The Low-Fat vs. Low-Carb Diet Debate Has a New Answer

reports that investigators found that “people eating high quantities of carbohydrates...had a nearly 30% higher risk of dying during the study than people eating a low-carb diet.” Meanwhile, individuals “eating high-fat diets had a 23% lower chance of dying during the study’s seven years of follow-up compared to people who ate less fat.” reports that research suggests “global dietary guidelines should possibly be changed to allow people to consume somewhat more fats, to cut back on carbohydrates and in some cases to slightly scale back on fruits and vegetables.” http://time.com/4919448/low-fat-v-low-carb-diets/

Frequent Smartphone Afib Monitoring Catches Arrhythmia

Twice-weekly use of a smartphone device for single-lead electrocardiogram detection of atrial fibrillation caught more cases than usual care, although with a fairly low yield in seniors with afib risk factors. Screening picked up 3.9-fold more atrial fibrillation than found in routine care -- 19 versus five cases out of the evenly divided 1,001 participants (P=0.007), Julian Halcox, MD, of Swansea University in Wales, reported here at the European Society of Cardiology meeting and simultaneously online in Circulation. "The data from this study confirm results from studies with implanted pacemakers, cardioverter-defibrillators, and loop recorders and other AF screening studies that ... the more we look for AF, the more we will find it," wrote Albert Waldo, MD, PhD, of UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland, and John Camm, MD, of St. George's University of London, in an accompanying Circulation editorial. https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ESC/67594?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-30&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2

Cholesterol Lowering Depends on Genes

The investigators found that genetic variants that mimic the effect of CETP inhibitors were associated with higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, lower LDL cholesterol, lower apoB and a corresponding lower risk of cardiovascular disease that was proportional to the reduction in LDL cholesterol. In fact, genetic variants that mimic the effect of CETP inhibitors had a very similar effect on reducing the risk of cardiovascular events as genetic variants that mimic the effect of statins, ezetimibe, and PCSK9 inhibitors when measured per unit reduction in LDL cholesterol. These results may help to explain the failure of some CETP inhibitors to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events despite robustly lowering LDL cholesterol," Ference said. "Adding a CETP inhibitor to a statin reduces LDL cholesterol out of proportion to apoB. Because the clinical benefit is determined by the reduction in apoB, rather than LDL cholesterol, combination therapy with a CETP inhibitor and a statin reduces the risk of cardiovascular events proportional to the attenuated reduction in apoB. This may be significantly less than expected for the observed change in LDL cholesterol depending on the degree of discordance between the reductions in apoB and LDL cholesterol." https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ESC/67586?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-30&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

Study Reveals Potential Links Between Secondhand Smoke, Type 2 Diabetes, And Obesity.

reports a study published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care reveals “potential links between secondhand smoke and type 2 diabetes and obesity.” Researchers arrived at the study’s findings after analyzing Health and Nutrition Examination Survey “data from 6,472 participants ages 20 years or older against smoking status.” http://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/innocent-bystanders/

Huge Diet Study Shows Carbs, Not Fats Are the Problem

Defying expectations, PURE found that high carbohydrate intake was associated with a significant increase in the risk of death, while both total fat and saturated and unsaturated fats were associated with a decreased risk of death. However, fat consumption was not associated with cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular mortality, though saturated fat had an inverse association with stroke. The second presentation and Lancet paper, by Andrew Mente, PhD, also of McMaster University, challenges the widely held and nearly religious belief that more is always better when it comes to fruits, vegetables, and legumes. The study did confirm that fruits and veggies (and legumes) in moderation are good for you, but it did not show that the benefits keep growing with increased consumption. Instead, the PURE researchers found that the maximum benefit was achieved with three to four serving per day. Current guidelines recommend that people consume five servings a day. The authors note that many people in lower income countries are unable to afford this high level of consumption. https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ESC/67566?xid=NL_breakingnews_2017-08-29&eun=g721819d0r

At Long Last, Inflammatory Hypothesis Confirmed in CVD

https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ESC/67529?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-28&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0 Long-awaited evidence that targeting an inflammatory pathway can reduce heart attacks and stroke independent of lipids is now in hand -- canakinumab (Ilaris) reduced events by 15% compared with placebo. But there is a two-fold catch: Because canakinumab is an immunotherapy, the drug carries a high price tag and use was associated with an increased risk of fatal infections.

