Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/oPpEHSrCrLs

Ok...be honest.  How often during the day do you take a break from report writing or tedious calculations by picking up your cellphone?  Management scientists at New Jersey’s Rutgers Business School are just out with new data that shows such cellphone breaks do not refresh your brain but just the opposite.

The investigators presented each of  more than 400 study participants with multiple word puzzles to solve.  Midway through the timed exercise, a break was offered during which they could use either their phones, a computer, or some paper.  Some took no break at all.

Those who used to break to play with their cellphones took 19% longer to complete the puzzles and solved 22% fewer puzzles than non-phone users who skipped the break entirely.  These “phone users” post break efficiency and cognitive power was only slightly better than those who passed up the break opportunity.

The lesson learned is that, when you want to give your brain a recharge during a particularly taxing session, leave your phone in your pocket and instead look at pictures or take a relaxing walk in nature.

Sanghoon Kang, Terri R. Kurtzberg. Reach for your cell phone at your own risk: The cognitive costs of media choice for breaks. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1556/2006.8.2019.21

#Cellphone #mentalrefresh #cognitivepower

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/oPpEHSrCrLs

Ok...be honest.  How often during the day do you take a break from report writing or tedious calculations by picking up your cellphone?  Management scientists at New Jersey’s Rutgers Business School are just out with new data that shows such cellphone breaks do not refresh your brain but just the opposite.

The investigators presented each of  more than 400 study participants with multiple word puzzles to solve.  Midway through the timed exercise, a break was offered during which they could use either their phones, a computer, or some paper.  Some took no break at all.

Those who used to break to play with their cellphones took 19% longer to complete the puzzles and solved 22% fewer puzzles than non-phone users who skipped the break entirely.  These “phone users” post break efficiency and cognitive power was only slightly better than those who passed up the break opportunity.

The lesson learned is that, when you want to give your brain a recharge during a particularly taxing session, leave your phone in your pocket and instead look at pictures or take a relaxing walk in nature.

Sanghoon Kang, Terri R. Kurtzberg. Reach for your cell phone at your own risk: The cognitive costs of media choice for breaks. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1556/2006.8.2019.21

#Cellphone #mentalrefresh #cognitivepower

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/yZ2lRytD7kw

Going on alcoholic benders is bad news for your liver, but a new study from the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that women’s livers may be particularly vulnerable to alcohol injury.  The researchers employed a rodent model and gave both female and male rats three large rounds of drinks at 12 hour intervals.

The females’ do  blood alcohol levels surged twice as high as those in the males, and their livers had 4 times as much fatty buildup.  More ominous is the finding that an alcohol-induced tumor-promoting protein called DGKalpha rises more than four times higher in the females than in the males.

Now let’s talk about humans.  The CDC has data to show that 1 in every 8 women binge drink at least 3 times every month, and each binge consists of 6 drinks on average.  One in 5 high school girls binge drink.  

The sudden, sustained burst of alcohol in the bloodstream is even more damaging to our bodies than chronic alcohol consumption.  This latest study is a particular warning to women but a reminder to us all that drinking in moderation is the only safe alternative to no drinking at all.

Shivendra D. Shukla, Ricardo Restrepo, Annayya R. Aroor, Xuanyou Liu, Robert W. Lim, Jacob D. Franke, David A. Ford, Ronald J. Korthuis. Binge Alcohol Is More Injurious to Liver in Female than in Male Rats: Histopathological, Pharmacologic, and Epigenetic Profiles. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2019; 370 (3): 390 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.119.258871

#Bingedrinking #female #alcoholliverdisease

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/yZ2lRytD7kw

Going on alcoholic benders is bad news for your liver, but a new study from the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that women’s livers may be particularly vulnerable to alcohol injury.  The researchers employed a rodent model and gave both female and male rats three large rounds of drinks at 12 hour intervals.

The females’ do  blood alcohol levels surged twice as high as those in the males, and their livers had 4 times as much fatty buildup.  More ominous is the finding that an alcohol-induced tumor-promoting protein called DGKalpha rises more than four times higher in the females than in the males.

Now let’s talk about humans.  The CDC has data to show that 1 in every 8 women binge drink at least 3 times every month, and each binge consists of 6 drinks on average.  One in 5 high school girls binge drink.  

The sudden, sustained burst of alcohol in the bloodstream is even more damaging to our bodies than chronic alcohol consumption.  This latest study is a particular warning to women but a reminder to us all that drinking in moderation is the only safe alternative to no drinking at all.

Shivendra D. Shukla, Ricardo Restrepo, Annayya R. Aroor, Xuanyou Liu, Robert W. Lim, Jacob D. Franke, David A. Ford, Ronald J. Korthuis. Binge Alcohol Is More Injurious to Liver in Female than in Male Rats: Histopathological, Pharmacologic, and Epigenetic Profiles. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2019; 370 (3): 390 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.119.258871

#Bingedrinking #female #alcoholliverdisease

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/A5oZaWBaabk

Insomniacs have a genetic association with coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke.  This conclusion stems from a Swedish Karolinska Institute study of more than 1.3 million individuals whose genetic characteristics were found in publicly available databases.

The investigators employed an epidemiological method called Mendelian randomization to identify the associations and reduce bias.  This is a first-of-its-kind study which does have the limitation that it focuses not on those with proven insomnia but only a genetic predisposition to it.

Insomnia is common, and 30-50% of us suffer from it.  If you’re one of those unlucky enough to experience sleepless nights, work with a sleep specialist to find the cause and effective treatment.  Also know, that you should do all you can to avoid cardiovascular disease by exercising and monitoring your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and diet.

