Racial Disparity in Kidney Transplant Outcomes Narrows: Study

THURSDAY, Feb. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Racial disparities in kidney transplant outcomes are shrinking, new research indicates.

Previous studies had shown that black patients who received kidney transplants had worse outcomes compared with white patients. But a new analysis of roughly 200,000 kidney transplants revealed that the success of surgeries involving black people improved between 1990 and 2012, with fewer organ rejections and deaths among these patients.

The study authors compared information on almost 64,000 black and more than 145,400 white adults who received a kidney from a living or deceased donor.

The findings were published online Feb. 4 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

“We hypothesized that advances in immunosuppression and post-transplant management might differentially benefit black kidney transplant recipients, who were disproportionately burdened by immunological barriers, and contribute to reduced racial disparities in kidney transplant outcomes,” study author Tanjala Purnell said in a journal news release.

Over the course of the study, five-year failure rates of the kidneys transplanted from deceased donors fell from just over 51 percent to slightly less than 31 percent for blacks. Failure rates also dropped among white patients from slightly more than 37 percent to 25 percent, the findings showed.

Meanwhile, five-year failure of kidneys transplanted from living donors fell from over 37 percent to 22 percent among blacks, and from almost 21 percent to about 14 percent among whites, the investigators found.

Around two decades ago, blacks who underwent a deceased-donor kidney transplant were 39 percent more likely than whites to experience five-year failure. The researchers found, however, this gap had narrowed to 10 percent by 2012.

In addition, blacks who received a living-donor kidney transplant in 1990 were 53 percent more likely than whites to experience five-year failure. By 2012, this disparity had fallen to 37 percent.

“Our research demonstrates a dramatic improvement in kidney transplant outcomes for black patients and a significant reduction in the disparity in kidney transplant outcomes between black and white patients,” said Purnell, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about kidney transplants.

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3 Ways to Sculpt Your Body With Your Foam Roller

You know you can use your foam roller to loosen up tight muscles after a workout. But did you know you can also use it to sculpt your entire body? Yep, that’s the premise of Taller, Slimmer, Younger: 21 Days To A Foam Roller Physique ($14, amazon.com) by fitness and alignment expert Lauren Roxburgh, who has worked with star clients like Gwyneth Paltrow and Gabrielle Reece. Here, a sneak peek at three moves from Roxburgh’s all-over toning routine.

Roller Twist on Hip

Targets: Triceps, thighs, core, and lats

Lie on your left hip with your spine running parallel to the side of your mat and your legs hinged at a 45-degree angle toward the left front corner of the mat. Place the roller slightly below your left elbow joint.

Inhale and gently press down into the roller to start rolling it to just above your wrist (this will tone your triceps and lats), while simultaneously lifting both legs up and rolling slightly to the right while balancing on your left tush and hip.

Exhale at the top and hold while continuing to balance with the roller above your wrist.

Inhale slowly to start reaching long as you come down, and exhale all the way down to the mat as the roller returns to its starting position right below your elbow joint.

Repeat this movement eight times, then repeat on the other side.

RELATED: 8 Best Foam Rollers to Ease Your Aches

Rolling Bridge Heel Pulls

Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, and calves

Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place the roller under the balls of your feet. Reach your arms long by your sides.

Inhale as you start to roll your spine up one vertebra at a time and exhale all the way up until you’re in a bridge position.

Inhale again as you pull the roller an inch toward you and then exhale as you push the roller back one inch. Repeat this movement as a pulsation eight times.

Exhale as you roll your spine down one vertebra at a time and extend your legs in front of you.

RELATED: 7 Running Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Grasshopper

Targets: Upper back, arms, core, hamstrings, and glutes

Place your lower thighs (right above your kneecaps) on the roller and your hands directly under your shoulders, fingers pointing forward. Inhale to bring your spine into extension, looking straight ahead.

Exhale and bend your elbows to lower down, hovering over the mat.

Inhale to return to your starting position. 


Repeat this movement eight to ten times.

Roller Pro Tip: As you inhale and lift in this pose, be sure to engage your hamstrings to keep pressure out of your lower back. Think of your body as a teeter-totter: You want to keep your weight equal as you go up and down.

From the book Taller, Slimmer, Younger: 21 Days to a Foam Roller Physique by Lauren Roxburgh. Copyright © 2016 by Lauren Roxburgh. Reprinted by arrangement with Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

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Florida Gov. Declares Zika Virus Health Emergency

Photo: Getty Images

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a health emergency Wednesday after nine cases of Zika virus were detected in the state.

