Medicalxpress

1. US life expectancy rose last year, but it remains below its pre-pandemic level

   U.S. life expectancy rose last year—by more than a year—but still isn't close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Threats to public health workers

   While doctors and nurses were hailed as the frontline heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic, their counterparts in public health were experiencing threats. During the pandemic, threats against public health workers reached an all-time high. After the vaccine was released, those threats increased and changed in nature, according to a longitudinal study conducted during the first year of the pandemic by Jennifer Horney, founder of the University of Delaware Epidemiology Program in the College of Health Sciences.

3. 20-year study finds no evidence that cannabis reduces long-term opioid use

   A 20-year Australian study has found no evidence to suggest cannabis reduces illicit opioid use, and it may not be an effective long-term method of reducing harm for those with an opioid use disorder or problematic use of opioids.

4. Research finds increase in the number of people identifying as transgender in the UK

   The number of people identifying as transgender in their GP records in the UK has increased between 2000 and 2018, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

5. Study finds 6+ hours/day of sedentary leisure time linked to doubling in uterine fibroids risk

   Clocking up 6 or more hours of sedentary leisure time every day may double a woman's risk of uterine fibroids before she's gone through the menopause, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

6. Drug combination improves radiation therapy outcomes in locally advanced, borderline resectable pancreatic cancer cases

   A new Phase Ib/II study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Moffitt Cancer Center found that combining sensitizing drugs with a specific form of radiation therapy may be more effective in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, yielding a higher progression-free survival (PFS) and overall response rate (ORR).

7. Faster walking speed of 4 km+/hour linked to significantly lower type 2 diabetes risk

   Walking at a speed of 4 or more km an hour is linked to a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

8. School-based mental health services can improve the well-being of children and adolescents

   Mental health in young people across the U.S. is suffering: rates of anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges remain high, and suicide is the second-leading cause of death. To address these challenges, school-based mental health (SBMH) services are being offered by some school districts as a way to identify and treat children and adolescents who may not have access to other mental health services.

9. Research finds that mailing HPV test kits directly to patients increases cervical cancer screening rates

   Three years ago, the federal government set a series of targets to improve Americans' overall health. Among the dozens of goals laid out in the plan, called Healthy People 2030, was a significant increase in the proportion of Americans who kept up to date with cervical cancer screening.

10. Patients coping with mesothelioma experienced higher levels of toxicity on CheckMate743 regimen than reported in trials

    Based on results from the CheckMate743 trial, the dual regimen of ipilimumab and nivolumab is the standard of care for the treatment of unresectable pleural mesothelioma. However, research published today in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) showed that a group of Australian patients treated with that immunotherapy combination experienced higher levels of toxicity than were reported in the clinical trial results.

11. Understanding subjective beliefs could be vital to tailoring more effective treatments for depression and ADHD

    Taking into account whether people believe they are receiving a real treatment or a fake one (placebo) could provide better insights that could help improve interventions for conditions such as depression and ADHD.

12. Reading 'beats' TV for sparking imaginative thinking, says expert

    Reading books is more effective at stimulating the imagination compared to watching images and stories unfold on screen, a new study has suggested.

13. Q&A: Which over-the-counter medications work best for treating COVID-19?

    Since COVID-19 first spread rapidly around the world in 2020, we have significantly more options to reduce the symptoms and severity of the virus. COVID-19 symptoms usually begin in the first five days after exposure and can last up to 14 days. For many people, over-the-counter medications like Advil and Tylenol are enough to reduce symptoms while the virus runs its course.

14. Research on aging with an intellectual disability overwhelmingly positive but concerns also found

    People aging with an intellectual disability are in better health, living in their communities, with more opportunities, and having greater control in how they live their lives but women's health, oral health and dementia findings concerning

15. Urgent action needed to develop climate interventions that support healthy aging

    A new UK-wide research project has found a 'critical' need for urban interventions that mitigate the negative impact of extreme weather on the health and well-being of older people.

16. Home environment is a significant factor in how children recover from severe acute malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa

    Three reports emerging from Queen Mary University of London have provided valuable insight into the management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM)—the most life-threatening form of malnutrition in children.

17. Millions of kids in US have inadequate health care coverage

    Inadequate health coverage is a particular problem for commercially insured children, according to a new study released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The research shows that coverage gaps are affecting publicly insured children as well. Until now, prior research had focused on documenting rates and trends in insurance consistency for children covered by all insurance types. The findings are published in JAMA Health Forum.

18. Understanding the impact of transferring patients with dementia between hospitals

    It is common for individuals seeking medical care for symptoms of concern to go to the nearest hospital. Physicians there may determine the facility cannot provide the care they believe the patient needs and recommend transfer to another hospital offering a higher level of care or specialized services.

19. Reducing inequitable health outcomes requires reducing residential segregation, says study

    The U.S. must reduce racial residential segregation if it is to reduce racial disparities in health outcomes, according to a recently published study by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine. The research on 220 metropolitan areas nationwide between 1980 and 2020 found strong links between trends in racial residential segregation and racial disparities in early death rates from a variety of causes.

20. The way to better mental health may go through your stomach

    University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered how Lactobacillus, a bacterium found in fermented foods and yogurt, helps the body manage stress and may help prevent depression and anxiety.