent studies have restored motion to paralyzed or partially paralyzed patients by applying continuous electrical stimulation to the spinal cord. (Carey, 10/31)