President-elect Trump met with GOP congressional leaders and agreed on three priorities for 2017 -- including the end of Obama's signature health program
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/speaker-paul-ryan-mitch-mcconnell-give-donald-trump-tour-of-the-capitol/
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Is an HIV Cure Possible?
Babies who got antiretroviral drug therapy within hours of birth and stayed HIV-negative for months or years may offer a clue to treating newly diagnosed adults.
From: http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/features/hiv-cure-in-reach?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Fewer in U.S. Smoke, but Death Toll Continues
Only 15 percent of Americans engage in the habit, according to latest CDC numbers
From: http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20161110/fewer-in-us-smoke-but-smokings-death-toll-continues?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Doctors Use iPads to Treat Lazy Eye
New studies show no clear, long-term advantages to so-called binocular gaming over traditional eye patching
From: http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/news/20161110/doctors-use-ipads-to-treat-lazy-eye-with-mixed-results?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Daily Can of Soda Boosts Odds for Prediabetes
Diet sodas do not appear to pose the same danger, researcher says
From: http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20161110/daily-can-of-soda-boosts-odds-for-prediabetes-study-finds?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Measles jab saves over 20 million young lives in 15 years, but hundreds of children still die of the disease every day
Despite a 79% worldwide decrease in measles deaths between 2000 and 2015, nearly 400 children still die from the disease every day, leading health organizations said in a report.
From: http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/news/releases/2016/measles-children-death/en/index.html
From: http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/news/releases/2016/measles-children-death/en/index.html
Vitamin D May Affect Breast Cancer Survival
Study link is strongest in women who have not entered menopause, researchers report
From: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20161110/vitamin-d-may-affect-breast-cancer-survival?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Millions Could Lose Medicaid Coverage Under Trump Plan
But block grants face likely resistance from states, poised to lose many millions.
From: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20161109/millions-could-lose-medicaid-coverage-under-trump-plan?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Obamacare ‘Replacement’ Might Look Familiar
Republicans want to jettison the health law, but some features are already hardwired into the system.
From: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20161109/obamacare-replacement-might-look-familiar?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Free HPI webinar discusses 2017 dental market
The ADA Health Policy Institute will host a Dec. 8 webinar featuring analysis of the current dental care market and what to expect in 2017.
From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/november/free-hpi-webinar-discusses-2017-dental-market
From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/november/free-hpi-webinar-discusses-2017-dental-market
Vitamin D May Affect Breast Cancer Survival
Study link is strongest in women who have not entered menopause, researchers report
From: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20161110/vitamin-d-may-affect-breast-cancer-survival?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Millions Could Lose Medicaid Coverage Under Trump Plan
But block grants face likely resistance from states, poised to lose many millions.
From: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20161109/millions-could-lose-medicaid-coverage-under-trump-plan?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Obamacare ‘Replacement’ Might Look Familiar
Republicans want to jettison the health law, but some features are already hardwired into the system.
From: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20161109/obamacare-replacement-might-look-familiar?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Free HPI webinar discusses 2017 dental market
The ADA Health Policy Institute will host a Dec. 8 webinar featuring analysis of the current dental care market and what to expect in 2017.
From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/november/free-hpi-webinar-discusses-2017-dental-market
From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/november/free-hpi-webinar-discusses-2017-dental-market
High-dose statins boost survival in certain people
More than 500,000 people with cardiovascular disease were followed for the yearlong study, and one group stood out
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/high-dose-statins-boost-survival-for-some-heart-patients-with-high-cholesterol/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/high-dose-statins-boost-survival-for-some-heart-patients-with-high-cholesterol/
Paralyzed monkeys walk again with wireless stimulation
Wireless technology helped the brain send signals to the spine in monkeys with spinal injury
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paralyzed-monkeys-with-spinal-cord-injury-walk-again/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paralyzed-monkeys-with-spinal-cord-injury-walk-again/
In This Election, Voters United Behind Pot Legalization
Americans united around one issue in this election: marijuana legalization. Only in Arizona did voters reject a marijuana ballot measure in 2016.
From: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20161110/voters-unite-behind-pot-legalization-laws?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Making Mayo's Recipes: Garlic Cauliflower Potato Mash
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O17NHjSE3Q
Can Community 'Well-Being' Help You Live Longer?
