Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/0o7pEsu1LAg

When the summer heat drives air temperatures north of 100˚F, sidewalks turn into hot plates that can burn your skin in a matter of seconds.  Surgeons from the University of Las Vegas studied some 173 pavement burn cases they treated over the past 4 years.

Eighty-eight percent of the mostly second degree burns occurred when air temps were 95˚F or hotter.  On such days, the pavements are hotter than the air, reaching close to 150 ˚F then the air is 111˚F.  FYI—you can fry an egg at those temperatures.

When the temperatures rise above 90˚F, be sure that you, your kids, and your pets wear protective footwear.  Watch where you put your hands as well as your feet. Those metal handrails and your own car’s steering wheel can give you a nasty burn, so you might want to have a towel or gloves handy.

Jorge Vega, Paul Chestovich, Syed Saquib, Douglas Fraser. A 5-Year Review of Pavement Burns From a Desert Burn Center. Journal of Burn Care & Research, 2019; 40 (4): 422 DOI: 10.1093/jbcr/irz049

#Heat #pavementburns #burns

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/hqzQO77p9yE

Common feeding guidelines from children’s hospitals and infant formula manufacturers lead to overweight babies before their first birthdays.  This striking conclusion comes from a study by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health..

The Hopkins investigators developed a computer model to see the result of feeding virtual babies from 6 to 12 months according to guidelines from their own  hospital, from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, from Enfamil, and from Similac.  Every guideline resulted in excessive weight gains by 9 to 11 months even though portion sizes were adjusted according to weight changes.

The virtual babies who remained at healthy weights the longest were those fed the absolute smallest portion sizes of calorie-rich solid foods.  This study shows that the feeding guidelines for infants require revision.  Until that occurs, parents should aggressively follow their infant’ s weight dialing back the solid foods to keep that number in the normal range.

Marie C. Ferguson, Kelly J. O'Shea, Lawrence D. Hammer, Daniel L. Hertenstein, Nathaniel J. Schwartz, Lucas E. Winch, Sheryl S. Siegmund, Bruce Y. Lee. The Impact of Following Solid Food Feeding Guides on BMI Among Infants: A Simulation Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.04.011

#Infants #parenting #obesity #solidfoods

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/SHRYPwngED4

No one likes the prospect of surgery.  If you’ve been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and your doctors have recommended removal, a new study suggests that an operation may not be necessary for every cyst.

Ovarian cysts are little balloon-like bumps that arise on the surface of the ovaries.  They are discovered with ultrasound scans when abdominal pain or bloating occurs.  The ultrasounds can determine if the cysts appear harmless or likely cancerous.

Many doctors recommend that any ovarian cyst be removed due to a risk of cancer developing or the cyst causing an ovary to twist.  A new multi-national study just published in The Lancet Oncology instead recommends watchful waiting and regular ultrasound imaging for those cysts that do appear benign.

Their study of almost 2,000 women with cysts suggests that surgery for every cyst may have more risks than benefits.  Twenty percent of ovarian cysts disappear on their own and cancer or ovarian twisting only occurred in less than one-half of one percent of women. On the other hand, the risk of complications from surgical removal ranged from between 3 to 15%.

Ovarian cysts may be followed without surgery, but you must commit to careful followup with regular ultrasound or scan imaging.  Should there be any question of a suspicious lesion, immediate surgery is then a must.

Imperial College London. "Ovarian cysts should be 'watched' rather than removed, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190205185156.htm

#Ovariancyst #ultrasound #ovariantorsion

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/qhaBlo6cVAE

An unexpected observation during a patient’s awake neurosurgery confirms that laughter leads to a sense of calm and happiness.  Surgeons at Emory University in Atlanta relate this fascinating, whimsical tale.

A young patient with difficult to control epilepsy was undergoing awake neurosurgery to pinpoint the seizure focus.  During the surgery, the surgeons inadventantly stimulated  a pathway called the cingulum bundle, and the patient immediately began to smile, laugh, joke, and report an extremely calming and mood elevating experience that seemed to neutralize not only pain but also any scary thoughts.  

