FDA To Require Makers Of Immediate-Release Opioid Pain Medications To Develop Training For Physicians.

reports that the Food and Drug Administration is requiring the makers of fast-acting opioid pain medications to “provide extensive training to doctors in an attempt to stem the ongoing opioid addiction crisis.” According to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, opioid pain medications are a “potential gateway to addiction.” He said the agency contacted 74 drugmakers informing them that their immediate-release opiods will be subject to the requirement. https://apnews.com/037cb92071bf48f78315554eda8d14db/FDA-requires-opioid-makers-to-develop-doctor-training

Early Topical Treatment For Diabetic Retinopathy May Be Possible, Research Suggests.

“Early topical treatment for diabetic retinopathy may be possible in the future, at least for a subset of diabetes patients,” according to the results of a trial presented at the European Consortium for the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy. Researchers “compared the effects of twice-daily eyedrops containing the neuroprotective agents somatostatin or brimonidine against placebo drops for arresting neurodegeneration and for effects on a variety of retinal and visual outcomes.” https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tZWRzY2FwZS5jb20vdmlld2FydGljbGUvODg2Mjc1&ac=401

Open Lung Ventilation May Worsen ARDS Mortality Clinical trial findings do not support routine use of lung recruitment strategy

https://www.medpagetoday.com/CriticalCare/GeneralCriticalCare/68172?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-28&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

ICU Care Does Not Extend Survival Among Elderly Program did promote admission among these critically ill patients

https://www.medpagetoday.com/CriticalCare/Intensivists/68185?xid=NL_breakingnews_2017-09-28&eun=g721819d0r

Sexually Transmitted Diseases In US Reach Record High, CDC Data Indicate.

reports that “for the second year in a row,” US diagnoses of “chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis reached a record high.” The article says “more than 2 million cases” of the three sexually transmitted diseases were reported in 2016, according to data released by the CDC on Tuesday. The Times adds that the rise in women with syphilis has caused a corresponding increase in congenital syphilis among newborns, which has nearly doubled to 632 cases since 2012. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-std-rates-20170926-story.html

VIDEO VIDEO: Exposure to High-Fat Diet In Utero Reprograms Liver, Leads to Metabolic Disease

https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/exposure-high-fat-diet-utero-reprograms-liver-leads-metabolic-disease-mouse-model-shows/

Biotin Supplements May Interfere with Blood Tests

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/68137?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-27&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3

Analysis: The Government Hasn’t Reduced Drug Prices Despite Ubiquitous Desire To.

In an analysis, the Kaiser Health News (9/23, Hancock) says lowering the price of medication is a desire shared across party lines, is a growing concern for an increasing number of Americans, and was even one of President Trump’s promises for early-term execution that “might have seemed the easiest to achieve,” yet, as the Times explains, “any momentum to curtail prescription drug costs...has been lost amid rancorous debates over replacing Obamacare and stalled amid roadblocks erected via lobbying and industry cash.” The Times cites iSpot.tv as it says the drug lobby has spent $28 million “to air six ads depicting heroic researchers about 4,600 times on national TV” this year, the first half of which saw $145 million spent on lobbying by the pharmaceutical and health products industries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, and $4.5 million given to congressional campaigns by drug makers, as found in a Kaiser Health News analysis. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/23/sunday-review/prescription-drugs-prices.html

Rate Of Diabetic Amputations Increasing In California And Across US.

reported that the rate of diabetic amputations is increasing in California and across the US. Edward Gregg, chief of epidemiology and statistics for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “said the trend is troublesome.” Gregg “couldn’t say definitively why rates have been increasing,” but “offered theories.” Americans are growing older, and an increasing number of Americans “are being diagnosed with diabetes.” https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/diabetes/68086

Timing Of Carbohydrate Consumption May Affect Glucose, Insulin Excursions In Adults With T2D,

“Adults with type 2 diabetes [T2D] who consumed carbohydrates last during their meals had lower glucose peaks and insulin excursions and higher GLP-1 excursions compared with those who consumed carbohydrates first during their meals,” research indicated. The findings of the 16-participant study were published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/in-the-journals/%7B4f81c6dc-95b1-4a57-9ca3-61d5a8e59611%7D/carbohydrate-consumption-timing-affects-glucose-insulin-excursions

Breathing Dirty Air May Increase Kidney Disease Risk Fine particulate exposure may cause 45,000 cases of CKD annually

https://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/EnvironmentalHealth/68103?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-23&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

