July 2, 2024 – Page 5 – medicalvise.org

Jul 02

Camponovo Sports debuts boxing series ‘New Blood’ on September 9

Camponovo Sports debuts boxing series ‘New Blood’ on September 9 17 Aug by Ring TV | Camponovo Sports is proud to announce the launch of a new boxing series titled “New Blood.” This groundbreaking series is set to debut with its first event on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at the Infinite Reality Studios in Long Beach, California, formerly known as Thunder Studios. The inaugural event, showcasing rising talent, will be broadcast live on FOX Deportes. In addition, the series will air tape delayed on Estrella TV and beIN SPORTS, reaching a combined total of 98-million homes in the United States. The eight-round main event features featherweight Rigoberto Hermosillo (13-4-1, 9 KOs), from Los Angeles, vs. Alexis De Luna (10-1, 5 KOs) from Bakersfield, California. Undefeated Long Beach-based junior welterweight Emiliano Moreno (6-0, 4 KOs) will square off against Levy Garcia Benitez (3-0-1, 2 KOs), from Guadalajara, Mexico, in the eight-round co-main event. Doors open at 4:30 pm PT with the first fight starting at 5:30 pm PT. Televised fights start at 7:00 pm PT. Tickets priced $60 – $150 (Plus applicable fees), are available for purchase by calling 800-283-8699 or online at www.cbnpromotions.com. “We are excited to unveil the restart of ‘New Blood,’ a series that for over two decades aligned perfectly with our commitment to promoting and nurturing emerging talents in the boxing world,” said Alex Camponovo, Founder and CEO of Camponovo Sports. “We built something special during our time with Thompson Boxing that was equally beneficial for both boxers and fans. Using that tremendous track record and thanks to our new partnership with Infinite Reality Studios, we will be able to create a dynamic atmosphere that will resonate with everyone involved. Thanks to our success in the past, we now look into the future by creating a media distribution strategy that will give our fighters tremendous exposure.” “Words can’t describe how thrilled we are to be hosting the ‘New Blood’ series at our studios,” said Rolando Nichols, President of Infinite Reality Studios. “The combination of our state-of-the-art production facilities and the energy of live boxing will create an unforgettable experience for both the fighters and the fans.” “We’re delighted to collaborate with respected partners like FOX Deportes, Estrella TV, and beIN SPORTS to bring the ‘New Blood’ Boxing Series to a diverse and passionate audience,” added Andrew Bocanegra, CEO of Cali Sports. “Together, we’re elevating the sport and giving these emerging athletes a stage to shine.” “This series is set to be an incredible display of skill, determination, and passion, providing a platform for these rising stars to showcase their abilities on a grand stage.” concluded Jessie Sanchez of Cali Sports. UNDERCARD BOUTS: Middleweight prospect Nelson Oliva (8-0, 7 KOs), from Los Angeles, Calif., will face Selim Martinez (6-6, 2 KOs), from Matamoros, Mexico. (six-rounds) Welterweight Kevin Salgado (3-1, 1 KO), from Murrieta, Calif., will battle Roberto Patron (2-0, 1 KO) from Turlock, Calif. (four-rounds) Welterweight Juan Sanchez (6-0, 5 KOs) from Buena Park, Calif., will square off Osvaldo Negrete (6-5-1, 1 KO) from Matamoros, Mexico. (six-rounds) Opening the card will be lightweight Tayden Beltran (6-0-1, 4 KOs), from Huntington Beach, Calif., facing Francisco Duque (2-2, 1 KO) from Guadalupe, Mexico. (six-rounds) GET THE LATEST ISSUE AT THE RING SHOP (CLICK HERE) The cover of the June-July 2023 Summer Special was painted by Richard Slone. #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_form { } #mp_form_slide_in8 form { margin-bottom: 0; } #mp_form_slide_in8 p.mailpoet_form_paragraph { margin-bottom: 10px; } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_column_with_background { padding: 10px; } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_form_column:not(:first-child) { margin-left: 20px; } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_paragraph { line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_segment_label, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_text_label, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_textarea_label, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_select_label, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_radio_label, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_checkbox_label, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_list_label, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_date_label { display: block; font-weight: normal; } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_text, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_textarea, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_select, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_date_month, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_date_day, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_date_year, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_date { display: block; } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_text, #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_textarea { width: 200px; } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_checkbox { } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_submit { } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_divider { } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_message { } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_form_loading { width: 30px; text-align: center; line-height: normal; } #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_form_loading > span { width: 5px; height: 5px; background-color: #5b5b5b; } #mp_form_slide_in8 h2.mailpoet-heading { margin: 0 0 20px 0; } #mp_form_slide_in8 h1.mailpoet-heading { margin: 0 0 10px; }#mp_form_slide_in8{border-radius: 25px;text-align: center;}#mp_form_slide_in8{width: 416px;max-width: 100vw;}#mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_message {margin: 0; padding: 0 20px;} #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_validate_success {color: #00d084} #mp_form_slide_in8 input.parsley-success {color: #00d084} #mp_form_slide_in8 select.parsley-success {color: #00d084} #mp_form_slide_in8 textarea.parsley-success {color: #00d084} #mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_validate_error {color: #cf2e2e} #mp_form_slide_in8 input.parsley-error {color: #cf2e2e} #mp_form_slide_in8 select.parsley-error {color: #cf2e2e} #mp_form_slide_in8 textarea.textarea.parsley-error {color: #cf2e2e} #mp_form_slide_in8 .parsley-errors-list {color: #cf2e2e} #mp_form_slide_in8 .parsley-required {color: #cf2e2e} #mp_form_slide_in8 .parsley-custom-error-message {color: #cf2e2e} #mp_form_slide_in8.mailpoet_form_slide_in { border-bottom-left-radius: 0; border-bottom-right-radius: 0; }#mp_form_slide_in8.mailpoet_form_position_right { border-top-right-radius: 0; }#mp_form_slide_in8.mailpoet_form_position_left { border-top-left-radius: 0; }#mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_paragraph.last {margin-bottom: 0} @media (max-width: 500px) {#mp_form_slide_in8 {background-image: none;animation: none;border: none;border-radius: 0;bottom: 0;left: 0;max-height: 40%;padding: 20px;right: 0;top: auto;transform: none;width: 100%;min-width: 100%;}} @media (min-width: 500px) {#mp_form_slide_in8 {padding: 30px;}} @media (min-width: 500px) {#mp_form_slide_in8 .last .mailpoet_paragraph:last-child {margin-bottom: 0}} @media (max-width: 500px) {#mp_form_slide_in8 .mailpoet_form_column:last-child .mailpoet_paragraph:last-child {margin-bottom: 0}} Please leave this field empty SIGN UP TO GET RING NEWS ALERTS Email Address * Ratings | View All Top 6 Pound for Pound 1 2 3 4 5 6 Trending Camponovo Sports debuts boxing series ‘New Blood’ on September 9 Best I Faced: Darren Barker Jermell Charlo chases greatness with rare ‘leapfrog’ challenge to Canelo Alvarez Alycia Baumgardner tests positive for two banned substances The Ring Ratings Reviewed 2023: Junior flyweight Schedule | View All 26Aug Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois (ESPN+) 02Sep Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr. 30Sep Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo (Showtime PPV)