The neuroscientists repeated this same cingulum bundle stimulation in two other seizure patients to confirm their initial observation.  They plan to use this stimulation technique in the future to calm nervous surgical patients and possibly to help treat depression.

The good news is that you can trigger laughter and its calming and pain-neutralizing aftermath with a funny book or movie, some standup comedy, and looking for the funny side of life.  Try it and enjoy!

Kelly R. Bijanki, Joseph R. Manns, Cory S. Inman, Ki Sueng Choi, Sahar Harati, Nigel P. Pedersen, Daniel L. Drane, Allison C. Waters, Rebecca E. Fasano, Helen S. Mayberg, Jon T. Willie. Cingulum stimulation enhances positive affect and anxiolysis to facilitate awake craniotomy. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2018; DOI: 10.1172/JCI120110

#laughter #calm #mood #elevation #epilepsy #seizure #awake #neurosurgery

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/1NAm2wRL76E

Looking for a little warmth this winter.  Finnish and British scientists urge you to spend some time in the sauna and not only warm up but enjoy substantial health benefits.

Their report in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings demonstrates that regular sauna use reduces your blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, improves lung function, energizes your immune system, helps control skin problems and arthritis, reduces headache, relaxes you, and improves your overall quality of life.

During these dark days of winter, seek out a nice cozy sauna, and visit it often.  A surprisingly large number of health clubs have them.

Jari A. Laukkanen, Tanjaniina Laukkanen, Setor K. Kunutsor. Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2018; 93 (8): 1111 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.04.008

#sauna #warmth #heartdisease #highbloodpressure #immunity #lungfunction #arthritis #headache #relaxation

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/hMLMwnzMn9s

Restricting childrens’ sedentary screen time in favor of more physically active pursuits is the latest weapon in the war against childhood obesity.  New Canadian research just published in the journal BMC Obesity reminds us that parenting practices are key factors in their offsprings’ screen time.

Nearly 40 families with at least one child 18 monthS to 5 years of age were studied.  Parental device use and television viewing during meals as well as the offering of extra screen time as a reward resulted in excessive screen times for the children. 

Kids are sponges, and they quickly see if you follow your own advice.  Get your head out of your phone and offer a good example.  To reward healthy behavior, offer physical activities such as the playground, sports play with you, and healthy treats rather than always suggesting extra screen time and sugary treats.

Lisa Tang, Gerarda Darlington, David W L Ma, Jess Haines. Mothers’ and fathers’ media parenting practices associated with young children’s screen-time: a cross-sectional study. BMC Obesity, 2018; 5 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s40608-018-0214-4

#screentime #parenting #exercise #obesity

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/2vy8C8HHGdI

Half of the millions using the most common type of sleeping pills might never wake to escape a fire.  Taken to induce sleep and relaxation, the popular benzodiazepine medications or benzos for short include Restoril, Halcion, Ativan, Xanax, and Valium.  This class of drugs induces drowsiness but also suppresses emergency arousal.  Even newer drugs such as Ambien and Lunesta trigger sustained drowsiness and some disorientation.

A new class of medication called DORAs, dual orexin receptor antagonists, induce sleep but permit retention of sensory input including sound, vibration, smell, and lack of oxygen.  This makes for a safer sleeping pill.  After a threat has passed, the medication also re-induces sleep.

To date, only one DORA sleeping pill has won FDA approval.  Belsomra (suvorexant) may only be prescribed those 18 years or older, but its expensive and often not covered by insurance.  As other DORA drugs become available, competition will drive down price and increase availability.

Shouhei Iwakawa, Yuichi Kanmura, Tomoyuki Kuwaki. Orexin Receptor Blockade-Induced Sleep Preserves the Ability to Wake in the Presence of Threat in Mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2019; 12 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00327

#insomnia #sleepingpill #benzo #benzodiazepine

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/6PeLF8SxYHI

Here’s a flash from the off-beat health news department.  Researchers in Sweden and Hungary report that the black and white striped design seen on Africa’s Zebras and copied into body painting by indigenous peoples protects against biting and blood-sucking insects including mosquitos and horseflies. 