Antibiotics, Cleaners May Spread Multidrug-Resistant MRSA in Home Variety of risk factors included pet ownership, small household

https://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/68104?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-23&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2

Statistics Show Texas Youth Obesity Rates Still Above National Average But Down From 2012.

reports statistics from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation show that 33.3 percent of Texan kids age 10 to 17 were overweight or obese in 2016; while that is a “rate higher than the national average,” it also shows an improvement in adolescent weight levels since 2012, when 36.6 percent of the kids in the same age group were overweight or obese. According to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation CEO and President Richard Besserm, “Obesity rates are still far too high, but the progress we’ve seen in recent years is real and it’s encouraging,” though that progress “could be easily undermined if leaders and policymakers at all levels don’t continue to prioritize efforts that help all Americans leader healthier lives.” http://www.chron.com/business/medical/article/1-in-3-Texas-youth-still-overweight-or-obese-12218645.php

Researchers Discover Cause Of Insulin Resistance In Mice, Then Reverse It.

reports researchers claim to have “discovered a cause of insulin resistance...and reversed it in mice.” Investigators found that exosomes “in fat tissue emit messaging molecules that control the process.” http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/biotech/sd-me-diabetes-exosomes-20170919-story.html

In Utero Exposure To A High-Fat Diet May Reprogram The Liver, Animal Study Suggests.

reports, “In utero exposure to a high-fat diet reprograms the liver, leads to long-term gene dysregulation, and ultimately to metabolic disease,” researchers concluded after working with animals. In an embedded video, study author Maureen J. Charron, PhD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine discusses the study’s findings which were also published in Endocrinology. https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/exposure-high-fat-diet-utero-reprograms-liver-leads-metabolic-disease-mouse-model-shows/

Drinking One Fewer Soda Per Week Can Limit Weight Gain Over Two Years,

reports a study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that drinking even one fewer cans of soda per week can result in one fewer pound gained over the course of two years. According to TIME, “On the other hand, those who added about a can of soda to per week to their diet gained 0.66 lb more than those who didn’t alter their soda habits. Making it a daily ritual was linked to even more weight gain.” The authors were also hesitant to recommend diet drinks, writing, “although there is evidence to support that sugar-free soda consumption might result in weight loss by limiting energy intake, some studies have suggested that intake of noncaloric sweetener could result in metabolic abnormalities and weight gain.” http://time.com/4952054/soda-weight-gain/

Low-Salt Diet Intervention Succeeds While Also Failing

Sodium-restricted Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH/SRD) meals didn't significantly improve quality of life of for geriatric heart failure patients in a small randomized trial, but there were encouraging signals of improved symptoms, researchers said here. Currently recommended by hypertension guidelines, the DASH regimen has been associated with lower mortality in existing heart failure. Researchers took it one step further by creating sodium-restricted DASH meals, delivered pre-made to patients, containing 1,500 mg sodium per day and varying levels of potassium depending on renal function and use of mineralocorticoid antagonists. In the first randomized study to test whether pre-made, low-sodium meals could improve outcomes, patients got usual diet (n=33) or home-delivered DASH/SRD meals (n=33). Four weeks post-discharge, the latter saw Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) summary scores jump a mean 15 points to about 57 (P<0.001), according to Scott L. Hummel, MD, MS, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, on behalf of the Geriatric Out-of-Hospital Randomized Meal Trial in Heart Failure (GOURMET-HF) investigators. But KCCQ summary scores also improved a by a mean 10 points in the usual-food group (P=0.001), translating to no significant between-group difference (P=0.37), he told the audience here at the late-breaking trial session of the Heart Failure Society of America meeting. Coming closer to statistical significance, but falling just short, were differences in the KCCQ clinical summary, which takes into account heart failure symptoms and physical limitations. The low-sodium DASH diet brought mean scores up roughly 20 points to about 65, compared to an approximately 15-point gain among controls (P=0.053). "Larger studies are warranted to investigate how dedicated nutritional support affects functional capacity and readmissions in post-discharge patients with heart failure," said Hummel. https://www.medpagetoday.com/mastery-of-medicine/art-and-science-of-hf/68038?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-21&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

Benefits Of Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Found To Persist For 12 Years In Most Patients.

reports that “twelve years after” Roux-en-Y gastric bypass “surgery, the benefits persist in most patients, leading to long-term weight loss, less diabetes, lower blood pressure and fewer cholesterol problems.” The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. MedPage Today (9/20, Monaco) also covers the story. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-obesity-bariatric-surgery/benefits-of-gastric-bypass-persist-for-12-years-idUSKCN1BV2Z7

too Much Extra Weight In Men May Be Linked To Lower Semen Volume, Lower Sperm Count.

