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TUESDAY, Jan. 10, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is now back in New York. The football player who collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest during a Monday night game in Cincinnati has been released from an Ohio hospital, and will continue his recovery in a Buffalo hospital, the Buffalo Bills football team posted on Twitter. “Mr. Hamlin has been released and returned to Buffalo. I traveled with him to the airport this morning with our UC Health air care and mobile care crew, including teammates who were with us on the field when Mr. Hamlin collapsed,” Dr. William Knight IV, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and director of the Emergency Medicine MLP Program, told CBS News. Hamlin, 24, collapsed after tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. When Hamlin suddenly collapsed and fell backward, on-field medical staff swiftly gave him CPR before he was taken to Cincinnati Medical Center. The game was postponed and later canceled. The Buffalo Bills played the New England Patriots last Sunday. They finished 13-3, which was a half-game behind Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, CBS News reported. The Bills would have been No. 1 seed had they won the unfinished game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills will now play a wild-card round against… read on > read on >

The swimmer came to shore struggling to breathe and coughing up blood. A keen competitive long-distance swimmer and triathlete, the woman was fit and healthy when she started a nighttime open water swim event. But a couple weeks earlier, she’d had breathing difficulties during another open water swim that had forced her to abandon the event. She’d felt breathless for days after. The woman, in her 50s, had fallen prey to what’s becoming better known as a hazard associated with open water swimming – fluid on the lungs, or pulmonary edema. Open water swimming has become very popular, but mounting evidence points to a link between the activity and a condition called swimming-induced pulmonary edema (SIPE), according to Dr. James Oldman, lead author of a study published Jan. 9 in BMJ Case Reports. Oldman is a cardiologist with Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust in the U.K. First reported in 1989, SIPE leaves swimmers struggling to draw breath as fluid collects in the air sacs of the lungs. It affects an estimated 1% to 2% of open water swimmers, but cases are likely to be underreported, Oldman and his colleagues wrote. Older age, long distances, cold water, female gender, high blood pressure and heart disease are among the risk factors for SIPE, the researchers said. However, it often occurs even in those who are… read on > read on >

Children with autism often have difficulty grasping the emotional cues in other people’s voices, and now researchers may have zeroed in on the reason why. In a study of 43 kids with and without autism, researchers were able to trace such difficulties to a particular brain area — one involved in social communication. Experts said the findings suggest that children with autism are processing the sound of vocal emotions without trouble. The stumbling block can arise in interpreting those sounds. Typically, children learn from an early age to link vocal sounds to particular emotions: They know when their parents are happy or sad, even if they do not understand all the words being said. But many children and adults with autism have difficulty “reading” the emotional cues in other people’s voices, which can make communication much trickier. “Having these skills is crucial in navigating our social world,” said Daniel Abrams, one of the lead researchers on the new study. Oftentimes, he noted, people refrain from plainly saying what they’re feeling, and instead signal it in their tone of voice. “The voice can actually tell you more about emotions than a person’s actual words,” said Abrams, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. It’s well known that autism, a developmental brain disorder, impairs communication and social skills to varying degrees. But… read on > read on >

Older women who don’t stick to a set sleep and wake schedule may be more likely to struggle with feelings of depression and anxiety — even if they get a normal amount of zzzs. What’s more, a postmenopausal woman who goes to bed very early and wakes up very early (an “early bird”) or goes to bed late and wakes up later (a “night owl”) is 70% more likely to experience significant depressive symptoms — even with a normal amount of sleep, a new study suggests. The study wasn’t designed to say whether sleep is the chicken, the egg, or both when it comes to mood. “It could definitely be the case that the women in our study who had depressive symptoms had a different type of sleep schedule because they were depressed, or that their depression was causing them to have more irregular sleep-wake patterns,” said study co-author Leslie Swanson. She is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. More research is needed to tease out the cause and effect between sleep and mood, particularly in postmenopausal women, Swanson said. “Women might be more prone to more irregular sleep patterns as they get older due to factors such as retirement from work or aging of the parts of the brain that control the timing of sleep,” she suggested.… read on > read on >

A leading pediatricians’ group has issued new guidelines on treating obesity in children and teens that, for the first time, call for early, aggressive intervention that can include weight-loss drugs and surgery. “There is no evidence that ‘watchful waiting’ or delayed treatment is appropriate for children with obesity,” Dr. Sandra Hassink, an author of the new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines and vice chair of the Clinical Practice Guideline Subcommittee on Obesity, said in a statement. About 20% of U.S. children now live with obesity, about 15 million children altogether, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new guidelines recommend against watching and waiting, instead suggesting families of children aged 6 and up should work with their pediatricians on behavior and lifestyle changes. In some cases, families of children aged 2 to 5 should, too, the guidelines recommend. This should include at least 26 hours of counseling over about a year. The new guidelines also suggest that pediatricians should offer obese children aged 12 and up new weight-loss drugs that include Orlistat, Saxenda, Qsymia and Wegovy. Phentermine is approved for kids over 16 years of age, the guidelines said. “The breakthrough that happened in the last few years was people started realizing that there are hormones made in the gut that have multiple roles related to obesity. By targeting these,… read on > read on >

