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Song Lyrics Matter When Managing Your Mood, Study Says

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(HealthDay New) — Looking for a little uplift from Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” or “Happy” by Pharrell Williams? Or perhaps you’re in a reflective mood and would rather hear “Forever Young” by Alphaville or “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper. People turn to music to cope, and a new study focused on the COVID-19 lockdowns reveals that lyrics matter as much as melody when grappling with the feels. Listeners turn to lyrics to reflect their internal states, whether to process sorrow, feel less alone or give themselves a boost, researchers report in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. “This research offers a new perspective on how people use music not just for entertainment, but as a meaningful tool for emotional self-regulation,” researcher Roni Granot, an associate professor of musicology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, said in a news release. “Lyrics embedded in music often give voice to emotions that are difficult to express — grief, remembrance, and hope among them,” she said. For the study, researchers relied on data gathered from an online poll of more than 5,600 people between June and November 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic. The people came from 11 countries severely affected by the epidemic — Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. As part of the…  read on >  read on >

Novo Nordisk, U.S. Biotech Company Team Up to Create Obesity Pills

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Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is teaming up with California-based biotech Septerna to develop new pills to treat obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases. The deal could be worth up to $2.2 billion for Septerna. This includes more than $200 million in upfront and short-term milestone payments, plus future rewards tied to research, development and sales. Septerna will also get royalties on any future product sales, The Wall Street Journal reported. Novo Nordisk will pay all the research and development costs for the project. The U.S. biotech company has developed a platform that finds and develops drugs that target special proteins called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). These proteins help pass chemicals from outside cells to the inside. Many major drugs on the market today also target GPCRs. Novo Nordisk’s best-known drug, Wegovy, targets a GPCR called GLP-1. Eli Lilly’s popular weight-loss drug Zepbound targets both GLP-1 and another GPCR called GIP. “Septerna has demonstrated strong capabilities in GPCR drug discovery,” Marcus Schindler, chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk, told The Wall Street Journal. “We are excited about the opportunity to develop oral small molecule medicines directed at multiple targets,” he added. The two companies plan four programs to create pills that target GPCRs, including GLP-1, GIP and glucagon — which are important proteins involved in blood sugar and appetite control, The WSJ said. Right…  read on >  read on >

Novo Nordisk, U.S. Biotech Company Team Up to Create Obesity Pills

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Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is teaming up with California-based biotech Septerna to develop new pills to treat obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases. The deal could be worth up to $2.2 billion for Septerna. This includes more than $200 million in upfront and short-term milestone payments, plus future rewards tied to research, development and sales. Septerna will also get royalties on any future product sales, The Wall Street Journal reported. Novo Nordisk will pay all the research and development costs for the project. The U.S. biotech company has developed a platform that finds and develops drugs that target special proteins called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).  These proteins help pass chemicals from outside cells to the inside. Many major drugs on the market today also target GPCRs. Novo Nordisk’s best-known drug, Wegovy, targets a GPCR called GLP-1. Eli Lilly’s popular weight-loss drug Zepbound targets both GLP-1 and another GPCR called GIP. “Septerna has demonstrated strong capabilities in GPCR drug discovery,” Marcus Schindler, chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk, told The Wall Street Journal. “We are excited about the opportunity to develop oral small molecule medicines directed at multiple targets,” he added. The two companies plan four programs to create pills that target GPCRs including GLP-1, GIP and glucagon — which are important proteins involved in blood sugar and appetite control, The WSJ said. Right…  read on >  read on >

Toxic Metals Found in All Rice Samples in New Report

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A new report says rice sold in U.S. stores contains toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. The report — released by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures — found arsenic in 100% of rice samples tested from stores in 20 metro areas, including New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, CBS News reported. What’s more, 1 in 4 samples exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) arsenic limit for infant rice cereal, which is 100 parts per billion (ppb). That rule was set in 2021, but it only applies to rice cereal made for babies — not to the rice that the rest of the family eats. “No such limit exists for rice itself — the bags and boxes of rice served at family meals — despite it being widely consumed by infants and toddlers,” the authors note. The study tested 145 popular brands of rice, including Trader Joe’s and Ben’s and Goya. On average, total heavy metal levels across the samples ranged from 63 to 188 ppb, with some going as high as 240 ppb, CBS News said. Arsenic showed up at the highest levels, followed by cadmium. Lead and mercury were found in smaller amounts. Responding to the report, the USA Rice Federation acknowledged consumers’ concerns. “We know that arsenic in food is alarming for many consumers and that you may…  read on >  read on >

