CHRONIC PAIN
• Better Pain Relief after Knee Surgery: Researchers
at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit note that the painful recovery process
following knee replacement surgery is a persistent problem. However, the
research team found that injecting a newer, long-acting numbing medicine, known
as liposomal bupivacaine, into the area surrounding the knee helps patients
recover more quickly and boosts their satisfaction with the procedure.
"Patients had pain relief for up to two days after surgery and better knee
function compared with the traditional method." American Association of
Hip and Knee Surgeons annual meeting
• Knee Arthritis Drugs Beat Placebos, But No Clear Winner: Using
data from almost 140 studies, researchers found all of the widely used
arthritis treatments -- from over-the-counter painkillers to pain-relieving
injections -- brought more relief to aching knees over three months than did
placebo pills. Overall, the biggest benefit came from injections of hyaluronic
acid (HA) -- a treatment some professional medical groups consider only
marginally effective. Annals of Internal Medicine
• First Evidence of Neuroinflammation in Brains of Chronic Pain Patients: A new
study from Massachusetts General Hospital investigators has found, for the
first time, evidence of neuroinflammation in key regions of the brains of
patients with chronic pain. By showing that levels of an inflammation-linked
protein are elevated in regions known to be involved in pain transmission, the
study paves the way for the exploration of potential new treatment strategies
and possibly for biomarkers reflecting pain conditions.
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION ACTION
• Approved liraglutide
injection as treatment option for chronic weight management.
• Approved a
new antibacterial drug comprised of ceftolozane and tazobactam to treat adults
with complicated intra-abdominal infections and complicated urinary tract
infections (UTIs).
• Approved
Opdivo for advanced Melanoma
• Approved Rapivab
the first single dose IV treatment for flu
• Approved
Viekira Pak to treat Hepatitis C
• Approved Savaysa, anti clotting medication
• Approved Maestro
Rechrageable System, the device controls hunger and feelings of fullness to
treat obesity.
PREVENTION
• Weight Training Key to Battling Belly Fat: Researchers
from the Harvard School of Public Health found that combining aerobic
activities with weight, or resistance, training is key to preserving muscle and
avoiding weight gain, particularly age-related belly fat.
• Study
Suggests Link Between E-Cigarettes, Respiratory Infections: Vapor
from electronic cigarettes may increase young people's risk of respiratory
infections, whether or not it contains nicotine, a new laboratory study has
found. Lung tissue samples from deceased children appeared to suffer damage
when exposed to e-cigarette vapor in the laboratory, researchers reported in a
recent issue of the journal PLOS One.
• More
Evidence that Healthy Living Works Wonders for Women’s Hearts: The
study found that women who followed six healthy living recommendations -- not
smoking, exercising at least 2.5 hours a week, having a normal weight, watching
seven or fewer hours of television a week, eating a healthy diet, and drinking
some alcohol but no more than about one drink per day -- dropped their odds of
heart disease about 90 percent over 20 years, compared to women living the
unhealthiest lifestyles. Journal of the American College of Cardiology
• Optimistic People Have Healthier Hearts: Using the American Heart
Association's criteria, a study of 5,000 adults found that the most optimistic
people had twice the odds of being in ideal cardiovascular health as their
pessimistic counterparts. Health Behavior and Policy Review
• Statin Treatment Reduce Risk of
Cardiovascular Disease in Women: A large
international study has shown conclusively that statin treatment reduces the
risk of cardiovascular disease in women. The research confirms that statins are
beneficial not only to women who have already had a cardiovascular event such
as a heart attack or stroke, but also in those who - whilst they have not yet
developed cardiovascular disease -- are at an increased risk of such diseases.