Study found people in more contented U.S. counties lived an extra two years or more
From: http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20161110/can-a-communitys-well-being-help-you-live-longer?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Antibodies May Hold Key to HIV Suppression
Two early trials suggest approach might make it possible for patients to go off antiretroviral meds
From: http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20161109/antibodies-may-hold-key-to-hiv-suppression?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Leg Movement Restored in Paralyzed Monkeys
Wireless connection allowed brain to send signals to spine, but human trials still a long way off
From: http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20161109/scientists-restore-leg-movement-in-paralyzed-monkeys?src=RSS_PUBLIC
High-Dose Statins Boost Survival
Increased doses reduced death risk in those with existing heart disease
From: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20161109/high-dose-statins-boost-survival-study?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Surprising culprit a possible trigger in preterm births
Study of 100 pregnant women who delivered too early finds this common thread
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprising-culprit-possible-trigger-in-preterm-births/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprising-culprit-possible-trigger-in-preterm-births/
Mayo Clinic Minute: 5 cancer prevention strategies
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUWZ2wCOA2c
Caring for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Are you taking care of someone who seems to be against you? This can be the experience of taking care of a family member with post-traumatic stress disorder — PTSD — and it can take a huge toll on everyone involved. At the same time, caring for a person with PTSD can be an act of love and courage.
What causes PTSD?
PTSD can develop when people experience massively stressful events that involve childhood physical or sexual abuse, being sexually assaulted, or narrowly escaping getting killed or severely injured, whether from accidents or violence or military combat. PTSD can also be caused by witnessing these kinds of things, by them happening to a close friend or relative, or by learning about them in the course of one’s work, such as being a first responder or a social worker helping victims of abuse.
What are the effects of PTSD?
Whether caused by experiences during military service, abuse as a child, being the victim of assault as an adult, or as a side effect of jobs that deal with trauma, the effects can be lifelong. It’s a medical problem, not a weakness. Adrenaline levels stay elevated, causing anxiety, irritability, and hypervigilance (being on guard even in safe places). People with PTSD may become snappy and even physically aggressive. Little, everyday sounds may make the person jump. The ability to feel positive emotions like love and happiness is diminished, and people with PTSD may drink or use drugs to avoid painful feelings and memories. People with severe PTSD may isolate themselves, lashing out and showing little affection toward people they care about, and who care for them. Conflict with family members and coworkers is common.
Caring for a person with PTSD
It can be hard for caregivers not to take it personally. They feel that their loved one doesn’t love them anymore (and indeed it’s difficult for some people with PTSD to feel and express love). The fun is gone, and in romantic relationships so is the intimacy. The family member with PTSD may not be comfortable going out in public or being touched. Caregivers can feel lonely and abandoned, and divorce is common in relationships where a partner has PTSD.
Watchwords for caregivers are self-care, limits, and realistic expectations. It’s a balance: you want to help your loved one but you can’t do that if you’re impaired yourself. So, self-care is important. Figure out what you need to have a happy and healthy life and make an effort to keep those things in your life. Eat right, get exercise, take time off from caregiving, see friends. When you’re healthier, you’ll be better able to help your family member to be healthier.
Set limits. You want to offer gentle support, but not tolerate things that are out of bounds for you in any other relationship, such as abusive language or actions, or heavy substance abuse. Couples therapy can be tremendously helpful when one member of the couple has PTSD.
Expectations need to be realistic. Just as other medical disabilities can limit the activities of people who have them, you may need to adjust your expectations about your loved one’s engagement in “regular” family things like going on outings, to restaurants, to parties, to your kids’ games. You may need to take more of a lead in the relationship than you used to or expected to, such as in managing finances, making plans, and getting things done.
The good news? There are effective treatments for PTSD
The good news is that we live in a time when effective PTSD treatment exists. PTSD is best treated through cognitive behavioral therapies, particularly exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy. These are specialty treatments and not all mental health clinicians are trained in them. A loved one with PTSD may be reluctant to seek treatment, and gentle encouragement can be helpful. You can find therapist referrals at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
PTSD symptoms may not completely go away, but they can be reduced. Just like turning down a volume knob, constantly high levels of anxiety or irritability can be lowered, and the power of memories and reminders of trauma can be reduced.
