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hrt

Women Taking HRT For Menopause Have A Lower Risk Of Dementia, New Study Suggests 

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According to a new study, women who use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may have a reduced risk of dementia. 

The study itself took place in the United Kingdom and was the largest of its kind, tracking over 180,000 post menopausal women. The scientists found that the participants who used HRT were 10% less likely to develop any kind of dementia and 16% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, compared to those who never used it, according to reports. 

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The study and its findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, and was led by Professor Anne-Marie Minihane, who is also the director of the Norwich Institute for Healthy Aging at the University of East Anglia. 

Minihane revealed that they saw the greatest risk reduction in women using HRT who also underwent surgical menopause, finding a 26% lower risk of developing any type of dementia compared to women who didn’t use the therapy. 

“While HRT has long been prescribed primarily to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, this work suggests it may also play a role in long-term cognitive health for some women.”

Women are more likely to develop dementia due to the fact that, statistically, they live longer than men. Scientists also think it could be related to the impact of menopause on their brain metabolism and the impact of the main risk gene for Alzheimer’s being greater on women. 

“We wanted to better understand how HRT could prevent dementia and to assess if particular groups of women may respond differently,” Minihane said. 

The study used data from the UK Biobank, allowing them to track 183,450 postmenopausal women over about 13 years. Throughout that timespan almost 4,000 cases of dementia were identified, and the scientists looked at whether or not using HRT of any kind for at least one year changed women’s risk of developing dementia. 

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The study also pointed out that women who naturally had lower oestrogen exposure throughout their life, either due to starting their periods late or going through early menopause, would benefit more from HRT, with a 16% lower risk of any kind of dementia. 

Of course, genetics also play a role. Women who carried the Apoe4 gene had a stronger association with HRT use and dementia. 

“This is really important because Apoe4 carriers are typically considered at higher risk and have fewer established prevention options,” said Minihane.

The results of this study are based on observational data rather than a randomized-controlled trial, so there’s no way to prove a causal link.

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, the executive director of research and partnerships at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: 

“This study alone isn’t enough to tell us whether HRT should be used to reduce dementia risk, but it provides further evidence that the timing of HRT and a woman’s hormonal history may matter.

“We now need research that can establish whether HRT itself is responsible for these differences in dementia risk and understand which forms of HRT may have an effect.

“Anyone considering starting or stopping HRT should speak to their GP about the potential benefits and risks for them.”

New Research Finds Nearly Half Of All Dementia Cases Could Be Delayed Or Prevented 

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In a new study from some of the world’s leading experts in dementia, it was found that almost half of the global cases of the disease could be prevented or delayed, specifically pointing out 14 risk factors that exist throughout a patient’s life.

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New Study Shows UV Dryers For Gel Manicures May Damage The DNA In Your Hands

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A new study published in Nature Communications shows that getting frequent gel manicures using UV nail polish dryers can cause damage to the DNA in our hands, and potentially lead to skin cancer. 

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are known to cause skin cancer at high exposures, and there isn’t a lot of current research on the potential harms of UV nail polish dryers.  

The University of California San Diego recently released a press release that explained “that the common devices in nail salons generally use a particular spectrum of UV light (340-395nm) to cure the chemicals used in gel manicures. While tanning beds use a different spectrum of UV light (280-400nm) there have been studies that show tanning bed UV light is carcinogenic, or cancer-causing, however, the spectrum used for nail dryers has not been extensively studied.”

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“If you look at the way these devices are presented, they are marketed as safe, with nothing to be concerned about. But to the best of our knowledge, no one has actually studied these devices and how they affect human cells at the molecular and cellular levels until now,” said Ludmil Alexandrov, a professor of bioengineering and cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego, and corresponding author of the study. 

Researchers of the study found that using the device for one 20 minute session led to 20-30% cell death, where three consecutive 20 minute exposures caused between 65-70% of exposed cells to die. 

The UV light also caused mitochondrial and DNA damage to the skin cells, resulting in mutations with patterns that can also be seen in skin cancer in humans. 

“We saw multiple things: first, we saw that DNA gets damaged,” said Alexandrov in a press release. 

“We also saw that some of the DNA damage does not get repaired over time, and it does lead to mutations after every exposure with a UV-nail polish dryer. Lastly, we saw that exposure may cause mitochondrial dysfunction, which may also result in additional mutations. We looked at patients with skin cancers, and we see the exact same patterns of mutations in these patients that were seen in the irradiated cells.”

