Dr. House
Dr. House
Thursday, June 30, 2016
CDC Report Shows Heart Disease, Cancer Remain Leading Causes Of Death In US.
reports that the National Vital Statistics Report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday revealed that “heart disease, especially among the elderly, remains the leading cause of death in the United States,” with cancer being a “close second.” According to the data, 1.2 million people died from either heart disease or cancer in 2014 out of 2.6 million deaths in the US. The article reports that “chronic respiratory diseases, accidents and strokes make up the rest of the top five” and “Alzheimer’s, diabetes, flu and pneumonia, which are grouped together, kidney disease and suicide round out the top 10 killers. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/heart-disease-cancer-remain-leading-death-american-article-1.2693270
Butter Consumption Linked To Reduced Diabetes Risk.
reports that butter “is a ‘middle-of-the-road’ food, nutritionally speaking – better than sugar, worse than olive oil – according to a new report, which adds to a growing body of research showing that the low-fat-diet trend was misguided.” Investigators analyzed data from nine studies “that included more than 600,000 people.”
STAT (6/29, Wessel) reports that the investigators found “a small link between butter and overall mortality – each daily tablespoon of butter was linked to a 1 percent increase in mortality risk.” However, “the same amount of butter was associated with a 4 percent lower risk of diabetes.” http://time.com/4386248/fat-butter-nutrition-health/
Too Much Or Too Little Sleep May Raise The Risk Of Diabetes In Men, But Not Women, Study Finds.
“Too much or too little sleep may raise the risk of diabetes in men, but not women,” the findings of a study published online June 29 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggest. Included in the study were about “800 healthy adults in 14 European countries.” Also covering the story are Medical Daily (6/29, Bushak) and the Daily Mail (UK) (6/29, Macrae). https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/misc-diabetes-news-181/right-amount-of-sleep-may-protect-men-against-diabetes-712366.html
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
FDA - approved stomach emptying machine to fight obesity WOW
Earlier this month, the FDA approved a novel weight-loss approach: using a small tube – called an "A-tube" -- to drain stomach contents after each meal.
The A-tube is placed just as a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube would be. But rather than using the tube for feeding, the A-tube is used by the patient to drain about a third of stomach contents into the toilet after each meal.
In case you're curious, here are some additional details about the device: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/SlowMedicine/58797?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-06-29&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1
CDC Stepping Up Efforts To Reduce Antibiotic Resistance Caused By Overprescribing.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stepping up efforts to get hospitals and doctors to create better systems to reduce antibiotic resistance caused by overprescribing...said” epidemiologist Katherine Fleming-Dutra, MD, of the CDC’s Office of Antibiotic Stewardship. A study (6/28) published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that “about 30 percent of US outpatient antibiotic prescriptions were inappropriate.” Dr. Fleming-Dutra, who “led the study,” said, “Our goal is that every patient gets…antibiotics only when needed, and when needed, that they get the right antibiotic at the right dose and for the right duration.” She added, “In order to accomplish that goal, we would like to see every provider and health care facility incorporate antibiotic stewardship.” http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-06-28/cdc-increases-efforts-to-reduce-antibiotic-resistance
Much of the rising prevalence of insomnia among U.S. and Canadian adults may be driven by the sharp reduction in the use of hormone replacement therapy following the 2002 report from the Women’s Health Initiative
reports, “Much of the rising prevalence of insomnia among US and Canadian” women in their middle years “may be driven by the sharp reduction in the use of hormone replacement therapy [HRT] following the 2002 report from the Women’s Health Initiative [WHI],” research suggests. The findings of a data analysis from the Canadian Community Health Survey were presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. http://www.obgynnews.com/specialty-focus/gynecology/single-article-page/womens-health-initiative-may-account-for-insomnias-upward-trend/518aa988eb1c6bd46f3322275fcf40f7.html
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
cardiovascular Risk in Lupus Patients Grows
According to the authors, SLE likely has an important impact on CVD risk independent of the role of the traditional risk factors, although the specific mechanisms remain uncertain.