Saint Louis Public Schools serve more than 26,000 students over a vast geographic area that hugs the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state

https://www.healthiergeneration.org/_asset/5099ej/AHS-Success-Stories---Saint-Louis_FINAL.pdf?_cldee=YW15ZHVnYW4yQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ%3d%3d&recipientid=contact-e93ebf3c3d6ce411bec16c3be5a8f744-9c4420248356409da05f93ab2f5f6a78&utm_source=ClickDimensions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=America%27s%20Healthiest%20Schools&esid=ecb21fcd-f288-e711-8135-e0071b6af281

Type 1 Diabetes May Increase Risk Of Atrial Fibrillation,

reported that a study suggests “type 1 diabetes raises the risk for atrial fibrillation, particularly in women.” Investigators found, during approximately “10 years’ follow-up, of those with type 1 diabetes, the risk for atrial fibrillation was 50% greater for women and only slightly elevated among men.” The study indicated “the excess risk was also linked to worse glycemic control and renal complications.” The findings were published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tZWRzY2FwZS5jb20vdmlld2FydGljbGUvODg0NzMz&ac=401

Exposure To Flame Retardants May Be Linked To Lowered IVF Chances Of Success.

reported researchers have linked higher exposure to organophosphate flame retardants, also known as PFRs, to a greater likelihood that in-vitro fertilization won’t work. The study analyzed urine samples from 211 women undergoing IVF at Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center between 2005 and 2015, and found that “women whose urine showed signs of more exposure to the flame retardants were 10 percent less likely, on average, to achieve successful fertilization.” The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Sciences and published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. https://consumer.healthday.com/environmental-health-information-12/chemical-health-news-730/do-flame-retardants-hinder-infertility-treatments-725863.html

Food Restriction, Including Food With High Fructose Corn Syrup, May Not Induce Weight Loss Or Decrease Insulin Resistance In Kids With Obesity,

“Food restriction, including restriction of food with high fructose corn syrup, did not induce weight loss or a decrease in insulin resistance in school-age children with obesity,” researchers found. The findings of the 54-child study were published online in Obesity Facts. http://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/pediatric-endocrinology/triglycerides-decrease-with-high-fructose-food-restriction-in-children/article/684263/

Heavy Pot Smoking Tied to Poorer Kidney Function Study found cross-sectional, but not longitudinal, association; clinical significance unknown

Heavy marijuana use was associated with poorer kidney function in young adults at the outset of an observational study, but there was no association 10 years later, a longitudinal study showed. Compared with healthy young adults who never smoked pot, those reporting daily use at the start of the study had a significantly lower mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (-4.5%, 95% CI -8.1 to -0.7%, P=0.02), according to Julie Ishida, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues. Those reporting 5 or more years of cumulative marijuana use also had a significantly lower mean eGFR (-3.0%, 95% CI -5.6 to -0.4%, P=0.03), Ishida and colleagues reported in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. https://www.medpagetoday.com/Nephrology/GeneralNephrology/67486?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-25&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

Taking Oral Contraceptives May Reduce The Risk For RA

“Taking oral contraceptives may reduce the risk for rheumatoid arthritis [RA],” researchers found after studying “2,641 women with the disease and 4,251 healthy controls,” then following them for eight years. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/well/live/oral-contraceptives-tied-to-lower-rheumatoid-arthritis-risk.html

Weekend-Only Workouts Can Achieve Results Similar To More Frequent Exercise

reports that a recent study of “more than 60,000 adults” determined that those who exercised only on the weekend achieved “similar results” as those who exercised “for the same amount of time spread throughout the week.” According to the article, however, the benefits require a weekly minimum “of 150 minutes of moderate activity and 75 minutes of vigorous activity.” The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. http://nypost.com/2017/08/23/science-says-its-fine-if-you-only-work-out-on-the-weekends/

REM Sleep Tied to Dementia Risk Small prospective study finds possible relationship

Our findings point to REM sleep as a predictor of dementia," Pase said in a statement. Sleep disturbance has long been recognized as being common in dementia, but it's not clear if differences in sleep architecture precede dementia onset, the researchers said. To get a better understanding of the relationship, they studied 321 people from the Framingham Heart Study-Offspring cohort who participated in the Sleep Heart Health Study from 1995 to 1998. Participants were a mean age of 67 when they had sleep assessment, and they were followed for a mean of 12 years. During that time, 32 were diagnosed with dementia, and of those, 24 had Alzheimer's disease. Overall, Pase's group found an association between diminished REM sleep and dementia risk: those who developed dementia spent 17% of their sleep time in REM sleep compared with 20% for those who didn't have dementia. https://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/Dementia/67472?xid=NL_breakingnews_2017-08-24&eun=g721819d0r

