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Therapies based on a hormone people make while exercising may be the next frontier in treating Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study. Researchers have found that the exercise-induced hormone irisin may reduce both the plaque and the tau tangles characteristic of the disease. Before this, this same team developed the first 3D human cell culture models of Alzheimer’s disease, which it was able to use in this new research into the impact of irisin on amyloid beta in the brain. Physical exercise had already been shown to reduce amyloid beta deposits in mouse models of Alzheimer’s, but it wasn’t clear how. The increase of circulating levels of the muscle-derived hormone irisin through exercise regulates glucose and lipid metabolism in fat tissue. It also increases energy expenditure by accelerating the browning of white fat tissue. Past research has shown that irisin is present in human and mouse brains. Its levels are lower in patients with Alzheimer’s. “First, we found that irisin treatment led to a remarkable reduction of amyloid beta pathology,” said study author Se Hoon Choi, of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Second, we showed this effect of irisin was attributable to increased neprilysin activity owing to increased levels of neprilysin secreted from cells in the brain called astrocytes,” he said in a hospital news release. Neprilysin… read on > read on >

Global warming has been linked to higher rates of asthma, heart disease and other health concerns. Now, new research suggests that rising temperatures across the planet may place pregnant women at greater risk for severe pregnancy-related illnesses, especially in their third trimester. And this is likely to get worse in the near future, said study author Anqi Jiao, a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine. “Climate change will continue to impact all facets of health with increasing severity and duration of extreme heat events,” she noted. Severe maternal illness is an umbrella term for 21 serious conditions that can include heart attacks, kidney failure, sudden cardiac arrest, heart failure, anesthesia complications, blood infections, and need for a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), among other illnesses and complications. “These women… would have died without appropriate and timely identification and intervention, but severe pregnancy-related illnesses are thought to be preventable to a large extent,” Jiao said. What’s more, these conditions can result in longer-term treatment and recovery and place a greater financial burden on families, she added. Exactly how exposure to extreme heat causes serious pregnancy complications for expectant moms is not fully understood, but the researchers have some theories. Heat exposure may lead to dehydration and an imbalance of minerals in the blood, which can cause inflammation, increased heart rate and other symptoms, Jiao… read on > read on >

Eczema and psoriasis are skin conditions that can each affect a person’s quality of life. The best way to know which one you have if you have an itchy rash or burning feeling on your skin is to see an expert. “Both eczema and psoriasis can impact your sleep, mood and quality of life, so it’s important to seek help if you are struggling with these conditions,” said Dr. Catherine Emerson, a dermatologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Understanding the differences between psoriasis and eczema can ensure that you’re getting the right treatment and making choices that can help you avoid flare-ups. Both conditions can appear as dry, flaky skin with itching or burning. Both can emerge at any age, through eczema usually begins in childhood. It often develops along with allergic rhinitis and asthma. Together these conditions are sometimes called the “atopic triad.” Eczema tends to be itchier than psoriasis. It can appear inside the elbows and behind the knees. “Itch is a defining feature of eczema,” Emerson said in a center news release. “In fact, it is often called ‘the itch that rashes.’ It can present as dry patches, bumps or even fluid-filled blisters.” While psoriasis can also cause itchiness, sometimes it doesn’t. It is marked by red, thick and scaly plaques with defined edges. “Psoriasis classically involves the scalp, elbows… read on > read on >

Winter months can be a challenge for those trying to keep their high blood pressure in check, new research suggests. In an analysis of more than 60,000 American adults being treated for high blood pressure at six health care centers in the Southeast and Midwest United States, scientists found that systolic blood pressure — the top number — rose slightly in winter months, by up to 1.7 mm Hg. Meanwhile, population blood pressure control rates decreased by 5% in the winter compared to control rates from the summer. These findings were presented Thursday at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2023. “Despite the smaller degree of systolic blood pressure variation in comparison to previous studies on seasonality in blood pressure, we were surprised to observe a large degree of change in blood pressure control between winter and summer months,” said study author Robert Barrett, a software engineer at the American Medical Association. “Individuals with hypertension or values near the range of hypertension may benefit from periodic blood pressure monitoring and improvements in physical activity and nutritional patterns during winter months, to offset adverse effects from seasonal blood pressure changes,” he said in a meeting news release. During the review, each of the participants remained on the blood pressure medication that had been prescribed for them. They were seen at centers ranging from small federally… read on > read on >

New Swedish research suggests that up to 5% of 70-year-olds have glaucoma, and half of those diagnosed didn’t even know they had the disease. “Of those who were diagnosed with glaucoma via the study, 15 people — or 2.7% of all participants — were unaware that they had the disease before being examined,” said study author Lena Havstam Johansson, a PhD student at the University of Gothenburg and a specialist nurse at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, both in Gothenburg, Sweden. “So half of those who turned out to have glaucoma were diagnosed because they took part in the study.” Those who received this diagnosis were able to start treatment with daily eye drops that lower the pressure in the eye and slow optic nerve damage. Researchers noted that those with glaucoma had similar levels of physical activity and did not smoke more or drink more alcohol than those without the disease. Their overall quality of life was as good as the others. They were not more tired or more depressed. “This was a positive surprise, and was a finding that I hope can bring comfort to many people who have been diagnosed with glaucoma. It’s hard to live with a disease that gradually impairs vision, but life can still be good in many ways,” Havstam Johansson said in a University of Gothenburg news release. Yet, those… read on > read on >

