Howard G. Smith, MD, AM
PENTA Medical Network
617-488-9699
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RoundUp - 1st Week of October 2023
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HEALTH REPORTS
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Exercise Improves Long CoVid Symptoms
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx_X1VBx8Vs/
Supervised physical rehab therapy has an 85%-99% probability of improving the status of those suffering Long CoVid. These patients enjoy reduction of physical fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, and attention issues. Ontario-based researchers report this finding after performing a meta-analysis of 14 clinical trials involving 1244 Canadians suffering from Long CoVid. The subjects mean age was 50 years, and with a 45/55 female/male mix.
The data revealed that professional physical rehab for these patients significantly improved their functional exercise capacities and quality of life. The latter was chiefly due to their perception of improved physical health. The rehab routines included breathing exercises, aerobic training, and resistance training. The control therapy consisted of unsupervised sessions during which subjects improperly used equipment and performed breathing exercises incorrectly.
The next step will be a randomized, controlled study of this intervention. Meanwhile, Long CoVid patients and their medical teams have little to lose giving rehabilitative physical therapy a try.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2809670
#longcovid #physicaltherapy #rehabilitation #exercisecapacity #fatigue #qualityoflife
longcovid, physicaltherapy, rehabilitation, exercisecapacity, fatigue, qualityoflife
The Filthiest Places You’ll Touch
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx_Y7rvx7nF/
If you think it’s your toilet, you’d be dead wrong. The autumn is here, and we all are spending more time indoors at home and in the kitchen. It’s also the time when more germs are flying around including not only CoVid, influenza, and RSV, but the old standbys strep staph, and e.coli. Don’t forget too, that there’s plenty of fungus among us. This being the case, it’s a great time to review data from the National Sanitation Foundation after they determined germ counts on the items around our home that we constantly touch. The survey was completed to help all of us avoid contaminating ourselves by reminding us just how many germs pollute the things we love to touch.
The filthiest was your dish sponge or dish rag at 362,631,038 bugs per gram. The cleanest was your car’s steering wheel with only 4 germs per 10 m2. Between these two were 28 items with decreasing microbiologic contamination. Between these two were 28 items you constantly touch with decreasing microbiologic contamination. All numbers are microorganisms per 10 cm2.
Let’s run through the items quickly, and you’ll be surprised at the numbers.
Kitchen Sink 11,381,285; Toothbrush Holder 2,465,876; Pet Bowl 1,476,612; Coffee Machine Reservoir 548,270; Bathroom Faucet Handle 17,976; Pet Toy Tennis Ball 14,121; Countertop 4,590; Stove Knobs 992; Cutting Board 713; Toilet Seat 515; Pens 306; Bathroom Doorknob 257; Bathroom Light Switch 219; Microwave Handle 202; Keys 200; Cell Phone 178; Gear Shift 123; Toilet Handle 107;
Car Door Handle 97; Refrigerator Handle 97; Lunch Box 75; Video Game Controller 60; Remote Control 57; Bottom of Purse 45; Wallet 37; Keyboard 37; Money 11.
Knowing these numbers, liberally cleanse these items with soap and water or with household cleaners. Don’t get sick from the items you love to handle.
https://d2evkimvhatqav.cloudfront.net/documents/2011_NSF_Household_Germ_Study_exec-summary.pdf
#householdfilth #germs #bacteria #viruses #fungi #contamination #sanitation
householdfilth, germs, bacteria, viruses, fungi, contamination, sanitation
Playing Tetris Can Cut Maternal Postpartum Stress
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyAh7KPO9QV/
Women traumatized by an unplanned caesarean section enjoy significant emotional benefit by playing just 15 minutes of the electronic game Tetris during the first 6 hours following delivery of their babies. Swiss obstetricians and psychologists studied 146 women, and approximately half of them played Tetris while the control group was kept busy completing a journal of their activities and thoughts.
All participants were surveyed for PTSD symptoms at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum by clinicians blinded as to the treatment each participant had received. At 6 weeks, the Tetris playing group evidenced only smarginally less PTSD compared with controls. By 6 months, the differences were significant with the Tetris players recording fewer PTSD symptoms and enjoying significantly better moods and cognitive skills.
While the emergent need for a c-section is stressful for expectant mothers and fathers, nearly every childbirth is emotionally trying. That being the case, don’t be afraid to brandish a Tetris game in the immediate aftermath of all such blessed events. Come to think of it, this strategy won’t hurt following any stressful event.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-02275-w
#ptsd #tetris #stress #childbirth #emergency #caesarean
ptsd, tetris, stress, childbirth, emergency, caesarean
CoVid May Trigger Autoimmune Diabetes In Babies
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyAjHjIudY1/
Infant girls with evidence of exposure to the CoVid virus were more than twice as likely to have antibodies against their own insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells as those without traces of CoVid in their systems. German investigators led a multi-center collaborative cohort study of 885 female infants with a genetic predisposition to develop insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes.
The children were followed from 6 to 25 months of age and repeatedly tested for antibodies to CoVid and antibodies to their islet cells. The data revealed that the incidence rate of islet autoantibodies was 7.8 per 100-person years in those kids with coexistent CoVid antibodies but only 3.5 per 100-person years in those without immunologic evidence of CoVid exposure.
