Dr. House
Dr. House
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Nearly 40 Percent Of Americans Believe Alternative Medicine Can Cure Cancer,
reports that a survey indicates “nearly 40 percent of Americans incorrectly believe that alternative medicine can cure cancer.” The survey indicated that “38 percent of people who care for cancer patients believe in alternative therapies, and 22 percent of cancer patients or former cancer patients believe in such remedies.” NBC News adds, “The American Society of Clinical Oncology commissioned The Harris Poll to survey more than 4,800 people, including 1,000 cancer patients or cancer survivors.” https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/americans-really-want-believe-alternative-therapies-cancer-n925976
BMI Between 21 and 25 Linked To Lower Risk Of Death From Cancer, Heart Disease.
reports that a study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology found that those with a BMI between 21 to 25 had the lowest risk of dying of cancer or heart disease. Meanwhile, with a BMI of 30 or above, men were at risk of losing 4.2 years of their lives and women were at risk of losing 3.5 years. Higher BMI was also “linked to a range of disease including cancer, heart disease, and conditions such as liver disease, diabetes, and respiratory illness.” Lower BMI was linked to conditions like “dementia, Alzheimer’s, heart and respiratory diseases, as well as suicide were meanwhile linked to being underweight.” https://www.newsweek.com/having-bmi-will-protect-against-cancer-and-heart-disease-deaths-1193565
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
More Hospitals In Rural Areas Are Closing, Data Indicate.
“The Upshot” blog that more and more rural hospitals are closing, especially in states which did not expand Medicaid under the ACA. Earlier this year, “the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission found that of the 67 rural hospitals that closed since 2013, about one-third were more than 20 miles from the next closest hospital.” Meanwhile, a Health Affairs study revealed that more than “half of rural counties now lack obstetric services.” Frakt adds that after the Times published an article “about the struggles of rural hospitals, some doctors responded by noting that rising malpractice premiums had made it, as one put it, ‘economically infeasible nowadays to practice obstetrics in rural areas.’” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/upshot/a-sense-of-alarm-as-rural-hospitals-keep-closing.html
Researchers Find BP3 Protein Helps Obese Mice Lose Weight.
reports that researchers “found that the natural protein FGFBP3 (or BP3) turned out to be a powerful regulator of metabolism, helping obese laboratory mice that were genetically predisposed to eat often lose one third of their fat.” The findings were published in Scientific Reports. https://www.ajc.com/news/science/these-obese-mice-lost-third-their-fat-using-natural-protein-will-work-humans/jMwHtEl87TxEAxzN0EzmzH/
Prenatal Exposure To Phthalates May Be Linked To Elevated Rate Of Language Delay In Early Childhood,
“Prenatal exposure to phthalates – synthetic chemicals found in personal care products and common household items – was tied to an elevated rate of language delay in early childhood,” researchers concluded in “an analysis of two longitudinal studies.” Researchers found “the risk for language delay was up to 29% higher in children whose mothers had twice the exposure levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP) metabolites in a first-trimester urine sample.” The findings were published online in JAMA Pediatrics. https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/generalpediatrics/75996
Free Weight Loss App Helps Obese People With Low Incomes Lose Weight,
reports that according to new research, people with low incomes who are obese and present “signs of cardiovascular risk lost a clinically meaningful amount of weight when using a free phone app” called Track. Among participants using the app when paired with assistance from physicians and dietitians, “43 percent lost more than 5 percent of their body weight over the course of a year.” The findings appear in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. https://www.futurity.org/weight-loss-app-1898422/
Monday, October 29, 2018
Experimental Vaginal Ring Intended To Prevent Pregnancy And HIV Appears To Be Safe
reported, “An experimental vaginal ring meant to prevent pregnancy and HIV looks safe,” research indicated. The new “dual-purpose ring releases the antiretroviral drug dapivirine and the contraceptive hormone levonorgestrel.” In a two-week trial involving 24 women, “there were no safety concerns, and the ring was well-tolerated.” The findings of the National Institutes of Health-funded study were presented at an HIV prevention conference in Spain. https://consumer.healthday.com/women-s-health-information-34/birth-control-news-62/vaginal-ring-that-targets-pregnancy-hiv-seems-safe-study-738925.html
Employing Concept Of Metabolic Flexibility May Offer Best Hope For Curbing Obesity,
Employing the concept of metabolic flexibility – the body’s ability to oxidize the type of fuel that is available – may offer the best hope for curbing obesity,” research indicated. The findings were presented at the Cardiometabolic Health Congress. https://www.healio.com/family-medicine/obesity/news/online/%7B338f7de7-17f6-482d-95b9-6939ffaaf98c%7D/metabolic-flexibility-required-to-achieve-maintain-weight-loss
Friday, October 26, 2018
Gut Bacteria Recover after Antibiotics... Nearly
https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/gut-bacteria-recover-after-antibiotics-nearly-311010?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66969030&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ZPiGkV8OqH9MOgGSUsBxXkxJRY04YWXys1jtG7XZMKwUY3ZLayjTFAJR-_k7lT2aK1L7tkEOSbAtpbKODCtZ2XT1Adg&_hsmi=66969030
The use of antibiotics has long been linked to deprivation of gut bacteria. Now, a new study from University of Copenhagen shows that the composition and function of gut bacteria can recover after antibiotic treatment in healthy people. But after six months, the gut still lack nine common beneficial bacterial species.
