Credit: Original article published here.A new study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found an association between common infections and poor cognitive performance. The research was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Senior author and professor at the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health, Adam Spira, PhD, stated: “The idea that common infections could contribute to cognitive decline and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease risk was once on the fringe and remains controversial, but due to findings like the ones from this study, it’s starting to get more mainstream attention.” Dr. Spira and his research team analyzed the antibody levels of five common pathogens which included: herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus, varicella zoster virus, and Toxoplasma gondii. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and delayed verbal recall performance were evaluated in 575 adults aged 41 to 97 years who donated blood for testing as part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Researchers employed multivariable-adjusted zero-inflated Poisson regression models to analyze the data. The results showed that having positive antibody tests for CMV (P =0.011) and herpes simplex virus (P =0.018) were individually linked to poorer performance on the MMSE. Additionally, the study found that having a greater
Credit: Original article published here.The following question refers to Section 4.4 of the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelines. The question is asked by Dr. Maryam Barkhordarian, answered first by medicine resident Dr. Ahmed Ghoneem, and then by expert faculty Dr. Noreen Nazir. Dr. Nazir is Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she is the director of cardiac MRI and the preventive cardiology program. The CardioNerds Decipher The Guidelines Series for the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelinesrepresents a collaboration with theACC Prevention of CVD Section, theNational Lipid Association, andPreventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. Question #21 Ms. J is a 57-year-old woman with a past medical history of myocardial infarction resulting in ischemic cardiomyopathy, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and major depressive disorder who presents today for follow-up. She reports feeling extremely overwhelmed lately due to multiple life stressors. She is on appropriate cardiovascular GDMT agents and is not prescribed any medications for her mood disorder. True or false: in addition to psychotherapy for stress management, it is appropriate to consider Ms. J for anti-depressant SSRI pharmacotherapy at this time to improve cardiovascular outcomes. A True B False Answer #21 Explanation The correct answer is
Credit: Original article published here.DocWire News: For the laymen, what exactly is bariatric surgery, what patients are eligible for it, and what are some pros and cons typically associated with it? Dr. Payal Kohli: Bariatric surgery is really surgery targeted to help an individual lose weight. The individuals that are eligible for it, usually those that have significant morbid obesity, so generally a body mass index, or BMI, greater than 40, and that’s calculated based on your height and your weight. Or, if you’re between 35 and 40 and have other obesity-related health conditions such as severe sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, other types of things that may be contributing to your overall health as a result of your obesity. Bariatric surgery is something that’s been around for quite some time, but it’s been underutilized tremendously because there’s often the stigma against having surgery for obesity almost as if it’s kind of a failure of your willpower, or what have you. But what individuals across society, and particularly those that are struggling with managing their weight and with obesity need to understand is that it’s actually part of a comprehensive treatment program for obesity. So