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation “90% of the visible signs of aging come from daily exposure to UV light. This means fine lines, wrinkling, saggy skin, sun spots, uneven skin tone,” says Mona Gohara, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine and Prevention Medical Review Board member. 

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“In addition, it can alter one’s DNA repair mechanisms, making skin cancer possible. In general, more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined.”

UV-cured manicures are safest when one applies a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 around 30 minutes before the manicure, as well as when one wears fingerless gloves during the manicure. 

“UV light with manicures can always pose a risk. LED lights pose less of a risk, but could still pose some potential dangers. It’s kind of analogous to smoking a cigarette, the more you do it, the more at risk you are. If you want to be sure that no exposure is happening, use sunscreen, cover your hands with cotton gloves, or avoid manis that involve light devices,” says Dr. Gohara

“The knowledge that UV radiation exposure causes DNA mutation in the skin is not new. We know that UV radiation is a known and proven risk for skin cancer and this is why we wear sunscreen, sun protective clothing, hats, sit in the shade and ideally have regular skin checks with a board-certified dermatologist,” says Dr. Stern. 

“For anyone getting UV gel manicures, it is advisable to protect the skin with a UV protective barrier such as fingertip-less UV protective gloves as well as broad-spectrum sunscreen applied 30 minutes before the gel manicure. It is key that the sunscreen is broad-spectrum in order to protect against UVA rays,” advises Dr. Stern.

lunar

China Gearing Up For Likely Covid-19 Surge As Travel For The Lunar New Year Begins

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The Lunar New Year holidays, also referred to as the spring festival, officially begins on January 21st. Local media outlets have already been reporting massive spikes in Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths, along with supply and drug shortages to combat the spread.

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Experts Warn Omicron Covid Variant Is A ‘Reason To Be Worried’

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The Omicron Covid-19 variant was first detected in South Africa, and has now spread to 14 countries, with some experts claiming the variant has already reached the US. Scientists are working to figure out how much more dangerous and contagious the new variant is when compared to other variants, especially as international governments race to ease travel restrictions. 

The US has been imposing travel restrictions on travelers from South Africa since Monday, as well as other countries around the region. The variant has already been confirmed in Canada, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, discussed the variant on the news recently. 

“The new variant is likely already in the United States, but the government is better positioned to detect cases of the new strain than it was a year ago.”

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As of this week, most travelers from southern Africa are barred from entering the United States, and restrictions have been renewed for all travel from southern Africa to most European countries. Within 36 hours of discovering the new strain, scientists in South Africa alerted the world and began testing current vaccines against the strain immediately. Dr. Anthony Fauci discussed the increased risk for unvaccinated Americans when it comes to any variant. 

“The US certainly has the potential to go into a fifth wave of high infections if enough people don’t come forward for vaccination and booster shots.”

South Africa’s government and president, however, are worried that the region is being unjustly blamed for the new variant, when the reality is these variants only have the opportunity to develop due to uneven distribution of the Covid-19 vaccines throughout the world. 

“We want all travel bans to be reversed, as they have no basis in science. These restrictions are completely unjustified and unfairly discriminate against our country,” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said. 

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“I think there’s good reason to be worried. I don’t think that means that we’re powerless, answers are coming. We need to collect data. We need to investigate and understand this variant,” said Professor Anne Van Gottberg of South Africa’s Institute for Communicable Diseases.

“We should be doing the things that we know work when you’re dealing with a pandemic virus. It’s not the time to panic. We should be concerned, and our concern should spur us to do the things that we know work,” Dr. Fauci said.

Fauci explained that “the concern over the new variant comes from the number and type of mutations found around the spike protein, the part of the virus molecule that allows it to attach itself to human cells. The high number of mutations and where they were found suggests that this would be more transmissible, and also suggests that it might evade some of the immune parameters that we have, such as antibody and plasma treatments, and the current vaccines.”

“It appears to be spreading very readily and has a transmission advantage. One of the key things we don’t know right now is whether the new variant causes more severe COVID-19 symptoms than previous strains.”

Omicron currently accounts for more than 2,000 new daily cases in South Africa. One expert in the nation is worried that the daily infection rate could triple within the next week alone. 

“I am expecting we will top over 10,000 cases by the end of the week per day,” Dr Salim Abdool Karim said during an online press briefing by the Health Ministry.

National Toy Hall Of Fame Inducts American Girl Doll, Risk, And Sand

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The National Toy Hall of Fame has three new members… and one of them is a bit more decisive than the others. The American Girl Doll, the classic board game Risk, and sand were all part of the 2021 class inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play.

