Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/7qhJMVpyav

Adding a second dose of the Pfizer mRNA CoVid vaccine yields better and more uniformly protective viral neutralization antibodies.  Portuguese investigators studied the responses of 1245 health care workers and 146 nursing home residents ranging in age from 19 to 99 years.

After the first dose, 98.6% of younger recipients 19-29 years developed antibodies while only 25.4% of the older recipients 70-100 years of age developed them.  Adding the second dose bumped the antibody development up to 100% for the young and to 94.9% for the older and led to more uniform levels of protective antibody in all age groups.

A second dose benefits all, but especially our elders.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.19.21253680v2.full.pdf+html

#CoVid #vaccine #mRNA #pfizer #antibodies

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/7qhJMVpyav

Adding a second dose of the Pfizer mRNA CoVid vaccine yields better and more uniformly protective viral neutralization antibodies.  Portuguese investigators studied the responses of 1245 health care workers and 146 nursing home residents ranging in age from 19 to 99 years.

After the first dose, 98.6% of younger recipients 19-29 years developed antibodies while only 25.4% of the older recipients 70-100 years of age developed them.  Adding the second dose bumped the antibody development up to 100% for the young and to 94.9% for the older and led to more uniform levels of protective antibody in all age groups.

A second dose benefits all, but especially our elders.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.19.21253680v2.full.pdf+html

#CoVid #vaccine #mRNA #pfizer #antibodies

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/lqDzwBXKfb4

An implantable chip is 6 times better than external cardiac monitoring for detecting bouts of atrial fibrillation that could trigger a devastating stroke.  Cardiologists at Harvard’s Mass General Hospital and Northwestern University draw this conclusion from their study of 492 patients who suffered a first stroke with no identifiable cause.  

Half the group were randomized to receive a tiny implantable cardiac monitoring chip and the others were monitored with conventional methods.  The chip detected runs of atrial fibrillation in 12.1% of cases versus only 1.8% by conventional means.  Based on this result, the investigators suggest that any stroke patient with a history of atrial fibrillation should be monitored with this high tech implant.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2780490

#atrialfibrillation #stroke #monitoring #implant

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/lqDzwBXKfb4

An implantable chip is 6 times better than external cardiac monitoring for detecting bouts of atrial fibrillation that could trigger a devastating stroke.  Cardiologists at Harvard’s Mass General Hospital and Northwestern University draw this conclusion from their study of 492 patients who suffered a first stroke with no identifiable cause.  

Half the group were randomized to receive a tiny implantable cardiac monitoring chip and the others were monitored with conventional methods.  The chip detected runs of atrial fibrillation in 12.1% of cases versus only 1.8% by conventional means.  Based on this result, the investigators suggest that any stroke patient with a history of atrial fibrillation should be monitored with this high tech implant.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2780490

#atrialfibrillation #stroke #monitoring #implant

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/cAmUQlHW8kE

Today’s medical discoveries that point to future therapy.

Elephants May Help Us PREVENT Cancer

Making Plant-based Meats Healthier

Genetically Enhanced Heart Attack Therapy

Smart Device Monitoring Of Your Psyche

Antibiotics Could Treat Cancer

Elephants are one-third as likely to die from cancer even though they have 100 times as many potentially cancerous cells.  Geneticists at the University of Chicago have unraveled the mystery by their discovery that elephants possess a gene that triggers a cytokine called LIF6 to destroy cancer cells. We humans have one copy of the tumor suppressor gene p53, versus 20 copies in elephants, and we also have a version of the LIF cytokine.  Work is underway to harness for humans the gene-driven cancer preventive that works so well in elephants.

Plant-based meat and fish substitutes are all the rage, but they are not healthier than the real thing due to their abundance of saturated fat, salt, and sugar.  Food scientists at UMass Amherst are reengineering products like Impossible Meat and Beyond Meat to include key micronutrients including Vitamin D, calcium, and zinc while omitting the harmful ingredients.  These refined substitutes will be the next generation of plant-based meat and fish, and when they arrive, you’ll be the first to know.

