Yoga improves symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, a condition with chronic nervousness and worry, suggesting the popular practice may be helpful in treating anxiety in some people.
According to researchers, generalized anxiety disorder is a common, impairing, and undertreated condition, currently affecting an estimated 6.8 million Americans. While most people feel anxious from time to time, it is considered a disorder when worrying becomes excessive and interferes with day-to-day life. CBT is considered the gold standard first-line treatment. Medications, including antidepressants and sometimes benzodiazepines, may also be used. Yet, not everyone is willing to take medication, which can have adverse side effects, and there are challenges with accessing CBT for many, including lack of access to trained therapists and long waitlists.
The results were published online August 12 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Magnetic stimulation dramatically improves fecal incontinence
Painless magnetic stimulation of nerves that regulate muscles in the anus and rectum appears to improve their function and dramatically reduce episodes of fecal incontinence, a debilitating problem affecting about 10% of the population, investigators report.
The rectum is the connector between the colon and the anus, where stool exits, and the muscles directly involved in moving feces along then holding it in place until we are ready to go to the bathroom, have been a focal point for treating fecal incontinence. However current strategies are largely unsatisfactory for at least half of patients because they do not directly address the causes, including nerve dysfunction in the anus and rectum, the investigators say.
Read the full study here.
Release date: 25 August 2020
Source: Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Ventilators could be adapted to help two COVID-19 patients at once
New research has shown how ventilators could be adapted to help two patients simultaneously in the event of a shortage.
As the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic approached, governments feared there might not be enough ventilators – machines that ‘breathe’ for patients when they cannot do so themselves – to help all those who needed one.
Now, researchers from King’s College London and Imperial College London have developed a theoretical model for how one ventilator could be used to treat two patients. They say that, although splitting ventilators can be inherently dangerous, their model shows how some of the issues can be mitigated by using variable resistances and one-way valves.
“A simulated single ventilator/dual patient ventilation strategy for acute respiratory distress syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic” by Solís-Lemus et al. Published 24 August 2020 in Royal Society Open Science.
Release date: 24 August 2020
Source: Imperial College London
No safe level of caffeine consumption for pregnant women and would be mothers
Women who are pregnant or trying for a baby should consider avoiding caffeine, researchers say
Women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should be advised to avoid caffeine because the evidence suggests that maternal caffeine consumption is associated with negative pregnancy outcomes and that there is no safe level of consumption, finds an analysis of observational studies published in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.
Caffeine is probably the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in history, and many people, including pregnant women consume it on a daily basis.
Pregnant women have been advised that consuming a small amount of caffeine daily will not harm their baby. The UK NHS, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set this level at 200 mg caffeine, which approximates to roughly two cups of moderate-strength coffee per day.
Release date: 24 August 2020
Source: BMJ
Yoga linked with improved symptoms in heart patients
Yoga postures and breathing could help patients with atrial fibrillation manage their symptoms, according to research presented today at ESC Congress 2020.1
Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder. One in four middle-aged adults in Europe and the US will develop the condition, which causes 20–30% of all strokes and increases the risk of death by 1.5-fold in men and 2-fold in women. Reduced quality of life is common, and 10–40% of patients are hospitalised each year.2
Symptoms of atrial fibrillation include palpitations, racing or irregular pulse, shortness of breath, tiredness, chest pain and dizziness.
Release date: 24 August 2020
Source: European Society of Cardiology
Having a doctor who shares the race of their patients may ease pain
New research suggests that Black patients may have less pain and anxiety when treated by a physician of their own race.
When doctors are the same race as their patients, it can sometimes forge a sense of comfort that helps to reduce anxiety and pain, particularly for Black patients, new research from the University of Miami suggests.
In a study recently published in the academic journal Pain Medicine, and led by Steven R. Anderson, recent psychology Ph.D. graduate, and Elizabeth Losin, assistant professor of psychology, groups of non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, and Black patients participated in a simulated doctor’s appointment. Patients were given a mildly painful series of heat stimulations on their arm by a medical trainee playing the role of a doctor to simulate a painful medical procedure. Participants indicated how intense their pain was throughout the procedure and researchers also measured the patients’ physiological responses to the painful experience using sensors on the patients’ hands.
Release date: 24 August 2020
Source: University of Miami
Many Animal Species May Be Vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2
The Western lowland gorilla shows a very high risk of being infected by SARS-CoV-2 through its ACE2 receptors according to a new genomic study from UC Davis.
Humans are not the only species facing a potential threat from SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis.
An international team of scientists used genomic analysis to compare the main cellular receptor for the virus in humans — angiotensin converting enzyme-2, or ACE2 — in 410 different species of vertebrates, including birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
Release date: 21 August 2020
Source: University of California – Davis
Mechanisms identified to restore myelin sheaths after injury or in multiple sclerosis
Researchers reveal a potential method for treating multiple sclerosis / Theophylline activates histone deacetylase, enabling the reconstruction of myelin sheaths.
A research team led by neurobiologist Professor Claire Jacob has identified an important mechanism that can be used to control the restoration of myelin sheaths following traumatic injury and in degenerative diseases. With the insights gained, the researchers were able to regenerate damaged myelin sheaths in mice by treating them with the active substance theophylline, thereby restoring their nerve cell function. The groundbreaking findings are the result of research carried out at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.
Release date: 24 August 2020
Source: Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz
Yoga Shown to Improve Anxiety
Yoga improves symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, a condition with chronic nervousness and worry, suggesting the popular practice may be helpful in treating anxiety in some people.
According to researchers, generalized anxiety disorder is a common, impairing, and undertreated condition, currently affecting an estimated 6.8 million Americans. While most people feel anxious from time to time, it is considered a disorder when worrying becomes excessive and interferes with day-to-day life. CBT is considered the gold standard first-line treatment. Medications, including antidepressants and sometimes benzodiazepines, may also be used. Yet, not everyone is willing to take medication, which can have adverse side effects, and there are challenges with accessing CBT for many, including lack of access to trained therapists and long waitlists.
The results were published online August 12 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Release date: 12 August 2020
Source: NYU Langone Health / NYU School of Medicine
Mouthwashes could reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission
Results from cell culture experiments show that commercially available preparations have an effect on Sars-Cov-2 viruses.
Sars-Cov-2 viruses can be inactivated using certain commercially available mouthwashes. This was demonstrated in cell culture experiments by virologists from Ruhr-Universität Bochum together with colleagues from Jena, Ulm, Duisburg-Essen, Nuremberg and Bremen. High viral loads can be detected in the oral cavity and throat of some Covid-19 patients. The use of mouthwashes that are effective against Sars-Cov-2 could thus help to reduce the viral load and possibly the risk of coronavirus transmission over the short term. This could be useful, for example, prior to dental treatments. However, mouth rinses are not suitable for treating Covid-19 infections or protecting yourself against catching the virus.
The results of the study are described by the team headed by Toni Meister, Professor Stephanie Pfänder and Professor Eike Steinmann from the Bochum-based Molecular and Medical Virology research group in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, published online on 29 July 2020. A review of laboratory results in clinical trials is pending.
Release date: 29 July 2020
Source: Ruhr-University Bochum
Vitamin D Twice a Day May Keep Vertigo Away
Release date: 5 August 2020
Source: American Academy of Neurology