For people who survive gunshot wounds, the trauma may leave mental scars that worsen with time, a new study finds. Among 87 adults treated for gun injuries at a Wisconsin trauma center, many had worsening symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression six months later. The findings, published May 22 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, come from one of the few studies that has tracked the long-term mental health of gunshot victims. For years, gun violence research was stymied in the United States after Congress suspended federal funding for it in 1996. That changed just a few years ago. “For a long time, we weren’t able to do firearms research, so we don’t really know a lot about these long-term outcomes,” said Dr. Peter Ehrlich, director of the pediatric trauma center at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Ehrlich, who was not involved in the new research, published a study last year that looked at the mental health of U.S. children and teenagers who’d sustained gun injuries — and the findings were similar. Of 1,450 kids injured by guns, 35% were newly diagnosed with a mental health condition in the year afterward — most often PTSD or substance abuse. That compared with 26% of U.S. kids who were injured in a motor vehicle crash. Ehrlich said that while the new study…  read on >  read on >

A subset of people may be at high risk for both psychiatric disorders and for using marijuana, based on their genetics, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway have found that some of the genetic variants associated with cannabis use are also linked to psychiatric disorders. “These findings are important as they show that the complex links between cannabis use and these disorders may not only be caused by cannabis use itself, but could also be driven by shared genetic susceptibility,” lead co-author Nadine Parker said in a university news release. The rate of cannabis use is high among patients with disorders linked to psychosis, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Cannabis is a psychoactive drug that can sometimes produces psychotic-like symptoms, according to the study. “This study shows that there is a shared genetic basis underlying our susceptibility to both cannabis use and certain psychiatric disorders,” lead co-author Weiqiu Cheng said in the release. To study this, Parker, Cheng and their colleagues used advanced statistical modeling. They found that a majority of shared variants increased the risk of both cannabis use and developing either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Yet, there were some genetic variants with opposing effects that increased the risk of cannabis use while decreasing the risk of the two psychiatric disorders. In some parts of the world,…  read on >  read on >

A new study finds that while hydrocortisone on its own may not prevent death from sepsis, it can improve survival when combined with other steroids while eliminating the need for vasopressor drugs. Vasopressor medications help raise blood pressure when it’s so low that you can’t get enough blood to your organs. Doctor often deliver these drugs via an IV. “For the first time, the effects of hydrocortisone for the treatment of patients with septic shock could be studied by analyzing individual data from the main randomized trials published to date,” said researcher Dr. Romain Pirracchio, a professor of anesthesia at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). “This study shows that if the effect of hydrocortisone on the mortality of septic shock is modest, this treatment makes it possible to spare the exposure of patients to vasopressor drugs and to prevent their complications,” he added in a UCSF news release. “The combination of fludrocortisone with hydrocortisone seems to provide a greater benefit in terms of survival.” Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It affects about 55 million people worldwide and causes 11 million deaths each year. Treatment can include recognizing it quickly, controlling the source of the infection, antibiotics, fluids, vasopressors and other therapies. Corticosteroids have been one of these therapies for septic shock…  read on >  read on >

Obese people might be wise to slim down before undergoing an ablation procedure to treat an abnormal heart rhythm, researchers report. Folks with atrial fibrillation who lost 3% or more of their body weight before undergoing ablation had greater odds of their heart returning to a normal rhythm than those who didn’t, a new study finds. A-fib, as atrial fibrillation is called, is an abnormal heartbeat that causes the heart to beat faster and out of sequence. A-fib can cause blood clots that can result in a stroke. To control a-fib, doctors prescribe medication or a procedure called catheter ablation. Ablation uses heat to kill heart cells that are causing the abnormality. The goal is to return the heart to its normal sinus rhythm. “Weight loss is a key factor in the management of atrial fibrillation for those that are overweight or obese,” said lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Goldberger, a professor of medicine and director of the Center for Atrial Fibrillation at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Obesity is not only a risk factor for a-fib, but appears to also have an effect on treatment, he said. “Obesity is known to be a pro-inflammatory condition,” he said. “It turns out that there’s fat tissue that sits directly on the heart muscle and these fat cells can secrete all sorts of hormones that could…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay News) – Two western U.S. states issued air quality alerts over the weekend as heavy smoke from fires blazing in Canada drifted south. Both Colorado and Montana experienced air quality issues because of dozens of Canadian fires. A third state, Utah, noted that it was beginning to see smoke, while Idaho had experienced haze last week, the Associated Press reported. “People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion; everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion,” Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment said in its alert. It issued air quality alerts and advisories for the eastern part of the state, including Denver. Air quality is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups when particle pollution is between 151 and 200. Parts of Colorado’s Front Range were at 168 on Saturday, the AP reported. In the province of Alberta, Canada, fires have led to the evacuation of thousands of residents. The health impact was “very high risk” on Saturday in the cities of Calgary and Edmonton, the AP reported. The smoke in Montana was mostly in the central and eastern parts of the state. In its alert, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality advised residents to avoid outdoor exertion if they could see haze or smoke. More information The American Lung Association has more on the impact of…  read on >  read on >