Most American men think they’re leading a healthy lifestyle, possibly picturing themselves as a Hollywood leading man type. But their actual health habits are those of a schlubby sidekick, a new Cleveland Clinic survey reveals. The national poll found that four out of five (81%) American men believe they are leading a healthy lifestyle. But nearly half do not get a yearly physical (44%) and do not take care of their mental health (44%), researchers found. Only half said they follow a healthy diet (51%), and about a quarter (27%) admit to being couch potatoes who watch TV more than five hours a day, on average. “What they found was that the majority of men in the survey really felt like they were living a very healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Raevti Bole, a urologist with the Center for Men’s Health in the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. “But when you ask some of those more specific questions and got them to think about it, they found that some of those behaviors weren’t in alignment with what they had initially thought about how healthy their lifestyles were.” Cleveland Clinic issued the survey as part of its eighth annual MENtion It educational campaign. The campaign is meant to draw attention to the fact that men often do not mention health issues or take… read on > read on >

Some people mistrust the safety and effectiveness of human vaccines for COVID-19 and other diseases, a fact that became abundantly clear during the pandemic. Now, a new survey of 2,200 dog owners shows this mistrust may often extend to canine vaccinations. The finding suggests there is spillover between the issues, with those who have negative feelings about human vaccines more likely to hold these same views about vaccinating their pets, even when it comes to deadly conditions like rabies. “We knew that this phenomenon existed, but we didn’t know how prevalent it was. We didn’t know where it came from and what policy and public health implications might be, and that’s why we set out to do this research,” said Matt Motta, an assistant professor of health law, policy & management at Boston University School of Public Health, who conducted the research with his sister, Dr. Gabriella Motta, a veterinarian at Glenolden Veterinary Hospital in Pennsylvania. “A lot of our motivation for this project was born out of conversation that she and I had, her lived experience as a vet, encountering folks who didn’t want to vaccinate their pets and trying to understand why,” he explained. What they found is that nearly 40% of dog owners think dog vaccines aren’t safe. About 20% think they’re not effective. And 30% think they aren’t medically necessary. About… read on > read on >

“Vain” isn’t a word normally associated with football players, but many wide receivers believe they look slim and fleet-footed with a lower number on their jersey rather than a higher one. New research shows these players are onto something. In two experiments, subjects shown images of players consistently said that those wearing jerseys numbered 10 to 19 looked thinner than those in jerseys 80 to 89 — even when their body sizes were the same, according to a new report in the journal PLOS ONE. Researchers say this is because the way we perceive numbers appears to influence our perceptions of body sizes. “How we perceive the world is highly influenced by our prior knowledge,” said senior researcher Ladan Shams, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles. “In our daily lives, numbers written on objects — on a bag of sugar in the supermarket or weights in the gym — usually represent the magnitude of the objects,” she said in a university news release. “The higher the number, the bigger or more massive the object generally is.” The study followed up on a 2019 ESPN report exploring why many football wide receivers prefer to wear jersey numbers between 10 and 19. A longtime NFL rule required wide receivers to wear uniform numbers between 80 and 89, but the league… read on > read on >

The blockbuster drug Ozempic has become a household name for its ability to spur weight loss. Now an early study hints at an intriguing possibility: The drug might allow people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes to drop their daily insulin shots. Experts emphasized that the findings are based on only 10 patients, and larger, longer-term studies are necessary. However, all 10 patients were able to stop their meal-time insulin injections after starting semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic. And most were also able to drop their long-acting insulin, which is used to keep overnight blood sugar levels in check. “It sounds like science fiction, that people with type 1 diabetes can stop taking insulin,” said lead researcher Dr. Paresh Dandona of the State University of New York at Buffalo. “This really opens up a new area of research,” he said. “Could we use this drug to change the natural course of type 1 diabetes?” Type 1 diabetes arises when the immune system mistakenly goes after cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin. Insulin has the critical job of moving sugars from food into the body’s cells to be used as fuel. In order to survive, people with type 1 diabetes have to take synthetic insulin, via daily injections or a pump attached to the body. The disease is far less common than… read on > read on >

New COVID-19 booster shots could soon pass the needed hurdles for vaccinations to begin next week. Sources familiar with U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans say boosters could be approved as soon as Friday, NBC News reported. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet on Tuesday. CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen could sign off soon after, allowing vaccinations to begin. The boosters from Pfizer and Moderna target the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant. That’s no longer the dominant variant circulating, but those that are spreading are closely related, and health experts say this booster could still offer some protection. This time, the FDA may grant full approval for the boosters rather than emergency use authorization, according to NBC News sources. If the FDA doesn’t approve the boosters on Friday, it could do so early next week. While protection wanes over time, about 97% of adults have some level of protective immunity from past COVID infections and vaccinations. These shots are expected to boost that coverage. They will, however, come at a price. For the first time, the federal government is not covering costs of the shots. Most people with private and public health insurance should still be able to receive them for free. Those who are uninsured may be able to get them at community health centers.… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

An Exercise-Induced Hormone Might Help Protect Against Alzheimer’s

Global Warming Could Make Pregnancies More Dangerous

Is It Eczema or Psoriasis? An Expert Offers Advice

Keeping Blood Pressure Under Control May Be Tougher in Colder Weather

Some With Glaucoma May Not Even Know They Have It

Survey Shows American Men Less Healthy Than They Believe

Anti-Vax Trend May Harm Pet Dogs, With Half of Owners Against Immunization

Why Football Players Want a Lower Number on Their Jerseys

In Small Study, Ozempic Helped People With Type 1 Diabetes Quit Insulin Treatments

FDA Approval of New COVID Boosters Could Come by Friday