CHRONIC PAIN
Prevalence of Arthritis 22.8 Percent in U.S. Adults in 2017: The prevalence of arthritis was 22.8 percent in U.S.
adults in 2017, with statewide variation in prevalence and in the prevalence of
severe joint pain and physical inactivity among those with arthritis, according
to research published in the May 3 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Adults with
arthritis in southeastern states have highest prevalence of severe joint pain,
physical inactivity.
Does insulin resistance cause fibromyalgia? Researchers were able to dramatically reduce the pain of
fibromyalgia patients with medication that targeted insulin resistance. This
discovery could dramatically alter the way that chronic pain can be identified
and managed. Plos One
COMPLEMENTARY &
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
Mindfulness
smoking-cessation app can change the brain: Researchers have found that a mindfulness-based
smartphone app designed to help people stop smoking was effective at reducing
study participants' self-reported daily cigarette consumption. And those who
reduced their cigarette consumption the most also showed decreased reactivity
to smoking-related images in a brain region known to be activated when someone
experiences a craving. Neuropsychopharmacology
Legal marijuana reduces
chronic pain, but increases injuries and car accidents: The legalization of
recreational marijuana is associated with an increase in its abuse, injury due
to overdoses, and car accidents, but does not significantly change health care
use overall, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco. In a
review of more than 28 million hospital records from the two years before and after
cannabis was legalized in Colorado, UCSF researchers found that Colorado
hospital admissions for cannabis abuse increased after legalization, in
comparison to other states. But taking the totality of all hospital admissions
and time spent in hospitals into account, there was not an appreciable increase
after recreational cannabis was legalized. BMJ Open
FDA ACTION
• Recalled six tattoo inks as they
are contaminated with bacteria and could lead to infection that poses a serious
health risk
• Approves Venetoclax for Chronic
Lymphocytic Leukemia
• Warns against the use of
unapproved or unauthorized devices for diabetes management, including
continuous glucose monitoring systems, insulin pumps and automated insulin
dosing systems
• Approved Fragmin (dalteparin
sodium) injection, for subcutaneous use, to reduce the recurrence of
symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pediatric patients one month of age
and older
• Sent warning letters to five
companies who produce products labeled as homeopathic for significant
violations of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations
• Approved Vyndaqel (tafamidis
meglumine) and Vyndamax (tafamidis) capsules for the treatment of the heart
disease (cardiomyopathy) caused by transthyretin mediated amyloidosis (ATTR-CM)
in adults.
• Authorized the marketing of
new tobacco products manufactured by Philip Morris Products S.A. for the IQOS
“Tobacco Heating System” – an electronic device that heats tobacco-filled
sticks wrapped in paper to generate a nicotine-containing aerosol. The FDA has
placed stringent marketing restrictions on the products in an effort to prevent
youth access and exposure.
• Approved Mavyret (glecaprevir and
pibrentasvir) tablets to treat all six genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in
children ages 12 to 17
• Requiring a new boxed warning –
the agency’s most prominent warning – on certain prescription insomnia drugs to
better ensure patients and their health care professionals have the information
they need when considering use of these medicines. The new warnings will be
required for eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata) and zolpidem (Ambien,
Ambien CR, Edluar, Intermezzo, and Zolpimist).
• Approved a device, called
Xvivo Perfusion System with Steen Solution Perfusate, that can temporarily
ventilate, oxygenate, and pump (perfuse) preservation solution through lungs
that were initially thought to be unacceptable for transplant
• Launched a new education campaign to help Americans
understand the important role they play in removing and properly disposing of
unused prescription opioids from their homes
• Permitted marketing of the first
medical device to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
PREVENTION
Morning exercise can
improve decision-making across the day in older adults: A study of older
Australians has found a morning bout of moderate-intensity exercise improves
cognitive performance like decision-making across the day compared to prolonged
sitting without exercise. It also shows that a morning bout of exercise
combined with brief walking breaks to frequently disrupt sitting throughout an
eight-hour day can boost short-term memory compared to uninterrupted sitting,
according to the study. British Journal of Sports Medicine
Chronic insomnia and memory problems:
A direct link is established: Chronic insomnia disorder, which affects
approximately 10 percent of adults, has a direct negative impact on cognitive
function of people aged 45 and over, independent of the effect of other health
issues. Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Healthy Lifestyle Recommended for Reducing Dementia Risk: Guidelines emphasizing adoption of a healthy
lifestyle for reducing the risk for cognitive decline and dementia have been
developed by the World Health Organization. Adults who use tobacco should be
offered interventions for tobacco cessation, and interventions should be
offered to reduce or cease hazardous or harmful drinking. For adults with
normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment, a Mediterranean-like diet may
be recommended for reducing the risk for cognitive decline and/or dementia. A
healthy balanced diet based on WHO recommendations should be recommended to all
adults. Vitamins B and E, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and multicomplex
supplementation should not be recommended for reducing cognitive decline and/or
dementia risk. Interventions for overweight and/or obesity may be offered.