Until the dominant mechanisms underlying CVD risk in SLE are known, efforts to optimize screening for, and modification of, known risk factors remain essential, the authors concluded. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Lupus/58782?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-06-28&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1
Some Consumers May Be Better Off Paying Cash For Prescription Drugs, Particularly For Generics
reported, “Some consumers who use health insurance copays to buy prescription drugs are paying far more than they should be and would be better off paying with cash, especially for generics.” According to Kaiser Health News, “The added cost runs as high as $30 or more per prescription, say pharmacists, and the money is largely being pocketed by middlemen who collect the added profit from local pharmacies.” http://khn.org/news/filling-a-prescription-you-might-be-better-off-paying-cash/
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Adrenal Fatigue” Diagnosis May Risk Missing Detection Of Other Treatable Disease, Physician Says.
reports that there is no medical evidence supporting the diagnosis of “adrenal fatigue.” According to a fact sheet from the Endocrine Society, “‘Adrenal fatigue’ is not a real medical condition. There are no scientific facts to support the theory that long-term mental, emotional, or physical stress drains the adrenal glands and causes many common symptoms.” The article quotes Dr. Marilyn Tan, an endocrinologist with Stanford Health Care and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Stanford School of Medicine, who said that “there really is harm in believing” the “adrenal fatigue” myth and “waiting for the research to catch up.” She explained that “symptoms of fatigue, body aches, trouble sleeping, indigestion, and nervousness are non-specific and could be due to a variety of other diseases, including sleep disorders, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and thyroid disease.” Dr. Tan added that attributing “all symptoms to a single diagnosis of ‘adrenal fatigue’ risks http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/06/23/what-is-adrenal-fatigue-facts-about-this-controversial-medical-condition.html
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Smoking Can Harm Sperm, Researchers Find
Well” blog reports that a study published in BJU International found that the sperm of male smokers was “damaged in ways that could reduce the chance of fertilization and might also lead to health problems in the baby.” The researchers found that the “DNA in smokers’ sperm was fragmented, probably because of oxidative stress from the cadmium and nicotine in cigarette smoke,” which has been associated with increased risk of genetic problems and childhood cancer. They also found nonintact acrosomes and changes in seminal plasma, both of which “might impair fertilization.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/22/smoking-damages-sperm/
Non-Narcotic Methods Of Pain Management Often Not Covered By Insurers
reports that as the Obama Administration and state health officials are urging non-narcotic methods of treating pain, those methods often meet resistance from patients, physicians, and insurers. While insurers in the 1990’s tended to cover alternative treatments – such as chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, meditation, massage, yoga, acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy – the methods “soon fell out of favor because the programs varied in quality and there was little data to show their long-term value.” The Times also notes that from a patient’s perspective, “Taking a pill is simply faster and easier than regularly leaving work for physical therapy.” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/business/new-ways-to-treat-pain-without-opioids-meet-resistance.html?_r=0
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Americans’ Diet Improving, But Unevenly Across Socioeconomic Lines, Study Says.
reports the “improvements were not exactly brag-worthy,” and that the study results revealed uneven progress that broke down by income, education level, and ethnicity. “Some racial groups even increased their intakes of certain unhealthy foods: black Americans ate more white potatoes, while Mexican-Americans ate more refined grains,” Time highlights from the study. http://time.com/4375543/american-diet-healthy-foods/
Soy Isoflavones May Reduce Some Menopause Symptoms, Research Suggests.
reports a review of 62 studies which examined the effects of some plant-based therapies on menopause symptoms showed that using “phytoestrogens was associated with fewer hot flashes during the day and with less vaginal dryness, but did not influence night sweats.” Using black cohosh was linked to “a lessening of overall menopause symptoms score,” but not to a specific symptom. Chinese medicinal herbs, meanwhile, “were not associated with a decrease in menopause symptoms.” The results of the review were published in JAMA. http://time.com/4375286/natural-remedies-menopause/
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Deadly Outbreak Puzzles Investigators Elizabethkingia anophelis linked to 66 cases, 21 deaths
Despite an intensive investigation, disease detectives still have no idea what caused a bacterial outbreak in three states that sickened 66 people and left 21 dead in three states this year, a CDC epidemiologist said here.
The outbreak of disease associated with Elizabethkingia anophelis, a Gram-negative rod-shaped environmental bacterium that only rarely causes human disease, is the largest known, according to Maroya Walters, PhD, of the CDC.