The trillions of bacteria in the human gut affect our health in multiple ways including effects on immune functions and metabolism. A rich and diverse gut microbiota is considered to promote health providing the human host with many competences to prevent chronic diseases. In contrast, poor diversity of the gut ecosystem is a characteristic feature of chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, asthma and gut inflammatory disorders.
Due the general bacterial-killing nature of antibiotics, it has been speculated that repetitive use of antibiotics deprives people of a rich gut bacterial environment and through this lead to adverse health effects.
Now, an international team of researchers led from the University of Copenhagen and Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen report when 3 antibiotics were given to young healthy men for 4 days it caused an almost complete eradication of gut bacteria, followed by a gradual recovery of most bacterial species over a period of six months.
After the six months, however, the study participants were still missing nine of their common beneficial bacteria and a few new potentially non-desirable bacteria had colonized the gut. The findings are published today in Nature Microbiology.
“We show that the gut bacterial community of healthy adults are resilient and able to recover after short-term simultaneous exposure to three different antibiotics However, our findings also suggest that exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics may dilute the diversity of the intestinal bacterial ecosystem. Antibiotics can be a blessing for preserving human health but should only be used based upon clear evidence for a bacterial cause of infection,” explains study lead , Professor Oluf Pedersen, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research.
Entire Family Of Organophosphate Pesticides Appears To Cause Brain Damage In Children Even At Low Levels Of Exposure,
reports, “The entire family of widely used pesticides known as organophosphates causes brain damage in children even at low levels of exposure – and should be phased out,” concluded researchers in a “first-of-its-kind paper published” in PLOS Medicine. For the study, investigators “examined all the existing scientific literature on a class of chemicals that has for decades served as the main ingredient in farmers’ pest killers.” Almost two years ago, “the Trump administration ignited a new debate over chlorpyrifos, one of the pesticides in the family...when the Environmental Protection Agency abandoned plans to ban the chemical’s use on food.” https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/organophosphate-ban-pesticides_us_5bcfd6bbe4b0a8f17ef1d420
High Levels Of Cortisol May Be Associated With Poorer Memory And Thinking Skills
reports researchers found that people with high levels of cortisol “may have poorer memory and thinking skills than those with lower levels.” In arriving at that conclusion, investigators used magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, blood tests for cortisol levels, as well as “tests for memory, abstract reasoning, visual perception and attention.” The findings of the 2,231-person study were published online Oct. 24 in Neurology. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/well/mind/stress-may-impair-memory-and-thinking-skills.html
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Microplastics Found In Human Stool From Eight Countries.
reports researchers found “microplastics in stool samples of people from eight countries”: Austria, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and the United Kingdom. The findings indicate the “concentration of contaminants” was “20 microplastic particles per 10 grams of stool,” which researchers consider to be “relatively low.”
