Jason Lee

Healing often leaves a scar. But the role of the scar itself in healing is often underestimated: a scar that doesn't heal cleanly can be painful or upsetting or affect the range of movement of the affected body part. It may even require further surgical treatment. Now, scientists based at the University of California Los Angeles have found that compounds which target the circadian clock and affect the synthesis of collagen—a protein which is important for skin repair—could improve scar healing. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-medicines-circadian-clock-scars.html

Black children in the United States are more likely to experience childhood adversity than white children, and these disparities are reflected in differential changes to regions of the brain linked to psychiatric disease like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to new research led by McLean Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-racial-disparities-childhood-adversity-linked.html

In How Medicine Works and When It Doesn’t, F. Perry Wilson, MD, guides readers through the murky and often treacherous landscape of modern medicine. source https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20230131/book-explores-why-medicine-doesnt-always-work?src=RSS_PUBLIC

A medical knowledge graph is a specific way that researchers can organize and display information for use in medical research and clinical applications. The concept of a knowledge graph was originally developed by Google in 2012 as part of their search algorithm. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-medical-knowledge-graphs-smart-applications.html

Carriers of a specific hidden bacteria have a 14% chance of developing an antibiotic resistant infection with 30 days of hospitalization, according to researchers from Amsterdam UMC. Researchers studied patients who unknowingly carried the multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, a major cause of urinary tract infections and sepsis, and found that almost 1 in 7 developed an infection that very few antibiotics could treat. The results have been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-hidden-bacteria-substantial-antimicrobial-resistance.html

Last July, 78-year-old Jacqueline Hulbert suffered a fall at home and was left lying on the floor for 11 hours waiting for an ambulance. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-hour-ambulance-delay-uk-healthcare.html

President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-biden-covid-emergencies.html

Online forums for people with dementia provide a much-needed sense of community and hope and fill an important gap in the support they receive after diagnosis, a new study has found. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-online-forums-dementia-companionship.html

Testing plays a crucial role in humanity's strategy to mitigate the effects of widespread COVID-19 infection. However, given multiple options for testing and the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant, how do we choose which test to use? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-frequent-infrequent-omicron-variant-covid-.html

The adviser to seven presidents reflects on his career, the highs and lows, and offers advice for staying safe 3 years into the COVID-19 pandemic. source https://www.webmd.com/covid/news/20230130/fauci-webmd-interview?src=RSS_PUBLIC

EPFL researchers have combined low-power chip design, machine learning algorithms, and soft implantable electrodes to produce a neural interface that can identify and suppress symptoms of various neurological disorders. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-neuro-chip-brain-disorders.html

By taking inspiration from the evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2 itself, scientists in China have crafted a new vaccine that, at least in animal models, provides protection against omicron and an array of its subvariants. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-evolutionary-history-sars-cov-universal-vaccine.html

Can inexpensive technologies provide a helping hand during birth? A new study in open-access journal Frontiers in Global Women's Health has revealed a low-cost sensing glove that could do just that. The researchers created the device to assist healthcare staff in identifying fetal position and the force applied to the fetal head during labor, factors that can contribute to obstructed labor and poor birth outcomes. The technology can provide real-time data during vaginal examinations, potentially improving birth outcomes in low-resource regions. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-smart-glove-dangerous-births-fetal.html

Jessie Blanchard started small nearly five years ago, just trying to get enough of the rescue drug naloxone that reverses opioid overdoses to keep her daughter from dying from an overdose. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-experts-urge-opioid-drug-access.html

Each year, more than 2 million people in the UK have troublesome earwax that needs to be removed. However, more people are finding that this service is no longer being provided at their GP surgery. In fact, 66% of people seeking these services have been told that earwax removal is no longer available on the NHS. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-earwax-longer-gp-surgeriesleaving-struggling.html

Patients with myelofibrosis had clinically significant improvement in disease-related symptoms, including anemia and spleen enlargement, when treated with the targeted therapy momelotinib, according to results from the international Phase III MOMENTUM trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-therapy-momelotinib-significant-symptom-anemia.html

