How obesity dismantles our mitochondria
The number of people with obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, resulting in a worldwide epidemic. While lifestyle factors like diet and exercise play a role in the development and progression of obesity, scientists have come to understand that obesity is also associated with intrinsic metabolic abnormalities. Now, researchers from University of California San Diego […]
Cut salt, cut blood pressure
Nearly everyone can lower their blood pressure, even people currently on blood pressure-reducing drugs, by lowering their sodium intake, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “In the study, middle-aged to elderly participants reduced their salt intake by about 1 teaspoon a day compared […]
Novel Aldosterone Synthase Inhibitor Cuts Albuminuria in Phase II Trial
PHILADELPHIA — An oral investigational aldosterone synthase inhibitor (ASI) cut albuminuria by nearly 40% in people in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a phase II trial. The 10-mg dose of ASI BI 690517 yielded an average 37.4% (95% CI -52.2 to -18.2%) greater reduction in urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) from baseline to week 14 compared […]
Adults with ADHD are at increased risk for developing dementia
Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than adults without ADHD, according to a Rutgers study. The study, coauthored by Michal Schnaider Beeri, director of the Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center at Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) was published in JAMA Network Open. It followed […]
Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratios Win Some Hard-Fought Ground
For nearly 2 decades, only one state — California — governed the number of patients assigned to a hospital nurse. Recently, Oregon became the second. Advocates of nurse-to-patient ratios are hopeful other states will follow. The primary barrier? Hospitals. Hospital groups and some nurse executives say ratios are a one-size-fits-all response to a dynamic system. […]
Many Medicare Patients Travel 50-Plus Miles for Neurology Visits
Nearly one in five Medicare beneficiaries who saw a neurologist traveled long distances for their office visit, 2018 cross-sectional data suggested. Out of over 563,000 Medicare beneficiaries with a neurologist visit that year, 17% traveled 50 miles or more one way for care, reported Chun Chieh Lin, PhD, MBA, of Ohio State University in Columbus, […]
Physician Assistants Also Feel Post-Pandemic Burnout
NASHVILLE — Nearly a third of board-certified physician assistants (PAs) said they experienced burnout in the past 3 years, according to a national cross-sectional analysis. Looking at over 111,000 PAs who worked in at least one clinical position, 30.6% self-reported at least one symptom of burnout, found Andrzej Kozikowski, PhD, of the National Commission on […]
Prostate Cancer Is Not Just an ‘Old Man’s Disease’
Gabe Canales’ experience with low-risk prostate cancer nearly matches mine — with a couple of caveats, including a 27-year difference in the ages at which we were both diagnosed. I was 62 years old with a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, close to the average age of diagnosis. Canales was just 35. Canales, author of […]
Gender Affirming Surgeries Nearly Tripled in the U.S. From 2016 to 2019
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) in the U.S. nearly tripled from 2016 to 2019, a longitudinal study found. The number of gender-affirming procedures rose from 4,552 in 2016 to 13,011 in 2019, reported Jason Wright, MD, of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. It dropped slightly to 12,818 procedures in 2020, likely […]
Most Patients Successfully Self-Manage Medication Abortion, Study Shows
In several countries, nearly all participants successfully completed a self-managed medication abortion without procedural intervention, a prospective observational study showed. In Argentina, Nigeria, and Southeast Asia, nine out of every ten individuals completed a self-managed medication abortion, which compares with data from randomized clinical trials. Among those who took misoprostol only, 95.7% had success, reported […]