Jul 02

A simple mouth rinse could spot early heart disease risk

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain What if we could identify the earliest warning signs of cardiovascular disease from a simple saliva sample? Scientists think they have found a way to do so. Gum inflammation leads to periodontitis, which is linked with cardiovascular disease. The team used a simple oral rinse to see if levels of white blood cells—an indicator of gum inflammation—in the saliva of healthy adults could be linked to warning signs for cardiovascular disease. they found that high levels correlated with compromised flow-mediated dilation, an early indicator of poor arterial health. “Even in young healthy adults, low levels of oral inflammatory load may have an impact on cardiovascular health—one of the leading causes of death in North America,” said Dr. Trevor King of Mount Royal University, corresponding author of the study published in Frontiers in Oral Health. Tooth care for heart health Periodontitis is a common infection of the gums which has previously been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease: scientists suspect that inflammatory factors may enter the bloodstream through the gums and damage the vascular system. King and his colleagues set out to study currently healthy young people without diagnosed periodontal issues to determine whether lower levels of oral inflammation can be clinically relevant to cardiovascular health. “We are starting to see more relationships between oral health and risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Ker-Yung Hong, first author of the study, now studying dentistry at the University of Western Ontario. “If we are seeing that oral health may have an impact on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease even in young healthy individuals, this holistic approach can be implemented earlier on.” The team chose pulse-wave velocity, which can measure the stiffness of arteries, and flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how well arteries can dilate to allow for higher blood flow, as key indicators of cardiovascular risk. These measure arterial health directly: stiff and poorly functioning arteries raise patients’ risk of cardiovascular disease. The scientists recruited 28 non-smokers between 18 and 30, with no comorbidities or medications that could affect cardiovascular risk and no reported history of periodontal disease. They were asked to fast for six hours, except for drinking water, prior to visiting the lab. At the lab, participants rinsed their mouths with water before rinsing their mouths with saline which was collected for analysis. Participants then laid down for 10 minutes for an electrocardiogram, and stayed lying down for another 10 minutes so that the scientists could take their blood pressure, flow-mediated dilation, and pulse-wave velocity. “The mouth rinse test could be used at your annual checkup at the family doctors or the dentist,” said Dr. Michael Glogauer of the University of Toronto, a co-author of the study. “It is easy to implement as an oral inflammation measuring tool in any clinic.” The heart of the matter The scientists found that high white blood cells in saliva had a significant relationship to poor flow-mediated dilation, suggesting these people may be at elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. However, there was no relationship between white blood cells and pulse wave velocity, so longer-term impacts on the health of the arteries had not yet taken place. The scientists hypothesized that inflammation from the mouth, leaking into the vascular system, impacts the ability of arteries to produce the nitric oxide that allows them to respond to changes in blood flow. Higher levels of white blood cells could have a greater impact on vascular dysfunction; the levels found in the participants are usually not considered clinically significant. “Optimal oral hygiene is always recommended in addition to regular visits to the dentist, especially in light of this evidence,” said King. “But this study was a pilot study. We are hoping to increase the study population and explore those results. We are also hoping to include more individuals with gingivitis and more advanced periodontitis to more deeply understand the impact of different levels of gingival inflammation on cardiovascular measures.” More information: Oral inflammatory load predicts vascular function in a young adult population: A pilot study, Frontiers in Oral Health (2023). DOI: 10.3389/froh.2023.1233881 Provided by Frontiers Citation: A simple mouth rinse could spot early heart disease risk (2023, August 18) retrieved 18 August 2023 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-08-simple-mouth-early-heart-disease.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Jul 02

Spain sees E. coli and Listeria infections rise in 2022

Spain recorded an increase in E. coli and Listeria infections in 2022, according to recently released figures. In 2022, 633 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections were reported, as well as eight imported cases. This includes 620 confirmed and 13 probable cases. The number rose from 426 cases in 2021. The highest incidences in 2022 were observed in children younger than 5 years of age, being higher in girls than in boys, according to data from the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE). A total of 134 hospitalizations were reported and six people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure. Four of these were younger than the age of 3, one was 10 years old, and the other was an 84-year-old adult. Three deaths were recorded: one child younger than 3 years old who had HUS, and two adults aged 65 and 93. For imported cases, two were younger than 10 years of age, and the rest were aged between 22 and 60. Information on serogroup causing infection was available in 80 cases of which 67 corresponded to O157. One was O107, another was O128 and 11 were recorded as non-O157. In 2021, two outbreaks occurred with four patients and one case of HUS. In 2022, five STEC outbreaks were reported, resulting in 13 cases and two hospitalizations. Two were foodborne: one of them, with four cases was associated with consumption of various foods in a bar. In the other outbreak, with two cases younger than 2 years old in a nursery, the suspected food was hamburgers, and E. coli O157 was identified in clinical samples from patients. Listeria dataIn 2022, 460 patients were reported, of which 450 were confirmed, nine were probable and one was imported. In 2021, 375 patients were noted with 38 deaths. The highest incidence rates in 2022 were found in boys less than 1 year of age, followed by men more than 75 years old and girls less than 1 year of age. Overall, 67 deaths were reported. The age group with the most fatalities were those over 84 with 20 deaths, followed by those aged 75 to 84 with 19 deaths and 65 to 74 with 16 deaths. In 2021, two outbreaks had four cases. This past year, nine listeriosis outbreaks were reported with 20 cases and eight hospitalizations. In three outbreaks, the mode of transmission was food consumption. In one of them, the suspected food was poultry meat, in another it was unspecified meat, and the food implicated in the third incident was unknown. The others were caused by mother to baby transmission. (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here)