Expanding anesthesiology residency programs—even in the absence of federal funding—may help medical institutions save staffing costs and address projected shortages of anesthesia care professionals, suggests a first-of-its-kind study being presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists' ADVANCE 2023, the Anesthesiology Business Event. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-additional-anesthesiology-residency-positions-hospitals.html

Inaccurately recording the start of anesthesia care during a procedure is common and results in significant lost billing time for anesthesia practices and medical centers, suggests a study being presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists' ADVANCE 2023, the Anesthesiology Business Event. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-incorrectly-anesthesia-medical-centers-significant.html

Almost 36% of students and faculty at George Washington University with a history of COVID-19 reported symptoms consistent with long COVID in a new study. source https://www.webmd.com/covid/news/20230127/long-covid-affecting-more-than-one-third-college-students-faculty?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Results of a major nationwide study show the impacts of COVID-19 have been worse for Māori, Pasifika, and disabled people. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-covid-impacts-worse-mori-pasifika.html

Brain stimulation, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), is a powerful way to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders. While it has provided therapeutic benefit for sufferers of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and addiction for more than a decade, its underlying neural mechanism is not yet fully understood. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-ultrafast-fmri-technique-brain.html

Recent studies have found that brain regions previously thought to only process a specific type of sensory stimuli, such as the visual cortex, can also be affected by other sensory stimuli. This might suggest that these brain regions are in fact multi-sensory, meaning that they can process different sensory stimuli. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-sound-evoked-mouse-visual-cortex.html

As we age, strength training and aerobic exercise become increasingly important. Studies have shown strength training may enhance quality of life and improve our ability to do everyday activities, while physical inactivity—also known as sedentary behavior—can lead to numerous adverse health conditions and outcomes, including premature death. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-intervention-health-outcomes-older-adults.html

Loyalty card data on over-the-counter medicine purchases could help spot ovarian cancer cases earlier according to a Cancer Research UK study. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-loyalty-card-ovarian-cancer-symptoms.html

A study led by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson identified a link between sleep problems and suicidal thoughts and behaviors that may help reduce suicide risk in young adults. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-poor-suicide-college-aged-adults.html

The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks antibiotic resistance as one of the top ten threats to global health. There is therefore a great need for new solutions to tackle resistant bacteria and reduce the use of antibiotics. A group of researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden are now presenting a new spray that can kill even antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and that can be used for wound care and directly on implants and other medical devices. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-spray-infections-antibiotic-resistance.html

The number of daily COVID-19 deaths in China has fallen by nearly 80 percent since the start of the month, authorities have said, in a sign that the country's unprecedented infection surge may have started to abate. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-china-covid-deaths-percent.html

In a peer-reviewed study on the real-world effectiveness of updated bivalent mRNA vaccines, researchers at the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health found that bivalent boosters are more effective than original monovalent boosters at preventing COVID-19 hospitalization and death. The study was published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-bivalent-boosters-effective-hospitalization-death.html

A new global analysis shows total health-related financial assistance to fight COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the first two years of the pandemic was a record $37.8 billion, which was 810% higher than the total spent on pandemic preparedness the prior two decades (2000-2019). The peer-reviewed research paper that was published today in The Lancet Global Health is from the annual Financing Global Health report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington's School of Medicine. To ensure countries are equipped to tackle the next global health threat and prevent a pandemic, maintaining adequate funds is crucial, which is challenging for the vast majority of LMICs, where substantial funding gaps persist. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-global-health-high-historical-gaps.html

Despite lifestyle interventions for weight loss having limited effectiveness in workplaces when evaluated in randomized trials, a new program named Healthy Weight for Living (HWL) implemented with and without meal replacements and delivered in person or by videoconference reveals a significant weight loss in employees after six months, according to a new study in Obesity. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-workplace-lifestyle-intervention-meaningful-weight.html

A new retrospective study with up to 40 years of follow up shows significant reductions in death rates from all causes and cause-specific conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery compared to non-surgical participants with severe obesity, according to a new study in Obesity. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-year-significant-reduction-death-bariatric.html

