Aegis Health Advocates

04/04/2016

Interesting Study for Diabetics and others regarding protein metabolism:

BOSTON -- A diet high in whey protein outperformed two other isocaloric diets, one of which was high in non-whey protein, for weight reduction, HbA1c improvement, and better peak glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers reported here.
After 12 weeks, participants in the whey protein diet group lost an average of -7.6 kg, had HbA1c levels lowered from 7.8 to 6.9, and a peak glucose of 174 mg/dL versus patients in the any protein group (-6.1 kg, HbA1c of 7.1, and peak glucose 206 mg/dL), reported Daniela Jakubowicz, MD, of Tel Aviv University, and colleagues.
Both high-protein diets had superior results compared with the high-carbohydrate diet, they said in a presentation at the Endocrine Society annual meeting.
"Recent reports have shown that whey protein has a greater lowering effect on postprandial hyperglycemia (PPHG) than any other source of protein like soy, tuna, or eggs," Jakubowicz explained.
"High-energy protein breakfast (tuna, egg, soy), medium lunch, and small dinner is a successful method for weight loss for decreasing HbA1c, and for decreasing over the day PPGH," she told MedPage Today. "Now we're showing that the same diet, but with whey, is more efficient, and has a more powerful effect on reducing PPHG than other proteins."
"In addition, whey increases the glucose uptake in the muscle," Jakubowicz said. "The most important application of this study is that the breakfast has to be big to increase metabolism and decrease the hunger -- not everybody has time to do this, and a lot of diabetics aren't hungry in the morning' some even have nausea."

04/01/2016

Pregnant Mothers and Flu Vaccine:
May have a link to lower still births:

The study findings support the safety of seasonal influenza immunization during pregnancy, and suggest a protective benefit, researcher Annette Regan, MPH, of Western Australia Department of Health, and colleagues, wrote online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
"There are more than 3 million stillborn infants each year worldwide, and in developed countries stillbirth accounts for 70% of perinatal deaths; confirmation of these findings would indicate that seasonal influenza vaccination in pregnancy has substantial perinatal health benefits," the researchers wrote.
The researchers noted that while pregnant women often cite concern for their unborn child's safety as a reason for not getting a seasonal flu shot, the scientific evidence supports the safety of vaccinating this population.

The study findings support the safety of seasonal influenza immunization during pregnancy, and suggest a protective benefit, researcher Annette Regan, MPH, of Western Australia Department of Health, and colleagues, wrote online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
"There are more than 3 million stillborn infants each year worldwide, and in developed countries stillbirth accounts for 70% of perinatal deaths; confirmation of these findings would indicate that seasonal influenza vaccination in pregnancy has substantial perinatal health benefits," the researchers wrote.
The researchers noted that while pregnant women often cite concern for their unborn child's safety as a reason for not getting a seasonal flu shot, the scientific evidence supports the safety of vaccinating this population.

03/23/2016

Two psychosocial approaches worked better than usual care for mitigating disability in chronic low back pain, researchers found.
In a randomized controlled trial, both mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) improved function (P=0.04) and diminished pain "bothersomeness" (P=0.01) to a significantly greater extent than usual care at 26 weeks, reported Daniel Cherkin, PhD, of Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, and colleagues.
"Following only 8 weeks of group treatment, patients who received MBSR or CBT showed some improvement at least up to one year later. This is an important finding that few other treatment options provide. The difficulties of managing chronic low back pain demand such long-term solutions," they wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The biopsychosocial approach to pain management has been gaining ground, most recently with last week's release of the National Pain Strategy, which emphasized the interdisciplinary approach over other forms of treatment. Physicians have also been looking for alternatives in light of concerns about the lack of evidence for using opioids in chronic noncancer pain, especially since the CDC issued guidelines last week recommending against their use in most forms of pain.

03/18/2016

Review of Pediatric Medical Research again confirms overuse of Antibiotics. Always ask your physician if antibiotics are necessary!

A substantial portion of E. coli urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children were resistant to commonly used antibiotics, both in first world countries and less developed parts of the world, according to a meta-analysis.
In an analysis of 58 studies from 26 countries that documented antibiotic resistance in pediatric UTIs, resistance rates to ampicillin, cotrimoxazole, and trimethoprim in first world countries came in at 53.4% (95% CI 46.0-60.8), 30.2% (95% CI 20.5-39.3) and 23.6% (95% CI 13.9-32.3) pooled resistance, respectively, reported Ashley Bryce, a PhD candidate at the University of Bristol in England, and colleagues.
Andrew Pavia, MD, of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, told MedPage Today via e-mail that in some regions, commonly used antibiotics are becoming less useful for treating UTIs.
"Importantly, this study helps confirm that routine use of antibiotics in a child not only contributes to antibiotic resistance in the population, but increases the risk of an antibiotic resistant infection for that child," said Pavia, who was not involved in the study. "It is striking how high the antibiotic-resistance of E. coli-causing UTIs in children has become and how widespread the problem is."

03/14/2016

More Support for The Dangers of Second Hand Smoke:

Middle-aged smokers who grew up with mothers who had smoked heavily (more than 20 ci******es per day) had a nearly three-fold greater risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than those with much less secondhand smoke exposure during childhood in a newly reported study.
The population-based study -- the first to attempt to quantify the impact of maternal smoking during childhood on lung function later in life, the authors said -- showed heavy maternal smoking to be associated with post-bronchodilator airflow obstruction in middle age.

03/10/2016

The need for comprehensive plans for sick family members needs to involve their loved ones as well as the patient.

Caregivers feeling strained by their duties for a spouse were more likely to suffer strokes, a study found.
Spousal caregivers who reported being under moderate or severe strain had a 5.1% rate of incident stroke, compared with 2.6% among propensity-matched people who were not caregivers (hazard ratio 1.958, 95% confidence interval 1.002-3.828), Sindhu Lakkur, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues found.
High strain overall among caregivers, regardless of relationships to the family member cared for, showed a nearly identical hazard ratio, but it fell just short of statistical significance (1.963, 95% CI 0.977-3.946).
Lower or no strain didn't correlate with stroke risk, even for spouses, the researchers reported at the Epidemiology and Prevention (EPI) and Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions meeting in Phoenix.

02/18/2016

Recent studies showed Carotid Stents as effective as Carotid Artery Surgery

02/18/2016

Aegis Advocates helps patients navigate the complicated healthcare system when dealing with a serious illness for themselves or a loved one.

02/15/2016