Jul 02

‘Blood for blood’: Indictments detail East Contra Costa cops’ alleged crimes that went unnoticed for years

Antioch police officer Eric Rombough, left, leaves the federal courthouse with his lawyer Will Edelman, right, on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Oakland, Calif. A federal grand jury in San Francisco handed down at least three indictments that accuses current and former Antioch and Pittsburg officers with a wide range of offenses, including criminal conspiracy. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) The FBI’s sprawling investigation into widespread corruption across the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments led to the indictment of 10 people on Thursday, marking one of the Bay Area’s largest and most searing policing scandals in recent memory. Nine police officers — five Antioch cops and four from Pittsburg — and one Antioch community service officer were named in four indictments alleging years of suspected misdeeds across East Contra Costa County. The allegations were remarkably varied, including everything from alleged college credit scams to steroid distribution to racially motivated police brutality laid out in unabashedly bigoted text messages. Here’s a rundown of the four types of cases being brought by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District California: ‘Hopefully you get a bite’: Civil rights charges allege brutal tactics Antioch officers Morteza Amiri, Devon Wenger and Eric Rombough are accused of plotting violence against specific people, collecting “trophies” of their crimes and reveling in the “gore” caused by their actions. They’re also accused of falsifying accounts of the violence to cover their tracks. It started in April 2019 and continued until early 2022 when the officers’ homes were raided by the FBI, according to prosecutors. “I was planning on enjoying the day off but f— them for f—ing with an officer,” Amiri said in one 2019 text to Rombough, records show. “Me too, and exactly I’m going to f— someone up and hopefully you get a bite,” Rombough replied. “Exactly! Blood for blood,” Amiri replied, according to the indictment. The allegations mirror previous revelations of alleged police brutality and racist policing by several of the Antioch officers, who sent text messages between each other using the N-word and bragging about brutalizing criminal suspects, documents obtained by this news organization show. But the batch of texts detailed in court papers released Thursday largely centered on the use of Amiri’s police dog, Purcy, who bit dozens of people while under the oversight of Amiri, the indictments alleged. Via text, the indictment says, the trio egged each other on to use violence and swapped photos of people they had injured. In one text, Wenger wrote “we need to get into something tonight bro!! Lets go 3 nights in a row dog bite.” Later that night in August 2020, Amiri and Wenger pulled somebody out a car, took them to the ground, and Amiri later texted Wenger pictures of that injured person. The next day, Amiri raided a homeless camp with an officer from a neighboring agency and sicced Purcy on a man inside a tent, court records say. He later texted that the man was “laying in bed acting like he was asleep” and that Amiri stood there and “game planned how to f— him up,” then proceeded to unleash his dog. “You would have loved it,” he later texted Wenger. “(The officer from another agency) agreed to keep cameras off,” a reference to police body worn cameras. “F— that nerd! That’s what f—ing happens when you run, you acquire a tax,” Wenger replied. “His tax was paid properly. Good s— bro.” Prosecutors say between March 2019 and November 2021, Amiri’s dog bit 28 people, and Rombough deployed a .40mm “less lethal” launcher at 11 subjects from November 2020 through August 2021. Records show that of the 28 bite victims, 19 were Black residents, or 68 percent. Alleged steroid sales and covered tracks Two Antioch police officers — Daniel Harris and Wenger — were charged with several felonies after prosecutors say they tried to sell anabolic steroids. And when federal investigators seized one of their phones, the agents discovered that several texts had been deleted in an apparent attempt to cover the officers’ tracks, the prosecutors alleged Thursday. The scheme dated to March 2022, when the two officers exchanged texts about delivering steroids to a person identified only in the indictment as B.M., court papers say. Federal investigators say that Wenger then selectively deleted texts sometime before FBI agents took his phone on March 23, 2022. How the investigation all began: An alleged college credit scam The indictment citing the most officers speaks to the root of the FBI’s investigation: Concerns that police officers were boosting their paychecks by cheating their way into fake college degrees. From June 2019 through May 2021, prosecutors say six current and former Antioch and Pittsburg police officers schemed to have at least one other person take college tests for them. That’s because pay increases for new educational degrees can be anywhere from 2.5 percent to 10 percent, depending on the union contract. Most of the officers — Amiri, Samantha Peterson, Ernesto Mejia-Orozco and Amanda Theodosy, who also goes by the name of Amanda Nash — made at least one payment of no more than a few hundred dollars for their courses, the indictment said. But a couple others ponied up significantly more money as part of the scheme, prosecutors say. Brauli Rodriguez-Jalapa, a former Pittsburg officer who left to join the Oakland Housing Authority force, made a $12,130 payment in May 2021, court documents show, while former Pittsburg Officer Patrick Berhan made a $2,400 payment in December 2020. Federal prosecutors charged each of them with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and forfeiture allegation. At least two of the officers had tried — in vain, it appears — to avoid prosecution by paying back back tens of thousands of dollars in bonus money, this news organization previously reported. A wire tap and an alleged tip-off Timothy Manly-Williams, a former Antioch and Pittsburg cop, is accused of obstructing or interfering with an FBI and APD wiretap case of gang members suspected of murder. While working in