Health officials believe that each Florida case of the mosquito-borne virus was contracted while traveling overseas in effected countries, according to the Associated Press. Florida’s emergency extends to four counties—Miami-Dade, Lee, Hillsborough, and Santa Rosa. Southern Florida, especially Miami, has a close connection with South America, where the virus is prevalent.

The Zika virus has become a global health scare after it was linked to brain deformities in babies. The virus is spread by mosquito bites and has mainly been contained to South America, but cases have appeared in the U.S. and health officials in Dallas, Texas confirmed one person became infected by Zika after sexual contact. That incident is the first case of the virus being transmitted in the United States.

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

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These Hair Tutorials Will Give You the Warm Fuzzies

Photo: YouTube

You may feel like if you’ve seen every hair tutorial around, but the how-to video Pantene just released as part of their “Strong is Beautiful” initiative is one for the record, errr, play books.

RELATED: Khloe Kardashian Doesn’t Have a Lob Anymore

NFL Dads like New Orleans Saints’ Benjamin Watson, Pittsburg Steelers’ DeAngelo Williams, and Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten try their hands at doing their daughters’ hair and it’s pretty much the sweetest thing we’ve ever seen. The little girls are very encouraging as dad tries to braid and wrangle their strands. And we get to see a much softer side of the athletes as they tend to their kiddos.

According to Pantene, research shows that quality time spent with dads plays a major role in helping the girls feel more self-confident, self-reliant, and successful in school and career. That’s why the brand is encourage proud papas to try the #DadDo, even providing tutorials as the big guys in the videos create adorable looks for their littles.

RELATED: Selena Gomez Posts the Most Hypnotizing Video of Her Hair

Personally, we think Williams may have the most skilled hands when it comes to doing hair, perfecting not one but two styles on his daughters. But all of the dads are MVPs in our book.

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

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Depression May Boost Seniors’ Risk for Heart Disease, Stroke

THURSDAY, Feb. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Depression increases the risk of heart disease and stroke in older adults, a new study indicates.

The researchers looked at more than 7,300 seniors in France with no history of heart disease, stroke or dementia at the start of the study period. Participants were assessed again two, four and seven years later.

Initially, about 30 percent of the women and 15 percent of the men had high levels of depression symptoms. At each follow-up visit, about 40 percent of those with high levels of depression symptoms had recovered, while the same percentage had new depression symptoms, the study authors said.

At all assessments during the study, less than 10 percent of participants were taking antidepressant medications, according to the report published online recently in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Study participants who had high levels of depression symptoms at any visit had an increased risk of heart disease or stroke over 10 years. But risk rose with depression duration — from 15 percent if depression symptoms were evident at just one visit to 75 percent if apparent at all four visits, the investigators found.

The findings suggest that depression could be a risk factor for heart disease or stroke. But because this was an observational study, the findings cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

However, based on the findings, study author Dr. Renaud Pequignot, of INSERM in Paris, and colleagues suggested in a journal news release that doctors should closely monitor adults aged 65 and older for symptoms of depression.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about depression.

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High-Dose Statins May Ease Macular Degeneration for Some

THURSDAY, Feb. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — High doses of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs — medicines such as Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor — may help people with a common eye disease called macular degeneration, a small study suggests.

In the early stage clinical trial, a team from Harvard Medical School assessed the effects of statin treatment in people with the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

AMD affects more than 150 million people worldwide. The dry form is much more common and accounts for about 85 percent of cases, according to the researchers.

Effective treatments are available for the wet form of AMD, but not the dry form, so dry-form AMD remains the leading cause of blindness in the developed world.

In AMD, fat deposits form under the retina, so that patients develop blurring or blindness in the center of their vision.

In the study, 23 patients with dry-form AMD were given a high dose (80 milligrams) of atorvastatin (Lipitor).

In 10 of the patients, the fat deposits under the retina disappeared and they had a slight improvement in vision clarity, according to the study published online Feb. 4 in the journal EBioMedicine.

It typically took a year to 18 months of treatment for these positive results to arise, the researchers reported.

They noted that prior attempts to find ways to eliminate the fat deposits under the retina have failed.

However, “we found that intensive doses of statins carry the potential for clearing up the lipid [fat] debris that can lead to vision impairment in a subset of patients with macular degeneration,” said study co-author Dr. Joan Miller. She is chair of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and chief of ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts General Hospital, both in Boston.

