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There’s yet another reason to quit smoking: It increases the risk of deadly bleeding strokes, a new study warns. Researchers focused on a type of stroke called subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), which occurs when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the skull. This type of stroke mainly affects middle-aged adults and has high rates of complications and death. In this study, researchers analyzed genetic data gathered from more than 408,000 people, ages 40-69, in the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2010. During that time, more than 900 of these strokes occurred. The more people smoked, the greater their risk of SAH. Compared to those who didn’t smoke, those who smoked half a pack to 20 packs of cigarettes a year had a 27% higher risk. Those who smoked more than 40 packs of cigarettes a year had a nearly three times greater risk, according to the findings. The researchers also found that people who were genetically predisposed to smoking — as determined by the researchers’ scoring system — had a 63% increased risk, according to the study. The results were published Jan. 14 in the journal Stroke. “Previous studies have shown that smoking is associated with higher risks of SAH, yet it has been unclear if smoking or another confounding condition such as… read on > read on >

Patients with chronic kidney disease who stop using a class of common blood pressure medications may lower their risk for dialysis, but they also raise their odds of cardiovascular disease, a new study finds. The blood pressure medicines in question are called renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RAS inhibitors), which include both ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). Not sure if you take one of these drugs? ACE inhibitors typically have “pril” as the last syllable in their name (for example, benazepril, captopril or enalapril) while ARBs typically end in “sartan” (candesartan, losartan and valsartan, among others). All of these medicines are commonly used to treat high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, but how safe they are for patients with chronic kidney disease is a matter of debate. “The use of RAS inhibitors in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease is controversial, and many doctors deprescribe them,” study principal investigator Juan Jesus Carrero, professor at the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics at Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said in an institute news release. “Rather than routinely discontinuing treatment, our results show that the issue is a complex one and that doctors must carefully weigh the protective effects of RAS inhibitors on the cardiovascular system against the potential harms on the kidneys,” Carrero said. According to study first author Dr. Edouard… read on > read on >

Two types of air pollution declined in cities around the world during initial COVID-19 lockdowns, but one type increased, a new study finds. Researchers assessed changes in levels of nitrogen dioxide, ozone and fine particulate (PM2.5) air pollution during lockdowns in 11 cities: Beijing and Wuhan in China; Milan; Rome; Madrid; London; Paris; Berlin; New York; Los Angeles; and Delhi, India. After accounting for weather effects, the researchers found that reductions in nitrogen dioxide were smaller than anticipated, while ozone concentrations rose. Nitrogen dioxide is a major air pollutant from vehicle emissions, and is associated with respiratory problems. Ozone is also harmful to health and damages crops, the study authors noted. In addition, the researchers found that PM2.5 concentrations dropped during lockdowns in all cities but London and Paris. PM2.5 can worsen health problems such as asthma and heart disease. The findings were published Jan. 13 in the journal Science Advances. Lead author Zongbo Shi, a professor of atmospheric biogeochemistry at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, said the rapid reduction in economic activity provided a unique opportunity to study the impact of interventions on air quality. “Emission changes associated with the early lockdown restrictions led to abrupt changes in air pollutant levels but their impacts on air quality were more complex than we thought, and smaller than we expected,” he said in… read on > read on >

A rare brain disease that causes loss of language skills doesn’t lead to memory loss, a new study finds. The condition is called primary progressive aphasia and about 40% of people who have it have underlying Alzheimer’s disease, according to researchers. Their study was published online Jan. 13 in the journal Neurology. “While we knew that the memories of people with primary progressive aphasia were not affected at first, we did not know if they maintained their memory functioning over years,” said study author Dr. M. Marsel Mesulam, director of the Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “This has been difficult to determine because most memory tests rely on verbal skills that these people have lost or are losing,” he said in a journal news release. For the study, Mesulam’s team assessed 17 people with primary progressive aphasia associated with Alzheimer’s disease and 14 people with typical Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss. To test memory skills, participants with primary progressive aphasia were shown pictures of common objects. Ten minutes later, they were shown the same pictures along with others and asked to choose which they had seen before. This test was given initially and then again an average of 2.4 years later. Meanwhile, participants with Alzheimer’s listened to a list of common words and were… read on > read on >

