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Pollutants produced by the U.S. oil and gas industry cause thousands of deaths and cost the country tens of billions in health care expenses, a new study reports. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter and ozone all contribute to air pollution, and all are emitted as part of oil and gas production, the researchers said. The new study estimates that the oil and gas industry contributed to 7,500 excess deaths, 410,000 asthma attacks and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma across the United States in 2016. All told, oil and gas production cost the United States $77 billion annually in health care damages, when factoring in related heart and lung hospitalizations, adverse pregnancy outcomes and other illnesses. That total cost is three times the estimated climate impact costs of methane emissions from oil and gas operations. “These substantial impacts from oil and gas production show that there are serious consequences across the full life cycle of oil and gas, from ‘well to wheels,’ ‘well to power plant’ and ‘well to furnace,’” said co-researcher Jonathan Buonocore, an assistant professor of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health. “The health impacts are not just from the combustion of oil and gas,” Buonocore added in a university news release. “In order for energy, air quality and decarbonization policies to successfully protect health, they need to… read on > read on >

In a world increasingly consumed by social media, much has been made of the amount of time younger generations spend online every day — and the harms that habit can bring. But now a new study of older adults suggests that regular internet use may actually be a boon for older Americans, staving off the long-term risk for dementia. “We studied the association between internet usage and the risk of dementia in the long term among dementia-free adults aged 50 and older,” explained study author Gawon Cho. “We found that regular users experienced approximately half the risk of dementia than non-regular users,” said Cho, a doctoral student in the department of social and behavioral sciences at New York University’s School of Global Public Health, in New York City. “Surprised by the magnitude of the risk difference” her team observed, Cho acknowledged that it’s not entirely clear whether dementia-free patients are simply more likely to surf the web in the first place, or whether surfing the web can actually help keep dementia risk at bay. “We cannot tell which is the chicken and which is the egg at this time,” Cho admitted. Still, she said, the findings do indicate that when it comes to maintaining a healthy brain “internet usage in old age matters.” To examine how internet use might impact dementia risk, the study team… read on > read on >

Quitting smoking will have benefits, even for those who are later diagnosed with lung cancer, new research indicates. While often studies compare outcomes for smokers vs. never smokers, investigators found that quitting smoking earlier also was beneficial. Among people diagnosed with the most common type of lung cancer, called non-small cell lung cancer, current smokers had 68% higher numbers of deaths compared to never smokers, while former smokers had only 26% higher numbers of deaths. And the longer a patient had quit smoking before being diagnosed with lung cancer, the better the odds of survival. “Our participants’ smoking histories varied, with some having stopped smoking a few years before their diagnosis and others having stopped several decades before,” said senior study author David Christiani, a professor of environmental genetics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “This wide range gave us confidence in our results — that the benefit of pre-diagnosis smoking cessation persists even after lung cancer is diagnosed,” he said in a university news release. The researchers studied nearly 5,600 patients with this common lung cancer who were enrolled in the Boston Lung Cancer Survival Cohort at Massachusetts General Hospital between 1992 and 2022. Among them, 795 had never smoked, 3,308 were former smokers and 1,491 were current smokers. Each participant answered questions about their smoking habits and other health… read on > read on >

Here’s one more reason to watch your weight: Obesity can increase your odds for serious complications after surgery. Compared with patients of normal weight, those who are obese are at greater risk for developing blood clots, infections and kidney failure after surgery, a new study reports. Patients with obesity were also more likely to be hospitalized for these complications. “This is indicative of the obesity epidemic in this country,” said senior researcher Dr. Robert Meguid, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Colorado in Aurora. The increase in complications owes to a variety of factors. These include body inflammation, which is more common with obesity. It can also be more difficult for patients who are overweight or obese to get up and move around after surgery, increasing their risk for blood clots in the legs. “With infection, there’s an issue of fatty tissue in the body which doesn’t heal as well and doesn’t have as good blood flow as muscular tissue,” Meguid said. “With the blood clots it’s a combination of inability for walking easily and readily, and also the body’s inflammatory state in obesity.” Changes in blood flow in patients who are obese probably contribute to the risk for kidney failure, he added. It’s also more difficult doing surgery on someone who is obese, Meguid said, which may boost complication rates. “In… read on > read on >

The key to a happier and longer marriage may be pooling your money. Researchers found that couples with joint bank accounts had better relationships, fought less about money and felt better about how their household finances were handled. “When we surveyed people of varying relationship lengths, those who had merged accounts reported higher levels of communality within their marriage compared to people with separate accounts, or even those who partially merged their finances,” said Jenny Olson, an assistant professor of marketing at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. “They frequently told us they felt more like they were ‘in this together.’” The authors recruited 230 newlyweds or engaged couples, following them for two years in their early married life. Each of them began the study with separate bank accounts but consented to potentially changing their financial arrangements. Study participants had a mean age of 28. None had been previously married. About 75% were white and 12% were Black. One-third of participants had a bachelor’s degree and a median household income of $50,000. The couples had known each other an average of five years and had been romantically involved for an average of three years. About 10% had children. While some couples were randomly assigned to keep their separate bank accounts, others were told to open a joint bank account instead. A third group was allowed… read on > read on >

