Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wcpzB6nzRZo

Almost 90 percent of in-vitro fertilization clinics fail to report complete outcome information as they are required to do by the Society For Assisted Reproductive Technology.  This according to a unpublished Brown University study presented to the IVF scientific meetings last October.

The researchers reviewed 361 IVF clinic websites looking for advertising policy adherence. One-third of the sites violated the rule prohibiting success rate reporting and half fail to publish up-to-date data.  Only 46% linked to the Society’s comprehensive database as they are required to do.

It’s apparent that better society monitoring is needed to protect unsuspecting infertile couples desperate for a child.  Meanwhile, buyer beware!

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921970

#ivf #infertility #falseadvertising

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wcpzB6nzRZo

Almost 90 percent of in-vitro fertilization clinics fail to report complete outcome information as they are required to do by the Society For Assisted Reproductive Technology.  This according to a unpublished Brown University study presented to the IVF scientific meetings last October.

The researchers reviewed 361 IVF clinic websites looking for advertising policy adherence. One-third of the sites violated the rule prohibiting success rate reporting and half fail to publish up-to-date data.  Only 46% linked to the Society’s comprehensive database as they are required to do.

It’s apparent that better society monitoring is needed to protect unsuspecting infertile couples desperate for a child.  Meanwhile, buyer beware!

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921970

#ivf #infertility #falseadvertising

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/JUoQWSUNjuA

Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves your working memory in a manner similar to caffeine.   Exercise physiologists from Canada’s Western University and the University of British Columbia tested 59 participants half of whom never drank caffeine and half of whom drank it regularly

A 20 minute session of moderate aerobic exercise on a treadmill conferred a statistically similar working memory benefit as a cup of regular coffee for non-drinkers. For regular coffee drinkers, adding exercise triggered even greater accuracy improvements. 

 Exercise also curtailed caffeine withdrawal symptoms in those regular consumers who were deprived of their java.

 Aerobic exertion improves brain function by boosting blood flow to these vital tissues.  Do it often!

Morava, A., Fagan, M.J. & Prapavessis, H. Effects of Caffeine and Acute Aerobic Exercise on Working Memory and Caffeine Withdrawal. Sci Rep 9, 19644 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41598-019-56251-y

#exercise #caffeine #memory #cognition

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/JUoQWSUNjuA

Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves your working memory in a manner similar to caffeine.   Exercise physiologists from Canada’s Western University and the University of British Columbia tested 59 participants half of whom never drank caffeine and half of whom drank it regularly

A 20 minute session of moderate aerobic exercise on a treadmill conferred a statistically similar working memory benefit as a cup of regular coffee for non-drinkers. For regular coffee drinkers, adding exercise triggered even greater accuracy improvements. 

 Exercise also curtailed caffeine withdrawal symptoms in those regular consumers who were deprived of their java.

 Aerobic exertion improves brain function by boosting blood flow to these vital tissues.  Do it often!

Morava, A., Fagan, M.J. & Prapavessis, H. Effects of Caffeine and Acute Aerobic Exercise on Working Memory and Caffeine Withdrawal. Sci Rep 9, 19644 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41598-019-56251-y

#exercise #caffeine #memory #cognition

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/I2f5U8Bykww

In a 2015 Harris poll, $ over 71% of parents thought tats were ok for pediatricians, 51% of millennials approved for any doctor, but only 35% of all adults felt comfortable with tattoos.  

In a Hawaiian study the same year, more than half of the respondents expressed less confidence in doctors with tats or piercings. 

 A 2018 study of more than 900 emergency room patients suggested that patient confidence was unaffected by tattoos.  

A November 2019 Medscape poll of doc, nurses, and pharmacists showed a 60% approval of tats.

What do you think?  To respond, comment on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TicToc, Facebook, or LinkedIn.  I’ll tabulate the results and let you know.

Harris poll: https://bit.ly/2Rwkst6

Hawaiian study: https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922815616889

Emergency Room study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29967212

Medscape: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/923527

#tattoos #piercings #doctors #nurses

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/I2f5U8Bykww

In a 2015 Harris poll, $ over 71% of parents thought tats were ok for pediatricians, 51% of millennials approved for any doctor, but only 35% of all adults felt comfortable with tattoos.  

In a Hawaiian study the same year, more than half of the respondents expressed less confidence in doctors with tats or piercings. 

 A 2018 study of more than 900 emergency room patients suggested that patient confidence was unaffected by tattoos.  

A November 2019 Medscape poll of doc, nurses, and pharmacists showed a 60% approval of tats.

