Some hope for MS
Certain drugs could help repair nerve damage caused by multiple sclerosis.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University, the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute and George Washington University collaborated on a study to find how the antifungal drug miconazole activates stem cells to repair damage to myelin, the lining that insulates nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin damage causes interruptions to nerve cell communication, leading to muscle weakness, vision and coordination problems, and other MS symptoms.
The research team found that miconazole and similar drugs block the enzyme CYP51. Doing so encourages stem cells to form new oligodendrocytes, cells that create myelin coatings.
The findings were published in July in Nature Methods. Read about it in an article from the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study.
Gestational diabetes and blood tests
Other NIH-supported research shows that early-pregnancy blood tests may help identify women at risk for gestational diabetes. The condition occurs during pregnancy when blood sugar levels rise too high, and it increases the mother’s chances of developing other health issues down the line, like high blood pressure disorders of pregnancy and type 2 diabetes later in life.
Researchers used the HbA1c (or A1C) blood test, which is used to diagnose type 2 diabetes, for the study. They analyzed test records, taken from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Fetal Growth Study, of 107 women who later developed gestational diabetes and 214 women who didn’t.
Women who went on to develop gestational diabetes had higher HbA1c levels (an average of 5.3 percent), compared to those without gestational diabetes (an average HbA1c level of 5.1 percent). Each .1 percent increase in HbA1c above 5.1 percent in early pregnancy was associated with a 22 percent higher risk for gestational diabetes.
“Our results suggest that the HbA1c test potentially could help identify women at risk for gestational diabetes early in pregnancy, when lifestyle changes may be more effective in reducing their risk,” said Cuilin Zhang, the study’s senior author.
The findings were published in Nature Scientific Reports. Read about it in this NIH article.
Nothing to hit but the heights
Virtual reality may help people overcome their fear of heights. The findings, published in July in The Lancet, mean that with further research, virtual reality could be used as an affordable tool for mental health treatment.
The research team at the University of Oxford studied a sample of 100 adults who scored more than 29 on the Heights Interpretation Questionnaire. Forty-nine of those people then underwent the experimental treatment, a virtual reality program that had participants accompany a “virtual coach” (named Nic) through a 10-story office building where they completed a series of tasks. These tasks, which included things like rescuing a cat from a tree and playing a xylophone near the edge of the floor, became more difficult as users progressed through the program.
All of the virtual reality participants reported a reduction in fear of heights following the treatment, and by the time researchers followed up, 34 of those participants (69 percent of the group) fell below the entry criterion on the HIQ, compared with none in the control group.
Gym class memories
Finally, the way you felt about gym class as a kid could affect the way you feel about exercise now.
Researchers at Iowa State University surveyed 1,028 adults about their experiences with physical education during primary and secondary school and their exercise habits today. They found that survey participants who enjoyed gym class when they were younger were more likely to exercise now – and enjoy it – than participants who didn’t like gym class.
The reasons participants didn’t enjoy gym class most often had to do with embarrassment, whether from being chosen last for sports teams or from being made to feel incompetent by PE teachers or classmates. On the flip side, the people who enjoyed gym class often enjoyed the activities and the opportunities to spend time with peers.
While the results show correlation, not causation – it could be that nonathletic students didn’t enjoy gym class – the study authors believe PE teachers could learn from this. Random choosing of teams, for example, could help decrease embarrassment from being the last one picked. And noncompetitive physical activities, like dance or yoga, might help students learn to enjoy exercise more than team sports can.
“It would be great if P.E. classes could teach kids that moving is fun,” lead study author Matthew Ladwig told The New York Times, which were published in the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Overloaded
The Cheesecake Factory’s Breakfast Burrito was named the “Worst Way to Start the Day” in this year’s Xtreme Eating Awards by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The tortilla is filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, chicken chorizo, cheese, crispy potatoes, and several additional ingredients. It features 2,730 calories—more than a day’s worth—and 73 grams of saturated fat. It’s like eating seven McDonald’s Sausage McMuffins, according to CSPI, and it’s served all day.
