17Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
CBD Has Little Impact on Driving Even at High Doses

CBD Has Little Impact on Driving Even at High Doses

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Cannabidiol (CBD) may not impair people’s cognitive abilities or driving skills when taken in doses commonly used for medical purposes, a small Australian study suggests.For the study, scientists asked 17 healthy adults to a complete a series of four driving assessments and cognitive tests after taking a placebo or CBD oil in doses of 15, 150, or 1,500 milligrams (mg). These doses represent amounts typically consumed to manage conditions like epilepsy, pain, anxiety, and sleep disorders, the researchers reported May 30 in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.In each of these four testing scenarios, participants completed tasks between 45 and 75 minutes after taking the placebo or the dose of CBD oil, then again between 3.5 and 4 hours afterward. CBD is thought to reach peak concentrations in the blood within three…
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17Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Advisory Committee Greenlights New Novavax COVID Vaccine

FDA Advisory Committee Greenlights New Novavax COVID Vaccine

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An independent advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday advised granting emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine (NVX-CoV2373) for individuals age 18 and older.With 21 committee members voting in favor and one abstaining, the decision cleared the way for the United States to have a new immunization option for protection against the novel coronavirus.The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines rely on a relatively new technology that uses mRNA, whereas the Novavax shot is a protein-based vaccine (similar to the flu shot); public health advisers hope its proven development technique will persuade many who are unvaccinated to finally get their shots.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 27 million U.S. adults have not yet received any form of COVID-19 vaccination.“The Novavax…
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17Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Despite Risk for Complications, Women With IBD Can Still Have a Healthy Pregnancy

Despite Risk for Complications, Women With IBD Can Still Have a Healthy Pregnancy

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Treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has changed dramatically in the past two decades, largely due to biologics, which help people with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) keep flare-ups at bay.But despite strides in treatments, pregnant women who have IBD remain at high risk for complications, according to research presented at the 2022 Digestive Disease Week conference in San Diego last week.Research on the subject has been sparse, largely because it’s considered risky to conduct clinical trials on pregnant women, says Anoushka Dua, MD, an internal medicine resident at the University of California in Los Angeles who specializes in gastroenterology and IBD, who led the new study.Dr. Dua says that something doctors do understand for sure is that keeping inflammation controlled during an entire pregnancy — from conception to birth…
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17Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Growing Up With a Pooch Could Be Key to Protecting Against Crohn’s Disease

Growing Up With a Pooch Could Be Key to Protecting Against Crohn’s Disease

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Letting the family dog slobber all over your child’s face may not seem hygienic, but research suggests it may provide an added layer of protection against Crohn’s disease for your little one.An unpublished study presented at Digestive Disease Week in San Diego in May added to the 'hygiene hypothesis' — the idea that exposure to germs as a child helps build a stronger immune system. Study researchers found that children who grew up with a dog or in large families were less likely to develop Crohn’s disease.To conduct the study, which started in 2008 and is ongoing, researchers used questionnaires to collect information from more than 4,200 parents, siblings, or children of people who have Crohn’s disease. This high-risk group participated in the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Genetic, Environmental, and…
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17Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Experimental Rectal Cancer Drug Eliminates Tumors in Small Trial

Experimental Rectal Cancer Drug Eliminates Tumors in Small Trial

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A small group of patients with rectal cancer experienced surprising results after taking the experimental drug dostarlimab for six months as part of a clinical trial.All 14 patients in the trial who completed dostarlimab (brand name Jemperli) treatment and an additional six months of follow-up had no evidence of tumors in biopsies, rectal exams, or advanced imaging scans.And not one of these patients needed chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, all of which are often standard treatment for rectal cancers, according to results presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).“Surgery and radiation have permanent effects on fertility, sexual health, bowel, and bladder function,” Andrea Cercek, MD, lead author of the NEJM paper and co-director of the Center…
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16Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Calls to Poison Control About Children Taking Too Much Melatonin Have Risen Dramatically in the Last Decade

Calls to Poison Control About Children Taking Too Much Melatonin Have Risen Dramatically in the Last Decade

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The number of calls to Poison Control about children that involve the sleep aid melatonin has risen dramatically in the last decade, with an especially large jump in cases during the pandemic. Last year alone, the U.S. poison control centers received 52,563 calls about children consuming worrisome amounts of the melatonin, according to a new report release on June 2 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Melatonin is a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness; it helps with the timing of circadian rhythms, the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Most melatonin dietary supplements are made synthetically (from chemicals rather than derived from humans or animals), according to the Sleep Foundation.According to the foundation, there is no official recommended melatonin dose for adults or children, but the…
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16Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Justin Bieber Reveals He Has Facial Paralysis Caused by Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Justin Bieber Reveals He Has Facial Paralysis Caused by Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

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Pop singer Justin Bieber announced he is canceling upcoming concerts and taking a break from performing because he is suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare viral condition that has caused paralysis in his face.Bieber shared his diagnosis with his fans in an Instagram video posted on June 10. “Obviously, as you can probably see from my face, I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome and it is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear, my facial nerves, and has caused my face to have paralysis,” the star explained.The condition has left Bieber unable to blink or smile on the affected side of his face, which he demonstrated in the video.What Is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a late complication of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV)…
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16Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Approves New Treatment Olumiant for Hair Loss From Severe Alopecia Areata

FDA Approves New Treatment Olumiant for Hair Loss From Severe Alopecia Areata

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On June 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug baricitinib (Olumiant) for severe alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease that results in sudden and sometimes extreme hair loss.The once-a-day oral medication is the first FDA-approved systemic therapy for alopecia areata, meaning it treats the entire body rather than a specific area.Alopecia areata affects more than 300,000 people in the United States each year, often leading to bald patches on the scalp. People with severe alopecia areata may also lose eyebrows and eyelashes.“Access to safe and effective treatment options is crucial for the significant number of Americans affected by severe alopecia,” said Kendall Marcus, MD, the director of the division of dermatology and dentistry in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in an FDA press release.…
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16Mar 2023 by Janice Holland
Could Eating Too Much Fish Raise Your Risk of Developing Melanoma?

Could Eating Too Much Fish Raise Your Risk of Developing Melanoma?

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Eating higher amounts of fish, including tuna and non-fried fish, may be connected to a higher risk of developing malignant melanoma, according to a new study. The research, published on June 9 in Cancer Causes & Control, followed nearly a half-million people over an average of 15 years and found that higher total fish intake was associated with a higher incidence of the deadly skin cancer.“This study is important because it’s very large and it’s prospective by design, meaning that fish intake was assessed before the development of cancer,” said author Eunyoung Cho, ScD, associate professor of dermatology and epidemiology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, in a release.Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, and the risk of developing it over a lifetime is…
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