Successful therapy after heart attacks involves reestablishing blood flow by chemically or surgically eliminating the clots that prevent coronary blood flow. The problem is that enzymes in the damaged tissue prevent successful recovery. Experiments by pharmaceutical scientists at the Washington State University have elucidated this process, and they are now studying necrosis suppressor genes that, if properly activated, can prevent these destructive enzymes from preventing heart muscle healing.

A state of hyperarousal forecasts a mental health decline.  Texas A&M researchers have developed a smart device-based platform that provides early warnings that hyperarousal is underway.  The technology analyses facial clues and voice patterns from your phone’s camera and microphone as well as tell-tale changes in your vital signs that your smartwatch’s sensors detect to predict and warn of a impending psychic meltdown.

Certain antibiotics including the macrolides erythromycin and Zithromax kill bacteria by deactivating their ribosomes, those intracellular protein factories the act on the instructions from messenger RNA or mRNA.  Biomolecular scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a mechanism by which these antibiotics could possibly stop the growth of human cells and specifically human cancer cells.  We’re a very long way from workable therapy, but its another example of thinking outside the biological box.

These and other cutting edge solutions are coming to your doctor’s office and our hospitals…….some day soon!

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(18)31145-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2211124718311458%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-021-00099-y

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/cAmUQlHW8kE

Today’s medical discoveries that point to future therapy.

Elephants May Help Us PREVENT Cancer

Making Plant-based Meats Healthier

Genetically Enhanced Heart Attack Therapy

Smart Device Monitoring Of Your Psyche

Antibiotics Could Treat Cancer

Elephants are one-third as likely to die from cancer even though they have 100 times as many potentially cancerous cells.  Geneticists at the University of Chicago have unraveled the mystery by their discovery that elephants possess a gene that triggers a cytokine called LIF6 to destroy cancer cells. We humans have one copy of the tumor suppressor gene p53, versus 20 copies in elephants, and we also have a version of the LIF cytokine.  Work is underway to harness for humans the gene-driven cancer preventive that works so well in elephants.

Plant-based meat and fish substitutes are all the rage, but they are not healthier than the real thing due to their abundance of saturated fat, salt, and sugar.  Food scientists at UMass Amherst are reengineering products like Impossible Meat and Beyond Meat to include key micronutrients including Vitamin D, calcium, and zinc while omitting the harmful ingredients.  These refined substitutes will be the next generation of plant-based meat and fish, and when they arrive, you’ll be the first to know.

Successful therapy after heart attacks involves reestablishing blood flow by chemically or surgically eliminating the clots that prevent coronary blood flow. The problem is that enzymes in the damaged tissue prevent successful recovery. Experiments by pharmaceutical scientists at the Washington State University have elucidated this process, and they are now studying necrosis suppressor genes that, if properly activated, can prevent these destructive enzymes from preventing heart muscle healing.

A state of hyperarousal forecasts a mental health decline.  Texas A&M researchers have developed a smart device-based platform that provides early warnings that hyperarousal is underway.  The technology analyses facial clues and voice patterns from your phone’s camera and microphone as well as tell-tale changes in your vital signs that your smartwatch’s sensors detect to predict and warn of a impending psychic meltdown.

Certain antibiotics including the macrolides erythromycin and Zithromax kill bacteria by deactivating their ribosomes, those intracellular protein factories the act on the instructions from messenger RNA or mRNA.  Biomolecular scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a mechanism by which these antibiotics could possibly stop the growth of human cells and specifically human cancer cells.  We’re a very long way from workable therapy, but its another example of thinking outside the biological box.

These and other cutting edge solutions are coming to your doctor’s office and our hospitals…….some day soon!

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(18)31145-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2211124718311458%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-021-00099-y

https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(21)00648-7/fulltext

https://journals.lww.com/practicalpsychiatry/Abstract/2021/03000/Improving_Psychiatric_Care_Through_Integrated.3.aspx

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23068-1

#elephants #cancer #plantbased Meats #heartattack #smartwatch #smartphone #psychosis #antibiotics

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/V0cOYpNRyZQ

Eating yogurt twice a week lowers a man’s risk of developing adenomatous, cancer-producing polyps by 26%.   Researchers studied colonoscopy data from over 88,000 participants in the continuing Health Professionals and Nurses Health Studies.  Sadly, the data did not show any beneficial association between yogurt consumption and polyps in women.

The investigators feel that the live culture bacteria found in yogurt likely feed on the carcinogenic substances found in the gastrointestinal tract.  They also point to yogurt’s known anti-inflammatory properties as helpful in reducing colon adenoma formation.

So guys—try to enjoy several cups of yogurt a week especially if you have a personal or family history of bowel polyps or bowel cancer.

BMJ. "Yogurt may help to lower pre-cancerous bowel growth risk in men: Observed association strongest for growths highly likely to become cancerous." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 June 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190618192027.htm.

#Yogurt #polyps #cancer

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/V0cOYpNRyZQ

Eating yogurt twice a week lowers a man’s risk of developing adenomatous, cancer-producing polyps by 26%.   Researchers studied colonoscopy data from over 88,000 participants in the continuing Health Professionals and Nurses Health Studies.  Sadly, the data did not show any beneficial association between yogurt consumption and polyps in women.

The investigators feel that the live culture bacteria found in yogurt likely feed on the carcinogenic substances found in the gastrointestinal tract.  They also point to yogurt’s known anti-inflammatory properties as helpful in reducing colon adenoma formation.

So guys—try to enjoy several cups of yogurt a week especially if you have a personal or family history of bowel polyps or bowel cancer.

BMJ. "Yogurt may help to lower pre-cancerous bowel growth risk in men: Observed association strongest for growths highly likely to become cancerous." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 June 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190618192027.htm.

#Yogurt #polyps #cancer

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VPOkjMpecZc

Imagine that you’re waiting for a biopsy report, a job offer, a college or grad school acceptance, or a colonoscopy.  You’re on pins and needles anxious. Just how do you cope?  A new study from UC-Riverside gives you a novel strategy: watching an awe-inducing or heart-tugging movie.

The researchers studied a total of 729 subjects all stressed awaiting important test results.  Groups were exposed to various videos including one of an awe-inducing sunrise with orchestral accompaniment, one of cute animals playing, and the third a rather boring documentary about padlock manufacture.  Those who experienced awe reported more positive emotions and significantly less anxiety while waiting than the the subjects who screened the less inspiring selections.  

So just what is awe?  The psychologists define it as a “transportive mindset” of the sort often triggered by a tear-jerking movie.  I have a few of those that work every time: It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle On 34th Street, and Mr. Holland’s Opus.

The take home point from this study is to load a few of these videos on my phone so that next time I’m awaiting some anxiety-provoking news, I’ll be prepared.  You should do the same!

Kyla Rankin, Sara E. Andrews, Kate Sweeny. Awe-full uncertainty: Easing discomfort during waiting periods. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1615106

#Anxiety #waiting #biopsy #awe

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VPOkjMpecZc

Imagine that you’re waiting for a biopsy report, a job offer, a college or grad school acceptance, or a colonoscopy.  You’re on pins and needles anxious. Just how do you cope?  A new study from UC-Riverside gives you a novel strategy: watching an awe-inducing or heart-tugging movie.

The researchers studied a total of 729 subjects all stressed awaiting important test results.  Groups were exposed to various videos including one of an awe-inducing sunrise with orchestral accompaniment, one of cute animals playing, and the third a rather boring documentary about padlock manufacture.  Those who experienced awe reported more positive emotions and significantly less anxiety while waiting than the the subjects who screened the less inspiring selections.  

So just what is awe?  The psychologists define it as a “transportive mindset” of the sort often triggered by a tear-jerking movie.  I have a few of those that work every time: It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle On 34th Street, and Mr. Holland’s Opus.

The take home point from this study is to load a few of these videos on my phone so that next time I’m awaiting some anxiety-provoking news, I’ll be prepared.  You should do the same!

Kyla Rankin, Sara E. Andrews, Kate Sweeny. Awe-full uncertainty: Easing discomfort during waiting periods. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1615106

#Anxiety #waiting #biopsy #awe