Jul 02

Suzanne Somers’ husband called 911 after frightening blood pressure scare: ‘I took 8 or 10 readings’

Suzanne Somers’ husband of 46 years took matters into his own hands when her blood pressure was higher than he was comfortable with. This past weekend, Somers and Alan Hamel were at their Palm Springs home when they decided to check their blood pressure. “After I took eight or 10 readings on our blood pressure machine and kept seeing terrible results for Suzanne‘s blood pressure, I called 911,” Hamel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Suzanne Somers’ husband, Alan Hamel, called 911 after monitoring Somers’ blood pressure. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC) “Almost within a couple of minutes of hanging up with the dispatcher who answered the 911 call the firemen were coming through our front door and within a couple of minutes of that happening the ambulance crew arrived,” he continued. ‘THREE’S COMPANY’ STAR SUZANNE SOMERS ON HOW SHE’S STAYING HEALTHY AT 75: ‘YOU HAVE TO BE VIGILANT’ Hamel added, “You hear all these terrible stories about police departments being called and arriving an hour or more later or not at all. As I dialed 911 I prayed that would not be the case with our Palm Springs Fire Department, and it sure wasn’t.” Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel have been married for 46 years. (Getty Images) Hamel shared what happened following the Palm Springs Fire Department’s quick arrival. “They arrived, they hooked Suzanne up to their monitoring gear and quickly announced she’s just fine. They also asked if there was anything else we could do other than cooking dinner. They had done us an amazing favor for which we will be forever grateful,” Hamel concluded. Suzanne echoed the details of the health scare in a statement to Page Six where she also explained why her blood pressure was so high on the monitor. Suzanne Somers and longtime husband, Alan Hamel, were at their home in Palm Springs when the health scare occurred. (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage) “So what was it? Our blood pressure monitor was faulty,” she told the outlet. “A big kiss and big hugs to our incredible fire department,” Somers said, adding, “Plus, they were all movie star handsome.” CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Suzanne’s recent health scare comes shortly after she revealed her breast cancer has returned. Somers, 76, was diagnosed with cancer twice before: skin cancer in her 30s and breast cancer in her 50s. Suzanne Somers recently revealed that her breast cancer has returned. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images) Somers told Fox News Digital in July, “I have been living with cancer for decades now, using the best of alternative and conventional medicine to keep it at bay. Every time that little f—– pops up, I continue to bat it back. As one of millions of cancer patients, we do our best not to let this insidious disease control us. I find bliss in each day. My husband has been by my side every step of the way, and my family has been so supportive. Thank you for the outpouring of love and good wishes.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It’s a recurrence of my breast cancer,” she added. “Like any cancer patient, when you get that dreaded, ‘It’s back,’ you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war. This is familiar battleground for me, and I’m very tough.” Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.

