Other Notable Health Studies & Research From May 17, 2022

There are dozens of studies, innovations, and research findings released everyday by institutions and clinics across the world. Here’s a look at some of the other notable health reports from May 17.

Aging-US: New Insights on Skin Aging Gleaned From Naked Mole-Rats
A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging (Aging-US) Volume 14, Issue 9, entitled, “Single-cell transcriptomics reveals age-resistant maintenance of cell identities, stem cell compartments and differentiation trajectories in long-lived naked mole-rats skin.”

If You Take Several Medications, ‘Polypharmacy’ is a Word to Know
Even for individuals who do not have cancer, multiple medication use is fraught with risks and tricky to navigate because of the emotions involved, said Erika Ramsdale, M.D., a Wilmot Cancer Institute oncologist, geriatrics specialist, and data scientist who led a recent study on polypharmacy published in The Oncologist journal.

Time-Restricted Eating May Lower CVD Risk for Older Breast Cancer Survivors
Older breast cancer survivors with cardiometabolic risk factors who restricted food intake to eight hours during the weekday, followed by 16 hours of fasting, lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after a few weeks, according to a new research letter publishing today in JACC: CardioOncology.

Community-Focused Strategy Improves Vaccine Uptake in Black and Latino Communities
New research from Boston Medical Center (BMC) shows how intentionality and partnership between community leaders and medical health centers can improve COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Black and Latino communities.

McMaster researchers discover how to reduce severe tissue damage from some viral infections
McMaster University researchers have found not only how some viral infections cause severe tissue damage, but also how to reduce it.

Concussion symptoms in children may have multiple underlying causes
Researchers unlock potential pathways for treatment by focusing on the relationships between the symptoms of concussions and the nature of the injury.

mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna fare better against COVID-19 variants of concern
A comparison of four COVID-19 vaccinations shows that messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — perform better against the World Health Organization’s variants of concern (VOCs) than viral vector vaccines — AstraZeneca and J&J/Janssen.

New tool developed by WVU researchers makes it easier to identify pregnant patients with eating disorders
At least 5% of pregnant women will experience an eating disorder during their pregnancies, yet no rapid screening tool exists to identify who they are.

Organic polymeric scintillators excite X-ray community
Efficient strategy for metal-free polymeric scintillators with multicolor radioluminescence for high-resolution X-ray imaging opens a new avenue of research for low-cost, flexible radioluminescent polymeric materials.

Experimental ALS drug may be more effective than existing ones
New research on the experimental drug NU-9, invented and developed by two Northwestern University scientists to treat ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), shows it is more effective than existing FDA-approved drugs for the disease.

Many historically ‘redlined’ California communities have higher COVID-19 incidence and mortality
One of many legacies of “redlining” could also be increased incidence and mortality charges of COVID-19 affecting the largely minority and poor residents of those neighborhoods, in response to analysis printed on the ATS 2022 worldwide convention.

Scientists Use Machine Learning Models to Help Identify Long COVID Patients
Clinical scientists used machine learning (ML) models to explore de-identified electronic health record (EHR) data in the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), a National Institutes of Health-funded national clinical database, to help discern characteristics of people with long-COVID and factors that may help identify such patients using data from medical records.

IOMF-funded study determines orgasmic meditation is more comparable to meditation than sex
New research supported by the Institute of OM Foundation (IOMF), based in Santa Rosa, CA, documents the profoundly positive effect of Orgasmic Meditation, commonly known as “OM,” for many looking to achieve the overall benefits of meditative practice, according to IOMF-backed researchers.

COVID-19’s devastating toll: An rise in adolescent mental health crises and suicidality
A new study led by Patricia Ibeziako, MD, associate chief of clinical services in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services at Boston Children’s Hospital, shows that the situation worsened with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friendly fungi announce themselves to their hosts
For many years after discovering a diverse population of sometimes dangerous microbes constantly living in our intestines, scientists described the situation as a form of living with the enemy.

