Deaths by suicide increased 4% in 2021 compared to 2020, ending a two-year decline, according to provisional data released by the National Center for Health Statistics on Sept. 30. A total of 47,646 deaths were recorded as suicides during 2021, at a rate of about 14 deaths per 100,000 people. The largest increases were among men—especially young men. The age-adjusted suicide rate rose by about 3% among males in 2021 and by 2% among females (although the increase among females was not statistically significant) compared to 2020. The greatest increase among males—8%—occurred among ages 15 to 24. In 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death for people in that age group, and the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 14 and 25 to 34. Past research has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult for young people, who have been found to be more likely than older adults to report symptoms of depression and anxiety during the crisis. Read More: There’s a New Number to Call for Mental-Health Crises: 988 Suicide deaths in the U.S. decreased during the 1980s and 90s, but they have been generally increasing (except for slight declines during some years) for the last two decades. In 2021, just 1% fewer people died by suicide than in 2018, which is the year with the highest suicide rate since 1942. Experts emphasize that the causes of suicide are complex, and there are many risk factors. Though the report does not speculate about what may have contributed to increased rates in 2021, other researchers have warned that fallout from the pandemic—such as job loss, increased stress, and social isolation—could create a “perfect storm” that may contribute to an increase in suicides. If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental-health crisis or contemplating suicide, call or text 988. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider. from https://ift.tt/eE5JvNu Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/
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(PORTLAND, Ore.) — Oregon is set to become the first state in the nation to cover climate change expenses for certain low-income patients under its Medicaid program as the normally temperate Pacific Northwest region sees longer heat waves and more intense wildfires. The new initiative, slated to take effect in 2024, will cover payment for devices such as air conditioners and air filters for Medicaid members with health conditions who live in an area where an emergency due to extreme weather has been declared by the federal government or the governor’s office, according to the Oregon Health Authority. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It aims to help people “dealing with the impact of extreme heat, wildfires and other catastrophes caused by climate change,” OHA director Patrick Allen said. The measure is part of what the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, described as “groundbreaking Medicaid initiatives” in Oregon and Massachusetts. Read more: Why Extreme Heat Plus Pollution Is a Deadly Combination The federal agency on Wednesday renewed Medicaid waivers for both states. Those waivers will cover non-medical services such as food and housing assistance for people with clinical needs in a bid to tackle the underlying social issues that can cause poor health. Oregon will receive $1.1 billion in new federal funding for the new Medicaid initiatives covering climate change, nutrition and housing, described as “health-related social needs” by health officials. The state will pilot the changes over the next five years. “Health care does not occur in a vacuum—it’s clear that we must look beyond a traditional, siloed approach to truly meet the needs of people, particularly those experiencing complex challenges,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said in a statement. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said his state will “continue to implement innovative reforms that provide quality care, better health outcomes and equity.” Read more: Climate Experts Are Testing New Ways To Reach the People Most Affected by Extreme Heat Oregon’s new Medicaid plan stands out for two first-in-the-nation policies: its climate change coverage, and a measure that will keep children continuously enrolled in Medicaid until age 6 without families having to re-enroll every year. Officials in the Pacific Northwest have been trying to adjust to the likely reality of more intense heat spells following the region’s fatal “heat dome” weather phenomenon that prompted record temperatures and deaths in the summer of 2021. About 800 people died in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia during the heat wave as temperatures soared to an all-time high of 116 Fahrenheit (46.7 Celsius) in Portland and smashed heat records in cities and towns across the region. Many of those who died were older and lived alone. In addition to covering payment for devices that maintain healthy temperatures and clean air inside the home, Oregon’s new Medicaid plan will also cover generators in the case of power outages. “It’s based on the medical indication that you’re particularly vulnerable to heat events, or you have medical devices that are tied to being powered, or sensitive to smoke,” Allen said. Oregon Medicaid members with health conditions will become eligible for such devices if they live in an area where an emergency due to extreme weather has been declared. Climate change can pose risks to health, including heat-related illness during