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Factors like sleep, energy levels and stress can predict the onset of a migraine headache, a new study finds. Those factors differed from the morning to the afternoon and evening, however. Poor perceived sleep quality, lower-than-usual quality of sleep and lower-than-usual energy levels are associated with a morning migraine, according to the report published online Jan. 24 in the journal Neurology. Conversely, afternoon and evening migraines are tied to increased stress levels or higher-than-usual energy levels the day before. “These different patterns of predictors of morning and later-day headaches highlight the role of the circadian rhythms in headache,” said study author Kathleen Merikangas, chief of the Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). “The findings may give us insight into the processes underlying migraine and help us improve treatment and prevention.” For the study, researchers tracked potential predictors of a migraine among 477 people ages 7 through 84. Nearly half the participants had a history of migraines, and about three out of five had at least one morning migraine during the study. The participants rated their mood, energy, stress and headaches four times a day for two weeks, using a mobile app. They also rated their sleep quality once a day, and wore activity monitors to track their sleep and physical activity. Results showed that poor perceived sleep quality came… read on > read on >

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24, 2024 (Healthday News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has told drugmakers to add a boxed warning to a type of cancer treatment called CAR-T therapy, saying the treatment itself may sometimes cause a secondary cancer. Still, FDA spokesperson Carly Kempler told NBC News that, despite the new warning, “the overall benefits of these products continue to outweigh their potential risks.” Twenty-five reports of rare blood cancers in patients who had gotten CAR-T therapy prompted the agency to add the boxed warning, Kempler said. CAR-T therapy uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight blood cancers such as leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma. Immune cells are harvested from the patient and then genetically altered in a lab to make them target cancer cells. Once tweaked, the immune cells are infused back into the patient. It’s a powerful therapy: In 2022, doctors who had treated two leukemia patients with CAR-T a decade ago reported that the treatment had essentially cured the patients. “This has been a game changer when we think about treating lymphoma and other diseases,” Dr. Matthew Frigault, clinical director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cellular Immunotherapy Program, told NBC News. In 2017, the first CAR-T therapy, Novartis’ drug Kymriah, was approved by the FDA. Another five therapies have since been approved. The makers of five of these drugs — Bristol Myers Squibb, for Abecma… read on > read on >

The American Lung Association’s annual report on smoking blasts President Joe Biden for failing to finalize rules that would end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. Last month, the Biden administration announced it was delaying until March a ban on menthol cigarettes that has been in the works for years. In response, the lung association’s “State of Tobacco Control” report released Wednesday takes Biden to task for this decision. “Right now, President Biden can take action and save lives if he finalizes the rules to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars,” Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the lung association, said in a news release. “Menthol cigarettes make it both easier to start and harder to quit by reducing the harshness of the smoke and cooling the throat,” Wimmer explained. “Once these rules are final, fewer people will start smoking, millions will begin their journey to quit and lives will be saved.” Menthol cigarettes pose a serious political problem for Biden, who needs the support of Black voters to win re-election. Black people are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than smokers of other races or ethnicities, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. For example, about 7 in 10 Black adults ages 18 to 34 who currently smoke cigarettes use ones flavored with menthol, compared to… read on > read on >

Could a blood pressure drug thats been around since the 1960s help ease anxiety in people with autism? That’s the main finding from a small study where 69 people between the ages of 7 and 24 who had autism were given the drug, called propranolol. “The findings show that propranolol could serve as a helpful intervention for reducing anxiety for individuals with autism,” said study lead author Dr. David Beversdorf. He’s a clinician at the University of Missouri’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. “This drug has been around since the 1960s and is very inexpensive,” he noted in a university news release. “Up until now, we haven’t had any known drugs that target psychiatric issues specifically for individuals with autism, so these results are very promising and can support future research.” The study found that people who received propranolol had significantly lower anxiety levels at their three-month checkup. Although the team also checked participants’ social communication skills, no benefits linked to use of propranolol were found. Beversdorf said he’s seen firsthand the benefits of propranolol for people with autism who battle anxiety. “As researchers, we try our best to improve the lives of our patients, and it feels rewarding to help out,” said Beversdorf, who is also a professor of radiology, neurology and psychological sciences at the university. “I went into the field of… read on > read on >

Strange visual disturbances occur early in about 10% of Alzheimer’s cases, and when this happens it almost always signals the impending arrival of the disease, a new study finds. The condition is called posterior cortical atrophy (PCA). It involves a sudden difficulty in performing vision-related tasks — for example writing, judging whether an object is moving or stationary, or easily picking up a dropped item. Everyday tasks like these become difficult despite the fact that a person’s eye exam comes out fine. “We need more awareness of PCA, so that it can be flagged by clinicians,” said study co-lead author Marianne Chapleau, of the University of California, San Francisco’s department of neurology. “Most patients see their optometrist when they start experiencing visual symptoms and may be referred to an ophthalmologist who may also fail to recognize PCA,” she said in a UCSF news release. “We need better tools in clinical settings to identify these patients early on and get them treatment.” To determine just how predictive of dementia PCA might be, Chapleau’s team analyzed data on over 1,000 patients at 36 sites in 16 countries. PCA tended to emerge at a fairly young age — 59, on average. Patients with PCA often failed to accurately copy simple diagrams, had trouble gauging an object’s location or had difficulty visually perceiving more than one object at a… read on > read on >

