Study: Gum Disease Might Be Linked To Poor Heart And Brain Health
In two studies released Wednesday, both published in Neurology Open Access, researchers found associations between gum disease and damage to the brain's white matter, as well as inflammation that can lead to atherosclerosis. Add cavities to the mix, and the risk of stroke increases by 86%.
CBS News:
Gum Disease Could Be Linked To An Increased Risk Of Stroke And Brain Damage, Studies Find
Keeping your mouth healthy may help keep your heart and brain healthy too, according to new research. In a study published Wednesday in Neurology Open Access, researchers found adults with gum disease may be more likely to have signs of damage to the brain's white matter than people without gum disease. (Moniuszko and Hill, 10/22)
Medical Xpress:
Early Life Sugar Restriction Linked To Lasting Heart Benefits In Adulthood
Restricted sugar intake during early life is linked to lower risks of several heart conditions in adulthood, including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke, finds a study published by The BMJ using data from the end of UK sugar rationing in 1953. The greatest protection against the risk of developing heart problems—and the longest delay in disease onset—was seen in people whose sugar intake was restricted from conception (in utero) to around 2 years of age. (10/22)
CBS News:
Researchers Seek To Halt Recurrence Of Breast Cancer By Targeting Dormant "Sleeper Cells"
Illeana Casiano-Vazquez and her husband Sam cherish every minute together. Six years ago, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the cancer that has fewer treatment options and a higher rate of recurrence. ... Dr. Angela DeMichele, Casiano-Vazquez's oncologist and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, told CBS News that Casiano-Vazquez had a 25% chance that the breast cancer would come back within five years. DeMichele co-leads a team at Penn conducting a clinical trial that identifies and targets breast cancer "sleeper cells," which are cells that break away from the main tumor and can resurface later to spread cancer throughout the body. (Quijano, 10/22)
CNN:
Makeup, Shampoos And Hair Care Products Still Contain Toxic Chemicals. Experts Call Out Ingredients To Look For
In an episode of “The Pitt,” a hospital drama on HBO Max, a young TikTok beauty influencer named Nandi is found roaming the streets of Pittsburgh, walking dangerously into traffic while screaming at cars and people. Nandi is experiencing severe insomnia, tremors and psychosis, and her quickly deteriorating condition bewilders the emergency room staff. Finally, an enterprising resident finds she has mercury poisoning from an unusual source — an imported facial moisturizer she promotes in her videos. (LaMotte, 10/21)
KFF Health News:
When A Hearing Aid Isn’t Enough
Kitty Grutzmacher had contended with poor hearing for a decade, but the problem had worsened over the past year. Even with her hearing aids, “there was little or no sound,” she said. “I was avoiding going out in groups. I stopped playing cards, stopped going to Bible study, even going to church.” Her audiologist was unable to offer Grutzmacher, a retired nurse in Elgin, Illinois, a solution. But she found her way to the cochlear implant program at Northwestern University. (Span, 10/23)
The Washington Post:
A Parkinson’s Patient Plays Clarinet During Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery
The doctors prepared to carry out the brain surgery, their medical tools laid out. Their patient, wide awake on the operating table, was given an instrument of her own: her clarinet, which she began to play. Denise Bacon, 65, blew into the mouthpiece as doctors stood behind her, piercing holes into her skull to implant electrodes that would deliver electrical pulses to the brain in a bid to improve her motor skills. The electrodes were connected to a pulse generator — a device likened to a pacemaker — which sent continuous pulses to modify the brain, helping her manage her symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, for which there is no cure. (Hassan, 10/22)
