Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wA3BlzJz0Gc

If you’re having an ACL repair, don’t plan on getting back into the action for at least a year following the surgery.  This is the recommendation that springs from a study at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg.

Sports medicine researchers there studied some 729 athletes undergoing repair of their anterior cruciate ligaments following game injuries.  Those who returned to play within 9 months of surgery had a 33% chance of a repeat injury.  Waiting 9 months or more dropped that percentage down to a mere 6%.

The investigators recommend waiting 12 months or more following ACL surgical repair and even then only returning to sport after thorough tests of thigh muscle strength and jumping ability.

University of Gothenburg. "Young athletes may need one-year break after knee surgery." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 May 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190523104938.htm.

#ACLrepair #orthopedics #sportsmedicine #parenting

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wA3BlzJz0Gc

If you’re having an ACL repair, don’t plan on getting back into the action for at least a year following the surgery.  This is the recommendation that springs from a study at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg.

Sports medicine researchers there studied some 729 athletes undergoing repair of their anterior cruciate ligaments following game injuries.  Those who returned to play within 9 months of surgery had a 33% chance of a repeat injury.  Waiting 9 months or more dropped that percentage down to a mere 6%.

The investigators recommend waiting 12 months or more following ACL surgical repair and even then only returning to sport after thorough tests of thigh muscle strength and jumping ability.

University of Gothenburg. "Young athletes may need one-year break after knee surgery." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 May 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190523104938.htm.

#ACLrepair #orthopedics #sportsmedicine #parenting

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZhsT6oQ4B5s

Exercise during pregnancy keeps moms fit and their weight gain under better control.  It also has beneficial effects on placental function and development of the baby.

A study from Washington State University, performed in a mouse model and just published in the Journal of Physiology, shows that consistent exercise helps placental vascularization and normalizes placenta metabolic activity.

The study was performed in mice of normal weight but also in obese mice to take account of the fact that more than one-third of pregnant Americans are obese.  For the obese mice, the exercise not only helped placental vigor and metabolism but it also reduced the incidence of fetal overgrowth and the delivery of overweight offspring.

If you are planning to become pregnant, do try to bring your body weight into a normal range before beginning your pregnancy.  Once you do conceive, plan on regular exercise throughout your pregnancy to help the placenta properly nourish the fetus and to reduce your chances of giving birth to an overweight baby.

Jun Seok Son, Xiangdong Liu, Qiyu Tian, Liang Zhao, Yanting Chen, Yun Hu, Song Ah Chae, Jeanene M. Avilla, Mei‐Jun Zhu, Min Du. Exercise prevents the adverse effects of maternal obesity on placental vascularization and fetal growth. The Journal of Physiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1113/JP277698

#Exercise #placenta #obstetrics #womenshealth

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZhsT6oQ4B5s

Exercise during pregnancy keeps moms fit and their weight gain under better control.  It also has beneficial effects on placental function and development of the baby.

A study from Washington State University, performed in a mouse model and just published in the Journal of Physiology, shows that consistent exercise helps placental vascularization and normalizes placenta metabolic activity.

The study was performed in mice of normal weight but also in obese mice to take account of the fact that more than one-third of pregnant Americans are obese.  For the obese mice, the exercise not only helped placental vigor and metabolism but it also reduced the incidence of fetal overgrowth and the delivery of overweight offspring.

If you are planning to become pregnant, do try to bring your body weight into a normal range before beginning your pregnancy.  Once you do conceive, plan on regular exercise throughout your pregnancy to help the placenta properly nourish the fetus and to reduce your chances of giving birth to an overweight baby.

Jun Seok Son, Xiangdong Liu, Qiyu Tian, Liang Zhao, Yanting Chen, Yun Hu, Song Ah Chae, Jeanene M. Avilla, Mei‐Jun Zhu, Min Du. Exercise prevents the adverse effects of maternal obesity on placental vascularization and fetal growth. The Journal of Physiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1113/JP277698

#Exercise #placenta #obstetrics #womenshealth

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/NVHQsaoGaCE

Urban legend has it that fainting while pregnant is no big deal.  A study just published by Canadian cardiologists and epidemiologists finds that fainting, the common term for syncope, while pregnant is a bad prognostic sign for both the mother and her developing baby.

The researchers studied more than 480,000 babies and their mothers.   Though fainting is uncommon affecting only 1% of pregnant women, it tends to occur most often during the first trimester.  

When fainting does occur, it is associated with an increase in maternal cardiac problems and higher rates of prematurity.  Carrying and nourishing a fetus is an acknowledged strain on the mother’s cardiovascular system.

If a pregnant woman you know faints, be certain that she reports the event to her medical doctors as well as to her OBGYN.  She should then be followed more carefully throughout her pregnancy for the potential development of cardiovascular disease and fetal developmental issues.

Safia Chatur, Sunjidatul Islam, Linn E. Moore, Roopinder K. Sandhu, Robert S. Sheldon, Padma Kaul. Incidence of Syncope During Pregnancy: Temporal Trends and Outcomes. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2019; 8 (10) DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.118.011608

#Fainting #syncope #pregnancy #heartdisease #prematurity

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/NVHQsaoGaCE

Urban legend has it that fainting while pregnant is no big deal.  A study just published by Canadian cardiologists and epidemiologists finds that fainting, the common term for syncope, while pregnant is a bad prognostic sign for both the mother and her developing baby.

The researchers studied more than 480,000 babies and their mothers.   Though fainting is uncommon affecting only 1% of pregnant women, it tends to occur most often during the first trimester.  

