CHRONIC PAIN
• Spironolactone No Benefit for Knee Osteoarthritis(OA) in Older Adults: For older adults with knee
osteoarthritis (OA), spironolactone is not associated with improvements in
symptoms, physical function, or health-related quality-of-life, according to a
study published in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research
• Use
of Glucocorticoid Ups Diabetes Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Using
two different data bases comparing non users with current users of the drug,
dosage and treatment duration impacted risk of developing diabetes. Arthritis
& Rheumatology
• Prednisone
Use Linked to Increased Risk of Mortality in RA: For
patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), prednisone use is associated with an
increased risk of mortality, according to a study published in the May issue of
Arthritis Care & Research.
• Opioid
Painkillers Raise Heart Risks for Some: Patients who had just been
prescribed an opioid painkiller had a 64 percent higher risk of early death
when compared to patients who were given an alternative pain medication. But
much of that increased risk was related to the onset of breathing difficulties
during sleep, followed by heart rhythm irregularities and other cardiovascular
complications. JAMA
• CBT In Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis for Managing Chronic Pain: A meta
analysis review concludes that the psychosocial approach with the
strongest evidence base for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain is cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT). J Pain Res
• Acupuncture Significantly Improves Menopause Related Symptoms: When compared with usual care, acupuncture
treatments may significantly reduce hot flashes and other vasomotor symptoms
and improve some quality-of-life measures associated with menopause according
to findings from a year-long study of 209 women age 45-60 years of age. Menopause
• Mindfulness Meditation Helps Breast Cancer Survivors: Mindfulness meditation seems to help breast cancer
patients better manage symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and fear of recurrence, a new
study suggests. Those who took part in the six-week program had less anxiety,
fear of recurrence and less fatigue compared to those who did not take the
program. Journal of Clinical Oncology
• Long Term Pot Use Tied to Gum Disease: In an analysis of about 1,000
people who used pot and/or tobacco in New Zealand, those who smoked pot for 20
years didn't have notable health problems, except for gum disease, the
researchers said. JAMA Psychiatry
• Electroacupuncture Helped Ease Carpal Tunnel: Electroacupuncture helped carpal tunnel
patients with long-lasting mild and moderate symptoms when it was used with
splints overnight. Canadian Medical Association Journal
• Approves
Implant (Probuphine) to treat people addicted to heroin (opiods)
• Calls for
Less Salt in Processed Food
• Approves Ocaliva
for Primary Biliary Cholangitis
• Approves
Aspire Assist, a new weight loss device
• Halted sales of
Zecuity Migraine Skin Patches due to patients reporting burns and scars
• Positively Thinking About Aging Important for a Healthier Life: The
mind/body connection counts for a lot. One study found that middle-aged people
who had no cognitive impairment but did have negative views of aging were more
likely to later develop the brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease.
And the more negative their views, the worse those brain changes were. Another
study showed that people with positive
views of older adults were much more likely to recover from major health
setbacks. Having something that gives one's life a sense of purpose can pay
amazing health dividends. People who
have a sense of purpose are much less likely to suffer early mortality, less
likely to develop disability, Alzheimer’s or stroke. NPR
• Base Quit Smoking Day on Menstrual Cycle: Certain weeks of a woman's
menstrual cycle may be better than others for quitting smoking, a small study
suggests. Success was less likely when a "quit day" fell during the
follicular phase, or first half of the monthly cycle, researchers found.
Biology of Sex Differences
• Smog
Can Make Blood Pressure Soar: A review of 17 studies conducted around
the world found a possible link between blood pressure and dirty air related to
common pollutants, such as vehicle exhaust, coal burning and airborne dirt or
dust. "Our results demonstrated that air pollutants had
both short-term and long-term effects on [high blood pressure] risks."