The Atlantic hurricane season in the United States starts June 1, and some dangers might not be immediately obvious: carbon monoxide poisoning, fires and electric shock. “Hurricanes and major storms in the U.S. have increased in frequency and severity in recent years. This hurricane season may bring widespread destruction that could impact millions of Americans,” said Alex Hoehn-Saric, chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “I urge consumers to follow CPSC’s safety tips to prepare ahead of storms to prevent loss of life in a storm’s aftermath,” he said in a commission news release. Carbon monoxide (CO) from gasoline-powered portable generators can kill within minutes if used improperly. It has no color or odor, so can render a person unconscious even before they recognize the symptoms of nausea, dizziness or weakness, the CPSC warns. This gas kills nearly 100 Americans using portable generators each year. Black individuals have a higher risk of death, accounting for 23% of those who died between 2011 and 2021, according to the CPSC. To stay safe, the commission advises following these recommendations: Never operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawl space or shed. It’s not enough to open doors or windows. Lethal levels of CO can still build up. Use these generators outside only, at least 20 feet away from the house. Direct the exhaust away…  read on >  read on >

Ever heard of the winter blues? This common phrase is used to describe that blah feeling that strikes during winter months when the weather is cold and the sky is gray in many parts of the country. The reality is, the winter blues is a form of depression. “When there is a shift in the season and our access to daylight, our bodies struggle to adjust to the new light and time frame,” Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic, explains in an online video. This phenomenon is referred to as seasonal depression. What is seasonal depression? This type of depression is also known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD. The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) describes SAD as “changes in your mood and behavior whenever the seasons change.” Feeling hopeless, helpless or irritable are all signs of depression. When those emotions occur seasonally and last for several months, it could be SAD. Contrary to what you may think about seasonal affective disorder, it can strike at any time of the year, not just in the winter. In fact, there are two types of SAD. Fall-onset SAD or winter depression usually begins in the fall or early winter and symptoms ease in the summer. Symptoms of spring-onset SAD or summer depression begin in the late spring or early summer. Summer depression is…  read on >  read on >

Pregnancy is a difficult and potentially dangerous time in a woman’s life, and U.S. women say they aren’t getting the support they need while they’re expecting, a new HealthDay/Harris Poll has found. Nearly 2 in 5 women who are pregnant or have ever been pregnant (37%) say they have experienced barriers to getting needed care. Worse, women in their prime childbearing years (18 to 34) are more than twice as likely as those who are 35 and older to say they encountered barriers to needed health care during pregnancy and birth — 74% versus 28%. The most common barrier they cite is an inability to make doctor’s appointments because of they are unable to take time off work or find child care. One in 5 women overall (19%) — and 2 in 5 between 18 and 34 (39%) — cite that as a reason they didn’t get the care they needed, poll results showed. As a result, women are nearly unanimous in their support for paid maternity leave and better health care in pregnancy: Nine in 10 women (92%) think maternity leave is crucial for improving mothers’ health outcomes, including 64% who strongly agree. Nine in 10 women (91%) also think maternity leave is key to improving babies’ health outcomes, including 61% who strongly agree. More than 4 in 5 women (86%) say more must…  read on >  read on >