CHRONIC PAIN
• Medical Marijuana’s Pain Relief May Work Better for Men: Smoking a joint provides greater
pain relief to men than to women, a new study indicates. Research found that
men were significantly less sensitive to pain and better able to tolerate while
women were somewhat more able to tolerate the pain but it brought no
significant pain relief. Drug and Alcohol Dependence
• Connection Between Chronic Pain, Anxiety Disorders: Increased
expression of a peptide neurotransmitter the body releases in response to
stress -- pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) -- is also
increased in response to neuropathic pain and contributes to these symptoms.
Biological Psychiatry
• Review
Suggests Safe, Effective Ways to Relieve Pain Without Meds: Popular
drug-free methods of managing pain from such common conditions as headaches and
arthritis appear to be effective, according to a new review. Researchers
reviewed 105 U.S.-based clinical trials from the past 50 years. Several
alternative approaches showed promise for providing safe and effective pain
relief. They included acupuncture and yoga for back pain; acupuncture and tai
chi for osteoarthritis of the knee; and relaxation techniques for severe
headaches and migraine. Results of massage therapy for short-term relief of
neck pain were also promising. Evidence was weaker in some cases. The study
found massage therapy, spinal manipulation and osteopathic manipulation might
help relieve back pain while relaxation therapy and tai chi might help people
with fibromyalgia. Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
• Link between Weather, Chronic Pain: Preliminary findings from a mass participation study
have indicated a link between weather conditions -- specifically rain and lack
of sunshine -- and chronic pain. British Science Festival
• Corydalis yanhusuo extract for use as an adjunct medicine for low to moderate chronic pain: Root extracts from the flowering herbal plant
Corydalis yanhusuo, or YHS, has widely used for centuries as a pain treatment.
Yet few studies have investigated how it works on different forms of pain, and
little is known about its molecular mechanisms. In a new study, Olivier
Civelli, professor and chair of pharmacology at the University of California,
Irvine, and colleagues show how YHS effectively treats different forms of pain.
Most notably it can reduce chronic neuropathic pain which is poorly treated
with common medicines. They also show that YHS seems to not lose its potency
over time, as happens with many analgesics. Plos One
• Alternative Medicine May Increase Workplace Absenteeism: A new study says the use of certain types of
complementary and alternative medicine by employees with chronic medical
conditions can lead to more days missed from work due to illness or injury. The
study is based on the researchers’ analysis of the use of CAM services and
employment information reported to the National Center for Health Statistics in
2012 by about 10,000 people suffering from one or more of 13 chronic medical
conditions. The analysis found that workers with chronic conditions who
used CAM services had higher absenteeism rates than those who didn’t use
them—13 percent higher for those who took dietary supplements and 55 percent
higher for those who engaged in mind-body practices. BMC Complementary and
Alternative Medicine
• Acupuncture Eases Severe Constipation: After eight weeks of treatment with electroacupuncture
-- acupuncture involving electrical stimulation -- study participants
experienced significant symptom and quality-of-life improvements, according to
a study of 1,075 patient, which included a control group. Annals of internal
Medicine
• Laughter based exercise program has health benefits: Incorporating laughter into a physical
activity program that is focused on strength, balance and flexibility could
improve older adults’ mental health, aerobic endurance and confidence in their
ability to exercise, according to a study. The Gerontologist
FDA ACTION
• Warns about serious risks, death when combining opioids with
Benzodiazepines
• Issued report that antibacterial soaps have not been proven to
be beneficial and raised the question of potential negative effects on health.
