Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

An experimental drug may one day be a cure for eczema, a new trial suggests. The drug, rocatinlimab, is a monoclonal antibody that researchers found prevented the recurrence of the symptoms of the skin condition for up to 20 weeks after treatment was stopped. “Patients ask us in the clinic all the time, ‘Can I stop the medication, or can I start doing it much less often?’ Right now we don’t have those medications available,” said lead researcher Dr. Emma Guttman, professor and system chair of dermatology and immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. “Of course, it’s important in adults, but imagine, in the future, how important this is in children. This drug may cause disease modification because it works on memory T-cells,” she explained. The drug works by blocking OX40 — an immune molecule that activates inflammatory cells that play a role in the development of eczema, also called atopic dermatitis. The drug also prevents memory T-cells from storing the key to eczema. “Because it works on memory T-cell formation, the cells that remember that the patient has the disease, maybe these cells will not come back to cause the disease again,” Guttman said. Atopic dermatitis is a debilitating chronic inflammatory skin disease, which often develops at a very young age, causing the skin to become… read on > read on >

Exercise and mindfulness are known for their health benefits, but a new study found that didn’t extend to boosting memory or thinking skills in healthy seniors. That doesn’t mean these activities wouldn’t be beneficial for memory if practiced for a longer period of time or in adults with impairments, the researchers noted, just that there were not apparent benefits during the study. “We know beyond any doubt that exercise is good for older adults, that it can lower risk for cardiac [heart] problems, strengthen bones, improve mood and have other beneficial effects — and there has been some thought that it also might improve cognitive [thinking] function,” said study first author Dr. Eric Lenze. He is head of the department of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Likewise, mindfulness training is beneficial because it reduces stress, and stress can be bad for your brain. Therefore, we hypothesized that if older adults exercised regularly, practiced mindfulness or did both, there might be cognitive benefits — but that’s not what we found,” Lenze said in a university news release. The researchers studied this in 585 adults aged 65 to 84 for up to 18 months. None had been diagnosed with dementia, though all worried about minor memory issues. “Minor memory problems often are considered a normal part of aging, but it’s also normal… read on > read on >

Shortages of the ADHD drug Adderall are expected to continue for months, forcing families to scramble for ways to deal with their children’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The shortage has caused headaches and hassles for parents like San Diego mom Jackie Meader, who has been “flustered, rushed and out of sorts” since her 16-year-old son’s prescription ran out about a month ago. “He’s telling me he’s having trouble at school, can’t focus. He’s struggling, and it’s not just a matter of not being able to focus on things. He’s having trouble staying awake,” Meader told KGTV News in San Diego. An abrupt halt to Adderall treatment can cause physical symptoms like lethargy and fatigue, but some kids might become jittery, said Dr. Anish Dube, chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Children, Adolescents and their Families. It also might cause the child to feel hungry and eat more, since stimulants tend to decrease appetite, Dube said. But mainly, kids who are off their Adderall are likely to have their ADHD symptoms return, Dube said. “Particularly if Adderall had been effective in helping with these symptoms, when you have it being stopped, then you might have a return of the original symptoms that the child had,” Dube said. The FDA first declared a shortage of the immediate-release formulation of Adderall on Oct. 12. The… read on > read on >

Babies born prematurely who are fed formula may need iron supplementation like their breastfed counterparts, new research suggests. “Just because a baby is on iron-rich formula, we should not assume all of their iron needs are being met, since iron from the formula may not have the same absorption as iron from breast milk,” said researcher Grace Power. She is a third-year medical student at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. “These findings suggest we might need to rethink some of the guidelines for iron supplementation,” she said in a news release from the American Society of Hematology. Currently, the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends iron supplementation for breastfed preterm babies, but not for those fed formula because the formula contains more iron than breastmilk. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not offer recommendations on iron supplementation for preterm babies. For the new study, the researchers analyzed health records from 392 infants born before 31 weeks’ gestational age in Nova Scotia from 2005 to 2018. The data set is considered to be representative of the general Canadian population. About three-quarters of the infants in the study were exclusively fed iron-rich formula. The other one-quarter were partially or exclusively breastfed. The investigators gathered data on feeding practices, iron intake from formula and iron supplements, and iron levels in the blood taken at 4 and 6 months of… read on > read on >

It’s tempting to follow the latest trend when it comes to health care, but for patients who live with heart failure, some alternative treatments could have serious consequences. To address the issue, the American Heart Association (AHA) has published a new scientific statement covering a wide range of alternative therapies and their impact on heart failure. It also offers guidance for health care professionals and recommendations for patients. “Patients should talk to their health care team first,” said Dr. Sheryl Chow, who was part of the AHA’s writing group for the statement. The AHA paper offers guidance on supplements such as CoQ10, vitamin D, ginkgo, devil’s claw, fish oil, thiamine, hawthorn, vitamin E, blue cohosh, lily of the valley and aloe vera, while offering additional advice on alcohol, caffeine and grapefruit juice. “Because these agents are largely unregulated by the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration], manufacturers do not need to demonstrate efficacy or safety,” explained Chow, an associate professor of pharmacy practice and administration at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif. “It is important that both health care professionals and consumers are educated about potential efficacy and risk of harm, so that shared and informed decision-making can occur.” The committee also reviewed yoga and tai chi, commonly suggested for relaxation. About 6 million Americans aged 20 and up have heart failure, where their… read on > read on >

