Dr. House
Dr. House
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Having Multiple Children Ages Women Faster,
reports a recent study published in Scientific Reports found that for every child a woman has, her cells may age up to two years. The study examined “hundreds of young women in the Philippines who had children” and compared “telomeres and epigenetic age – both markers of cellular aging,” USA Today says. According to the article, “shorter telomeres and the relative age of a mom’s biochemistry and the number of children she had are associated with her accelerated aging. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2018/07/30/having-multiple-kids-ages-moms-faster-and-no-parent-surprised/865918002/
Rates Of Obesity, Inactivity May Be Higher Among LGBQ Youth Than Among Their Heterosexual Peers,
“Rates of obesity and inactivity are higher among lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning (LGBQ) youth than among their heterosexual peers,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from nearly 351,000 high school students in the” US. The study revealed that “LGBQ female students were 1.6 to 2.1 times more likely to be obese than heterosexual female students.” The findings were published online in Pediatric Diabetes. https://consumer.healthday.com/sexual-health-information-32/homosexuality-news-386/lgbq-youth-more-prone-to-obesity-736117.html
Monday, July 30, 2018
Patients With Central Fat Distribution Appear To Have Greater CV Risk,
reports on a study presented at the American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD finding that “patients who had normal weight and central obesity had an increased CV risk compared with those with normal BMI without central obesity and with those with abnormal BMI without central fat distribution.” The study included “1,692 patients (mean age, 61 years; 48% men).” https://www.healio.com/cardiology/chd-prevention/news/online/%7B117983b3-570f-442a-ac45-213ee991756e%7D/normal-weight-with-central-obesity-increases-cv-risk
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Bariatric Surgery Linked To Five-Fold Decrease In Risk Of Hormone-Related Cancers But Twice The Risk Of Colorectal Cancer,
reports that research indicated “bariatric surgery was associated with a five-fold decrease in the risk of hormone-related cancers but twice the risk of colorectal cancer.” Investigators found that “patients who underwent bariatric surgery for obesity had a decreased risk for cancer of the breast, endometrium, and prostate (odds ratio [OR] 0.25, 0.21 and 0.37, respectively), compared with 8,794 matched controls who did not have surgery.” The research indicated that “gastric bypass was associated with the largest risk reduction for all three hormone-related cancers (OR 0.16), followed by sleeve gastrectomy (OR 0.21), and gastric banding (OR 0.34).” The findings were published online in the British Journal of Surgery. https://www.medpagetoday.com/primarycare/obesity/74199
Some People Who Do Not Have Diabetes Still Have Blood Sugar Spikes After They Eat,
reports that research indicates “some people who don’t have diabetes still have wild swings in their blood sugar levels after they eat.” HealthDay adds, “Among nearly 60 participants, the study authors identified three ‘glucotypes’ based on how much blood sugar spiked after eating – low, moderate and severe.” The investigators “also found that certain foods were more likely to prompt an extreme change in blood sugar...than others.” The findings were published in PLOS Biology. https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/misc-diabetes-news-181/blood-sugar-spikes-seen-in-seemingly-healthy-people-736084.html
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Women’s Reproductive History May Affect Risk Of Alzheimer’s Disease
reports researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that women’s reproductive history may affect their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and presented their findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. The researchers found that “women who had had three or more children had a 12 percent lower risk of dementia in later life than those with fewer children,” while “women who didn’t get their first period until age 16 or 17 had a 31 percent higher risk of dementia than those who began menstruating at 13, and that women who stopped menstruating at age 45 or earlier had a 28 percent higher risk of dementia than women who stopped menstruating after age 45.” The article also mentions another study presented at the same conference that found “women who spend more cumulative months pregnant – especially in the first trimester – have a lower risk of developing dementia,” which suggests that changes in the immune system that occur during pregnancy, rather than estrogen, which peaks in the third trimester, may decrease the risk of dementia. https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Reactions To Food In Kids’ Brains May Cause Them To Overeat,
reports a new study by researchers at Pennsylvania State University has “linked overeating to the brain’s response to food rewards” and “may help to shed light on the national epidemic that can lead to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and breathing problems.” For children “in the study, a high responsiveness to food rewards, rather than money, indicated a higher likelihood to overeat and to eat even when they weren’t hungry.” Generally, “researchers found children whose brains were more excited by food rewards also had a tendency to overeat at the buffet and eat when not hungry.” The findings were published in Appetite. http://www.philly.com/philly/health/kids-families/how-kids-brains-react-to-food-my-cause-them-to-overeat-penn-state-study-finds-20180723.html
Intermittent Semi-Fasting Found To Yield Similar Reduction In Blood Glucose When Compared With Continual Calorie-Restricted Diet
reports that research indicated that “intermittent semi-fasting, with daily caloric intake kept below 600 kcal for 2 days per week, yielded a similar reduction in blood glucose when compared with a continual calorie-restricted diet.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open. https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/diabetes/74163
Monday, July 23, 2018
Researchers Explore New Immunotherapy To Treat Autoimmune Diseases.