Experts Disagree On Health Benefits Of Standing Desks.

reports many health experts are warning that the “most dangerous thing most of us do every day is sit down.” They point to dozens of studies that link prolonged sitting “and diabetes, hypertension, some forms of cancer (especially in women), anxiety and a generally greater probability of early death.” More businesses are installing desks that can be adjusted to rise and fall for workers, but “whether standing desks help is a subject of some dispute.” One group of researchers found that cutting sitting time to less than three hours a day “could lengthen your life expectancy by two years,” but contradictory research disagrees on “whether standing desks do anything to help workers burn more calories, or boost their productivity.” https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/dangers-of-sitting

“Weight Bias” Remains Pervasive In Society,

“Well” blog that “weight bias” remains prevalent in society and is often ingrained at a young age. Brody, for example, cites a recent Duke University study which “found that ‘implicit weight bias’ in children ages 9 to 11 was as common as ‘implicit racial bias’ is among adults.” Additionally, Brody says studies by obesity researcher Rebecca M. Puhl and others show that stigmatization caused by “weight bias” can exacerbate health problems in overweight individuals, and quotes Puhl as saying society must “move away from the current appearance-focused culture and recognize that other things matter more than what a person looks like.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/well/live/fat-bias-starts-early-and-takes-a-serious-toll.html?mtrref=undefined&gwh=349B40D3DEC9812028277ED7D54FAD72&gwt=pay

Eating Large Meals Earlier In The Day May Help Prevent Obesity.

reports a recent review of 50,000 adult Seventh Day Adventists over seven years offers the latest evidence that “we should front-load our calories early in the day to jump-start our metabolisms and prevent obesity, starting with a robust breakfast and tapering off to a smaller lunch and light supper, or no supper at all.” In the article, Mark P. Mattson, chief of the National Institute on Aging’s laboratory of neurosciences, said, “Twenty years of work on animals shows that compared to those that have constant access to food, those on intermittent fasting diets live longer, their brains function better as they get older and the nerve cells respond to the period of going without food by increasing their ability to cope with stress.” The findings were published in the Journal of Nutrition. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/well/eat/the-case-for-a-breakfast-feast.html?mtrref=undefined&gwh=39074EACACCAA474CC8C44C46606AF87&gwt=pay

Can Safe Injection Sites Calm the Opioid Crisis? Critics, proponents battle over decades-old issue

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/Addictions/67411?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-22&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

Lupus Survival Plateaus after Earlier Improvements Lag in middle/low-income countries, especially among children

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Lupus/67384?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-21&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

Walnut Consumption May Be An Effective Weight-Loss Tool,

reported, “A handful of walnuts may be an effective weight loss tool,” researchers found in a nine-participant, walnut industry-funded study involving magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. The study indicated that walnut consumption appears to “alter the way” the human brain perceives “food and impact[s]...appetites.” The findings were published online in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Forbes (8/19, Lee) also covered the story. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/well/eat/walnuts-for-weight-loss.html

Physicians Performing More Procedures To Remove Or Alter Weight-Loss Devices,

reported that physicians “are doing fewer weight-loss procedures to implant adjustable bands around the stomach and more operations to remove the devices or alter them.” Across the US, “a total of 28,202 patients underwent procedures to implant laparoscopic adjustable gastric bands (LAGB) from 2007 to 2015.” During that same period, more 12,000 patients had their gastric bands removed. However, “starting in 2013...surgeons did more procedures to take bands out than to put them in.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-gastricbanding-removal-surgeri-idUSKCN1AY219

Women Of Color Have More Toxic Chemicals In Their Bodies From Beauty Products Than White Women,

reports a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that products marketed toward women of color “that pressure them to conform to European beauty standards” are more likely to have “toxic chemicals like hormone disrupters and heavy metals, researchers from George Washington University and Occidental College found.” Researchers found that chemicals found in skin bleachers and hair straighteners include formaldehyde, phthalates, parabens, lead and mercury. Even in trace amounts, “these chemicals can affect the endocrine system, cause cancer, or even affect unborn children.” The study says, “Compared with white women, women of color have higher levels of beauty product-related environmental chemicals in their bodies, independent of socioeconomic status.” http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/women-color-consume-toxins-beauty-products-article-1.3420003

