Cannabinoids associated with negative respiratory health effects in older adults with COPD

Cannabinoids, a class of prescription pills that contain synthetically-made chemicals found in marijuana, are associated with a 64 percent increase in death among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the first published data on the impact of cannabinoids on the respiratory health of individuals with the lung disease. The findings, published […]

Diabetes drug boosts survival in patients with type 2 diabetes and COVID-19 pneumonia

Sitagliptin, a drug to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, also improves survival in diabetic patients hospitalized with COVID-19, suggests a multicenter observational study in Italy. Patients given sitagliptin in addition to insulin had a mortality rate of 18 percent as compared with 37 percent in matched patients receiving only insulin. Led by Paolo […]

Researchers develop more accurate surgery-risk predictor for patients with cirrhosis

Physicians and researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center created a new prediction model which, when compared to older and widely-used models, provided better estimated risk of mortality after surgery for patients […]

Metformin May Slow Cognitive Decline in Seniors With T2DM

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 23, 2020 — For older adults with type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline is slower and dementia risk reduced for those receiving metformin, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in Diabetes Care. Katherine Samaras, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Darlinghurst, Australia, and colleagues conducted a prospective observational […]

A cheaper, faster COVID-19 test developed with simplified buffer formations

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method for fast, cheap and accurate testing for COVID-19 infection. The method simplifies testing by eliminating expensive reaction steps, enabling upscaling of the diagnostics. This makes the method particularly attractive for places and situations with limited resources. It is equally interesting for repeated testing and for moving resources […]

Stress, Depressive Symptoms Up With Increasing COVID-19 Deaths

MONDAY, Sept. 21, 2020 — Acute stress and depressive symptoms have increased as COVID-19 deaths increased across the United States, with COVID-19-related media exposure and secondary stressors associated with these symptoms, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in Science Advances. E. Alison Holman, Ph.D., from the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing […]

Reduction in insomnia symptoms associated with non-invasive neurotechnology

For people with chronic insomnia, a good night’s sleep is elusive. But what if insomnia symptoms could be alleviated by simply listening to one’s own brainwaves? Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Health conducted a clinical trial that showed reduced insomnia symptoms and improved autonomic nervous system function using a closed-loop, acoustic stimulation neurotechnology. The study […]

Pollution exposure linked to stroke risk in people with common heart rhythm disorder

People with one of the most common heart disorders who are exposed to greater levels of pollution have a 1.2-fold higher risk of stroke than their peers who live with less pollution, according to a JAMA Network Open study published recently by researchers at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute and University of Pittsburgh School […]

Workload linked with an increased risk of knee osteoarthritis

Researchers from the Universities of Oxford, Sydney and Southampton have shown that increasing levels of workload are associated with an increased risk of incident knee OA; particularly among men. The largest observational cohort study of its kind into knee OA and total knee replacement (TKR) utilized data from three large observational studies of knee OA […]