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FRIDAY, Oct. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Postpartum depression is commonly thought of as something new moms experience, but fathers can also suffer from these feelings when entering this phase of life. A pilot study from the University of Illinois Chicago suggests new dads should also be screened for the condition. Addressing their health may also be an important tool for improving the maternal health crisis, given that the physical health of these parent partners are so intertwined, according to the authors. “A lot of dads are stressed. They’re scared. They’re struggling with balancing work and parental and partner responsibilities,” said lead author Dr. Sam Wainwright, an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics. “Men are often not doing well, but no one is asking them about it.” For the study, researchers interviewed and screened 24 dads using a tool commonly used for screening moms. About 30% of dads were positive for postpartum depression. “A woman at risk for postpartum depression is much more likely to get postpartum depression if she has a depressed partner,” Wainwright noted in a university news release. Nearly 90% of study participants were from groups facing structural racism and social factors such as crime and poverty that can worsen mental health. This may have led to more men screening positive for depression than in past studies, which have seen a… read on > read on >

FRIDAY, Oct. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Healthy steps: Living in a neighborhood that’s easy to walk in could be good for women’s health. New research finds that women who live in walkable neighborhoods have lower rates of obesity-related cancers. This was particularly true of postmenopausal breast cancer, but also of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and multiple myeloma, according to researchers at several universities in New York City. “These results contribute to the growing evidence of how urban design affects the health and well-being in aging populations,” said researcher Andrew Rundle, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Researchers noted that interventions to increase physical activity and reduce obesity one by one are costly. They also tend to have temporary effects. “However, urban design can create a context that promotes walking, increases overall physical activity, and reduce car-dependency, which could lead to subsequent improvements in preventing diseases attributed to unhealthy weight,” Rundle said said in a Columbia news release. Past research has linked obesity to increased risk for 13 types of cancer in women, independent of body size. Physical activity lowers the risk for some of these cancers. The study included data from more than 14,000 women ages 35 to 65 who were recruited at a New York City mammography screening center between 1985 and 1991. Researchers followed the women… read on > read on >

Should Fluffy and Fido go vegan? A new study says yes — for the environment. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that livestock are responsible for 14.5% of the greenhouse gas emissions. In response, some experts say eating vegan — meaning a nutritionally sound diet without animal proteins or products — for two-thirds of meals could slash food-related emissions by 60%. “Vegan pet food is clearly associated with very large savings in greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, and a range of other environmental parameters,” said Dr. Andrew Knight, a professor of philosophy at Griffith University in Australia, who led the new study. “If implemented globally, such diets would also save the lives of billions of ‘food’ animals annually, and enable the feeding of billions of additional people (and dogs and cats), with the food energy saved.” The new study said American dogs and cats consume about one-fifth as much meat as their human counterparts and about one-tenth of that worldwide. Recent research suggests that nutritionally sound vegan diets — lacking meat, eggs and dairy — are safe for pets and may have comparable health benefits, the study noted. If all U.S.-based dogs and cats went vegan, researchers estimated that the lives of 2 billion livestock animals a year could be saved, along with billions of aquatic animals. If pets around the… read on > read on >

While many have raved about the powers of popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, new research confirms the medications can trigger some nasty gastrointestinal side effects. Known as GLP-1 agonists, they may increase the risk of stomach paralysis, pancreatitis and bowel obstruction, scientists found. “Although the incidence of these adverse events are relatively rare, affecting only about 1% of patients, with millions taking these medications, thousands of people are likely to be affected by these adverse events,” said lead researcher Dr. Mohit Sodhi, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. “Patients need to weigh the risks and benefits before taking these medications for weight loss,” he said. “We encourage patients who are interested in using these medications to have a lengthy conversation with their physician to see if this medication is appropriate for their goals and what they hope to achieve.” GLP-1 agonists were originally developed to help manage type 2 diabetes by lowering blood sugar, but they also promote weight loss and have been used off-label for more than a decade. In 2021, some forms of these drugs were approved to treat obesity. Most patients experience symptoms like constipation and nausea, so the possibility of these more serious side effects is not surprising, said Dr. Caroline Messer, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Still, “patients really shouldn’t be… read on > read on >

A nasal spray containing a ketamine derivative appears to beat one of the standard drugs used for people with difficult-to-treat depression, a new clinical trial has found. The trial, of nearly 700 people with treatment-resistant depression, found that esketamine nasal spray was more effective at sending patients into remission than a standard oral drug called quetiapine (Seroquel). After eight weeks, 27% of esketamine patients were in remission, versus 18% of those given quetiapine. By week 32, half of esketamine patients were faring that well, compared with one-third of those on quetiapine. Experts said the findings, published in the Oct. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, strengthen the case that esketamine is a good option for people with treatment-resistant depression. The condition, which plagues up to 30% of people with depression, is generally diagnosed when a person’s symptoms have failed to yield to at least two standard antidepressants. It’s a situation that places people at increased risk of hospitalization and suicide. There are a few medications approved in the United States as an “augmentation” therapy for treatment-resistant depression — meaning they are used along with a standard antidepressant. Quetiapine is one of them, and so is esketamine nasal spray, which has been available since 2019 under the brand-name Spravato. That approval was based on research testing esketamine against a placebo nasal spray. The… read on > read on >

