Dr. House
Dr. House
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Life Expectancy Continues To Decline In US In Contrast With Other Industrialized Countries, Study Indicates
reports the researchers examined “the past six decades of mortality data” and found that in recent years, the US has experienced “increasing mortality and falling life expectancy for people ages 25 to 64...while other wealthy nations have generally experienced continued progress in extending longevity.” The study found that “by age group, the highest relative jump in death rates from 2010 to 2017 – 29 percent – has been among people ages 25 to 34.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/theres-something-terribly-wrong-americans-are-dying-young-at-alarming-rates/2019/11/25/d88b28ec-0d6a-11ea-8397-a955cd542d00_story.html
Fertility Rate Continued Four-Year Decline, Reaching Record Low In 2018, CDC Data Show
reports that the rate of births dropped again in 2018 for the fourth consecutive year, according to new data from the National Center for Health Statistics, “extending a lengthy decline as women wait until they are older to have children.” In addition, “there were 59.1 births for every 1,000 women of childbearing age in the country last year, a record low.” The rate was down 2% from 2017, and “has fallen by about 15 percent since 2007.”
NBC News (11/27, Edwards) reports that the data also indicated a downward trend for babies being born to smoking mothers, with 6.5% of the women who gave birth in 2018 reporting having used “a tobacco product, a 6 percent decline from 2017.” https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/u-s-birth-rate-falls-4th-year-row-n1091446
Monday, November 25, 2019
Amazon Pulls Many Skin-Lightening Products Containing Mercury
reported Amazon “pulled more than a dozen skin-lightening products with dangerous levels of mercury off its website after Minnesota public-health and environmental activists raised concerns.” The company made the change “after two groups, the BeautyWell Project and the state branch of the Sierra Club, delivered a petition on Wednesday with over 23,000 signatures to Amazon’s fulfillment center in Shakopee, Minnesota.” https://apnews.com/6da0dc3389334ef38177567e12b3170a
High Antibiotic Use Linked to Parkinson's Disease
Higher exposure to commonly used oral antibiotics is linked to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease according to a recently published study by researchers from the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland.
The strongest associations were found for broad-spectrum antibiotics and those that act against anaerobic bacteria and fungi. The timing of antibiotic exposure also seemed to matter.
The study suggests that excessive use of certain antibiotics can predispose to Parkinson's disease with a delay of up to 10 to 15 years. This connection may be explained by their disruptive effects on the gut microbial ecosystem.
“The link between antibiotic exposure and Parkinson's disease fits the current view that in a significant proportion of patients the pathology of Parkinson's may originate in the gut, possibly related to microbial changes, years before the onset of typical Parkinson motor symptoms such as slowness, muscle stiffness and shaking of the extremities. It was known that the bacterial composition of the intestine in Parkinson's patients is abnormal, but the cause is unclear. Our results suggest that some commonly used antibiotics, which are known to strongly influence the gut microbiota, could be a predisposing factor," says research team leader, neurologist Filip https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/high-antibiotic-use-linked-to-parkinsons-disease-327574?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79860634&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-84qYOmecJBfn3kcVk9PTIdQyhB4WYm4_BXq2aI3D_ZFp-U_rre7DPNureWas59CtxZ7ziSyrzhfN9EoeBH2jBbc1DI7Q&_hsmi=79860634
Thursday, November 21, 2019
E-Cigarette Usage May Impair Fertility, Pregnancy Outcomes, Research In Mice Indicates
eported research in mice indicates that “e-cigarette usage may impair fertility and pregnancy outcomes.” The findings were published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/e-cigarette-use-during-pregnancy-impairs-metabolic-health-in-daughters-mouse-study-finds/
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Research Suggests Remaining Brain May Be Able To Reorganize Itself Following Hemispherectomy
reports a study published in Cell Reports indicates that some people may be able to recover well after hemispherectomy, the removal of one of the brain’s hemispheres, because the remaining hemisphere reorganizes itself. The article says that hemispherectomy has been performed “in children who have brain malformations, intractable seizures or diseases where damage is confined to half the brain,” and many scientists have been surprised by how well many patients recover. For instance, “many of the children are able to walk, talk, read and do everyday tasks” and around 20% “of patients who have the procedure go on to find gainful employment as adults.” https://www.newsweek.com/removing-half-brain-appears-boost-brain-connectivity-1472716
Study Finds Relationship Between Sleep, Bone Density In Postmenopausal Women
reports on a study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research finding that “short sleep duration is associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) and a higher risk for osteoporosis among postmenopausal women.” The study included “data from 11,084 postmenopausal women participating in the Women’s Health Initiative (mean age, 63.3 years) to assess the relationship between sleep and bone health.” HealthDay adds, “The researchers found that in adjusted models, women who reported sleeping no more than five hours per night had on average 0.012 to 0.018 g/cm² significantly lower BMD at all four sites (whole body, total hip, femoral neck, and spine) versus women who reported sleeping seven hours per night.” https://www.rheumatologyadvisor.com/home/topics/osteoporosis/less-sleep-tied-to-lower-bone-mineral-density-in-women/
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Monday, November 18, 2019
Friday, November 15, 2019
Op-Ed: Today’s Insulin Is Safer, More Effective Than It Once Was