Recreational running offers a lot of physical and mental health benefits—but some people can develop exercise dependence, a form of addiction to physical activity which can cause health issues. Shockingly, signs of exercise dependence are common even in recreational runners. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology investigated whether the concept of escapism can help us understand the relationship between running, well-being, and exercise dependence. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-everyday-stresses-mental-well-being.html

Herzliya-2023, Prof. Ruth Feldman, director of the Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience at Reichman University's Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, together with her research partners, examined whether it is possible to build an intervention for teenagers from polarized groups in a society that has experienced multigenerational conflict, based on findings from the field of neuroscience. Can such interventions improve the brain's reactions towards others, and can these improvements be preserved over time? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-respectful-dialogue-brain.html

The COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN), headquartered at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, was instrumental in the rapid development of safe, effective and lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines during earlier phases of the pandemic. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-covid-vaccine-clinical-trials-treasure.html

Following the deaths of more than 300 children from contaminated cough syrup, the WHO appealed Monday for "immediate and coordinated action" to root out substandard and falsified medicines around the world. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-urges-action-contaminated-meds-child.html

When Rylae-Ann Poulin was a year old, she didn't crawl or babble like other kids her age. A rare genetic disorder kept her from even lifting her head. Her parents took turns holding her upright at night just so she could breathe comfortably and sleep. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-gene-therapy-treatment-brain.html

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among American men. Now, researchers have discovered key molecular players that drive prostate cancer to progress into a highly aggressive form of the disease called neuroendocrine prostate cancer that currently has no effective treatment. The finding uncovers new avenues to explore for therapeutics to treat neuroendocrine prostate cancer. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-neuronal-molecule-prostate-cancer-aggressive.html

Taste cells are heavily exposed to the microbes in the mouth, but their role in helping the body respond to those microbes has not yet been studied in detail. A recent study from a team of researchers from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and other institutions, however, has found that a subset of taste cells called type II taste cells may play a key role in the body's immune response to harmful oral microbes. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-cells-role-immune-response-treatment.html

One in 10 nursing homes in U.S. coastal regions is at risk of exposure to severe hurricane-related flooding. But while nursing home residents are disproportionately more susceptible than the general population to injury and death due to environmental disasters, a significant number of at-risk facilities may be inadequately prepared for hurricane-related inundation in certain coastal regions, a new Yale study finds. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-at-risk-coastal-nursing-homes-underprepared.html

New Cleveland Clinic research finds that initial memory problems are linked with a slower rate of decline in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-memory-problems-linked-slower-decline.html

Efforts to eliminate industrially-produced fat have a long way to go with five billion people exposed to toxic fat added to many food products, the UN health agency said Monday. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-billions-exposed-toxic-trans-fat.html

Nine military officers who had worked decades ago at a nuclear missile base in Montana have been diagnosed with blood cancer and there are "indications" the disease may be linked to their service, according to military briefing slides obtained by The Associated Press. One of the officers has died. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-military-probing-cancers-linked-nuclear.html

While most parents and caregivers stay on top of scheduling regular well child visits, they may not always be making the most of them, a new national poll suggests. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-national-poll-parents-child.html

Scientists have worked out why common anti-depressants cause around half of users to feel emotionally "blunted." In a study published today in Neuropsychopharmacology, they show that the drugs affect reinforcement learning, an important behavioral process that allows people to learn from their environment. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-scientists-emotional-blunting-common-antidepressants.html

Despite everyone wanting 2023 to be the year we go "back to normal," the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us, and with open borders, increased travel and new variants appearing, decision-makers face further challenges in deciding what policies to implement, and when, in the face of an uncertain future. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-combat-covid.html

China reported nearly 13,000 COVID-related deaths in hospitals between January 13 and 19, after a top health official said the vast majority of the population had already been infected. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-china-covid-deaths-week.html

Maternal health outcomes continue to worsen in the United States, where maternal and infant mortality rates far exceed rates in European countries and other wealthy nations. Now, a new study led by researchers at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and Harvard Medical School-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is shedding insight on how hospital organizational structures and staffing within US maternity care may affect the birthing process and possibly contribute to adverse birth outcomes. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-average-pregnancy-length-shorter-european.html

