22Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Race-Specific Adjustments in COPD Testing May Lead to Underdiagnosis of Emphysema in Black Americans

Race-Specific Adjustments in COPD Testing May Lead to Underdiagnosis of Emphysema in Black Americans

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Many Black men with CT evidence of emphysema go undiagnosed because of the practice of race-based adjustments to spirometry testing, according to research presented at the American Thoracic Society’s ATS 2022 international conference.Black adults in the United States are more likely to have unrecognized emphysema than white adults in part because of this practice, says the presenting author, Gabrielle Liu, MD, a pulmonary and critical care fellow at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Our study shows that many Black men with ‘normal’ lung function actually have evidence of abnormal lung health or emphysema,” she says.Over 3 Million Americans Have EmphysemaMore than three million people in the United States are living with diagnosed emphysema, according to the American Lung Association. The condition is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…
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22Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
After Suicide Attempt, Young Females at Higher Risk for Substance Use

After Suicide Attempt, Young Females at Higher Risk for Substance Use

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Young women and girls are more likely to develop serious substance use problems after a suicide attempt, a study suggests.Researchers followed more than 122,000 female youths for about three decades, starting when they were 8 to 19 years old. Overall, about 5,800 of them, or slightly less than 5 percent, had attempted suicide.During follow-up, women who had a history of attempted suicide were 5 times more likely to be hospitalized for a substance use disorder, researchers reported in JAMA Psychiatry. The odds rose with the number of suicide attempts, with three or more suicide attempts associated with 21 times the risk of substance use hospitalizations.While the risk of developing substance use disorders was highest over the first five years after a suicide attempt, these women remained at increased risk for…
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22Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Homeless Teens at Increased Risk for Suicide, Substance Use

Homeless Teens at Increased Risk for Suicide, Substance Use

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More than 1 in 20 U.S. high school students have experienced homelessness, putting them at increased risk for a wide range of mental health and substance use problems, a new study suggests.As of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools and created an avalanche of emotional and financial challenges for American families, 5.6 percent of U.S. high school students were homeless, the study found. Youths without housing were significantly more likely to be male, Black, Hispanic, or identify as gay or lesbian, researchers report yesterday in JAMA.Compared with teens with secure housing, those who experienced homelessness were more than twice as likely to seriously consider, plan, or attempt suicide, the study found. Homeless teens were also more than twice as likely to binge drink or misuse prescription opioids, and roughly…
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22Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Study Finds Jaw Pain May Worsen During Menopause

Study Finds Jaw Pain May Worsen During Menopause

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What are the first symptoms that pop into your head when you think of the menopause transition? Hot flashes, sleep disruptions, and irritability probably come to mind, and it may surprise you to learn that the loss of estrogen that occurs during menopause may affect how a woman feels pain — specifically, the experience of jaw pain.A study published May 10 in the journal Menopause found that jaw pain — a common type of musculoskeletal pain, second only to back pain — may worsen during the menopause transition."This study reinforces the known relationship between sex steroids, specifically estrogen, and the experience of pain,” said Stephanie Faubion, MD, an internal medicine doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and the medical director of the North American Menopause Society, in a release. Dr.…
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22Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Nearly Half of People With Abnormal Lung Cancer Screening Postpone Follow-Up Care

Nearly Half of People With Abnormal Lung Cancer Screening Postpone Follow-Up Care

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Nearly half of all people who were considered high risk for lung cancer after computerized tomography (CT) screening delayed follow-up care, according to a study presented at the ATS (American Thoracic Society) 2022 international conference.“The fact that nearly half of all patients with abnormal findings in our study experienced delays in following up is alarming,” said the study’s presenting author, Alwiya Ahmed, MD, MPH, internal medicine resident at the University of Washington School of Medicine and physician-scientist at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in a release.Although skin cancer, breast cancer (in women), and prostate cancer (in men) are more common than lung cancer, lung cancer causes more deaths than any other type of cancer. It’s estimated that 130,180 Americans will die from lung cancer in…
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22Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Can This ‘Stomach Vacuum’ Exercise Really Build Your Core Muscles?

Can This ‘Stomach Vacuum’ Exercise Really Build Your Core Muscles?

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No, you don’t need to pump out hundreds of crunches and sit-ups to build stronger abdominal muscles. But is the “stomach vacuum” exercise that’s breaking the internet really the miracle core strengthener advocates claim it is?The exercise, which went viral on the video-sharing platform TikTok, has had more than 85.8 million views. Jenny Brennecke, DPT, a physical therapist and fitness coach, created a step-by-step tutorial on the viral workout hack, also known as hollowing. She says it’s an isometric exercise that can help with abdominal strength and low-back pain if done regularly, she claims in the video. She goes on to say it can reduce low-back injury risk, assist with postural control and stability within the spine and pelvis, and control and strengthen the abdominal muscles "on command.”Is this stronger-abs hack…
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22Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Names Dupixent as the First and Only Approved Drug to Treat Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)

FDA Names Dupixent as the First and Only Approved Drug to Treat Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of Dupixent (dupilumab) to treat eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in adults and children ages 12 and older on May 21, 2022. The drug is the first and only treatment to be approved for EoE; Dupixent is already approved to treat atopic dermatitis (eczema), eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma, and inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.Jointly developed by Sanofi and Regeneron, dupilumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 pathways — it’s not an immunosuppressant.How Dupixent Treats Eosinophilic EsophagitisEoE is a chronic autoimmune disease in which a type of white blood cell, called eosinophil, builds up in the lining of the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The…
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21Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Subvariants Are Fueling a Rise in COVID-19 Cases

Subvariants Are Fueling a Rise in COVID-19 Cases

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New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week revealed that the BA.2.12.1 form of the coronavirus — a descendent of omicron — has quickly grown to surpass the BA.2 variant in the United States.For the week ending May 21, BA.2.12.1 accounted for almost 58 percent of new cases. BA.2 has dropped in prevalence to 39 percent. The original omicron variant, B1.1.529 — and its subvariant BA.1.1 that soon followed and dominated the United States in late January — now make up about 3 percent of cases.The BA.2.12.1 subvariant was first noticed in central New York and surrounding areas in mid-April, when the State Department of Health announced that BA.2.12.1 and BA.2.12 were contributing to local virus transmission, calling these variants “highly contagious.”These sub-subvariants have…
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