Jul 02

Could exposure to chemicals in plastics predispose you and your children to cardiovascular disease?

Exposure to environmental chemicals, including those in common plastic products, has been linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, or CVD, the leading cause of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019. Changcheng Zhou, a professor of biomedical sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside, has received an eight-year award of nearly $6.8 million from the Revolutionizing Innovative, Visionary Environmental Health Research (RIVER) program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, or NIEHS, to investigate how interactions between genes and endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, may increase CVD risk. Only five scientists, including Zhou, received RIVER grants this year. The grant “rewards outstanding environmental health sciences researchers who demonstrate a broad vision and potential for continuing their impactful research with increased scientific flexibility, stability in funding, and administrative efficiency.” EDCs mimic, block, or interfere with the body’s hormones. They can affect reproduction and the functioning of the immune and nervous systems. They are also known to increase cancer risk. Examples are human-made chemicals used as industrial solvents/lubricants and their byproducts, as well as some plastics, pesticides, fungicides, and pharmaceutical agents. Other examples are some natural chemicals, such as phytoestrogens (estrogen-like compounds derived from plants), found in human and animal food. How exposure to EDCs and other environmental chemicals influences CVD risk is not well understood. Recent large-scale studies found a link between exposure to EDCs and atherosclerosis, the gradual buildup of plaque — fats, cholesterol, and other substances — in and on the artery walls, resulting in the hardening and narrowing of the arteries. Treatment for atherosclerosis typically includes lifestyle changes, medicine, and surgery. “I am humbled and honored to receive the NIEHS RIVER grant, which provides the flexible and long-term support my research program needs to conduct innovative and impactful research in an area of crucial importance to the NIEHS mission,” Zhou said. “We expect the research this grant supports will contribute to the understanding of gene-EDC interactions in predisposing individuals and their children to CVD. We will explore how chemicals in common plastics and household products can act as EDCs, singly and in mixtures, and whether microplastics can act as Trojan horses, ferrying EDCs into the body to develop atherosclerosis.” Zhou’s prior work showed many EDCs activate a sensor in cells, called the pregnane X receptor, or PXR, which detects foreign chemicals and substances and helps regulate atherosclerosis development. The new funding will allow Zhou to study the mechanisms that allow EDCs to affect PXR in cells, leading to atherosclerosis. “Using a mouse model, we will look particularly at circulating cholesterol and ceramide lipids and how PXR regulates them to affect atherosclerosis development,” Zhou said. “We will also explore whether male mice’s exposure to EDCs can cause PXR to alter their sperm in a way that increases CVD risk in their offspring. We hope this research will help establish a novel therapeutic target for chemical-induced CVD.” Zhou’s lab was the first to reveal the novel function of PXR in the regulation of atherosclerosis development and showed in mouse models that widely used EDCs increase atherosclerosis through PXR signaling. Zhou’s scientific training in molecular biology, toxicology, pharmacology, and cardiovascular research uniquely positions him to investigate how gene-EDC interactions affect atherosclerosis development. “Influences of the chemical environment on human health have become the subject of intense interest but very few studies in the EDC research field have focused on atherosclerosis development,” Zhou said. “Besides establishing a novel therapeutic target for chemical-induced cardiovascular disease, our findings from this research have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the etiology of many chronic human diseases originating from chemical-elicited intergenerational effects.”

