Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

Two types of air pollution declined in cities around the world during initial COVID-19 lockdowns, but one type increased, a new study finds. Researchers assessed changes in levels of nitrogen dioxide, ozone and fine particulate (PM2.5) air pollution during lockdowns in 11 cities: Beijing and Wuhan in China; Milan; Rome; Madrid; London; Paris; Berlin; New York; Los Angeles; and Delhi, India. After accounting for weather effects, the researchers found that reductions in nitrogen dioxide were smaller than anticipated, while ozone concentrations rose. Nitrogen dioxide is a major air pollutant from vehicle emissions, and is associated with respiratory problems. Ozone is also harmful to health and damages crops, the study authors noted. In addition, the researchers found that PM2.5 concentrations dropped during lockdowns in all cities but London and Paris. PM2.5 can worsen health problems such as asthma and heart disease. The findings were published Jan. 13 in the journal Science Advances. Lead author Zongbo Shi, a professor of atmospheric biogeochemistry at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, said the rapid reduction in economic activity provided a unique opportunity to study the impact of interventions on air quality. “Emission changes associated with the early lockdown restrictions led to abrupt changes in air pollutant levels but their impacts on air quality were more complex than we thought, and smaller than we expected,” he said in… read on > read on >

Lots of Americans suffer from painful arthritic knees, but a new study finds that wearing the right type of shoe may help ease discomfort. Patients with knee arthritis will achieve greater pain relief by opting for sturdy and supportive shoes rather than flat flexible footwear, researchers in Australia found. “A ‘sturdy supportive shoe’ is a shoe that gives stability to the foot, via motion control features such as arch support,” explained study author Rana Hinman, a professor of physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne. “It also has a thick, cushioned heel and a rigid sole that does not bend easily.” In contrast, Hinman noted, “a ‘flat flexible shoe’ is more lightweight, contains no arch support or motion control features, has a low heel (i.e., flat) with minimal/no cushioning and has a flexible sole that bends easily.” Roughly 1 in 4 adults over the age of 45 has arthritic knees, Hinman noted. One U.S. expert unconnected to the study agreed that “bum knees” will probably feel better with special footwear. “I think it’s pretty intuitive that a structured shoe will be more stable and better for arthritis patients,” said Dr. Jeffrey Schildhorn, an orthopedic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “I’ve found that to be true in my practice and in my life. But this study is the first to really look at… read on > read on >

It’s a woman’s worst nightmare: You’re having a C-section under anesthesia, but you suddenly become aware of what is happening during your surgery. Now, a new study shows that phenomenon, known as “accidental awareness,” is more common than believed. In fact, it may occur in 1 in 256 women who have obstetric surgery and some may suffer long-term psychological harm. Accidental awareness is when a patient is temporarily conscious during general anesthetic and can remember things that occurred during surgery, such as feeling pain or being unable to move. It’s most likely to occur at the very start or end of a general anesthetic, as the patient is going to sleep or waking up. In this study, researchers analyzed data from more than 3,000 women who had general anesthesia for obstetric procedures at 72 National Health Service hospitals in England. The study authors identified 12 reports of accidental awareness, including seven patients who were distressed and five who felt paralyzed. Two patients described paralysis with pain. Other sensations reported by patients while under anesthesia included tugging, stitching, feelings of dissociation and being unable to breathe. Long-term psychological harm associated with accidental awareness often included symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the study published Jan. 12 in the journal Anaesthesia. “We identified a complex range of risk factors for awareness, including drug types and variations… read on > read on >

There’s yet another reason to quit smoking: It increases the risk of deadly bleeding strokes, a new study warns. Researchers focused on a type of stroke called subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), which occurs when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the skull. This type of stroke mainly affects middle-aged adults and has high rates of complications and death. In this study, researchers analyzed genetic data gathered from more than 408,000 people, ages 40-69, in the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2010. During that time, more than 900 of these strokes occurred. The more people smoked, the greater their risk of SAH. Compared to those who didn’t smoke, those who smoked half a pack to 20 packs of cigarettes a year had a 27% higher risk. Those who smoked more than 40 packs of cigarettes a year had a nearly three times greater risk, according to the findings. The researchers also found that people who were genetically predisposed to smoking — as determined by the researchers’ scoring system — had a 63% increased risk, according to the study. The results were published Jan. 14 in the journal Stroke. “Previous studies have shown that smoking is associated with higher risks of SAH, yet it has been unclear if smoking or another confounding condition such as… read on > read on >