heat waves. Extreme weather events such as storms and floods can also negatively impact health, both physical and mental, and disrupt food systems. The risks disproportionately affect low-income communities, older people and those with underlying health conditions. Medicaid is the federal-state health care insurance program that helps pay for health care for low-income people of any age. Each state determines eligibility and the full scope of services covered. The federal government reimburses a percentage of the state’s expenditures. “There’s lots of discussion in climate change about making sure that as we address the health risks of a changing climate, that we do so in a way that reduces inequities,” said Kristie Ebi, professor in the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the University of Washington. Oregon’s Medicaid initiative “is an opportunity to reduce some of those inequities for people who can’t afford, for example, a generator to make sure that life-saving equipment continues to run during heat waves,” Ebi said. Read more: Extreme Heat Makes It Hard for Kids to Be Active. But Exercise Is Crucial In a Warming World As for Medicaid coverage of food and housing assistance, Oregon and Massachusetts are expanding eligibility for such services. Food support can include tailored meal plans based on health needs and Medicaid-funded prescriptions for fruits and vegetables. Housing services can include rental application assistance, moving help and eviction prevention. Massachusetts will provide additional meal support for Medicaid members who are children or pregnant women with special clinical needs, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In Oregon, people experiencing life transitions, including those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, can be eligible for rental assistance for up to six months. ____ Claire Rush is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on Twitter @ClaireARush. from https://ift.tt/rK2F4NY Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ In August 2021, as the Delta variant surged and the threat of hurricanes loomed, President Biden urged people to get their COVID-19 vaccines in case they had to evacuate to a crowded shelter or stay with others indoors. This week, as Hurricane Ian barreled towards Florida as a Category 4 storm, Biden’s remarks resurfaced, mischaracterized as advice for how to literally protect oneself from a hurricane. But even though a vaccine (obviously) won’t prevent hurricane-related injuries, it’s still smart to take preventive health measures against COVID-19 in the face of a natural disaster like a hurricane. Preemptively protecting health allows people to focus on dealing with the more immediate impacts of the storm. If large numbers of people have to shelter together, vaccines will help slow the spread of infections. Vaccines and boosters also help keep people out of the hospital, freeing up capacity for health care services to take care of anyone hurt during a storm. Only time will make clear the health impacts in Florida post-Ian. But ahead of the storm, few people in the state had received the latest bivalent booster. And as of noon Thursday, more than 1,200 patients were being evacuated from hospitals across the Fort Myers region, reports the Weather Channel. Some research already exists about how recent hurricanes worsened people’s health during the pandemic. Power outages during a storm have been shown to be deadly for patients. When Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana and Mississippi last year, medical centers there were filled with people hospitalized due to COVID-19, many of whom were in intensive care units. Damage from the storm and power outages forced evacuations from health care facilities in both states—a “precarious” task, given that COVID-19 patients rely on mechanical ventilation or oxygen, wrote the authors of one 2022 study published in the Lancet Regional Health—Americas. The desire to limit further spread of the virus added yet another layer of difficulties. According to the same study, both Louisiana and Mississippi had among the lowest vaccination rates in the nation when Ida hit. Poor uptake of public-health measures, like low COVID-19 vaccination rates, can make it challenging to determine the best safety guidelines; gathering in shelters protects people from storms but increases the risk of contracting COVID-19, for example. In the past, many people were apprehensive about seeking shelter for fear of getting the virus, thereby putting them at greater risk from the storm. Before COVID-19 vaccines were available, a June 2020 survey of more than 7,000 Florida residents found that 73% of respondents believed that the risks of contracting COVID-19 at a shelter were greater than those posed by a hurricane. Just over half strongly agreed they’d prefer to shelter in place. Neither the 2020 or 2021 hurricane seasons, however, saw large COVID-19 spikes after storms hit, according to the Lancet report. This could be in part because there was less routine testing of affected areas following storms. Both major hurricanes—Laura in 2020 and Ida in 2021—also made landfall at a time when case numbers were declining. Mask mandates and social distancing were also in place at the time; they’re not now. Beyond the immediate impacts, living through a pandemic and a natural disaster at the same time can have long-term effects—and marginalized communities experience these disproportionately. A multi-year survey in Texas led by