Howard G. Smith, MD, AM
PENTA Medical Network
617-488-9699
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HealthNews RoundUp - 4th Week of January 2023
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REPORTS
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New Audio Podcast Distribution Strategy
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/SlOONjy9RQ4
Just a quick note to my audio podcast listeners. With the advent and popularity of my video broadcasts on TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, I am limiting my audio feeds to the Apple Podcasts app which is available for all smartphones, tablets, and computers.
When you go to the app, search for Dr. Howard Smith. You’ll notice two podcasts: the latest Dr. Howard Smith Reports and the legacy Dr. Howard Smith Oncall. My “Reports” podcast has all the latest episodes beginning in January, 2023. My “Oncall” podcast has all previous episodes which may disappear when I stop my Libsyn subscription and will no longer have an RSS feed distributing the podcast to other sites.
Thanks for listening , and I hope that you will continue to follow me on one of the video sites. See you there.
#podcasts #drhowardsmithoncall #applepodcasts #Youtube #tiktok #twitter #instagram #drhowardsmithreports
podcasts, drhowardsmithoncall, applepodcasts, Youtube, tiktok, twitter, instagram, drhowardsmithreports
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Your Boosted CoVid Immunity Only Partially Effective Against XBB1.5
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/pJL8FUJoTBY
If you received the most recent bivalent CoVid booster, know that it does not induce significant or lasting antibody protection against the currently-prevalent Omicron XBB1.5 sub-variant. The good news: the booster does trigger an increase in your cellular immunity against the virus; and it reduces by half your risk of developing a symptomatic CoVid infection.
Researchers at Harvard’s Beth Israel Hospital now report their studies of thirty subjects tested for both humoral or antibody immunity and cellular immunity against a panel of CoVid variants and sub-variants before boosting, 3 weeks after, and 3 months after the boost. While the bivalent vaccine triggered a significant antibody rise against the BA.5 subvariant, the bump in protective antibody against XBB1.5 was
meager at best.
The response of CoVid-specific cellular immunity was another story. The vaccine booster triggered an impressive rise in both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses against the virus.
To underscore the point that the booster is weakly protective against CoVid XBB1.5, 43% of the subjects developed a CoVid infection after receiving the booster.
Meanwhile, the CDC is out with the results of its own studies carried out over the past month as XBB1.5 is surging across the country. The bivalent booster effectiveness against so-called symptomatic CoVid was 49% for those 18-49 and 40-43% for those 50 and older. This protective effect appears to continue beyond 3 months after boosting.
The bottom line: the bivalent booster won’t prevent CoVid XBB1.5 from infecting you, but it will prevent that infection from sidelining and possibly killing you.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.22.525079v1
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7205e1.htm?s_cid=mm7205e1_w#contribAff
#CoVid #xbb15 #booster #vaccine #antibody #cellularimmunity
CoVid, xbb15, booster, vaccine, antibody, cellularimmunity
Fetal Brain Bleeding Linked To Maternal CoVid
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Gpl0vO9U9Ks
Babies developing within mothers who contract Covid suffer significant bleeds within their brains in association with evidence of CoVid virus brain infiltration.
Neurodevelopmental researchers at King’s College London now report their study of 661 fetal tissue samples from CoVid infected mothers and 300 tissues from uninfected mothers. The incidence of brain bleeding in the CoVid infected group was 3.9% compared with an incidence of .04% in the uninfected, a 98 fold increase. The brain bleeding in the infected fetuses occurred in the cerebral cortex, all important for intelligent thought and action. The abundance of CoVid spike protein and immune cells fighting the virus found in the fetal brain linings is solid evidence that the virus does infect the developing brain in utero.
This study provides additional powerful reasons for pregnant women and those about to become pregnant to take all measures to avoid Covid infection. That means masking up, avoiding crowds, and restaurant dining outdoors in heated, ventilated sheds or at home with take-out.
https://academic.oup.com/brain/advance-article/doi/10.1093/brain/awac372/6985751?login=false
#CoVid #pregnancy #fetal #brain #bleeding
CoVid, pregnancy, fetal, brain, bleeding
Head Injuries Boost Your Premature Death Risk
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/LsH8-LbT2Vk
Suffering a head injury more than doubles your risk of dying at some time over a 30 year period. So say University of Pennsylvania neurologists who followed 13,037 adults, median age of 54, between 1987 and 2019.