Toxic Metals Found in All Rice Samples in New Study

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A new report says rice sold in U.S. stores contains toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. The report — released by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures — found arsenic in 100% of rice samples tested from stores in 20 metro areas, including New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, CBS News reported. What’s more, 1 in 4 samples exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) arsenic limit for infant rice cereal, which is 100 parts per billion (ppb).  That rule was set in 2021, but it only applies to rice cereal made for babies — not to the rice that the rest of the family eats. “No such limit exists for rice itself — the bags and boxes of rice served at family meals — despite it being widely consumed by infants and toddlers,” the authors note.  The study tested 145 popular brands of rice, including Trader Joe’s and Ben’s and Goya. On average, total heavy metal levels across the samples ranged from 63 to 188 ppb, with some going as high as 240 ppb, CBS News said.  Arsenic showed up at the highest levels, followed by cadmium. Lead and mercury were found in smaller amounts. Responding to the report, the USA Rice Federation acknowledged consumers’ concerns. “We know that arsenic in food is alarming for many consumers and that you may…  read on >  read on >

‘Mini-Strokes’ Linked To Long-Lasting Fatigue

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A temporary “mini-stroke” can have a lasting effect on the victim’s life for as much as a year, a new study says. Prolonged fatigue is common in people who’ve suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), researchers reported May 14 in the journal Neurology. More than half of the people who suffered a TIA reported significant fatigue that lasted up to a year, the duration of the study, researchers said. Transient ischemic attacks are referred to as “mini-strokes” because they involve a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain that does not result in permanent brain damage, as does a full-fledged stroke, researchers said. “People with a transient ischemic attack can have symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech and these resolve within a day,” said senior researcher Dr. Boris Modrau, a clinical associate professor at Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark. “However, some have reported continued challenges including reduced quality of life, thinking problems, depression, anxiety and fatigue,” Modrau said in a news release. “Our study found that for some people, fatigue was a common symptom that lasted up to one year after the transient ischemic attack.” For the new study, researchers followed for a year 354 people with an average age of 70 who suffered a mini-stroke. Patients completed questionnaires about their fatigue levels within the first two weeks of their…  read on >  read on >

‘Mini-Strokes’ Linked To Long-Lasting Fatigue

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A temporary “mini-stroke” can have a lasting effect on the victim’s life for as much as a year, a new study says. Prolonged fatigue is common in people who’ve suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), researchers reported May 14 in the journal Neurology. More than half of the people who suffered a TIA reported significant fatigue that lasted up to a year, the duration of the study, researchers said. Transient ischemic attacks are referred to as “mini-strokes” because they involve a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain that does not result in permanent brain damage, as does a full-fledged stroke, researchers said. “People with a transient ischemic attack can have symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech and these resolve within a day,” said senior researcher Dr. Boris Modrau, a clinical associate professor at Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark. “However, some have reported continued challenges including reduced quality of life, thinking problems, depression, anxiety and fatigue,” Modrau said in a news release. “Our study found that for some people, fatigue was a common symptom that lasted up to one year after the transient ischemic attack.” For the new study, researchers followed for a year 354 people with an average age of 70 who suffered a mini-stroke. Patients completed questionnaires about their fatigue levels within the first two weeks of their…  read on >  read on >

Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Out for Season With Torn Achilles

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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will miss the rest of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon. The team announced Tuesday that Tatum had surgery to repair the injury. Tatum, 27, was hurt in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game four playoff loss to the New York Knicks. He fell while chasing a loose ball and grabbed his right leg. Tatum had to be taken to the locker room in a wheelchair, NBC News said in a report. Before the injury, Tatum was playing his best game. He scored 42 points, shot 57.1%, and added eight rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes. The Celtics were down by nine points when he left the game. Tatum is one of the National Basketball Association’s top stars under 30. In eight seasons with Boston, he has earned six All-Star selections and three All-NBA First Team honors. He was named MVP of the 2023 All-Star Game and helped Boston win the 2024 NBA title, their first since 2008. He also holds two Olympic gold medals, NBC News said. The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to the heel bone and is the largest tendon in the body, according to Mass General Brigham. It helps with walking, running and jumping.  A rupture, or a complete tear, often happens suddenly during physical activity and can cause sharp pain, swelling and…  read on >  read on >

Sports, Exercise Protects Mental Health Of Growing Kids

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Exercise and sports appear to help kids avoid mental health problems as they grow into young adults, a new study says. Young children who participated in sports teams and physical education classes were less likely to develop problems like depression, anxiety and addiction as they aged into teenagers, researchers reported May 13 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. For every hour per day a child exercised at age 11, they had a 12% lower risk of being diagnosed with any mental health problem before age 18, results show. “Physical activity could be used as a strategy for the prevention of mental health problems, especially before and during adolescence, and should spark increased interest among policymakers and motivate healthcare professionals to incorporate physical activity in treatment programs,” concluded the research team led by Dr. Oskar Lundgren, an adjunct associate professor with Linköping University Hospital in Sweden. For the study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 16,400 children born in Sweden between October 1997 and October 1999. Parents reported their children’s physical activity levels and organized sports participation at the ages of 5, 8 and 11, and their mental health was tracked up to the age of 18. In all, 15% of the children were diagnosed with at least one mental health issue, and 4% had three or more. Results showed clear differences in the benefits of…  read on >  read on >