Weekly Gravy « Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Casey Harrell was losing his ability to speak due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “Not being able to communicate is so frustrating and demoralizing. It is like you are trapped,” said Harrell, 45. But a new brain-computer interface is allowing Harrell to speak to others once more, with his brain providing the words and a computer giving them voice. Four microelectrode arrays implanted into a brain region responsible for coordinating speech detect the words that Harrell wants to say and sends that information to a computer program. During Harrell’s first session, the system took 30 minutes to achieve more than 90% word accuracy with a 50-word vocabulary, researchers said. The decoded words appear on a screen and are read aloud in a voice that sounds like Harrell’s did before he developed ALS. “The first time we tried the system, he cried with joy as the words he was trying to say correctly appeared on screen. We all did,” said researcher Sergey Stavisky, co-director of the University of California, Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab. ALS affects the nerve cells that control movement throughout the body, researchers said. It causes a gradual loss of the ability to stand, walk, use hands and even speak. By the time Harrell entered the study, he had developed weakness in his arms and legs and his speech… read on > read on >

Some comatose patients with severe brain injury might be paying closer attention to their surroundings than previously thought, a new study says. About 1 in 4 patients respond to instructions covertly, with their brains showing activity even though their bodies aren’t moving, researchers found. When asked to imagine opening and closing their hand, those comatose patients displayed brain activity showing that they were repeatedly following this instruction, MRI and EEG brain scans revealed. This shows that some patients with severe brain injury are paying attention to the world around them, said lead researcher Yelena Bodien, an investigator for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery. “These results bring up critical ethical, clinical and scientific questions — such as how can we harness that unseen cognitive capacity to establish a system of communication and promote further recovery?” Bodien said in a hospital news release. For the study, researchers scanned 241 people with brain injury who showed no outward signs of consciousness, such as being able to respond to simple instructions. The study included data from participants in six different sites in the United States, the U.K. and Europe, collected over about 15 years. The patients all had sustained severe brain injuries, often from either a stroke, cardiac arrest or a traumatic event like a car crash. MRI and EEG brain responses showed that 60 of… read on > read on >

When it comes to Medicaid and vision care, how much coverage people get depends on the state in which they live, a new study finds. Most Medicaid enrollees have at least some routine vision coverage, but an estimated 6.5 million adults live in states without comprehensive coverage for routine eye exams, researchers found. Likewise, about 14.6 million adults didn’t have comprehensive coverage for glasses. In all, 20 states do not cover glasses and 35 states do not cover low vision aids. That means even if a person’s eye exam is covered, they often can’t afford the glasses they need to correct their vision, the researchers noted. Medicaid provides health coverage to low-income people and families, and its policies can greatly influence access to vision care. “The positive finding from our study is that most fee-for-service Medicaid programs across the states covered routine eye exams, which are vital for detecting and addressing vision issues early,” said lead researcher Brandy Lipton, an associate professor of health, society and behavior at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). “However, the substantial gaps highlight opportunities for policy changes to enhance coverage and access,” Lipton added in a UCI news release. “Providing comprehensive vision care could have big benefits in terms of health, quality of life and even employment and productivity.” About two-thirds of states with routine vision exam coverage require… read on > read on >

Untreated high blood pressure in your 60s could raise your risk for Alzheimer’s disease later, new research shows. The good news: Simple steps can ease hypertension, researchers said. The global study found that “taking blood pressure medications was associated with decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease throughout later life,” said study lead author Dr. Matthew Lennon, of the University of New South Wales in Australia. “These results suggest that treating high blood pressure as a person ages continues to be a crucial factor in reducing their risk of Alzheimer’s disease.” The findings were published Aug. 14 in the journal Neurology. As Lennon explained in a journal news release, “taking blood pressure medications has also been found in previous research to reduce a person’s risk of dementias overall, but less is known about how blood pressure affects a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease.” Trying to answer that question, his team conducted a “meta-analysis” of data on more than 31,000 people who had been in 14 studies that measured cognitive change and dementia diagnosis over time. Participants came from the United States, but also from a large number of diverse nationalities around the world. A total of 1,415 cases of Alzheimer’s disease were diagnosed among the group over an average follow-up of four years. Overall, 9% of participants were found to have untreated high blood pressure, the… read on > read on >

