Author: Neil Raymond

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HEALTH HND_Cancer

Liver cancer rates are rising

Liver cancer rates have risen, according to Health Line. The liver cancer death rates in the United States have increased dramatically in recent years, and lifestyle choices including some that are dating back as far as the 1960s likely play a major role in this dilemma.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that death rates for liver cancer increased 43 percent among men, and 40 percent among women between 2000 and 2016. The death rate for liver cancer now stands at 15 per 100,000 U.S. men, and 6.3 per 100,000 women.

As a result of this, the liver cancer death rate rise from being the 9th leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2000, to the 6th leading cause of death in 2016, according to the report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics

Liver cancer deaths specifically increased among Caucasian adults (48 percent), African-American adults (43 percent), and Hispanic adults (27 percent). At the same time, the death rate for liver cancer declined 22 percent among Asian and Pacific Islander adults.

This increase in deaths from liver cancer was especially relevant among adults ages 65 and older. Interestingly, many of the leading causes of liver cancer ( which include alcohol use, hepatitis infections, obesity, and smoking) are also on the rise in the United States.

The CDC reported that in May 2017 that newly reported cases of hepatitis C infection tripled between 2010 and 2015, and the rate of hepatitis B increased in 2013 for the first time in two decades. Experts also pointed to rising use of injectable opiate drugs as the cause, as both types of hepatitis that can be transmitted by sharing dirty needles.

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HEALTH Science

Happiness helps with aging

Longevity may be determined by your happiness, according to Science Daily. Elderly people who are happy,  live longer, according to researchers at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. In a study published today in Age and Ageing, the scientific journal of the British Geriatrics Society, the authors found that an increase in happiness is directly proportional with a reduction in death rates.

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HEALTH

FDA says that vaginal rejuvenation is fraudulent

Vaginal rejuvenation procedures may not be as effective as advertised, according to NBC News.  Procedures marketed to improve a woman’s vagina using lasers or ultrasound are not only unapproved, but are also causing burns and other painful damage, the Food and Drug Administration says.

The FDA warned that seven companies that are promoting their devices for these procedures, and issued a general alert for patients and doctors. The agency has also warned the public against asking for such procedures to be performed.

The laser and ultrasound equipment used in these unapproved procedures has FDA approval for removing genital warts, other growths and in operations such as hysterectomies. That said they have not been shown to tighten up muscles, increase sexual pleasure or relieve pain during intercourse, the FDA said.

The FDA says that it’s received complaints about burns and other damage. In some cases, the procedures are causing the very pain during intercourse that they are being promoted to relieve. This is contrary to what these procedures are promoted to alleviate.

“We’ve  recently become aware of a growing number of manufacturers marketing ‘vaginal rejuvenation’ devices to women and claiming these procedures will treat conditions and symptoms related to menopause, urinary incontinence or sexual function,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said.

“The procedures use lasers and other energy-based devices to destroy or reshape vaginal tissue. These products have serious risks and don’t have adequate evidence to support their use for these purposes. We are deeply concerned women are being harmed.” He added.

 

 

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HEALTH HND_Disease

Is shock therapy a usable treatment again?

Shock therapy or more scientifically known as ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). Psychiatrists don’t like the term “shock therapy” because othe stigma surrounding it, which they say prevents the large majority of severely depressed patients from even trying it.

It might be surprising to learn that despite its misuse in the past, ECT is now considered one of the most effective treatments for people who haven’t been helped by antidepressant medication. In just the U.S., there’s more than 5  million Americans suffering from depression so crippling that it leads many people to kill themselvesy

Dr. Sarah Lisanby says that “One of my patients explained it to me saying that: “It’s not that I want to die. It’s that living is too painful.”

Dr. Sarah Lisanby works at the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland, and is developing new ways to help the more than 35 percent of depressed patients who don’t get better with medication.

Dr. Sarah Lisanby added: “Imagine feeling severely depressed, and then you try medication after medication, and those treatments, even though you’re doing everything the doctor told you, the treatments are failing you. It’s not uncommon for someone to have tried 20 or 30 different medications by the time that they come to see me.”