Private Health Plans During 2020 Paid Hospitals 224 Percent of What Medicare Would Pay
Prices paid to hospitals during 2020 by employers and private insurers for both inpatient and outpatient services averaged 224 percent of what Medicare would have paid, with wide variation in prices among states, according to a new RAND Corporation report.

Henry Ford Cardiologist to Perform a Live Heart Procedure at International Medical Education Event
For the third straight year, Henry Ford Hospital interventional cardiologist Khaldoon Alaswad, M.D. will perform a  live heart procedure as part of an international interactive medical education event, with proceeds benefiting hospitals in Ukraine.

Infrared imaging to measure glymphatic function
Dynamic infrared tracer imaging uses affordable and widely available equipment to obtain the temporal resolution necessary to evaluate glymphatic flux within the brain.

Scientists See Signs of Traumatic Brain Injury in Headbutting Muskox
Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai saw for the first time hallmarks of concussions and other head trauma in the brains of deceased headbutting animals—muskoxen and bighorn sheep.

Statins may provide protection against depression
Statins have been hailed as a wonder drug; the cholesterol-lowering drugs have been prescribed to tens of millions of people since their approval in the late 1980s to prevent heart attack and stroke.

Predictable Home Environment Protects Against Development of Heart Disease Risk Factors After Child Abuse
A new study shows for the first time that well-organized households protect children who have experienced abuse from developing some precursors to heart disease.

Alternative to open heart surgery just as effective for patients with common heart condition
A study led by researchers at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre has shown that a less invasive heart procedure for a common condition is just as effective as conventional open-heart surgery.

Milestone clinical study shows postbiotic urolithin A improves muscle strength and exercise performance in middle-aged adults
New research by scientists in Switzerland shows supplementation with urolithin A had exercise-like effects on muscle strength, improving it by 12% after 4 months.

Protein linked to intellectual disability has complex role
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a previously unknown function for the fragile X protein, the loss of which is the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability.

Scientists Nail Down ‘Destination’ for Protein That Delivers Zinc
Discovery reveals a key mechanism that all living things use to transport a trace element essential for survival.

Guidelines to ensure assessment of patient symptoms and quality of life is ethical
In a new study published in JAMA, experts in the University’s Centre for Patient Reported Outcomes Research with international collaborators, set out the guidelines, designed to ensure clinical research which includes patient-reported outcomes is ethical, inclusive, equitable and optimal.

Dynamics of adaptive immunity in tuberculosis uncovered
In a paper published in Cell Reports today, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine immunologists discovered that adaptive  against Mycobacterium tuberculosis—pathogenic bacteria that cause TB—matures over time.

Big study answers treatment question for little known kidney condition
The largest ever randomised controlled trial in IgA nephropathy has found that treatment with methylprednisolone – a cheap, widely used corticosteroid drug – halves the risk of losing kidney function and kidney failure, and that this can be effectively achieved with fewer side effects if a reduced dose is used.

Analysis of Supportive Evidence for US Food and Drug Administration Approvals of Novel Drugs in 2020
In this study, the cohort of 2020 novel drug approvals continued a trend of new drugs being supported by smaller numbers of preapproval pivotal trials and fewer features traditionally associated with rigor.

Association of Congenital and Acquired Cardiovascular Conditions With COVID-19 Severity Among Pediatric Patients in the US
In this cohort study of 171 416 US individuals aged 2 months to 17 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection, cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, heart surgery, cardiopulmonary disease, heart failure, hypotension, nontraumatic cerebral hemorrhage, pericarditis, and biventricular defects were associated with increased COVID-19 severity.

Evaluation of Age Patterns of COVID-19 Mortality by Race and Ethnicity From March 2020 to October 2021 in the US
All analyses for this cross-sectional study were conducted using provisional monthly data for March 1, 2020, through October 31, 2021, from the National Center for Health Statistics and monthly population estimates for 2020 and 2021 from the US Census Bureau.

Desktop Air Curtain System Prevents Spread of COVID-19 in Hospital Settings
In efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, miniaturizing air curtains for hospital wards, labs, and other health care settings is gaining traction as a viable solution to inadequate face masks or when social distancing is not a realistic option.