While the investigation is continuing, investigators as yet have no hypotheses that would explain where the bacteria came from, how patients were exposed, and what if anything links them, Walters told delegates at ASM Microbe 2016. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASMMicrobe/58659?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-06-21&eun=g721819d0r
Gallup Poll Finds Healthcare Affordable For Record Number Of Americans, Due To ACA.
reports that according to a new Gallup poll, “15.5% of Americans say they couldn’t afford the health care or medicine they needed over the past year,” which is the lowest percentage since Gallup began tracking these data in 2008. The main reason for this change, Gallup said, is the Affordable Care Act. Gallup researchers wrote, “The expansion of health insurance coverage to millions more Americans under the Affordable Care Act is likely a major factor in the decline of health care insecurity, demonstrating a concrete benefit of the law,” and they warned that repealing the ACA could reverse the gains. http://fortune.com/2016/06/20/aca-healthcare-affordable-recession/
Increasing Number Of Girls Beginning To Undergo Puberty As Young As Age Eight.
On the front of its Personal Journal section, the Wall Street Journal (6/20, D1, Reddy, Subscription Publication) reports that an increasing number of girls are beginning to undergo puberty at ages as young as eight, while boys appear to be undergoing puberty anywhere from six to 24 months earlier. Obesity may play a role in early puberty. It is not yet clear, however, to what extent exposure to endocrine disruptors found in the environment plays in earlier puberty. http://www.wsj.com/articles/for-more-children-puberty-signs-start-at-8-1466444787
Monday, June 20, 2016
Zika Figures Likely Underestimate Extent Of Virus, Some Experts Say.
reported that “some public health experts say” that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s “first official attempt to publicly track Zika’s grave effects on pre- and post-natal health,” should have “occurred much earlier in the outbreak, and will fail to provide an accurate snapshot of how the virus is affecting pregnancies in the U.S.” Critics say underreporting of Zika in the US has probably already occurred, especially “in poorer communities that have limited access to health care, or are serviced by medical centers that are short-staffed with limited resources and without an effective electronic medical records system.” http://www.newsweek.com/cdc-underestimate-birth-defects-microcephaly-zika-virus-471828
Nitrile Gloves Can Move Microbes Contaminated gloves play part in transmission of pathogens among health staff
The gloves healthcare workers wear to protect themselves from pathogens can transmit multi-drug resistant bacteria if they're not used properly, a researcher said here.
In an experimental study, seven important pathogens were easily transmissible from nitrile gloves to a polypropylene surface, according to Kazue Fujita, MD, of Nippon Medical School in Tokyo. http://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/asmmicrobe/58645?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-06-20&eun=g721819d0r
Herpes Vaccine Cuts Shedding, Lesions Investigational drug GEN-003 promising in phase II trial
An investigational therapeutic vaccine sharply reduced the rate of viral shedding for a year in people with genital herpes (HSV2), a researcher said here. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASMMicrobe/58642?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-06-20&eun=g721819d0r
Friday, June 17, 2016
Pro Teams Traveling East Win More Games Circadian misalignment may explain West Coast advantage
- It appears that the home crowd isn't the only competitive edge West Coast professional sports teams enjoy when they're not on the road.
East Coast teams may have a circadian disadvantage when traveling across several time zones that is not shared by U.S. and Canadian teams based in the west traveling east for games, according to findings from two studies presented here at the SLEEP 2016 meeting. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/APSS/58591?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-06-17&eun=g721819d0r
Color Coded Menus May Prevent Overeating, Research Finds.
reports on a University of Pennsylvania study published in the Journal of Public Policy that showed a “traffic light”-style, color-coded menu may curb overeating at restaurants. This menu color codes dishes according to their calorie content. The study found that participants consumed ten percent fewer calories compared with conventional, non-color coded menus. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/traffic-light-label-menu_us_57629778e4b09c926cfe4d36
Maternal Mitochondrial DNA May Become Defective In Unfertilized Eggs Due To Poor Diet Choices, Mouse Study Suggests.
reports a study published in Cell Reports reveals “the long-term damage a woman can cause if she eats a high-fat, high-sugar diet, even before she becomes pregnant.” Working with mice fed “a high-fat, high-sugar diet (60 percent fat and 20 percent sugar) from six weeks before” the rodents “became pregnant up until they weaned their offspring,” researchers “found the mother’s mitochondrial DNA, which is responsible for converting food into energy, becomes defective in the unfertilized egg as a result of poor diet choices.” http://www.medicaldaily.com/obese-women-childhood-obesity-obesity-epidemic-during-pregnancy-389783
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Antibiotic Use, Cesarean Birth And Formula Feeding All Affect Infants’ Microbiomes, Studies Indicate.