For some people, dozens of U.S.-approved drugs can lead to a rare but often fatal brain infection. Researchers have now confirmed a strong link between four genetic mutations and this illness, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). A new study found that in people taking PML-inducing drugs, having one of four genetic variants increased the odds of developing PML 8.7 times on average. One of the variants increased risk 33-fold. The findings give doctors the insight to screen out patients with the highest risk for the condition before prescribing these drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has put its most serious warning — called a Black Box Warning — for PML on eight approved medications. More than 30 drugs carry other PML warnings, and cases have been reported in connection with more than 75 drugs treating everything from multiple sclerosis (MS) to blood cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and organ transplant rejection. This has the potential to affect a lot of people. Nearly 1 million Americans have MS, for example. Another 1.5 million have blood cancers commonly treated with PML-inducing drugs. About 850,000 Americans have received organ transplants, the study authors noted. As more immunosuppressant medications are developed, drug-induced PML is on the rise, with more than 500 cases listed in the FDA’s adverse event reporting system in 2021. “It’s critical to be able to… read on > read on >

Before you toast the holiday season with too much alcohol, here’s a sobering thought. Folks who get injured severely enough while intoxicated to require hospital treatment are five times more likely to die in the coming year, according to new research published in Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The same is true of folks with alcohol use disorders. “Injuries are one of the most immediate hazards of problematic drinking behavior,” said lead researcher Sidra Goldman-Mellor, an assistant professor of public health at the University of California, Merced. “In addition to getting injured from things like car accidents and falls, some people may get injured in fights or even engage in self-harm after they’ve been drinking,” she said in a journal news release. “However, we actually know very little about what happens to people with an alcohol use disorder after they’ve had a serious injury,” Goldman-Mellor said. “So, we wanted to investigate the most important outcome of all: How likely they were to die?” For the study, she and her colleagues looked at 10 million visits to emergency rooms between 2009 and 2012 by California residents ages 10 and older. Of those, more than 262,000 had an injury that wasn’t fatal initially and either had a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder or were intoxicated at the time. In all, close to 77% of the… read on > read on >

Skiiers and snowboarders, take note: You’re less likely to get hurt if you ease back into the winter sports season. “We see a lot of patients in the After-Hours Clinic (of the department of orthopaedic surgery) on their way back from skiing and snowboarding,” said Dr. Sabrina Sawlani, a sports medicine physician at UCLA Health, in Los Angeles. Sawlani, whose UCLA sports medicine fellowship included training at the urgent care ski clinic at Northstar Resort in Lake Tahoe, offered some tips for those who want to hit the slopes without getting hurt. Before downhill skiing, she recommended six weeks of cardiovascular conditioning through running, biking, stair-climbing or using an elliptical machine. Target muscles involved in skiing, such as your core, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes. “Those are the areas I’d really try to focus on — really stretching out those areas, and your low back and shoulders,” she said in a UCLA Health news release. “There’s no perfect routine, but really incorporating strength, endurance, stability and your overall fitness and flexibility to keep your body safe from injury is important.” Have your equipment checked by a professional if you haven’t used it in a couple of years, she urged. “Retest that release mechanism with a certified shop every year,” said Sawlani, who is a skier and snowboarder. “You want to test that self-release each day while… read on > read on >

From burns to cuts, kitchen accidents happen, and they may be more likely as you cook for holiday gatherings. Treating those injuries quickly and effectively can help begin the healing process and may reduce scarring, according to a skin expert at the American Academy of Dermatology. “Whenever your skin is injured — whether by accident or from surgery — your body works to repair the wound. As your skin heals, a scar may form, as this is a natural part of the healing process,” said Dr. Lindsay Strowd, associate professor and interim chair of dermatology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. “The appearance of a scar often depends on how well the wound heals,” she said in an academy news release. “If you have minor cuts or scrapes, you can help reduce the appearance of a scar by properly treating the injury at home.” First-degree burns can occur after accidentally touching a hot stove or oven or from a mishap with holiday decorations. This only involves the top layer of skin, unlike the more severe second- or third-degree burns. You may experience mild swelling and your skin may be red and painful. “If you get a minor, first-degree burn, it’s important to treat it right away,” Strowd said. “Not only can a first-degree burn be very painful, but it can leave a… read on > read on >

Black patients with brain tumors may be less likely to have surgery recommended to them than white patients are, according to a large U.S. study. The research, which looked at two national databases, found that on average, Black patients were less likely to have surgery recommended for any of four types of brain tumor. That included three considered benign (non-cancerous) and one that is a deadly type of brain cancer. Experts said the reasons for the disparity are unclear. But the nature of patients’ tumors — the size, stage or location in the brain — did not explain the gap. Nor did differences in health insurance coverage or any of the other factors the researchers were able to assess. The findings are being published Dec. 10 in The Lancet, as part of a special issue on racial disparities in health care globally. And they add to a body of research documenting gaps in U.S. health care, across medical specialties. Black people and Hispanic Americans often face more obstacles to accessing care, and often fare more poorly when they are diagnosed with a health condition, versus white Americans. When it comes to cancerous brain tumors, like glioblastoma, surgery is the standard of care, said Dr. Andrew Venteicher, one of the senior researchers on the study. Surgery may also be done to remove benign tumors, in order… read on > read on >