Head injuries were experienced by 18% of the group. The risk of death for this cohort was 2 twice that of the non-injured group. That risk depended upon the number of head injuries experienced: one bumped the risk up 66% while 2 or more injuries increased the risk 211%. Severity matters too. Those sustaining mild head injuries had a 216% higher risk of death; those with moderate, severe, or penetrating injuries had 287% rise in death risk.
Don’t take chances with your head. During sports and recreational activities, DO wear protective headgear.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2800331
#headinjury #death #sports
headinjury, death, sports
A High Fat Diet Makes You Eat More and More
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/s7V2tMk8Org
Eating those fries and donuts modifies your brain cells and they begin to whisper, “eat more and more.” Penn State neuroscience and behavioral scientists now report their mouse model studies demonstrating that a high-fat diet continuing even 3 to 5 days desensitizes the brain astrocytes.
Astrocytes normally react to circulating fat and trigger appetite suppression by slowing stomach emptying and prolonging a feeling of being full. With astrocytes bombarded and eating suppression reduced, you eat more and more further depressing your astrocytes and completing a vicious circle leading to weight gain and obesity.
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1113/JP283566
#fat #astrocytes #appetite #obesity
fat, astrocytes, appetite, obesity
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FUTURE MED
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Running An Entire Clinical Blood Panel From A Single Drop Of Blood
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/1bFzIS-FByU
The infamous and now convicted Elizabeth Holmes who founded the Silicon Valley startup Theranos made the same promise and utterly failed. Now, geneticists at Stanford University, where ironically Holmes once attended college and dropped out, announce the development of so-called multi-omics technologies that really can make needle-shy patients’ wishes come true.
The multi-omics technology employs ether extraction to separate fatty metabolites from the non-fatty, methanol to sequester proteins, and an aqueous extraction for immunoassay of cytokines and hormones. Analysis of the thousands of compounds in each mix using mass spectrometry permits a frequent assay of them and the development of what the investigators call metabolic phenotypes.
Combining this data with that from wearables will someday permit medical teams to monitor the metabolic and physical health of patients on a 24/7 basis.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-022-00999-8#Sec17
#multiomics #laboratories #clinicalpanels #monitoring #metabolism #theranos
multiomics, laboratories, clinicalpanels, monitoring, metabolism, theranos
Ultrasound Tornadoes Destroy Brain Blood Clots
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/YV8r-_z2OXk
Blood clots in the brain trigger strokes and catastrophic back bleeding. When the blockages occur, the clock is ticking. The faster blood vessels are reopened, the better the recovery prognosis. North Carolina State mechanical engineers report that vortex ultrasound, a swirling shockwave, dissolves blood clots in critical brain blood vessels faster and more effectively that traditional chemical methods. This ultrasonic tornado is produced by a miniature ultrasonic transducer attached to a catheter that is threaded into blood vessels. This works in the lab, but animal and then human testing is in the future.
https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0048
#ultrasound #vortex #brain #thrombosis #stroke #hemorrhage
A Brave New World of Cardiac Ultrasound Imaging
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/F3saHuBYeEg
Two separate studies give us a glimpse into the future of cardiac ultrasound, better known as echocardiography. From UC-San Diego’s department of nanoengineering comes a wearable ultrasound imaging system that permits continuous visual assessment of the heart’s function in real time. The probe is exceedingly flexible permitting it to be gently bent, wrapped, poked, and twisted.
Meanwhile, bioengineers at Ontario’s Western University have developed a strategy for 3 dimensional ultrasound imaging. To generate these images, the researchers created a computer-controlled robotic cradle to precisely move the ultrasound transducer across the surface of the chest and mated it with software to assemble the individual images and draw a 3D representation of the heart or other internal organs including the liver.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05498-z
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9800921
#ultrasound #wearable #3D #heart
ultrasound #wearable, 3D, heart
Ants Can Sniff Out Cancer
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/jR_l2fyGB2c
We know that dogs can detect lung cancer, but the latest evidence from Paris suggests a diagnostic role for ants. Sorbonne animal behaviorists are reporting that ants can readily differentiate tumor-bearing mice from healthy ones by detecting tell-tale volatile organic compounds in urine. Ants lack noses but do have olfactory sensory receptors on their antennae.
In the French experiments, half a group of mice with weakened immune systems received grafts of human triple negative breast cancer while the other half, serving as controls, underwent a sham operation without introduction of tumor. Ants quickly recognized the difference between the two groups and then consistently picked out the those with a characteristic odor of cancer.