An international consortium co-led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center immunogeneticist Rubén Martínez-Barricarte, Ph.D., has discovered a new genetic disorder that causes immunodeficiency and profound susceptibility to opportunistic infections including a life-threatening fungal pneumonia. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-reveals-genetic-disorder-susceptibility-opportunistic.html

Having one’s symptoms dismissed by a health care professional is sometimes called “medical gaslighting." Here's what to know about it. source https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20230120/medical-gaslighting-what-to-know?src=RSS_PUBLIC

What Plastic surgery fellowships are available? https://www.umhs-sk.org/blog/how-to-become-a-plastic-surgeon#fellowships source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDvulTVkSNg

Pakistan has considerable control over infectious diseases but now struggles against cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer as causes of early deaths, according to a new study published Thursday. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-non-infectious-diseases-early-death-pakistan.html

Having one’s symptoms dismissed by a health care professional is sometimes called “medical gaslighting." Here's what to know about it. source https://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/news/20230120/medical-gaslighting-what-to-know?src=RSS_PUBLIC

The UK's crisis-hit National Health Service (NHS) is set for its biggest ever day of industrial action next month after thousands of ambulance workers announced on Friday a series of new strikes. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-uk-health-biggest-day-month.html

As COVID-19 rips through China's vast population, making millions sick and fuelling a shortage of drugs, many are turning to old-school traditional medicines to battle the aches and pains of the virus. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-chinese-traditional-remedies-covid.html

The distinction between primary tumors and metastases can be made quickly and accurately in brain tumors using radiomics and deep learning algorithms. This is the key message of a study from Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences (KL Krems) now published in Metabolites. It shows that magnetic resonance-based radiological data of tumor O2 metabolism provide an excellent basis for discrimination using neural networks. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-deep-radiomics-precise-differentiation-brain.html

A recent, prospective study of approximately 2,000 older adults in Canada published online this month in the journal Respiratory Medicine found that older adults with asthma were at high risk of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-older-adults-asthma-high-depression.html

Stroke symptoms that disappear in under an hour, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), need emergency assessment to help prevent a full-blown stroke, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the Association's journal Stroke. The statement offers a standardized approach to evaluating people with suspected TIA, with guidance specifically for hospitals in rural areas that may not have access to advanced imaging or an on-site neurologist. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-symptoms-hour-emergency.html

What does a Plastic surgeon do? https://www.umhs-sk.org/blog/how-to-become-a-plastic-surgeon#duties source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sBfO7ef7ag

A rare and agonizing affliction dubbed "Christmas Eye", caused by the toxic secretions of a tiny native beetle, has re-emerged to torment residents in a remote part of southeastern Australia. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-tiny-beetle-christmas-eye-agony.html

Advances in understanding the many different genetic causes of childhood-onset hearing loss indicate that genomic testing could assist in treatment planning, including optimal timing of treatment. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-genetic-diagnosis-childhood-loss.html

Post-surgical radiotherapy and temozolomide, a chemotherapeutic drug, targeting post-cell division is the current standard of care for glioblastoma (GBM)—the most prevalent and lethal primary tumor of the central nervous system. An aggressive form of brain tumor, GBM is highly resistant to current therapies with high mortality and frequent recurrence. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-therapeutic-radioresistance-brain-cancer-cells.html

An alarming increase in the occurrence of the most common genital malformation in male babies, hypospadias, is likely due to environmental factors, such as toxicant exposure, which alter epigenetic programming in a forming penis. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-common-penis-birth-defect.html

A French nun who was believed to be the world's oldest person has died a few weeks before her 119th birthday, the spokesperson for her nursing home in southern France said Wednesday. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-world-oldest-person-french-nun.html

People at high risk of fracture who also have complex or multiple chronic medical conditions are less likely to receive treatment for the underlying osteoporosis and also have poorer health outcomes, according to a new study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-poorer-health-outcomes-at-risk-patients.html

The popularity of circus arts is increasing around the world, however knowledge about injuries and illness in performers is lacking. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-sword-swallowers-acrobats-contortionists-clowns.html

Actor Shailene Woodley shares her story of how she copes with scoliosis. source https://www.webmd.com/cm/features/woodley-takes-scoliosis-in-stride-pce?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Researchers at the University of Toronto have demonstrated that a new smartphone application helps to significantly improve memory recall, which could prove beneficial for individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease or other forms of memory impairment. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-smartphone-app-significantly-memory-recall.html

