Study Rules Out Sitting As A Direct Cause Of Diabetes.

reports researchers have in a “new 13-year study ruled out sitting as a direct cause for diabetes.” Investigators did so after examining data on “nearly 5,000 patients in order to investigate the link between specific sitting time and incident diabetes onset.” The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/sedentary-days-not-linked-to-diabetes

Daylight Savings Time May Be Tied To Increased Miscarriage Risk Among Some Women Undergoing IVF, Study Indicates.

“Daylight savings time may be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage among some women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF),” researchers concluded after observing that “miscarriage rates in IVF patients who had a prior miscarriage were much higher among those who received an embryo 21 days after the spring time change than those whose embryo transfers were conducted before or nowhere near the time change.” The findings were published online in Chronobiology International. https://consumer.healthday.com/infertility-information-22/infertility-news-412/daylight-savings-time-may-lower-chances-of-ivf-success-for-some-study-719514.html

Hormonal Deficits Seen in Men with SLE

Men with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or systemic sclerosis (SSc) are more likely to have a deficiency of testosterone than men without these diseases. Further, treatment with prednisolone or cyclophosphamide exacerbates the alteration in sex hormones, according to findings from a cross-sectional study by Swedish investigators http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Lupus/63080?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-02-13&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

Immigration Order Is Bad Idea, Say 12 Doc Groups At very least, restrictions should be eased for medical personnel, patients

President Trump's executive order on immigration should be rescinded, but if that does not happen soon, the Trump administration should take steps to selectively ease travel restrictions that impact medical education and access to healthcare services, according to 12 different physician organizations. The 12 organizations -- which include the American College of Physicians, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Society of Hematology, and the American Society of Nephrology -- said in a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly that they were particularly concerned that "by restricting entry of physicians and medical students from seven designated Muslim majority countries, the order will undermine medical education and result in patients losing access to their doctors." "We are also greatly concerned that the 120-day ban on accepting refugees, and the indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, will contribute to an ongoing public health crisis for those affected, needlessly subjecting them to violence, injury, illness, deprivation and even death," the letter continued. While the groups said they were pleased that the order had been temporarily stayed, they also recommended four steps the administration could take in the meantime to selectively ease travel bans on affected patients and healthcare personnel: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/WorkForce/62990?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-02-10&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0

GAO Report: Weak Reporting System Allowed Continued Use Of Risky Surgical Devices.

reports a Government Accountability Office report issued Wednesday found that doctors failed to inform the FDA “about cases in which cancer was spread around inside women’s bodies” by power morcellators – a surgical tool that “was widely used for more than 20 years before the F.D.A. acted to limit it, after being alerted to the problem in 2013 by a patient who was harmed.” The device is “a spinning blade that shreds tissue” and is used “to help remove benign uterine tumors called fibroids, or to remove the entire uterus” by “slicing up tissue so it could be removed through tiny incisions.” According to the Times, the GAO report found “a major flaw in the system for detecting harm” – “It is passive, relying on ‘adverse event’ reports.” However, the report calls for tighter regulations “just as the Trump administration has suggested that drug and device regulations should be loosened, not tightened.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/health/morcellator-gao-report-fda.html?_r=0

NIH To Fund Four Last-Stage Clinical Trials Of Artificial Pancreas Devices.

http://time.com/4662760/artificial-pancreas-diabetes-nih/

Heavy Lifting, Working Nights Can Hamper Fertility Egg cell formation, other biomarkers stymied by physical demanding labor

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Infertility/62980?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-02-09&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0