The post Caring for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
From: James Cartreine, PhD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/caring-for-those-with-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-2016111010641
Smartphones May Hinder a Good Night's Sleep
Study suggests a link between the devices and troubled slumber
From: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20161109/smartphones-may-hinder-a-good-nights-sleep?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Nerve growth factor is critical requirement for in vitro angiogenesis in gastric endothelial cells
Angiogenesis is critical for the healing of gastric mucosal injury and is considered to be primarily regulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the fundamental proangiogenic factor. The role of nerve growth factor (NGF) in gastric angiogenesis is unknown. We examined the expression of NGF and its TrkA receptor in endothelial cells (ECs) isolated from gastric mucosa of rats (GMECs), the effect of NGF treatment on in vitro angiogenesis in GMECs, and, the mechanisms underlying NGF's proangiogenic actions. Isolated GMECs from Fisher rats were treated with vehicle, NGF (10-1,000 ng/ml), VEGF (20 ng/ml), or NGF+VEGF. To determine whether and to what extent NGF is critical for angiogenesis in GMECs, we silenced NGF expression using specific siRNA and examined in vitro angiogenesis with and without treatment with exogenous NGF and/or VEGF. Treatment of GMECs with NGF significantly increased in vitro angiogenesis similar to that seen in GMECs treated with VEGF. Silencing of NGF in GMECs abolished angiogenesis, and this effect was reversed only by exogenous NGF but not VEGF, which indicates a direct proangiogenic action of NGF on GMECs that is, at least in part, distinct and independent of VEGF. NGF's proangiogenic action on GMECs was mediated via PI3-K/Akt signaling. This study showed for the first time that gastric mucosal ECs express NGF and its receptor TrkA and that NGF is critical for angiogenesis in these cells.
From: Ahluwalia, A., Jones, M. K., Brzozowski, T., Tarnawski, A. S. http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/5/G981?rss=1
Neuroimmune Cross Talk in the Gut. Neuroendocrine and neuroimmune pathways contribute to the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, bloating, and disturbed bowel habit, symptoms that impact the quality of life of sufferers. The pathophysiological changes underlying this multifactorial condition are complex and include increased sensitivity to luminal and mucosal factors, resulting in altered colonic transit and visceral pain. Moreover, dysfunctional communication in the bidirectional signaling axis between the brain and the gut, which involves efferent and afferent branches of the peripheral nervous system, circulating endocrine hormones, and local paracrine and neurocrine factors, including immune and perhaps even microbial signaling molecules, has a role to play in this disorder. This minireview will examine recent advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of IBS and assess how cross talk between hormones, immune, and microbe-derived factors and their neuromodulatory effects on peripheral nerves may underlie IBS symptomatology.
From: O'Malley, D. http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/5/G934?rss=1
Arterial hypertension as an uninvited player in hepatic stiffness?
From: Ratziu, V., Valla, D., Rautou, P.-E. http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/311/5/G942?rss=1
Arterial pressure suffices to increase liver stiffness
Noninvasive measurement of liver stiffness (LS) has been established to screen for liver fibrosis. Since LS is also elevated in response to pressure-related conditions such as liver congestion, this study was undertaken to learn more about the role of arterial pressure on LS. LS was measured by transient elastography (μFibroscan platform, Echosens, Paris, France) during single intravenous injections of catecholamines in anesthetized rats with and without thioacetamide (TAA)-induced fibrosis. The effect of vasodilating glycerol trinitrate (GTN) on LS was also studied. Pressures in the abdominal aorta and caval and portal veins were measured in real time with the PowerLab device (AD Instruments, Dunedin, New Zealand). Baseline LS values in all rats (3.8 ± 0.5 kPa, n = 25) did not significantly differ from those in humans. Epinephrine and norepinephrine drastically increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) from 82 to 173 and 156 mmHg. Concomitantly, LS almost doubled from 4 to 8 kPa, while central venous pressure remained unchanged. Likewise, portal pressure only showed a slight and delayed increase. In the TAA-induced fibrosis model, LS increased from 9.5 ± 1.0 to 25.6 ± 14.7 kPa upon epinephrine injection and could efficiently be decreased by GTN. We finally show a direct association in humans in a physiological setting of elevated cardiac output and MAP. During continuous spinning at 200 W, MAP increased from 84 ± 8 to 99 ± 11 mmHg while LS significantly increased from 4.4 ± 1.8 to 6.7 ± 2.1 kPa. In conclusion, our data show that arterial pressure suffices to increase LS. Moreover, lowering MAP efficiently decreases LS in fibrotic livers that are predominantly supplied by arterial blood.
