Symbravo can rapidly eliminate migraine pain within two hours, with efficacy sustained through 24 and 48 hours, across migraine pain severity read on >
FDA Approves Symbravo for Acute Treatment of Migraine in Adults
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FDA Approves Susvimo for Diabetic Macular Edema
Approval marks the first and only continuous delivery treatment as an alternate to regular eye injections read on >
Kids Consume More Mature Media When Parents Overuse Screens
Yikes! The way parents use their phones around their kids may influence how much inappropriate content kids consume. Researchers reported Feb. 4 in the journal BMC Pediatrics that the odds of kids watching R-rated movies or playing mature-rated video games rose with higher parental screen use and inconsistent family media rules. The study analyzed data from more than 10,000 12- and 13-year-olds who were part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. “We wanted to explore parent rules and adolescents’ exposure to mature content because there’s a lack of research to guide parents of young adolescents on media use,” lead author Dr. Jason Nagata told CNN in an email. “While the American Academy of Pediatrics provides general recommendations for ages 5 to 18, young adolescents are at a unique developmental stage — they’re not little kids anymore, but they’re also not fully independent teens,” Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, added. Parents in the study answered a 14-item questionnaire, rating their agreement with statements such as, “I try to limit how much I use a screen-based device when I am with my child” on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Meanwhile, kids self-reported how often they watched R-rated movies and played mature-rated video games, using a 0-to-3 scale (never to… read on > read on >
Diabetic ‘Yo-yo’ Dieting Can Harm Kidneys
“Yo-yo” dieting — repeatedly losing and gaining weight — can significantly increase risk of kidney disease among people with type 1 diabetes, a new study warns. Diabetics with greater weight fluctuations experienced a 40% decline in their kidneys’ ability to filter toxins from the blood, researchers reported Feb. 4 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. “We showed that high body-weight variability is associated with increased risk of different outcomes of diabetic kidney disease progressions (DKD) in people with type 1 diabetes, independently of traditional DKD risk factors,” lead researcher Dr. Marion Camoin with the University Hospital Center Bordeaux in France said in a news release. “To our knowledge, this is the first study showing this association,” Camoin added. As many as 35% of men and 55% of women yo-yo diet, and this pattern of weight loss and regain has been shown to increase risk of heart disease in both healthy people and people with diabetes, researchers said in background notes. Type 1 diabetes has long been considered a disease of lean people, but obesity is becoming more common in that group as well as the general public, researchers said. For the study, researchers examined six years of body weight data for more than 1,400 people participating in a long-term diabetes health study. The team compared weight fluctuation with six criteria that show how… read on > read on >
Everyone’s Happiest In The Morning, Study Says
Never mind the grumbles and groans that accompany a clock alarm, along with a lunge for the snooze bar and murmurs of “five more minutes.” People generally wake in their best frame of mind, enjoying peak mental health and wellbeing in the morning, researchers reported in a new study published Feb. 4 in BMJ Mental Health. They also tend to feel worst around midnight, with the day of the week and season of the year also playing a role, researchers found. “Generally, things do indeed seem better in the morning,” concluded a team led by Feifei Bu, a principal research fellow in behavioral science and health at University College London. These results don’t just give a better insight into how people’s moods change throughout the day, researchers said. They also can help guide future efforts to track and treat people’s mental health, since the time of day can influence how a person might feel. “Our findings indicate the importance of considering time, day and season in mental health and well-being research,” the team wrote. “These factors should also be considered for the design and delivery of interventions, as well as the planning and provision of public health services.” For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 49,000 people who participated in a social study related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, which began in… read on > read on >
‘Good’ Cholesterol Could Be Bad For Glaucoma
The cholesterol that’s good for your heart health might be bad for your eye health, and vice versa, a new study says. “Good” HDL cholesterol appears to increase risk of glaucoma in people older than 55, researchers reported Feb. 4 in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Conversely, “bad” LDL cholesterol might be associated with a lower risk of glaucoma, researchers report. “HDL cholesterol has been regarded as the ‘good cholesterol’ for seven decades. However, this study demonstrates that high levels of HDL cholesterol are not consistently associated with a favorable prognostic outcome,” concluded the research team led by senior investigator Zhenzhen Liu, an associate professor with the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdon, China. LDL cholesterol contributes to plaque build-up in the arteries, which can eventually lead to heart disease, heart attack or stroke, according to the American Heart Association. On the other hand, HDL cholesterol helps heart health by carrying some LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where the LDL cholesterol is broken down and excreted, the AHA says. Abnormally high levels of fats in the bloodstream have previously been linked to eye conditions like macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, researchers said in background notes. But findings related to glaucoma have been inconsistent. Glaucoma causes fluid to build up within the eye, with the increasing pressure… read on > read on >