A big issue facing doctors is indeed the stigma surrounding this controversial treatment. It has been suggested by doctors that popularizing a different name would help convince more patients to try this technique. It’s unknown exactly what will happen going forward, but it‘s an interesting topic to follow.

 

 

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HEALTH

Older people who break bones have higher death risk

Older people who break bones have an increased chance of dying, according to Life Sciences. Their risk of death actually increases for up to 10 years, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Hip fractures are especially known to increase the mortality risk among older people, but this is the first study to research just how long this risk can last for different fractures. Non-hip fractures contribute to more than two-thirds of all fragility fractures and can also include fractures of the femur, pelvis, claivle or lower leg.

“A fracture is the starting point for much wider health issues that persist long after the fracture has healed and can ultimately result in earlier death,” said Jacqueline Center, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia. “We tracked the increased risk of death for fractures in different bones and found that they vary. The heightened risk can last for over a decade after a hip fracture, and for most other fractures (apart from distal or minor fractures), the increased risk is for about five years.”

One year after breaking a hip, men faced a 33 percent higher risk of death and women had a 20 percent higher risk. For femur or pelvic fractures, the one-year excess mortality was between 20 percent and 25 percent. A significant risk of death was still suspected 10 years after a person broke a hip, and approximately five years following non-hip fractures.

“Our findings emphasize just how crucial early intervention is,” Center said. “We need to understand the risk of breaking a bone before the fracture happens and treat that individual accordingly. While intervention after the first fracture is critical, we also need to diagnose those at risk of breaking bones before these major health impacts have occurred.”

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HEALTH HND_Disease

Algorithm connects patients to anti-depressants

Researchers from McLean Hospital completed a study that planned to determine which people with depression are best suited for antidepressant medications, according to Science Daily. Their findings were published in Psychological Medicine on July 2, 2018, and led to the development of a statistical algorithm that identifies patients who may best respond to antidepressants, before they begin treatment.

Christian A. Webb, PhD, director of the Treatment and Etiology of Depression in Youth Laboratory at McLean Hospital, is one of the study’s coauthors, so are Diego A. Pizzagalli, PhD, director of McLean’s Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research. Webb explained how their work: “Personalized Prediction of Antidepressant v. Placebo Response: Evidence from the EMBARC Study,” went from data derived from a large and recently completed multi-site clinical trial of antidepressant medications called Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response in Clinical Care (EMBARC).

Webb and his colleagues developed an algorithm predicting that approximately one-third of individuals would receive benefits from antidepressant medications similar to placebo. In the study, participants were randomly assigned to a common antidepressant medication or a placebo pill.

Webb said that the results were like previous clinical trials in that “we found relatively little difference in average symptom improvement between those individuals randomly assigned to the medication vs. placebo. For the one-third of individuals predicted to be better suited to antidepressants, they had significantly better outcomes if they happened to be assigned to the medication rather than the placebo.”

Webb said that he will work further with his team on the subject.

Categories
Brain HEALTH

Shock Therapy is potentially a usable treatment again

Shock therapy or as it is more scientifically known as ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) is once again a popular treatment according to ABC News. Psychiatrists don’t like the term “shock therapy” because othe stigma surrounding it, which they say prevents the large majority of severely depressed patients from even trying it.

It might be surprising to learn that despite its misuse in the past, ECT is now considered one of the most effective treatments for people who haven’t been helped by antidepressant medication. In just the U.S., there’s more than 5  million Americans suffering from depression so crippling that it leads many people to kill themselvesy

Dr. Sarah Lisanby says that “One of my patients explained it to me saying that: “It’s not that I want to die. It’s that living is too painful.”

Dr. Sarah Lisanby works at the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland, and is developing new ways to help the more than 35 percent of depressed patients who don’t get better with medication.

Dr. Sarah Lisanby added: “Imagine feeling severely depressed, and then you try medication after medication, and those treatments, even though you’re doing everything the doctor told you, the treatments are failing you. It’s not uncommon for someone to have tried 20 or 30 different medications by the time that they come to see me.”