DNA Testing For Disease Risks Unlikely To Change Health Behaviors,

reports new research suggests DNA testing for disease risks, offered by companies such as 23andMe and Helix, may not influence those who use them to alter their health habits, despite receiving data that predict future illnesses or diseases. According to recent studies, “Getting the DNA information produced no significant effect on diet, physical activity, drinking alcohol, quitting smoking, sun protection or attendance at disease-screening programs” among participants who took DNA tests. Researchers wrote the presence of the data “has little if any impact on changing routine or habitual behaviors.” http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_SCIENCE_SAYS_REACTING_TO_DNA_NYOL-?SITE=AP&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-08-17-01-13-51

BMI May Not Accurately Indicate Bodily Health, Health Leaders Say.

reports on its website that “a growing body of research” suggests body mass index (BMI) may not be the most accurate measure of bodily health. According to one Mayo Clinic researcher, the metric “was a measurement created for epidemiology to give data that was relative and could be used in research” that later was adopted into federal recommendations by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health for physicians to use in assessing patient health as a “uniform standard.” The CDC calls BMI “a reasonable indicator of body fat” yet does not recommend health professionals or others use it as a diagnostic measure. Health leaders say that BMI does not distinguish between muscle and fat, “can also underestimate the threat for people who are ‘skinny fat’” – a term denoting athletic patients with larger stomachs, and does not consider factors such as age, race, and sex. http://us.cnn.com/2017/08/16/health/bmi-measure-fat-questions/index.html

Researchers Developing Miniaturized Versions Of Human Organs-On-A-Chip.

reports that “teams of academic and government researchers” and multiple start-ups “have created human organs-on-chips.” The new technology, which is under FDA evaluation, involves “miniaturized versions” of organs and “offers a less time-consuming and costly” method for testing “drugs, foods, cosmetics and dietary supplements for efficacy and toxicity.” According to CNBC, the first successful chip was developed in 2010 by Harvard’s Wyss Institute, which two years later was part of a larger project “backed by a $37 million grant from the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Institutes of Health and the FDA.” https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/14/fda-tests-groundbreaking-human-organs-on-a-chip.html

Corticosteroid Implants May Slow Progression Of Diabetic Retinopathy

reports corticosteroid implants may slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, according to research presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists meeting. Researchers found that when treated with the implants, “fewer eyes progressed to proliferative diabetic retinopathy within 36 months.” https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/diabetes/67279

Cancer Diagnosis Boosts Risk for MI Risk of arterial thromboembolism doubles in 6 months, study finds

After cancer diagnoses, cancer patients can develop a post-traumatic stress response. It is well known that stress increases the risk of MI. Perhaps after successful treatment or learning how to cope with the cancer diagnosis, the stress level would returns to normal after 1 year," the duo suggested. https://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Prevention/67277?xid=NL_breakingnews_2017-08-15&eun=g721819d0r

Studies: Biologic Proves Worth as Monotherapy in RA A replacement for methotrexate in some patients?

https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/RNS/67250?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-15&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2

Excess Weight May Still Be A Risk Factor For Heart Disease Even If Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, And Cholesterol Are Within Normal Range,

reports “no amount of extra weight is good for your heart, no matter how fit you are by other measures,” according to a study published in the European Heart Journal. Camille Lassale of Imperial College London’s School of Public Health said, “Our findings suggest that if a patient is overweight or obese, all efforts should be made to help them get back to a healthy weight, regardless of other factors. Even if their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol appear within the normal range, excess weight is still a risk factor” for heart disease. https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/obesity-health-news-505/fat-but-fit-a-myth-725504.html

Breathing Dirty Air May Lead To Spike In Stress Hormones

reports that a study published online in Circulation suggests “breathing dirty air causes stress hormones to spike.” Investigators found that participants’ “levels of the stress hormones cortisol, cortisone, epinephrine and norepinephrine rose with dirtier air, as did their levels of blood sugar, amino acids, fatty acids and lipids.” Additionally, “higher exposure to PM was also associated with higher blood pressure, a worse response to insulin, and markers of molecular stress on body tissues.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-pollution-stress-hormones-idUSKCN1AU28Y