• Facilitates Research on Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Warns Ovarian Cancer Tests Not Reliable and should not be used
PREVENTION
• Can Exercise Offset Alcohol’s Damaging Effects: Normally, drinking raises the risk of death from
cancer and all causes, the researchers said. But just 2.5 hours of physical
activity a week could reduce those odds, the large study of British residents
found. Current U.S. guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity
aerobic activity each week. This includes brisk walking, bicycling, ballroom
dancing and gardening. Exercising up to 300 minutes weekly results in even
greater health benefits, the guidelines say. British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Midlife Physical Activity is Associated with Better Cognition in Old
Age: A new study of 3050 twins finds moderately vigorous physical activity --
i.e., more strenuous than walking -- to be associated with better cognition in
a 25-year follow-up. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
• Flu Shot More Effective than Nasal Spray: The nasal spray flu vaccine is
ineffective and should not be used in the upcoming flu season, says a leading
group of U.S. pediatricians. All children aged 6 months and older should
receive a seasonal flu shot during the 2016-17-flu season, according to an
updated policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• Why Some Women Find it Hard to Get Good Sleep: Women's
internal, or circadian, body clocks run at a faster pace than men's, according
to the research. "They go to bed at a later biological time because their
clock is shifted earlier eastward.” Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences
• Facebook Can Increase Sense of Well Being: Researchers found that when
people who care about you send personal messages to you through the social
media site, the benefits can be significant. Actions such as simply hitting
"like" and passively reading wide-ranging posts are unlikely to have
an impact, however. Friends need to spend some time and write something
personal. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
• What’s Best for the Middle Aged Heart?: New research says dieting,
exercising or a combination of the two can all get the job done about equally
well as long as you lose some weight. But the study authors added that
exercising in tandem with dieting is probably the best way to go. American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition
• Early Onset Menopause Linked to Higher Heart Disease: Dutch
researchers reviewed 32 studies involving more than 300,000 women. The
investigators compared women who were younger than 45 at the start of menopause
with those who were aged 45 and older when it began. Overall, heart disease
risk appeared to be 50 percent greater for the women who were under 45 when menopause
began. Early menopause also appeared to boost the risk of cardiovascular death
and death from all causes. But, it showed no association with stroke risk, the
study authors said. JAMA Cardiology
• Facebook
Bullying Can Cause Depression: Negative experiences on Facebook can
increase the odds of depression in young people, a new study found. Journal of
Adolescent Health
• Five Second Rule is a Myth: Most people have invoked the
"five-second rule" after dropping something tasty on the ground at
least once or twice in their lives. Is that food really safe to eat? Probably
not, a new study says. After putting the five-second rule to the test,
researchers at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., found contamination
with bacteria can occur in less than one second. Applied and Environmental
Microbiology
NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS/VITAMINS
• Changing Cooking Techniques to Reduce Diabetes: Changing the way you cook could
help reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.
Boiling, steaming and poaching look like the safest way to go, researchers say.
When you fry, grill or bake foods -- also called dry-heat cooking -- foods
produce substances called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Diabetologia
• Vitamin D to Reduce Asthma Attacks: New research has found evidence
from randomized trials, that taking an oral vitamin D supplement in addition to
standard asthma medication is likely to reduce severe asthma attacks. Cochrane
Library
• Alcohol May Damage the Heart: Long-term drinking even moderate
amounts of alcohol may increase some people's risk of stroke by causing the
heart's left atrium to get bigger, the researchers said. The left atrium is the
upper left chamber of the heart. This enlargement of the left atrium can
contribute to a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, in which the heart
beats irregularly. Journal of the American Heart Association
• High Calcium, Low Lactose Diet May Reduce Risk of Ovarian Cancer in African AmericanWomen: A diet high in calcium and low in lactose may reduce
the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women, research indicates. The
work also found sun exposure in the summer months may reduce the risk of
developing the disease in this population. British Journal of Cancer
• For Uncontrolled Tremors Ultra Sound Instead of Brain Surgery: Patients with uncontrolled
shaking caused by a condition called essential tremor may get relief with a new
noninvasive ultrasound procedure, a study finds. Focused ultrasound, a
noninvasive technique, is "a new treatment option that is available for
patients with essential tremor.” Based on this trial, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration in July approved the technique to treat essential tremor.
Israel-based InSightec, the device maker, funded the research. NEJM
• Combining Formoterol With Budesonide for Asthma is Safe: A post-marketing safety study
mandated by the FDA has shown that a combination drug therapy for the treatment
of asthma is safe and effective. The therapy tested consisted of a long-acting
beta agonist, formoterol, added to an inhaled glucocorticoid, budesonide. NEJM
• Effect of Combined HRT on BreastCancer Risk Likely to Have Been Underestimated: The
effect of combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in increasing a woman’s
risk of breast cancer is likely to have been underestimated by a number of
previous studies, according to a prospective study published in the British
Journal of Cancer. For 40 years, 100,000 women were followed in the Breast
Cancer Now Generations Study. Women using combined HRT (for a median duration
of 5.4 years) were 2.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer during the
period of HRT use than women who had never used HRT. This risk increased with
duration of use, with women who had used combined HRT for over 15 years being
3.3 times more likely to develop breast cancer than non-users. However, in
women using estrogen-only HRT there was no overall increase seen in breast
cancer risk compared with women who had never used HRT.