Phage Therapy: A Model to Predict Its Efficacy against Pathogenic Bacteria
Researchers from Inserm, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord and Université Paris-Cité at the IAME Laboratory, in close collaboration with their counterparts at Institut Pasteur and the Paris Public Hospitals Group (AP-HP), have developed a model to better predict the efficacy of phage therapy and possibly develop more robust clinical trials.

Prediabetes and Diabetes Screening Eligibility and Detection in US Adults After Changes to US Preventive Services Task Force and American Diabetes Association Recommendations
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently recommended lowering the starting age for diabetes screening to 35 years to facilitate earlier detection and treatment.

Study identifies first cellular “chaperone” for zinc, sheds light on worldwide public health problem of zinc deficiency
The findings, reported in the journal Cell, shed light on the public health issue of zinc deficiency and open an entirely new area of biology for exploration.

University Hospitals and UC Irvine announce new co-leadership of BravNet, a practice-based integrative medicine research network
University Hospitals(UH)Connor Whole Health and Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute (SSIHI) at University of California, Irvine have joined in collaboration to leadBraveNet — the first and largest whole health, practice-based research network in the U.S. BraveNet is a nationwide consortium comprised of academic health systems conducting evidence-based research on therapies used in integrative medicine, which is now more often known as whole health.

Concussion symptoms in children may have multiple underlying causes
A study suggests there are multiple ways that brain damage caused by pediatric concussions can lead to different sets of symptoms, and this complexity can be missed by conventional study approaches.

ATP from sensory neuron-interneuron crosstalk is key to spreading inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis
A team of researchers from Japan and the USA, led by Professor Masaaki Murakami at Hokkaido University,  have revealed that remote inflammation spreads by neuron crosstalk, and that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) plays a key role in this process.

Density, Benign Disease Raise Risk of Breast Cancer
Women with dense breast tissue and benign breast disease face an elevated risk of future breast cancer and could benefit from a tailored mammogram screening strategy, according to a large study published in Radiology.

Choroid Plexus Volume Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
Increased volume of the brain’s choroid plexus is linked to greater cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in Radiology.

Geisel Researchers Receive $4 Million Grant to Improve Office Visit Interactions Between People Living with Dementia, Care Partners, and Clinicians
A team of researchers at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine has received a $4 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to improve “triadic” interactions between patients living with dementia, their care partners, and their clinicians.

‘Untapped’ Potential: Mineral Water Derived from Deep-Sea Water May Have Health Benefits
Scientists determine the biological effects and most beneficial hardness of extract-added water derived from deep-sea water.

Early warning system forecasts who needs critical care for COVID-19
Scientists have developed and validated an algorithm that can help healthcare professionals identify who is most at risk of dying from COVID-19 when admitted to a hospital, reports a study published today in eLife.

First U.S. study analyzing tooth survival after root canal in general population
Teeth survive about 11 years after a root canal, according to new research from Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Dentistry.

Fighting COVID-19: Machine learning to optimise filtration effectiveness of face masks
Researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have successfully used machine learning in a study to improve the filtration effectiveness of Egyptian Cotton (EC) face masks.

University of Minnesota technology allows amputees to control a robotic arm with their mind
University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have developed a more accurate, less invasive technology that allows amputees to move a robotic arm using their brain signals instead of their muscles.

Molecular probe links high-fat diet to nitric oxide levels, cancer development
Researchers at the Beckman Institute deployed a molecular probe to demonstrate a direct link between a high-fat diet and heightened nitric oxide levels, which can lead to increased risk of inflammation and cancer development.

NEW: EULAR Publication on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in People with Rheumatic Disease
Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) refers to the principle of using blood concentrations of biopharmaceuticals to guide therapeutic decisions. EULAR – the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology – has developed a set of new ‘points to consider’ to support TDM in people with inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).

