Severe Climate-Related Disasters Affect Area Health Care For Years: Study
While severe climate-related disasters were linked with decreased access to health care infrastructure, moderate climate-related disasters were linked with increased access and redevelopment. In other news, GLP-1 drugs are showing promise in areas of addiction. Also: bariatric surgery, muscle loss, and menopause.
The Washington Post:
Researchers Link Severe Disasters And Loss Of Health Care Facilities
Counties that undergo severe climate-related disasters often suffer reduced access to critical health care infrastructure in the years that follow, a study suggests. The analysis, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, looked at what happened to hospitals, pharmacies and ambulatory — or outpatient — care facilities after climate-related disasters. (Blakemore, 7/13)
Politico:
Brain-Repair Research 2.0
The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a program Thursday to advance brain-repair research and develop treatments for brain injuries and devastating neurological diseases like stroke and Alzheimer’s. Why it matters: The program, called the Functional Repair of Neocortical Tissue, or FRONT, aims to find cures for these neurodegenerative and other traumatic diseases long regarded as irreversible by leveraging stem-cell technology to regenerate brain tissue and restore brain function. (Nguyen, 7/11)
Fox News:
Sacrificing Sleep To Binge-Watch TV Can Impair Brain Health, Doctor Warns
Staying awake to watch "just one more episode" is a classic excuse for delaying bedtime. And with popular shows like Peacock's "Love Island" airing almost every night as the drama unfolds live, there’s more pressure to finish the latest episode and to engage in conversation with others the next day. In addition to making us sleepier in the morning, staying awake to watch TV is not good for the brain, according to Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, brain imaging doctor and founder of Amen Clinics in California. (Stabile, 7/13)
Regarding weight loss drugs —
Stat:
GLP-1 Drugs For Addiction: Confidence Grows In New Treatment Option
To make sense of the reds and greens dancing across a computer monitor displaying a scale image of a human brain, one requires a vivid vocabulary. At this upscale addiction treatment facility, “neurofeedback therapy” and “quantitative electroencephalogram” are part of the holistic, no-expenses-spared treatment philosophy on offer. (Facher, 7/14)
MedPage Today:
GLP-1 Therapy Helps Amplify Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss, But Timing Matters
In order to maximize weight loss, a GLP-1 receptor agonist may be needed both before and after bariatric surgery, a retrospective analysis found. In 568 patients who underwent bariatric surgery, those who also used a GLP-1 receptor agonist during the preoperative and postoperative period experienced significantly greater weight loss -- a 33% total weight loss and 17.9-point change in BMI -- compared with surgery alone, reported Angela Rao, MD, of Stanford Health Care in California. (Monaco, 7/13)
MedPage Today:
More Protein May Help Stave Off Muscle Loss From GLP-1 Treatment
Eating more protein may help offset some of the loss of lean mass during semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) treatment, an observational prospective study suggested. After 3 months of treatment, 47.5% of weight lost by adults with obesity taking the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) was lean mass compared with 35.7% treated with diet and lifestyle intervention as measured by dual emission x-ray absorptiometry (P=0.39), reported Melanie Haines, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. (Monaco, 7/13)
MedPage Today:
Menopause Hormone Therapy Users May Lose More On Weight Loss Injectable
Menopause hormone therapy (MHT) was tied to a weight-loss boost in postmenopausal women taking a weight loss agent, a real-world study found. Among 120 women with overweight or obesity, MHT users lost 19.18% of their total body weight with tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) compared with a 13.96% loss in women not on such therapy after an average of 18 months (P=0.002), said Regina Castaneda, MD, of Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. (Monaco, 7/13)
On PMS, gonorrhea, and vaccines —
NBC News:
Premenstrual Disorders Linked To Higher Risk For Heart Disease, Study Finds
Premenstrual disorders are associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, a large, long-term study has found. New research analyzing patient health data from more than 3 million women in Sweden over a 20-year period found that those who were diagnosed with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) had an 11% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease at some point, compared to women who did not have a diagnosis. (Srinivasan, 7/11)
CIDRAP:
Study Hints DoxyPEP Use Coincides With Rise In Tetracycline-Resistant Gonorrhea In US
A genomic analysis of US gonorrhea isolates shows a dramatic increase in tetracycline resistance. In a letter published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the University of Georgia reported that their analysis ... show that the percentage of isolates carrying the tetM resistance gene rose from 10% in 2020 to more than 30% in 2024. The tetM gene confers high-level resistance to tetracycline antibiotics. (Dall, 7/11)
CIDRAP:
Increased Vaccine Uptake In US Kids Linked To Reduced Antibiotic Prescriptions
An increase in uptake of routine childhood vaccines among US children over 15 years was associated with a decrease in antibiotic prescriptions and antibiotic-treated sinus infections, according to an ecological study published today in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology. (Dall, 7/11)