the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative, in collaboration with Rice University and the Environmental Defense Fund, found that people who suffered the worst economic and mental-health impacts after Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017 were four times more likely to experience income loss during the pandemic, and five times more likely to suffer severe anxiety because of the pandemic, than people who weren’t as badly hit by the storm. People affected by pandemic-era hurricanes—including Ian—are already starting from an unlucky baseline. The Lancet study notes that people’s physical and mental health were already worsened by the pandemic when Ida hit and were “likely exacerbated by the devastating shock of Hurricane Ida.” Higher rates of mental health disorders, plus the potential for COVID-19 illness and life-altering hurricane destruction, make it obvious why shoring up preventive health measures during hurricane season is a good idea. from https://ift.tt/q37owPJ Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ We now have the first real-world data showing how well the monkeypox vaccine is working in the current U.S. outbreak. On Sept. 28, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted preliminary data from 32 jurisdictions in the U.S. that reported monkeypox case rates and rates of vaccination with Jynneos, the vaccine currently being used against monkeypox. By comparing the two, researchers were able to preliminarily quantify how effective the vaccine is, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a briefing. People who had received the first dose of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine were 14 times less likely to get infected with monkeypox at least two weeks later than those who were unvaccinated. Jynneos was approved in the U.S. to control smallpox and monkeypox in 2019. The monkeypox approval was based on data from animals studies, since cases of the disease were not widespread in the U.S. at the time. The animal data provided a proxy for how well the shot would work in people, which now seems to be supported by real-world data. Walensky said the results “provide a level of cautious optimism that the vaccine is working as intended.” She stressed that the findings involved people who were two weeks out from their first dose of the two-dose vaccine, and urged people to receive the second dose as recommended—28 days after the first—in order to benefit from the strongest, most durable protection against infection. Still, the results suggesting protection against infection after the first shot are encouraging. The findings prompted the CDC to expand the group of people who are eligible for Jynneos to include those who might be at high risk of exposure to the virus; they can now use the vaccine as a way to protect themselves proactively. These include partners of people who might be at high risk of exposure, as well as commercial sex workers. Known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, this practice represents a shift in the U.S. government’s strategy in controlling the outbreak. Expanding eligibility will be “critical to making sure we keep getting vaccines into arms for both the first and second doses,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, White House monkeypox response deputy coordinator, during the briefing. “It means more people at present or future risk of monkeypox now qualify for the vaccine.” While cases of monkeypox continue to decline—the U.S. currently has about 200 a week, compared to a peak of about 1,000 weekly cases in August—that’s largely due to increased education about the disease and risk factors, as well as the countrywide vaccination program, officials said. “This is the first view of how well the vaccine is working after just one dose,” Walensky said. “It’s terrific news, but what we know from lab data is that the second dose is really important and may provide the durable protection we need to control the outbreak.” from https://ift.tt/1dvczbG Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ Lifting weights can build strength, add muscle, and put you in a good mood. Now, a new study finds that the practice may have an even bigger benefit: a longer life. An observational study of nearly 100,000 people over about ten years, published Sept. 27 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that people who reported lifting weights once or twice a week—without doing any other exercise—had a 9% lower risk of dying from any cause except for cancer. People who paired 1-2 days of weekly weight lifting with aerobic exercise fared even better; their risk of dying was 41% lower than those who did not exercise. Jessica Gorzelitz, an assistant professor of health promotion at the University of Iowa and co-author of the study, says that the findings fit with the federal activity guidelines, which recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, plus muscle-strengthening exercises two or more days a week. “If you want the biggest bang for your buck, the lowest risks were observed in those groups that were doing both aerobic exercise and weightlifting,” says Gorzelitz. Read More: Can Exercise Prevent Depression? Here’s What the Science Says While other studies have found that muscle-strengthening exercises improve health, Gorzelitz—who’s a power-lifter—says she couldn’t find any research on weight lifting and mortality, which is why she decided to study that question. The results are especially important for women, she says, because they seemed