Military service members who conceal their suicidal thoughts are also more likely to store their guns unsafely, a new study reveals. “These findings highlight a real problem with our suicide prevention system,” said Michael Anestis, lead author of the study and executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “We know that firearms account for the large majority of suicide deaths within the military and that unsecured firearms at home dramatically increase the risk for suicide,” Anestis said in a Rutgers news release. “Here, we found that suicidal service members less likely to be seen as high risk — those that hide their thoughts from others and avoid behavioral health care — tend to be the service members with the most ready access to their firearms,” he added. For the study, the researchers surveyed more than 700 gun-owning service members. These included active-duty service members throughout all military branches and those in the National Guard and Reserves. The investigators focused on 180 service members who had experienced suicidal thoughts within the past year and another group of 85 service members who had experienced suicidal thoughts in the past month. Surveys asked whether they had ever told anyone about their suicidal thoughts, if they had attended any behavioral health sessions within the past three months and the specific… read on > read on >

Giving up nicotine can be a brutal experience that can include everything from physical symptoms, such as headache and nausea, to mood issues, including irritability, anxiety and depression. Yet, it is still possible to get through nicotine withdrawal symptoms with a good plan and specific tools, according to a smoking cessation expert, who offered some suggestions for coping with nicotine withdrawal symptoms. “Nicotine is highly, highly addictive,” said Emma Brett, a staff scientist at University of Chicago Medicine and a group lead in the Courage to Quit program. “Nicotine affects the brain, blood vessels, metabolism. There are effects all throughout the body.” Quitting requires an adjustment period, she stressed. Most commonly, withdrawal symptoms happen in the first week after quitting, peaking at about day three or four, Brett said. Some may experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms for weeks. Some may have few symptoms at all. Using nicotine replacement aids Nicotine replacement products can be helpful to get someone through those initial days, weeks or months. “We know from the research that when people quit and use something like a patch or lozenge or gum, that can almost double the success rate of a quit attempt,” because you’re still getting some nicotine, just it’s delivered in a safe way versus the combustion of a cigarette, Brett said. She suggested staying on the products until having a high… read on > read on >

For the first time in a decade, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed strengthening standards on fine soot in the air, a known contributor to serious health issues. Under the new proposal, standards for fine particulate pollution, known as PM 2.5, would change from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to a level between nine and 10 micrograms per cubic meter. The standards haven’t been altered since 2012. The EPA estimates that with a standard of 9 micrograms per cubic meter, there would be up to 4,200 fewer premature deaths a year, 270,000 fewer lost workdays and as much as $43 billion in net health benefits in 2032. The agency will take comment on the full range of recommendations on soot standards included in the latest report from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, which is between eight and 11 micrograms per cubic meter. These fine pollution particles can penetrate deep into the lungs, triggering asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature death. Children, older adults, those with heart and lung conditions, and minority communities are most affected, the EPA said. “Our work to deliver clean, breathable air for everyone is a top priority at EPA, and this proposal will help ensure that all communities, especially the most vulnerable among us, are protected from exposure to harmful pollution,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said… read on > read on >

When it comes to losing weight, certain foods have a reputation for being all-stars, providing for a body’s nutritional needs while helping keep a person fuller for longer. “You’re looking at plant foods,” said Connie Diekman, a nationally known food and nutrition consultant and former president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “You’re looking at whole grains, vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, seeds.” Though certain diets or special eating plans may limit some of these foods, a healthy diet can include all of them, with an eye toward portion size. Here are some foods to eat to lose weight: Whole grains Whole grains haven’t been stripped of nutrients in processing, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston. Whole grains can also provide a nice balance between protein and carbohydrates, Diekman said. From a weight-loss perspective, these foods contain fiber. “Fiber fills us up and so therefore that blood sugar curve doesn’t drop as rapidly, so you don’t feel the need to eat as often,” Diekman explained. Choices in this category can range quite a bit. There are lesser-known grains like quinoa, millet or bulgur, along with well-known whole wheat breads and pastas, brown rice and oatmeal. Oatmeal got a shout-out recently from the American Heart Association. “It has many, many good qualities,” said Candida Rebello, director of the nutrition and… read on > read on >

A new way of allocating donor lungs that eliminates geographical restrictions could save more lives, new research suggests. In early 2023, the current U.S. system, which looks for compatible candidates within a fixed radius, will be replaced by the Composite Allocation Score. The new score will prioritize a candidate’s medical needs. “The importance of removing the geographical barrier can’t be overstated here,” said study author Dr. Maryam Valapour, senior investigator for lung transplantation at the U.S. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). “The Composite Allocation Score system’s goal of making access to lung transplant more equitable for all candidates in the United States will help reduce waitlist [death rates] and we hope will even improve post-transplant survival over time.” The current system gauges donor and recipient compatibility, geographical restrictions and prioritizes calculated survival after transplant, according to a study led by Valapour and colleagues at the SRTR and the Cleveland Clinic, where she is director of lung transplant outcomes. That system first looks at compatibility within a 250-mile radius. But someone who needs the lungs more quickly may live just outside that boundary. The new system is meant to improve equity in organ allocation by prioritizing a patient’s medical needs and eliminating geographical boundaries. To investigate the potential impact of the change, Valapour’s team tested six alternate scenarios in 10 simulations. They used data from… read on > read on >

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Damar Hamlin Moved to Buffalo Hospital As He Recovers From Cardiac Arrest

Swimmers Face a Little Known Danger: Fluid on the Lungs

Scientists Pinpoint Why People With Autism Struggle to Understand a Speaker’s ‘Tone’

Sleep Key to Good Mental Health for Older Women

Leading Pediatricians’ Group Calls for More Aggressive Treatment of Childhood Obesity

Suicidal Service Members With Guns at Home Often Keep Feelings Secret: Study

Coping With Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

EPA Proposes Tougher Rules on Air Pollution

Stick With These Foods to Help You Lose Weight

There May Be a Better Way to Allocate Precious Donor Lungs for Transplant