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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21Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Does the Stress of Student Loan Debt Negatively Impact Heart Health?

Does the Stress of Student Loan Debt Negatively Impact Heart Health?

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Years (or even decades) of monthly payments may not be the only downside to taking out a student loan. New research published May 3 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people who failed to pay down student debt, or who took on new educational debt, between young adulthood and early midlife had a higher risk of heart disease than those who never took out loans.More Than 45 Million Americans Are Paying Down Student LoansAs the cost of college has increased, students and their families have taken on more debt to get to and stay in college, says the study's lead author, Adam M. Lippert, PhD, a professor and researcher in the department of sociology at the University of Colorado in Denver.“Student debt has exploded in the country, with over…
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21Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Experimental Drug Shows Early Potential to Treat Dementia

Experimental Drug Shows Early Potential to Treat Dementia

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Sodium selenate, an ingredient often included in vitamin supplements, appears safe to test as a treatment for dementia, the results of a preliminary study suggest.The safety study included 12 people with what’s known as behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a form of cognitive decline that can develop early in adulthood and lead to dramatic personality and behavior changes. People with this condition tend to behave in socially inappropriate ways and lack empathy, judgment, and self-control. There is currently no treatment for this rapidly progressing form of dementia, and people often die within a decade of diagnosis.All the patients took a 15 milligram (mg) dose of sodium selenate three times daily. The main goal of the yearlong study was to assess the drug's safety. While each participant experienced some side effects,…
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21Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Best Buy Recalls Insignia Air Fryers and Air Fryer Ovens After Reports of Fires

Best Buy Recalls Insignia Air Fryers and Air Fryer Ovens After Reports of Fires

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Best Buy has recalled models of the Insignia Digital Air Fryers, Insignia Analog Air Fryers, and Insignia Digital Air Fryer Ovens because of 68 reports from U.S. consumers and 36 reports from Canadian consumers of the appliances catching fire, burning, or melting.The incidents included seven reports of minor property damage and two reports of injuries, including injury to a child’s leg, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Consumers are advised to immediately stop using the recalled air fryers and ovens.It’s estimated that 635,000 Insignia air fryers and air fryer ovens were sold in the United States, and 137,000 in Canada between November 2018 and February 2022. The units cost between $30 and $150 and were purchased in stores and online at Best Buy, BestBuy.com, eBay.com and Google.com.Air…
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21Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Cannabis Poisoning in Pets Is on the Rise

Cannabis Poisoning in Pets Is on the Rise

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The number of cannabis poisoning cases in pets — primarily dogs — has jumped significantly since 2018, according to a new Canadian study. Although most of the cases were mild, the research, published in PLoS One on April 20, found a small number of deaths attributable to marijuana ingestion.The psychoactive ingredient THC is primarily responsible for the euphoria or “high” that many people feel after using marijuana. It’s also what causes marijuana toxicosis (poisoning), which occurs when pets ingest the drug in any form.The rise in the number of poisonings appears to coincide with the legalization of marijuana in Canada, though it’s unclear whether the observed increase is due to increased prevalence or increased reporting, says Jibran Khokhar, PhD, a coauthor of the study and an assistant professor at Ontario Veterinary College at…
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21Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Why Intermittent Fasting May Not Help When You’re Already Cutting Calories

Why Intermittent Fasting May Not Help When You’re Already Cutting Calories

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When it comes to weight loss, two diets may not be better than one. In a new study of people who cut calories to shed excess pounds, participants got similar results when they limited meals to certain hours of the day and when they ate anytime they wanted.For the study, researchers randomly assigned 118 people with obesity to limit how much they ate for one year — 1,500 to 1,800 calories for men and 1,200 to 1,500 calories for women. Half the participants were also asked to eat only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., while the rest of them could eat whenever they liked.People who ate only during certain hours, a practice known as intermittent fasting, lost an average of 8.0 kilograms (17.6 pounds) after one year, compared with…
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