Tag Archives: Health

Sleep Podcasts: Older Adults Are More Likely To Suffer From Chronic (Long-Term) Insomnia

InsomniaBeyond the constant tossing and turning of a sleepless night, it might surprise you to know that insomnia is affecting a fair hunk of the Australian population. A recent study released by the Sleep Health Foundation found that 15 per cent of us suffer from chronic insomnia disorder, and very few people are choosing to access help.

Guests:

Professor Robert Adams, Professor in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine for Flinders University, and lead researcher for Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Australia study for Sleep Health Foundation

Dr Moira Junge, health psychologist specialising in treating sleep disorders, board member for Sleep Health Foundation

Website: https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pga7dxBbm7

Emergency Medicine: When “Treating Everyone” Meets “Triage”, Patients And Healthcare Must Wait

From a STAT online article:

Emergency Room WaitingThe specialty of emergency medicine is firmly grounded in social justice and providing access to expert care to everyone who comes in. That means treating anyone, with any condition, at any time. And yet, embedded into emergency department operations is a system that might be perceived as unjust: the concept of triage. The emergency queue isn’t “first come, first served.” It’s nonlinear by design, since triage prioritizes the severity of illness. The severely ill or injured receive immediate attention. Everyone else, to various degrees, must wait.

There are situations when waiting feels immoral to me, not merely inconvenient. Being an emergency doctor means shouldering burdens for perceived injustices that we have little, if any, control over. Most of the beds were locked up with patients boarding in the ED, which means they are waiting for an inpatient bed to become available in the hospital.

Hospitals have high expectations regarding how quickly patients are seen in the emergency department, and my colleagues and I share that goal. But there’s less urgency when it comes to discharging patients from the hospital, which would unclog the backup in the emergency department — and its waiting room.

To read more: https://www.statnews.com/2019/11/25/waiting-feels-immoral-fairness-emergency-department-empathy/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=507f0804a2-First_Opinion&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-507f0804a2-150443417

Health Studies: Foods Containing Lactose Feed “Dangerous” Gut Bacteria

From Sloan Kettering Institute:

Enterococcus BacteriaInfections with the Enterococcus bacterium are a major threat in healthcare settings. They can lead to inflammation of the colon and serious illnesses such as bacteremia and sepsis, as well as other complications.

Now, an international team led by scientists from Memorial Sloan Kettering has shown for the first time that foods containing lactose, a sugar that’s naturally found in milk and dairy products, help Enterococcus thrive in the gut, at least in mice. They also studied changes in the bodies of people having BMTs. The study was published November 29 in Science.

Memorial Sloan KetteringTheir previous research has shown that when harmless strains of microbes are wiped out, often due to treatment with antibiotics, Enterococcus and other harmful types of bacteria can take over due to lack of competition. As part of the new study, which included analysis of microbiota samples from more than 1,300 adults having BMTs, the team confirmed the link between Enterococcus and GVHD.

To read more: https://www.mskcc.org/blog/milking-it-study-mice-suggests-lactose-diet-feeds-dangerous-gut-bacteria?_subsite=research-ski

Health Studies: Eating After Exercise Found To Burn “Twice The Fat”

From a New York Times online article:

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & MetabolismThe riders who had pedaled on an empty stomach, however, had incinerated about twice as much fat during each ride as the men who consumed the shake first. The riders all had burned about the same number of calories while pedaling, but more of those calories came from fat when the men did not eat first.

Those riders also showed greater improvements in insulin sensitivity at the end of the study and had developed higher levels of certain proteins in their muscles that influence how well muscle cells respond to insulin and use blood sugar.

Working out on an empty stomach could amplify the health benefits of the activity, according to a well-timed new study of the interplay of meal timing, metabolic health and moving. The study, which involved sedentary men and moderate cycling, suggests that whether and when we eat may affect how exercise affects us.

To read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/well/move/eating-food-exercise-fasting-insulin-weight-loss-fat.html

Health Care: Amazon Alexa “Medicine Tracker” Reminds People To Take And Refill Prescriptions

From a Becker’s Hospital review news release:

Amazon Alexa Medicine TrackerAny customer with an active prescription and an Alexa-enabled device will be able to access the medication management skill on the device, a Giant Eagle spokesperson told CNBC. Rachel Jiang, who leads the Amazon Alexa health and wellness team, said the company began developing the skill after noticing that customers were using the devices to create medication reminders.

Beyond a simple reminder, the skill also offers more information about medication regimens and can be used to order refills. When the skill is installed, Alexa, which was confirmed earlier this year to be HIPAA-compliant, will prompt users to set up a profile and passcode, which must be delivered each time Alexa is asked a question about a medication.

Amazon and Pittsburgh-based supermarket and pharmacy chain Giant Eagle have formed a partnership that will allow Amazon Echo devices to offer Giant Eagle pharmacy patients medication reminders, CNBC reports.

To read more: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/amazon-alexa-will-now-remind-giant-eagle-pharmacy-patients-to-take-medication.html?oly_enc_id=9129H5611090H0N

 

 

Research: Omega-3 Fatty Acids In Diet Promotes Health By Limiting Large Fat Cell Accumulation

From a Stanford Medicine online news release:

stanford-medicine.png“What you want is more, small fat cells rather than fewer, large fat cells,” Jackson said.  “A large fat cell is not a healthy fat cell. The center is farther away from an oxygen supply, it sends out bad signals and it can burst and release toxic contents.” Large fat cells are associated with insulin resistance, diabetes and inflammation, he added.