reported scientists are exploring “a spin-off” of CAR-T cancer therapies: “using similar immune cells to treat autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and prevent rejection of transplanted organs.” Scientists are “now engineering a subgroup of these immune cells, called T regulatory cells, or Tregs, in hopes of tamping down the wayward parts of the immune system responsible for autoimmune diseases and organ rejection.” Megan Levings, a researcher at the University of British Columbia who works with TxCell, said the engineering cells will first be tested in transplants next year. https://www.statnews.com/2018/07/20/immunotherapy-to-treat-autoimmune-diseases/
Friday, July 20, 2018
Single Gene Change in Gut Bacteria Alters Host Metabolism
It is well established that the microbiome influences the development of obesity and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. But although these associations are well known, the specific ways in which the microbiome affects metabolism are harder to decipher. This is because the gut contains so many species of bacteria producing many different kinds of metabolites. Untangling their different effects is a significant challenge.
In this study, researchers used a kind of 'genetic scalpel' to remove a particular gene from the microbiome and then investigated the effects of this change on host metabolism. They decided to focus on a group of substances that occur naturally in the human gut called bile acids. Imbalances in the bile acid pool are thought to contribute to diet-induced obesity. They were surprised to find that the mice colonised with bacteria lacking the hydrolase gained less weight than the mice colonised with the normal bacteria. They also found the animals had lower levels of fats and cholesterol in the blood and liver than those with the hydrolase, and they had a preference for metabolising fats rather than carbohydrates for energy. https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/single-gene-change-in-gut-bacteria-alters-host-metabolism-306527?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64599007&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_n2CwNwUHa9_rAQtrs0lZNua7qlkxq7RsMiWc1Fu_o0fRbvecsAQIvgqqXMshDDNEy2zfaCdht6W33BjpPTO9yDKFXMA&_hsmi=64599007
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Water May Affect Perception of Sweetness
The sugars mannose, glucose and fructose have almost identical chemical structures. Yet fructose (found in many candy bars) is about twice as sweet as glucose (found in honey), whereas mannose (found in cranberries) is considered tasteless. Sugars stimulate specific protein receptors on the taste buds of the tongue, which sends a signal to the brain that a food tastes sweet. But scientists don’t know why we perceive some sugars as being sweeter than others. Because these interactions take place in saliva, which is mostly water, Maria Antonietta Ricci and colleagues wondered if water might play a role.
The researchers used a technique called neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution to probe the structures of mannose, glucose and fructose in water. They found that none of the sugars substantially disrupted how water molecules interact with each other. However, the three sugars interacted with water molecules in different ways. Mannose, the least sweet of the sugars, formed longer and weaker hydrogen bonds with water than glucose or fructose. Fructose, the sweetest of the sugars, formed the shortest and strongest hydrogen bonds with water. The researchers surmise that shorter hydrogen bonds with water could allow the sugar molecule to bind more snugly with the protein receptor, causing greater stimulation and perception of sweetness. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/water-may-affect-perception-of-sweetness-306445?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64564730&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Ziw2fPkg5kwiiTMeCKHKRZG2P-hygBdCIqAL6mYkTxVOBXRuiSVo5qR6ifr3wZC5GbTBxHJvjaJ7ON3VWDiyNzUF-Ww&_hsmi=64564730
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Hay Fever Risk Genes Overlap with Autoimmune Disease
Genetic commonality with autoimmune diseases
In the study, the researchers also found an overlap between risk genes for hay fever and risk genes for autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. As with allergies, the number of people with autoimmune diseases has risen sharply in recent years. According to Klaus Bønnelykke, the overlap of genes can help explain why.