The Lancet
• Does Screening Asymptomatic Adults for Major Disease Save Lives?: New
research shows that few currently available screening tests for major diseases
where death is a common outcome have documented reductions in disease-specific
mortality. Evidence was evaluated on 16 screening tests for 9 major diseases
where mortality is a common outcome. International Journal of Epidemiology
• Lack
of Exercise Responsible for Twice as Many Early Deaths as Obesity: A
brisk 20 minute walk each day could be enough to reduce an individual's risk of
early death, according to new research. The study of over 334,000 European men
and women found that twice as many deaths may be attributable to lack of
physical activity compared with the number of deaths attributable to obesity,
but that just a modest increase in physical activity could have significant
health benefits. Am J Clin Nutr.
SUPPLEMENTS/NUTRITION/VITAMINS
• Six Reasons Not to Take Zinc for Colds: It won’t relieve your cold symptoms; has
side effects; can be toxic; interact with other medications; cause health
problems and can be very dangerous. The nasal form can make you lose your sense
of smell. Consumer Reports
• Diet Rich in Whole Grains Might Extend
Your Life: Over
time, regularly eating whole wheat bread, oatmeal or other whole grains may add
years to your lifespan, a new Harvard-led study concludes. Whole grains are so healthy that a person's risk of an
early death drops with every serving added to a daily diet, according to
findings published online Jan. 5 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
• Eating Right Helps PreventType 2 Diabetes in Women: Healthy eating habits reduce
women's risk of type 2 diabetes, new research finds. A healthy diet featured
lower intake of saturated and trans fats, sugar-sweetened drinks, and red and
processed meats. It included higher intake of cereal fiber, polyunsaturated
fats, coffee and nuts. Polyunsaturated fats include soybean, safflower, canola
and corn oils. Diabetes Care
• An
Avocado a Day May Help Keep Bad Cholesterol at Bay: Individuals
on a moderate-fat diet who ate an avocado every day had lower bad cholesterol
than those on a similar diet without an avocado a day or on a lower-fat diet,
researchers report. Journal of the American Heart Association
• Potassium Salts Aid Bone Health, Limit Osteoporosis Risk: The
potassium salts (bicarbonate and citrate) plentiful in fruit and vegetables,
play an important part in improving bone health, researchers have found. For
the first time, the results also showed that these potassium salts reduce bone
resorption, the process by which bone is broken down, therefore increasing
their strength. Osteoporosis International
• Little or No Benefit from Nutrient Additions to Vitamin Waters and Energy Drinks: The
nutritional benefits of novel beverages (vitamin waters, energy drinks, and
novel juices) sold in Canadian supermarkets have been assessed by scientists
how reviewed their micronutrient compositions. Findings suggest little to no
nutrient additions by drinking these beverages. Applied Physiology,
Nutrition, and Metabolism
• Sulforaphane, found in Broccoli, Maybe Useful in Cancer Therapy: New research has identified one of the
key cancer-fighting mechanisms for sulforaphane, and suggests that this
much-studied phytochemical may be able to move beyond cancer prevention and
toward therapeutic use for advanced prostate cancer. Scientists said that
pharmacologic doses in the form of supplements would be needed for actual
therapies, beyond the amount of sulforaphane that would ordinarily be obtained
from dietary sources such as broccoli. Research also needs to verify the safety
of this compound when used at such high levels.
• PreSleep Drinking Disrupts Sleep: For individuals who drink before
sleeping, alcohol initially acts as a sedative - marked by the delta frequency
electroencephalogram (EEG) activity of Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) - but is later
associated with sleep disruption. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental
Research
TREATMENT RESEARCH
• Epinephrine Auto-Injectors, AsthmaInhalers are Being Used Incorrectly: Very few people are using their prescribed allergy
medical devices properly -- even if they think they know how, according to a
study published in the January 2015 issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and
Immunology.
• Nearly All Diabetics Should be on Cholesterol Lowering Medications: New
guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) call for giving the
cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins to all people with diabetes to help
prevent heart disease. These new standards bring the association in line with
the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, which also
recommend giving low- or high-dose statins to all people at risk for heart
disease, including people with diabetes.
