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Health systems, govt responses linked to virus tolls

October 14, 2020

BERLIN (AP) — Scientists say a comparison of 21 developed countries during the start of the coronavirus pandemic shows that those with early lockdowns and well-prepared national health systems avoided large numbers of additional deaths due to the outbreak.

In a study published Wednesday by the journal Nature Medicine, researchers used the number of weekly deaths in 19 European countries, New Zealand and Australia over the past decade to estimate how many people would have died from mid-February to May 2020 had the pandemic not happened.

The authors, led by Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London, then compared the predicted number of deaths to the actual reported figure during that period to determine how many likely occurred due to the pandemic. Such models of ‘excess mortality’ are commonly used by public health officials to better understand disease outbreaks and the effectiveness of counter-measures.

The study found there were about 206,000

Prospective parents’ mental health linked to premature births

October 13, 2020

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Both a mother’s and father’s mental health are associated with increased risk that their baby will be born premature, a new study has found.

The research, led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in EClinicalMedicine, found men with persistent mental health problems through adolescence and young adulthood were more likely to have a baby born premature. Women with anxiety and depression during pregnancy were more likely to have a preterm birth.

Study co-lead MCRI’S and Deakin University’s Dr. Elizabeth Spry said prior to this study the impact of maternal and paternal mental health history on offspring preterm birth and birth weight was unknown.

The study involved 398 women and 267 men from the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS), who were assessed over 15 years for anxiety and depressive symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood and during subsequent pregnancies.

Dr. Spry said

HIIT workouts are linked to better mental health and longer, healthier lives, according to a new study

October 9, 2020

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a person holding a suitcase: Jamie Grill/Getty Images

High intensity interval training could boost health and lifespan for adults over 70, according to a new study.
Researchers found that people who did strenuous exercise twice a week had better mental and physical health and fitness than those who did moderate exercise.
They were also slightly less likely to die during the five-year period, suggesting HIIT could potentially extend lifespan, in addition to improving quality of life.
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There’s more evidence that vigorous exercise could be the key to a long, healthy life.

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, refers to exercise sessions with short periods of intense effort combined with periods of milder exercise or rest. This may sound intimidating (and can be linked to injuries if done incorrectly), but it doesn’t have to be heavy weight-lifting. Studies have shown even fast walking can

Metformin Linked to Reduced Cognitive Decline, Dementia Risk

October 7, 2020

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Older people taking metformin, the first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes, show significantly lower rates of dementia and cognitive decline compared to those with diabetes not receiving the drug, with the former having dementia rates that are, in fact, similar to people without diabetes, new research shows.

“After controlling for dementia risk factors that might promote cognitive aging, metformin appeared to mitigate the effect of diabetes on cognitive decline in older people,” first author Katherine Samaras, MBBS, PhD, told Medscape Medical News.

The findings are notable considering the increased risk of cognitive decline that is associated with diabetes, said Samaras, leader of the Healthy Ageing Research Theme at the Garvan Institute and an endocrinologist at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia.

“As they age, people living with type 2 diabetes have a staggering 60% risk of developing dementia, a devastating condition that impacts thinking, behavior, the ability to perform everyday

Health, university officials investigating after 11 COVID-19 cases linked to UNH frat party

October 6, 2020

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Eleven cases of COVID-19 have been linked to a party at a University of New Hampshire fraternity, state health officials said.>> Download the free WMUR appOfficials said more than 100 people with little mask-wearing and no social distancing were at the Aug. 29 off-campus party held by Theta Chi fraternity. This is the first cluster of COVID-19 reported at a college or university in New Hampshire.”We determined that at least one person with confirmed COVID-19 infection attended this party,” said Dr. Beth Daly, chief of the state Bureau of Infectious Disease Control. “That is how we learned about the party that did occur.”That person was asymptomatic, officials said. Test results through the university’s ongoing student testing program arrived Aug. 31, and contact tracing led back to where that person had been two days earlier. University officials called the gathering reckless and reprehensible. All members of Theta Chi fraternity are under … Read More

Bearded dragons linked to salmonella outbreak across 8 states, CDC says

October 5, 2020

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Heads up, reptile lovers: Pet bearded dragons are linked to a salmonella outbreak across eight states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced.