“Our study helps identify genetic commonalities which may be a key to understanding why these illnesses are all on the rise. It seems there are some common factors in the western lifestyle that are causing these illnesses to become more widespread, but we haven’t yet understood why. The genetic overlap we have observed seems to suggest that it is the same genes that trigger these illnesses, at least in part. This is important information when trying to understand the mechanisms and causes. It may matter not just to understanding hay fever but also to understanding autoimmune diseases”, says Klaus Bønnelykke. https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/hay-fever-risk-genes-identified-306334?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64530207&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9hj4vY3QGoixJe-v6AjNUlMwFPK7BQz7iqpyr_GLWV8yPZcbdIvJLGykuUgnasRgsJ0bnHqCP8EUmdipRmn1ElMSzpdA&_hsmi=64530207
Orexin Neurons are Promising Target for Medications to Treat Binge Eating
This study was really a proof-of concept for using orexin blockers to reduce binge-like eating in rodents," said the lead study author Dr. Morgan James, post-doctoral research fellow at the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. "Currently there are several orexin-targeting medications in clinical trials or already FDA-approved, so we have begun testing whether these compounds would produce similar results in our rodent model of binge eating." The study team reported their findings this week at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), an international group of scientific experts on eating behavior.
The researchers also found that the orexin blocker reduced the amount of food consumed during the binge eating episodes, where rats were given unrestricted access to a sweetened fat mixture over a 30 minute period.
"Pharmacological treatments are currently limited for patients with eating disorders, so it is really exciting if a novel therapy could expand treatment options for obese individuals with binge eating disorder," said Dr. Nicholas Bello, associate professor of animal sciences in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University and a senior author of the study. https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/orexin-neurons-are-promising-target-for-medications-to-treat-binge-eating-306396?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64530207&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9hj4vY3QGoixJe-v6AjNUlMwFPK7BQz7iqpyr_GLWV8yPZcbdIvJLGykuUgnasRgsJ0bnHqCP8EUmdipRmn1ElMSzpdA&_hsmi=64530207
Nitrate-Cured Meats Linked to Manic Episodes Meat sticks, jerky showed biggest association
https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/bipolardisorder/74073?xid=nl_mpt_morningbreak%202018-07-18&eun=g721819d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBreak_071818&utm_term=Morning%20Break%20-%20Active%20Users%20-%20180%20days
In another analysis conducted by Yolken's group in the same paper, the team examined behavior and gene expression changes in the brains of rats exposed to nitrate-cured meats. Rats fed beef jerky cured with nitrates exhibited more hyperactive behaviors, which the authors called "reminiscent of human mania."
These rats also showed changes in their intestinal microbiota, as well as changes in their brain pathways, similar to what is seen in humans with bipolar disorder. Specifically, there was significant dysregulation in serotonin receptor signaling, bacterial pattern recognition, NF kappa beta signaling, and sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling. These changes were not seen in the group of rats whose food did not contain any nitrates.
The rats who were fed the beef jerky daily were given an amount scaled down to the equivalent of what a typical person would eat as a snack: "We tried to make sure the amount of nitrate used in the experiment was in the range of what people might reasonably be eating," noted Yolken.
Scientists Turn To Chemical In Chili Peppers To Fight Obesity In Mouse Model.
reports scientists working with mice found that capsaicin, the chemical that makes chili peppers spicy, may work well as an obesity drug with the name Metabocin. The researchers will present their findings “at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior’s annual meeting on July 20 in Bonita Springs, Florida.” https://www.newsweek.com/chili-pepper-obesity-drug-1028443
The Lung in RA: Little Progress 'Still a bit of a mess'
The progress that has been seen in the management of many aspects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not been paralleled for the pulmonary disease that remains the second most common cause of death among these patients, an Australian expert reported here at the annual meeting of the Florida Society of Rheumatology.
Many of the other extra-articular components of RA such as ocular disease and vasculitis have "essentially disappeared," and the goal for joint symptoms today is remission, but pulmonary disease in RA actually appears to be on the rise, said Andrew Ostor, MD, of Cabrini Medical Center in Melbourne, Victoria.
The reasons for that may include patients' increased longevity, better methods of detection, and the effects of treatment, he noted. In addition, dyspnea is replacing pain and stiffness as a barrier to mobility, and so is being reported more often by patients.