What do you think?  To respond, comment on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TicToc, Facebook, or LinkedIn.  I’ll tabulate the results and let you know.

Harris poll: https://bit.ly/2Rwkst6

Hawaiian study: https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922815616889

Emergency Room study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29967212

Medscape: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/923527

#tattoos #piercings #doctors #nurses

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/tcETWj5cQ8g

Keeping the surgeon’s knife away from your prostate in favor or using radiotherapy improves your sexual function by up to 15 % and your urine control by up to 23%.  These stats come from multi-site study of nearly 2000 men was just published in JAMA.

Groups with potentially operable prostate cancer received either watchful waiting, nerve-sparing prostate removal, or external beam radiation. After 5 years, those with better behaved tumors had better urinary, sexual, and bowel function after radiotherapy than surgery.  Even those with more aggressive tumors enjoyed better urinary and sexual performance after radiation than surgery.

Proton beams seem even better than conventional radiation.  Avoid surgery if possible.

Hoffman KE, Penson DF, Zhao Z, et al. Patient-Reported Outcomes Through 5 Years for Active Surveillance, Surgery, Brachytherapy, or External Beam Radiation With or Without Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer. JAMA. 2020;323(2):149–163. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.20675

#prostatecancer  #radiation #surgery #incontinence #ed

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/tcETWj5cQ8g

Keeping the surgeon’s knife away from your prostate in favor or using radiotherapy improves your sexual function by up to 15 % and your urine control by up to 23%.  These stats come from multi-site study of nearly 2000 men was just published in JAMA.

Groups with potentially operable prostate cancer received either watchful waiting, nerve-sparing prostate removal, or external beam radiation. After 5 years, those with better behaved tumors had better urinary, sexual, and bowel function after radiotherapy than surgery.  Even those with more aggressive tumors enjoyed better urinary and sexual performance after radiation than surgery.

Proton beams seem even better than conventional radiation.  Avoid surgery if possible.

Hoffman KE, Penson DF, Zhao Z, et al. Patient-Reported Outcomes Through 5 Years for Active Surveillance, Surgery, Brachytherapy, or External Beam Radiation With or Without Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer. JAMA. 2020;323(2):149–163. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.20675

#prostatecancer  #radiation #surgery #incontinence #ed

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Tn9a1v9C038

Wolfing down 2-3 ounces of walnuts a day is an excellent way to improve your gut microbiome and keep your heart healthy.  This from nutrition researchers at Penn State.

They studied 42 overweight or obese middle aged subjects and replaced the saturated fats in their diets with either vegetable oils or good ol’ walnuts.  When their fecal samples were analyzed, the walnut eaters enjoyed a significant increase in good gastrointestinal bacteria including eubacterium eligens and lachnospiraceae.  The Eu bug normalizes blood pressure while the lach bug drops your blood pressure and cholesterol.

Walnuts won’t neutralize a pile of burgers and donuts.  They do make a heart healthy snacks so crack a can.

Alyssa M Tindall, Christopher J McLimans, Kristina S Petersen, Penny M Kris-Etherton, Regina Lamendella. Walnuts and Vegetable Oils Containing Oleic Acid Differentially Affect the Gut Microbiota and Associations with Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Follow-up of a Randomized, Controlled, Feeding Trial in Adults at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. The Journal of Nutrition, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz289

#walnuts #microbiome #hypertension #cholesterol

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Tn9a1v9C038

Wolfing down 2-3 ounces of walnuts a day is an excellent way to improve your gut microbiome and keep your heart healthy.  This from nutrition researchers at Penn State.

They studied 42 overweight or obese middle aged subjects and replaced the saturated fats in their diets with either vegetable oils or good ol’ walnuts.  When their fecal samples were analyzed, the walnut eaters enjoyed a significant increase in good gastrointestinal bacteria including eubacterium eligens and lachnospiraceae.  The Eu bug normalizes blood pressure while the lach bug drops your blood pressure and cholesterol.

Walnuts won’t neutralize a pile of burgers and donuts.  They do make a heart healthy snacks so crack a can.

Alyssa M Tindall, Christopher J McLimans, Kristina S Petersen, Penny M Kris-Etherton, Regina Lamendella. Walnuts and Vegetable Oils Containing Oleic Acid Differentially Affect the Gut Microbiota and Associations with Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Follow-up of a Randomized, Controlled, Feeding Trial in Adults at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. The Journal of Nutrition, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz289

#walnuts #microbiome #hypertension #cholesterol