Alcoholics Anonymous is a key means by which millions of Americans deal with drinking problems. However, white Americans are much more likely to engage in the trusted “12-step” program than Black of Hispanic drinkers, a new study finds. Black and Hispanic alcoholics are about 40% less likely to have ever attended an AA meeting, compared to white drinkers, according to analysis of data from the National Alcohol Survey. Researchers also discovered age-related disparities. Among adults younger than 30, less than 5% had ever attended AA versus about 12% of those 30 and older. After accounting for other factors, younger adults still attended AA at a third of the rate of older adults. “This is concerning, because the disparities suggest that these groups — Black, Latinx and emerging adults — are not receiving optimal care,” said lead researcher Sarah Zemore, a senior scientist with the Alcohol Research Group in Emeryville, Calif. AA and other similar support groups have become a staple for treatment of alcohol and substance use disorders, researchers said in background notes. Research has proven these groups can help people achieve lasting recovery. “It’s known that mutual-help groups can be quite effective in initiating and sustaining recovery,” Zemore said. And in the United States, more Americans turn to AA-type groups than specialty substance abuse treatment programs, Zemore noted. It’s not clear why racial and… read on > read on >

If you decide to see a therapist, finding one who’s right for you presents one of the biggest early hurdles. “The field of psychology, psychiatry and psychotherapy has advanced over the years, and one of the ways it has advanced is by learning that certain therapies may work best for certain problems,” said Eric Storch, vice chair of psychology in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Storch offers some solid tips for finding the best therapist for your needs: Make a Connection You should feel a sense of connection and comfort when disclosing personal information to a therapist. Being able to talk openly and comfortably is a good sign you’ve found the right therapist. What’s the Plan? Expect a therapist to ask questions about your situation at the first meeting, which will help them figure out the problem and create a treatment plan best suited to deal with it. Their plan should align with therapies proven to work for your particular issue. “In psychotherapy, you want to be looking for people who have a particular expertise in a particular type of problem,” Storch said. For example, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder or anxiety might best be served by cognitive-behavioral therapy. Interpersonal problems would require a different type of therapy. Ask Advocates Patient advocacy groups can provide you… read on > read on >

Loneliness can be a killer, but it can be particularly deadly for obese people, who are markedly more likely to experience social isolation. Luckily, a new study shows that addressing it may lower the risk of health complications and an early death for these folks. “To date, dietary and lifestyle factors are the major focus in preventing obesity-related illness,” study author Dr. Lu Qi, interim chair of the department of epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, told CNN. “Our study highlights the importance of taking social and mental health into account in improving health for people with obesity.” Dr. Philipp Scherer, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, wasn’t surprised by the findings. But the results do point to improving “social isolation as a potential remedy for the reduction of mortality,” he told CNN. In the study, researchers looked at data from nearly 400,000 people from the UK BioBank, a large database that has tracked the health of Britons for years. Those included in the research did not have heart disease when the scientists began collecting data for this latest study. They then followed up with the volunteers between March 2006 and November 2021. During that period, all causes of death for people who were obese was 36% lower in those who felt… read on > read on >

Two new strategies using deep brain stimulation can improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, Duke University researchers have found. Doctors can efficiently improve symptoms of Parkinson’s by simultaneously targeting to key brain structures using a newly developed self-adjusting device, researchers recently reported in the journal Brain. For the past two decades, doctors have used deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s, which can include tremors, stiffness, and involuntary writhing movements. The technique involves electrodes inserted into a targeted area of the brain. The electrodes act similarly to a heart pacemaker, delivering electrical pulses that help quell symptoms. The two key brain regions targeted by deep brain stimulation are the subthalamic nucleus and the globus pallidus, “which are two structures in the brain closely associated with movement,” said senior author Dr. Dennis Turner, professor of neurosurgery, neurobiology, and biomedical engineering at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. “There are benefits to both locations on their own depending on the patient’s symptoms,” Turner said in a Duke news release, “but we believed placing the electrodes at both locations could be complementary and help reduce medication doses and side effects, as well as implement a completely new approach to adaptive DBS.” Beside targeting both regions at once, researchers also decided to include a technique called “adaptive DBS.” Traditional DBS involves a doctor setting… read on > read on >

Black people are five times as likely as others to develop glaucoma and up to 15 times more likely to be blinded by the degenerative eye disease. Now, a new study reports that genetics appears to be at least one factor contributing to this increased risk. Researchers have identified three gene variants that could be fueling Black people’s higher glaucoma risk, according to findings published Jan. 18 in the journal Cell. “Our work is an important step toward defining subgroups of glaucoma, providing the capability for early screening and discovering targetable pathways for personalized therapeutic interventions,” said study co-author Rebecca Salowe, a research project manager with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Genetics of Complex Disease in Philadelphia. Glaucoma occurs when fluid pressure starts to increase inside a person’s eye, gradually damaging the optic nerve. For the study, researchers analyzed the genetics of more than 11,200 people of African ancestry. They discovered two gene variants linked to primary open-angle glaucoma, which is the most common form of the disease. Open-angle glaucoma affects as many as nine out of 10 Americans who have glaucoma, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It occurs when resistance builds up in the canals that typically drain excess fluid from the eye. They also found a third variant associated with cup-to-disc ratio, which is a measure of glaucoma severity based on the… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

What Factors Really Predict Migraine Onset?

FDA Warns of Rare Secondary Cancer Risk With CAR-T Therapies

American Lung Association Blasts Biden for Inaction on Menthol Cigarette Ban

Common Heart Drug Might Lower Anxiety in Kids With Autism

Odd Vision Troubles Could Be Early Alzheimer’s Sign

AA Programs Turn Lives Around, But Most Members Are White: Study

Looking for a Good Therapist? Experts Offer Guidance

Treating Loneliness in the Obese May Lower Risk of Early Death

New Advances in Deep Brain Stimulation Treatment for Parkinson’s

Black People Far More Likely to Get Glaucoma, and Genes May Explain Why

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