• Certain Antibiotic Statin Combinations are not safe: Seniors who take the antibiotic
Biaxin (clarithromycin) along with certain types of cholesterol-lowering
statins are at risk for drug interaction side effects that can lead to
hospitalization or even death, a new study suggests. Canadian Medical
Association Journal
• Weight Loss Surgery May Extend Lives: Among 2,500 obese adults who underwent
so-called bariatric surgery, the death rate was about 14 percent after 10 years
compared with almost 24 percent for obese patients who didn't have weight-loss
surgery, researchers found. Journal of the American Medical Association
• After 8 years, Similar Outcomes with Surgical or Non Surgical Treatment for Spinal Stenosis: For patients with spinal stenosis,
long-term outcomes are comparable with surgery or conservative treatment,
reports a new study. While earlier reports suggested an advantage of surgery,
the updated analysis finds no significant difference in pain, functioning, of
disability at eight years' follow-up. Spine
OTHER
• Only 23% Protection From This Year’sFlu Vaccine: A new study finds the vaccine reduces your risk of
needing medical care because of flu by only 23 percent. MMWR
• Staying Safe in the Hospital: Increase your odds by getting staff to
listen and to treat you with respect. A new national Consumer Reports’ survey of
1,200 recently hospitalized people found a striking link between
respectful treatment and patient
safety. Those who said they rarely received respect from the medical staff were
two and a half times as likely to experience a medical error. Consumer Reports
• Avoid over paying for glasses: You can make the cost of glasses affordable
by: not focusing on brand names; shop discount stores, such as LensCrafters,
Pearle Vision and Costco; look on-line; for quality choose titanium; invest in
lenses not frames; get two pairs. Consumer Reports
• Excess Weight May Help Heart Failure Patients: Researchers
tracked nearly 1,500 heart failure patients, most of whom were overweight or
obese before their diagnosis. They found that 38 percent of obese and 45
percent of overweight patients died over 10 years, compared with 51 percent of
normal-weight patients. The difference held even if they also had other health
issues such as diabetes or high blood pressure. "At this time the reasons
for this beneficial association are not clear," said lead researcher Dr.
Anita Deswal. Journal of the American College of Cardiology
• Tablets and E-Readers May Disrupt Sleep: People who read before bed using
an iPad or similar "e-reader" device felt less sleepy and took longer
to fall asleep than when they read a regular printed book, researchers found.
The morning after reading an e-book, people found it harder to wake up and
become fully alert than after reading a regular book -- even though they got
the same amount of sleep. The bright light from these devices appears to
suppress melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone that normally increases during
the evening and reaches its highest levels as you sleep, said lead researcher
Anne-Marie Chang. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• Strong Neighborhood Bonds, Less Gun
Violence: Strong
bonds that tie people together can protect neighborhood residents from gun
violence, a new study suggests. Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine
found that exposure to gun violence declines as community participation rises.
IOM
• Rotating
Night Shift Work May Raise Risks of Heart Disease:Working rotating night shifts may pose a threat to your health, a new study
suggests. The study defined rotating shift work as at least
three nights spent working each month, in addition to days and evenings worked
in the month. While the study couldn't prove cause-and-effect, it found that
people who worked rotating night shifts for more than five years had an 11
percent increased risk of death from all causes. American Journal of Preventive
Medicine
• Could Gut Microbes Help Treat Brain Disorders?: The community of microbes that
inhabits the body, known as the microbiome, has a powerful influence on the
brain and may offer a pathway to new therapies for psychiatric and neurological
disorders, according to researchers. Kavli Foundation
• Environment Trumps Genes at Shaping Immune System: Environment plays a larger role than genes in shaping
people's immune systems, a new study suggests. Researchers compared 78 pairs of
identical twins -- who are nearly genetically the same -- and 27 pairs of
nonidentical twins, who have about 50 percent of their genes in common.
Three-quarters of the immune system differences between the twins were due to
environmental influences such as previous exposure to microbes or toxins,
vaccinations, diet and dental hygiene. Cell
• Many Cancer Survivors Have Unmet Needs: Even decades after being cured, many cancer survivors
face physical and mental challenges resulting from their disease and its
treatment. That's the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER,
a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
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