At least 13 people across eight states — Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington — have been sickened by an outbreak of Salmonella Muenster, the CDC said.

At least seven people have been hospitalized as a result, and five people who are sickened are younger than 5 years of age.
(iStock)

At least seven people have been hospitalized as a result, and five people who are sickened are younger than 5 years old.

“Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence shows that contact with pet bearded dragons is the likely source of this outbreak,” the CDC said, noting that 77% of people interviewed said they had “contact with a bearded dragon” before falling ill.

SALMONELLA OUTBREAK SICKENS HUNDREDS, YIELDS WARNING FROM CDC:

EPA faces decision on chemical linked to brain damage in children

October 4, 2020

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When Claudia Angulo was pregnant with her son, she often felt nauseated and experienced vomiting and headaches.

She didn’t think much of it, until after she learned her son had Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder and difficulties with language and learning.

Angulo said she later discovered that a chemical she had been exposed to through her job — which involved taste-testing produce before it was washed — has been associated with health risks including brain damage in children.

“At the time that I was pregnant, in the company there were like 10 women that were pregnant and of those 10 women, seven of their kids were born with [health] problems,” she told The Hill in an interview conducted in Spanish.

And they’re not alone.

Studies have linked prenatal exposure to the chemical, called chlorpyrifos, to neurodevelopmental issues including lower IQ and impaired working memory.

Chlorpyrifos is used to prevent insects from

Common heartburn meds linked to higher diabetes risk

October 3, 2020

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Often-used drugs called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, ease heartburn symptoms, but a new study suggests they might also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Chinese researchers drew on information from studies of more than 200,000 U.S. health care professionals and found that regular use of PPIs — such as Aciphex, Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix — was associated with a 24% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The researchers also found that the longer people used the drugs, the higher their odds of diabetes.

“Regular PPI use was likely to be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, particularly for those with prolonged use,” the authors wrote in the report published online this week in the journal Gut.

Jinqiu Yuan, a researcher from the Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, led the study.

PPIs are available by prescription or over-the-counter to treat acid reflux, peptic ulcers

Irregular, long periods linked to shorter life span in 24-year study

October 2, 2020

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In a finding that suggests a woman’s periods might be a powerful indicator of her general health, researchers report that women with irregular and long menstrual cycles face a higher risk of early death.

In a study that spanned 24 years and included more than 79,000 premenopausal women who had no history of heart disease, cancer or diabetes, those who’d always had irregular menstrual cycles were more likely to die before the age of 70 than those who had regular cycles.

“The important point illustrated by this study is that menstrual regularity and reproductive health provides a window into overall long-term health,” Dr. Adam Balen, a professor of reproductive medicine at Leeds Teaching Hospitals in Britain, told CNN.

“Young women with irregular periods need a thorough assessment, not only of their hormones and metabolism but also of their lifestyle so that they can be advised about steps that they can

Report documents ‘very rare’ brain fluid leak linked to COVID-19 screening

October 1, 2020

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Oct. 1 (UPI) — Researchers on Thursday described a “very rare” health complication linked with COVID-19 testing: brain fluid leak.

They documented what may be the first case — in a woman in her 40s — in a letter published by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Those who have had sinus or skull-base surgery and those with known deformities of the skull base may be at risk for cerebrospinal fluid leak and should notify test takers of their history before getting screened for COVID-19, the researchers said.

“The good news is that this is a very rare event,” report co-author Dr. Jarrett E. Walsh, an ear, nose and throat specialist with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, told UPI.

“From a patient standpoint, there may be some discomfort with nasal swabs, but you should not have symptoms of persistent clear nasal drainage or significant bleeding after a swab,” particularly