A big issue facing doctors is indeed the stigma surrounding this controversial treatment. It has been suggested by doctors that popularizing a different name would help convince more patients to try this technique. It’s unknown exactly what will happen going forward, but it‘s an interesting topic to follow.

 

 

Categories
HEALTH Research

Researchers find way to create personalized bone grafts

New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute scientists developed a newtechnique called Segmental Additive Tissue Engineering (SATE), according to Life Sciences. This technique allows researchers to combine segments of bone engineered from stem cells to create large scale personalized grafts that will enhance treatment for those who are suffering from bone disease or injury through regenerative medicine.

“We are hopeful that SATE will one day be able to improve the lives of the millions of people suffering from bone injury due to trauma, cancer, osteoporosis, osteonecrosis, and other devastating conditions,” says Susan L. Solomon, NYSCF CEO. “Our goal is to help these patients return to normal life, and by leveraging the power of regenerative medicine, SATE brings us one step closer to reaching that goal.”

More than a million individuals per year will suffer from a fracture due to bone disease, and as people age, their bones will get weaker, leading to complications later in life. The burden of bone deficiencies is massive and is rapidly increasing.

“Bone defects obtained in disease or injury are a growing issue, and having effective treatment options in place for personalized relief, no matter the severity of a patient’s condition, is of critical importance,” explains NYSCF’s Ralph Lauren Senior Principal Investigator Giuseppe de Peppo, PhD, who led the study.

Bone grafts generated from patient stem cells overcome  limitations presented from previous methods but it is difficult to bioengineer these grafts to have the exact size and shape needed to treat large defects, at least so far.

Categories
HEALTH

CDC warns not to eat a Kellogg’s cereal

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saystgat  a popular Kellogg’s cereal has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has infected 100 people in 33 states, according to CBS News. The CDC specifically says that customers should avoid buying Honey Smacks cereal. “Do not eat this cereal,” the warning read.

Back in June, Kellogg announced that they were investigating the third-party manufacturer that produces Honey Smacks after the company was contacted by the FDA and CDC about the spread of the illness.

The CDC says that regardless of the expiration date, the cereal should be thrown away or returned to a retailer for a refund. The agency also added that it found salmonella in samples of Honey Smacks, which has been subject to a voluntary recall by Kellogg since mid-June

The CDC announced that at least 30 of the people infected in the outbreak have been hospitalized. They added that most people infected with salmonella develop a fever, cramps or diarrhea within 12 to 72 hours of being exposed to the bacteria.The illness usually lasts about four to seven days. It’s good to know that healthy adult individuals recover without the need for treatment, unfortunately infants, older adults, and people with a weakened immune system are at an increased risk of serious complications.

Worse, some of these cases turn out to be so severe that patients need to be hospitalized. The infection can even spread from the intestines to the blood stream and other parts of the body. In other words, these cases can turn deadly if not immediately treated with antibiotics to cure it.

Categories
Business HEALTH HND_Disease

McDonald’s salads potentially infected with a parasite

There is an outbreak of intestinal illnesses linked to salads from McDonald’s, according to CBS News. Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of intestinal illnesses in Illinois and Iowa that has affected dozens of consumers who ate salads from McDonald’s.

Illinois has reported 90 such cases since mid-May. The parasite in question that had been linked to the salads is the cyclospora parasite, it had more than 20 of those cases, and it involved patients who ate salads at McDonald’s restaurants. Iowa has recorded 15 such cases since late June.

Cyclospora can cause stomach cramps, nausea and flu-like symptoms a week or more after the consumption of food or liquid contaminated with this parasite. So far it isn’t known to lead to anything more serious.

“If you ate a salad from McDonald’s since mid-May and developed diarrhea and fatigue, contact a health care provider about testing and treatment,” Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a statement on the agency’s website.

While finding a link to salads sold at McDonald’s in about a quarter of the Illinois cases, the state’s health department is also looking into other possible sources for the contamination, Shah added.

McDonald’s is working with officials in the two states and has temporarily stopped selling salads at the restaurants that were identified as possible sites for the contamination, according to a company spokesperson, that also added that McDonald’s will also be switching lettuce suppliers. Hopefully, this outbreak won’t lead to any deaths and that it won’t spread to any other states.