RA-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a progressive, although potentially reversible, fibrotic lung disease of the parenchyma. Very little is known about its pathogenesis, and conflicting views exist on everything from epidemiology to management, he observed.
Postmortem studies have detected lung disease in up to 80% of patients, and changes on chest x-rays are seen in 30%-50% of cases. Clinically significant disease is present in approximately one in 10 patients, and is associated with considerable morbidity.
The most common subtype is usual interstitial pneumonia, representing two-thirds of cases and characterized by fibrosis and honeycombing, while nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, with variable levels of alveolitis and inflammation, is present in one-quarter of cases.
Abatacept (Orencia), however, has shown promise as a safe option, and a clinical trial to evaluate this agent in RA-ILD is in the planning stages.
Other treatments have derived from different patient groups, such as steroids, azathioprine, and pirfenidone (Esbriet) used in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and cyclophosphamide or mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept) used for scleroderma ILD.
"So the take-home message is that pulmonary disease in RA is still a bit of a mess, and we have a long way to go. It's complicated, there is no established therapy or validated trials, and there are possible confounding factors such as infection. Treatment must be individualized," he concluded. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/fsr/74069?xid=nl_mpt_hemoncvideo_2018-07-18&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-07-18&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Teens Going Digital More Likely to Report ADHD Symptoms Inattentive, impulsivity symptoms higher in frequent social media users, online shoppers
But as ADHD is associated with sensation seeking, it might cause adolescents to pursue digital media for stimulatory effects, which could result in reverse causation. "It can't be entirely ruled out because we didn't collect a detailed diagnostic history of the students' experiences in early childhood," he said.
In an editorial that accompanied the study, Jenny Radesky, MD, of the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor, commended the study for its sociodemographic diversity and choice in age range -- one relevant for social, cognitive, and academic development during which internet use might be concerning. Radesky hypothesized that because of the "always-on" nature of mobile media, adolescents' brains do not get sufficient rest, which might prevent mindfulness, reduce their ability to stay focused on difficult or undesirable tasks, and displace sleep and exercise, all of which could explain the study findings. She recommended that future studies go beyond self-reporting techniques and more accurately capture social media use and behavioral shifts. https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/adhd-add/74067?xid=nl_mpt_hemoncvideo_2018-07-18&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-07-18&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Hunger Hormones: A Promising Avenue for Addiction Treatment?
"Hormones from the gut act in the brain to modulate dopamine signaling, which controls decisions to seek out rewards," explained Dr. Mitchell Roitman, University of Illinois-Chicago neuroscientist. That explains how food and water become more or less rewarding based on a person's state of hunger, fullness, or thirst. Since drugs like cocaine and alcohol act on those same dopamine circuits in the brain, gut hormones could potentially turn their rewarding effects up or down in the same fashion.
Ghrelin, a hunger hormone released by the stomach, can influence the reward value of alcohol much like it increases the reward value of food, according to new data shared by panelist Dr. Lorenzo Leggio, leader of a joint team from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The NIAAA/NIDA team has demonstrated that ghrelin promotes alcohol seeking in people with alcohol use disorder. More recently, they have also studied rats genetically insensitive to ghrelin, an approach that further supports a role of the ghrelin system in alcohol seeking.
Other gut hormones like GLP-1 and amylin are released during eating to tell the brain when a person has had enough. In animal studies reported by several of the panelists, medications that enhance the action of those hormones reduce the rewarding effects of drugs and alcohol. In one study led by Dr. Elisabet Jerlhag of the University of Gothenberg in Sweden, treating rats with a compound that mimics amylin significantly reduced alcohol-seeking, even in rats selectively bred for excess alcohol consumption. Dr. Heath Schmidt of the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman Medical School, reported similar effects of GLP-1 analogs in reducing rats' cocaine seeking. https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/hunger-hormones-a-promising-avenue-for-addiction-treatment-306318?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64495913&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-98hKaJ3Bjx-C3vQP2hQgn6iV9AJEGMavXjhjmnkAuRUqjBDNrWfkWNgyGJL6ug1ofHF6hITb0RoMwtgv68AKsuNek5tQ&_hsmi=64495913
Monday, July 16, 2018
Mouse Study Suggests That Dietary Fat, Not Carbs, Drives Obesity
During the 1980s and 1990s, it was widely accepted that the most important factor in weight gain is the fat content of our diets. However, in the new millennium it was suggested that this focus on fat was misplaced, and that, in fact, the main factor driving obesity was our carbohydrate intake – notably, our intake of refined carbohydrates like sugars.
