health $wellness blog

Osteoarthritis is a common musculoskeletal disease that affects weight-bearing joints like the hip and knee. It affects 13.4% of the European population. Knee osteoarthritis, in particular, can significantly reduce a person's ability to work and participate in leisure activities. There is no cure for knee osteoarthritis, but medications and non-pharmacological treatments can help manage symptoms and slow its progression. In severe cases, total or partial knee replacement surgery may be necessary. An Original article published in Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging concluded thatGenicular artery embolization improves pain and knee function for at least three months in patients with a history of knee osteoarthritis. This study is published according to a study published on December 15 in Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging . This study assessed the safety and efficacy of transient genicular artery embolization (GAE) with an ethiodized oil-based emulsion for treating KOA. Th...

South Korea: The de-escalation strategy is a reasonable and safe strategy option following myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with high ischemic risk, a recent study published in JAMA Cardiology has shown. In the post hoc analysis of the TALOS-AMI randomized clinical trial, 1371 patients (50.8%) were categorized as having high ischemic risk. The researchers revealed that compared with ticagrelor-based dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), the bleeding and ischemic outcomes of an unguided de-escalation strategy were consistent, irrespective of high ischemic risk features, with no heterogeneity. TALOS-AMI is an open-label, assessor-blinded, multicenter, randomized clinical trial. In patients with acute MI who have high ischemic risk, there is a lack of data on the safety and efficacy of the de-escalation strategy of switching from ticagrelor to clopidogrel. To fill this knowledge, Myunhee Lee, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea, and colleagues aimed to evalua...

New Delhi: Noting an unmet medical need in the country, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) functional under the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved AstraZeneca's Trastuzumab deruxtecan concentrate solution for infusion 100mg (Enhertu 100mg) for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-Low (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-) breast cancer who have received a prior systemic therapy in the metastatic setting or developed disease recurrence during or within 6 months of completing adjuvant chemotherapy. This came after the firm presented the proposal for approval of additional indication for Trastuzumab Deruxtecan Powder for Concentrate for Solution for Infusion(Enhertu 100mg) i.e. “for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-Low (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-) breast cancer who have received a prior systemic therapy in the metastatic setting or developed disease recurrence during or within 6 months of completing adjuv...

Researchers at University of Gothenburg, Sweden have found in a new study that Artery calcification is almost twice as common in night owls compared to early birds. Atherosclerosis involves fatty deposits accumulating on the inside of the arteries, making it harder for blood to pass through. The disease develops over a very long period of time and is not noticed until it leads to blood clots causing angina, heart attack, or stroke. Previous research has shown that people with late-night habits have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but this is the first study to show how circadian rhythms specifically affect calcification of the arteries. Coronary artery calcification The study, which has been published in the journal Sleep Medicine , involved 771 men and women aged between 50 and 64, all of whom are part of the larger population study SCAPIS. The degree of artery calcification in the heart’s coronary arteries was examined using computer tomography. Participants themsel...

In a recent study published in the  Journal of American Medical Association  found maternal cannabis use to have concerning associations with pregnancy outcomes linked to placental dysfunction. The study by Torri Metz and team was conducted across 8 medical centers in the US to find the impact of escalated use of cannabis among reproductive-age individuals and the issues surrounding its effects on pregnancy.   Data from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study were monitored in Mothers-to-Be cohort. The study required urine samples and pregnancy outcome information from 10,038 participants from 2010 to 2013. Out of the 9,257 participants, 610 (6.6%) reported cannabis use during pregnancy. Also, 32.4% of cannabis users reported exposure only during the first trimester, while 67.6% had ongoing exposure. The primary outcome including small-for-gestational-age birth, medically indicated preterm birth, stillbirth, or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, was higher in ...

The outcomes of a recent study in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) who exercised with supplemental oxygen experienced a remarkable more than twofold increase in peak work rate compared to those using compressed medical air. The key findings of this study were published in The American Journal of Medicine. This randomized, double-blind, crossover trial focused on the impact of supplemental oxygen during exercise training for non-hypoxemic COPD patients. The outcomes of the study bears significance in the condition where physical exercise is a well-established treatment but other approaches to enhance its efficacy are continuously searched for. The study included 29 non-hypoxemic COPD patients of average age of 60 years. The patients who underwent two consecutive 6-week periods of endurance and strength training for three times a week, with either supplemental oxygen or medical air. The sessions involved electrocardiography-controlled interval cycling and str...

Foot immersion with and without neck cooling fails to lessen increases in core temperature in the elderly suggests a new study published in the JAMA. As heat waves increase in regularity and severity, sustainable cooling interventions are needed to prevent heat-related mortality and morbidity. Based on research on young adults, immersing the feet in water has been recommended for protecting the health of vulnerable persons (eg, in aged care homes). Following approval of the study by the University of Ottawa Research Ethics Board, adults aged 65 to 85 years from the Ottawa, Canada, region volunteered and provided written informed consent for the study, which ran from September 2022 to May 2023. The primary outcome was core (rectal) temperature. A reduction of 0.2 °C or more was chosen as the minimal clinically meaningful effect. A sample of at least 15 participants was required to detect this effect with 84% power. Results Of 25 individuals assessed for eligibility, 17 participat...