The NPR (10/22, Neimark) “The Salt” blog reports that “microplastics, range from 10 nanometers – so tiny they are invisible to the human eye – up to five millimeters in diameter,” and “are floating in the air, and are found in most of our bottled and tap water, our beer, our sea, rock and lake salt, and our soil.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/health/microplastics-human-stool.html
Monday, October 22, 2018
Early Onset Of Menopause May Be Associated With Shorter Life Span
reported, “Early onset of menopause is associated with a shorter life span and longer duration of type 2 diabetes [T2D],” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from 3,650 postmenopausal women.” The findings were published online in the journal Menopause. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/in-the-journals/%7B5027dd85-a014-4283-9249-54022a74b17b%7D/early-menopause-may-shorten-life-expectancy-increase-diabetes-risk
Paternal Exercise Before Fatherhood May Help Future Child’s Health, Mouse Study Suggests.
reports a study (10/3) published in the journal Diabetes found that fathers could help prevent diseases such as diabetes and obesity by exercising before a child is conceived. USA Today explains, “The study found that dads didn’t need to hit the gym daily years before they were ready to have a child,” rather, regular exercise three to four weeks beforehand may have long-term health benefits for the child. The researchers “reached their conclusions by studying male mice on both normal and high-fat https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2018/10/22/study-says-working-your-dad-bod-before-fatherhood-can-help-your-future-kids-health/1691601002/diets.”
Friday, October 19, 2018
Young Adults Who Played In Organized Sports As Kids, Teens May Have Stronger Bones Than Peers Who Were Less Active As Children
“Young adults who played in organized sports as children and teens have stronger bones than peers who were less active as kids,” researchers concluded after studying “984 children born...between May 1989 and November 1991.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-kids-bone-strength/adult-bones-healthier-when-kids-participate-in-organized-sports-idUSKCN1MS3AL
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Superbugs Detected in Urine in a Matter of Minutes
A new test dubbed DETECT can diagnose patients with antibiotic-resistant infections in a matter of minutes and help limit the spread of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs,” which kill as many as 700,000 people worldwide each year. (UC Berkeley Video by Roxanne Makasdjian and Stephen McNally).
“Health organizations around the world are supporting the development of tools that specifically identify pathogens that are resistant to antibiotics because there are limited tests available that can do it quickly,” said Tara deBoer, a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley. “Our test is simple and gives us information on a short timescale.”
The test, dubbed DETECT, spots the molecular signatures of antibiotic-resistant bacteria directly in urine samples. Unlike other techniques that are currently on the market, DETECT does not require expensive instrumentation and is simple enough to be applied in a point-of-care setting.
“In theory, DETECT will allow you to diagnose antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in a doctor’s office just by collecting urine and mixing it with the DETECT reagents,” said Niren Murthy, a professor of engineering at Berkeley.
“Drug-resistant infections are a silent pandemic that actually kill more people every year than Zika or Ebola,” said Lee Riley, professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. “The faster you can start the right drug, the better the chances of survival or avoiding complications.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/urine-point-of-care-test-detects-antibiotic-resistant-superbugs-310688?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66748432&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--qcMGwnBYTOVElKSgOAIoz32TxDQTLZSp8jDcF0r129X4tspcKf2nkdxuneG_4dTZFxIqhRLPVmJCQj7pWNkZhelS14w&_hsmi=66748432
Majority Of Older Adults Would Opt To Take Fewer Medications,
reports new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine indicates that in a survey of “data collected from 1,981 adults covered by Medicare,” nine of 10 respondents age 65 and older “are willing to stop taking one or more medications if their doctor recommends this.” Researchers also found that “two-thirds of older adults would like to cut back on the total number of medicines they take.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-elderly-deprescribing/most-older-adults-would-willingly-take-fewer-medicines-idUSKCN1MQ315
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Virtual Reality Shows We Eat with Our Eyes
The panelists were unaware that the cheese samples were identical, and rated the pungency of the blue cheese significantly higher in the cow barn setting than in the sensory booth or the virtual park bench.
To control for the pungency results, panelists also rated the saltiness of the three samples – and researchers found there was no statistical difference among them.
The purpose of this project was to develop an easy-to-implement and affordable method for adapting virtual reality technology for use in food sensory evaluation, said Dando.