When fainting does occur, it is associated with an increase in maternal cardiac problems and higher rates of prematurity.  Carrying and nourishing a fetus is an acknowledged strain on the mother’s cardiovascular system.

If a pregnant woman you know faints, be certain that she reports the event to her medical doctors as well as to her OBGYN.  She should then be followed more carefully throughout her pregnancy for the potential development of cardiovascular disease and fetal developmental issues.

Safia Chatur, Sunjidatul Islam, Linn E. Moore, Roopinder K. Sandhu, Robert S. Sheldon, Padma Kaul. Incidence of Syncope During Pregnancy: Temporal Trends and Outcomes. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2019; 8 (10) DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.118.011608

#Fainting #syncope #pregnancy #heartdisease #prematurity

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/-5G0axMe2LQ

Those with tell-tale heart attack symptoms wait on average 3 hours before seeking emergency help.  That shocking statistic comes from a study by Swedish cardiologists at the Karolinska University Hospital that investigated the reasons for such a life-threatening delay.

Their study followed 326 patients having either a first or a second heart attack.  Some reported waiting more than 12 up to 24 hours after the onset of symptoms due to what they describe as a paralysis to act on the symptoms.  

Many rationalized that the severe and persisting chest, arm, and shoulder pains for more than 15 minutes they well knew were signs of impending disaster would pass by themselves.  They didn’t think that their symptoms warranted an ambulance trip to the hospital.

This is the first study to identify that action immobilization occurs in heart attack victims.   The authors emphasize that a feeling of paralysis to act can be added to the known heart attack symptoms of left-sided chest pain, arm pain, shoulder pain, and sometimes upper abdominal pain.  When you notice these symptoms, act at once to get help.

Carolin Nymark, Peter Henriksson, Anne-Cathrine Mattiasson, Fredrik Saboonchi, Anna Kiessling. Inability to act was associated with an extended delay prior to care-seeking, in patients with an acute myocardial infarction. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2019; 147451511984465 DOI: 10.1177/1474515119844654

#Heartattack #delay #actionparalysis #cardiology

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/-5G0axMe2LQ

Those with tell-tale heart attack symptoms wait on average 3 hours before seeking emergency help.  That shocking statistic comes from a study by Swedish cardiologists at the Karolinska University Hospital that investigated the reasons for such a life-threatening delay.

Their study followed 326 patients having either a first or a second heart attack.  Some reported waiting more than 12 up to 24 hours after the onset of symptoms due to what they describe as a paralysis to act on the symptoms.  

Many rationalized that the severe and persisting chest, arm, and shoulder pains for more than 15 minutes they well knew were signs of impending disaster would pass by themselves.  They didn’t think that their symptoms warranted an ambulance trip to the hospital.

This is the first study to identify that action immobilization occurs in heart attack victims.   The authors emphasize that a feeling of paralysis to act can be added to the known heart attack symptoms of left-sided chest pain, arm pain, shoulder pain, and sometimes upper abdominal pain.  When you notice these symptoms, act at once to get help.

Carolin Nymark, Peter Henriksson, Anne-Cathrine Mattiasson, Fredrik Saboonchi, Anna Kiessling. Inability to act was associated with an extended delay prior to care-seeking, in patients with an acute myocardial infarction. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2019; 147451511984465 DOI: 10.1177/1474515119844654

#Heartattack #delay #actionparalysis #cardiology

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pIvjASoILKg

A German study reveals an association between seasonal allergies and anxiety as well as a link between year-round or perennial allergies with depression.  Psychologists at the University of Augsburg studied more than 1700 middle-aged persons with a variety of allergies including environmental, food, and drug hypersensitivities.  

The researchers point out that, in the cases of environmental allergies, the study cannot determine if anxiety is the cause or the effect of seasonal allergies or if depression leads to or is the result of year-round allergies.  They found no links between psychological factors and either food or drug allergies.  

Allergy sufferers should use this information to recognize their unique vulnerabilities to either anxiety, depression, or both.  We don’t know if excellent allergy control with medicated sprays and plan old saline reduces psychologic woes, but being able to breathe easily certainly won’t hurt.

Katharina Harter, Gertrud Hammel, Lisa Krabiell, Birgit Linkohr, Annette Peters, Lars Schwettmann, Johannes Ring, Hamimatunnisa Johar, Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann. Different Psychosocial Factors Are Associated with Seasonal and Perennial Allergies in Adults: Cross-Sectional Results of the KORA FF4 Study. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1159/000499042

#Allergy #seasonalallergy #perennialallergy #anxiety #depression

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pIvjASoILKg

A German study reveals an association between seasonal allergies and anxiety as well as a link between year-round or perennial allergies with depression.  Psychologists at the University of Augsburg studied more than 1700 middle-aged persons with a variety of allergies including environmental, food, and drug hypersensitivities.  

The researchers point out that, in the cases of environmental allergies, the study cannot determine if anxiety is the cause or the effect of seasonal allergies or if depression leads to or is the result of year-round allergies.  They found no links between psychological factors and either food or drug allergies.  

Allergy sufferers should use this information to recognize their unique vulnerabilities to either anxiety, depression, or both.  We don’t know if excellent allergy control with medicated sprays and plan old saline reduces psychologic woes, but being able to breathe easily certainly won’t hurt.

Katharina Harter, Gertrud Hammel, Lisa Krabiell, Birgit Linkohr, Annette Peters, Lars Schwettmann, Johannes Ring, Hamimatunnisa Johar, Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann. Different Psychosocial Factors Are Associated with Seasonal and Perennial Allergies in Adults: Cross-Sectional Results of the KORA FF4 Study. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1159/000499042

#Allergy #seasonalallergy #perennialallergy #anxiety #depression