Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdqcOIj_Lp/

The promotional health claims found on the front sides of food packaging bear little or no relation to the actual nutritional value of the product within.  This the conclusion of researchers at SUNY’s Upstate Medical University at Syracuse.

The study involved 597 items representing 11 categories of the most commonly purchased foods and beverages.  For each, the health claims made on the front of the product’s packaging were compared with the actual health value of the contents as determined by critical analysis of the package nutrition label.

The data analysis showed no consistent relationship between the health claims heralded on the front of packaging with the actual nutritional value of the product for the most commonly purchased food items.  The claims were only accurate for fruits, vegetables, and fats and oils.  The greatest deviations between claims and actual nutritional value occurred for snacks and sweets, sugars, grains, protein foods, and condiments.

The bottom line: buyer beware.   Read the actual nutritional labels and take the claims on the packaging with a ton of salt since most are actually BS.

https://journals.stfm.org/primer/2025/venkatesh-2024-0129/

#labeling #healthclaims #foods #nutrition

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdpWA_kS0y/

Age-Related Macular degeneration is the leading cause of adult blindness, but Stanford University research ophthalmologists have developed an electronic retinal implant that promises to restore sight to millions.  

Their device, nicknamed PRIMA standing for photovoltaic retina implant microarray, includes a subretinal wireless implant and wearable video camera.  The camera, mounted on an eyeglass frame, detects an image.  That image is converted by a pocket processor into infrared laser light signals that are directed through the lens of the eye to the implant under the retina.  The implant, in turn, creates the neural electrical  signals that restore sight. The implant is entirely light-powered and requires no external power supply.

This PRIMA system underwent a multisite, primary clinical trial at Stanford, the University of Pittsburgh, and Germany’s University of Bonn.  A remarkable 27 of 32 implanted patients, 84%, regained the ability to read books, labels, and even street signs.  Some could even correctly make out some of the smallest lines on a standard eye chart.  The vision is black and white.

Further refinement of the PRIMA chip is underway that promises a higher resolution and a refined grayscale.  No word yet as to whether this system will restore full color vision, but bioengineering ingenuity might just achieve that result…..someday soon.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251022023118.htm#google_vignette

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2501396

#blindness #maculardegeneration #amd #prima #retinalimplant

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdod3Mj3HW/

A new, supercharged form of immunotherapy for breast cancer has just been announced by UCLA oncologists in the Journal of Hematology & Oncology. The new approach involves the production of CAR-NKT cells, standing for chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer T cells, that have the superpower to attack not one but dozens of tumor cell surface antigens simultaneously.  The cells target a protein mesothelin, which cancers need to rapidly grow and spread.

Many current immunotherapies only target a single receptor. Triple negative breast cancers lack many of these common receptors making them difficult to treat successfully. This CAR-NKT therapy attacks so many receptors it could prove effective for those with these triple negative cancers.

Even better, the CAR-NKT cells can be mass-produced from donated stem cells and stored for immediate use on demand. Very promising is the fact that the CAR-NKT cells target, mesothelin, is not only found on breast cancers but also on the surfaces of ovarian, pancreatic, and lung cancer cells.

So far, these CAR-NKT cells have only been tested in the laboratory on tissue cultured breast cancer cells harvested from patient swith advanced disease.  Clinical trials are in the planning stages, and hopefully, this super-immunotherapy will be available to save patients with a variety of difficult-to-treat cancers…..someday soon.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251022/New-type-of-immunotherapy-could-change-the-treatment-plan-for-triple-negative-breast-cancer.aspx

https://jhoonline.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13045-025-01736-9

#immunotherapy #CAR-NKT #cancer #breast #triplenegative #ovarian #pancreatic #lung

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdnYr9jZwV/

An exciting, ground-breaking clinical study now shows that children born with a defective gene coding for a vital inner ear protein can have that gene  repaired and hearing restored. This phenomenally successful preliminary clinical trial was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Genetic bioengineers at New York’s Regeneron Pharmaceuticals loaded a normal copy of the otoferlin gene into a dual adeno-associated virus acting as a Trojan horse.  Twelve children, born without the ability to synthesize otoferlin protein, received the gene injection, dubbed DB-OTO therapy, into their inner ears at 3 clinical centers: Harvard’s Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary, UC San Diego’s Children’s Hospital, and University College London.  Otoferlin is necessary for the inner ear’s ability to convert sound vibrations into electrical impulses.  

At 24 weeks post-injection, 9 of the 12 children, 75%, regained measurable hearing.  Three, 25%, developed near normal hearing.  The gene therapy was well-tolerated without any significant side effects.