The investigators point out that ants, being social, colony forming insects, may be able to pass on their learned behavior of cancer recognition to their peers leading to the creation of ant clusters each capable of recognizing different tumors.
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.1962
#ants #cancer #olfactory
ants, cancer #olfactory
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BUSINESS OF HEALTH
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A Novel CoVid Vaccine Under Development
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/g7fZjuKlmYc
The Danish biotechnology company AdaptVac is developing a CoVid vaccine based on technology different than the mRNA tech used for the Moderna and Pfizer vaxes, the adenovirus vector J&J and AstraZeneca vaxes, and the protein-based Novavax offering. The AdaptVac vaccine, labeled ABNCoV2 uses a viral capsid-like particle derived from an E. coli bacteriophage to present spike protein and other CoVid antigens to the human immune system.
A phase 1 first human study of the vaccine tested 45 subjects with two doses of the ABNCoV2 vaccine. The data revealed healthy anti-CoVid antibody and cellular immune responses with minimal side effects.
This viral capsid vaccine permits a rapid modification of the viral antigens it carries permitting manufacture of a vaccine against the latest CoVid variants. Hence the name of the company: AdaptVac.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(22)00337-8/fulltext
#CoVid #vaccine #phagecapid #ABNCoV2 #AdaptVac
CoVid, vaccine, phagecapid, ABNCoV2, AdaptVac
A Microneedle Bandage Effectively Stops Bleeding
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/OCHDha__p90
An adhesive dressing populated with hydrogel-anchored microneedles promises to revolutionize the on-site treatment of hemorrhaging wounds. UCLA bioengineers will be publishing this remarkable discovery in the May, 2023 edition of the Bioactive Materials journal. The tiny prongs jump-start blood clotting and quickly squelch the flow of blood. Testing the microneedle bandage in the bleeding rat liver model in comparison to a hydrogel-only dressing showed that the microneedles reduced the time till clot formation from 11.5 to 1.3 minutes and the loss of blood by more than 90%.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452199X22003607?via=ihub
#hemorrhage #bleeding #microneedle #hydrogel #dressing #battlefield
hemorrhage, bleeding, microneedle, hydrogel, dressing, battlefield
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CPSC Recalls
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Zline Gas Ranges Can Poison You
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/f7i5WDUCNbc
The CPSC and the ZLINE company have extended their December, 2022 recall of the ZLINE 30 and 36 inch gas ranges to include their 48 inch gas ranges. The ovens on these ranges emit carbon monoxide at dangerous levels with risk of serious injury and death. About 30,000 of all these ranges including 2,000 48 inchers were sold at Best Buy, Lowe’s, The Home Depot, The Range Hood Store stores nationwide and online at bestbuy.com, build.com, costco.com, homedepot.com, therangehoodstore.com, overstock.com, and wayfair.com. Stop using the ovens on these appliances and contact ZLINE at 1-888-359-4482 or via email at ZLINEKitchen@realtimeresults.net to arrange for a free in-home repair.
#zline #gasrange #carbonmonoxide #co #poisoning #death #recall
zline, gasrange, carbonmonoxide, co, poisoning, death, recall
Properly Tied Children’s Lounge Pants Are Dangerously Flammable
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/ZtwgD9zEBHo
The CPSC and the Properly Tied company are recalling Properly Tied Children’s Lounge Pants. About 1,960 were sold at Sweet Threads, Britches and Bows, May May’s, The Carousel, Bundle of Joy, Dragonflies, Tugboat and the Bird, Lora Belle Baby, Peach Tree Kids, Hannah B's and children’s product stores nationwide and online at properlytied.com. Don’t let your children wear these lounge pants and contacts Properly Tied at 1-855-380-5185 or via email at recall@properlytied.com for instructions regarding product returns and refunds.
#properlytied #childrens #loungepants #flammable #recall
properlytied, childrens, loungepants, flammable, recall
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Vaenait Children’s Robes Are Flammable
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/FOLnW-OysDI
The CPSC and Vaenait Baby are recalling Vaenait Childrens’s Robes. These garments do not meet federal flammability safety standards and create risks of burns. The affected lot is #58644-88 manufactured in Sept. 2018. About 2400 of these robes were sold at Lafayette Moms and Babies, Safe Splash, Chickadees Gift Boutique, Melodi's Belles and Beaus, Love From Home, Chicken Little, Dimples, So Adorable Too, Liebeskind, The Kids Company, Childrens Shoppe, SAF-T Swim New Hyde, SAF-T Swim Melville, Miller Swim School, My Little Peanut, Sara's, Lollipops Childrens Boutique, Sassy Stitch, C'est La Vie, Whimsical Alley, Lil' Sweet Pea's Boutique, Raindance, Kids Kottage Boutique, JC Kate Boutique, and Totally Tanned stores nationwide. Take these robes away from your children and contact Vaenait Baby at 1-888-210-0252 or via email at vaenaitamerica@hotmail.com to arrange for a refund.