“We hope that this promising preliminary clinical trial will be the foundation for an effective treatment for millions of patients afflicted with AMD,” she said in an infirmary news release.

Study co-author Dr. Demetrios Vavvas is a clinician scientist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and co-director of the Ocular Regenerative Medicine Institute at Harvard Medical School. He said in the news release: “Not all cases of dry AMD are the exactly the same, and our findings suggest that if statins are going to help, they will be most effective when prescribed at high dosages in patients with an accumulation of soft, lipid material.”

However, he believes that, based on the new findings, “it may be possible to eventually have a treatment that not only arrests the disease but also reverses its damage and improves the visual acuity in some patients.”

The next step is to conduct a larger study of statin treatment in patients with dry AMD.

“This is a very accessible, FDA-approved drug that we have tremendous experience with,” Vavvas said. “Millions of patients take it for high cholesterol and heart disease, and based on our early results, we believe it offers the potential to halt progression of this disease, but possibly even to restore function in some patients with dry AMD.”

Two eye experts were cautiously optimistic about the new findings.

“Although the study is relatively small, the positive outcomes certainly warrant a larger clinical trial,” said Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “This may benefit millions of patients with macular degeneration and slow their progression to more serious disease.”

Dr. Nazanin Barzideh is chief of vitreoretinal surgery at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. She called the research “exciting,” and noted that heart disease treatments have long shown some secondary effects in easing AMD.

Now, Barzideh said, “we also can finally tell our patients controlling their lipid [cholesterol] levels can also be helpful in maintaining their vision. I, for one, am very excited about this study and to share the results with my macular degeneration patients.”

More information

The U.S. National Eye Institute has more about age-related macular degeneration.

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Daily Bit of Chocolate in Pregnancy May Help Mom, Baby

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Pregnant women who nibble just a small piece of chocolate each day may improve the circulatory health of their unborn child, a new study suggests.

The tiny treat may also reduce the risk for preeclampsia, a potentially deadly condition in which a pregnant woman with normal blood pressure suddenly develops dangerously high blood pressure, the researchers said.

The findings held up regardless of whether the chocolate consumed contained high or low amounts of so-called flavanols. Some experts believe these compounds — found in certain plant-based food items — may confer a number of health benefits.

But the association seen in the study did not prove that eating chocolate during pregnancy caused better circulatory health in pregnant women and their babies.

“Our observations suggest that a regular small consumption of dark chocolate — whether or not the level of flavanol is high — from the first trimester of pregnancy, could lead to an improvement of placental function,” said study author Dr. Emmanuel Bujold. He is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Universite Laval in Quebec City, Canada.

And at least one nutritionist said she wasn’t ready to embrace the study’s findings.

The findings were scheduled for presentation Thursday at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting, in Atlanta. The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Flavanols are naturally present in large quantities in unprocessed cocoa. However, they have a somewhat bitter taste and some of the techniques used to turn natural cocoa into tasty cocoa powder or chocolate (such as fermentation) can result in a significant loss of flavanols, experts say.

For consumers, knowing when a piece of chocolate does or does not have a high amount of flavanols can be tricky.

That said, Bujold’s team decided to see whether differences in flavanol content had any effect on the pregnancies of nearly 130 women.

All of the women in the study were at the 11- to 14-week mark of their pregnancy, and carrying one child.

All were instructed to consume 30 grams of chocolate (a little more than one ounce) each day over a 12-week period. That’s equivalent to about one small square of chocolate per day, Bujold said.

Half of the women consumed high-flavanol chocolate, while the other half were given low-flavanol chocolate. All were then tracked until their delivery date.

Regardless of which type of chocolate was consumed, the women faced the same risk for both preeclampsia and routine high blood pressure. Placental weight and birth weight was also the same in both groups, the investigators found.

Similarly, fetal and placental blood circulation levels, as well as in-utero blood velocity, did not appear to be affected by shifting flavanol levels.

However, simply consuming a small amount of chocolate — no matter what the flavanol content — was associated with notable improvements in all blood circulation and velocity measures compared to the general population, the researchers said.

Bujold said this suggests that there’s something about chocolate, apart from flavanol levels, that may exert a positive influence on the course of pregnancy. Finding out exactly what that is “could lead to improvement of women’s and children’s health, along with a significant reduction of treatment cost,” he said.

However, he added that the “consumption of chocolate must remain reasonable during pregnancy, and caloric input has to be considered in the equation.”