How much do plastic surgeons make? - Plastic Surgeon's salary https://www.umhs-sk.org/blog/how-to-become-a-plastic-surgeon#salary source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1sv9D6962U

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who undergo major surgery are more likely to die in the year after surgery and incur higher health care costs than similar patients without COPD, found a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-copd-patients-die-year-major.html

About 1.4 million people in Canada have been affected by long COVID after infection, or suspected infection, with SARS-CoV-2. A new trio of practice articles in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) aims to help clinicians diagnose, assess and treat people with long COVID. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-covid.html

Regular deep meditation, practiced for several years, may help to regulate the gut microbiome and potentially lower the risks of physical and mental ill health, finds a small comparative study published in the open access journal General Psychiatry. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-deep-meditation-gut-microbes-health.html

COVID-19 infection at any time during pregnancy boosts the mother's risk of death and is associated with serious illness in both mothers and their newborns, finds a pooled data analysis of international evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-covid-infection-pregnancy-boosts-mother.html

Frequent visits to urban green spaces, such as parks and community gardens in Finland, rather than the amount, or views of them from home, may be linked to lower use of certain prescription meds, suggests research published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-frequent-green-space-linked-prescription.html

As sequencing becomes less expensive, genetic screening could support a kind of “precision public health” approach to medicine. source https://www.webmd.com/cancer/features/genetic-testing?src=RSS_PUBLIC

The importance of access to highly effective direct acting antiviral (DAA) treatments to help eliminate hepatitis C (HCV) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) has been demonstrated in new research led by Burnet Institute, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-access-direct-acting-antiviral-treatments-linked.html

A new study in Aging Cell describes how a key protein called Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) might turn back the clock on aging cartilage that leads to osteoarthritis. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-rewind-clock-arthritic-cartilage.html

Pipes play an essential role in bringing water to the faucets in your home, but if one of those pipes springs a leak, damage can result. Similarly, the vascular system plays an essential role in carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, but too much vascular permeability, or space between the cells lining the blood vessels, can have devastating results. Recently, researchers in Japan have shed new light on a key protein involved in vascular permeability and its impact on mortality in infectious disease. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-blood-vessel-protein-mortality-infectious.html

Adults with high levels of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than adults with high levels of autistic traits, according to new research led by psychologists at the University of Bath in the UK. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-link-mental-health-adhd-strongso.html

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have created a computational model to predict the growth of deadly brain tumours more accurately. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-machine-brain-tumor.html

Join UMHS 2014 graduates Aashish Jay Kumar, M.D., D.ABA, Chief Medical Officer, Interventional Spine & Pain Specialist at Spine & Pain Specialists of the Carolinas, PLLC in Charlotte, NC & Andrew Albert Letayf, M.D., Vice Chief Anesthesiologist, Chief of Pediatric Anesthesiology, Director of Obstetrical Services, Envision Physician Services at Bethesda East & West Hospitals in Boynton Beach, FL for an informative discussion about everything you need to know about anesthesiology as a career. source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpidLAx-6es

Most symptoms from long COVID clear up within a year for people who had mild initial infections, a large Israel study said Thursday, with the findings welcomed as "reassuring". source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-covid-symptoms-year-mild-cases.html

China on Saturday reported almost 60,000 COVID-related deaths in just over a month, the first major toll released by authorities since Beijing loosened virus restrictions in early December. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-china-covid-related-deaths-month.html

Nearly one quarter of hospitalized people experience a harmful event during their stay, a new study finds. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-hospital-patients-event-stay.html

The leading cause of blindness in American adults is diabetic retinopathy, progressive damage to blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Yet the source of this damage appears to lie in the belly—mainly a leaky small intestine that weakens the barrier between gut bacteria and the blood system, according to a study published in the journal Circulation Research. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-diabetes-enzyme-ace2-gut-diabetic.html

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) could help prevent Alzheimer's Dementia among women at risk of developing the disease—according to University of East Anglia research. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-hormone-therapy-ward-alzheimer-at-risk.html