#vaenaitbaby #robes #flammable #burns #recall
vaenaitbaby, robes, flammable, burns, recall
Vanessa Fire Tables Could Go Up In Flames
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/W2itzBRTp1Y
The CPSC and Ove Decors are recalling Vanessa 42-inch Fire Tables. The table’s gas hose can contact the heat shield, melt, and trigger a fire and burns. About 470 of these fire tables were sold in the US and about 14 were sold in Canada online at Amazon.com, Build.com., HomeDepot.com, Houzz.com, KBauthority.com, LampPlus.com, Lowes.com, Overstock.com, TotallyFurniture.com, TractorSupply.com, Walmart.com, and Wayfair.com. Immediately discontinue use of these fire tables, turn off the gas tank valve, and contact Ove Decors at 1-866-839-2888 or via email at customerservice@ovedecors.com for a free repair kit. You will receive a spring hook to keep the gas hose away from the heat shield and a warning label.
#Vanessa #firetable #gashose #fire #burns #recall
Vanessa, firetable, gashose, fire, burns, recall
Meguiar’s Heavy Duty Headlight Sealant Is Sold In Unsafe Packaging
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/wFGTR3sQLmU
The CPSC and Meguiar’s are recalling Meguiar’s Heavy Duty Headlight Sealant. This low-viscosity hydrocarbon-containing product is not sold in child resistant packaging as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.
About 140,000 units were sold at Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Walmart stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com. If you purchased this product, discontinue its use and store it out of reach of children. Contact Meguiar’s at 1-800-347-5700 for instructions regarding safe product disposal.
#meguiars #headlightsealant #poison #packaging #children #recall
meguiars, headlightsealant, poison, packaging, children, recall
Taylor and Finch 6-Wick Scented Candles Burn Dangerously Hot
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/2hpcamio7aA
The CPSC and Ross Stores are recalling Taylor and Finch 6-Wick Scented Candles. The multiple wicks generate so much heat that the candle’s glass container fractures leading to fire, burn, and laceration hazards. About 5800 candles were sold at Ross Stores nationwide. Stop burning these candles and return them to any Ross Store for a full refund. For additional information, contact Ross Stores by phone at 1-800-335-1115.
#rossstores #6wickcandle #excessiveheat #thermalcracks #burns #fires #lacerations #recalls
rossstores, 6wickcandle, excessiveheat, thermalcracks, burns, fires, lacerations, recalls
NewCosplay Children’s Sleepwear Flunks The Flammability Test
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/GWaIjTGhwxw
The CPSC and several Chinese garment manufacturers including: Shanghai Xunao Elevator company, the Shanghai Jinhui Gardening Center, the Shanghai Jing Cheng Landscape Engineering Company, the Shanghai Jing Cheng Landscape Engineering Company, Hainan Chong Yu Industrial, the Weihai Juanhai Decoration Material, and Mianzhu Ye Xin Trading are all recalling NewCosplay Children’s Sleepwear. These garments fail to meet federal flammability requirements for children’s sleepwear thereby creating burn risks. A total of 10,790 of these garments were sold online at amazon.com. Do not allow your kids to wear this sleepwear. Contact Shanghai Xunao Elevator by email at chenye1964@163.com, Shanghai Jinhui Gardening Center by email at ttdd024@163.com, Shanghai Jing Cheng Landscape Engineering Company by email at 591025473@qq.com, Hainan Chong Yu Industrial by email at lingershierhao22@163.com, Weihai Juanhai Decoration Material by email at suzhoudt123@163.com, and Mianzhu Ye Xin Trading by email at lingbahao08@163.com or Amazon at 1-888-871-7108 for a full refund. To obtain the $s, you’ll need to cut the garment in half and send photo documentation to the company using the email I just mentioned.