From: Piecha, F., Peccerella, T., Bruckner, T., Seitz, H.-K., Rausch, V., Mueller, S. http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/5/G945?rss=1
Somatostatin regulates NHE8 protein expression via the ERK1/2 MAPK pathway in DSS-induced colitis mice
Previous studies reported that administration of somatostatin (SST) to human patients mitigated their diarrheal symptoms. Octreotide (an analog of SST) treatment in animals resulted in upregulation of sodium/hydrogen exchanger 8 (NHE8). NHE8 is important for water/sodium absorption in the intestine, and loss of NHE8 function results in mucosal injury. Thus we hypothesized that NHE8 expression is inhibited during colitis and that SST treatment during pathological conditions can restore NHE8 expression. Our data showed for the first time that NHE8 is expressed in the human colonic tissue and that NHE8 expression is decreased in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. We also found that octreotide could stimulate colonic NHE8 expression in colitic mice. Furthermore, the somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) agonist seglitide and the somatostatin receptor 5 (SSTR5) agonist L-817,818 could restore NHE8 expression via its role in suppressing ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Our study uncovered a novel mechanism of SST stimulation of NHE8 expression in colitis.
From: Li, X., Cai, L., Xu, H., Geng, C., Lu, J., Tao, L., Sun, D., Ghishan, F. K., Wang, C. http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/5/G954?rss=1
Aging-associated changes in microRNA expression profile of internal anal sphincter smooth muscle: Role of microRNA-133a
A comprehensive genomic and proteomic, computational, and physiological approach was employed to examine the (previously unexplored) role of microRNAs (miRNAs) as regulators of internal anal sphincter (IAS) smooth muscle contractile phenotype and basal tone. miRNA profiling, genome-wide expression, validation, and network analyses were employed to assess changes in mRNA and miRNA expression in IAS smooth muscles from young vs. aging rats. Multiple miRNAs, including rno-miR-1, rno-miR-340-5p, rno-miR-185, rno-miR-199a-3p, rno-miR-200c, rno-miR-200b, rno-miR-31, rno-miR-133a, and rno-miR-206, were found to be upregulated in aging IAS. qPCR confirmed the upregulated expression of these miRNAs and downregulation of multiple, predicted targets (Eln, Col3a1, Col1a1, Zeb2, Myocd, Srf, Smad1, Smad2, Rhoa/Rock2, Fn1, Tagln v2, Klf4, and Acta2) involved in regulation of smooth muscle contractility. Subsequent studies demonstrated an aging-associated increase in the expression of miR-133a, corresponding decreases in RhoA, ROCK2, MYOCD, SRF, and SM22α protein expression, RhoA-signaling, and a decrease in basal and agonist [U-46619 (thromboxane A2 analog)]-induced increase in the IAS tone. Moreover, in vitro transfection of miR-133a caused a dose-dependent increase of IAS tone in strips, which was reversed by anti-miR-133a. Last, in vivo perianal injection of anti-miR-133a reversed the loss of IAS tone associated with age. This work establishes the important regulatory effect of miRNA-133a on basal and agonist-stimulated IAS tone. Moreover, reversal of age-associated loss of tone via anti-miR delivery strongly implicates miR dysregulation as a causal factor in the aging-associated decrease in IAS tone and suggests that miR-133a is a feasible therapeutic target in aging-associated rectoanal incontinence.
From: Singh, J., Boopathi, E., Addya, S., Phillips, B., Rigoutsos, I., Penn, R. B., Rattan, S. http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/5/G964?rss=1
Fibromyalgia: Does exercise help or hurt?
From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/in-depth/fibromyalgia-and-exercise/art-20093376
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