PureTech Health Director John LaMattina writes in an op-ed for STAT (11/14, LaMattina) that “the sentiment that Americans are now paying dearly for the insulin pioneered nearly a century ago have helped fuel attacks against the biopharmaceutical industry, enabling politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to depict companies as being ‘very, very greedy and corrupt’ as he led people with diabetes and their family members on a high-profile bus trip to Canada to buy this medication.” LaMattina adds, “Insulin was first administered to someone with diabetes in 1922,” but has “come a long way” since then. People with diabetes “are no longer using preparations derived from animals. We have new insulins that can closely mimic natural physiological conditions, and which are safer than the older agen https://www.statnews.com/2019/11/14/insulin-safer-better-easier-to-use/
Which Surgery Is Better For Long-Term Weight Loss Remains Unknown,
People with obesity may initially shed more excess pounds with...Roux-en-Y gastric bypass than with a newer sleeve gastrectomy procedure, but” in the long term, “which one is better for weight loss remains unknown,” researchers concluded after examining “data from previous studies on a total of 2,475 obese patients in 13 countries who had weight-loss surgery between 2006 and 2018.” Investigators found that “five years after surgery, there was not enough evidence to determine whether one procedure might be better than the other.” The findings of the medical literature review were published online in the Annals of Surgery. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-surgery-obesity/best-surgery-for-long-term-weight-loss-not-yet-clear-idUSKBN1XO2SN
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Average Weight And BMI Have Increased Over Past Two Decades Despite Rise In Those Trying To Lose Weight, Study Indicates
reports the average weight and BMI of Americans has increased, “despite a rise in people trying to lose weight,” researchers concluded in a study that “involved 48,026 people aged between 40 and 64 who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2016.” The study revealed that “between 1999 and 2016, the average BMI and weight of participants rose,” while at the same time, “the proportion of people who said they had tried to lose weight also increased, from 34.3 percent to 42.2 percent.” https://www.newsweek.com/americans-fatter-decades-lose-weight-study-1471432
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Researchers Says Houseplants Don’t Clean The Air Or Give People More Oxygen
reports researchers reviewed 12 studies and “debunked” several myths related to houseplants in a study published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. For example, the researchers say that houseplants do not “clean the air.”
HealthDay (11/12, Preidt) reports the researchers “found that natural ventilation does a far better job than houseplants in maintaining air quality in homes and offices,” and that “it would take between 10 and 1,000 plants per square meter of floor space to match the air cleaning capacity of a building’s air-handling system or even just a couple of open windows in a house.” https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/12/health/plants-do-not-clean-indoor-air-trnd-wellness/index.html
Study Suggests Testosterone Therapy Tied To Elevated Risk For Deep Vein Blood Clots
reports a study based on health insurance claims for almost 40,000 men showed “men had twice the risk for a deep vein blood clot if they’d been receiving testosterone during the previous six months.” Moreover, “the increased risk occurred whether or not a man had the low-testosterone condition known as hypogonadism, but appeared to be more pronounced in middle-aged men than in seniors.” The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine. https://consumer.healthday.com/circulatory-system-information-7/clots-health-news-731/testosterone-supplements-double-men-s-odds-for-blood-clots-study-752088.html
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Research Suggests Vaping Is Potentially More Harmful To The Heart Than Smoking
reports that two studies scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Association’s upcoming meeting indicate that vaping is just as harmful, or possibly more harmful, for the heart than smoking. In one study, researchers found that people who vaped “had higher levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol, on average, compared with nonsmokers,” and that “levels of healthy HDL cholesterol were lower among people who used both traditional and e-cigarettes.” In the other study, researchers found that the heart’s “ability to pump blood was diminished both during exercise and rest” in vapers rather than just during exercise as was the case in smokers. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/vaping/e-cigarettes-hurt-heart-health-possibly-more-regular-cigarettes-n1079076
Anti-inflammatory Drug May Raise Diabetes Risk
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are one of the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatories for conditions such as arthritis, asthma, allergies and adrenal insufficiency. GC treatment at high doses for a long duration is known to be associated with metabolic side-effects that may increase risk of diabetes and obesity but there are currently no studies examining the short-term effects of GCs at the more regularly prescribed, lower doses. As 2-3% of the UK population take GCs for conditions of varying severity, it is important to investigate whether these metabolic side-effects occur in lower dose, short-term therapy. https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/anti-inflammatory-drug-may-raise-diabetes-risk-327101?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79277245&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_EHnBrfjKIc9quMqzjKDmErSCWF7Jh1s_HrRqdwTWz5Qk0DYTEC19bl9x4RJx2EF14hiBu5xRPVLNDi_RtNZIph1oN_g&_hsmi=79277245
Friday, November 8, 2019
Time-Restricted Feeding Promising Strategy For Weight Loss, Researchers Say
“Among the numerous intermittent fasting strategies being pursued for weight loss, time-restricted feeding has shown particular promise,” research indicates. That strategy involves having people “eat during only certain hours each day, for example, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.” The findings were presented at ObesityWeek. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/obesity/news/online/%7B825a0ee5-7d55-46b9-b36c-46a60ef9aef2%7D/intermittent-fasting-research-still-developing-time-restricted-feeding-shows-potential
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Researchers Highlight Heart Risks Linked to Vaping
Science hasn’t yet caught up with electronic cigarettes, leaving health care providers and users with many unknowns. But a new review of the research so far finds growing evidence that vaping can harm the heart and blood vessels.