•
Weight Loss Surgery Sheds Pounds Long Term: 10 Year follow up study finds
many who had gastric bypass kept weight off. JAMA Surgery
• New Immunotherapy Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer: A new
immunotherapy treatment IMM-101 has shown dramatic results in treating advanced
pancreatic cancer, a deadly cancer that has seen little progress in treatment
over the last 20 years. British Journal of Cancer
• Early Palliative Care Improves Patients’ Quality of Life: Starting
palliative care (comfort care) shortly after a person is diagnosed with
incurable cancer helps patients cope and improves their quality of life. It
also leads to more discussions about patients' end-of-life care preferences.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting
• New
Super lice Resist Most Over the Counter Remedies: A new
report warns that over-the-counter products have lost much of their
effectiveness against the so-called super lice. The good news is that
prescription products can still get rid of those creepy critters. Pediatric
Dermatology
• Experimental Shingles Vaccine Looks Quite Effective: An experimental vaccine against
shingles may offer lasting protection for most older adults who receive it, a
new clinical trial found. There already is a vaccine against shingles, but its
effectiveness is limited. The new study found that the experimental vaccine
protected about 90 percent of adults age 70 and up. And the effects were still
apparent four years later. NEJM
• Prostate
Cancer Treatments: A large, decade-long study offers new insights into
the treatment dilemmas that many men diagnosed with prostate cancer face. The
research finds that for certain men, death rates from prostate cancer were
roughly the same over several years regardless of whether they chose to be
monitored -- called "watchful waiting" -- or underwent radiation or
had their prostate removed. But the findings don't prove that "watchful
waiting" is always the best choice. Men who were otherwise largely healthy
and chose to be monitored were twice as likely as the others to see their
cancer spread over the 10-year study period. NEJM
• Corticosteroid
Use Linked to Worse Outcomes for Patients with Lyme Disease-AssociatedFacial Paralysis: Patients who were prescribed corticosteroids as part
of treatment for Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis had worse long-term
outcomes of regaining facial function than those who were prescribed antibiotic
therapy alone, new research shows. Based on these findings, the researchers
urge caution in prescribing corticosteroids to patients with acute Lyme
disease-associated facial paralysis.
• Researchers Criticize: Psychotropic Drugsare No solution: The currently available drugs cannot permanently
alleviate the symptoms of mental disorders. This is the conclusion drawn by
psychologists Prof Dr Jürgen Margraf and Prof Dr Silvia Schneider from
Ruhr-Universität Bochum in a commentary published in the journal EMBO
CAREGIVING
• New Report for Families Caring for an aging America: The
demand for family caregivers for adults who are 65 or older is increasing
significantly, and family caregivers need more recognition, information, and
support to fulfill their responsibilities and maintain their own health,
financial security, and well-being, says a new report from the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Although caregivers'
individual circumstances vary, family caregiving can negatively affect
caregivers' mental and physical health as well cause economic harm, including
loss of income and career opportunities. The report calls for health care
delivery system reform that elevates family-centered care alongside
person-centered care to better account for the roles of family caregivers and
support their involvement in the care delivery process.
OTHER
• Kids Mild Brain Injury Can Have Long-term Effects: Researchers compared 100,000 Swedes who
suffered at least one traumatic brain injury (TBI) before age 25 with their
unaffected siblings. The investigators found that those who had had head
injuries were consistently more likely to die early and have problems
functioning as adults. PLOS Medicine
• Senior Years May Truly Be Golden for Happiness: A
study, which included adults aged 21 to 99, found that on average, mental
well-being steadily improved as people grew older. And that was despite the
fact that older adults had more physical health issues and problems with memory
and thinking, versus younger people. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
• 45
Potential Toxins Found in Household Dust: Household dust contains a wide
range of toxic chemicals, potentially exposing people to harmful compounds in
their own homes, a new evidence review contends. Researchers identified 45
potentially toxic chemicals in dust samples from homes in 14 states. These
chemicals come from a broad array of consumer products, including furniture,
carpeting, drapes, electronics and toys. Environmental Science & Technology
• Can Some Types of Fat Protect Us From Brain Disease: Having
a little bit of extra fat may help reduce the risk of developing diseases
caused by toxic protein aggregation, such as Huntington's, Parkinson's and
Alzheimer's. Scientists have discovered a new communication process between
organelles inside the cell, including mitochondria, and shown how fat
metabolism plays a central role in linking mitochondrial health to cytosolic
protein homeostasis. Another study uncovers a new signaling pathway that may
explain the peripheral wasting seen in Huntington's. Cell
No comments:
Post a Comment