Regular crosswords and number puzzles linked to sharper brain in later life: Older adults who regularly
take part in word and number puzzles have sharper brains, according to the
largest online study to date. The more
regularly adults aged 50 and over played puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku,
the better their brain function, according to research in more than 19,000
participants. The findings emerge from two linked papers published today (May
16th) in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Working Memory Affected by
Sleep and Mood: Two linked medical studies on
age-related working memory decline show surprisingly strong inverse and direct
relationships with mood and sleep quality. For the mind to work at its best —
especially among the elderly — it’s important to ensure one has good sleep
quality and be in a good mood, which generally means freedom from depression.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
Moderate/Vigorous Exercise Attenuates Risks of Sitting: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) equivalent to
meeting current recommendations attenuates the association of sitting with
all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, according to a study
published online April 22 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Women Who Exercise Still More At Risk Of Depression Than Men: Researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor claimed exercise reduces the risk of depression but such manifestation
differs for men and women. They tested whether exercise can alleviate
depression caused by disturbed sleep, but they only found it effective in male
participants. The findings were contradictory to previous research. According to
the principal investigator Weiyun Chen, few women in the study participated in
the high-intensity exercise and their conditions did not improve after the
test. The previous study used in assessing the effects of exercise on
depression showed that low-to-moderate intensity workouts may be an effective
solution for depression. Vigorous physical activity done frequently also
resulted in the growth of nerve cells. Journal of American College Health
NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS/VITAMINS
A spoonful of peppermint helps the meal go down: When treated with peppermint oil, 63 percent of patients
with disorders of the esophagus that cause difficulty swallowing and
non-cardiac chest pain reported feeling much or slightly better, report
researchers. Eighty-three percent of patients with spastic disorders of the
esophagus reported feeling better. Peppermint is an attractive first-line
treatment because it has few side effects and can be taken as needed by
patients. Digestive Diseases and Sciences
Low Fat Dietary Pattern Cuts Breast Cancer Deaths: A low-fat dietary intervention
is associated with reductions in deaths after breast cancer and deaths from
breast cancer among postmenopausal women after long-term follow-up, according
to a study scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the American
Society for Clinical Oncology.
Does sunscreen compromise
vitamin D levels? Maybe not Sunscreen can reduce the sun's adverse effects, but there are
concerns that it might inhibit the body's production of vitamin D. In a new
study, however, investigators recorded an increase of vitamin D in participants
during a week of cloudless weather, with very high UV index, even when
sunscreens were used properly and prevented sunburn. British Journal of
Dermatology
How Much Coffee is too Much for the Heart: People who frequently drank six or more cups of coffee per day — the
scientists defined one cup as containing around 75 milligrams of caffeine — had
a modest increase in cardiovascular disease risk. The American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition
TREATMENT
rTMS Improves Memory in Younger and Older Adults: Magnetic
stimulation of the brain improves working memory, offering a new potential
avenue of therapy for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other
forms of dementia, according to new research from the Duke University School of
Medicine. Plos One
Combination therapy advisable for bowel disorder IBS: The more abnormalities in intestinal and brain
function that IBS sufferers have, the more severe their symptoms of this
functional bowel disorder, and the more adversely their everyday life is
affected. This is shown by a Sahlgrenska Academy study indicating that patients
with IBS should get treatments for different abnormalities simultaneously, to
improve both bowel function and signaling from the brain to the gut.