Low-paid employees under crushing work stress have a nearly doubled risk of developing a dangerous heart rhythm disorder, a new study finds. White-collar workers with high-stress, low-reward jobs have a 97% increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation, which increases a person’s risk of stroke and heart failure, researchers report. “Our study suggests that work-related stressors may be relevant factors to include in preventive strategies” targeting heart disease, said senior study author Xavier Trudel, an occupational and cardiovascular epidemiologist at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. For the study, Trudel and his colleagues analyzed data on more than 5,900 Canadian workers gathered during a research project from 1991 to 2018. The employees were asked about their work stress, and medical records revealed that 186 of the workers had developed atrial fibrillation, or A-Fib. About 19% of those with A-Fib said they had high job stress, while another 25% said their work wasn’t being adequately rewarded with recognition or better pay. About 10% said they had stress and also felt poorly rewarded for their work. Those with high job stress had an 83% increased risk of A-Fib compared those not stressed by work, results show. Likewise, those who felt poorly rewarded had a 44% increased risk of A-Fib, compared to those who felt work was treating them fairly. And those with both stressors had a 97% increased risk… read on > read on >

Black employees in a toxic workplace are more susceptible to depression and sleep loss than whites are, according to new research. Black workers being mistreated by employers got an estimated 100 fewer minutes of sleep per night than white workers or Black people not enduring mistreatment did, results showed. They also were more likely to develop symptoms of depression, researchers found. Follow-up research revealed this response could be due to America’s history of racial prejudice, the researchers said. Mistreated black employees were nearly eight times more likely to perceive prejudice attributed to their race than mistreated white employees were, researchers found. White employees were less likely to attribute mistreatment to race and were able to more easily shake it off, results showed. “Our findings are not intended to put the onus on Black employees for being too sensitive, but to inform organizations that mistreatment is experienced within the context of one’s identity,” said researcher Erik Gonzalez-Mule, chair of management and entrepreneurship with the Indiana University School of Business. “Organizations must strive to create an inclusive workplace for their Black employees and should find ways to reduce workplace mistreatment, for example, by implementing accountability measures or encouraging bystander intervention,” Gonzalez-Mule added in a university news release. For this study, the team first analyzed data gathered from more than 3, 500 people as part of a study… read on > read on >

Americans continue to rank dead last in life expectancy among English-speaking countries, a new study finds. People in the United States more often fall prey at younger ages to accidental deaths, homicides and chronic diseases, researchers reported Aug. 13 in the BMJ Open journal. On the other hand, Australians had the longest life expectancy of any English speakers, despite their country teeming with deadly sharks, spiders and snakes. Australian life expectancy is nearly four more years longer than the United States for women and five more years longer for men. The United States also trails Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and New Zealand in life expectancy, researchers found. However, they said the findings should be seen as an incentive for goal-setting for Americans. “Yes, we’re doing badly, but this study shows what can we aim for,” said senior researcher Jessica Ho, an associate professor of sociology and demography at Penn State. “We know these gains in life expectancy are actually achievable because other large countries have already done it.” For the study, researchers compared life expectancy between English-speaking nations using data from the World Health Organization and the international Human Mortality Database. The data showed that the United States has had the worst life expectancy among these countries since the early 1990s. U.S. women live an average of 81.5 years, and men 76.5 years, researchers… read on > read on >