to get an even bigger benefit from weight lifting than men in the study. When Gorzelitz worked as a personal trainer, women often told her they feared that strength exercises would make them “too bulky”—a common misconception about weight lifting, Gorzelitz says. “Beyond our study, we see that it’s linked with better muscle mass, healthier muscle…and stronger bones,“ she says. “It’s really important to not just live long, but to live well.” The study has several limitations. Researchers weren’t able to analyze the intensity and other details about the weight lifting workouts. People in the study also tended to be older than the general population, with an average age of 71, which means that the results might not generalize to younger adults. It also raises further questions to explore. Even though the study did not find a link between weight lifting and a reduction in deaths caused by cancer, it could require longer term follow-up studies, says Alpa Patel, a senior vice president at the American Cancer Society. For instance, “we know from various other studies that strength training is beneficial for survival after a cancer diagnosis,” she says. Another intriguing finding was that people who did aerobic exercise and lifted weights three to seven times a week—which exceeds the federal guidelines—had an even lower risk of death, although Gorzelitz noted that this is a single study’s finding, and the guidelines come from the totality of evidence. So far, it’s unclear whether the benefits have an upper limit. Other research provides plausible reasons why weight lifting could lower the risk of death. The exercise improves body composition, trims fat, and builds muscle, which research has linked to a lower risk of death from any cause, especially cardiovascular deaths. Despite the clear benefits, however, less than a quarter of Americans meet the U.S. physical activity guidelines. “People don’t have to run out and start training for bodybuilding,” Gorzelitz says. “Doing something is better than nothing.” Start slow and look for help online or from a personal trainer, she says. “It’s okay to start with small steps for improving your health.” from https://ift.tt/XOwRztW Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ The COVID-19 pandemic worsened mental health across the board in the U.S., but people of color—who disproportionately suffered the worst effects of COVID-19 and have historically lacked adequate access to mental health care—were hit especially hard. One 2022 study found that Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults in the U.S. “exhibited much worse mental health during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic,” while white adults experienced a less stark decline. Yet white Americans are still far more likely to receive professional mental-health care. Many obstacles keep people of color from receiving this sort of help, including financial and insurance limitations, a persistent stigma of seeking help for these issues in many communities of color, and barriers to finding a therapist with a similar cultural background. Here are some organizations working to bridge that gap. National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color NetworkThe National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network is a national organization that provides a directory of hundreds of queer and trans therapists of color. The organization, which was founded by therapist Erica Woodland in 2016, hopes to make it easier for queer and trans people of color to find mental-health practitioners. The organization also runs the Mental Health Fund for Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous and People of Color, launched in 2017, which has raised nearly $50,000 that has been distributed to “primarily Black, trans, and non binary folks” for their therapy needs, Woodland says. Applicants for the fund can request up to $100 per session for up to six sessions with a therapist. Asian Mental Health ProjectCarrie Zhang created the Asian Mental Health Project in 2017 after she noticed a lack of resources dedicated to Asian mental health. The organization educates and empowers pan-Asian communities to seek mental-health services by hosting mostly virtual wellness events, weekly check-ins that function as support groups, and workshops with speakers. The group also started fundraising for a mental-health fund through which the organization hopes to provide 25 people facing financial hardship with a $500 stipend to dedicate to mental health or wellness services. Read More: How 988 Will Transform America’s Approach to Mental Health “We anticipate people either using that money to seek a therapist or to take care of their therapy co-pays, but we also recognize that when it comes to mental health and wellness, it’s more than just therapy,” says Jennifer Tarm, director of partnerships at the organization. Acupuncture and other holistic modes of healing can also qualify. HealHaus Therapy FundThe HealHaus Therapy Fund, started by Brooklyn-based wellness center HealHaus, was created in 2021 to bring individual talk therapy to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); so far, 50 people have benefited from the fund. The fund’s ultimate goal is to offer eight weeks of free therapy to 100 people. “Therapy can be expensive and is considered a luxury for most,” says Darian Hall, co-founder of HealHaus. “Many insurance companies don’t cover therapy services, so this was a way for us to introduce therapy to those that may have never done