Steps Should Be Taken Now to Protect Future Supplies of Infant and Pediatric Formula
A perspective published today in the American Society for Nutrition’s American Journal of Clinical Nutrition addresses the shortage of infant and pediatric formulas and offers recommendations to help prevent future occurrences and regain the public’s trust in the safety and supply of infant and pediatric nutrition.

The war in Ukraine impacts patients with mental disorders
Danish patients with mental disorders seem to have experienced a worsening of symptoms in connection with the invasion of Ukraine.

3D-printed acoustic holograms against Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s
A team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Columbia University (US) has created 3D-printed acoustic holograms and evaluated their potential in animal models to improve the treatment of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, among others.

HBP researchers reveal how the volumes of brain regions change in Parkinson’s disease
Researchers of the Human Brain Project (HBP) found that in Parkinson’s disease the volumes of certain brain regions decrease over time in a specific pattern that is associated with clinical symptoms and largely coincides with the pattern described in Braak’s famous staging theory.

Landmark Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development Meeting on Schizophrenia Will Showcase Urgent Need for New & Better Treatments
People living with schizophrenia and other psychosis spectrum disorders are too often misunderstood or ignored, and current treatments are outdated and can cause significant side effects.

Nearly half of patients at high risk for lung cancer delayed screening follow-up
Preliminary studies to track patients’ perceived risk of developing lung cancer after a CT scan found that 47 percent had delayed care, according to a study published at the ATS 2022 international conference.

A highly sensitive detection strategy for biomarkers with controllable dynamic range
In this research, droplets’ motion behaviors on the surface were precisely controlled by adjusting the hydrophobic interaction between DNA droplets and lubricant-infused micro-grooves structural surface.

For large bone injuries, it’s Sonic hedgehog to the rescue
A USC Stem Cell study in npj Regenerative Medicine presents intriguing evidence that large bone injuries might trigger a repair strategy in adults that recapitulates elements of skeletal formation in utero.

New guideline refines care for brain bleeds: compression socks, some meds not effective
Some treatments or preventive therapies used to manage intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH), or a bleeding stroke, are not as effective as previously believed, according to the new American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guideline for caring for people with spontaneous ICH, published today in the Association’s Stroke journal.

Marking World Hypertension Day and emerging data on renal denervation: Three renal denervation trials point to effective long-term treatment of hypertension
May 17th is World Hypertension Day whose theme “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer” is aimed at increasing awareness of hypertension worldwide.

2022 Andreas Grüntzig Ethica Award: The Nursing and Allied Professional Community, at the heart of cardiovascular care
On the 19th of May the Andreas Grüntzig Ethica Award, the highest honour in the interventional cardiology community, will be awarded at EuroPCR 2022 to the Nurses and Allied Professionals community in recognition of the essential role they play in advancing the cardiovascular field, serving in a substantial and immediate way the needs of each individual patient.

Climate action, pandemic preparedness and One Health: Science academies present statements for G7 summit
At the Science7 Dialogue Forum in Berlin/Germany on Tuesday, 31 May, the science academies of the G7 states will publish science-based statements on topics on this year’s agenda of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau/Germany.

Nature Cardiovascular Research: A CNIC team creates a dynamic 3D atlas of embryonic heart formation
Researchers from the National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) have created a 3D atlas of the process of heart formation in its embryonic phase, from a collection of mouse samples.

New health professional training blueprint to transform chronic pain care
Researchers have developed a new national blueprint to help health professionals support the one in five Australians living with chronic pain, costing the Australian economy $139 billion every year.

NIR-II-Responsive Nickel-Based Therapeutics Provide New Solution for Synergistic Oncotherapy
A polyethylene glycol-modified urchin-like nickel nanoclusters (PUNNC) with an applied 9T magnetic field, when used for photothermal enhanced chemodynamic synergistic therapy under near-infrared (NIR)-II radiation, can efficiently kill tumor cells in vitro and inhibit tumor tissue growth in vivo, according to a paper published on Theranostics recently.

