Author: healthadmin

Recent research published in Economics and human biology suggests that carrying excess weight does not inherently reduce one’s chances of finding employment in Australia. After analyzing longitudinal data, researchers found no consistent evidence that overweight or obese people face widespread employment discrimination. The findings suggest that weight has little effect on current job prospects when past work experience is taken into account. Over the past few decades, obesity rates have increased significantly around the world. In Australia alone, approximately one in three adults will be classified as obese in 2022. This weight gain poses a variety of health risks, but…

For decades, a small program at the Environmental Protection Agency has performed the painstaking scientific work of assessing the toxicity of chemicals. As it is commonly known, the calculations made by IRIS scientists underpin a vast array of chemical regulations, permits, and other environmental regulations in the United States and abroad. Now, the Trump administration has indicated that its library of more than 500 chemical assessments is unreliable, opening the door to undermining hundreds of efforts to protect people from harmful chemicals at the state and federal level. Environmental scientists say long-established standards, such as the amount of arsenic allowed…

Taking common cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins does not seem to affect the long-term risk of developing dementia in older people. Although these drugs do provide cardiac protection, they do not appear to provide secondary protection against cognitive decline. The results of a large-scale observational study were recently published in the journal Neurology. Statins are widely available prescription drugs designed to lower low-density lipoproteins. Medical professionals often refer to this particular fat as “bad” cholesterol. This is a waxy substance that circulates in the bloodstream and can build up inside the walls of arteries. When this buildup occurs, the arteries…

Paleontologists have discovered the fossilized jawbone of a previously unknown ancient animal in a dry riverbed deep in a forest near the Brazilian Amazon. As the excavation continued, the team discovered eight more similar jawbones, each about 6 inches long. However, no additional bones apparently consistent with a complete skeleton were recovered. Still, these isolated jaws revealed something remarkable. This fossil belongs to a species that lived about 275 million years ago, and would have been considered a “living fossil” even then. The jaw was also very unusual and had a twisted shape. Some of the teeth are oriented outward…

The union at fast-growing South Korean CDMO Samsung Biologics launched a planned general strike on Friday, intensifying a dispute that has been brewing over the past few months. The five-day strike is the first since the company was founded in 2011, and the union is demanding increases in base pay and performance-based wages, The Korea Herald reported on May 1. “At this time, Samsung Biologics’ priority is to maintain supply stability and minimize the impact,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “To reduce disruption, the company is deploying experienced personnel and those who have recently completed training to…

An unexpected missed interim study in ivonecicimab’s high-profile Harmoni-3 study has sent Summit Therapeutics’ stock price plummeting, clouding the company’s momentum as its star PD-1xVEGF bispecific drug heads into the ASCO annual meeting with a shot at plenary honors. In a recently added interim analysis, the Harmoni-3 squamous cohort clearly missed statistical significance in terms of progression-free survival (PFS). Summit announced Thursday that an independent data monitoring committee recommended that the study continue as planned and maintain a double-blind design. The trial is evaluating Merck & Co.’s Keytruda plus chemotherapy in combination with ivonecicimab and chemotherapy as a first-line treatment…

After a six-month pilot, Boston-based Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) is expanding Heidi’s AI writing technology to all physicians across its health system. The deployment follows a trial to bring AI scribe to 1,000 providers, the organizations said. 89% of people who adopted this tool said they were satisfied with the quality of their notes. 90% said they felt more present with their patients. 82% said their cognitive load was reduced, and 74% said their time outside of work hours was reduced. “If we stick to the end-user experience and focus on true adoption rather than forcing implementation, we can…

If you believe you need to push yourself to the limit in the gym to get stronger, new research suggests otherwise. Improvements in muscle size, strength and performance are independent of intense training and subsequent soreness, according to research from Edith Cowan University (ECU). Professor Ken Nosaka, director of exercise and sport science at ECU, said: “The idea that exercise should be tiring or painful is what keeps people from taking action.” He points to another approach that is more effective and much easier to maintain. “Instead, you should focus on unconventional exercises that can deliver powerful results with far…

Older people who begin to feel lonely experience an accelerated decline in cognitive function compared to their peers. A new analysis of long-term health records shows that memory and thinking skills decline at a similar rate until people first experience loneliness, at which point the trajectory of cognitive decline accelerates. The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. As the global population ages, finding ways to protect memory and maintain individual independence has become a major public health priority. Medical professionals are always looking for risk factors that can be improved through lifestyle changes or treatment. Beyond physical…

Four years after winning FDA approval for Overity to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), Axum Therapeutics has launched its second U.S. approval for a first-in-class drug to treat agitation associated with dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The new approval (PDF) will keep Auvelity in competition with Lundbeck and Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s atypical antipsychotic Rexulti. Rexulti has been on the market for 10 years as a treatment for schizophrenia and MDD, and is on track to be approved for irritability in Alzheimer’s disease in 2023. Both are oral medications, making Auvelity the first non-antipsychotic drug option for new indications. Another point of…