it.” Loveland Foundation’s Therapy FundThe Loveland Foundation’s Therapy Fund was created in 2018 with a focus on Black girls, women, and nonbinary people who are seeking therapy. The fund covers up to 12 sessions for its recipients, and since it began it has already provided 72,000 hours of therapy. The Loveland Foundation also runs free support groups, which provide tools for navigating the challenges associated with mental illness in communities of color. “We’re working to provide equitable access to therapy and destigmatize the topic of mental health within our community,” says Hannah Tall, director of programs at the Loveland Foundation. Therapy for Black GirlsPsychologist Joy Harden Bradford started Therapy for Black Girls as a mental-health blog in 2014, and by 2017, it had evolved to include a popular podcast and a therapist directory of predominantly Black female therapists. Today, more than 5,000 therapists are on the list. “There’s still a ton of stigma related to mental health in the Black community,” says Harden Bradford. “When people are considering therapy, one of the things that often makes them more comfortable is getting an appointment with a therapist who looks like them.” Therapy for LatinxTherapy for Latinx, which launched in 2018, provides a directory of about 500 therapists who specialize in issues relevant to the Latinx community. Founder Brandie Carlos came up with the idea after having trouble finding a therapist to help her cope with a friend’s suicide. While she found other directories for people of color, she didn’t come across anything specifically for the Latinx community—so she created one herself. “If I was having a hard time finding a therapist,” Carlos says, “I knew other people in my community were as well.” If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental-health crisis or contemplating suicide, call or text 988. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental-health provider. from https://ift.tt/AExrNhV Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ Starting next week, Starbucks workers will no longer have access to expanded paid sick leave that the company rolled out for COVID-19 illness, isolation, and vaccination. Going forward, employees will have to use whatever accrued sick time and vacation time they have to cover missed days should they fall sick with the virus—unless the state or city in which they work requires COVID-19 pay. The coffee chain may be the latest large U.S. company to scrap its more generous sick-leave policies, but it’s hardly the first. When the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its quarantine and isolation guidance from 10 to five days late last year, for example, several major employers including Walmart and Amazon pulled back the amount of paid time off employees could take for COVID-19-related absences. At the same time, however, state and local governments across the U.S. are enacting laws to ensure that companies operating in their jurisdictions provide workers with access to a minimum amount of paid sick leave. The question now is whether sick leave will become more widespread in a post-pandemic era, or largely revert back to pre-pandemic norms. Americans’ spotty access to paid sick leaveWhen the pandemic hit the world in early 2020, the U.S. was the only one among 22 highly economically developed countries without guaranteed paid sick time, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research. More than two years later, it still is. On Sept. 22, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual paid leave benefits report that showed that 77% of private industry workers received paid sick leave in March 2022. That number has barely budged since the start of the pandemic, when 75% had paid sick leave. Coverage is also uneven across the U.S. worker population. Large companies are more likely to provide some form of sick leave than smaller firms, as the below chart shows. Even more polarizing is worker salary: 94% of the highest earners have sick leave, compared with just 55% of the lowest earners. Such a disparity is especially sobering considering that lower-income essential workers, such as daycare providers and food-service employees, have little choice but to report to work in person, while higher-income desk workers can often perform their jobs at home. One August analysis from researchers at the Urban Institute, a left-leaning think tank, and Boston University found that worker absences increased 50% in the first two years of the pandemic compared with the prior two years, with the biggest jumps among non-white and lower income workers. The data underscore the fact that disadvantaged populations are more likely to experience work absences due to personal or family illness, in part because their jobs have less flexibility. At the same time, workers in these demographics are overall less likely to have paid sick leave benefits when they can’t report to work. The Urban Institute report found that while the unpaid absence rate increased by about 60% overall, it rose 74% for Black workers, and 83% for workers in households earning $25,000 to $50,000. These findings are significant because the pandemic did spur governments and employers to offer more generous leave—but those efforts don’t cover all Americans, and the most vulnerable were left behind. In March 2020, the federal government offered paid leave for the first time under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, giving two weeks to workers who were sick or were caring for