reports researchers “studied more than 1,200 men and found that too much extra weight was linked to a lower volume of semen, a lower sperm count and lower sperm concentration.” The findings were published online in Andrologia. https://consumer.healthday.com/infertility-information-22/infertility-news-412/as-men-s-weight-rises-sperm-health-may-fall-726704.html

Youth Opioid Addiction: A Growing Problem Studies find risk of addiction after surgery, higher numbers of ED visits

https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAP/68050?xid=NL_breakingnews_2017-09-21&eun=g721819d0r

Study Confirms Link Between Eating Meat, Risk Of Developing T2D.

reports a study published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology “confirms the link between eating meat and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) by demonstrating that the link isn’t exclusive to western diets.” Researchers confirmed the link by examining data from the 63,000-patient Singapore Chinese Health Study. http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/study-red-meat-and-heme-iron-linked-to-type-2-diabetes

US Youth Obesity Rates Leveling Off, Report Finds.

“Youth obesity rates are leveling off in the United States, with about one-third of kids and teens now overweight or obese,” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation researchers found. Their findings were released in the RWJF annual State of Obesity report. https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/obesity-health-news-505/obesity-rates-have-stopped-rising-for-young-americans-726695.html

Is BMI The Best Screening Tool for Obesity in Kids? Two pediatricians wondered if there wasn't a better way

https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAP/67997?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-20&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

Twice-Daily Aspirin Regimen May Confer Cardiovascular Benefit In Patients With T2D, Study Indicates.

“Patients with type 2 diabetes [T2D] but without existing cardiovascular disease experienced a time-dependent increase in platelet aggregation in the 24 hours after once-daily aspirin therapy,” researchers reported after analyzing “data from 21 patients with type 2 diabetes and 21 age- and sex-matched controls who received once-daily aspirin for 6 days.” The findings, which were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting, indicate that “a twice-daily aspirin regimen could provide CV benefit.” https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/online/%7B83fdb2c6-4d77-40ae-a0fb-9e2961baea45%7D/twice-daily-aspirin-may-confer-cv-benefit-in-type-2-diabetes

Drug Price Increases Expected To Drive Up Healthcare Costs For Employers In 2018.

reports that employers are preparing for an increase in healthcare expenses next year “as spending on new drugs to treat diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis C is expected to rise more than 7 percent, according to consultancy firm Mercer.” The firm’s findings “suggest that spending on specialty drugs had risen by about 15 percent compared with prices that were factored into 2017 health plans.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-survey/costly-drugs-to-weigh-on-u-s-employers-expenses-in-2018-survey-idUSKCN1BT1FR

Effectiveness Of Weight-Loss Diet May Well Depend On Which Bacteria Are Present In The Gut,

reported that the effectiveness of a weight-loss diet may well “depend on which bacteria” are in a person’s gut. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after using feces samples to analyze “the ratio of two gut bacteria, Prevotella and Bacteroides, in 62 overweight people.” Participants “on the high-fiber diet with a high Prevotella to Bacteroides ratio lost an average of 10 pounds of body fat, three and a half pounds more that those on the diet with a low ratio.” The findings were published in the International Journal of Obesity. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/well/live/gut-bacteria-may-be-key-to-weight-loss.html

Swine Flu Tied to T1D Risk (EASD) Authors suspect relationship with respiratory infections

Type 1 diabetes onset in youth may be tied to pandemic flu, according to a new study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Lisbon. The study, led by Paz Lopez-Doriga Ruiz of Norwegian Institute of Public Health, reported an association between diagnosis of clinical influenza with a higher incidence rate of type 1 diabetes (aHR 1.18, 95% CI 0.96-1.45). Similarly, children under the age of 15 found an even stronger association (1.35, 95% CI 1.07-1.69). However, the strongest links were reported between lab-confirmed H1N1 diagnosis (2.35, 1.60-3.46), as well as flu-related hospitalized with an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes (2.75, 1.14-6.62). https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EASD/67923?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-15&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3

Increasing Salt Consumption Tied To Diabetes Risk.