The scientists compared the frequency of horsefly attacks on 3 different mannikins: one beige, one brown, and one black with white stripes.  The striped skin design reduced insect attacks by 90% compared to brown skin and by 50% compared with beige skin.

It is likely that Africans years ago discovered the protective effect of Zebra designs against insect-borne infections such as malaria.  We don’t yet know if Zebra-striped garments are as good insect repellants as body painting, but this is something you should try for yourself.  Do let me know if it works.

Gábor Horváth, Ádám Pereszlényi, Susanne Åkesson, György Kriska. Striped bodypainting protects against horseflies. Royal Society Open Science, 2019; 6 (1): 181325 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181325

#bodypaint #zebrastripes #mosquitos #horseflies #malaria

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/vDcsb8EVH6Y

Aspirin has now been shown to significantly improve survival for at least one type of cancer in those patients whose tumors have a specific genetic variant.  That cancer is squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with an altered PIK3CA gene.

A study just published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine followed 266 patients after surgical resection of their tumors and post-operative chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.  Those patients regularly taking aspirin or another NSAID for 6 months and also having an activated PIK3CA gene were 3 times more likely to survive 5 years.  Specifically, the average survival rate rose from a baseline of 25 percent to a gratifying 78 percent.  Those without the PIK3CA gene mutation enjoyed no survival benefit.

A larger, confirmatory study is now underway.  Meanwhile, know that the PIK3CA oncogene is present and mutated in about one-third of other cancers including colon, stomach, esophageal, pancreatic, liver, breast, cervical, endometrial, ovarian, brain, and skin but not melanoma.  We don’t yet know if aspirin added to conventional therapy will improve survival in any of these, but studies should be forthcoming.  One early study suggests that aspirin co-therapy dues not improve endometrial cancer treatment success.

If you have cancer, ask your oncologist about the mutations found in your tumor.  If yours has the PIK3CA mutation, then ask about aspirin therapy.  If you are having a a biopsy or surgery for any type of cancer, be certain that a genetic analysis is performed on the tumor tissue and and that it’s preserved for future genetic studies.  Treatment based on cancer genetics is increasingly more common.

Matthew L. Hedberg, Jennifer R. Grandis, etal. Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs predicts improved patient survival for PIK3CA-altered head and neck cancer. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2019; jem.20181936 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20181936

Samuels Y, Waldman T. Oncogenic mutations of PIK3CA in human cancers. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2010;347:21-41.

#cancer #aspirin #ibuprofen #NSAIDS

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/hnuh7zTs1Lk

We doctors constantly repeat it and you constantly hear it: avoid all but healthy food during pregnancy.  Despite this mantra, nearly one-third of pregnant women believe that cannabis is safe for their developing babies.

The analysis by Canadian doctors of 6 US studies shows that, as years go by, more pregnant women are using marijuana.  Currently, at least 4% of women use the drug sometime during their pregnancy.  

Ironically, the rate of use is the highest at 7.4% during the critical first trimester when so many body systems are just beginning to blossom.  In one study, 35% of women were users when they discovered their pregnancy, and that only dropped down to 12% after the positive pregnancy test.  Half of those continuing to use did so almost daily.

The available research on cannabis shows that it is associated with low birth weight, stillbirths, and NICU admissions.  OB/GYN specialists and most doctors recommend against any cannibis use while trying to get pregnant, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding.

Hamideh Bayrampour, Mike Zahradnik, Sarka Lisonkova, Patti Janssen. Women's perspectives about cannabis use during pregnancy and the postpartum period: An integrative review. Preventive Medicine, 2019; 119: 17 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.12.002

#Marijuana #cannabis #pregnancy #lowbirthweight #NICU #healthnews #healthtips