Susanna C. Larsson, Hugh S. Markus. Genetic Liability to Insomnia and Cardiovascular Disease Risk. Circulation, 2019; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.041830

#Insomnia #cardiovasculardisease #stroke

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/A5oZaWBaabk

Insomniacs have a genetic association with coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke.  This conclusion stems from a Swedish Karolinska Institute study of more than 1.3 million individuals whose genetic characteristics were found in publicly available databases.

The investigators employed an epidemiological method called Mendelian randomization to identify the associations and reduce bias.  This is a first-of-its-kind study which does have the limitation that it focuses not on those with proven insomnia but only a genetic predisposition to it.

Insomnia is common, and 30-50% of us suffer from it.  If you’re one of those unlucky enough to experience sleepless nights, work with a sleep specialist to find the cause and effective treatment.  Also know, that you should do all you can to avoid cardiovascular disease by exercising and monitoring your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and diet.

Susanna C. Larsson, Hugh S. Markus. Genetic Liability to Insomnia and Cardiovascular Disease Risk. Circulation, 2019; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.041830

#Insomnia #cardiovasculardisease #stroke

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wMLmrsA4nfc

If your child is a mild asthmatic, you need only use inhalers when symptoms arise.  If you do, your child child will likely receive 74% less steroid medication and you’ll save a bundle of money.

This strategy comes from Washington University-St. Louis study just published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.  The researchers studied more than 200 mild asthmatics 6 to 17 years of age.  They compared asthma control in one group receiving typical therapy, daily puffs of the steroid beclomethasone and as needed puffs of the bronchodilator albuterol, with asthma control in a second group receiving both the steroid and bronchodilator inhalers only in the face of shortness of breath, chest tightening, coughing, and wheezing.

At the end of a year, the two groups of asthmatics had similar numbers of attacks, similar visits to their doctors, and similar numbers of urgent visits to the emergency room.  The “AS NEEDED group” used much less steroid and saved a bundle of money.

Since “more is less,” ask your child’s doctor or nurse about stopping the daily steroid inhaler in favor or using it along with a bronchodilator only when necessary.

Sumino K, Bacharier LB, Taylor J, Chadwick-Mansker K, Curtis V, Nash A, Jackson-Triggs S, Moen J, Schechtman KB, Garbutt J, Castro M. A pragmatic trial of symptom-based inhaled corticosteroid use in African American children with mild asthma. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. July 30, 2019.

#Asthma #inhalers #steroid #bronchodilator

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wMLmrsA4nfc

If your child is a mild asthmatic, you need only use inhalers when symptoms arise.  If you do, your child child will likely receive 74% less steroid medication and you’ll save a bundle of money.

This strategy comes from Washington University-St. Louis study just published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.  The researchers studied more than 200 mild asthmatics 6 to 17 years of age.  They compared asthma control in one group receiving typical therapy, daily puffs of the steroid beclomethasone and as needed puffs of the bronchodilator albuterol, with asthma control in a second group receiving both the steroid and bronchodilator inhalers only in the face of shortness of breath, chest tightening, coughing, and wheezing.

At the end of a year, the two groups of asthmatics had similar numbers of attacks, similar visits to their doctors, and similar numbers of urgent visits to the emergency room.  The “AS NEEDED group” used much less steroid and saved a bundle of money.

Since “more is less,” ask your child’s doctor or nurse about stopping the daily steroid inhaler in favor or using it along with a bronchodilator only when necessary.

Sumino K, Bacharier LB, Taylor J, Chadwick-Mansker K, Curtis V, Nash A, Jackson-Triggs S, Moen J, Schechtman KB, Garbutt J, Castro M. A pragmatic trial of symptom-based inhaled corticosteroid use in African American children with mild asthma. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. July 30, 2019.

#Asthma #inhalers #steroid #bronchodilator

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kj8WxgQ-ZS4

Thousands of young women are having unnecessary radiation exposure via mammograms prior to surgery to right-size their breasts.  A just published University of Michigan study of more than 52,000 women candidates for this surgery shows that one-third of them had mammography prior to the procedure.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated 5 years ago that such routine pre-op imaging should be stopped.  Such procedures in women who otherwise have no indications for breast imaging are economically wasteful and unnecessarily expose patients to radiation.

If your surgeon is recommending this preop imaging, pass on the reference I’m providing and challenge the suggestion.  It’s always good to speak up and take a role in planning your healthcare.

#reductionmammoplasty #mammography #preoperative imaging #health news #health tips

Erika D. Sears, Yu-Ting Lu, Peter R. Swiatek, Ting-Ting Chung, Eve A. Kerr, Kevin C. Chung. Use of Preoperative Mammography During Evaluation for Nononcologic Breast Reduction Surgery. JAMA Surgery, 2018; DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2018.4875

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kj8WxgQ-ZS4

Thousands of young women are having unnecessary radiation exposure via mammograms prior to surgery to right-size their breasts.  A just published University of Michigan study of more than 52,000 women candidates for this surgery shows that one-third of them had mammography prior to the procedure.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated 5 years ago that such routine pre-op imaging should be stopped.  Such procedures in women who otherwise have no indications for breast imaging are economically wasteful and unnecessarily expose patients to radiation.

If your surgeon is recommending this preop imaging, pass on the reference I’m providing and challenge the suggestion.  It’s always good to speak up and take a role in planning your healthcare.

#reductionmammoplasty #mammography #preoperative imaging #health news #health tips

Erika D. Sears, Yu-Ting Lu, Peter R. Swiatek, Ting-Ting Chung, Eve A. Kerr, Kevin C. Chung. Use of Preoperative Mammography During Evaluation for Nononcologic Breast Reduction Surgery. JAMA Surgery, 2018; DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2018.4875