Children Who Sleep Less May Have Higher Risk For Type 2 Diabetes,

“Well” blog reports researchers studying 4,525 nine- and 10-year-olds found that the fewer hours a child sleeps per night, the higher that child’s risk for type 2 diabetes. Parents said their children slept an average of 10 hours per night, “with 95 percent sleeping between eight and 12 hours.” The study, published in Pediatrics, “found that the less sleep, the more likely the children were to have higher body mass indexes, higher insulin resistance and higher glucose readings.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/well/family/less-sleep-tied-to-diabetes-risk-in-children.html

Steady Levels Of Cortisol During Daytime Tied To Negative Health Outcomes

reported steady levels of cortisol throughout the day may be tied to “serious health problems, such as inflammation, obesity and cancer,” according to a study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology. The study’s lead author Emma Adam says that cortisol levels naturally vary throughout the day, but a “lack of variation...is associated with negative health outcomes.” https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/stress-health-news-640/when-stress-hormone-falters-your-health-may-suffer-725272.html Normally, cortisol levels should vary throughout the day. "Cortisol is naturally high in the morning to help perk you up, and it decreases into the evening," said study lead author Emma Adam. She is a professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University. "The loss of this cycle -- or the lack of variation of cortisol -- is what is associated with negative health outcomes in our study," Adam said in a university news release. The findings suggest that restoring daily cortisol rhythms could benefit people's health. "It's the righting of rhythms that are important, more so than the righting of levels," the researchers wrote.

Initiation Of Insulin Therapy In Patients With T2D May Be Associated With An Increase In Sedentary Behavior, Increases In Weight,

Sitting times increased while energy expenditure decreased in patients with lower BMIs vs patients with higher BMIs. The researchers determined there was a positive relationship between changes in weight and waist circumference changes vs sitting time. “This suggests that increased sedentary behavior, especially in nonobese T2D patients, may contribute to body weight gain after initiation of insulin therapy,” the researchers concluded. “[S]edentary behavior assessment and intervention may be needed in T2D management.” http://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/type-2-diabetes/type-2-diabetes-insulin-initiation/article/681005/ How does insulin make one want to sit around more?????

Researchers Create Gene-Edited Pigs That May Be Safe For Organ Transplants In Humans.

reports that scientists have long hoped that pigs could be used to provide organs for people, but many of those efforts “were thwarted by the fear that viruses from the pigs...could infect humans through the transplants.” The researchers used CRISPR to remove the viruses from the pigs’ DNA and then cloned those pigs to produce 37 piglets, 15 of which are still alive. The Atlantic (8/7, Zhang) explains that the two major problems with transplanting organs from pigs to humans, or xenotransplants, are the human immune response to the pigs’ organs and the potential transmission of viruses from the pigs’ DNA. The article suggests that “solving these two problems has become much easier and much faster,” because scientists can use CRISPR to “knock out the pig genes that trigger the human immune response” and now “they can inactivate the viruses – called porcine endogenous retroviruses, or PERVs – that lurk in the pig genome.” http://time.com/4896026/pig-organs-humans-crispr-genome-editing/

Study May Explain Reported Link Between Use Of Artificial Sweeteners, Diabetes.

reports that a study published online in Current Biology “may help explain the reported link between the use of artificial sweeteners and diabetes, scientists say.” Investigators “say that in nature the intensity of sweetness reflects the amount of energy present,” but nowadays, “the body’s metabolism is fooled when a beverage is either too sweet or not sweet enough for the amount of calories it contains.” In other words, “a sweet-tasting, lower-calorie drink can trigger a greater metabolic response than a drink with higher calories, they said.” The Telegraph (UK) (8/10, Knapton) also covers the study. https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/misc-diabetes-news-181/artificial-sweeteners-trick-the-brain-study-725398.html

Intense, Long Workouts Better For Appetite Suppression,

You burn calories during exercise and, over time, should drop pounds. But the reality is more vexing. In both scientific studies and the world inhabited by the rest of us, most people who start exercising lose fewer pounds than would be expected, given the number of calories they are burning during workouts. Many people even gain weight. The problem with exercise as a weight-loss strategy seems to be in large part that it can make you hungry, and many of us wind up consuming more calories after a workout than we torched during it, a biological response that has led some experts and frustrated exercisers to conclude that exercise by itself — without strict calorie reduction — is useless for shedding pounds. reports that increased exercise intensity, particularly over lengthier periods of exertion, may be more useful “at blunting appetite” than low-intensity workouts, according to a recent small study published in the Journal of Endocrinology. The article says that “vigorous running” suppressed the production of acylated ghrelin, which is thought to trigger hunger, “more than gentler jogging and longer runs more than briefer ones.” Additionally, the effect lasted “longest when the exercise had been most protracted.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/well/eat/exercise-as-a-weight-loss-strategy.html The effects were especially pronounced when the exercise had been intense or long. Vigorous running had blunted acylated ghrelin production more than gentler jogging and longer runs more than briefer ones. The effects also had lingered longest when the exercise had been most protracted. More than an hour after their 90-minute run, most of the men’s acylated ghrelin levels remained suppressed. Interestingly, the men’s subjective feelings of hunger had also been affected, but not in precisely the same fashion. After the 90-minute run, the men reported feeling less hungry than when they had sat around the lab, even an hour and a half later. But after the short, intense workout, the volunteers soon felt peckish, despite still having low levels of acylated ghrelin in their blood.

