ECG Quirks Spotted After Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy
This cohort study assessed ECG parameters in transgender men and women before and after use of gender-affirming hormone therapies. Testosterone use in transgender men was associated with shorter corrected QT interval and QT peak and increased T-wave maximal amplitude. Androgen deprivation in transgender women was associated with opposite observations. Gender-affirming hormone therapies (GAHT) were associated […]
Study results show 25% of pregnant people are not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids from their diet or dietary supplements
Results from a new nationwide cohort study show that, despite strong recommendations in favor of consuming omega-3 fatty acids for optimal pregnancy outcomes and offspring health, 25% of participants reported rarely, or never eating fish during pregnancy, with fewer taking omega-3 supplements. The study, “Demographic and health characteristics associated with fish and n-3 fatty acid […]
Oral Cancer Patients Face Worse Outcomes With Delayed Radiation Therapy
MONTREAL – Most patients in a Canadian cohort had prolonged times to postoperative radiation therapy, and those delays were associated with worse survival outcomes, a multicenter study showed. Among 1,368 postsurgical patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, 80% waited more than 42 days to start postoperative radiation therapy (S-PORT). Delays in starting RT were […]
Sickle Cell Disease Patients Miss Out on Decades of Life
A cohort study of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with sickle cell disease (SCD) showed a life expectancy of just 52.6 years, well below that of the general population. And among SCD patients, survival varied by sex and insurance status. Men, individuals covered by Medicare for disabilities or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and the dual-eligible were […]
CDC: HIV Coinfection in Over 80% of Hospitalized Monkeypox Cases
In a cohort of patients hospitalized for monkeypox, four out of five had HIV and one in five died, CDC researchers said. Of the 57 adults hospitalized due to serious complications from monkeypox, 82.5% had HIV and 8.5% were receiving antiretroviral therapy, reported Maureen Miller, MD, of the CDC’s Monkeypox Emergency Response Team, and colleagues. […]
Low Testosterone Linked to Hospitalization for COVID
Normal testosterone levels in men might be protective against severe COVID-19, a retrospective cohort study suggested. Among 723 men with a mean age of 55, those who had hypogonadism had a higher risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 versus men with eugonadism (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4-4.4, P<0.003), reported Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, of St. Louis University […]
Bottoms Up on Black Tea for a Long Life?
A few cups of tea a day might help to stave off an early death, a U.K. Biobank prospective cohort study showed. Among nearly half a million middle-age adults, those who consumed two or more cups of tea a day saw a modest but lower risk for all-cause mortality over a median 11.2-year follow-up, reported […]
Prediabetes Tied to Doubled Risk of Major Depression in Dutch Study
A precursor to diabetes might also go hand-in-hand with depression, a Dutch cohort study indicated. Three surrogate measures for insulin resistance all showed a significant link with developing a major depressive disorder over a 9-year follow-up period, reported Kathleen T. Watson, PhD, of Stanford School of Medicine in California, and colleagues. As shown in their […]