“Two new studies” published in Science Translational Medicine “are offering some of the clearest snapshots yet of how babies build up protective gut bacteria, adding to evidence that antibiotics and birth by C-section may disrupt that development.” After following “infants through toddlerhood,” researchers “concluded that the first two to three years of life are a critical period for budding microbiomes.”
STAT (6/15, Vlasits) reports that differences in children’s microbiomes “could put them at higher risk for various health problems in childhood, including asthma, type 1 diabetes, and perhaps even autism.” The studies can be seen here and here.
The Atlantic (6/15, Yong) points out that both studies collected and analyzed stool samples from youngsters “over their first three years of life.”
HealthDay (6/15, Dotinga) reports that in both studies, “investigators found that antibiotic use, cesarean birth and formula feeding all threw off the makeup of the microbiomes from levels considered normal,” in effect making the microbiomes “less diverse.” http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_BABY_BACTERIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-06-15-16-10-26
Sufficient Folic Acid During Pregnancy May Reduce Obesity Risk In Kids.
Well” blog reports that research suggests “sufficient folic acid during pregnancy may reduce the risk for obesity in” kids. The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Forbes (6/15) contributor Bruce Y. Lee writes that the link “between the mother’s folate levels and child’s risk of obesity held even among obese mothers in the study.” Investigators found that “when a mother was obese but had adequate folate levels (at least 20 nm/L), the child was 43% less likely to become obese.” Medscape (6/15, Garcia) also covers the story. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/15/folic-acid-during-pregnancy-may-lower-risk-of-childhood-obesity/?_r=0
All Five Prescription Diet Medicines On US Market Can Help People Lose Enough Weight To Improve Their Health, Review Finds.
reports that “all five prescription” diet medications currently on the “US market can help people lose enough weight to improve their health,” a review suggests. Those medications are Qsymia (phentermine-topiramate), Saxenda (liraglutide), Xenical, (orlistat), Belviq (lorcaserin) and Contrave (naltrexone-bupropion). The article mentions that physicans have been “relucutant to prescribe weight loss drugs” in part due to serious side-effects. A study presented at the Endocrine Society annual meeitng “showed that only 1 percent of obese patients eligible for prescription weight-loss drugs ever get prescriptions for them.” http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/which-diet-drug-works-best-it-may-depend-you-n592246
The European Commission proposed more detailed regulation of hormone-damaging chemicals in pesticides
reports that the Endocrine Society supported Professor Andreas Kortenkamp, “a human toxicologist who has authored past endocrine studies for the European commission,” who expressed: “The WHO definition is not a criteria, it is just a definition. In effect, the commission has decided to place the burden of deciding how to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals onto the assessors on a case-by-case basis.” Thus, “you will probably have total variance in how high the bar is set in order to declare something an endocrine-disrupting chemical, with all the regulatory consequences that has in terms of a lack of consistency,” he added. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/16/new-rules-to-regulate-europes-hormone-disrupting-chemicals?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
FDA Approves Weight Loss Device Which Drains Part Of Stomach Contents.
reports that the Food and Drug Administration approved Aspire Bariatrics’ AspireAssist device, which drains part of the stomach’s contents after each meal. The device is designed for obese adults who had a body mass index between 35 and 55 who were unable to lose and keep weight off in other ways.
The AP (6/14) reports that the device “consists of a thin tube implanted in the stomach, connecting to an outside port on the skin of the belly.” Patients “connect the port to an external device, which drains some of the recently-consumed food into the toilet.” http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-approves-weight-loss-stomach-pump-aspireassist-combat-obesity-n592141
Teens With T2D May Have Differences In Gray Matter In Their Brains, Study Suggests.
suggests “teens with type 2 diabetes may have differences in gray matter in their brains.” Investigators “conducted brain scans on 20 teens with type 2 diabetes and 20 teens without the blood sugar disease.” The researchers found that participants “with diabetes had less gray matter in six regions in their brains, and more gray matter in three regions.” The findings were presented at a medical meeting. https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/type-ii-diabetes-news-183/teens-diabetes-brains-ada-meeting-cchmc-release-batch-2718-711900.html
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Late Sleepers Have Worse Diets Than Early Risers But sleeping late wasn't linked to higher BMI
DENVER -- Late sleepers who got at least 6.5 hours of shut-eye a night were more likely than early risers to have poor eating habits and they also tended to get less exercise, researchers reported here, although body mass index didn't seem to be affected.