Jul 02

COVID infections and vaccinations lengthen menstrual cycles: study

A new study has found that COVID-19 infections and vaccinations temporarily lengthen menstrual cycles. The research, published last week in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, is one of the first such studies to use real-time tracked data versus relying on a person’s memory of their cycle changes. “Menstrual health is significantly understudied and underrepresented in research and medicine,” Dr. Alison Edelman, physician scientist at Oregon Health & Science University, said in a statement Thursday to The Post. Researchers from the University of Montpellier and Oregon Health & Science University used data from Clue, a reproductive health app, with the personally identifiable information removed. The analysis of 6,000 Clue users in 110 countries found an increase in menstrual cycle length following a COVID-19 infection or vaccination, but this change was small and temporary. The study found a small and temporary increase in menstrual cycle length following a COVID-19 infection or vaccination.Getty Images On average, unvaccinated users experiencing a COVID-19 infection reported a 1.45 day increase in their menstrual cycle, while vaccinated users reported a 1.14 day increase in their cycle after receiving the shot. In both cases, these changes appeared to last only one cycle. “This work is important and necessary to provide answers which can reassure individuals who are experiencing menstrual changes following a COVID-19 infection,” Edelman said. The researchers determined that the changes were likely caused by people’s immune systems reacting to the virus. They were sure to note that menstrual cycles can change for a variety of reasons. According to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, a change of less than eight days within the average 28-day cycle is considered within the normal range. On average, unvaccinated users experiencing a COVID-19 infection reported a 1.45 day increase in their menstrual cycle, while vaccinated users reported a 1.14 day increase in their cycle after receiving the shot. Getty Images/iStockphoto While the effects of COVID-19 are still being studied, some research has found links between the virus and menstruation. A study published last year in Obstetrics & Gynecology found that women vaccinated against COVID-19 saw a slight delay — by less than one day, on average — in the onset of their menstrual periods, compared to unvaccinated women. The average delay in women’s cycles after the first vaccine dose was 0.64 day (about 15.36 hours), and 0.79 day (about 18.96 hours) following the second dose. The shot did not substantially affect the number of bleeding days, according to findings from more than 4,000 participants. Like in the Clue-based study, researchers also claimed the change may have been related to the immune system’s response to the virus. “Menstrual health is significantly understudied and underrepresented in research and medicine,” Dr. Alison Edelman, physician scientist at Oregon Health & Science University, told The Post.Getty Images/iStockphoto Research also published in Obstetrics & Gynecology found that stress related to the pandemic caused changes in women’s periods, too. The results showed that more than half of the 354 participants had a change in cycle length, duration, flow and/or frequency of spotting in between cycles after March 2020. Some women with the highest stress levels due to COVID-19 experienced changes in all four of the categories.

Jul 02

Support Greenwood First Responders by Giving Blood at the Greenwood Boots and Badges Aug 22nd at the ROC

Roll up your sleeve and support your local first responders by giving blood with Our Blood Institute at a local blood drive and you too can help save a life! Our Blood Institute (OBI) will hold the Greenwood Boots and Badges Blood Drive on Tuesday, August 22, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the ROC (Recreation Outreach Center). Successful donors will also receive a limited-edition Boots & Badges T-shirt, and a free ticket to Science Museum Oklahoma, Frontier City or Hurricane Harbor. “Each and every single day Arkansas’s first responders see the need for life-saving blood donations,” said Dr. John Armitage, president and CEO of Our Blood Institute. “We are incredibly thankful for our local first responders who continue to keep us safe, and we owe it to them to do our part in making sure blood is readily available in emergency situations.” Anyone who is healthy and 16 years old* or older can give blood. Blood can be donated every 56 days and platelets can be given as often as every seven days, up to 24 times a year. Appointments to donate can be made online at obi.org or by calling 877-340-8777. *16-year-olds must weigh at least 125 pounds and provide signed parental permission; 17-year-olds must weigh at least 125 pounds; 18+ year-olds must weigh at least 110 pounds. Photo ID required.

