Vitamin D May Reduce Risk Of Respiratory Infections, Study Suggests.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/02/16/515428944/a-bit-more-vitamin-d-might-reduce-winter-colds-and-flu “Shots” blog reports that vitamin D may reduce the risk of respiratory infections, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. Additional coverage is provided by the Independent (UK) (2/16, Pickover) and the Telegraph (UK) (2/15, Bodkin).

Following Diet That Mimics Sporadic Fasting May Reduce Body Weight, Body Fat, And Improve Metabolic Markers In Healthy Adults, Researchers Say.

Following a diet that mimics sporadic fasting over the course of three months reduced body weight and total body fat and improved metabolic markers in healthy adults,” researchers concluded. The findings of the 100-participant study were published in Science Translational Medicine.

Science Advisory Group Releases Report Supporting Human Gene Editing.

reports that an “influential science advisory group formed by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine on Tuesday” gave support to a “once-unthinkable proposition: clinical efforts to engineer humans with inheritable genetic traits.” The group “endorsed the alteration of human eggs, sperm and embryos – but only to prevent babies from being born with genes known to cause serious diseases and disability, only when no ‘reasonable alternative’ exists, and only when a plan is in place to track the effects of the procedure through multiple generations.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/health/human-gene-editing-panel.html

Hair Analysis May Be Able To Detect, Diagnose Cushing Syndrome Early, Research Suggests.

reports that a human hair analysis may be able to detect and diagnose Cushing Syndrome early. National Institutes of Health researchers “found [that] the easiest way to measure the cortisol level in the body” and detect Cushing Syndrome is by “using strands of hair.” The research was led by Dr. Mihail Zilbermint, an endocrinologist at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The study “enrolled 30 patients with Cushing Syndrome and mixed it with six patients without the condition.” Researchers found that the cortisol levels of the first hair segment “accurately matched the result of blood and urine tests,” typically used to diagnose the condition. The findings were published in Endocrine: International Journal of Basic and Clinical Endocrinology. http://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/8595/20170214/is-cushing-syndrome-risky-get-to-know-how-hair-analysis-helps-easily-detect-the-condition.htm

Genetic Predisposition To Higher Abdominal Adiposity May Be Linked To Higher Risk For Cardiometabolic Traits And Type 2 Diabetes, Study Suggests.

reports that in the “Mendelian randomization analysis, having a polygenetic predisposition for abdominal fat was tied to having increased levels of cardiometabolic risk factors and a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and CHD.” In particular, “each one-standard-deviation increase in waist-to-hip ratio based on the polygenic risk score and adjusted for BMI was associated with 27-mg/dL higher triglyceride levels, 4.1-mg/dL higher 2-hour glucose levels, and 2.1–mm Hg higher systolic blood-pressure levels. http://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/diabetes/63116 The authors plan to continue their research, in the hopes of identifying "individual genes, which could be targeted to improve body fat distribution and potentially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease," Emdin told MedPage Today. So I can blame my genes and prednisone for fat belly despite swimming half mile every day and eating right.

ACP: Non-Drug Tx Preferred for Low Back Pain Try exercise, mindfulness, acupuncture or yoga before NSAIDs

For patients with low back pain, providers should consider alternatives to drugs as first-line therapy, according to an updated clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians (ACP). Moderate-quality evidence in the literature shows that chronic pain can be eased with exercise, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, acupuncture, and mindful stress reduction, according to Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, and colleagues on the ACP's Clinical Guidelines Committee, writing online in the Annals of Internal Medicine.. Similar results have been observed in lower-quality studies with tai chi, yoga, motor control exercise, progressive relaxation, electromyography biofeedback, laser therapy, operant therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and spinal manipulation, the panel determined. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PainManagement/BackPain/63108?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-02-14&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3

Use Of Oral Contraceptive By Women With MS May Not Increase Relapse Risk And May Exert Some Protective Effect, Research Indicates.

reports, “Use of an oral contraceptive by women with multiple sclerosis (MS) did not appear to increase risk of relapse and may have exerted some protective effect,” researchers found in a 162-woman study, the findings of which were published online in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/oral-contraceptive-wont-hurt-might-help-ms