Heart Health: How The Aorta Functions (Yale)

Yale Medicine (April 29, 2023) – The aorta is a complex organ responsible for carrying blood to all organs and tissues in the body. Many disease conditions with catastrophic complications are associated with aortic pathologies, including aneurysm disease, aortic dissection, aortic ulcer and hematoma.

Care of patients with aortic diseases remains highly complex and requires the combined expertise of a multidisciplinary team of cardiovascular surgeons, neurologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, vascular surgeons, and specialized advanced practice providers.

Reviews: Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer

In the past decades the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in people under the age of 50 years has increased, which is referred to as early-onset CRC or young-onset CRC (YO-CRC). YO-CRC is expected to account for 11% of colon cancers and 23% of rectal cancers by 2030. This trend is observed in different parts of the world and in both men and women. In 20% of patients with YO-CRC, a hereditary cancer syndrome is found as the underlying cause; however, in the majority of patients no genetic predisposition is present.

Beginning in the 1950s, major changes in lifestyle such as antibiotic use, low physical activity and obesity have affected the gut microbiome and may be an important factor in YO-CRC development. Owing to a lack of screening, patients with YO-CRC are often diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. Long-term treatment-related complications should be taken into account in these younger patients, making the more traditional sequential approaches of drug therapy not always the most appropriate option.

To better understand the underlying mechanism and define relationships between environmental factors and YO-CRC development, long-term prospective studies are needed with lifestyle data collected from childhood.

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Coping With Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Mayo Clinic (April 27, 2023) – Dr. Brian Lacy says irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a chronic condition that affects the intestinal tract. It can cause painful stomach cramps, diarrhea and constipation.

IBS is now categorized as a disorder of gut-brain interaction, which means that there’s a problem with how the gut and brain communicate with each other. He says stress plays a key role. There’s no cure for IBS, but symptoms can be managed. Try eating smaller, more frequent meals, and exercising regularly. Deep breathing and yoga are also helpful to reduce stress.

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Inflammation: Frozen Shoulder (BMJ Podcast)

Adhesive capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder) affects 2% to 5% of the population. It is slightly more common in women than in men, and is most common in people between the ages of 40 and 70.

And it can cause a range of problems – including pain, stiffness, and loss of function. So it is important that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right.

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TYPE 2 DIABETES STUDIES: 65% HIGHER DEATH RATES WITH ‘SWEETENED DRINKS’

The BMJ (Published April 19, 2023) – 

Conclusions: Individual beverages showed divergent associations with all cause mortality and CVD outcomes among adults with type 2 diabetes. Higher intake of SSBs was associated with higher all cause mortality and CVD incidence and mortality, whereas intakes of coffee, tea, plain water, and low fat milk were inversely associated with all cause mortality. These findings emphasize the potential role of healthy choices of beverages in managing the risk of CVD and premature death overall in adults with type 2 diabetes.

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STUDIES: ALCOHOL ABUSE INCREASES CHRONIC PAIN

Scripps Research (April 21, 2023) – Chronic alcohol consumption may make people more sensitive to pain through two different molecular mechanisms—one driven by alcohol intake and one by alcohol withdrawal. That is one new conclusion by scientists at Scripps Research on the complex links between alcohol and pain.

The research, published in the British Journal of Pharmacology on April 12, 2023, also suggests potential new drug targets for treating alcohol-associated chronic pain and hypersensitivity.

“There is an urgent need to better understand the two-way street between chronic pain and alcohol dependence,” says senior author Marisa Roberto, PhD, the Schimmel Family Chair of Molecular Medicine, and a professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research. “Pain is both a widespread symptom in patients suffering from alcohol dependence, as well as a reason why people are driven to drink again.”

Alcohol use disorder (AUD), which encompasses the conditions commonly called alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence and alcohol addiction, affects 29.5 million people in the U.S. according to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  Over time, AUD can trigger the development of numerous chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, liver disease and some cancers.

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Reviews: The Importance Of Regular Exercise

Mayo Clinic (April 20, 2023) – Fitness training balances five elements of good health. Your overall exercise plan should include aerobic fitnessstrength trainingcore exercisesbalance training, and flexibility and stretching

  1. Exercise controls weight.
    Exercise can help control your weight, prevent excess weight gain or maintain weight loss. When you take part in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.
  2. Exercise combats heart conditions and diseases.
    Being active boosts high-density lipoprotein, or HDL or “good,” cholesterol, and it decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
  3. Exercise improves mood.
    Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier, more relaxed and less anxious. You also may feel better about your appearance when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.
  4. Exercise boosts energy.
    Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores.
  5. Exercise promotes better sleep.
    Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, get better sleep and deepen your sleep.
  6. Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life.
    Regular physical activity can improve energy levels and increase your confidence about your physical appearance, which may boost your sex life. Regular physical activity may enhance arousal for women, and men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than men who don’t exercise.
  7. Exercise can be fun and social.
    Exercise and physical activity can be enjoyable. Exercise gives you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply take part in activities that make you happy. Physical activity also can help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting.

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Infographic: Binge Eating Disorder (BED) Diagnosis

Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by regular binge eating episodes during which individuals ingest comparably large amounts of food and experience loss of control over their eating behaviour. The worldwide prevalence of BED for the years 2018–2020 is estimated to be 0.6–1.8% in adult women and 0.3–0.7% in adult men. BED is commonly associated with obesity and with somatic and mental health comorbidities. People with BED experience considerable burden and impairments in quality of life, and, at the same time, BED often goes undetected and untreated.

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