Other notables this year include Chili’s Honey-Chipotle Crispers & Waffles; the Uno Pizzeria & Grill Deep Dish Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese; and Shake Shack’s Double SmokeShack.
Jane E. Brody outlines the significance of the awards, including the epidemic proportions of obesity in America, in a New York Times article.
Maternal morbidity on the rise
The rate of severe maternal morbidity at delivery increased 45 percent from 2006 through 2015, from 101.3 to 146.6 per 10,000 delivery hospitalizations, according to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s September report on “Trends and Disparities in Delivery Hospitalizations Involving Severe Maternal Morbidity” from 2006 through 2015.
Severe maternal morbidity includes unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term consequences to a woman’s health, the report explains. These deliveries generally involve life-threatening conditions such as acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism or sepsis.
Other findings highlighted in the report:
- Severe maternal morbidity was highest among women 40+ years old and lowest for those 20-29 years old – 248 and 136 per 10,000 deliveries, respectively.
- On average, Black mothers were younger than White mothers. Yet the rate of severe maternal morbidity was 112-115 percent higher for Blacks than for Whites in 2006 (164 vs. 76) and 2015 (241 vs. 114), with no change in the Black-White disparity.
- Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders also had higher rates of severe maternal morbidity than Whites in both years, but disparities decreased over time.
Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s?
The Alzheimer’s Association and AARP announced in September that they are partnering to extend the reach of the Community Resource Finder, an online database to help people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and their caregivers, find local resources.
The Alzheimer’s Association launched the Community Resource Finder in 2011; today it receives 37,000 monthly visits. The new platform will be available to more people and includes additional resources from AARP, including webinars and events, according to a press release. It also features an advanced search tool to help people find local resources based on specific needs, such as payment options and specialized services. Users can share search results with other family members and caregivers.
The database includes listings for resources such as housing options, medical services, legal services and community services, like adult day centers and transportation. It’s available at https://www.communityresourcefinder.org.
Unwelcome surprise
An August Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 67 percent of Americans worry about paying unexpected medical bills, more than they worry about insurance deductibles, prescription drug costs or other costs of living. Additionally, 4 in 10 poll participants said they had received a surprisingly large medical bill within the last year.
“A quarter of people who said they received a surprisingly large bill attributed it to a doctor, hospital or other provider that was not in their insurance network,” according to Kaiser Health News. “Such providers often will not accept the amount an insurer thinks a procedure or test should cost, and they bill the patient for the difference.”
The Kaiser poll also found that a majority of the public, regardless of political party, does not want insurers to be allowed to deny coverage or charge higher premiums because of preexisting conditions or current health status.
Payer: No more OxyContin
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, the state’s largest insurer, announced that come January, it will no longer cover the prescription opioid OxyContin. The drug, a brand-name version of the generic oxycodone, is a product of Purdue Pharma, currently facing lawsuits for its alleged role contributing to the nation’s opioid crisis. BCBST will instead cover other brands of the prescription painkillers – namely Xtampza (also oxycodone) and Morphabond (morphine sulfate) – which are reportedly more difficult for patients to misuse.
A Purdue Pharma spokesman “pointed out that no opioid drug is ‘abuse proof’ or less addictive,” and he accused BCBST of having “financial motives that remove choices for many patients,” according to Kaiser Health News. BCBST refuted that claim.
Esophagus in a lab
Scientists at the Cincinnati Children’s Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine report that they have used pluripotent stem cells to grow human esophageal organoids – aka an esophagus – in a lab. The goal is to find new ways to treat or cure gastrointestinal disorders such as gastric reflux and cancer. The research, published in Cell Stem Cell, marks the first time scientists have been able to grow human esophageal tissue entirely from pluripotent stem cells, according to study authors.
“Disorders of the esophagus and trachea are prevalent enough in people that organoid models of human esophagus could be greatly beneficial,” Jim Wells, the study’s lead investigator, said in a press release. “In addition to being a new model to study birth defects like esophageal atresia, the organoids can be used to study diseases like eosinophilic esophagitis and Barrett’s metaplasia, or to bioengineer genetically matched esophageal tissue for individual patients.”