This gene therapy, with further refinement and after larger clinical trials, may be a one-and-done treatment for one common form of congenital deafness. Cochlear implants will continue to be essential therapy for other types of genetic and acquired severe hearing losses pending development of other genetic and/or chemical cochlear modifications.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2400521

#deafness #children #congenital #otoferlin #dboto 

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdmkOKCSjm/

The Brits now tell us that they have some better remedies for the world’s constipation woes and they don’t include high fiber diets or harsh laxatives. A new meta-analysis from the nutritionists at King’s College, London rigorously reviewed 75 clinical trials and gives us some better suggestions for constipation relief.

When the data were crunched, it showed significant constipation relief from kiwifruit, rye bread, and mineral rich water.  Also helpful were dietary supplements containing psyllium fiber, probiotics, and magnesium oxide. These suggestions are now endorsed by the British Dietetic Association.  

If you continue to suffer from hard, infrequent stools, why not give them a try.  As you do, remember that enough daily water is critical for regular defecation.  For adult men, that number is 125 oz and for women 91 oz.  

We parents do know that kiddies too can become constipated. The magic number for toddlers is 44 oz, for older children 57 oz, for young teen boys 81 oz, for girls 71 oz, for older teen boys 112 oz, for girls 78 oz.  For everyone, the water requirements surge with hot weather, exercise, fever, diarrhea, and breastfeeding.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nmo.70173

https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/11537/chapter/15

#constipation #fiber #laxatives  #water #grains #fruit

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdlztLFFi-/

The hot flashes and night sweats of menopause create a miserable midlife for so many women.  Hormones do offer relief, but many women cannot take them.  Enter a new non-hormonal drug just approved by the FDA.

This medication, elinzanetant to be marketed as Lynkuet by Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nerre Therapeutics, is an oral neurokinin/tachykinin antagonist that normalizes thermal and sleep regulation.  A phase 3 multi-national study headed by researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine shows that 120 mg elinzanetant taken daily relieves both the frequency and intensity of hot flashes, improves sleep quality, and elevates moods. Improvement occurred for some study participants within the first week of therapy.

Last year, the FDA approved another Bayer oral menopause drug fezolinetant, branded as Veozah. With one neurokinin receptor blocker, it reduces hot flashes only. This year’s new entry is more powerful as it blocks two neurokinin receptors and affects not only thermoregulation, the hot flashes, but also sleep and mood.

Since these drugs contain no estrogen, they lack the risks of blood clots, possible strokes, or exacerbation of certain hormone-dependent cancers including breast, uterine, and ovarian. Once readily available at your pharmacy, they provide safe, effective, and non-hormonal options for controlling bothersome menopausal symptoms.  Currently not approved for women with pre- or peri-menopausal symptoms, that approval should come soon,

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-fda-nonhormonal-drug-ease-menopause.html

https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2025/09/16/drug-reduces-hot-flashes-by-73-trial-finds/

#women #elinzanetant #Lynkuet #menopaue #hotflashes #nightsweats

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdknrnjVnr/

For nearly the first time in the history of American public health, there is mass confusion and lack of credible information coming from our usual public health channels about which vaccines adults should receive. I want to arm all of you you with the latest immunization recommendations from the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.  These guidelines are all based on the latest scientific information which demonstrates that these vaccines are safe and very, very effective at preventing and/or minimizing the effects of sometimes deadly diseases. 

For Pregnant Women since you are immunizing for yourself and your new baby:

TDap, in 3rd trimester; Influenza, anytime during flu season; CoVid, anytime; RSV, late 3rd trimester during RSV season.

Adults, 18 through 64 year of age: Td/TDap, every 10 years; MMR, if not immune, 1-2 doses; Varicella, if not immune; HPV, through age 26 or 45 if never immunized; Influenza, annually late October; CoVid, 2-3 times a year with latest vaccines; Hepatitis A/B, as needed for travel or chronic illness; Meningitis, as needed for high risk, travel, outbreak, complement deficiency; Pneumococcal, if never immunized, high risk, immunodeficient; RSV,  if never immunized, high risk, immunodeficient.

Seniors, 65 years and older: Influenza, yearly, high dose or adjuvated; CoVid: high potency mNEXSPIKE (Moderna) or equivalent Twice yearly, regular potency 2-3 times a year; RSV, single dose ? Every 2 years; Pneumococcal, PCV20 or PCV15+PCV23; Shingles, RZV or Shingrix, 2 dose series at 50 years or more, 19 years or more if immunocompromised; TDap, every 10 years.