Our environs are a critical part of the eating experience, he said. “We consume foods in surroundings that can spill over into our perceptions of the food,” said Dando. This kind of testing offers advantages of convenience and flexibility, compared to building physical environments. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/virtual-reality-shows-we-eat-with-our-eyes-310660?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66713218&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_SzBwHeKZpUgko-akT7Le3B0kAwEcx_V3F8GYATVObP9P30OOl9U-NjiVsaRRtR9ORXAzZgmqERG2_92SWxoz2aM4tPw&_hsmi=66713218
Proposed Trump Administration Rule Would Require Drugmakers To Include Prices In Television Ads.
reports that on Monday, HHS Secretary Alex Azar unveiled a proposed rule which would require pharmaceutical companies “to include the list price of medicines in television advertisements to consumers – the boldest in a series of efforts by the Trump administration to curb rampant drug spending.” Under the proposal, “drug manufacturers would need to disclose in ads the list price of a 30-day supply of any drug that is covered through Medicare and Medicaid and costs more than $35 a month.” Speaking before the National Academy of Medicine, Azar said, “Sometimes it takes government to make the first move, to disrupt a broken system, and to lay down new rules of the road.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Monday, October 15, 2018
Unapproved Drugs Found In 746 Dietary Supplements For Sexual Enhancement, Weight Loss, And Muscle Growth
reports that “researchers found unapproved and sometimes dangerous drugs in 746 dietary supplements, almost all of them marketed for sexual enhancement, weight loss or muscle growth.” The researchers reviewed “a Food and Drug Administration database of contaminated supplements for the years 2007 to 2016” and found instances of supplements contaminated with different drugs. The findings (10/5) were published in JAMA Network Open.
Reuters (10/12, Carroll) reported the researchers from the California Department of Public Health found that “potentially harmful pharmaceuticals not listed on product labels...were most likely to appear in supplements marketed as weight loss aids, muscle builders and male libido enhancers.”
Additional coverage is provided by: Forbes (10/13, Lee), Fortune (10/12, Shoot), Kaiser Health News (10/12, Bluth), NPR (10/12, Cohen), HealthDay (10/12, Mozes), MedPage Today (10/12, Monaco), and Medscape (10/12, Garcia, Subscription Publication). https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/diet-weight-loss-and-sex-supplements-are-tainted-with-unapproved-drugs/2018/10/12/b3e93bfc-cd7c-11e8-a360-85875bac0b1f_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.460cb5213ba9
Inhaled Insulin Improves Glucose Control In Patients With T1D, Study Indicates.
reported that researchers found that “compared with multiple daily insulin injections, inhaled insulin was shown to provide benefits for adults with type 1 diabetes, including improved postprandial glucose levels, lower daytime glucose variability and less hypoglycemia.” The findings were published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/in-the-journals/%7B184c733f-1c0a-425b-bfea-455f2e1f5707%7D/inhaled-insulin-improves-glucose-control-in-type-1-diabetes
Friday, October 12, 2018
Three Men With Type 2 Diabetes No Longer Need Insulin After “Intermittent Fasting,” Case Report Says.
reports on its website that three men with type 2 diabetes no longer need insulin after “intermittent fasting.” During the study, the “patients followed 24-hour fasts several times a week,” in which “they ate only dinner on fasting days but could drink water, coffee and broth throughout.” The findings were published in BMJ Case Reports. reports that prior to the study, the “three men, aged 40 to 67, were taking various drugs and daily insulin injections to control their diabetes,” and “also had high blood pressure and high cholesterol.” Then following “a six-hour training seminar, two of the men fasted on alternate days for a full 24 hours, while the third fasted three days a week.” https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/09/health/diabetes-fasting-study/index.html
Women With Higher Levels Of Prolactin May Be Less Likely To Develop T2D,
reports researchers found that “the hormone prolactin – most commonly associated with breastfeeding – may play a role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.” The findings were published in Diabetologia. Researchers found those women “with the highest levels of the hormone, though still in the normal range, had a 27 percent reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with the lowest levels in the normal range.” The study included over 8,600 “healthy American women” of which “699 women developed type 2 diabetes during an average follow-up period of 22 years.” https://consumer.healthday.com/women-s-health-information-34/breast-feeding-news-82/does-breastfeeding-hormone-protect-against-type-2-diabetes-738556.html
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Monday, October 8, 2018
Friday, October 5, 2018
Blood Borne Viruses Target Gut Neurons
There are a number of people who are otherwise healthy who suddenly develop bowel motility problems, and we don’t understand why,” said Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck, MD, PhD, the Conan Professor of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine and the study’s co-senior author. “But now we believe that one explanation could be that you can get a viral infection that results in your immune cells killing infected neurons in your gut. That might be why all of a sudden you can’t move things along any more.”