Other studies have suggested an association between CoVid infection and autoimmunity. Another large German study revealed that CoVid patients were 42% more likely to develop autoimmune diseases including thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, and salivary gland inflammation.
These studies are just some of the increasing evidence that Covid’s propensity to hyper-stimulate the human immune system may be a chief mechanism by which this family of coronaviruses drives continuing disability long after the acute infection has resolved. Inn other words: Long CoVid.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2809621
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37335408/
#CoVid #longcovid #diabetes #autoimmunity #thyroiditis #arthritis
CoVid, longcovid, diabetes, autoimmunity, thyroiditis, arthritis
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FUTURE MED
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Single Dose Rabies Therapy
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyAkTk_Oi_R/
US military immunologists have developed a human monoclonal antibody that, given as a single shot, effectively fights a rabies virus even when it has taken hold in the central nervous system. Working in a mouse model, the researchers found that their novel antibody quickly triggers monocytes and T cells primed to kill rabies and a related Australian lyssavirus, thereby uniformly saving the infected animals. Currently, if you’re bitten by a wild animal assumed or proven to be rabid, you’ll need a shot of anti-rabies gamma globulin followed by up to 4 injections of rabies vaccine. Hopefully, this military rabies antibody will simplify such treatment….. someday soon.
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.202216394
#rabies #antibody #lyssavirus #vaccine
rabies, antibody, lyssavirus, vaccine
Opening The Blood-Brain Barrier For Gene Therapy
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyAlOE9OxO-/
The blood-brain barrier is a lipid-based protective filter that lines the blood vessels serving the brain. It prevents the entry of harmful chemicals and microorganisms. Now, Rice University bioengineers report the use of highly focused ultrasound to non-invasively poke multiple micro-holes in this barrier in order to admit a gene-carrying adenovirus capable of modifying brain cells in a beneficial way. Using a mouse model, the researchers opened up as many as 105 portals and demonstrated successful gene editing in the targeted brain regions. Multiple viral entry points are necessary since each gateway only permits access to a few millimeters of brain tissue. This technique remains in its infancy, but this proof-of-concept opens the door for possible genetic management of degenerative brain disease ……..someday soon.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41434-023-00421-1
#brain #bloodbrainbarrier #ultrasound #genetherapy #viralvector
brain, bloodbrainbarrier, ultrasound, genetherapy, viralvector
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BUSINESS OF HEALTH
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An Electric Eel Battery May Power Micro-implants
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyAmmhuuETT/
Oxford University biochemists have harnessed the principal employed by electric eels to generate substantial supplies of electricity. This novel bio-battery uses a chain of nanoliter hydrogel bubbles each containing a different ion concentration to create a chemical gradient capable of generating tiny electrical currents. The bubble chains are created using a 3D printer and may be stacked together to generate requisite voltages. The electron flow is controlled by varying the thickness of the insulating lipid layer surrounding each bubble. As a proof-opf-concept, the investigators combined twenty chains of 5 droplets each and were able to generate the 2 volts necessary to successfully light an LED bulb. This type of bioelectric battery will someday power implantable drug delivery devices and wearable sensors.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06295-y#Sec7
#electriceel #batteries #implantables #wearables #ionflux
electriceel, batteries, implantables, wearables, ionflux
Yamaha Shifts Antibody Profiling Into High Gear
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyAnpZCOZtz/
The Yamaha Motor Company has jumped off its motorcycles to launch a healthcare company named Tuning Fork Bio. This enterprise employs the Cell Handler automated tissue culture technology developed by Yamaha and Japan’s Fukushima Medical University to rapidly profile a patient’s circulating antibodies and other biomarkers. Analysis of these profiles using AI can speed the detection of disease even before symptoms and biochemical changes appear permitting timely diagnosis and treatment. Tuning Fork Bio is headquartered in Delaware, and the tuning fork name refers to the 3 tuning forks in the Yamaha Motors logo.
#yamaha #tuningforkbio #antibodies #profiling #cellhandler #ai
yamaha, tuningforkbio, antibodies, profiling, cellhandler, ai, yamaha
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CPSC Recalls
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Onewheel Electric Skateboards Won’t Balance If You’re Too Heavy
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBULAUu2E1/
Recall By: Cpsc; Future Motion Inc.
Problem: All models of this electric skateboard will fail to balance if the rider is too heavy leading to crashes, injuries, and possible death. Injuries reported include traumatic brain injury, concussion, paralysis, upper-body fractures, lower-body fractures, and death.
Sold: 300,000 skateboards were sold nationwide on various websites.
Actions: Stop riding these dangerous skateboards. Update your Onewheel app and use it to update your skateboard’s firmware. The update provides audible and tactile warnings if you are near or exceed the board’s safe limits. For additional information, contact Future Motion at 1-800-283-7943.