Hypertension
• Diet Exercise Both Reduce Visceral Adiposity (VAT): A meta
analysis found that both exercise and diet reduce VAT. “Despite a larger
effect of diet on total body weight loss, exercise tends to have superior
effects in reducing VAT," the authors write. "Finally, total body
weight loss does not necessarily reflect changes in VAT and may represent a
poor marker when evaluating benefits of lifestyle-interventions." Obesity
Reviews
• Shift
Workers at Greater Risk of Heart Ills: Sleep deprivation and an abnormal
sleep cycle may increase the risk of heart disease, especially for shift
workers, a small study suggests. Hypertension
• Middle
Age Fitness Helps Ward off Stroke Later on: Among nearly 20,000 adults in
their mid to late 40s, researchers found the most fit had a 37 percent lower
risk of having a stroke after 65, compared with the least fit. The protective
effect of fitness remained even after the researchers accounted for risk
factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and an
abnormal heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation. Stroke
• Just 15 Minutes of Exercise a Day Helps Seniors Live Longer: Just 15
minutes of exercise a day may lower older adults' risk of early death by
one-fifth, according to a study presented at the European Society of
Cardiology's EuroPRevent
• Healthy Fats in Mediterranean Diet Won’t Boost Weight: An
eating plan that includes healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts isn't likely
to cause weight gain, a new study finds. The Lancet Diabetes &
Endocrinology
• Spare the Meat, Skip Type 2Diabetes? Eating a mainly plant-based diet --
especially one with lots of healthy veggies, fruit and whole grains -- may
significantly lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.
"This study highlights that even moderate dietary changes in the direction
of a healthful plant-based diet can play a significant role in the prevention
of type 2 diabetes." Plos Medicine
• Whole Grains Increase Longevity: Researchers found that people who ate
three or more servings of whole grains a day had a 20 percent reduced risk of
premature death during the study period, compared to those who ate fewer or no
servings of whole grains. "The higher the whole grain intake, the lower
the death rate, especially deaths from cardiovascular disease."
Whole-grain foods include whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, brown rice and whole
cornmeal. Circulation
• Low Dose Aspirin Tied to Longer Colon Cancer Survival: Norwegian
researchers found that among over 23,000 colon cancer patients, those who used
aspirin were 15 percent less likely to die of the disease over the next several
years. Journal of Clinical Oncology
•
Glucocorticoids Raise Risk for Serious Staph Infections: Glucocorticoids -- a form of steroids -- are powerful immunosuppressive drugs
used to treat a variety of medical conditions that involve inflammation. People
who use glucocorticoids are at higher risk for life-threatening staph blood infections,
a new study finds. Mayo Clinic Proceedings
• New Psoriasis Drug Works Longer Term: Ixekizumab (Taltz) was approved
in March by the FDA after initial trials showed that over 12 weeks, the drug
soundly beat standard medication for moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The new
findings show the benefits are still there after 60 weeks. At that point, about
80 percent of patients were seeing at least a 75 percent improvement in their
skin symptoms, the researchers said. NEJM
• Diabetes Drug Victoza May Help
the Heart: The blood sugar-lowering drug Victoza (liraglutide)
cuts the risk of heart attack and stroke in type 2 diabetes patients, a new
study finds. NEJM
OTHER
• 15.5 Million Americans Now Surviving Cancer: Cancer survivors in the United States reached record
numbers this year -- 15.5 million -- and the American Cancer Society predicts
they'll total more than 20 million in another decade. But along with these
success stories comes a growing demand for medical, emotional and psychological
support to aid survivors' long-term recovery, according to a new cancer society
report. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
•
Americans Living Longer and Better: Harvard University researchers
reviewed federal government data. They found that in 1992, life expectancy for
the average 65-year-old was 17.5 additional years, 8.9 of which were
disability-free. By 2008, life expectancy for someone age 65 was an additional
18.8 years, 10.7 of which were disability-free. National Bureau of Economic
Research
• Hands
Free Cellphones Not Risk Free: Talking on a hands-free phone while
driving may be just as distracting and dangerous as using a hand-held phone,
according to a new study. In lab-based tests, British researchers found that
having conversations that activated the visual imagination resulted in
participants detecting fewer road hazards in a video. Transportation Research
• Mentally
Ill Still Gain Illegal Possession of Guns: Almost two-thirds of violent gun
crime arrests among the mentally ill were people who were already legally
prohibited from having a firearm, a new study from Florida reveals.
"That's a failure of the enforcement mechanism," said study lead
author Jeffrey Swanson. And close to one-third of the gun suicides carried out
by the mentally ill were among people who weren't legally allowed to possess a
firearm, the study found. Health Affairs
No comments:
Post a Comment