Late sleep timing in healthy subjects and late biological timing, measured by dim light melatonin onset (DLMO), were associated with higher fast food and lower vegetable and dairy consumption.
However, calorie intake was not higher in study participants who slept late and showed late biological timing, and late sleepers actually tended to weigh less than those who woke earlier, researchers Kelly G. Baron, PhD, of Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues noted. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/APSS/58507?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-06-14&eun=g721819d0r
Low-Calorie Diets Show Promise In Treating Numerous Diseases, Research Suggests.
reports that scientists have found that low-calorie diets, such as the popular 5:2 diet, may be helpful in treating a variety of medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis, and there is ongoing research whether they may be helpful in treating other conditions, including asthma. National Institute on Aging senior investigator Mark Mattson, one of the co-creators of the 5:2 diet, says he has tested the diet and similar ones and found that they can improve human health and also extend the lifespans of mice. http://www.wsj.com/articles/could-extremely-low-calorie-diets-help-some-illnesses-1465840207
White House Announces Plan To Reduce Organ Transplant Waiting List.
reports the White House announced a plan to reduce the organ transplant waiting list. The plan includes a campaign aimed at increasing organ donations, investment in research to develop new ways to replace organs without transplants, and other measures. http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/283258-white-house-announces-actions-to-promote-organ-donation
Monday, June 13, 2016
Dramatic Results for Interferon Blocker in SLE 'These are the best lupus data we've ever seen,' researcher says of anifrolumab
"For decades scientists have been talking about the role of the interferon pathway," Furie explained in an interview. The interferons play a role in fighting viral infections and surveillance for cancer, but levels are elevated in patients with lupus, so this has seemed like a natural therapeutic target, he said. Blocking just the alpha interferon leaves the other four type 1 interferons able to bind to the receptor on inflammatory cells, but anifrolumab blocks the receptor itself, Furie noted.
The first study of anifrolimumab was in scleroderma, in which interferon levels also are high, he said. That study documented the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety, and served as the foundation of this phase II lupus study.
"We haven't seen a lot of positive lupus data, with only one drug, belimumab [Benlysta] having been approved in recent years, and so far the phase II data for anifrolumab are far better than the phase III data for belimumab. And if you compare the phase II data of the two drugs, belimumab was a failure although there were enough signals to move ahead to phase III. So there's a lot of promise here," he said. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EULAR/58473?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-06-13&eun=g721819d0r
A simple common cold triggers our cells to make Type I interferon and so the common cold can trigger severe lupus flares. ANOTHER reason why winter is so bad for those with SLE.
Three Commercial Weight-Loss Programs Seem To Reduce Blood Sugar Levels In People With T2D More Than Just Weight-Loss Counseling Alone.
reported that three commercial weight-loss programs – “Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem and Optifast – seemed to reduce blood sugar levels” in people with type 2 diabetes “more than when people received weight-loss counseling alone,” research suggests. The findings of the 18-study review were published in the June issue of Obesity Reviews. https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/type-ii-diabetes-news-183/3-commercial-weight-loss-programs-helped-people-with-type-2-diabetes-lower-blood-sugar-711634.html
Advertisement Endoscopic Duodenal Mucosal Resurfacing May Lead To Better Levels Of Metabolic Markers In Patients With T2D.
reports that researchers found, “in a first-in-human, single-arm study, 39 patients in Chile with type 2 diabetes who underwent endoscopic duodenal mucosal resurfacing, known as the Revita procedure (Fractyl), had better levels of metabolic markers at 6 months with no serious lasting adverse effects.” The findings were presented at a medical conference. According to Medscape, should these findings be “reproduced in further, larger studies with a sham control arm, clinicians may someday be able to offer diabetic patients this minimally invasive treatment – which seems to provide potential improvements in diabetes similar to those seen with gastric-bypass surgery.”