It was a fierce competition for the coveted spots. Among the other nominees this year included The Settlers of Catan, Battleship, Cabbage Patch Kids, Mahjong, billiards, Masters of the Universe, the piñata, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, and the toy fire engine.

American Girl Dolls have become a childhood staple in American society. Created by Pleasant Rowland in 1986, these dolls were designed to come from all skin colors, cultural backgrounds, and time periods, along with unique and fascinating backstories.

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The success of the American Girl brand has led to numerous spin-off products, such as magazines, games, and movies, as well as retail stores centered around the dolls. Not only are girls able to stylize their dolls with all sorts of hair styles, outfits, and accessories, but they also learn more about history.

Risk has been transforming tiny innocent children into war-mongering generals since 1957. The game focuses on “diplomacy, conflict, and conquest,” as the players battle each other for control of territories — 42 to be exact — across the globe.

The title comes from the intense, constant decision-making and strategy involved. According to the Museum, part of Risk’s appeal is that more than two players can join in, unlike other war games such as Battleship.

The Museum called sand the “most universal and oldest toy in the world,” noting that children recognize it as a play vehicle and that wet sand is great for shaping, molding, and sculpting. People started playing with sand as early as the 1800s, and its spawned additional toys such as sand castle molds.

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Sand certainly takes the cake for being the “oldest” toy in the Hall of Fame – after all, it does come in at the ripe age of about 4.5 billion years. It’s also provided children (and even adults!) with hours of entertainment at the beach and playground.

While some might argue that sand doesn’t necessarily fit in with the typical “toy,” this kind of inductee isn’t exactly out of the ordinary for the Hall of Fame – cardboard boxes were inducted in 2005, and sticks were inducted in 2008. For children, the kind of material doesn’t matter as long as the source can provide a creative and exciting play experience.

The Toy Hall of Fame has inducted many beloved play pals over the years since it was established in 1998. Among its notable inductees include Mr. Potato Head, Legos, the Nintendo Game Boy, Star Wars action figures, the Teddy Bear, and Crayola Crayons.

If there’s a certain toy from your childhood that you think deserves the honor of being memorialized for all time, the Toy Hall of Fame accepts nominations on their website. The criteria needed for a toy to be inducted includes longevity (has become a staple instead of a trend), icon status (it’s widely recognized and remembered), discovery (the toy encourages discovery and creativity), and innovation (the toy changed the “play” landscape).

Abstract Outer Space

Why ‘Space Junk’ Is A Growing And Dangerous Problem 

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China’s space agency made headlines this month after debris from a rocket launched by them crashed harmlessly into the Indian Ocean this past weekend, however, the 20-ton section of the rocket originally was thought to land in a major city and cause severe damage. The section of the rocket burned up when it reentered the atmosphere. 

The incident itself created a much larger discourse about the concept of “space junk” and how dangerous it actually is. The size of the rocket section and confusion over its potential trajectory has many wondering how we can trust our world’s scientists to avoid future incidents such as this from occurring.

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The risk of rocket parts falling into populated areas has never been a bigger issue due to the fact that many countries have private companies that can expand space ambitions, which poses a major risk for existing satellite infrastructure and space exploration missions.  

According to reports there are about 6,000 satellites currently orbiting the Earth, and more than half of them are non-functional. If any of these satellites collide, they can break off and splinter into thousands of pieces that could strike other objects in orbit, and set off a massive chain reaction of complete space station destruction. 

NASA estimates there are at least 26,000 pieces of debris the size of a softball or larger that could destroy satellites or entire spacecraft simply due to the speed they’re travelling at. 

Andreas Kluth is a contributor to Bloomberg who believes that all of the world’s nations need to work together to clean up space: “The major powers must elevate space governance to the level of other threats to humanity, from climate change to nuclear proliferation. They should publicly label the problem a tragedy of the commons and signal their readiness to begin negotiations, regardless of other conflicts they have with one another. The U.S. is the obvious nation to take the lead. China, Russia and others should reciprocate.”

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Steven Freeland agrees with Kluth’s point, and added that beyond just laws, the world needs to create a concrete plan for cleaning up the mess of debris that currently exists as well. 

“Beyond the legal technicalities, debris removal raises complex policy, geopolitical, economic, and social challenges. Whose responsibility is it to remove debris? Who should pay? What rights do non-space faring nations have in discussions? Which debris should be preserved as heritage?”