That point was seconded by Lona Sandon, an assistant professor in the department of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

“This is not a license to go wild with chocolate,” she said. “Keep in mind the amount of chocolate was only 30 grams, or one ounce. That is just a few bites. Piling on the chocolate bars may pile on the pounds beyond what pregnant women would be advised to gain,” Sandon warned.

“Also, there are plenty of other nutrients that pregnant women would be better off focusing on for proper growth and development of the baby,” Sandon said, “such as folate, calcium, protein and iron from quality food sources.”

Her bottom-line?

“Enjoy a little good chocolate from time to time,” Sandon said. “But I am not recommending it yet for a healthy pregnancy.”

More information

There’s more on chocolate and health at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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‘Obese’ May Not Always Equal Unhealthy: Study

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Many overweight and obese Americans might be perfectly healthy when it comes to blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels — while many thin folks may not be the picture of good health, a new study contends.

Using a government health survey, researchers found that nearly half of overweight U.S. adults were “metabolically healthy.”

That meant they had no more than one risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease — including high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol or triglyceride levels, elevated blood sugar, or high concentrations of C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation in the blood vessels).

Among obese adults, 29 percent were deemed healthy — as were 16 percent of those who were severely obese based on body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height).

On the other hand, more than 30 percent of normal-weight Americans were metabolically unhealthy.

The researchers estimate that nearly 75 million Americans would be “misclassified” as heart-healthy if BMI is the only yardstick.

“The bigger picture we want to draw from our findings is that the dominant way of thinking about weight — that higher-weight individuals will always be unhealthy — is flawed,” said Jeffrey Hunger, one of the researchers on the study and a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The study, published Feb. 4 in the International Journal of Obesity, is far from the first to find that obese adults can be in good shape as far as heart health. Researchers have debated the “fat but fit” theory for years.

By the same token, studies have shown, being thin is no guarantee of good health.

But, Hunger said, the new findings also help “solidify” the number of Americans who could be mistakenly deemed unhealthy based solely on BMI.

That has potential “real-world consequences,” Hunger said. Many larger U.S. businesses offer employee wellness programs, which can include discounts on health insurance premiums for meeting certain goals, such as weight loss. Some employers penalize employees for not participating.

Hunger’s team says the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has proposed rules that would allow employers to charge workers up to 30 percent of their health insurance costs if they fail to meet certain health criteria, including a specified BMI.

The new study’s findings are based on more than 40,000 U.S. adults who took part in a nationally representative federal health study between 2005 and 2012.

Obese men and women were, in fact, the most likely to fall into the unhealthy category: Depending on the severity of their obesity, 71 percent to 84 percent had risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. That compared with 24 percent of underweight and 31 percent of normal-weight adults.

Still, Hunger said, weight is not the be-all and end-all.

“Right now, we have this laser focus on weight when we should be talking about health,” he said. “The general public should try to focus on improving their health behaviors — eating well, staying active and getting enough sleep — and forget about the number on the scale.”

But Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, cautioned that weight does still matter.

He noted that some recent studies have been challenging that idea of “metabolically healthy obesity.”

Last year, researchers reported on a long-term study of more than 1 million Swedish men showing that those who were obese but fit — based on a cycling test — were 30 percent more likely to die prematurely than men who were out of shape but thin.

But another study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, followed 2,500 British adults for 20 years. It found that among those who were obese but healthy at the outset, more than half eventually developed high blood pressure, diabetes and other risk factors for heart disease — often within five years.

It’s true, Fonarow said, that at any point in time, obese people may be metabolically healthy. But over the years, obesity takes its toll.

“So individuals who are classified as obese by BMI are at increased risk for a variety of obesity-related ills,” he said.

Still, Hunger and his colleagues warn against “obsessing” over weight, which may only worsen heavier people’s well-being. Instead, healthy eating and regular exercise should be the focus, rather than BMI, Hunger said.

“Practically speaking,” he said, “the conversation needs to shift.”

More information

The American Heart Association has more on a heart-healthy lifestyle.

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4 Things to Think About Before You Get a Breast Reduction

Photo: Getty Images

In a recent interview with People, Modern Family star Ariel Winter called her breast reduction surgery last year “an instant weight lifted off my chest—both literally and figuratively.” The 18-year-old actress, who went from a 32F to a 34D, added that “there’s a confidence you find when you finally feel right in your body.” (That awesome swagger was on display at the SAG Awards in January when she proudly embraced her surgery scars.)