PharmaTech Liquid Drugs Recalled Oral liquid docusate sodium products contaminated with B. cepacia

https://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/PublicHealth/67161?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-10&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3

Racial Gap Closes for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Survival Blacks and whites in hospitals in AHA program equally likely to survive

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Arrhythmias/67156?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-10&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2

Generic Drug Prices Are Falling, But That May Not Be Reducing Out-Of-Pocket Costs For Many Consumers.

In a collaboration with ProPublica, the New York Times (8/8, Ornstein, Thomas, Subscription Publication) reports that “the prices of generic drugs have been falling, raising fears about the profitability of major generic manufacturers,” but “it’s unclear how much” consumers “will save,” because many consumers pay a fixed amount for generic drugs through their insurance. The article reports that the Food and Drug Administration, led by Dr. Scott Gottlieb, is working to increase competition in the drug market by “clearing out a backlog of generic-drug approvals” and other measures. Gottlieb said, “We’re looking to create competition where there isn’t competition.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/health/generic-drugs-prices-falling.html

Pharmaceutical Companies Hoping To Make Gene Therapy Medicines Profitable.

reports pharmaceutical companies are “hoping to produce commercially viable medicines” based on “the science of gene therapy.” The article points out that there have been “tiny sales for the first two such treatments in Europe,” but due to recent scientific advances more gene therapies are expected to become available soon. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-gene-therapy-idUSKBN1AO128

Playing An Online Game May Help People With Diabetes Get Better Control Of Their Blood Sugar.

reports that “playing an online game can help those with diabetes get better control of their blood sugar,” researchers found in a study involving “456 US Veterans Affairs diabetes patients with poor blood sugar control while on oral medications.” Participants were randomized either to “a specially designed, team-based online diabetes education game for six months” or “to a control group that played a civics education game” for the same period of time. The findings were published online in Diabetes Care. Endocrine Today (8/8, C https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/diabetes-management-news-180/online-game-helps-those-with-diabetes-control-blood-sugar-725343.html

Are Vaccines Responsible for Decline in Kid Ear Infections? Drop may be due to stricter definitions of infection, PCV-13 vax

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/GeneralPediatrics/67115?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-08&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

America's #HealthiestSchools: Did Your School Make the List?

Every day, 95 percent of school-aged kids and teens attend school. Aside from home it’s the place where kids spend most of their time. Healthy students learn better: Studies show that they perform better on tests, get better grades, attend school more often and behave better in class. That’s why we are so thrilled to announce the 2017 America’s Healthiest Schools. These schools are creating healthy learning environments where students are eating better and moving more. Did your school make the list? https://www.healthiergeneration.org/?_cldee=YW15ZHVnYW4yQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ%3d%3d&recipientid=contact-e93ebf3c3d6ce411bec16c3be5a8f744-1163bf44e4734d7cb4a77792b853233b&utm_source=ClickDimensions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AHS%202017&esid=7fa56ec4-ac7b-e711-812f-e0071b6af151

Local Corticosteroid Use May Be Associated With More Adverse Cardiometabolic Traits, Particularly In Women,

