NIH To Launch Male Contraceptive Study.

reports the National Institutes of Health will start recruiting couples for a clinical trial of a male contraceptive gel that is applied to men’s shoulders. The gel contains the hormone progestin, which limits the testes from generating testosterone at a level that supports sperm production. A male contraceptive clinical trial several years ago ended early after some participants experienced depression and mood disorders. The NIH trial is expected to take three years, and if successful, researchers would begin another trial. However, even if the trial produces results, researchers say no pharmaceutical company is willing to manufacture the gel. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-search-for-a-new-form-of-birth-control-1508173537

Vaginal Estrogen Use Safe Among Postmenopausal Women,

reported that in a study, “vaginal estrogen use was found to be safe among postmenopausal women.” Investigators “found vaginal estrogen use was not associated with any increased risk for a global index event.” MedPage Today added that the “findings were similar among users with an intact uterus (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.51-0.77) or who have undergone a hysterectomy (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.63-1.08) after adjustment for age, education, prior estrogen use, and a history of cancer, CVD, or DVP/PE.” The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/nams/68526

High Resolution Rate in Viral Conjunctivitis Almost 80% of patients virus free by day 6

Almost a third of patients with adenoviral conjunctivitis had clinical resolution within 6 days when treated with dexamethasone/povidone-iodine ophthalmic suspension (SHP640) and almost 80% had viral eradication, according to a randomized trial reported here. Virus eradication occurred as early as 3 days among patients treated with povidone-iodine, with or without dexamethasone. Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred more often with SHP640 compared with a vehicle solution administered to a control group, Abhijit Narvekar, MBBS, DPM, of Shire Pharmaceuticals in Lexington Massachusetts, reported at the American Academy of Optometry (AAOpt) meeting here. "No medications are currently approved in the U.S. for adenoviral conjunctivitis, and infected patients can easily transmit the disease to others," Narvekar said at an AAOpt press briefing. https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAOPT/68512?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-10-13&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3

Nearly Four In 10 US Adults Are Obese, CDC Statistics Show.

reports that data released Friday by the CDC show that in 2015 and 2016, nearly “4 in 10 American adults had a body mass index that put them in obese territory.” The piece suggests that “the report underscores a continuing pattern of racial and ethnic disparities when it comes to weight,” pointing out that “obesity rates among African Americans and Latinos have been consistently higher than those seen in whites, and the new survey shows no change in that pattern.” http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-obesity-rates-us-20171012-story.html

Smoking Raises Risk for Seropositive SLE Risk with current smoking increased twofold

https://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Lupus/68450?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-10-11&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1

Number Of Obese Children Has Increased More Than Tenfold In The Past Four Decades,

reports research published online in The Lancet reveals that “the number of obese children has increased more than tenfold in the past four decades – from five million girls in 1975 to 50 million in 2016, and from six million boys in 1975 to 74 million in 2016.” In fact, “one in every five children on the planet is either obese...or overweight,” the study involving data “on nearly 129 million children ages five to 19 in 200 countries” reveals. https://mail.google.com/_/scs/mail-static/_/js/k=gmail.main.en.khUFNOKniXg.O/m=pds,pdl,pdit,m_i,pdt,t,it/am=ccE8IN8PAS4zYFylCYTZ__nLpeHB3m___x9AQgXwDfhv7iPw4wAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEALik8/rt=h/d=1/rs=AHGWq9DR-IEhS3OgCxBWwxmd6PC9GJsvtQ

Parasite Plagues Subset of Iraq War Vets Latent visceral leishmaniasis can cause serious health issues

U.S. service members deployed to Iraq showed sign of having been infected with latent visceral leishmaniasis (VL) during their service, researchers said here. In one study, latent VL was identified in asymptomatic Operation Iraqi Freedom soldiers (10.2% of 88), potentially putting them at risk of activation of the disease if they're immunosuppressed, according to Edgie-Mark Co, DO, PhD, of the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. In another study, 20 veterans with asymptomatic latent VL had no active disease, although it was not clear how likely the condition was to resurface and cause serious health problems, reported Nate Copeland, MD, of the Clinical Trials Center at Walter Reed Army Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/IDWeek/68416?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-10-10&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3