“Many people think these products are safe, but there is more and more reason to worry about their effects on heart health,” said Loren Wold, senior author of the study, published today (Nov. 7, 2019) in the journal Cardiovascular Research.
In addition to nicotine, e-cigarettes contain particulate matter, metals and flavorings – all of which could contribute to cardiovascular problems, said Wold, director of biomedical research at The Ohio State University College of Nursing and a professor in the College of Medicine.
Fine particles found in air pollution enter the bloodstream and directly affect the heart, and the current data, while far from conclusive, shows that the same may be true for e-cigarettes, he said.
Some studies in animals and humans have documented immediate negative effects including increases in blood pressure, heart rate, stiffness in the arteries, inflammation and oxidative stress. All are linked to heart disease over time.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/researchers-highlight-heart-risks-linked-to-vaping-326923?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79095019&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9wTEEDqSp0Qj7otpXRKrN3QO97Dik7PqzMpkKYB6FcZekg9bgA4ACVC2Og77r4jXe_eb79utVh6gdc1DWpegAnVkRqpw&_hsmi=79095019
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Cervical Pre-cancer Can Be Detected in Self-collected Urine or Vaginal Samples
Researchers have developed a non-invasive test to detect cervical pre-cancer by analyzing self-collected urine and vaginal samples.
In a presentation at the 2019 NCRI Cancer Conference Dr Belinda Nedjai said that the self-sampling test had proved popular with women taking part in the study and this meant that it was likely to improve participation in cervical cancer screening programs.
“The initial use of self-sampling is likely to be for women who do not attend clinic after a screening invitation and in countries without a cervical cancer screening program. In the longer term, self-sampling could become the standard method for all screening tests. The study indicated that women much preferred doing a test at home than attending a doctor’s surgery,” said Nedjai, who is Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Molecular Epidemiology Lab at Queen Mary University of London, UK.
“To the best of our knowledge, this study is the largest to test a methylation classifier, called S5, in urine and self-collected cervical samples to detect pre-cancer lesions in women who have been referred for further investigation. We expect the self-sampling test to improve acceptance rates for cervical cancer screening, as well as reducing costs to health services and improving the performance of screening programs.”
The current gold-standard pap smear test is taken in the clinic and often follows a positive test for the human papilloma virus (HPV).
Nedjai said: “HPV testing is rapidly becoming the primary screening method for cervical cancer worldwide. It is a very sensitive method, very good at detecting true positives, but lacks specificity – in other words, a second test is needed to exclude HPV positive women that are not at increased risk of developing cancer. The choice of an appropriate strategy for high-risk HPV positive women is a key issue.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/cervical-pre-cancer-can-be-detected-in-self-collected-urine-or-vaginal-samples-326877?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79033497&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-81UkAGRhEZzVH2O7aeUhiyElighjjjBLB3RcRUYO9y-4tmZhu4837Nbr5b8hBaO_Lx5E5md3kqvt184W5D4Qx_iG3D-g&_hsmi=79033497
Friday, November 1, 2019
Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use during pregnancy may be linked to an increased risk of childhood (ADHD)
Acetaminophen, or paracetamol, is the most commonly used drug to prevent or reduce fever and to relieve pain amongst mothers during pregnancy and infants in early life. Despite its use in this context, previous studies in both animal models and humans suggest a link between prenatal paracetamol exposure and increased risk of conditions such as; asthma, cryptorchidism, and ADHD and ASD. Human studies have shown that paracetamol can cross the placental barrier and can remain in an infant’s circulation for a long duration.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/paracetamol-during-pregnancy-could-be-linked-to-increased-risk-of-adhd-and-autism-326647?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=78843713&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_q3oLJUXTSsGZzND2m_huI2omR5xS41TFjt_br7mFAfFrffGymmbjlISoiH6oygXRNwU5JNpF-kfQmXvEUrWS03cxx6g&_hsmi=78843713
Milk From Teeth: Dental Stem Cells Can Generate Milk-Producing Cells
Dental stem cells capable of regenerating mammary gland
https://www.technologynetworks.com/cell-science/news/milk-from-teeth-dental-stem-cells-can-generate-milk-producing-cells-326706?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=78843713&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_q3oLJUXTSsGZzND2m_huI2omR5xS41TFjt_br7mFAfFrffGymmbjlISoiH6oygXRNwU5JNpF-kfQmXvEUrWS03cxx6g&_hsmi=78843713
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