You have probably seen the social media posts: Your good friend’s co-worker is raising money online to help pay for cancer treatments or another friend needs funds to pay medical bills after a car crash. Crowdsourced fundraising seems to, at least partly, fill a gap between out-of-pocket health care costs and what people can afford. A new study looked at what the role of one of the best-known sites, GoFundMe, has played in crowdsourcing funds for medical costs over the past several years. “I think the most striking finding for us was the magnitude that the number of these fundraisers have grown over the past few years,” said study author Dr. Suveen Angraal, an internal medicine resident physician at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The study focused solely on GoFundMe fundraisers, extracting data between May 2010 (when the site began) and December 2018. The researchers found 42 fundraisers for medical conditions in 2010 and 119,373 in 2018, a number that rose incrementally through the years. “It’s a pretty dramatic increase that shows the magnitude of how big the issue is and how big the problem is when it comes to the cost of health care,” Angraal said. “We know that health care in the U.S. is expensive and, time and again, we have seen — not just me, but many of our colleagues across the… read on > read on >

Improved lung cancer treatment is a major reason for the 31% decline in cancer death rates in the United States between 1991 and 2018, including a record 2.4% decrease from 2017 to 2018, the American Cancer Society says. How the COVID-19 pandemic will affect this downward trend is unknown, the society noted. “The impact of COVID-19 on cancer diagnoses and outcomes at the population level will be unknown for several years because of the time necessary for data collection, compilation, quality control and dissemination,” according to the report’s lead author, Rebecca Siegel. “We anticipate that disruptions in access to cancer care in 2020 will lead to downstream increases in advanced-stage diagnoses that may impede progress in reducing cancer mortality rates in the years to come,” she said in a cancer society news release. The American Cancer Society said about 3.2 million cancer deaths were prevented from 1991 through 2018 due to declines in smoking, earlier detection, and improvements in treatment that led to long-term decreases in deaths from the four leading cancers: lung, breast, colon and prostate. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death, causing more deaths than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. While there’s been slow progress against breast, prostate and colon cancers in recent years, declines in lung cancer death rates grew from 2.4% a year during 2009 to… read on > read on >

Most folks infected with COVID-19 will only have mild or moderate illness — but that means they’ll still be stuck at home and feeling really lousy. What’s the best way to cope? In many ways, you want to behave as you would if you were suffering from a cold or the flu, said infectious disease expert Dr. Aaron Glatt. “The general good advice we give to people is eat well, make sure you drink enough, make sure you get enough rest, don’t overexert yourself,” said Glatt, chairman of the department of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, N.Y. “Sometimes patients do a little bit more than they can, and I don’t want to say it exacerbates things, but it exacerbates things,” he continued. “It makes them much more tired and much more fatigued and it can be sometimes like a domino effect.” Difficulty breathing is the most troubling symptom related to COVID-19, so you might want to order a home pulse oxygen monitor (“oximeter”) to keep track of your blood oxygen levels, suggested Dr. Teresa Murray Amato, chairwoman of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in Queens, N.Y. Fingertip monitors can be purchased online for about $20. Blood oxygen levels “below 90 warrant at least a call to your doctor and, if persistent, a visit to your local… read on > read on >

Brain drain: Arguing with others puts a lot more strain on your brain than agreeing with them, a new study finds. “Our entire brain is a social processing network,” said senior author Joy Hirsch, professor of psychiatry, comparative medicine and neuroscience at Yale University. “However, it just takes a lot more brain real estate to disagree than to agree.” The researchers, from Yale and University College London, asked 38 adults whether they agreed or disagreed with a series of potentially contentious statements such as “same-sex marriage is a civil right” or “marijuana should be legalized.” Researchers then monitored the participants’ brain activity when they were paired up and had face-to-face discussions about the topics. When people agreed, their brain activity was harmonious and tended to be focused in sensory areas of the brain such as the visual system, possibly in response to social cues from the other person, according to the authors. When people disagreed, sensory areas of the brain were less active while there was increased activity brain areas that handle higher order executive functions, such as reasoning. “There is a synchronicity between the brains when we agree,” Hirsch said in a university news release. “But when we disagree, the neural coupling disconnects.” She noted that in discord, the two brains engage many emotional and thinking resources “like a symphony orchestra playing different music.”… read on > read on >