In the past decade, researchers have begun to appreciate the importance of a two-way communication that occurs between microbes in the gastrointestinal tract and the brain, known as the gut–brain axis. These "conversations" can modify how these organs work and involve a complex network of microbe- and brain-derived chemical signals that are challenging for scientists to decouple in order to gain an understanding. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-powerful-tool-unveil-communication-gut.html

Negative emotions, anxiety and depression are thought to promote the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. But what is their impact on the brain and can their deleterious effects be limited? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-emotions-pathological-aging.html

Most people with long COVID find they’re facing stigma due to their condition, according to a new report from researchers in the United Kingdom. In short: Relatives and friends may not believe they’re truly sick. source https://www.webmd.com/covid/news/20230113/stigma-comes-with-long-covid-diagnosis?src=RSS_PUBLIC

A study finds that paying people to take a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine didn't lower the likelihood of seeking the second or third dose or of other positive health behaviors and didn't erode morals, sense of civic duty, or feelings of self-determination. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-paying-people-covid-vaccine.html

Researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues in Poland report promising results from their ongoing ATLAS trial, published on January 12, 2023 in the journal Lancet Oncology. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-triple-drug-therapy-post-transplant-multiple-myeloma.html

A new, small study suggests six minutes of high-intensity exercise might prolong the lifespan of a healthy brain, perhaps delaying the start of Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s diseases. source https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20230112/could-6-minutes-of-exercise-help-shield-your-brain-from-alzheimers?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Have you ever thought about how your food preferences came to be? Food preferences arise as a consequence of experience with food and shape eating habits and cultural identity, as Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin nicely summarized in this quote from his work "The Physiology of Taste" published in 1825: "Tell me what you eat: I will tell you what you are." source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-food-thought-early-nutrition-brain.html

With falls causing millions of injuries in older adults each year, it is an increasingly important public health concern. Older adults living with dementia have twice the risk of falling and three times the risk of incurring serious fall-related injuries, like fractures, compared to those without dementia. For older adults with dementia, even minor fall-related injuries can lead to hospitalization and nursing home admission. A new study from researchers in Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions, has shed light on the many and varied fall-risk factors facing older adults in community-living environments. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-fall-older-americans-dementia.html

A new study from the University of Florida provides more evidence that the breast milk of people vaccinated against COVID-19 provides protection to infants too young to receive the vaccine. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-scientists-evidence-breast-vaccinated-covid-.html

A new research study has found that banning menthol cigarettes does not lead more smokers to purchase menthols from illicit sources, contradicting claims made by the tobacco industry that the proposed ban of menthol cigarettes in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will lead to a significant increase in illicit cigarettes. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-refutes-industry-menthol-cigarettes-illegal.html

Scientists at Ningbo University, China have identified biomarkers that could provide an early warning system for three common and dangerous pregnancy complications: pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and a liver condition called intrahepatic cholestasis. All three conditions are dangerous; early diagnosis and treatment is key to preventing poor outcomes and lifelong consequences. Their causes are not fully understood, and nor is their connection to the gut microbiome, which is affected by pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-simple-blood-screening-common-dangerous.html

A study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) reveals that many home infusion therapy (HIT) staff receive no formal training on how to perform central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) surveillance. The study, conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, also identified specific training barriers that should be addressed to improve infection surveillance in this rapidly growing healthcare space. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-reveals-significant-lack-infection-surveillance-home.html

Cambridge scientists have successfully trialed an artificial pancreas for use by patients living with type 2 diabetes. The device—powered by an algorithm developed at the University of Cambridge—doubled the amount of time patients were in the target range for glucose compared to standard treatment and halved the time spent experiencing high glucose levels. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-artificial-pancreas-successfully-trialed-diabetes.html

We've long known education is important for many aspects of life, but now a new benefit has been discovered: It can look after your gut health. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-doesnt-smarter-gut.html

Severe inflammation weakens the body's ability to kill cancerous blood cells in people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a new study shows. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-inflammation-severity-blood-cancer.html

Teenagers who reported feeling optimism, happiness, self-esteem, belongingness, and feeling loved and wanted were more likely to reach their 20s and 30s in good cardiometabolic health compared to teens with fewer of these positive mental health assets, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-optimistic-happy-teen-health-adulthood.html