Friday, June 10, 2016
Accidental Deaths, Including Drug Overdoses, Rose Over Past Decade.
reports over 136,000 Americans died from accidents in 2014, an increase of 15.5% from a decade earlier, according to a new report from the National Safety Council. The report also found that deaths from accidental poisonings, including drug overdoses, increased 78% during the same time period, making them more common than fatal car crashes. Opioid overdoses alone killed 13,486 people in 2014, according to the report. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_ACCIDENTAL_DEATHS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
FDA Takes Action Against Websites Illegally Selling Prescription Drugs.
reports that the Food and Drug Administration is formally seeking “to suspend 4,402 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, counterfeit or unapproved prescription drugs to U.S. consumers.” Additionally, the FDA “said it has also issued warning letters to operators of 53 websites that illegally sell unapproved and misbranded prescription drug products to U.S. consumers.” www.reuters.com/article/us-fda-prescriptiondrugs-idUSKCN0YV1R7
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Increase In Thyroid Cancer Cases Raise Questions About Effects Of Fukushima Disaster In Japan.
In an over 1,200 word article, the AP (6/7, Kageyama) details an ongoing debate over whether an increase in thyroid cancer cases in Fukushima prefecture of Japan could be linked to the aftermath of a tsunami that hit the area several years ago causing a meltdown at a local nuclear power plant. According to the AP, Japanese officials say the increase in cases is a result of increased testing done in the aftermath of the disaster, but one anonymous young woman with the illness says she suspects the increase could be due to the disaster. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_FUKUSHIMA_CANCER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Gender, Race May Influence Amount Of Money Earned By US Physicians, Research Indicates.
reports that gender and race may influence the amount of money US physicians earn, a study published online June 7 in the BMJ indicates.
STAT (6/7, Okwerekwu) reports that “white male physicians in the” US “earn a whopping 35 percent more than their black male counterparts,” while “white female physicians earned 40 percent less than white men, and black women earned less still.” Researchers arrived at these conclusions after examining data from “the American Community Survey and physician surveys conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change.” Medscape (6/7, Frellick) also covers the study. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-income-doctor-race-idUSKCN0YT2R2
Obesity Rates On The Rise Among Women, Teens In US.
reports, “One report finds that 35% of men and 40% of women were obese as of 2014, the most recent year for which data were available.” The other report indicates “that 17% of children and teens were obese as well, including nearly 6% who were morbidly obese.” Both reports were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-obesity-in-america-20160606-snap-story.html
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Americans Pay Highest Prices In The World For Cancer Medications, Study Indicates
eports that while “Americans pay the highest prices in the world for cancer” medications, “the treatments are least affordable in lower income countries, according to the results of a new study” presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cancer-prices-idUSKCN0YS172
Study Suggests The Bigger The Bottle, The Bigger The Baby.
reports a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine found that, “after controlling for other factors that influence weight gain...using a large bottle when” a “baby was 2 months old was associated with a more rapid increase in weight gain by the time the babies were 6 months old compared to those who used smaller bottles.” The researchers noted that “while babies should gain weight, rapid weight gain in infants is a predictor of later obesity.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/07/the-bigger-the-bottle-the-fatter-the-baby/?_r=0
Mediterranean Diet Not Likely To Cause Weight Gain, Research Suggests
reports, “An eating plan that includes healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts,” such as the Mediterranean diet, “isn’t likely to cause weight gain,” researchers found in a 7,400-participant study published June 6 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. http://time.com/4359147/fat-weight-gain-mediterranean-diet/
Monday, June 6, 2016
Reports Of Drug Side Effects Causing Many Patients With Osteoporosis To Avoid Treatment.
eports of osteoporosis medications “causing jawbones to rot and thighbones to snap in two have shaken many osteoporosis patients so much that they say they would rather take their chances with the disease.” The piece contained quotes from Endocrine Society members. Clifford J. Rosen, MD, of Tufts University, said, “You only need to treat 50 people to prevent a fracture, but you need to treat 40,000 to see an atypical fracture.” Paul D. Miller, of the Colorado Center for Bone Research, said, “The fear factor is huge” when it comes to osteoporosis drug. Steven T. Harris, MD, of the University of California-San Francisco, said he has the osteoporosis drug “discussion all day every day with my patients.” Ethel S. Siris, MD, of Columbia University, “said...that with the drugs off patent, there is no longer an aggressive advertising push to make people aware of them.” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/02/health/osteoporosis-drugs-bones.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
Better Models And Simulations Helping Surgeons Prepare For Complex Operations.