Jackson and his colleagues found that when omega-3 fatty acids bind to a receptor called FFAR4 on the cilia of fat stem cells, it prompts the fat stem cells to divide, leading to the creation of more fat cells. This provides the body with more fat cells with which to store energy, something that is healthier than storing too much fat in existing fat cells. 

For years, researchers have known that defects in an ancient cellular antenna called the primary cilium are linked with obesity and insulin resistance. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that the strange little cellular appendage is sensing omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, and that this signal is directly affecting how stem cells in fat tissue divide and turn into fat cells.

To read more: http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2019/11/omega-3-fatty-acids-health-benefit-linked-to-stem-cell-control.html

Health: UnitedHealthcare To Open Medicare Centers In Walgreens In 2020

From a Becker’s Hospital Review online release:

UnitedHealthcare Medicare WalgreensThe purpose of the centers is to increase customers’ understanding of Medicare, match them with people who can talk with them about their benefits or new plans to enroll in, and access in-store annual wellness visits.

In addition, Walgreens and UnitedHealthcare are partnering for a new AARP Medicare Advantage Walgreens health plan. The health plan aims to deliver lower prescription drug costs to members, as many of the plans have $0 premiums and $0 copays on primary care visits, preventive care and some generic drugs. The 46 plans will be sold across 24 states.

 

Under a multiyear agreement, UnitedHealthcare will open 14 Medicare service centers in Walgreens stores across the U.S., the organizations said Nov. 25.

UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, will operate Medicare service centers in Walgreens stores across five cities: Las Vegas, Phoenix, Cleveland, Denver and Memphis, Tenn. The centers are slated to open in January 2020.

To read more: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/payer-issues/unitedhealth-to-open-medicare-centers-in-walgreens-stores.html?oly_enc_id=9129H5611090H0N

Health Infographics: Harnessing “Innate Immunity” To Treat Cancer

Cisbio-Harnessing Innate Immunity to Treat Cancer-page-0

Website: https://go.technologynetworks.com/harnessing-innate-immunity-to-treat-cancer?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79929068&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–ty7bQqqE59QchUxLDf8dobyKGn6xuBbMimHky4x8fwAR2VD9njUGTWl6rnVLXsO2r9f6QeP9n6X4TiEvSEgMxvfCrUw&_hsmi=79929068

Studies: High Usage Of Commonly Used Oral Antibiotics Increases Risk Of Parkinson’s Disease

From a Neuroscience News & Research online article:

International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society“The link between antibiotic exposure and Parkinson’s disease fits the current view that in a significant proportion of patients the pathology of Parkinson’s may originate in the gut, possibly related to microbial changes, years before the onset of typical Parkinson motor symptoms such as slowness, muscle stiffness and shaking of the extremities. It was known that the bacterial composition of the intestine in Parkinson’s patients is abnormal, but the cause is unclear. Our results suggest that some commonly used antibiotics, which are known to strongly influence the gut microbiota, could be a predisposing factor,” says research team leader, neurologist Filip Scheperjans MD, Ph.D. from the Department of Neurology of Helsinki University Hospital.

Higher exposure to commonly used oral antibiotics is linked to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease according to a recently published study by researchers from the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland.

The strongest associations were found for broad-spectrum antibiotics and those that act against anaerobic bacteria and fungi. The timing of antibiotic exposure also seemed to matter.

The study suggests that excessive use of certain antibiotics can predispose to Parkinson’s disease with a delay of up to 10 to 15 years. This connection may be explained by their disruptive effects on the gut microbial ecosystem.

To read more: https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/high-antibiotic-use-linked-to-parkinsons-disease-327574?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79860634&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–_nnD-InNAm660b4dNIgEv57uzmLlk_LytFh7Scy9VWyekeywrdb7g2Be0Cp5uO7DoNsRuPF76EvY99oZ2rHBR9M1iEw&_hsmi=79860634

Healthcare: Geriatric Assessment Helps Select Proper Treatments For Cancer In Elderly Patients

From an NPR online article:

NPR Health NewsMore than 60% of cancers in the U.S. occur in people older than 65. As the population grows older, so will the rate of cancer among seniors. The cancer incidence in the elderly is expected to rise 67% from 2010 to 2030, according to a 2017 study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Yet many oncologists don’t have geriatric training.

“When the doctor saw how physically active and mentally sharp my father was at 89 years of age, but that he had several chronic, serious medical problems, including end stage kidney disease, she didn’t advise him to have aggressive treatment like the first time around,” says Griggs, who lives in Rochester, N.Y.

Geriatric assessment is an approach that clinicians use to evaluate their elderly patients’ overall health status and to help them choose treatment appropriate to their age and condition. The assessment includes questionnaires and tests to gauge the patients’ physical, mental and functional capacity, taking into account their social lives, daily activities and goals.

To read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/11/23/714300273/a-cancer-care-approach-tailored-to-the-elderly-may-give-better-results?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20191124&utm_term=4246040&utm_campaign=health&utm_id=46633831&orgid=