In the United States, “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ people has been widely condemned by major medical associations. Not only that, nearly half of the country has now banned the practice for minors. But a new review of 16 investigations across six nations suggests conversion therapy is hardly a thing of the past. On average, nearly one of every 10 LGBTQ individuals around the world say they have been exposed to the highly problematic practice at some point in their lives, researchers found. Such practices “include organized attempts to deter someone from adopting or expressing an LGBTQ identity or a gender identity that differs from [their] sex assigned at birth,” explained study lead author Travis Salway. He is an assistant professor with the Simon Fraser University Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, in Canada. But “the vast majority of research on conversion practices to date demonstrates limited to no effectiveness, and substantial risk of harm, including depression, anxiety and, in some cases, suicide,” Salway added. Nevertheless, after reviewing studies conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Colombia and South Korea, Salway’s team found “conversion practices remain prevalent, with approximately 8% of LGBTQ people having been exposed in their lifetime.” That figure did vary considerably from country to country, rising to 13% in the United States, while falling to 7% across Canada. On… read on > read on >

While HDL cholesterol is considered the “good” kind for heart and brain health, too much or too little of it may up a person’s risk of dementia, new research suggests. “This study is especially informative because of the large number of participants and long follow-up,” noted study author Maria Glymour, of Boston University. She said her team was able to “study the links with dementia across the range of cholesterol levels and achieve precise estimates, even for people with cholesterol levels that are quite high or quite low.” Still, that can’t prove that high or low levels of HDL cholesterol actually cause dementia, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) cautioned in its news release about the study. To learn more about the potential connection, researchers studied data on more than 184,000 people from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Health Plan, with an average age of 70. The patients did not have dementia at the start of the study. The participants filled out a survey on their health behaviors and had their cholesterol levels measured during routine health care visits an average of 2.5 times in the following two years. These people were then followed with their electronic health records for an average of nine years. More than 25,000 study participants developed dementia during that time. The average HDL cholesterol level for people in the study… read on > read on >

America’s kids are safer now than a decade ago when it comes to many types of injury, with two glaring exceptions: drugs and guns. That’s the crux of a new study that looked at injury trends among U.S. children and teenagers between 2011 and 2021. It found that nonfatal injuries from accidents and assaults fell by 55% and 60%, respectively, during that time period. That included substantial drops in injury due to car crashes, falls and other accidents that have long been leading causes of injury among kids. Countering those gains, though, was the harsh reality of guns and drugs. Firearm fatalities among children and teens rose by 87% during the study period, while nonfatal gun injuries more than doubled. Meanwhile, deadly drug overdoses also doubled. “As a society, we’ve done a great job at targeted interventions,” said senior researcher Dr. Rebekah Mannix, of Boston Children’s Hospital. Everything from better car and roadway design, to helmets, to childproof household products have made kids safer in many ways, Mannix said. “But what we’ve missed,” she added, “is that the most lethal means of injury are still incredibly accessible to kids.” The findings, published Oct. 5 in the journal Pediatrics, come at a time when a record number of U.S. kids, mainly older teenagers, are dying from gun-related injuries. In 2020, firearms became the leading cause of… read on > read on >

More than 80% of eligible Americans did not get a COVID-19 booster shot last fall. Now, a new study reveals the reasons for the hesitation. Nearly 40% of survey participants said a prior COVID-19 infection factored into their decision to not get the booster. Another 31.5% were worried about side effects. And an additional 28% didn’t think a booster would provide extra protection, while 23% said it wouldn’t protect from the new coronavirus. “Our results indicate that we have a lot more work to do in terms of educating the public and health care providers about the importance of staying up to date on COVID-19 boosters,” said first study author Elizabeth Jacobs. She is a professor of epidemiology at the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, in Tucson. This research was done through Arizona CoVHORT, which began in May 2020 to track the effect of COVID infection on Arizonans. Researchers hope the results, published in the Oct. 6 issue of the journal Vaccine, will help encourage interventions to get more people vaccinated. A variety of strategies may be needed to improve vaccination rates, as age, ethnicity and education affected reasons for hesitation, according to the study. “Our results indicate that many people don’t know that a booster provides additional protection even if they have already been infected or that… read on > read on >

People recovering from wounds or severe burns might one day be treated with fully functional “bioprinted” skin created in a lab, a new study suggests. Researchers say they “printed” skin samples containing all six major human cell types found in skin. The result was multi-layered, full-thickness skin containing all three layers present in normal human tissue: epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. Test transplants performed in the lab found that the bioprinted skin formed blood vessels and skin patterns, essentially functioning and forming as normal human tissue. Other tests demonstrated improved wound closure, reduced skin contraction, and more collagen production to reduce scarring, the researchers reported. The report was published Oct. 4 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. “Comprehensive skin healing is a significant clinical challenge, affecting millions of individuals worldwide, with limited options,” said lead researcher Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina. “These results show that the creation of full-thickness, human bioengineered skin is possible, and promotes quicker healing and more naturally appearing outcomes,” Atala said in a Wake Forest news release. Perfected skin regeneration could provide burn victims, wounded soldiers and those with skin disorders an opportunity for complete healing. The sort of grafts available today have only some of the elements of normal skin, which can lead to a scarred appearance. The creation of full-thickness… read on > read on >

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New Dads Might Also Need Screening for Postpartum Depression

Living in ‘Walkable’ Neighborhoods Lowers Women’s Cancer Risk

Going Vegan Healthy for Dogs, Cats — and the Planet

Study Confirms Risk of Gastro Issues for People Taking Wegovy, Ozempic

Ketamine Nasal Spray Shows Promise Against Tough-to-Treat Depression

Bogus, Harmful ‘Conversion Therapy’ for LGBTQ People Still Prevalent, Study Finds

How HDL ‘Good’ Cholesterol Might Raise Dementia Risk

Big Rise Seen in Gun Deaths, Overdoses Among U.S. Kids

Why So Many Americans Aren’t Getting COVID Boosters

Scientists Produce ‘Bioprinted’ Human Skin for Wound Healing