a sick family member. The provision was narrow, as it excluded firms with 500 or more employees and allowed small employers to receive an exemption. What’s more, it was temporary, expiring about nine months after it was enacted. Some states and smaller jurisdictions established or expanded paid leave laws during the pandemic, providing Americans with scattershot protections depending on where they work. Currently, 16 states have paid-leave laws, up from 10 prior to 2020, according to a September summary of laws compiled by Stateline, a nonpartisan news service funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts that tracks state policies, and A Better Balance, an organization that advocates for enhanced work-family policies. But at the same time, at least 17 states, most of which have no paid leave policies of their own, explicitly prohibit cities and counties from passing paid leave laws at the local level. “Our approach in the U.S. has set us up for an economic failure and a public-health disaster,” says Chantel Boyens, a policy associate at the Urban Institute who co-authored the paper. “We had a lot of federal, state, and local actions—even private employer actions—in response to the pandemic to provide people with paid leave, but at the topline level, our data show that many workers were still not covered in a way that allowed them to take paid time off when they were sick. It’s a missed opportunity.” Did the pandemic catalyze lasting change?Still, Boyens is optimistic that sick-leave protections are moving in the right direction, and that the more state and local governments get on board, the more likely the federal government will take action. But it could still take a long time. President Biden’s Build Back Better proposal, which failed to gain enough support in the Senate to pass, had a number of social safety net provisions, including an original request for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, which was negotiated down to four weeks before the bill died. Some experts who track benefits trends at the company level say that the available government data do not fully capture the nuances of paid-leave trends, and that many employers are improving leave benefits even as they roll back ones specific to COVID-19. Rich Fuerstenberg, a senior partner at Mercer Health & Benefits who studies and evaluates benefits among large employers, says that companies are providing more paid absence options for employees by allowing them to use sick time for family members or use vacation time and sick time interchangeably through a paid time off (PTO) plan. Read More: Back-to-Office Pressure Is Creating a Crisis for Long COVID Patients For example, according to a 2018 Mercer survey of employers, 18% of respondents said that sick leave must only be used for employees’ own illness. In 2021, that number was 12%, suggesting that companies are allowing wiggle room for workers who have to care for sick family members. That is stemming from HR departments and also externally from pandemic-era laws that mandate such allowances, Fuerstenberg says. Similarly, in the 2018 survey, 61% of employers offered a PTO plan, rather than separately designated sick time and vacation time. In 2021, that number bumped up to 68%, but the range varies by industry, as the below chart shows. “It’s still in that trend of flexibility,” Fuerstenberg says. “You can work things out between you and your manager—even among the hourly, non-exempt population—instead of having Big Brother looking over.” Whether paid sick leave gains momentum in a meaningful way will also depend on the demands of the labor force. The pandemic drove employees to reevaluate their family time, physical health, and mental wellbeing. Even if their local laws don’t require paid sick leave, many workers will seek out the best work options for their lifestyle, and perhaps favor employers that offer generous benefits. Alex Alonso, chief knowledge officer at the Society for Human Resource Management, believes that worker expectations—perhaps even more than labor laws—will determine the direction of paid leave going forward. Even before the pandemic, he says, paid leave laws expanded within a given industry when employers had to compete with one another for talent. The pandemic has only increased that pressure. “Employees have been mindful that their employer is the steward of wellness programs in [their] life,” Alonso says. “Leave and paid leave is part of wellness. And today, talent has the upper hand.” from https://ift.tt/AD5p8sZ Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ Shares of Biogen and other drugmakers researching Alzheimer’s disease soared early Wednesday after Japan’s Eisai Co. said its potential treatment appeared to slow the fatal disease’s progress in a late-stage study. Eisai announced results late Tuesday from a global study of nearly 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s. The drugmaker said early results showed that its treatment, lecanemab, reduced patient clinical decline by 27% when compared to a placebo or fake drug after 18 months of the infused treatment. Patients were monitored using a scale that measures how they do in areas like memory, judgement, problem solving and personal care. Eisai Co. Ltd. said it would discuss full results from the research at a conference in late November. It also plans to publish its findings in a peer-reviewed medical journal. The company is already seeking an accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is expected to decide by early next year. Eisai and Biogen will co-promote the drug. The initial results appear to be “quite robust” and will likely support regulatory approval, Mizuho Securities analyst Graig Suvannavejh said in a research note. A statement from the Alzheimer’s Association called the findings the most encouraging to date for potential treatments of the underlying disease causes. Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurological disease with no known cure. Long-standing treatments on the market just manage symptoms, and researchers don’t fully understand what causes the disease. Last year, Biogen’s Aduhelm became the first new Alzheimer’s drug introduced in nearly two decades. But it has largely flopped after debuting with a price tag of $56,000 annually, which Biogen later slashed. Doctors have been hesitant to prescribe it, given weak evidence that the drug slows the progression of Alzheimer’s. Insurers have blocked or restricted coverage over the drug’s high price tag and uncertain benefit. Like Aduhelm, lecanemab, which Eisai developed and ran through clinical trials, seeks to remove a protein called beta-amyloid from the brain. But Eisai executives say lecanemab focuses more on floating clumps of the protein before it forms a plaque, which is what Aduhelm targets. Eli Lilly and Co. also is developing a potential treatment, donanemab, that helps clear the protein. Shares of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen Inc. jumped more than 50% in premarket trading Wednesday morning to top $300. The stock had largely tumbled since Aduhelm’s debut last year. Shares of Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. were up 8%. from https://ift.tt/UB6woAI Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is counting on a variety of private-sector partnerships to help fund and implement its ambitious goal of ending hunger in America by 2030. President Joe Biden is hosting a conference Wednesday on hunger, nutrition and health, the first by the White House since 1969. That conference, under President Richard Nixon, was a pivotal moment that influenced U.S. food policy agenda for 50 years. The conference hosted by Nixon, a Republican, led to a major expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, and gave rise to the Women, Infants and Children program, which serves half the babies born in the U.S. by providing their mothers with parenting advice, breastfeeding support and food assistance. This year’s conference hosted by Biden, a Democrat, focuses on his goal of essentially ending food insecurity for all Americans by decade’s end. It also seeks to promote healthy eating, good nutrition and physical activity so that fewer people are afflicted with diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other diet-related diseases. Before the conference, Biden’s administration released a list of more than $8 billion in commitments to the cause from private companies, charitable foundations and industry groups. They range from outright donations to in-kind contributions of services and include: —A $20 million commitment from the Novo Nordisk pharmaceutical company to improve access to healthy foods and safe spaces for physical activity in marginalized communities. —A $3.85 million commitment from the Publix grocery store chain to supply food to local food banks and establish free mobile food pantries. —$22 million from the Danone food company to fund a program to help “at least 300 million Americans to build healthier dietary habits.” —A commitment from the Meijer grocery store chain to offer up to a 10% discount to incentivize users of the SNAP program to buy fruits and vegetables. Some of the conference’s goals sound reminiscent of former first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative to tackle childhood obesity and promote healthy eating, highlighting the need for access to better, healthier food and exercise. While Biden is touting the successful buy-in campaign from the private sector, some of the strongest potential obstacles to his proposals lie in the increasingly partisan Congress. Proposed policy changes include an expansion of SNAP eligibility, expanding access to free meals in schools and extending summer meal benefits to more schoolchildren. All of those changes would require congressional approval. from https://ift.tt/MfJBmkG Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ Syphilis Is Rising in the U.S. Heres What to Know About the Sexually Transmitted Infection9/27/2022 Sexually transmitted infections are rising in the U.S.—particularly syphilis, which increased by 26% from 2020 to 2021, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in September. Especially troubling is a 24% rise during that time period of congenital syphilis, which infects fetuses in the womb and can cause birth defects in or even kill infants. Fortunately, syphilis can be easily treated and cured. However, people who are infected don’t necessarily know it—and without detection and treatment, the disease can have devastating consequences. Here’s what you need to know about the rising rates of syphilis and how to protect yourself. Why syphilis is on the riseSyphilis dropped to a historic low in 2000 but has increased almost every year in the U.S. since then. Experts say that’s for several reasons, including a lack of investment in public health in the U.S. and stigma surrounding sex, says Dr. Edward Hook, a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and director of the STD Control Program for the Jefferson County Department