Researchers are standing behind new data on how people’s posteriors reflect changes linked to aging and diabetes. Shrinkage or inflammation of the gluteus maximus muscles of the buttocks may reflect frailty, sitting time, fat deposition and diabetes risk, and these changes may occur differently among men and women, the British team said. “Unlike past studies that mainly looked at muscle size or fat, we used 3D shape mapping to pinpoint exactly where the muscle changes, giving a much more detailed picture,” noted study coauthor Marjola Thanaj, a senior research fellow at the University of Westminster’s Research Centre for Optimal Health in London.   Her team will present their findings next week in Chicago at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). In the study, Thanaj and colleagues examined more than 61,000 MRI scans collected as part of the ongoing UK Biobank database. They also had detailed information on the Biobank participants’ physical measurements, medical histories and lifestyles.  Overall, this allowed the team to assess 86 different variables and track associations with changes in buttock muscle shape over time. Speaking in a RSNA news release, Thanaj reported that “people with higher fitness, as measured by vigorous physical activity and hand grip strength, had a greater gluteus maximus shape, while aging, frailty and long sitting times were linked to muscle thinning.” Men designated as…  read on >  read on >

Researchers are standing behind new data on how people’s posteriors reflect changes linked to aging and diabetes. Shrinkage or inflammation of the gluteus maximus muscles of the buttocks may reflect frailty, sitting time, fat deposition and diabetes risk, and these changes may occur differently among men and women, the British team said. “Unlike past studies that mainly looked at muscle size or fat, we used 3D shape mapping to pinpoint exactly where the muscle changes, giving a much more detailed picture,” noted study coauthor Marjola Thanaj, a senior research fellow at the University of Westminster’s Research Centre for Optimal Health in London.   Her team will present their findings next week in Chicago at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). In the study, Thanaj and colleagues examined more than 61,000 MRI scans collected as part of the ongoing UK Biobank database. They also had detailed information on the Biobank participants’ physical measurements, medical histories and lifestyles.  Overall, this allowed the team to assess 86 different variables and track associations with changes in buttock muscle shape over time. Speaking in a RSNA news release, Thanaj reported that “people with higher fitness, as measured by vigorous physical activity and hand grip strength, had a greater gluteus maximus shape, while aging, frailty and long sitting times were linked to muscle thinning.” Men designated as…  read on >  read on >

The holidays: Twinkling lights, family dinners and packed travel plans. Plus, a surge of allergy and asthma triggers that can turn the season stressful for some folks. But with a little planning, you can enjoy the celebrations without spending them sniffing, itchy or reaching for tissues. “The holidays are a wonderful time to reconnect with loved ones, but they can also bring unexpected exposures that worsen allergies or asthma,” Dr. Cherie Zachary, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), said in a news release. “A few practical steps can make all the difference for a healthy and comfortable celebration,” she added. Below, Zachary shares five tips from ACAAI to help you stay ahead of holiday allergy and asthma triggers: Plan ahead for holiday travel Travel can expose you to dust, germs and allergens in planes, hotels and relatives’ homes. If you have allergies, wipe down airplane tray tables, armrests and seatbelts before sitting. Bring allergy-proof pillow or mattress covers if you’re sleeping away from home. “And always keep medications — including inhalers, epinephrine, and antihistamines — in your carry-on bag so they’re accessible if needed,” Zachary said. Stay alert at holiday meals Many festive foods contain hidden allergens. If you’re going to a potluck, restaurant or family gathering, ask whether there could be any cross-contamination. If you’re unsure, bring a safe…  read on >  read on >

The holidays: Twinkling lights, family dinners and packed travel plans. Plus, a surge of allergy and asthma triggers that can turn the season stressful for some folks. But with a little planning, you can enjoy the celebrations without spending them sniffing, itchy or reaching for tissues. “The holidays are a wonderful time to reconnect with loved ones, but they can also bring unexpected exposures that worsen allergies or asthma,” Dr. Cherie Zachary, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), said in a news release. “A few practical steps can make all the difference for a healthy and comfortable celebration,” she added. Below, Zachary shares five tips from ACAAI to help you stay ahead of holiday allergy and asthma triggers: Plan ahead for holiday travel Travel can expose you to dust, germs and allergens in planes, hotels and relatives’ homes. If you have allergies, wipe down airplane tray tables, armrests and seatbelts before sitting. Bring allergy-proof pillow or mattress covers if you’re sleeping away from home. “And always keep medications — including inhalers, epinephrine, and antihistamines — in your carry-on bag so they’re accessible if needed,” Zachary said. Stay alert at holiday meals Many festive foods contain hidden allergens. If you’re going to a potluck, restaurant or family gathering, ask whether there could be any cross-contamination. If you’re unsure, bring a safe…  read on >  read on >