Rising temperatures caused by climate change are contributing to low diet quality and malnutrition among young children in many parts of the world, researchers say. Warmer temperatures now equal or exceed the impact of traditional causes of child malnutrition and low quality diets, such as poverty, poor sanitation and low levels of education, according to investigators from the University of Vermont. “Certainly, future climate changes have been predicted to affect malnutrition, but it surprised us that higher temperatures are already showing an impact,” study co-author Meredith Niles said in a school news release. She’s an assistant professor of nutrition and food sciences and a fellow at the university’s Gund Institute for Environment. The researchers assessed diet diversity among 107,000 children, 5 years and younger, in 19 countries in Asia, Africa and South America, using three decades of temperature, precipitation, socioeconomic, ecological and geographic data. Of the six regions included in the study — Asia, Central and South America, North, West and Southeast Africa — five had significant temperature-related reductions in young children’s diet diversity. Diet diversity is used to measure diet quality and intake of iron, folic acid, zinc and vitamins A and D — all critical for child development. A lack of such nutrients is a cause of malnutrition, which affects one-third of children younger than 5. On average, children in the study had… read on > read on >

It’s a woman’s worst nightmare: You’re having a C-section under anesthesia, but you suddenly become aware of what is happening during your surgery. Now, a new study shows that phenomenon, known as “accidental awareness,” is more common than believed. In fact, it may occur in 1 in 256 women who have obstetric surgery and some may suffer long-term psychological harm. Accidental awareness is when a patient is temporarily conscious during general anesthetic and can remember things that occurred during surgery, such as feeling pain or being unable to move. It’s most likely to occur at the very start or end of a general anesthetic, as the patient is going to sleep or waking up. In this study, researchers analyzed data from more than 3,000 women who had general anesthesia for obstetric procedures at 72 National Health Service hospitals in England. The study authors identified 12 reports of accidental awareness, including seven patients who were distressed and five who felt paralyzed. Two patients described paralysis with pain. Other sensations reported by patients while under anesthesia included tugging, stitching, feelings of dissociation and being unable to breathe. Long-term psychological harm associated with accidental awareness often included symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the study published Jan. 12 in the journal Anaesthesia. “We identified a complex range of risk factors for awareness, including drug types and variations… read on > read on >

Lots of Americans suffer from painful arthritic knees, but a new study finds that wearing the right type of shoe may help ease discomfort. Patients with knee arthritis will achieve greater pain relief by opting for sturdy and supportive shoes rather than flat flexible footwear, researchers in Australia found. “A ‘sturdy supportive shoe’ is a shoe that gives stability to the foot, via motion control features such as arch support,” explained study author Rana Hinman, a professor of physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne. “It also has a thick, cushioned heel and a rigid sole that does not bend easily.” In contrast, Hinman noted, “a ‘flat flexible shoe’ is more lightweight, contains no arch support or motion control features, has a low heel (i.e., flat) with minimal/no cushioning and has a flexible sole that bends easily.” Roughly 1 in 4 adults over the age of 45 has arthritic knees, Hinman noted. One U.S. expert unconnected to the study agreed that “bum knees” will probably feel better with special footwear. “I think it’s pretty intuitive that a structured shoe will be more stable and better for arthritis patients,” said Dr. Jeffrey Schildhorn, an orthopedic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “I’ve found that to be true in my practice and in my life. But this study is the first to really look at… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Smoking Raises Risk for Deadly ‘Bleeding Strokes’

Stopping Common Heart Meds Could Be Risky for Kidney Patients

Lockdowns’ Benefits for Air Quality Weren’t as Big as Thought: Study

Aphasia Affects Brain Similar to Alzheimer’s, But Without Memory Loss

Climate Change Is Spurring Malnutrition in Kids Worldwide

Smoking Raises Risk for Deadly ‘Bleeding Strokes’

Stopping Common Heart Meds Could Be Risky for Kidney Patients

‘Awareness’ Under C-Section Anesthesia May Be Less Rare Than Thought

What Shoes Work Best With Arthritic Knees?

Lockdowns’ Benefits for Air Quality Weren’t as Big as Thought: Study