Experiencing abuse or neglect as a child can cause multiple mental health problems, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-links-childhood-maltreatment-multiple-mental.html

Soon after infection, HIV-1 establishes a life-long presence by forming viral reservoirs in the body—cells that are infected with HIV but not actively producing new viruses. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces HIV levels in the blood, but a small population of virally infected cells persists indefinitely, making HIV infection an incurable disease. Those cells capable of reigniting infection upon discontinuation of ART are extremely rare, and until now have eluded identification and characterization. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-uncover-hiv-reservoir-cells-resist.html

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it did not expect a surge of COVID-19 cases in China to "significantly impact" the situation in Europe. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-china-covid-surge-significantly-impact.html

Reformulating packaged foods in Australia to contain less sodium might save about 1,700 lives per year and prevent nearly 7,000 annual diagnoses of heart disease, kidney disease and stomach cancer, according to new research published today in Hypertension. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-speculates-health-impact-salt-australia.html

The new year has begun, and with it, resolutions for change. A study from Keck Medicine of USC published today in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology gives people extra motivation to reduce fast-food consumption. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-consumption-fast-food-linked-liver.html

When Jamieson Brill answers a crisis call from a Spanish speaker on the newly launched national 988 mental health helpline, he rarely mentions the word suicide, or "suicidio" source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-callers-mental-health-suicide-helpline.html

Europe is experiencing an increasingly large circulation of influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In addition to COVID-19, these viruses are expected to have a major impact on health services and populations this winter. This shows the importance of vulnerable groups being vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19, and of everyone protecting themselves and others against infections. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-spanish-population-covid-vaccination.html

Researchers have long suspected a link between bed occupancy and mortality in hospitals. Now, a study by the University of Basel has provided the missing data, revealing that smaller hospitals reach their capacity limit much earlier. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-excessive-bed-occupancy-hospitals-mortality.html

Newspaper headlines from the U.S. to the U.K. and most places in between highlight the surge in sick patients suffering from respiratory viruses. The so-called "tripledemic" of lung infections including respiratory synclinal virus (RSV), influenza (flu) and COVID-19 (coronavirus) is likely to last throughout the winter season. This explosion of infections requires more treatment options to support overloaded hospitals and overworked medics as they restore people's health. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-exploiting-microbiome-bacteria-patients-lung.html

Uganda said on Monday it was expecting to declare an end to an Ebola virus outbreak that emerged late last year and has claimed the lives of at least 56 people. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-uganda-declare-ebola-outbreak.html

Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca on Monday agreed to buy US biotech company CinCor for $1.8 billion, expanding further into the field of heart and kidney drugs. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-astrazeneca-buys-biotech-firm-cincor.html

New research out of the University of Waterloo has identified "vaccination deserts" in parts of northern and rural Ontario and in locations where French is predominantly spoken. These areas have little to no access to pharmacist-administered vaccination sites for COVID vaccines or the flu shot. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-vaccination-desserts-northern-rural-french-speaking.html

The latest clinical practice guideline from the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) organization offers advice for treating patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). A synopsis published in Annals of Internal Medicine focuses on the key recommendations pertinent to the following issues: comprehensive care, glycemic monitoring and targets, lifestyle interventions, antihyperglycemic therapies, and educational and integrated care approaches to management. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-group-guidelines-patients-diabetes-chronic.html

There is no better time than the start of the New Year to adopt some wellness resolutions. The first thing you can start doing today to boost your immunity and improve your wellness in 2023? Save money and ditch the multivitamins. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-ditch-multivitamins-cold-shower-year.html

US public health officials this week authorized pharmacies to sell abortion pills by prescription. What exactly does that change for women in the United States, after several states banned abortion last year? source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-abortion-pills.html

A new Alzheimer's drug is hitting the market—the first with clear-cut evidence that it can slow, by several months, the mind-robbing disease. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-drug-alzheimer-caveats.html

An antidote to teenage depression might be found in school gymnasiums and on sports fields, a major new review argues. source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-sports-natural-antidepressant-teens.html