Obesity shouldn’t be considered a barrier for a patient who needs shoulder replacement surgery, a new study argues. In some places, doctors have been denying joint replacement surgery to people with a high body-mass index, due to concerns over their ability to recover from the procedure, researchers said in background notes. But patients with obesity actually have a lower risk of death following the surgery than patients at a healthy weight, researchers reported Nov. 20 in the journal PLOS Medicine. They also had about the same risk of suffering serious complications or needing follow-up surgery, researchers found. In fact, underweight patients fared worst following shoulder replacement surgery, results show. “While BMI thresholds have been used to limit access to joint replacement surgery, our findings do not support restricting higher BMI patients from accessing shoulder replacement surgery,” senior researcher Dr. Jonathan Rees, director of the Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences at the University of Oxford, said in a news release. Even though medical societies have offered no formal recommendations regarding a patient’s weight and joint replacement surgery, previous studies have found that in some countries access to these procedures is restricted based on BMI, researchers said in background notes. For this new study, researchers tracked nearly 21,000 patients who underwent shoulder replacement surgery in the United Kingdom and Denmark. Results showed that people with obesity had…  read on >  read on >

Obesity shouldn’t be considered a barrier for a patient who needs shoulder replacement surgery, a new study argues. In some places, doctors have been denying joint replacement surgery to people with a high body-mass index, due to concerns over their ability to recover from the procedure, researchers said in background notes. But patients with obesity actually have a lower risk of death following the surgery than patients at a healthy weight, researchers reported Nov. 20 in the journal PLOS Medicine. They also had about the same risk of suffering serious complications or needing follow-up surgery, researchers found. In fact, underweight patients fared worst following shoulder replacement surgery, results show. “While BMI thresholds have been used to limit access to joint replacement surgery, our findings do not support restricting higher BMI patients from accessing shoulder replacement surgery,” senior researcher Dr. Jonathan Rees, director of the Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences at the University of Oxford, said in a news release. Even though medical societies have offered no formal recommendations regarding a patient’s weight and joint replacement surgery, previous studies have found that in some countries access to these procedures is restricted based on BMI, researchers said in background notes. For this new study, researchers tracked nearly 21,000 patients who underwent shoulder replacement surgery in the United Kingdom and Denmark. Results showed that people with obesity had…  read on >  read on >

Kissing may feel like a very human habit, but new research suggests it has much deeper roots. A team of scientists says the behavior likely began more than 20 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Researchers from Oxford University in England reviewed decades of studies on primates to understand how kissing may have evolved. By comparing the behavior of living species such as chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and one gorilla species, the team used statistical modeling to estimate when kissing first appeared. Their results, published Nov. 19 in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, suggest that an ancient ancestor of today’s apes likely engaged in mouth-to-mouth contact between 16.9 million and 21.5 million years ago. Kissing presents an “evolutionary conundrum,” study lead author Matilda Brindle, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, said to CNN. She said the behavior is surprising because it carries some obvious risks, including spreading germs, and may not directly help with survival. Yet across primate species, kissing and similar behaviors may serve many purposes, Brindle said. These include: finding potential partners foreplay building social bonds soothing tension helping parents feed infants by chewing food first Because the behavior isn’t a fossil, researchers must study living species to better understand the past. The oldest written records of human kissing date back about 4,500 years to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. But kissing today…  read on >  read on >

Kissing may feel like a very human habit, but new research suggests it has much deeper roots. A team of scientists says the behavior likely began more than 20 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Researchers from Oxford University in England reviewed decades of studies on primates to understand how kissing may have evolved. By comparing the behavior of living species such as chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and one gorilla species, the team used statistical modeling to estimate when kissing first appeared. Their results, published Nov. 19 in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, suggest that an ancient ancestor of today’s apes likely engaged in mouth-to-mouth contact between 16.9 million and 21.5 million years ago. Kissing presents an “evolutionary conundrum,” study lead author Matilda Brindle, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, said to CNN. She said the behavior is surprising because it carries some obvious risks, including spreading germs, and may not directly help with survival. Yet across primate species, kissing and similar behaviors may serve many purposes, Brindle said. These include: finding potential partners foreplay building social bonds soothing tension helping parents feed infants by chewing food first Because the behavior isn’t a fossil, researchers must study living species to better understand the past. The oldest written records of human kissing date back about 4,500 years to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. But kissing today…  read on >  read on >