An imbalance in the gut “microbiome” of people with lupus may be driving the chronic autoimmune disease as well as its flare-ups, new research suggests. The microbiome is the trillions of helpful bacteria that coexist in the human digestive tract and elsewhere in the body. Comparing gut bacteria from lupus patients with bacteria from their healthy peers, scientists learned those with lupus had about five times more of the bacteria known as Ruminococcus gnavus. The discovery may lead to better treatments for lupus, which can damage the skin, joints and organs, study author Dr. Gregg Silverman said. “Current lupus therapies seek to dampen or destroy the immune system,” said Silverman, a professor of medicine and pathology at NYU Langone Health in New York City. “The idea that we might find in some patients that their disease is being worsened by bacteria in their intestine may mean we [find] much more benign therapeutic approaches,” he added. “This is something I’m excited about because I think it really relates to the health and well-being of patients and people.” Lupus affects an estimated 5 million people worldwide, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. The cause of the sometimes-fatal disease is unknown, though genetics are believed to play a role. Symptoms can vary and include joint and muscle pain, rashes, hair loss, fatigue and swelling in various body…  read on >

Interacting with lots of different people may help you live longer and healthier, a new study suggests. Older people who spend more time with family members, close friends, acquaintances, casual friends and even strangers were more likely to be physically active, spend less time sitting or lying around and have a more positive attitude and fewer negative feelings, the researchers found. “Adults often grow less physically active and more sedentary as they age, and these behaviors pose a risk factor for disease and death,” said study author Karen Fingerman. She’s a professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Fingerman said that it can be hard to get people to exercise, but it might be easier to get them to reach out to acquaintances, go on group events or talk to the people who serve in restaurants. “Socializing in these contexts also can increase physical activity and diverse behaviors in ways that benefit health without necessarily working up a sweat,” she said in a university news release. For the study, Fingerman and her colleagues asked more than 300 adults over 65 about their activities and social encounters every three hours for a week. Participants also wore electronic devices to keep track of their physical activity. The researchers found that when participants were with a variety of social partners, they…  read on >

As excited as you are that your teen’s going to college, it’s normal to have mixed emotions, such as anxiety, sadness and possibly depression. It’s even normal to feel envious that his or her life is just beginning while yours is on the wane. For most parents, this rush of emotions will pass, but both generations might have to work to ease the transition, especially if your child is also experiencing a mix of joy and apprehension, which often manifests as bickering with mom and dad. Parents will need to loosen the reins and acknowledge that their child is his or her own person and may not see eye-to-eye with them on everything anymore. Realize that this is a natural progression in their development, not a rejection of you or an end to your closeness. And take comfort in the fact that most college students still care more about what mom and dad think than they let on. Coping Strategies at a Glance Have a plan for staying in touch. Explore new challenges of your own. Start to reconnect with old friends. Get support from different sources. One way to ease anxiety is to agree upfront on how often you’ll communicate, such as once a week, and how you’ll do it. Video chats are great for bridging a physical distance. Texts can be brief and…  read on >

Sure, he may snore. She may steal the covers. But if a relationship is solid, your partner will help you sleep better this Valentine’s Day and far into the future, a new study suggests. Good relationships in early adulthood seemed to lead to less disruptive life events, which in turn appeared to lead to better sleep years later, researchers report. “Your partners can have a huge impact on your stress and health behaviors. They can be a source of stress or a reducer of stress,” explained study author Chloe Huelsnitz. She’s a Ph.D. candidate in the department of psychology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. So, how does being in a satisfying partnership affect sleep? Are people more content, or is a good relationship just a sign that you have better people skills that help reduce your stress throughout life? “It’s probably a bit of both,” Huelsnitz said, though the study could not prove that a good relationship caused sleep quality to improve. She explained that if you can have a good relationship, you probably have good interpersonal skills. And if you get along well with your partner, you’re probably less likely to get into a fight with your boss or a friend. “Also, if you have someone to support you during stressful life events, it helps to buffer that stress,” Huelsnitz added. The…  read on >

A global study about what men and women want in a mate seems to confirm — to a point — long-established stereotypes. Men still go for looks — in general they said their preference is for a partner who is younger and physically attractive. Women said they’d prefer an older partner who’s ambitious and has good financial prospects. The researchers, from the University of Texas at Austin, explained that these responses, which came from 10,000 participants in 33 countries, can probably be traced back to the respective mating challenges men and women faced throughout the course of human evolution. On a more positive note, both sexes do gravitate toward some of the same less superficial traits — a pleasant disposition, good social skills, and similar politics and religious beliefs. Another study with an international team of researchers found that men and women approach relationships in another similar way: They’re both influenced by deal breakers, or perceived negative traits, and deal makers, the traits that they find most appealing. Both sexes process these pros and cons simultaneously when they meet someone new and apply higher standards when considering someone for a long-term relationship. Also, deal breakers have a greater influence on choices than deal makers — it’s easier to be turned off by the negatives than to be turned on by the positives. Deal breakers range…  read on >

Insurance rules that limit access to the addiction treatment medication buprenorphine may be worsening the U.S. opioid epidemic, a new study suggests. “Buprenorphine is a safe and effective treatment that decreases deaths due to opioids and stops heroin and other opioid use. People on buprenorphine are able to get their lives back together,” said study co-author Dr. Todd Korthuis. He’s chief of the addiction medicine section at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland. “Medicare insurance companies are making it increasingly difficult to prescribe buprenorphine, while making it easy to prescribe opioid pain medications that contributed to the opioid epidemic,” he said in an OHSU news release. For the study, the researchers analyzed Medicare Part D prescription drug plan data and found that the growing use of pre-authorization requirements increasingly limited use of buprenorphine among Medicare beneficiaries between 2007 and 2018. Insurers commonly use pre-authorization requirements to manage or limit access to certain drugs to control costs. In 2007, nearly 90 percent of insurance plans offered buprenophine without restriction, but that number had shrunk to 35 percent by 2018. Over that same period, the proportion of plans that covered prescription opioids (such as OxyContin) with no restrictions ranged from 93 percent to 100 percent. “The reasons for restrictions on buprenorphine might reflect inaccurate perceptions of drug risk, societal norms related to the stigma of…  read on >

Millions of Americans with heart disease say they face financial strain because of their medical care, with some skipping meds or cutting back on basics like groceries. That’s the finding of a new national study of heart disease and stroke patients younger than 65 — a group that’s too young for Medicare but often lack health insurance, or “good” insurance. The researchers found that 45 percent of those patients said they’d had problems paying their medical bills in the past year. That translates to nearly 4 million Americans. For many, the study found, the issues ran deep: More than one-third of people with payment problems said they’d skipped needed drugs, cut back on groceries or were in general “financial distress.” “In order to meet obligations toward out-of-pocket costs, heart disease patients are delaying or avoiding paying for medications and elementary daily needs — like putting food on the table,” said senior researcher Dr. Khurram Nasir, of the Yale School of Medicine. Others said the findings were striking and important, though not surprising. Dr. Alison Bailey, a cardiologist in Tennessee, said she routinely sees patients who are struggling financially. So she spends a lot of time helping them figure out the most affordable medication options. This sometimes means choosing which drugs are most needed at the moment, and leaving others out. “We’re lucky in cardiology that…  read on >