While it may be hard to find a truly healthy movie theater snack, it is possible to enjoy healthier options. A nutrition expert offers some tips as moviegoers return to theaters after a pandemic hiatus. “The experience of going to the movies and focusing on what you’re watching rather than what you’re eating can create this sort of mindless binging of unhealthy snacks,” said Courtney Ford, a senior registered dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “One of the best things you can do is be intentional with what you order so you don’t eat more than you actually want to,” she said in a college news release. Popcorn is a whole grain that doesn’t dramatically affect blood sugar. It’s the healthiest item most often available at the theater, Ford said. But beware: Heavy salt and butter can offset its benefits. Chocolate-covered nuts are a great choice, she said. They offer protein. They’re also heart-healthy and have less sugar than chocolate-covered fruit. Some theaters have more on the menu. When they do, Ford suggests looking for items that combine a protein with a carbohydrate, such as a hot dog or a grilled chicken sandwich or wrap. Items high in protein will keep you full longer than less substantial foods. Stay away from the candy section, Ford urged. They pose the most health problems. “Snacks… read on > read on >

Researchers think they’ve figured out why the COVID vaccine causes heart inflammation in an extremely small number of teenage boys — and what might be done to avoid it. The second dose of COVID vaccine appears to promote a severe inflammatory response in these teens, setting off a cascade of events that causes myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), the researchers reported. Such a reaction probably can be avoided by allowing more time between the first and second doses, noted senior researcher Carrie Lucas, an associate professor of immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine, in New Haven, Conn. “Our results fit with what others have found in clinical data thinking about the timing of the vaccine,” Lucas said. “When you space out the second dose of the vaccine, you will reduce that amount of cytokine and bystander immune activation, and potentially reduce the risk of myocarditis.” The study also rules out two other possible reasons why the second shot might cause myocarditis. Neither vaccine-induced antibodies nor an allergic reaction to the vaccine seems to be causing the heart inflammation, based on the evidence found in the blood samples studied, said co-researcher Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine. “This study really sheds light on which of these three hypotheses is likely going on, which is the inflammation-induced myocarditis,” Iwasaki… read on > read on >

In trying to untangle the mysteries of long COVID, researchers have found anxiety and depression may play a role for some of those with the lingering condition. In the study from researchers at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), patients who perceived that they had thinking difficulties during COVID infection were also more likely to have lingering physical symptoms than those who did not report thinking issues. About one-third of people with long COVID symptoms perceived they had thinking deficits, which have been found to be related to anxiety and depression. These findings suggest that psychological issues such as anxiety or depressive disorders play a part in some people experiencing long COVID. “This perception of cognitive [thinking] deficits suggests that affective issues — in this case anxiety and depression — appear to carry over into the long COVID period,” said senior study author Dr. Neil Wenger. He is a professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “This is not to say that long COVID is all in one’s head, but that it is likely not a single condition and that for some proportion of patients there is likely a component of anxiety or depression that is exacerbated by the disease,” Wenger explained in a university news release. To study… read on > read on >

Chronic tendon issues are a frequent source of pain and can limit activity. They become more common with age, weight and certain activities, and early and appropriate diagnosis by a doctor is critical to get the best outcomes. The Achilles tendon is the biggest tendon in the human body. It connects the calf to the foot, and it is responsible for push-off power. The tendon is critical for stability during standing, walking, running and other activities. During muscle contraction, the tendon functions as a rope. It has elasticity to generate the tension required to handle the force of six times a person’s body weight. What is Achilles tendinitis? Over time, the tendon can become strained, injured or inflamed. On a day-to-day basis, people put stress on their Achilles tendon. A healthy tendon will handle this stress, repair any “microtears,” and a patient will have no symptoms. But over time, for various reasons, the Achilles tendon will develop inflammation and microtearing that will outpace the body’s ability to repair and heal the damage, and the patient will develop symptoms including pain, discomfort, soreness and swelling. This is Achilles tendinitis, and I often treat such cases here at Yale Medicine Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation. In reality, Achilles tendinitis is not just inflammation of the tendon, as the name implies. Achilles tendinitis is the accumulation of degenerative changes in… read on > read on >

While a lot of research has focused on autism in children, much less effort goes toward studying adults with autism. Now, two new reports find this group is at substantial risk for age-related physical conditions and injuries, as well as being particularly susceptible to certain mental health issues including loneliness, social isolation and lower quality of life. “There is accumulating evidence suggesting that when autistic individuals get older, they face considerable challenges from co-existing physical conditions,” said researcher Shengxin Liu, a PhD student at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. “For instance, there was evidence on obesity and epilepsy, but the research among older autistic adults remains scarce, accounting for less than 1% of published studies in autism research.” In the study on physical health, Liu and other researchers from two Swedish universities reviewed data on people born between 1932 and 1967 in Sweden, excluding those who died or emigrated before age 45. The team followed them from age 45 through the end of 2013, looking at 39 physical conditions associated with age. The investigators found that older adults with autism had higher risks of a range of conditions, including heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), osteoarthritis, anemia, glucose dysregulation (a blood sugar level that fluctuates abnormally) and self-harm. Other conditions commonly seen were type 2 diabetes, falls, spinal issues and problems in the… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Oil & Gas Production Takes Toll in U.S. Lives, Health Costs

Everyday Internet Use by Older Adults Might Help Keep Dementia at Bay

Quitting Smoking Earlier Is Always Better for Lung Cancer Survival

Obesity Can Raise Odds for Post-Surgical Complications

One Financial Tip to a Longer, Happier Marriage

Movies in Theaters Are Back: How to Snack Healthy

Science Reveals Cause of Rare Heart Trouble in Young Men Who Get COVID Vaccines

Mind May Hold Clues to Your Risk of Long COVID

Achilles Tendinitis: What Is It, and What Are the Treatments?

Autism in Older Adults: Studies Show Higher Rates of Mental, Physical Ills