Study uncovers biomarkers that predict response and side effects from immunotherapy for liver cancer patients
A research team from Singapore has identified novel biomarkers that not only predict a patient’s response to immunotherapy, but also the adverse events they may experience from the same immunotherapy used to treat primary liver cancer hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Change of temperature causes whole body reprogramming
UNIGE scientists have discovered that changes in temperature cause marked and organ-specific effects in all tissues.

Different subtypes defined in small cell lung cancer
According to a new multicenter study led by MedUni Vienna and conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States, SCLC can be divided into several subgroups in terms of clinical behaviour.

Scent dogs detect coronavirus reliably from skin swabs
A recent study by the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital confirmed that scent detection dogs can be taught to identify individuals with a coronavirus infection from skin swabs.

Estrogen treatment associated with reduced COVID deaths
A new paper in Family Practicepublished by Oxford University Press, indicates that receiving hormone replacement therapy within six months of a recorded diagnosis of COVID-19 was associated with a reduction in mortality from the disease.

A new biomarker for blood–brain barrier dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia. An etiology of AD would be excessive accumulation of toxic forms of β-amyloid (Aβ), assumed to result from an imbalance between its production and clearance.

Updates on gene therapy for ‘bubble boy’ disease and cellular immunotherapy at ASGCT
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists will discuss research on cellular therapies for pediatric cancer and more at the annual gathering of the professional society for gene and cellular therapy researchers.

Validation brings new predictive capability to global megafire smoke impacts
New research modeling smoke from two recent megafires sets the stage for better forecasting of how emissions from these global-scale events will behave and impact temperatures.

Ultra-powerful brain scanners offer hope for Parkinson’s disease patients
Ultra-powerful 7T MRI scanners could be used to help identify those patients with Parkinson’s disease and similar conditions most likely to benefit from new treatments for previously-untreatable symptoms, say scientists.

World-first study reveals why people with COPD are more susceptible to COVID-19
Researchers from the Centenary Institute and the University of Technology Sydney have published the first study showing why people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Vaccinia virus MacGyvers a makeshift tool to repair its DNA, exposing a vulnerability
Instead of relying on the cell’s repair mechanisms, the vaccinia virus MacGyvers a tool for DNA repair from one that it already uses to copy DNA, reports a team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in the Journal of Virology.

Scientists identify characteristics to better define long COVID
A research team supported by the National Institutes of Health has identified characteristics of people with long COVID and those likely to have it.

WHO Foundation should not accept donations from the alcohol industry
To protect the independence and integrity of WHO, WHO Foundation should not accept donations from the alcohol industry according to a commentary published in the journal BMJ Global Health.

Trained sniffer dogs accurately detect people infected with SARS-CoV-2
Trained sniffer dogs can accurately detect airport passengers infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.

Don’t be afraid to exercise regularly to boost bone health and cut falls risk, people with osteoporosis advised
People with weakened bones (osteoporosis) shouldn’t be afraid to exercise regularly, says a consensus statement drawn up by an expert panel on how best to maximize bone health, stave off fracture risk, and improve posture in those with the condition, and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

NAVIGATOR Data Show Half of Patients with Severe, Uncontrolled Asthma Improved with Tezepelumab Therapy
A greater proportion of patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma had more significant clinical responses to tezepelumab than placebo, according to research published at the ATS 2022 international conference.

Drug treatment for cataracts moves a step closer
A new treatment for cataract has shown extremely positive results in laboratory tests, giving hope that the condition, that currently can only be cured with surgery, could soon be treated with drugs.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Impact and Effectiveness Through 12 Years After Vaccine Introduction in the United States, 2003 to 2018
To estimate vaccine impact and effectiveness against quadrivalent HPV vaccine (4vHPV)–type prevalent infection among sexually experienced U.S. females and vaccine effectiveness for sexually experienced U.S. males.

New method melds data to make a 3-D map of cells’ activities
A new method developed by Princeton researchers integrates gene expression information from multiple slices taken from the same tissue sample, providing a three-dimensional view of cell activities in health and disease, including the common skin cancer squamous cell carcinoma.

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