Jul 02

2 key reasons the use of AI in echocardiography is growing

AI automation will save significant amounts of exam and post-processing time for sonographers and the cardiologists. If the tedious and time-consuming work of drawing lines and making measurements can be removed, he said the humans can spend more time interacting with their patients rather than with the machine. Most of the FDA-cleared AI algorithms in echo are for the automation of measurements. Many of these are already available on current ultrasound systems to help automate ejection fractions, assessing all the measurements needed for structural heart assessments, strain, and others. Other deep learning algorithms can help act as a second set of eyes to help diagnose patients with specific conditions, including aortic stenosis, heart failure and amyloidosis. “These applications are very useful in echocardiography to automate the process and create more time for us to do more higher-caliber activity,” he said. By training AI to always take measurements from ideal planes and anatomic landmarks, it can make measurements much more reproducible and help eliminate variability between sonographers. GPT AI may significantly change cardiac imaging “The second inflection point that I am really excited about is the development of GPT,” Sangupta said. He explained these algorithms basically connect the language in the body of the reports and in the electronic medical records for new ways of communication between physicians. GPT in the future might also begin connecting the physicians and the patients to the images. Sangupta said the new frontier is going to be the ability to train GPT models to create effortless reports and communicate clinical information to referring physicians. GPT is also being developed to look at clinical reports and other patient information to instantly create a layman’s language version of exam reports that are more patient friendly and easier to understand. “It will give them the ability to understand what is in their reports and their records. There is no doubt that communication piece is lacking right now. This will give them the ability to digest and understand the report so they can have a decision-making capability,” Sangupta explained. GPT AI also might be able to provide additional relief for clinicians who are feeling burned out with the amount of work that is required. Sangupta said it is still in the early days of GPT development, so the technology is not ready yet for regular use in patient care. There are also many questions about where the algorithms are pulling their data and how they reach conclusions. “There is a great deal of uncertainty, but there is also a great deal of opportunity,” he explained. “But we need to embrace this because this change is imminent.” This change is also necessary to enable moving patient care forward and to address burnout. “I believe a lot of physicians experience burnout because of the additional work they have to do with the electronic medical record, which is not really rewarding. So the whole idea of being able to create more free time so doctors can do what they like and do best, which is talk to the patients. Everything else can be put into the EMR using ChatGPT, and that is absolutely needed,” he said. Why human clinicians will not be replaced by AI or GPT technology Sangupta is certain there is no way a clinician can be replaced by GPT technology anytime soon because the technology is just not as capable as human brain or understanding context in the human world. “The human level competency of GPT is still very underdeveloped. Even if these models are able to become more generalizable and precise, they lack the human element of intelligence, which has several layers. There is contextual information that is clearer and easier for the human mind to digest, versus a ChatGPT,” Sangupta explained. Often the diagnosis or treatment of a patient is based on a doctor’s intuition and clinical judgement. And this is hard for programs to replicate and that is where clinical expertise, for now, is still a human trait required for patient care. “It also comes down to empathy and why we took the Hippocratic Oath, to make patients feel better. ChatGPT does not have feelings, so it does not have these sets of information to drive what is good for patient care, and that is where human doctors need to focus on,” Sangupta said. What he said will happen is that clinicians will have new tools for exploring the unknown components of the images with the ability to see far better than the human eye. He also said this new AI will be able to parse out large amounts of data and distill it for easier human consumption.

Jul 02

Suffolk Death Tied To Rare Bacterial Infection; Healthcare Providers Told To Be On Lookout

Vibriosis, which can cause skin breakdowns and ulcers, was confirmed in a recently deceased person on Long Island in Suffolk County, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced Wednesday, Aug. 16. The disease is caused by several species of vibrio bacteria, including one that is commonly found in saltwater coastal areas and appears in higher concentrations from May to October when temperatures are warmer. Those infected may experience a range of symptoms, including diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, and chills. Exposure can also cause ear infections, sepsis, and life-threatening infections, according to health officials. The health department is still trying to determine if the Suffolk County resident contracted the bacteria in New York waters or elsewhere. “While rare, the vibrio bacteria has unfortunately made it to this region and can be extraordinarily dangerous,” Hochul said. “As we investigate further, it is critical that all New Yorkers stay vigilant and take responsible precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including protecting open wounds from seawater and for those with compromised immune systems, avoiding raw or undercooked shellfish which may carry the bacteria.” In the wake of the Suffolk County death, state health officials are reminding healthcare providers to consider vibriosis when treating patients with severe wound infections or sepsis. Fatal cases of the disease have also been confirmed in Connecticut. At least four people died and dozens more were sickened following a spike in vibriosis in the wake of Hurricane Ian in Lee County, Florida, in late 2022. More information on vibriosis can be found on the New York State Health Department’s website. Click here to follow Daily Voice Suffolk and receive free news updates.