Several hugely popular books were published in this period suggesting that eating fat might actually protect us from obesity.
Most recently, however, attention has turned to protein, with the hypothesis that people eat food mostly to obtain protein rather than energy.
According to this idea, when the protein content of our diet falls, we eat more food to meet our target protein intake. That makes us consume too many calories and we get fat. Since our food consists of fat, protein and carbohydrates – and at different times all three have been implicated in making us obese – it is difficult to know what to eat to stay slim.
Part of the problem is that it is very difficult to do human studies that control food intake long enough to determine what dietary factors cause weight gain. Studies on animals similar to us, however, can suggest possible answers. The result of this enormous study was unequivocal – the only thing that made the mice get fat was eating more fat in their diets. Carbohydrates, including up to 30% of calories coming from sugar, had no effect.
Combining sugar with fat had no more impact than fat alone. There was no evidence that low protein (down to 5% of the total calories) stimulated greater intake, suggesting there is no protein target. The researchers believe that dietary fat caused weight gain because fat in the diet uniquely stimulated the reward centers in the brain, thus causing greater intake of calories. https://www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/news/mouse-study-suggests-that-fat-not-carbs-drives-obesity-306261?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64464121&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--fAtIz81TylMz_zO6bm6_oGA9xDa8Irha55Ar7Zzub61ZkhFekVuPa-mquYL1P0lviuW90iGS_52e6AkrppRxosen0CQ&_hsmi=64464121
Increasing Evidence Suggests Being “Skinny Fat” Could Be As Damaging As Being Obese.
reported that “growing evidence suggests being so-called skinny fat could be just as damaging as being obese.” The article added, “The misconception that those who are slender are less likely to suffer from potentially life-threatening illnesses partly lies in how society often values thinness above health, and confusion over how the physiologically ideal body type is measured, experts told Newsweek.” https://www.newsweek.com/why-being-skinny-fat-could-be-just-dangerous-being-obese-1022856
Friday, July 13, 2018
Thursday, July 12, 2018
Three-Quarters Of Severely Obese Patients May Have Low Gene Diversity Among Gut Microbes,
reports researchers found that “three quarters of severely obese patients had unhealthy, not very diverse gut microbes (low microbial gene diversity).” The findings were published in the journal Gut. https://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2018/06/20/gutjnl-2018-316103.long
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
How HIV is Shielded from Immune Attack
https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/how-hiv-is-shielded-from-immune-attack-306093?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64370422&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8yCqE4HzKbmoetno0i34F-RwzYENcvEiqOGCeKb1aMUZh4wORd-7SsyIjTJzDikYgm6ZygGj7bHo9p68GhHcpNPpQkxg&_hsmi=64370422
HIV forms a protein shell – called a capsid – that shields its genetic material from host defence mechanisms as it enters the cell and makes its way to the nucleus to establish infection.
Using a new single-molecule microscopy technique – developed at UNSW’s Single Molecule Science in the Faculty of Medicine – the research teams found that HIV specifically incorporates a small molecule from the host cell – inositol hexakisphosphate – to strengthen its capsid. The host inadvertently provides the key for the virus infecting it to lock down the protective shell, keeping the genetic cargo safe until it is released into the nucleus.
Insurance Interruptions Linked To Adverse Health Outcomes For Adults With T1D,
reports that research indicated “insurance interruptions were associated with adverse health outcomes for adults with type 1 diabetes.” MedPage Today adds, “The longitudinal study including over 168,000 adults with type 1 diabetes found roughly a quarter experienced an interruption in their private insurance coverage between 2001-2015.” After “these insurance interruptions, patients experienced a five-fold increase in the use of acute care services compared to before their interruption in health coverage.” The findings were published in Health Affairs. https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/type1diabetes/73951
Testosterone Prescribing In US Declined From 2013 Through 2016, Report Indicates.
reports that the “decline coincided with the publication of two articles linking testosterone therapy with stroke and myocardial infarction...which prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a safety communication and a requirement for a warning on the product label.” https://www.medpagetoday.com/urology/urology/73953
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Environmental Conditions Impact Offspring Health
Exposure to cold prior to conception causes the resulting offspring to have more brown adipose tissue, which protects against excess weight and metabolic disorders. Scientists studying mice have discovered that this information is passed on by the sperm, and there is a similar correlation in humans.