Natural grass playing fields pose a greater concussion risk for young football players than artificial turf, a new study shows. Athletes who sustained a concussion on grass reported more than 10 symptoms, on average, compared with about six for those injured on artificial turf, researchers found. Players on natural grass fields also had an average concussion symptom severity score of more than 26, compared with under 12 for those injured on artificial turf. “Many natural grass fields, especially at the youth level, may not be well maintained and can be harder and less forgiving than modern artificial turf, which has evolved significantly from the old, hard fields of the past,” said lead researcher C. Munro Cullum, a professor of psychiatry, neurological surgery and neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. For the study, researchers analyzed data on 62 middle school, high school and college players, ages 10 to 24. All of the players sustained a helmet-to-ground concussion during practice or play, and then went to a specialty concussion clinic within 14 days of their injury. Of the players, 33 were injured on natural grass and 29 on artificial turf, researchers said. Seven major symptoms were more likely to occur following a concussion on grass, researchers found. They included: Dizziness Blurred vision Sensitivity to noise Feeling in a fog Difficulty remembering Fatigue or low energy… read on > read on >

Not all babies born prematurely will suffer long-term developmental problems, a new study finds. Preemies tend to fall into three risk categories, with about one in five (20%) scoring above average on standard cognitive tests, researchers reported Aug. 13 in the journal Child Development. A second profile representing 41% of preemies scored above normal on tests of memory, vocabulary and reading, but below average on tests of pattern recognition and working memory, researchers said. And a third profile representing nearly 40% of preemies scored below normal on all tests, suffering both cognitive and attention deficits. “Our study dispels the notion that every preterm child is born with cognitive and behavioral deficits,” said lead researcher Iris Menu, a post-doctoral scholar of child and adolescent psychiatry with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. About 13 million babies are born prematurely each year, and preterm birth has been linked to a higher risk of ADHD, problems with social development and lower grades, researchers said in background notes. But the tendency to lump preemies into a single group hinders efforts to tailor care for any one child, they added. For the study, researchers analyzed cognitive and behavioral data for nearly 1,900 boys and girls born prematurely who had reached 9 to 11 years of age. The team found that children who fell within the first… read on > read on >

Many nonsmokers have lung nodules that have been linked to lung cancer, a new study warns. About 42% of nonsmokers or former smokers have at least one lung nodule, which is a small mass of dense tissue that may be cancerous, according to chest CT scans performed on more than 10,400 people aged 45 and older. Further, about 11% of participants had larger lung nodules measuring 6 to 8 millimeters that will require close medical scrutiny, researchers said. “This was higher than we expected and even similar to the prevalence reported in high-risk populations of smokers,” said senior researcher Dr. Rozemarijn Vliegenthart, a professor of cardiothoracic imaging at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands. The older people are, the greater their odds of having both more lung nodules and larger nodules, results showed. Men were more likely than women to both have lung nodules and have multiple nodules, researchers noted. Most of the lung nodules weren’t cancerous, Vliegenthart stressed. “The incidence of lung cancer in this population is very low, 0.3%, suggesting that most of the clinically relevant and even actionable nodules in a nonsmoking cohort are benign,” Vliegenthart said in a university news release. However, their presence will require follow-up scans and examination under current cancer screening guidelines, the researchers said. The new study was published Aug. 13 in the journal Radiology.… read on > read on >

Weekly Gravy

Look Good – Feel Good – Feed Good

A little about: Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Brain-Computer Combo Lets Mute Man With ALS ‘Talk’ Again

1 in 4 Brain Injured Patients Who Seem Unresponsive Have ‘Covert’ Consciousness

Need a Low-Cost Eye Exam, Glasses? The State You Live In Is Key

High Blood Pressure Raises Odds for Alzheimer’s Disease

Work Stress May Help Bring on A-Fib

Workplace Mistreatment Takes Tougher Mental Toll on Black Employees

US Still Last for Life Expectancy Among English-Speaking Countries

Natural Grass or Artificial: One Is Worse for Football Concussions

Not Born Equal: Preemie Babies Fall Into 3 Risk Categories

Many Nonsmokers Have Lung Nodules Linked to Cancer Risk