of Health. Public-health clinics, where people often get STI tests, are chronically underfunded in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic made the situation worse, since under-staffed public-health clinics redirected resources to cope with the outbreak. Given that syphilis has had tests and treatments for decades, says Hook, the fact that it keeps resurging “is a marker that we’re doing something wrong.” Meanwhile, says Hook, American health care providers aren’t necessarily trained to competently deal with sex or sexuality, so they often miss crucial screening opportunities. “Most doctors do not take sexual histories [of their patients], and an even smaller proportion take interval sexual histories once people have become regular patients,” says Hook. “They make wrong assumptions that married persons don’t have other sexual partners—that their patients aren’t ‘that kind of patient’ who might have other sexual partners.” Other factors include the rise of online dating, which some experts say enables people to expand their sexual network and has been connected to riskier sexual behavior, and the growth of illicit drugs in the U.S., especially methamphetamine. The use of these drugs tends to be connected to risky sexual behavior. Another factor is that many people are generally tired of using condoms, says Dr. Ina Park, an associate professor of family community medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and author of Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs. For example, “most people don’t use condoms for oral sex—and syphilis is one of those STIs that can be easily transmitted through oral sex,” says Park. Who should get tested for syphilis—and how often?On Sept. 27, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of medical experts, reaffirmed its guidance for health care providers to screen all patients who are at increased risk for infection. The task force didn’t make recommendations about how often people should be tested, noting that ideal screening intervals for people at increased risk are “not well established.” It did say that two of the highest risk groups–men who have sex with men, as well as people with HIV— “may benefit” from being screened once a year or even more frequently. CDC data show that men who have sex with men are 106 times more likely to be infected with syphilis than men who have sex with women. The CDC recommends that men who have sex with men should get tested for syphilis as often as every three to six months if they have multiple or anonymous partners. Other groups at elevated risk for syphilis include Black Americans, who are nearly five times more likely to be infected than white Americans. Socioeconomic factors—including having less access to good health care—can also make people more vulnerable. Syphilis can be detected with a simple test at a clinic (which is typically free or inexpensive), and is curable with antibiotics. People can reduce their risk of contracting syphilis with safe-sex practices including using condoms, getting tested, and being in a monogamous relationship with someone who has also tested negative, according to the CDC. Sexually active people should get screened for syphilis, along with other STIs, about once a year, says Park. People should also be tested for syphilis early in pregnancy. Pregnant people at higher risk for syphilis—including those who are having sex with more than one person, have tested positive for another sexually transmitted infection during pregnancy, or who use drugs—should be re-tested in the third trimester and at birth. What are the symptoms of syphilis?Syphilis has a reputation for being easy to miss and for being mistaken for other conditions. In the infection’s early stages, people may have sores on their genitals or mouths, but these bumps may be internal and therefore not easily visible. They’re not always painful and clear up on their own, so many people ignore or don’t notice them. A few weeks or months later, however, people with syphilis typically develop multiple sores or rashes on their genitals, mouth, or soles of the feet. This can resemble symptoms of other conditions, like psoriasis, herpes, or eczema. During these two stages, syphilis is highly contagious and can be spread through kissing and vaginal, anal, and oral sex. The rashes and bumps typically clear up, but the infection remains in a person’s body. Without treatment, syphilis can cause harm years or even decades later, damaging the nervous system, the brain, and the heart, Park says. However, serious symptoms can occur at any stage if the infection spreads to the brain, eyes, or ears, including damage to vision or hearing or even dementia. In some cases, however, people may not realize they have syphilis until the disease has already caused harm, says Park. Even when it doesn’t cause symptoms for years or even decades, “it’s still multiplying and causing damage,” she says. Getting tested and treated for syphilis is particularly important for pregnant people. Congenital syphilis raises the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, low birth weight, or the baby dying soon after birth. Babies who survive can also develop symptoms like deformed bones, meningitis, and problems with their brain. Babies don’t always have symptoms at birth, but can develop them a few weeks or even years later—so staying up to date on testing is crucial. from https://ift.tt/c4QrGep Check out https://takiaisfobia.blogspot.com/ |
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