Anyone with lots of brown adipose tissue, or brown fat, can count themselves lucky: this tissue – which is found in some people under the tongue, around the collarbone and along the spine – helps them to use up excess energy. The more brown fat someone has and the more active it is, the lower their risk seems to be of becoming overweight or developing metabolic disorders. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/environmental-conditions-impact-offspring-health-306029?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64337366&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_1Oq9cq4_0fjHEYz_L9DDQJOe-ZT5DYGAeGOZDiyH1G69CaotMl2U8c1IGv1hDH1d99XRpTxRCbs3bGWQLv11ydkrFkQ&_hsmi=64337366
Blood Pressure Medication May Slow Worsening Of T1D
reports on its website that research suggests verapamil, “a cheap and safe blood pressure” medication, “slows the worsening of Type 1 diabetes.” While “it’s not a cure,” researchers found that “adults with newly diagnosed diabetes who took the drug had better control of their blood sugar over time.” The findings were published in Nature Medicine. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cheap-blood-pressure-drug-might-slow-diabetes-n889836
Monday, July 9, 2018
Startup Launches At-Home Hormone Test To Determine A Woman’s Fertility Status.
) reported, “CDC figures show for the first time ever, women in their 30s are having more children than those in their 20s.” Delaying childbearing, however, may “affect a woman’s chances of getting pregnant.” Now, “a San Francisco bay startup” called Modern Fertility has “launched an at-home hormone test” to help a women determine her fertility status. CBS News correspondent Mireya Villarreal explained, “After a woman orders the test online, she pricks her finger, places drops of blood on a test strip and sends it to a lab where it’s tested for nine hormones. The company sends back a physician-reviewed online profile.” That profile “explains how hormone levels may affect the number of eggs she has left, if she is ovulating normally and potential red flags that could affect her” window of fertility. Some fertility experts, however, emphasize the importance of women consulting with their own physicians about the test result
Vegan And Vegetarian Diets Help Lower HbA1c And Cholesterol Levels, Improve Other Cardiometabolic Risk Factors In Certain Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes
reports that “vegan and vegetarian diets help lower HbA1c and cholesterol levels and improve other cardiometabolic risk factors in middle-aged, overweight people controlling their type 2 diabetes with medications, say authors of a literature review published online in Clinical Nutrition.” The authors “found that vegetarian diets compared with nonvegetarian diets improved the primary outcome of HbA1c by 0.29%.”
People Diagnosed With Cancer May Be More Likely To Develop Diabetes
reported that research suggests “people who get diagnosed with cancer may be more likely to develop diabetes.” Researchers found that “cancer patients were 35 percent more likely to develop diabetes than people without malignancies.” Reuters added, “The excess diabetes associated with tumors persisted even after accounting for other diabetes risk factors.” The findings were published in JAMA Oncology. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cancer-diabetes/cancer-diagnosis-tied-to-increased-risk-of-diabetes-idUSKBN1JW2X9
Friday, July 6, 2018
Systemic Sclerosis: More Common than Expected New study puts prevalence four times higher than previous estimate
Systemic sclerosis is an important condition for rheumatologists, because although rare, it has a very high mortality compared to other musculoskeletal diseases, and optimal patient care is challenging and involves multidisciplinary effort," Pearce and colleagues observed. https://www.medpagetoday.com/rheumatology/generalrheumatology/73874?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-07-06&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-07-06&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Analysis of data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a general practice database that includes approximately 6% of the U.K. population and is considered representative of the entire population, found an estimated overall incidence of 19.4 per million person-years (95% CI 18.3-20.4), according to Fiona A. Pearce, MBBS, and colleagues from Nottingham University reporting online in Clinical Rheumatology.
This estimate is more than four times higher than the estimate of four per million found in a study conducted in the 1980s in the West Midlands district of England, Pearce and colleagues noted.
The incidence and prevalence of SSc have been reported as having wide variations, with differences according to gender, race, and geography.