Scientists Find More Microplastics in Human Brains
Tiny microplastics are making their way into the human brain, and new research suggests the problem is getting worse. The new study, published Feb. 3 in the journal Nature, found that brain samples collected in 2024 contained significantly more microplastics than those taken eight years earlier. Researchers say the amount of plastic in the brain has increased by about 50% — the equivalent of an entire plastic spoon in weight. “Compared to autopsy brain samples from 2016, that’s about 50% higher,” he said. “That would mean that our brains today are 99.5% brain and the rest is plastic,” co-lead author Matthew Campen, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, told CNN. Researchers also found that people with dementia had even higher levels of microplasticsplastic fragments in their brains — three to five times more than those without dementia. “It’s a little bit alarming, but remember that dementia is a disease where the blood brain barrier and clearance mechanisms are impaired,” Campen said. Microplastics — tiny fragments of plastic that come from products like water bottles, food packaging and synthetic fabrics — have been found in major organs, including the lungs, heart, liver and even the placenta. But scientists are still trying to understand how they affect the body. “The biggest question is, ‘OK, what are these particles doing to… read on > read on >
Many Americans Misguided On Daily Aspirin, Survey Finds
Many Americans don’t see anything wrong with taking daily low-dose aspirin, even though experts have concluded its risks outweigh its benefits, a new survey has found. Nearly half (48%) of people incorrectly think that the benefits of taking low-dose aspirin daily to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke outweigh the risks, according to the survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. “Habits backed by conventional wisdom and the past advice of health care providers are hard to break,” Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the center’s director, said in a news release. “Knowing whether taking a low-dose aspirin daily is advisable or not for you is vital health information,” she added. For years, healthy seniors were advised to take low-dose aspirin to reduce heart attack and stroke risk. The rationale was that aspirin acts as a blood thinner, reducing the risk that a blood clot could cause a heart attack or stroke by clogging an artery. But in 2019, the leading heart groups — the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association — reversed that recommendation in a set of new guidelines. The groups concluded that daily aspirin for healthy seniors 70 and older wasn’t worth the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. “If you’re over 70, taking aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke could do more harm… read on > read on >
Ultra-Processed Foods Make Up Nearly Half of Calories for Canadian Kids
Canadian youngsters are munching loads of ultra-processed foods, increasing their lifelong risk of obesity, a new study says. “We saw that ultra-processed foods contributed to almost half of a child’s total daily energy intake,” senior researcher Kozeta Miliku, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, said in a news release. About 45% of the total daily energy intake for Canadian 3-year-olds came from ultra-processed foods, researchers reported in a new study published Jan. 31 in JAMA Network Open. And higher intake of these foods at age 3 is linked to excess weight, higher body-mass index (BMI) and more body fat by age 5, researchers added. Ultra-processed foods typically are factory-made fare containing high levels of sugar, fat and salt. They’re a patchwork of ingredients, additives and preservatives engineered for flavor and shelf-life. Examples include chicken nuggets, frozen meals, hot dogs, canned soups, potato chips, soft drinks, sugary breakfast cereals, ice cream, packaged breads, flavored yogurts and condiments like ketchup and mayonnaise. As a mother of a 3-year-old, Miliku understands firsthand how hard it is to provide a well-balanced diet while avoiding ultra-processed foods. “Ultra-processed foods are very accessible and a handy solution for busy days,” Miliku said. “We are all doing our best to make sure our children are fed, but there are opportunities for us to improve their diet.” For… read on > read on >
Heart Patients Aren’t Taking Lifesaving Meds
Drugs like blood thinners, cholesterol-lowering statins and blood pressure meds can protect the health and extend the lives of people with heart disease. But only if patients take the drugs — and many around the world aren’t, a new study says. Overall, fewer than half of heart patients from 17 countries who could benefit from these meds are taking them, researchers reported in a new study published Feb. 3 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “Our research indicates that there continues to be substantial under-utilization of these medications with little improvement over time,” lead researcher Dr. Philip Joseph, a scientist at the Population Health Research Institute, a joint institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Canada, said in a news release. As a result, many people are likely dying earlier from heart disease or leading sicker lives than need be, researchers said. “Our findings suggest that current secondary prevention strategies continue to leave the majority of people with cardiovascular disease either untreated or undertreated and highlight the general lack of progress being made to increase the use of secondary cardiovascular prevention medications in most parts of the world,” Joseph said. For the study, researchers tracked more than 11,000 people diagnosed with heart disease, heart attack or stroke ranging in age from 30 to 70. Participants entered the study between 2003… read on > read on >