Author: healthadmin

More than 4 in 10 older Americans take five or more prescription drugs, and the study suggests that millions of these may be due to obesity. Researchers say reducing obesity may help reduce medication burden later in life. Study: Contribution of obesity to polypharmacy in older adults in the United States. Image credit: Kotcha K/Shutterstock.com recent General Internal Medicine Journal The study investigated whether obesity was associated with polypharmacy in a nationally representative sample of older Americans. Obesity increases drug burden later in life Polypharmacy, broadly defined as the simultaneous use of five or more drugs by an individual, is…

INTEGRA Biosciences has made significant progress towards its net-zero goal in the three years since its commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The system independently assesses and approves companies’ carbon reduction targets according to rigorous criteria and is critical to guiding companies’ progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. INTEGRA has worked with the myclimate Foundation, a leading climate organization, to calculate its carbon footprint and implement practices to reduce its carbon footprint. These actions have enabled the company to make significant strides toward more environmentally friendly practices, including: Self-generated 970MWh of solar power per year Increase renewable energy…

When it’s time to add solid foods to your baby’s diet, is it best to do the traditional method of spoon-feeding them purees, or is it best to let your baby feed themselves soft finger foods? The second method, called “baby-led weaning,” has exploded in popularity over the past decade, but many parents and caregivers are concerned about whether it will lead to healthy development or whether it could have negative effects. Nutritionists at Colorado State University are trying to solve this problem that affects countless babies. Researchers evaluated 150 infants from six months to one year old and compared…

The researchers found that while maternal BMI influenced birth weight, genetics accounted for most of the similarity in parent-child BMI throughout childhood, challenging the idea that obesity risk is largely programmed before birth. Study: Parental body mass index and offspring’s childhood body size and dietary behavior: A structural equation modeling analysis in the Norwegian Mother-Child Cohort Study. Image credit: NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock.com Recent research published in journals PLoS Medicine Our findings suggest that maternal obesity influences birth weight more strongly than childhood BMI, and that associations with parental BMI are better explained by common genetics. Investigating the genetics of childhood obesity…

UNSW Sydney researchers have developed a fully synthetic soft robotic heart that replicates the complex movements and internal structures of the human heart, opening the door to better treatments, safer medical devices and more personalized care. Published in nature communications and cutting edge scienceThis study introduces a left-sided beating model of the heart, including an artificial valve, papillary muscles, and chordae tendineae. These structures are essential for healthy heart function and are often affected by disease. The device can accurately replicate the process in a real heart where heart valves leak and blood flows backwards, increasing the risk of heart…

Researchers have discovered another clue that diet may influence how the brain ages. A study of more than 2,000 elderly Japanese people found that those with low levels of vitamin C in their blood tended to have less gray matter and weaker connections in important brain networks involved in memory and attention. Although the findings do not prove that vitamin C protects the brain, they strengthen the evidence that proper nutrition may play a role in maintaining subsequent cognitive function. The study, led by Haruka Nagaya from Hirosaki University in Japan, was published in an open access journal on June…

Real-world data suggest that new obesity drugs may have a different mental health profile, with warning signs for anxiety and insomnia shown for tirzepatide compared to semaglutide in people without diabetes, although rates of some psychiatric diagnoses are lower. Study: Neuropsychiatric associations of tirzepatide and semaglutide in obesity with and without type 2 diabetes. Image credit: Love Employee / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal communication medicineA group of researchers examined the association between initiation of tirzepatide or semaglutide and incident neuropsychiatric diagnoses compared with other weight loss treatments in adults with obesity, analyzing individuals with and…

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a critical missing piece in the long-standing mystery of how melanoma tumors avoid death and continue to grow. This week I am writing: scienceDr. Jonathan Alder and colleagues describe a combination of genetic changes that can dramatically extend the lifespan of melanoma cells while promoting rapid tumor growth. The discovery could reshape the way researchers understand melanoma and could suggest new treatment strategies. “We’ve done something essentially obvious based on previous basic research and tied it to what’s going on inside the patient’s body,” said Alder, an assistant professor…

McMaster University researchers have developed a new cancer immunotherapy strategy that can simultaneously attack deadly brain tumors and the immune cells that help them grow. The study was published on July 1, naturefocuses on glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat cancers, and on immune cells called macrophages, which normally help protect the body from infection. But glioblastomas can hijack these cells and use them to help the tumor grow, suppress immune attacks, and resist treatment.Researchers identified non-metastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB), a glycoprotein present in cancer cells and these tumor-supporting macrophages. This has presented a unique…

A nationwide study suggests that severe COVID-19 infections may make some survivors more vulnerable to tuberculosis, highlighting the potential role of targeted screening after hospitalization. Study: Risk of developing tuberculosis after severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a national cohort study. Image credit: Tatiana Shepeleva / Shutterstock In a recent article in a magazine nature communicationsresearchers assessed the risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) after severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Chilean adults. In 2024, approximately 10.7 million people worldwide will be infected with tuberculosis and 1.2 million will die. Tuberculosis control efforts have been significantly disrupted by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic,…