RELATED: 15 Things That Can Happen After a Breast Reduction

Winter is hardly alone, as more and more women are choosing to reduce their cup size. Between 1997 and 2013, the number of breast reductions rose by 157 percent, according the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. “I think the trend is a result of the fact that people are becoming more informed as to what their options are,” says plastic surgeon Daniel Maman, MD, who is an assistant clinical professor of surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

Below, he recommends four things women should think about before getting a breast reduction. The next step, he says, would be to set up a consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss whether the operation is right for you.

The physical pain of having large breasts

Carrying extra weight on your chest can cause significant discomfort. Ariel Winter said the physical pain is what ultimately led her to choose surgery. Typically felt in the lower back, neck, and shoulders, and even as headaches, that discomfort can have a ripple effect into other areas of a woman’s life. A study published in 2013 found that patients who underwent breast reduction surgery not only experienced less pain, but also a significant improvement in the quality of their sleep and their ability to exercise.

RELATED: 10 Sports Bras for Women with Big Busts

The effect of your size on your self-esteem

“Oftentimes women [I see] are just very self-conscious about their breasts,” says Dr. Maman. “They feel like they are unable to wear certain types of clothes that they like to wear.” Indeed, Winter talked about how it felt to be bullied about her appearance online: “I’d just be wearing something anyone else could wear, but I’d read comments saying, ‘She dresses inappropriately.'” Large breasts tend to attract a lot of unwanted attention, which may help explain why so many women who get reductions are typically happy with the outcome. In a 2012 study, one year out from their surgery, 80% of patients rated their results as “good” or “very good.”

The fact that you may not get the breasts you really want

Ever body is different, Dr. Maman points out, and the “perfect” breasts you’re picturing may not be realistic on your frame. After the surgery, your boobs will not only be smaller, they may also be a different shape, and in a different position on your chest. Before you go under the knife, it’s really important to get a very clear picture from your surgeon of how your breasts will change, says Dr. Maman. “A lot of times what I will see is a patient comes in and they have really large breasts with loose skin and large areolas that point towards the floor and then show me a picture of a breast of an 18-year-old girl with very small perky breasts,” he explains. “That’s just not achievable.”

RELATED: What the Perfect Breast Looks Like, According to Men and Women

The cost and recovery

Breast reduction surgery is an expensive procedure, though your insurance may cover it if it’s performed to relieve medical symptoms. The recovery time can take anywhere from two to six weeks. Another factor to weigh: If your nipples are removed from your breast, and you’re planning to have a baby in the future, you won’t be able to breastfeed. Even if your nipples remain attached through the surgery, you may still have some difficulty. However, it may not be as bad as you’d think. A study done at McGill University found that a woman’s odds of being able to nurse after the procedure were about the same as those of other moms.

 

 

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Bear Belly Might Hold Clues to Obesity in Humans

THURSDAY, Feb. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Changes in their gut microbes help bears prepare for hibernation, according to laboratory research that may hold clues for combating obesity in people.

As they prepare to hunker down for the winter, bears eat as much as possible, to boost their body fat. Despite the rapid weight gain, they don’t suffer the health problems associated with obesity in people, Swedish researchers noted.

The team analyzed fecal samples from wild brown bears and found seasonal changes in gut microbe populations. In the summer, the gut microbe population is more diverse and takes in more energy from food.

In winter, during hibernation, the gut microbe population is less diverse, according to the study published Feb 4 in the journal Cell Reports.

The researchers transferred the gut microbes from the bears into mice. Those that received the bears’ summer gut microbes put on more fat and weight than those that received the bears’ winter gut microbes.

Despite putting on more fat and weight, the mice that received the bears’ summer gut microbes had either no change or even a slight improvement in their sugar (glucose) metabolism, compared to those who received the bears’ winter gut microbes, the study found.

Potentially, the findings could point to new ways to manage obesity in people, said study leader Fredrik Backhed, of the University of Gothenburg.

It’s too early to say for sure, “as I consider this being very basic science,” he said in a journal news release. “However, if we learn more about which bacteria and the functions that promote and/or protect against obesity [in hibernating bears], we may identify new potential therapeutic targets.”

Also, results of animal experiments often aren’t replicated in humans.

In previous research, Backhed and colleagues found that the composition of gut microbe populations can affect the amount of energy gathered from food, and that these populations change in people who are obese or have type 2 diabetes.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains how to prevent weight gain.

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