http://bitly.ws/zhs8; http://bitly.ws/zhsc; http://bitly.ws/zhsf; http://bitly.ws/zhsi; http://bitly.ws/zhsj; http://bitly.ws/zhsn
#Cosplay #sleepwear #children #flammability #fire #burns #recall
Cosplay, sleepwear, children, flammability, fire, burns, recall
Selfie Craft Children’s Pajama Sets May Ignite
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/dk7BBk4AC58
The CPSC and the Selfie Craft Company are recalling Selfie Craft Children’s Pajama Sets. These garments fail to meet federal flammability requirements for children’s sleepwear thereby creating burn risks. About 38,740 of these garments were sold online at etsy.com, uncommongoods.com, macys.com, selfiecraft.co.uk, thetot.com, and boutiques nationwide. Do not allow your kids to wear this sleepwear and contact the Selfie Craft Company at 800-423-4618 or via email at info@selfiecraft.co.uk for a full refund. To obtain the $s, you’ll need to cut the garment in half and send photo documentation to the company using the email I just mentioned.
#selfiecraft #sleepwear #children #flammability #fire #burns #recall
selfiecraft, sleepwear, children, flammability, fire, burns, recall
Multi-Purpose Safety Helmets Aren’t Safe
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/wuzarL9bAOc
The CPSC and Sakar International are recalling Credhedz Lizard Helmets, Crayola Dry Erase Helmets, and Tony Hawk Multi-Purpose Helmets. These helmets fail to meet the federal bicycle helmet positional stability and retention system safety requirements thus creating head injury risks. About 33,100 helmets were sold at Big Lots, Ollies Bargain Outlet and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com. Immediately discontinue use of these helmets and contact Sakar at 1-800-592-9541 or via email at support@sakar.com to receive prepaid packaging for helmet return and a full refund.
#sakar #helmets #stability #retention #safety #bicycle #recall
sakar, helmets, stability, retention, safety, bicycle, recall
Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate Pots Are NOT Microwave Safe
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/77ArhPBzkFE
The CPSC and Williams-Sonoma are recalling Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate Pots. These pots are mislabeled as microwave-safe but contain metallic paint that will spark and ignite if microwaved. About 2700 of these hot chocolate pots were sold in the US and about 40 were sold in Canada at Williams-Sonoma. If you bought these pots, contact Williams-Sonoma at Williams-Sonoma at 1-855-801-9416 or via email at WSIHotChocPotRecall2022@wsgc.com for information about obtaining a refund.
#williamssonoma #hotchocolatepot #microwave #fire #recall
williamssonoma, hotchocolatepot, microwave, fire, recall
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FDA Recalls
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Drizzilicious Mini Rice Cake Bites and Popcorn Have Peanut Residues
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/beg61R9bj0o
The FDA and Snack Innovations, Inc. now recall certain lots of Drizzilicious Mini Rice Cake Bites and Drizzled Popcorn. These products have undeclared peanut antigens. Those with peanut allergies could develop life-threatening allergic reactions should they ingest these snacks. If you bought any of these products, do not consume them until you call Snack Innovations at 1-888-445-5122 to check if your lot is affected.
#drizzilicious #ricecakes #popcorn #peanut #allergy #recall
drizzilicious, ricecakes, popcorn, peanut, allergy, recall
Almondy Chocolate Cakes Have Hidden Metal Objects
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/dn8vLyuR3sQ
The FDA and the Almondy company are recalling Almondy Chocolate cake with Daim. A metal object has been found in cakes from batch #L2140 with a Best Before Date of NOV.18.2023. These cakes were only sold at IKEA stores. Don’t consume these cakes and return the product to the IKEA store where you made the purchase. For more information or an alternative way to get a refund, contact Almondy via their website almondy.com.
#almondy #cake #foreignbody #laceration #recall
almondy, cake, foreignbody, laceration, recall
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SkinnyDipped Dark Chocolate Coated Almonds and Cashews Have Hidden Peanut
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/1RXQxqlsIsg
The FDA and the SkinnyDipped company are recalling SkinnyDipped Dark Chocolate Cocoa Almonds & Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cashews. These candies have undeclared peanuts. Those with peanut allergies could develop serious and life-threatening allergic reactions after ingesting these candies. The dipped almonds have a Best By Date of 5/5-6/2024 and the dipped almonds have a Best By Date of 4/20-21/2024. If you bought these products, return them to the place of purchase. For additional information, contact the SkinnyDipped company at 1-866-957-9907 or via email at hello@skinnydipped.com.
#skinnydipped #chocolate #almonds #cashews #peanuts #allergy #recall
skinnydipped, chocolate, almonds, cashews, peanuts, allergy, recall