These are the vaccines that each of us should have. Look at this as a scorecard for you to follow along with your medical team. These days, so many of us are mobile, vaccination records may be scattered and not up to date in any single medical record, electronic or otherwise. Your own checklist, digital or paper, should be the most complete. When you do get a vaccine, let’s say at your local pharmacy, be certain to text or email your medical team so that the information can be added to your electronic medical record.

I have posted the American Academy of Family Physicians summary chart of all adult immunizations on my website at drhowardsmith.com/adult-immunizations-2025-6.

https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/patient-care/prevention-wellness/immunizations-vaccines/immunization-schedules/adult-immunization-schedule.html

https://www.drhowardsmith.com/adult-immunizations-2025-6

#adults #pregnancy #seniors #immunizations #vaccines

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdjEezCeTe/

With all the confusion and lack of credible information coming from the usual public health channels, I want to arm all you parents and grandparents with the latest immunization recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.  These guidelines are all based on the latest scientific information which demonstrates that these vaccines are safe and very, very effective at preventing and/or minimizing the effects of sometimes deadly childhood diseases. 

Now let’s review, by months and years, the AAP immunization blueprint. 

At Birth: The RSV protective antibody nirsevimab up to 6 mos if mom not vaccinated in pregnancy up to 6 mos; 1st dose of Hepatitis B vax. 

1 month: Hep B, 2nd dose, to 2 mo.

2 months: Rotavirus- RV1 Vax, 2 doses; RV5 Vax, 3 doses, 1st dose; DTaP (Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis); Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b); Pneumococcal; Inactivated Poliovirus

4 months: RV1, RV5, 2nd dose; DTaP, Hib, Pneumococcal, Inact Poliovirus, 2nd doses

6 months: Hep B, 3rd dose to 18 mo; RV5, 3rd dose; DTaP, 3rd dose; Hib, 3rd dose to 12 mo; Pneumococcal, 3rd dose; Inact Poliovirus, 3rd dose to 18 mo; CoVid, 1 or more doses to 18 yrs; Influenza, 1-2 doses/yr to 6 yrs

12 months: Hib, 3rd or 4th dose to 15 mo; Pneumococcal, 4th dose To 15 mo; MMR; Varicella; Hepatitis A, 3 dose series, to 23 mo

15 months: DTaP, 4th dose to 18 mo

4-6 yrs: DTaP, 5th dose; Inact Poliovirus, 4th dose; MMR, 2nd dose; Varicella, 2nd dose

7-10 yrs: HPV, 2 dose series to 12 yrs

11-12 yrs: DTap, 6th dose; Meningococcal, 1st dose of 2, second at l6 yrs

These are the vaccines that every child should receive beginning at birth and extending over the first 18 years of life. Look at this as a scorecard for you to follow along with your pediatric team. These days, so many of our families are so mobile, vaccination records may be scattered and not up to date in any single medical record, electronic or otherwise. Your own checklist, either on paper or digital, should be the most complete.

I have posted the American Academy of Pediatrics summary chart of all pediatric immunizations on my website at drhowardsmith.com/pediatric-immunizations-2025-6.

Summary chart: https://www.drhowardsmith.com/pediatric-immunizations-2025-6

AAP guidelines: https://tinyurl.com/467f5c9b

#pediatrics #immunizations #vaccines #aap

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQLokX_D1Pk/

Small, naturally occurring stones from the rice farm are foreign bodies in the rice and create risks for oral and digestive tract injuries. Affected are: Long Grain White Rice with batch codes 533ELGRV22 and 534ALGRV22; Whole Grain Brown Rice with batch codes 534AMGRV22, 534BMGRV22, and 534DMGRV22; and Long Grain & Wild Rice with batch codes 533BMGRV22, 533CLGRV22, and 533CMGRV22—all with best-by dates of August 2026.

This rock-laden rice was sold at H-E-B, Target, United Markets, Amazon, and Piggly Wiggly in the United States. 

Do not eat this rice. Contact Ben’s Original Consumer Care at 1-800-548-6253 to arrange a return, receive instructions for a refund, or for more information.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/bens-originaltm-issues-voluntary-recall-select-bens-original-long-grain-white-whole-grain-brown-and

#bensoriginal #rice #foreignbodies #stones #injuries #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQLnBsMjD9O/

Those with an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts risks a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this popcorn. Affected is lot number 2519907B1.

This contaminated popcorn was sold in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas, as well as in other states.

Don’t munch on this popcorn.  Return it to the place of purchase for a refund. For more information, call the Jody’s Inc. at 1-757-422-8646 extension 103.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/jodys-inc-recalls-cabot-creamery-sea-salt-caramel-cheddar-popcorn-due-undeclared-peanuts-corrected

#cabotcreamery #popcorn #peanuts #allergy #recall