reports a new study by Swedish researchers suggests high levels of salt consumption may raise an adult’s risk of developing diabetes. The study showed that “salt intake was associated with an average 65 percent increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes for each 2.5 extra grams of salt (slightly less than half a teaspoon) consumed per day.” The researchers found participants with the “highest salt intake (about 1.25 teaspoons of salt or higher) were 72 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest intake.” The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/salt-and-sodium-news-591/increasing-salt-intake-tied-to-diabetes-risk-726488.html

Study Suggests Inverse Association Between Caffeine Consumption, Death In Women With Diabetes.

reports that after reviewing information on some 3,000 people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, researchers “found that women with diabetes who had up to one regular cup of coffee a day (100 milligrams of caffeine) were 51 percent less likely to die than women who consumed no caffeine during the 11-year study.” The findings, which suggest “an association between caffeine consumption and the risk of dying,” were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting. https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/caffeine-health-news-89/can-coffee-or-tea-extend-survival-with-diabetes-726518.html

Consuming High Amounts Of Artificial Sweeteners May Affect How The Body Responds To Sugar,

reports, “Among healthy individuals, 2-week dietary supplementation with sucralose and acesulfame-K was associated with an increase in plasma glucose absorption, marked by 3-O-methyl glucose (iAUC 23%, P≤0.05), and blood glucose levels when compared with placebo (27%, P≤ 0.05),” the study found. What’s more, “gut peptides were also altered after” consumption of non-caloric artificial sweeteners, the study found. The Telegraph (UK) (9/14, Donnelly) also covers the story. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/easd/67907

Butler County near Cincinnati reports case of West Nile virus

http://www.wlwt.com/article/butler-county-reports-case-of-west-nile-virus/12237019

Vitamin D Deficiency May Help Identify Whether A Woman Is At Long-Term Risk For MS,

“Vitamin D deficiency may help identify whether a woman is at long-term risk for multiple sclerosis (MS),” researchers concluded in a study involving “1,092 women diagnosed with MS from 1983 to 2009.” The findings were published online in Neurology. The authors of a accompanying editorial “suggested that supplementation is simple, cost-effective, and unlikely to be harmful in adolescents and adults, noting that doses of up to 4,000 IU/day are safe for adults even in pregnancy.” https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/multiplesclerosis/67897

Diabetes Mellitus Risk Factors Appear To Be Elevated For The Transgender Population,

“Diabetes mellitus risk factors were elevated for the transgender population, even when under the care of a multidisciplinary team,” researchers found after assessing “a small group of transpeople with diabetes mellitus: 1 transman with type 1 diabetes (T1D), three transwomen with type 1 diabetes, and five transwomen with type 2 diabetes (T2D).” The study revealed that “estrogen therapy in transwoman (male to female) and testosterone therapy in transman (female to male)...was associated with modifiable risk factors, such as HbA1c, cardiovascular markers, and vitamin D levels.” The findings were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/easd/67880

Genetic Variant Found Only In African Americans May Lead To Inaccurate Measurements Of HbA1c,

reports that “a genetic variant found only in African Americans...may lead to inaccurate measurements of HbA1c,” researchers concluded after studying data from “82 cohort studies” involving nearly 160,000 participants. The findings were published online in PLoS Medicine. https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tZWRzY2FwZS5jb20vdmlld2FydGljbGUvODg1NjMy&ac=401

T2D May Be Curable If Patients Lose A Certain Amount Of Weight,

reports that research published in the BMJ suggests that “in many cases,” type 2 diabetes (T2D) “is curable.” Patients can reverse the condition “by losing about 33 pounds, say the authors of the new paper, despite popular belief that the diagnosis is always a permanent one.” http://time.com/4940354/reverse-diabetes-weight-loss/

Third MMR Dose Helped Control College Mumps Outbreak But waning immunity from two-dose vaccine a continued problem

https://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Vaccines/67739?xid=nl_mpt_Weekly_Education_2017-09-13&eun=g5883165d1r

Experts Puzzled By US Male Infertility Crisis.

reports researchers suspect environmental toxins, “specifically, endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in compounds like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates,” can cause reduction in male sperm counts. The production of sperm is “tightly regulated by the body’s hormones, and so any interference with those hormones – say, through exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals – could make itself felt first through damage to sperm quantity or quality.” http://www.newsweek.com/2017/09/22/male-infertility-crisis-experts-663074.html

