Vidcast: https://youtu.be/V3eQcWkwLWY

Information technologists from Utah’s Brigham Young University have a simple answer: NOT YET!  They studied 274 adult subjects to determine how they interact with digital assistants versus humans.

The researchers conclude that adults consistently code switch adding please and thank you to their requests of other human beings despite their tendencies to bark commands at their Amazon ECHOs and Apple iPhones.  Although they did not study children as yet, they suspect that kids may pick up bad habits from speaking to machines.  

Apparently parents, Amazon, and Google have the same fears, and the tech giants have now added features that request and compliment polite orders from our children.  We as parents should mimic the machines and teach our kids that verbal honey always works better than vinegar.

Brigham Young University. "Are Siri and Alexa making us ruder? Study of 274 adults finds the answer -- for now." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 August 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08.

#Alexa #Siri #rudeness #parenting

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/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/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/eHlGf-j9ZaA

We know all about the dangers of second-hand smoke, those clouds of toxic fumes emanating from cigarettes, cigars, and pipe bowls.  Now a study from the University of Cincinatti and the Cincinatti Children’s Hospital hone in on the vapors that waft up from those yellow stains on walls, ceilings, carpets, upholstery and, yes, the fingers of smokers themselves.  We call these third hand smoke.

The investigators measured the levels of nicotine on the hands of children exposed to these 3rd hand sources but not to parental smoking directly, and these children had the same levels of nicotine as an indirect measure of all toxic chemicals as those kids directly exposed to cigarette smoke.

Also know that these poisonous chemicals accumulate.  The children under 2 years had average hand nicotine levels of 69 ng, and that figure shot up 2.5 times by age 4 years.  The nicotine levels detected were a function of the number of cigarettes smoked by their parents and caregivers.  Even more disturbing was the finding that those with higher nicotine levels suffered from more respiratory symptoms including cough and wheezing.

Don’t smoke in your home even if your children aren’t present.  Better yet, kick the habit entirely if you love your kids.  If you have been smoking indoors, give your walls and furnishings a thorough cleaning in an honest attempt to exorcise cigarette nicotine and tars..

#thirdhandsmoke #secondhandsmoke #nicotine #tar #cigarettestain #health news

E Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, Ashley L Merianos, Eunha Hoh, Penelope JE Quintana, Georg E Matt. Nicotine on Children’s Hands: Limited Protection of Smoking Bans and Initial Clinical Findings. Tobacco Use Insights, 2019; 12: 1179173X1882349 DOI: 10.1177/1179173X18823493

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

If you smoked or ate some weed over the weekend, will you flunk that pop drug test your boss springs on you Monday morning?  The answer depends on how much you consumed and the type of test you must take.  Either way, be forewarned that marijuana’s psychoactive agent, THC, is fat-soluble and definitely hangs around in your body longer than alcohol.

Smoking one isolated marijuana cigarette yields a positive test for 3 days.  If you smoke 3 or 4 times a week, you’ll fail a test up to a week later.  If you smoke everyday for awhile, you will test positive for at least a month after quitting.

The most sensitive marijuana test is hair analysis, and with it THC detection can occur up to 3 months after stopping any use.  Next sensitive is the urine test that detects use 3 to 30 days after cessation.   Saliva tests may be positive for 24 hours.  Blood tests only pick up THC for 3-4 hours after use.

If your job depends on a negative unannounced drug test, you’d better think twice about regular weed use.

Michelle Taylor, 1 , 2 Rosie Lees, 2 Graeme Henderson, 3 Anne Lingford‐Hughes, 4 John Macleod, 2 John Sullivan, 5 and Matthew Hickman 2

Comparison of cannabinoids in hair with self‐reported cannabis consumption in heavy, light and non‐cannabis users.  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2017 Mar; 36(2): 220–226.

#marijuana #weed #hash #drugtest #salivatest #hairanalysis #health news #health tips

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/fTadT-9r9_k

Another goal for the #metoo movement is suggested by the latest study from Yale psychologists.  As research subjects observed a video of the very same child being subjected to the classic, old fashioned medical torture, the fingerstick, but identified as either Samuel or Samantha, the majority of observers, both men and women, believe that the girl Samantha felt less pain than the boy Samuel.

This gender bias result is in synch with similar impressions of adults experiencing pain.   The result can be explained by the widespread misconception that boys are more stoic than girls, and it would take greater pain to elicit the same response in the male. 

Parents of girls and significant others of women undergoing procedures need to advocate for their child or partner if they feel that the  pain management being offered is insufficient whether or not it’s due to gender bias.  

Brian D Earp, Joshua T Monrad, Marianne LaFrance, John A Bargh, Lindsey L Cohen, Jennifer A Richeson. Gender Bias in Pediatric Pain Assessment. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsy104

#girls #women #pain #genderbias #healthnews #healthtips

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ud9tvdV6Kus

School violence is on the rise but, surprise, it’s the bullies themselves who are most likely to be  seriously injured.  This the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Texas-Houston who studied of some 4300 5th, 7th, and 10th graders in Houston, LA, and Birmingham, Alabama.

In 5th grade, 17% of children sustained at least one violent injury with a gun or knife, but that percentage rose to 33% by10th grade with gunshot injuries predominating.  Bullies themselves were 41% more likely to be violently injured compared with other children because they engage in more risky and violent activities.

If you are the parent of a bully, don’t think that encouraging your child to “feel his/her oats” will end well.  Aggressively stop this behavior and redirect your child’s energies in more positive directions.

Katelyn K. Jetelina, Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez, Mark A. Schuster, etal. Mechanisms and Frequency of Violent Injuries Among Victims and Perpetrators of Bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.10.295

#schoolviolence #bullying #guns #knives