Habits Of Mothers Make “Powerful Difference” In Their Children’s Propensity To Become Obese,
reports a new study published in BMJ found that “the paths that moms walk (or the couches they sit and smoke on) make a powerful difference in their children’s propensity to become obese.” According to the article, the study “tracked close to 17,000 female nurses and their 24,289 kids and found that women who practiced five healthy habits – maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating a nutritious diet, consuming no more than moderate quantities of alcohol and not smoking cigarettes – had adolescents that were 75% less likely to be very overweight than the children of moms who practiced none of those healthy habits. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-mothers-children-health-20180705-story.html
Diet Does Indeed Affect Metabolism, Body Composition,
reports that in a “recent clinical review,” experts argued that “diet does indeed affect metabolism and body composition.” Even though “evidence from human studies remains limited, animal research findings are consistent with a carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity, according to” David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, and Cara B. Ebbeling, PhD, of “the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.” Writing in JAMA Internal Medicine, the pair contended that “the carbohydrate-insulin model holds that eating processed, high–glycemic load carbohydrates causes hormonal changes that promote calorie deposition in fat tissue, aggravate hunger, and reduce energy expenditure.” The piece adds, “The Endocrine Society, in a recent scientific statement, said diet’s effect on obesity risk is largely explainable by calorie intake.” https://fmc-reg.onecount.net/onecount/login/loginlogout.cgi?gid=36971&return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdedge.com%2Fclinicalendocrinologynews%2Farticle%2F169502%2Fobesity%2Fdo-carbs-drive-obesity-evidence-inconclusive-debate&brand=ECEN&sid=og73uduihfumkh5ahg4sj0btu5
Long-Term Testosterone Found To Reverse Diabetes In Certain Hypogonadal Men.
Medscape (7/5, Busko, Subscription Publication) reports that researchers found that “after almost a decade of testosterone injections every 3 months, 22% of men with type 2 diabetes and hypogonadism had diabetes remission, in unexpected findings from a small registry study that was only designed to assess a new preparation of the hormone.” The findings were presented at the American Diabetes Association 2018 Scientific Sessions.
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Exercise By Itself Can Result In Weight Loss,
reports in its “Well” blog on a study published in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, finding that exercise, “by itself”, can help overweight men and women to lose weight. The study included “31 overweight, sedentary men and women.” The participants were divided into two groups with the first “walking briskly five times a week on a treadmill until they had burned 300 calories,” and the second “working out for twice as long, burning 600 calories per session.” Participants were asked “not to change their diets or lifestyles.” Four months later, those in the first group “turned out to have lost little if any body fat,” while those in the second group “were thinner” with 12 having “shed at least 5 percent of their body fat.” Both groups were found to have compensated for their exercise by adding back about 1,000 calories through eating or reduced activity. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/well/exercise-may-aid-in-weight-loss-provided-you-do-enough.html
Twice-Daily Supplement Of Lactobacillus Reuteri May Reduce Loss Of Bone Density In Older Women,
reported researchers found that older women who took a twice-daily supplement of “freeze-dried Lactobacillus reuteri” lost less bone density than women taking a placebo. The article explained that Lactobacillus reuteri is “an intestinal tract microbe that occurs naturally in many, but not all, people.” The findings were published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/well/probiotics-may-be-good-for-your-bones.html
Eating Nuts May Boost Male Fertility,
reports on a study presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology finding that “eating nuts could boost a man’s fertility.” The study included “119 healthy young men aged between 18 to 35” who were randomly assigned to “add 60 grams per day of walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts to their diets, or continue as they were.” In the study, “the men who ate nuts saw a 16 percent spike in their sperm count on average.” Newsweek adds that the study was supported by the International Nut and Dried Food Council and is scheduled for publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. http://www.newsweek.com/eating-many-nuts-could-make-men-more-fertile-study-suggests-1007977
Tuesday, July 3, 2018
High Levels Of Seratonin Linked To Increased Risk Of Fracture.
reports on the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Sweden Study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research finding that “high levels of serum serotonin are predictive of an increased risk for hip fracture, nonvertebral osteoporotic fracture, and incident fractures among older men.” The study included “950 men aged 69 to 81 years.” https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/bone-metabolism/high-serotonin-in-older-men-may-predict-risk-for-fracture/article/777221/
Study: The More Coffee You Drink, the Longer You Live And it's not the caffeine, which opened the eyes of F. Perry Wilson, MD
In fact, the benefit of coffee was pretty similar whether you drank instant coffee, ground coffee, or decaffeinated coffee
https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/themethodsman/73806?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-07-03&eun=g721819d0r&pos=4&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-07-03&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
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