Menopausal Hormone Therapy Drugs Appear Not To Increase Risk Of Premature Death,

“The largest and longest clinical trials to date of menopausal hormone therapy have found that the drugs do not increase the risk of premature death,” researchers reported. In the Journal of the American Medical Association, study lead author JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, FACE, “chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital,” and colleagues “reported the results of two randomized trials.” In one trial, “16,608 women took either a placebo or a combination of estrogen and progesterone for an average of 5.6 years.” In the second trial “10,739 women took either a placebo or estrogen alone for an average of 7.2 years. The women were 50 to 79 years old.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/well/live/taking-hormones-for-menopause-doesnt-raise-early-death-risk.html

Research Finds Eating In Sync With Own Body Clock Could Curb Fat Gain.

reports a study found that timing meals by one’s own body clock rather than by the time of day could affect how lean one is. The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-eating-bodyclock/eating-in-synch-with-your-body-clock-may-help-curb-fat-gain-idUSKCN1BM2EN Melatonin onset timing was similar for both lean participants and those with a higher percentage of body fat, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, online September 6. However, those with a higher percentage of body fat - 8.7 percent higher in women and 10.1 percent higher in men - ate most of their calories about an hour closer to the time of melatonin onset than did lean participants. There was no relationship between body composition and when (clock hour) they ate, how many calories they consumed, what kind of food they had, their exercise or activity level or sleep duration.

Researchers Identify Genetic Variants That May Increase Risk For Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease.

reports that that a study published online in Nature Genetics “has provided fresh insight into genetic contributions to type 2 diabetes and heart disease and how the two diseases are linked.” Researchers “identified 16 previously unidentified genetic variants that appear to increase the risk for type 2 diabetes and one new genetic variant that increases the risk for heart disease.” The investigators “also confirmed previously identified risk loci for diabetes and pinpointed seven genetic variants that increase the risk for both type 2 diabetes and heart disease.” https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tZWRzY2FwZS5jb20vdmlld2FydGljbGUvODg1NDc5&ac=401

Female Freshman Students May Lose More Weight If They Weigh Themselves At Least Once Daily

reports that researchers found that “female freshman students lost more weight when they weighed themselves at least once a day, while those who didn’t failed to shed any pounds at all.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine. https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/weight-gain-health-news-702/regular-weigh-ins-may-help-prevent-college-weight-gain-725723.html

Wife's BMI Weighs on Husband's Diabetes Risk

While one's own body mass index is a key determinant of type 2 diabetes risk, men also accrue some additional risk when their wives gain BMI points, an observational study suggested. For husbands, the diabetes incidence during an average 11.5 years of follow-up rose linearly with spousal BMI. The incidence rate ratio was 1.33 (95% CI 1.23-1.45) for a 5-unit higher spousal BMI, such as from 25 to 30. After accounting for the husband's own BMI, the association remained significant (IRR 1.21, 95% CI 1.11-1.33), Adam Hulman, PhD, of Denmark's Aarhus University, reported here at the European Society for the Study of Diabetes meeting. For women, spousal BMI carried no significant diabetes risk whether adjusted only for factors like age, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity or additionally for the woman's own obesity level. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/easd/67816

Disinfectant Use Tied to COPD Incidence in Nurses 'Novel hypothesis merits further investigation,' researchers say

There was a prospective association between exposure to disinfectants and higher chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) incidence in nurses, researchers reported here. Analysis of data from the U.S. Nurses Health Study II (NHS II) showed that nurses who used various disinfectants to clean surfaces in hospitals had a 22% increased risk of developing COPD within 8 years (adjusted odds ration 1.22 95% CI 1.04-1.43), according to Orianne Dumas, PhD, of the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Villejuif, France, and colleagues. About 37% of the nurses reported weekly involvement in using disinfectants to clean surfaces, Dumas said at a press conference at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress. She also reported that a suggested association for weekly use of disinfectants to clean instruments (19% exposed, aOR 1.18, 95% CI 0.98-1.43). High level exposure to specific disinfectant evaluated by the https://www.medpagetoday.com/mastery-of-medicine/pulmonology-mastery-in-copd/67810?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-12&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

Central Obesity May Increase Cancer Risk More Than Overweight Alone In Postmenopausal Women,

reports that research suggests “more than overweight alone, central obesity – defined as high ratio of trunk fat to peripheral fat – places postmenopausal women at a higher risk for cancer diagnosis.” The findings were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2017 Congress. https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tZWRzY2FwZS5jb20vdmlld2FydGljbGUvODg1NDc1&ac=401

E-Cigs May Still Damage Blood Vessels Arterial stiffness increased immediately after vaping session

https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ERS/67802?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-11&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

Leaving Sleep Apnea Untreated Even For A Short Time May Be Tied To Higher Risk Of Spikes In Blood Sugar Levels, Stress Hormones, Blood Pressure.