Gastroenterology
Thyroid Hormones Not Endorsed for Subclinical Hypothyroidism: The researchers found that thyroid hormones
consistently demonstrated no clinically relevant benefits for quality of life
or thyroid-related symptoms, including depressive symptoms, fatigue, and body
mass index, for adults with SCH (moderate- to high-quality evidence). Thyroid
hormones seem to have little or no effect on cardiovascular events or mortality
(low-quality evidence); only one trial measured harms, with few events at
two-year follow-up. Based on these findings, the guideline panel issued a
strong recommendation against thyroid hormones in adults with SCH. The
recommendation does not apply to women trying to get pregnant or patients with
thyroid stimulating hormone levels >20 mIU/L and may not apply to young
adults or patients with severe symptoms. The BMJ
Risks, Benefits of Long-Term Drug Therapy for Osteoporosis Reviewed: Long-term osteoporosis
drug therapy (ODT) reduces fracture risk in women but may increase risk for
rare adverse events, and research gaps surround use of long-term drug therapies
for osteoporotic fracture prevention, according to a review and position paper
published online April 23 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Sleeping Pill Use Tied to Greater Need for BP Meds in Older Adults: Consumption of sleeping pills is linked to a
subsequent increase in the number of antihypertensive drugs taken among older
adults, according to a study published online March 25 in Geriatrics &
Gerontology International. "'Sleeping pill use' might be an indicator of
future needs of antihypertensive treatment and a warning indicator to
investigate underlying sleep disorders or unhealthy lifestyles," the
authors write.
The Generic Drugs You're Taking May Not Be As Safe Or Effective As You Think: Often health insurance
plans require patients to switch to generics as a way of controlling costs. But
journalist Katherine Eban warns that some of these medications might not be as
safe, or effective, as we think. Eban
has covered the pharmaceutical industry for more than 10 years. She notes that
most of the generic medicines being sold in the U.S. are manufactured overseas,
mostly in India and China. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that it
holds foreign plants to the same standards as U.S. drugmakers, but Eban's new
book, Bottle of Lies, challenges that notion. She writes that the FDA often
announces its overseas inspections weeks in advance, which allows plants where
generic drugs are made the chance to fabricate data and results. Eban advises
consumers to research who manufactures their generics and look up any problems
that regulators have found out about them. But some consumers may find they are
not allowed by their health plan to switch to alternatives, because of cost.
NPR
Blood pressure drug shows no benefit in Parkinson's disease: A study of a blood pressure drug does not show any
benefit for people with Parkinson's disease. The drug isradipine had shown
promise in small, early studies and hopes were high that this could be the
first drug to slow the progression of the disease. American Academy of
Neurology's 71st Annual Meeting
CAREGIVING
Teaching happiness to dementia caregivers reduces their depression, anxiety: Caring for family members
with dementia -- which is on the rise in the US -- causes significant emotional
and physical stress that increases caregivers' risk of depression, anxiety and
death. A new method of coping with that stress by teaching people how to focus
on positive emotions reduced their anxiety and depression after six weeks,
reports a new national study. It also resulted in better self-reported physical
health and positive attitudes toward caregiving. Skills taught to participants in the study:
1.
Recognizing a positive event each day
2.
Savoring that positive event and logging it in a journal or telling someone
about it
3.
Starting a daily gratitude journal
4.
Listing a personal strength each day and noting how you used this strength
recently
5.
Setting an attainable goal each day and noting your progress
6.
Reporting a relatively minor stressor each day, then listing ways in which the
event can be positively reappraised or reframed
7.
Understanding small acts of kindness can have a big impact on positive emotion
and practicing a small act of kindness each day
8.
Practicing mindfulness through paying attention to daily experiences and with a
daily 10-minute breathing exercise, concentrating on the breath
Health
Psychology
OTHER
Two-Thirds of Sunscreens Fail Safety Tests: Nearly two-thirds of sunscreens that were analyzed failed safety tests proposed
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Working Group said
Wednesday. The findings are included in the nonprofit consumer advocacy group's
latest edition of its annual Guide to Sunscreens, CNN reported. The group
analyzed the ingredients and performance of more than 1,300 sunscreen products
with sun protection factor (SPF). Of those, 750 are marketed as beach and sport
sunscreens. The total sample size is just a small portion of the more than
12,000 sunscreen products the FDA says are available in the United States.
Experts suggest that consumers
look for products with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which studies
show are not absorbed into the skin.CNN
Appendix removal associated with development of Parkinson's disease: Patients who had their appendix removed were more
likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those whose appendix remained in
place, according to the largest study to address the relationship between the
two conditions. The retrospective study involving more than 62 million patient
records from 26 health systems. Digestive Disease Week
Chronic kidney disease epidemic in agricultural workers: High heat, toxins: A mysterious epidemic of chronic
kidney disease among agricultural workers and manual laborers may be caused by
a combination of increasingly hot temperatures, toxins and infections,
according to researchers. NEJM
