Habitually Checking Social Media May Be Linked to Preteen Brain Changes
Habitually checking social media may be associated with changes in the brain’s sensitivity to social rewards and punishments in preteens, according to an imaging-based study. Young adolescents who checked in to Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat at least 15 times per day also showed distinct longitudinal changes in their functional brain development, reported Eva H. Telzer, […]
Shaking less salt on your food at the table could reduce heart disease risk: Researchers found a link between a lower frequency of dietary salt and a reduced CVD risk
Adding additional salt to foods at a lower frequency is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, heart failure and ischemic heart disease, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Even among those following a DASH-style diet, behavioral interventions to lessen salt consumption could further […]
Primary Care Visits Prior to Cancer Diagnosis Tied to Lower Mortality
Regularly visiting a primary care physician (PCP) before cancer diagnosis was associated with better disease outcomes among a cohort of patients from the Veterans Affairs health system. Compared with no prior visits, annual PCP use among over 200,000 veterans with 12 different tumor types was linked with lower odds of being diagnosed with metastatic disease […]
Outdoor Lighting at Night Tied to Diabetes Prevalence
Nighttime artificial outdoor lighting was associated with impaired glucose control and increased diabetes risk, a cross-sectional study in China showed. In a nationally representative sample of 98,658 adults, the prevalence of diabetes was 28% higher among people exposed to the greatest levels of artificial outdoor light compared with those who had the least exposure (adjusted […]
Testosterone Tied to Sustained Weight Loss in Men With Hypogonadism and Obesity
SAN DIEGO — Long-term testosterone therapy was associated with sustained reductions in weight for men with hypogonadism and class III obesity, a researcher reported. In registry data on 76 patients, those who opted to receive testosterone undecanoate experienced a 26% reduction in their body mass index (BMI) over close to a decade of follow-up, reported […]
Higher CRP Levels Tied to Cognitive Problems in Older Breast Cancer Survivors
Higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with cognitive problems in older breast cancer survivors, a longitudinal analysis showed. Among participants of the Thinking and Living With Cancer study, breast cancer survivors with higher CRP levels than others reported statistically worse cognition (P=0.040) — a relationship that was not seen in women with no […]
Prenatal Steroids May Improve Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants
A complete course of antenatal steroids was associated with higher survival in extremely preterm infants, a cohort study showed. Among infants born at 22 weeks to less than 24 weeks, 53.9% who had full exposure to antenatal steroids at gestational age 21 to 22 weeks survived to discharge, compared with 37.5% who had partial steroid […]
Depressive Symptoms in Moms Linked to Unhealthy Behaviors in Teens
Maternal depressive symptoms were associated with an increase in the number of unhealthy adolescent behaviors, a 15-year longitudinal study showed. While unhealthy behaviors were found to be common among adolescents in general, with two out of three engaging in at least one, higher levels of maternal depressive symptoms during a child’s middle childhood and adolescence […]
Low-Dose Cariprazine for MDD Tied to Anxiety Reduction
NEW ORLEANS — Low-dose cariprazine (Vraylar) was associated with reductions in anxiety for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), and the potential adjunctive therapy for this population also demonstrated improvements across most individual symptoms of depression, according to two post hoc analyses of a phase III trial. When combined with an antidepressant for MDD patients […]
Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Colorectal Cancer Risk, CV Death
Regular consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular mortality, according to findings from two studies published in The BMJ. In the first paper, which analyzed three prospective U.S. cohort studies, men in the highest quintile of consumption had a 29% higher risk of developing colorectal […]