Mike Dougherty American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention|Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2024, Abstract P192.
03/19/24 Editor’s note:
Category: health – Page 90
“Havana Syndrome” Mystery Deepens As NIH Finds No Evidence of Brain Injury
Compared to healthy volunteers, affected U.S. government personnel did not exhibit MRI-detectable brain injury or biological abnormalities that would explain symptoms.
Using advanced imaging techniques and in-depth clinical assessments, a research team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found no significant evidence of MRI-detectable brain injury, nor differences in most clinical measures compared to controls, among a group of federal employees who experienced anomalous health incidents (AHIs).
These incidents, including hearing noise and experiencing head pressure followed by headache, dizziness, cognitive dysfunction, and other symptoms, have been described in the news media as “Havana Syndrome” since U.S. government personnel stationed in Havana first reported the incidents. Scientists at the NIH Clinical Center conducted the research over the course of nearly five years and published their findings on March 18 in two papers in JAMA.
SCIN: A new resource for representative dermatology images
Google Research releases the Skin Condition Image Network (SCIN) dataset in collaboration with physicians at Stanford Med.
Designed to reflect the broad range of conditions searched for online, it’s freely available as a resource for researchers, educators, & devs → https://goo.gle/4amfMwW
#AI #medicine
Health datasets play a crucial role in research and medical education, but it can be challenging to create a dataset that represents the real world. For example, dermatology conditions are diverse in their appearance and severity and manifest differently across skin tones. Yet, existing dermatology image datasets often lack representation of everyday conditions (like rashes, allergies and infections) and skew towards lighter skin tones. Furthermore, race and ethnicity information is frequently missing, hindering our ability to assess disparities or create solutions.
To address these limitations, we are releasing the Skin Condition Image Network (SCIN) dataset in collaboration with physicians at Stanford Medicine. We designed SCIN to reflect the broad range of concerns that people search for online, supplementing the types of conditions typically found in clinical datasets. It contains images across various skin tones and body parts, helping to ensure that future AI tools work effectively for all. We’ve made the SCIN dataset freely available as an open-access resource for researchers, educators, and developers, and have taken careful steps to protect contributor privacy.
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Owner Drove Almost 100,000 Miles. Battery Health Is 97%
It’s hard to imagine that a Ford F-150 Lightning out there already has nearly 100,000 miles on its odometer. Especially since they’ve only been on the roads since late May of 2022. That’s less than two years ago, yet here we have a Ford F-150 Lightning owner reporting on his electric truck with 93,000 miles on the odometer.
He’s owned this F-150 Lightning for 21 months now, so that works out to an average of 4,429 miles driven per month or about 53,000 miles yearly. And while that’s certainly a lot of driving, what’s perhaps most interesting is the battery health of the electric pickup truck.
Immunotherapy or allergy shots is based on a century-old concept that the immune system can be desensitized to allergens that trigger symptoms
Allergy shots can potentially lead to lasting remission of allergy symptoms, and it may play a preventive role in the development of asthma and new allergies.
Immunotherapy treatment (allergy shots) is based on a century-old concept that the immune system can be desensitized to specific allergens that trigger allergy symptoms. These symptoms may be caused by allergic respiratory conditions such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma.
While common allergy medications often control symptoms; if you stop taking the medication(s), your allergy symptoms return shortly afterward. Allergy shots can potentially lead to lasting remission of allergy symptoms, and it may play a preventive role in terms of development of asthma and new allergies.
The Process Treatment involves injecting the allergen(s), causing the allergy symptoms. These allergens are identified by a combination of a medical evaluation performed by a trained allergist / immunologist and allergy skin or allergy blood tests.
New treatment slashes obesity in mice eating fatty, sugary diet
A new obesity treatment triggered weight loss in mice, even as they continued to eat a diet high in fat, sugar, and cholesterol. While much more research is needed, it suggests that it may be possible for people to one day lose weight while still enjoying the foods they want.
The challenge: By 2020, nearly 1 billion people had body mass indexes (BMIs) in the obese range, and if current trends continue, more than 50% of the global population will be obese or overweight by 2035.
This means the majority of people on Earth will be at higher risk of serious health problems related to weight, including stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and some cancers.
Natural Ways to Boost GLP-1 to Support Weight Loss
To help with weight loss, many individuals turn to various strategies, including fad diets, intense exercise routines, and even supplements. However, one crucial factor often overlooked is the role of hormones in regulating appetite and metabolism. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a hormone that plays a significant role in satiety and glucose control. By increasing GLP-1 levels naturally, individuals can potentially enhance weight loss efforts (did you know Ozempic and Wegovy are not the only ways to do this!). Of course at STAT Wellness our goal is to uncover the root cause of your weight loss struggles; as a patient of STAT you will not get a blanket “you need to eat less and exercise more” mentality. So if the information in this article is not helpful, don’t settle until you have answers. We are complex beings and need to be treated that way. However the purpose of this article is to explore natural methods to boost GLP-1 levels and support weight loss efforts.
Consume Fiber-Rich Foods.
Dietary fiber has long been recognized as an essential component of a healthy diet, but its role in weight loss is often underestimated. Fiber-rich foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, not only provide satiety but also help increase GLP-1 secretion. When consumed, fiber slows down digestion and promotes the release of GLP-1 from the intestinal cells. Additionally, certain soluble fibers act as prebiotics, nourishing beneficial gut bacteria, which further enhances GLP-1 production. Including a variety of fiber-rich foods in your diet can support weight loss efforts by promoting feelings of fullness and regulating appetite. Looking for ways to get more fiber consider: acacia fiber, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, avocado, raspberries, cruciferous vegetables, lentils, beans, and zen basil seeds (which are also lectin free).
Disease should beware — LBMs have arrived
Humanity’s Michael Geer explains what Large Biological Models are and why they are the next giant leap in health.
Mimicking exercise with a pill
NEW ORLEANS, March 18, 2024 — Doctors have long prescribed exercise to improve and protect health. In the future, a pill may offer some of the same benefits as exercise. Now, researchers report on new compounds that appear capable of mimicking the physical boost of working out — at least within rodent cells. This discovery could lead to a new way to treat muscle atrophy and other medical conditions in people, including heart failure and neurodegenerative disease.
The researchers will present their results today at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2024 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in person March 17–21; it features nearly 12,000 presentations on a range of science topics.
“We cannot replace exercise; exercise is important on all levels,” says Bahaa Elgendy, the project’s principal investigator who is presenting the work at the meeting. “If I can exercise, I should go ahead and get the physical activity. But there are so many cases in which a substitute is needed.”
Can gut bacteria help shape newborn’s immune system? Study sheds light
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered that unique bacteria colonize the gut shortly after birth and make the neurotransmitter serotonin to educate gut immune cells that help in preventing allergic reactions to food and the bacteria themselves during early development.
The study published in the journal Science Immunology on March 15, 2024, revealed that bacteria abundant in the guts of newborns produce serotonin, which promotes the development of immune cells called T-regulatory cells or Tregs. These cells suppress inappropriate immune responses to help prevent autoimmune diseases and dangerous allergic reactions to harmless food items or beneficial gut microbes.
“The gut is now known as the second human brain as it makes over 90 percent of the neurotransmitters in the human body. While neurotransmitters such as serotonin are best known for their roles in brain health, receptors for neurotransmitters are located throughout the human body,” explained the study’s senior author, Dr. Melody Zeng, an assistant professor of immunology in the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Research and the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine.