Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/hqeOv8cPjj0

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries with subsequent repairs lead to a 15% reduction in the connections between the brain and muscles of the affected leg.  Sports medicine scientists at the University of Michigan studied 10 subjects over 5 years following their surgery with MRI analysis of their corticospinal tracts, their brain to muscle cables.

Neural connections to the injured limb revealed atrophy and reduced functional signal transmission.  The investigators speculate that this nerve impulse cutback may serve to speed knee healing.

We know the importance of post-ACL surgery physical therapy.  Now we know, though, that strengthening exercises must be directed not only to the affected leg but also to the brain powering it.

Adam S. Lepley, Monica T. Ly, Dustin R. Grooms, Jeffery M. Kinsella-Shaw, Lindsey K. Lepley. Corticospinal tract structure and excitability in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A DTI and TMS study. NeuroImage: Clinical, 2020; 25: 102157 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102157

#acl #corticospinaltract #physicaltherapy

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/hqeOv8cPjj0

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries with subsequent repairs lead to a 15% reduction in the connections between the brain and muscles of the affected leg.  Sports medicine scientists at the University of Michigan studied 10 subjects over 5 years following their surgery with MRI analysis of their corticospinal tracts, their brain to muscle cables.

Neural connections to the injured limb revealed atrophy and reduced functional signal transmission.  The investigators speculate that this nerve impulse cutback may serve to speed knee healing.

We know the importance of post-ACL surgery physical therapy.  Now we know, though, that strengthening exercises must be directed not only to the affected leg but also to the brain powering it.

Adam S. Lepley, Monica T. Ly, Dustin R. Grooms, Jeffery M. Kinsella-Shaw, Lindsey K. Lepley. Corticospinal tract structure and excitability in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A DTI and TMS study. NeuroImage: Clinical, 2020; 25: 102157 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102157

#acl #corticospinaltract #physicaltherapy

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nLpLf4-5fSY

Those suffering from eating pathology are nearly 4 times more likely to become addicted to exercise.  A meta-analysis of 9 studies and 2140 participants, average age of 25, was just published in the journal Eating and Weight Disorders.

The linkage between these problems is the tendency for those with eating challenges to demonstrate obsessive-compulsive and addictive personalities.  Maintaining a healthy weight by consuming moderate amounts of healthy food is valuable.  Regular, aerobic exercise is as well.

Moderation is key.  Overdoing either is a recipe for disaster.  If you find yourself obsessing about your weight, your diet, or your level of physical activity, it is time to seek counseling.

Mike Trott, Sarah E. Jackson, Joseph Firth, Louis Jacob, Igor Grabovac, Amit Mistry, Brendon Stubbs, Lee Smith. A comparative meta-analysis of the prevalence of exercise addiction in adults with and without indicated eating disorders. Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 2020; DOI: 10.1007/s40519-019-00842-1

#eatdingdisorder #anorexia #bulemia #exercise #ocd #obsessivecompulsive #addiction

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nLpLf4-5fSY

Those suffering from eating pathology are nearly 4 times more likely to become addicted to exercise.  A meta-analysis of 9 studies and 2140 participants, average age of 25, was just published in the journal Eating and Weight Disorders.

The linkage between these problems is the tendency for those with eating challenges to demonstrate obsessive-compulsive and addictive personalities.  Maintaining a healthy weight by consuming moderate amounts of healthy food is valuable.  Regular, aerobic exercise is as well.

Moderation is key.  Overdoing either is a recipe for disaster.  If you find yourself obsessing about your weight, your diet, or your level of physical activity, it is time to seek counseling.

Mike Trott, Sarah E. Jackson, Joseph Firth, Louis Jacob, Igor Grabovac, Amit Mistry, Brendon Stubbs, Lee Smith. A comparative meta-analysis of the prevalence of exercise addiction in adults with and without indicated eating disorders. Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 2020; DOI: 10.1007/s40519-019-00842-1

#eatdingdisorder #anorexia #bulemia #exercise #ocd #obsessivecompulsive #addiction

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/UEFVD_rDKsg

Children embrace guidance from adults who exude confidence, but they reject a hard sell from the over-confident.  These conclusions come from a Canadian study of  662 children 3 to 12 years of age.

The child subjects viewed videos that featured adult actors portraying justifiable and phony confidence as well as justifiable and sham hesitancy.  The results showed that children base their confidence in an adult on the proven truth of their past statements.

Children are concrete about adult hesitancy.  To them, indecision reflects intellectual dishonesty, not a desire to be certain about the truth.

Be square with your kids.  Teach them if its too good to be true, it usually isn’t.

Susan A. J. Birch, Rachel L. Severson, Adam Baimel. Children's understanding of when a person's confidence and hesitancy is a cue to their credibility. PLOS ONE, 2020; 15 (1): e0227026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227026

#confidence #hesitancy #children #parenting #conartist

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/UEFVD_rDKsg

Children embrace guidance from adults who exude confidence, but they reject a hard sell from the over-confident.  These conclusions come from a Canadian study of  662 children 3 to 12 years of age.

The child subjects viewed videos that featured adult actors portraying justifiable and phony confidence as well as justifiable and sham hesitancy.  The results showed that children base their confidence in an adult on the proven truth of their past statements.

Children are concrete about adult hesitancy.  To them, indecision reflects intellectual dishonesty, not a desire to be certain about the truth.

Be square with your kids.  Teach them if its too good to be true, it usually isn’t.

Susan A. J. Birch, Rachel L. Severson, Adam Baimel. Children's understanding of when a person's confidence and hesitancy is a cue to their credibility. PLOS ONE, 2020; 15 (1): e0227026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227026

#confidence #hesitancy #children #parenting #conartist

A study just published by NYU shows that hemoglobin A1C testing in neighborhood barbershops can effectively screen black men for diabetes.  A total of 900 black men in Brooklyn were offered free testing at their trusted black-owned barbershops.  One-third consented to participate, and 9% of those were found to have undiagnosed diabetes and 28% more had pre-diabetes.  A disproportionate number of black men with diabetes suffer complications when compared with other racial and ethnic groups.  Community barbershops have also successfully screened their customers for high blood pressure.

https://www.jwatch.org/fw116286/2020/01/28/black-barbershops-could-id-undiagnosed-diabetes

A study just published by NYU shows that hemoglobin A1C testing in neighborhood barbershops can effectively screen black men for diabetes.  A total of 900 black men in Brooklyn were offered free testing at their trusted black-owned barbershops.  One-third consented to participate, and 9% of those were found to have undiagnosed diabetes and 28% more had pre-diabetes.  A disproportionate number of black men with diabetes suffer complications when compared with other racial and ethnic groups.  Community barbershops have also successfully screened their customers for high blood pressure.

https://www.jwatch.org/fw116286/2020/01/28/black-barbershops-could-id-undiagnosed-diabetes

Clostridium difficile is a nasty bacterium that pops up in the gut after antibiotic therapy for other infections.  This highly contagious germ can trigger life-threatening colitis.  The treatment for seven infections has been the powerful antibiotic vancomycin and for milder infections metronidazole.  The first additional antibiotic be developed for this dangerous condition in 30 years, fidaxomicin (Dificid), was approved for adults, 9 years ago.  Now the FDA announced its approval for use in children 6 months of age or older.  This drug gave significantly higher sustained cures than vancomycin after a randomized trial at the Children’s Hospital of Chicago.  Its available as an oral suspension or tablets.

https://www.mrknewsroom.com/news-release/prescription-medicine-news/fda-approves-mercks-dificid-fidaxomicin-treat-clostridioides

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/2UKbc2aYWYc

Clostridium difficile is a nasty bacterium that pops up in the gut after antibiotic therapy for other infections.  This highly contagious germ can trigger life-threatening colitis.  The treatment for seven infections has been the powerful antibiotic vancomycin and for milder infections metronidazole.  The first additional antibiotic be developed for this dangerous condition in 30 years, fidaxomicin (Dificid), was approved for adults, 9 years ago.  Now the FDA announced its approval for use in children 6 months of age or older.  This drug gave significantly higher sustained cures than vancomycin after a randomized trial at the Children’s Hospital of Chicago.  Its available as an oral suspension or tablets.

https://www.mrknewsroom.com/news-release/prescription-medicine-news/fda-approves-mercks-dificid-fidaxomicin-treat-clostridioides

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/2UKbc2aYWYc