“People who leave their sleep apnea untreated for just a short time may face a higher risk of spikes in blood sugar levels, stress hormones and blood pressure,” researchers found. Thirty-one patients were included in the study, the findings of which were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. https://consumer.healthday.com/sleep-disorder-information-33/apnea-sleep-problems-news-624/sleep-apnea-wreaks-havoc-on-your-metabolism-726145.html

Opioids: What Happens to the Unused Pills? Opioid disposal poses a problem

https://www.medpagetoday.com/PainManagement/Opioids/67766?xid=NL_breakingnews_2017-09-08&eun=g721819d0r

Device May Help Surgeons Detect Cancerous Tissue

reports that investigators “tested 253 human tissue samples from lung, ovary, thyroid and breast cancer tumors and compared them to samples of healthy tissues.” The study indicated that “the device was 96% accurate at identifying cancerous tissues.” The investigators also tested the device, called the “MasSpec Pen, in live mice with tumors and found that the device was able to identify the presence of cancer without harming healthy surrounding tissues.” http://time.com/4928010/diagnose-cancer-pen/

Study: 94% Of US Tap Water Contains Microscopic Plastic Fibers.

eports researchers who tested tap water from around the world found that over 80 percent of the samples contained microplastics. The contamination is “particularly high” in the US, where 94 percent of faucet water is affected. Samples taken from the US Capitol, EPA headquarters, and Trump Tower all contained the microscopic-sized plastic fibers. The study, commissioned by the data journalism website Orb and conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota, revealed that “the highest rates of contamination was found in Lebanon and India, while the lowest occurred in Europe, where 72% of samples contained fibers.” According to Orb, scientists said most of the fibers come from clothes, upholstery, and carpets, “including particles released by the actions of washing machines and dryers.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2017/09/06/94-u-s-tap-water-contaminated-plastic-fibers-including-faucets-trump-tower/636662001/

AAP: Still a 'No' to FluMist for Upcoming Flu Season This year's influenza A (H1N1) strain differs from 2016-2017 vaccine

Recommendations for the 2017-2018 influenza season remain largely unchanged, with FluMist left off the recommended influenza vaccinations for the second year in a row, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). An AAP policy statement advises that everyone age 6 months and older should receive the influenza vaccine by the end of October. Those who require two doses, such as children ages 6 months to 8 years who have never been vaccinated, should receive their first dose earlier in the season, reported the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases in Pediatrics. https://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Vaccines/67714?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-06&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

Genetic Variants Linked To Health Problems Appear Less Frequently In People Who Live Longer,

PLOS Biology used data from over 200,000 people to show humans “appear to be evolving to hit puberty later and those who start at an older age live longer.” Researchers also discovered that “genetic variants linked to heart disease, obesity and high cholesterol appear less frequently in people who live longer.” reports one of the genetic variants was lined to Alzheimer’s, and “appears to be fading in older women, possibly because women who have it tend to die earlier.” The second genetic variation was linked to heavy smoking in men and also appears to be becoming less common. http://www.newsweek.com/human-evolution-genetics-puberty-heart-disease-alzheimers-659721

Shingles: A Link to Vasculitis? History of complicated shingles doubled risk of giant cell arteritis

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/GeneralRheumatology/67675?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-09-05&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

First four human cases of West Nile confirmed in Michigan for 2017, one each in Oakland and Macomb counties

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20170831/first-four-human-cases-of-west-nile-confirmed-in-michigan-for-2017-one-each-in-oakland-and-macomb-counties

The water flooding Texas right now is probably filled with infectious bacteria

Some of the billions of dollars worth of damage Harvey has inflicted upon Texas has been on sewer systems, which means that the torrential rain is mixed with untreated water that probably contains human waste. “Certainly, there can be contamination with high levels of water—fecal contamination, things like that,” Phil Huang, medical director for Austin Public Health, told NPR. In particular, officials are worried about the spread of tetanus, and infection caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. This type of bacteria winds up in the bloodstream when puncture wounds get dirty from soil, spit, or fecal matter. It takes anywhere from three days to three weeks for problems to surface. And when they do, it’s bad. Colloquially, the worst iteration is known as lockjaw because patients lose the ability to move their mouths from muscle spasms the infection https://qz.com/1064767/hurricane-harvey-flood-waters-likely-carry-diseases/