reports surgeons are increasingly using 3D models and simulations to prepare for complex surgeries. The article highlights Boston Children’s Hospital, which creates 3D models of patients’ body parts for surgeons to practice on before performing difficult operations. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2016/06/05/simulation-lab-boston-childrens-hospital/84982842/
Celebrity Endorsement Of Fatty Foods, Soda May Be Contributing To Obesity Epidemic, Study Suggests.
reports new research suggests that fatty fast food, snacks and soda endorsed by popular music stars may be contributing to the obesity epidemic. The study revealed “that 20 of the hottest teen-music heartthrobs have done TV ads or other promotions for products nutritionists consider unhealthy.” Nearly “80 percent of celebrity-endorsed food ads were high-calorie products including snack chips and chocolate, or fast-food restaurants including McDonalds, Chili’s and A&W.” The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_CELEBRITIES_JUNK_FOOD_ENDORSEMENTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-06-06-01-28-08
Friday, June 3, 2016
Researchers To Launch 10-Year Project To Create Synthetic Human Genomes.
reports that the group published the 10-year project on Thursday in the journal Science. The project plans “have already set off an ethical debate, because the ability to chemically fabricate the complete set of human chromosomes could theoretically allow the creation of babies without biological parents.” The project will be run by the Center of Excellence for Engineering Biology and seeks “to raise $100 million this year from various public and private sources.” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/science/human-genome-project-write-synthetic-dna.html?_r=0
Weight-Loss Surgery May Significantly Lower Obese People’s Risk Of Premature Death.
reports, “Weight-loss surgery might significantly lower obese people’s risk of premature death,” research presented at the European Obesity Summit suggests. In the study, which involved 22,500 people who underwent weight-loss surgery between 2000 and 2011 and some 26,000 people who did not undergo weight-loss surgery, researchers found that “five years after surgery, the death rate was just over one percent for those who had weight-loss surgery and four percent among those in the non-surgery group.” https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/obesity-health-news-505/weight-loss-surgery-boosts-survival-711595.html
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Genetic Factors Identified That May Protect Some Black Men From Belly Fat.
reports that “a new study” published June 1 in Frontiers in Genetics “has identified genetic factors in black men with a strong West African ancestry that are associated with a lower risk of belly fat.” Notably, “this apparent benefit doesn’t extend to black women, regardless of their lineage,” however. Researchers arrived at these findings after examining “genetic data collected by the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute” that included some 4,500 black men and women. We still need to identify the specific genes that protect African-American men," Klimentidis added, "and also better understand why women do not benefit in the same way." https://consumer.healthday.com/public-health-information-30/race-health-news-570/genetics-may-help-lower-black-men-s-obesity-risk-711441.html
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Up To 80% Of Medical Bills Contain Errors, Studies Find.
reported that “some studies found up to 80 percent of medical bills contain errors,” adding that the problem is “so widespread that half of employers now offer medical bill advocates as a free benefit.”
In related coverage, the NBC News (5/31) website reports on five tips for findings medical errors including, checking the price of a procedure before it is performed, getting a receipt, calling your medical provider, writing a dispute letter and getting help from a professional. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/5-tips-finding-medical-bill-errors-n583401
Preliminary CDC Numbers Indicate Long Decline In US Death Rates Has Reversed Course.
reports preliminary numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that “the long decline in Americans’ death rates has reversed course.” Factors contributing to the “turnaround” include “a rise in deaths from firearms, drug overdoses, accidental injuries, suicides, Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension and stroke.” Still, “‘there’s no smoking gun here,’ said Farida Ahmad, mortality surveillance lead for the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.” Ahmad called “the increase in mortality ‘unusual,’ noting that it’s the first time since 2004-2005 that the rate went up rather than down.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/06/01/reversing-long-term-trend-death-rate-for-americans-ticks-upward/
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