Postdoctoral researcher and first author James White, PhD, was studying mice infected with West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne virus that causes inflammation in the brain, when he noticed something peculiar. The intestines of some of the infected mice were packed with waste higher up and empty farther down, as if they had a blockage https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/blood-borne-viruses-target-gut-neurons-310354?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66458113&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--0sw3LPvPtoAxmwJycc3KElE9z0qSmDIHQoMzkYl6e6dIb_mBfJt7wdCxF1vZeK7-dbqcCow_4kP6hryQ8cGWXLJD49Q&_hsmi=66458113
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Brain Network Localization of Free Will
Network mapping revealed that, while the brain injuries were quite diverse in their locations, the lesions fell within one of two distinct brain networks. All of the injuries disrupting volition were functionally connected to the anterior cingulate cortex, a region of the brain associated with motivation and planning. Ninety percent of lesions causing alien limb fell within a brain network functionally connected to the precuneus cortex, part of the brain associated with agency.
Finally, the authors showed that their findings were relevant beyond patients with brain injury. Brain stimulation to these same sites altered free will perception in healthy research participants, and neuroimaging of psychiatric patients with altered free will perception revealed abnormalities fell with these same brain networks.
“Our study was focused on patients with disorders of free will for movements; however, free will is commonly discussed as it relates to social, legal and moral responsibility for decisions, not just movement,” said Fox. “It remains unknown whether the network of brain regions we identify as related to free will for movements is the same as those important for moral decision-making. https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/brain-network-localization-of-free-will-310303?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66392011&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9bmuBPbBULrx7zoYPtQVOoNDDGVtsPPjbtK9SXTbiRdDgBVK71KufqISgvsmkk_k_rLiTDWPSCtUiYJb833UYX5md3uQ&_hsmi=66392011
Pressure-Sensing Smart Insoles May Reduce Diabetic Foot Ulcer Recurrence, Trial Indicates.
reports on a study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 2018 Annual Meeting finding that “wearing pressure-sensing smart insoles (SurroSense Rx, Orpyx Medical Technologies) reduced diabetic foot ulcer recurrence by up to 86% in compliant patients in a randomized single-blinded trial in high-risk individuals with type 1 and 2 diabetes.” The study included 58 participants who had “type 1 or 2 diabetes, a history of plantar foot ulcers, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and the ability to walk independently for at least 30 steps.” https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWVkc2NhcGUuY29tL3ZpZXdhcnRpY2xlLzkwMjgxOQ==&ac=401
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
FDA Approves Injection For Testosterone Replacement Therapy In Adult Men
reports the Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Xyosted (testosterone enanthate), Antares Pharma Inc’s injectable drug to treat low testosterone levels in men, a year after the agency rejected it. The drug comes with the FDA’s strongest boxed warning “flagging risks of a rise in blood pressure that can cause cardiovascular events.” Xyosted is now the “second branded injectable testosterone replacement therapy in the low-T market and could prove to be both a meaningful financial and sentiment catalyst, Raymond James analyst Elliot Wilbur said in a research note ahead of the FDA’s nod.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-antares-pharma-fda/antares-pharmas-testosterone-drug-gets-fda-approval-idUSKCN1MB2BM
Vitamin D Supplementation May Decrease BMI, Fat Mass In Children With Overweight And Obesity
“Children with overweight and obesity assigned to receive vitamin D supplementation for one year experienced decreases in BMI and fat mass and a rise in HDL cholesterol vs. similar children assigned to placebo,” researchers concluded in a 12-month, 220-child randomized study. The findings were presented at the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology annual meeting. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/bone-mineral-metabolism/news/online/%7Ba86d8705-f257-4e88-b9ba-89548cf76cc3%7D/vitamin-d-supplementation-may-improve-metabolic-syndrome-parameters-in-children-with-obesity
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