“Local corticosteroid use is associated with more adverse cardiometabolic traits, especially the inhaled administration forms, with the risk being most pronounced for women,” researchers found after evaluating “data from the Lifelines Cohort Study on 140,879 adults (58.5% women).” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/cardiometabolic-disorders/news/in-the-journals/%7B91e79548-510b-45a1-9420-122908f456c6%7D/corticosteroid-use-increases-metabolic-syndrome-risk-in-women. Among women, BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure and triglycerides were higher in corticosteroid users compared with nonusers. Local corticosteroid use was associated with higher fasting serum glucose levels and systemic corticosteroid use was associated with increased HDL cholesterol and decreased fasting serum glucose. Local corticosteroid use in men was associated with a higher waist circumference and diastolic BP, whereas systemic corticosteroid use was associated with higher HDL cholesterol and lower fasting serum glucose. “Use of local [corticosteroids], particularly inhaled types, as well as systemic [corticosteroids] was associated with higher likelihood of having [metabolic syndrome], higher BMI, and other adverse cardiometabolic traits, especially among women,” the researchers wrote. “Since the inhaled [corticosteroids] are the main group of prescribed [corticosteroids] this might be a substantial risk to public health. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate the direction of causality and mechanisms behind these associations.” – by Amber Cox https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/cardiometabolic-disorders/news/in-the-journals/%7B91e79548-510b-45a1-9420-122908f456c6%7D/corticosteroid-use-increases-metabolic-syndrome-risk-in-women

Some OTC Medicines May Not Be Safe For People With Diabetes

Over-the-counter medications may contain alcohol, sugar, or other carbohydrates that can cause “spikes in blood glucose.” Certain other OTC medications contain substances that can raise blood pressure. Wilhelm recommended physicians advise their patients to read OTC medicine labels closely. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes-education/news/online/%7B0738252c-b38a-41ac-8667-d5a5b572524d%7D/for-patients-with-diabetes-not-all-over-the-counter-drugs-are-safe

Exposure To Certain Flame-Retardant Chemicals In Pregnancy May Be Associated With Lower Intelligence In Youngsters

reported, “Exposure to” the flame-retardant chemicals known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) “in pregnancy may be linked to lower intelligence in children,” researchers found in a review that examined 15 studies on the subject. Data from the studies revealed that “IQs dip by 3.7 points for every 10-fold increase in prenatal exposure to these flame retardants.” The findings were published online Aug. 3 in Environmental Health Perspectives. https://consumer.healthday.com/environmental-health-information-12/chemical-health-news-730/prenatal-exposure-to-certain-flame-retardants-linked-to-lower-iqs-725274.html

Three Studies Add To Evidence BPA, BPS Exposure Early In Life May Lead To Serious Health Issues Later In Life.

Three new studies add more evidence that exposure” to bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) “early in life will likely lead to serious health issues later in life.” In one study, investigators found that “perinatal BPA exposure affects developmental programming of the hypothalamic melanocortin circuitry in mice, resulting in delayed leptin secretion and lack of response to satiety cues, leading to obesity.” A second study revealed that “early-life BPA exposure reprograms the developing epigenome to generate molecular ‘super promoters’ responsive to a high-fat diet later in life, resulting in liver impairments and metabolic disease.” In a third study, researchers found that “BPS displays estrogen-like behavior in breast cancer cells, suggesting that it may not be a safer BPA alternative despite its widespread use.” http://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/no-guarantees-studies-shed-new-light-edc-potential-bpa-bps/

Genetically Modified Skin Cells May Control T2D In Mice

reports researchers “created genetically altered skin cells that may control type 2 diabetes in lab mice,” according to a study published in Cell Stem Cell. The researchers “created patches of skin cells that were able to release a hormone called GLP1 in a controlled manner,” which “spurs the production of insulin.” https://consumer.healthday.com/health-technology-information-18/gene-therapy-news-331/engineered-skin-cells-control-type-2-diabetes-in-mice-study-725262.html

Weakened Taste Buds Could Be Linked To Obesity

reports when “people were given a substance to dull their taste buds for perceiving sweetness, they preferred a more highly sweetened beverage or cookie, with more calories,” according to a study published in Appetite. The researchers concluded that “further study is needed to see how weakened taste buds might be linked to obesity.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666317302350?via%3Dihub

Previously Cured HCV Patients Can Be Reinfected Prevention will require attention to high-risk behaviors

https://www.medpagetoday.com/reading-room/aga/lower-gi/67046?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-04&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

CDC: Organ Donor TB Case Reveals Flaws in Transplant Screening Genotyping critical in outbreak investigation

A rare case of organ donor-transmitted tuberculosis occurred in California as part of a 2014-2015 outbreak, despite adherence by health officials to recommended guidelines for transplant-related TB evaluation, the CDC reported. The seven-case outbreak, which included the deceased organ donor and a double-lung recipient, was traced by CDC and California Department of Health investigators to a source case who was apparently infectious for roughly three years before receiving treatment for TB. Genotyping revealed that the organ donor was linked after death to an ongoing TB outbreak that occurred in a separate county from where the organ recipient resided. This finding has implications for health officials involved in TB control, the investigators wrote in the latest issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published online Aug. 3. https://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Tuberculosis/67050?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-04&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2