Others also believe that the nation’s responsible for the debris need to be held accountable for the extreme damage that’s being done in space, as well as the amount of lives they put at risk on Earth when they can’t predict the trajectory of these falling debris. 

“Why is it possible for China, or any other space-faring nation, to launch massive rockets and let them fall to earth willy-nilly? The answer to that is policy failure: Despite regulations on space flight and conduct, the issue of rocket reentry is loosely and poorly regulated, so countries cut corners and take their chances that a falling rocket won’t hit anything major,” explained Alex Ward of Vox Magazine.

Girl Vaping

Scientific Paper That Claimed Smokers Are Less Likely To Get Covid Retracted 

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A scientific paper that claimed current smokers are 23% less likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19 when compared to non-smokers has been retracted by a medical journal after it was revealed that the studies authors had financial links to the tobacco industry.

The World Health Organization has warned the exact opposite, in fact, claiming that because smoking impairs lung function there is actually an increased risk of severe symptoms if one gets a respiratory infection, like the Covid-19 virus. 

The paper was initially published in July last year by the European Respiratory Journal, and it claimed to have “found that current smoking was not associated with adverse outcome in patients admitted to the hospital with Covid. Smokers are at a significantly lower risk of acquiring the virus.” 

The latest edition of the European Respiratory Journal published a retraction notice for the paper, stating: “It was brought to the editors’ attention that two of the authors had failed to disclose potential conflicts of interest at the time of the manuscript’s submission.” 

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“That is, one of the authors (José M. Mier) at the time had a current and ongoing role in providing consultancy to the tobacco industry on tobacco harm reduction; and another (Konstantinos Poulas) at the time was a principal investigator for the Greek company NOSMOKE … a science and innovation hub that has received funding from the Foundation for a Smoke Free World (an organisation funded by the tobacco industry).”

NOSMOKE is based in Greece and develops vaping products as well as promotes e-cigarette research from the tobacco industry. In the paper itself, Mier, Poulas and their co-authors claimed they had no conflict of interest when it came to their role in the study. 

The retraction notice also claimed that the authors of the original study did not agree with the decision. “While failure to disclose a potential conflict of interest was not normally sufficient grounds for retraction, the editors felt the decision was justified based on the nature of the undisclosed relationship, and in the context of the sensitive subject matter presented”.

“The editors also acknowledge that at no point was there a question of any scientific misconduct on the part of any of the authors, aside from the failure of two contributing authors to disclose their conflicts of interest relating to the tobacco industry.”

Konstantinos Farsalinos is the senior author of the original paper who released a statement in which he claimed that the conflicts of interest were “irrelevant to the study’s main aims and objectives.” 

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“Additionally, I proposed to publicly release the full dataset and the statistical script so that all findings could be independently verified. The editors declined. I requested my proposal to be mentioned in the retraction letter, but that was also rejected by the editors. I disagree with the retraction and I consider it unfair and unsubstantiated.”

Dr. Sarah White, who is also the director of the Quit Victoria program, disagreed, claiming that the retraction was the right decision. 

“We really rely on research in being able to take a dispassionate look at the data but also the interpretation of that data. The reader needs to know that the authors have some potential or actual conflict of interest, or they’ve actually been involved with the industry. There was no strong evidence to support the claim that smokers are less likely to get Covid. 

The review of the original study found that “In the context of smoking and Covid-19, poor data collection can lead to several erroneous conclusions. If patients with missing smoking data are not eliminated from the total pool, smokers may be wrongly underrepresented. Furthermore, it is difficult to get accurate history from patients who are either intubated or in respiratory failure.

“If data from these patients are missing, and these patients are not removed from the denominator, it can give a false impression that smokers are less likely to develop severe disease. Second, it must be noted that most published studies have not reported the duration (years) or frequency (number of cigarettes) of smoking, hence these cannot be accounted for.”

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Labor Day Weekend Will Set The Standard For Coronavirus Cases In The Fall 

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As fall approaches in the US, healthcare experts are gearing up for a new surge of coronavirus cases as dropping temperatures and the upcoming flu season will create a whole new level of risk for possible infection. Beyond that, Labor Day weekend will present its own set of challenges, as we saw with Memorial Day Weekend, many Americans blatantly disregarded health and safety procedures to celebrate the holiday weekend.

As of right now the United States is experiencing 40,000 new Covid-19 cases every day; which is twice the number of daily cases from the spring during Memorial Day weekend. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s coronavirus advisor, recently spoke with the media about the upcoming weekend and expressed his concerns. 