Long-Term Bisphosphonate Therapy Appears To Change Bones At Microscopic Level To Make Them More Susceptible To Atypical Femoral Fractures

“Long-term bisphosphonate therapy can change bones at the microscopic level to make them more susceptible to the rare catastrophic transverse breaks known as atypical femoral fractures,” researchers found after examining “biopsies of cortical bone from the femurs of 50 women in their 70s and 80s.” The findings were published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/osteoporosis/67023

Does a New Hepatitis Vaccine Cause Heart Attacks?

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/RevolutionandRevelation/67019?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-03&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

Having Low Amount Of Fat Storage In The Legs May Be Strongest Determinant Of Metabolic Risk In Lean Subjects,

reports that “having low amount of fat storage in the legs was the strongest determinant of metabolic risk in lean subjects,” researchers found, “while intra-abdominal fat (fat located around the body organs rather than just under the skin) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were the biggest determinants of metabolic risk in obese individuals.” The findings of the 981-participant study were published in the journal Cell Metabolism. http://www.medicaldaily.com/thin-legs-may-be-sign-poor-metabolic-health-lean-individuals-420770 The results also showed that having low amount of fat storage in the legs was the strongest determinant of metabolic risk in lean subjects, while intra-abdominal fat (fat located around the body organs rather than just under the skin) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were the biggest determinants of metabolic risk in obese individuals. So fat stored in the deep viscera of the belly instead of the legs behaves differently in a bad way.

Safety Questions Dog Novel IL-6 Blocker for RA Efficacy robust, but an apparent excess risk of death

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/67001?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-02&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2

Insufficient Sleep May Be Linked To Larger Waist,

Studies keep finding the same results. reports that researchers studying “the connection between sleep and weight gain” found that study participants “who were sleeping an average of six hours each night had waist measurements about 1.2 inches...more than those getting nine hours of sleep a night.” Participants “with less sleep also weighed more.” The findings were published in PLOS One. Forbes (7/31) contributor David DiSalvo also discusses the findings. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/07/31/insufficient-sleep-may-add-more-than-an-inch-to-your-waist-study-suggests/?utm_term=.cb4391e852e1

Caregivers Often Fail To Administer Epinephrine To Kids Experiencing Anaphylaxis,

) reports that when youngsters “experience serious allergy attacks, known as anaphylaxis, parents, teachers, emergency responders and other caregivers often fail to administer epinephrine – even to children who had previously experienced anaphylaxis and been prescribed an epinephrine autoinjector,” researchers found. After “analyzing more than 400 patient records of children and young adults from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus,” OH, investigators “found that only 36 percent of patients experiencing anaphylaxis received epinephrine before arriving at the emergency department.” The findings were published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/health/epipens-children-allergic-reactions-emergency-responders.html

Frequent Drinkers See Lower Diabetes Risk Danish cohort study finds markedly lower rates of new-onset diabetes

The authors emphasized that both the amount of weekly consumption and the frequency of consumption are important patterns when considering associated risk. However, there was no significant relationship reported in regard to the frequency of binge drinking. Men who regularly consumed wine (≥7 drinks/week) also reported a 30% decreased diabetes risk compared with men who drank less than one glass of wine per week, whereas for women, frequent spirit consumption was tied to a higher risk for diabetes (≥7 drinks/week versus <1 drinks/week; HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.29-2.58). The findings were also unchanged in a sensitivity analysis, which excluded participants who had either reduced or increased their level of alcohol consumption within the previous 5 years. Ronald Tamler, MD, PhD, medical director of the Clinical Diabetes Institute at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, who was not involved with the study, advised in a statement that people should not pick up a drinking habit simply to stave off diabetes risk. Additionally, he advocated for moderation -- up to one drink per day for women and two a day for men -- and cautioned against binge drinking, which can carry very serious health implications. "This study focuses on people developing a new diagnosis of diabetes. Once somebody has diabetes, different forms of alcohol can have very different effects: Beer may increase blood sugar levels (carbs!) while hard liquor may lead to dangerously low glucose levels," Tamler added. https://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Diabetes/66969?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-01&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3

Birthplace Tied to Dementia Risk People born in states with high rates of stroke death had greater risk of dementia

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/Strokes/66972?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-08-01&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2