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“We don’t want to see a repeat of the surges that we have seen following other holiday weekends. We don’t want to see a surge under any circumstances, but particularly as we enter into the fall.” 

According to data collected from Johns Hopkins University, average daily new cases are up by at least 5% in over 20 states. This rate combined with the holiday weekend has experts referring to Labor Day as an “accelerator weekend” in terms of new Covid-19 cases that are likely to appear as a direct result of individual celebrations. 

Fauci believes that many states aren’t prepared at all for how much worse this pandemic can get in the fall. As we approach Halloween and Thanksgiving, Fauci claims that seasonal influenza will have officially taken over in our nation’s schools and other establishments that are reopening, which will create an even more dangerous environment for Covid-19 to easily spread; the virus thrives on weakened immune systems. “People can let their guard down, that will make behavior and all the other stuff so much harder to manage as we go into November and December.”

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Dr. Syra Madad is a senior director of the system-wide special pathogens program at New York City Health and Hospitals, and recently claimed that the country is nowhere close to where it needs to be heading into the holiday weekend. She also expressed her concern over the intense hurricane season that the US is enduring, as these massive natural disasters are causing thousands of individuals to evacuate their homes, enter into public spaces, and try to find shelter while maintaining proper health and safety protocols. 

All healthcare experts have the same general opinion about celebrating the holiday weekend; don’t. However, if you are going to celebrate, they recommend you do it in a small group in an outdoor setting where proper social distancing can take place. Keep the gatherings relatively short as well, as after a few hours individuals will likely get more comfortable and closer to one another. 

“Keep it small. Keep it outside. And you don’t have to spend six hours together. Do it a few hours, have a couple of burgers, sit apart, and it’s probably reasonably safe. But have a plan for if it starts raining.”

Epidemiologists across the country are gearing up to closely watch the Covid-19 case data within the coming weeks. When it comes to a potential vaccine, Fauci says that right now the focus is on improving treatment options, and organizing strategies to ensure the US is receiving proper testing, tracing and isolation procedures.

Alcohol

Light Alcohol Consumption Linked with Higher Cancer Risk

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It’s previously been reported that no amount of alcohol consumption is good for your health, though the negative effects of light consumption are less severe than the effects of heavy consumption. However, a new study conducted in Japan has concluded that light to moderate alcohol consumption is also linked with elevated cancer risk. The study, which was published in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, found that one’s overall risk of cancer was lowest when they did not consume any alcohol at all.

The recent student contradicts previous research on the subject, which has linked limited alcohol consumption with lower risks of some types of cancer. The new study, however, is much broader in scope than previous research that has been conducted on the topic, as it examines information from 33 Japanese general hospitals, totalling 126,464 patients, half of which belong to a control group and half of which were patients with cancer. The collected data spanned over a decade, from 2005-2016, and was controlled for sex, age, hospital admission date, and admitting hospital.

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The research is based in large part on patients’ self-reported amounts of daily alcohol consumption, using the measurement of standardized alcohol units. For example, one standardized alcohol unit is equivalent to one cup of Japanese sake, one 17-ounce bottle of beer, one 6-ounce glass of wine, or one 2-ounce cup of whiskey.

The correlation between alcohol consumption and cancer risk was almost linear, meaning that one’s risk of developing cancer increases at the same rate that one consumes alcohol. The cancer risk was lowest at no alcohol consumption, and one drink per day for ten years increased patients’ cancer risk by five percent. This finding held true regardless of a person’s sex, drinking and smoking behaviors, and social class. The most common areas in which cancer develops relating to alcohol consumption include the colorectum, stomach, breast, prostate, and esophagus.

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In Japan, as well as in many places around the world, the primary cause of death is cancer. While this study is limited to patients in Japanese hospitals, it is likely that the findings apply to other populations as well. Hopefully, this study will help to dispel ongoing myths that a small amount of alcohol consumption has a neutral or even positive effect on one’s health, as cancer is a debilitating and terrible disease. Cancer is not the only health risk associated with alcohol consumption; excessive use of alcohol has also been linked to high blood pressure, mental health issues that affect both one’s mood and cognition, and addiction. 

While binge drinking or other forms of excessive alcohol consumption pose much more substantial health risks than more responsible forms of drinking, many still believe that having a glass of wine with dinner several times a week, for instance, is good for one’s health. As the science surrounding the health effects of alcohol consumption continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly clear that this widespread belief is not based in fact.