#onewheel #skateboard #unbalanced #crash #injury #concussion #fractures #death #recall
onewheel, skateboard, unbalanced, crash, injury, concussion, fractures, death, recall
Polaris, Gravely, and Bobcat Off-Road Vehicles Have Unsafe Seat Belts
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBVff4OMIO/
Recall By: Cpsc; Polaris
Problem: The passenger side seat belt buckle brackets on 2023 Polaris RANGER and RANGER XP 1000 / XP 1000 Crew, Model Year 2024 Polaris Pro XD Full-Size Diesel Crew, Model Year 2024 Gravely ATLAS JSV-3400, and Model Year 2024 Bobcat UV34XL Gas were improperly welded with the seat belt anchor separating from the frame creating an injury hazard to passengers.
Sold: About 280 were sold in the US and 2 were sold in Canada.
Actions: Stop riding these vehicles and contact your dealer for a free inspection and repair. For more info, reach Polaris at 1-800-765-2747, Ariens-Gravely at 1-877-904-4069, and Bobcat at 1-800-743-4340.
#polaris #gravely #bobcat #seatbelts #injury #recall
polaris, gravely, bobcat, seatbelts, injury, recall
Secura Air Fryers Overheat
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBZQC5uX9V/
Recall By: Cpsc; Secura Inc.
Problem: A defective wire connection in these air fryers causes them to overheat risking fires and burns.
Sold. About 6400 air fryers were sold in the US and about 680 were sold in Canada at secure.com and at amazon.com.
Actions: Stop using these defective air fryers and contact Secura at 1-888-792-2360 or via email at customercare@thesecura.com to obtain either a free replacement or a $45 Amazon gift card. For either, you must provide the company with your contact info and photo proof that you have cut the cord of your unit. The photo must include the product’s date code.
#secura #airfryer #overheating #fires #burns #recall
secura, airfryer, overheating, fires, burns, recall
Rust-Oleum Fluorescent Pink Spray Cans Explode
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBaFvbuFaB/
Recall By: Cpsc; Rust-Oleum Inc.
Problem: The valve assembly on these pressurized spray cans can suddenly and forcefully detach leading to impact injuries. Affected lots are #s S34052 and S34054.
Sold. About 84,000 spray cans were sold at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, and hardware stores nationwide and online at amazon.com, homedepot.com and Lowes.com.
Actions: Immediately stop using these spray paint cans, photograph the product and the date code on the bottom, wrap the can in a secure plastic bag, and dispose of the bag. For the refund or more information, email the company at recall@rustoleum.com with your contact info and the photo. More information is available by phone at 1-800-908-4050.
#rustoleum #spraypaint #fluorescentpink #explosion #injury #recall
rustoleum, spraypaint, fluorescentpink, explosion, injury, recall
Solaray Liposomal Multivitamins Are Sold In Child Unsafe Packaging
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBa7i2OPSu/
Recall By: Cpsc; Nutraceutical Corporation
Problem: This iron-containing dietary supplement is marketed in non-child-resistant packaging in violation of the federal Poison Prevention Packaging Act.
Sold: About 85,300 units were sold at Natural Groceries by Vitamin Cottage, Sprouts Farmer’s Market, Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, and Fresh Thyme Farmer’s Market, and other stores nationwide.
Actions: Immediately store these supplement vitamins out of reach of children. Contact the Nutraceutical Corporation at 1-800-227-6063 or via email at info@nutracorp.com in order to get a refund or product replacement in safe packaging.
#solaray #vitamins #supplement #iron #packaging #children #recall
solaray, vitamins, supplement, iron, packaging, children, recall
Zevo Insect Killer Aerosol Cans May Rupture
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBbvQEOurk/
Recall By: Cpsc; Proctor & Gamble
Problem: The aerosol cans of Zevo Fly, Gnat and Fruit Fly Flying Insect Killer sold in 2 can value packs may suddenly rupture and leak leading to lacerations and injuries.
Sold: About 8600 of these value packs were sold in Kroger and Meijer stores nationwide.
Actions: Stop using these cans of insect spray and complete an online form for a refund by visiting zevoinsect.com/recall. You will have to submit a photo of the can’s bottom with the lot number or a sales receipt.
#zevo #procteranddgamble #insectspray #rupture #laceration #injury #recall
zevo, procteranddgamble, insectspray, rupture, laceration, injury, recall
Trek Allant+ Bikes Have Faulty Rear Brakes
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBc6XouKBU/
Recall By: Cpsc; Trek Bicycle Corporation
Problem: Trek Allant+ 7 bicycles equipped with Tektro brakes have rear brake hoses that kink and break when turning the handlebars leading to loss of control, crashes, and injuries to the rider and bystanders.
Sold: About 7,000 of these bikes were sold at Trek-owned and other bicycle stores nationwide.
Actions: Stop riding these bikes and contact your Trek dealer for a free repair. For more information about the recall, phone Trek at 1-800-373-4594.
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/Trek-Recalls-Allant-7-Bicycles-Due-to-Crash-Hazard
#trek #allant #bicycles #brakes #crash #injuries #recall
trek, allant, bicycles, brakes, crash, injuries, recall
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FDA Recalls
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Ion and Restore Nasal Sprays Have Bacterial Contamination
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBdgpzuDQs/
Recall By: Fda; Biomic Sciences, LLC
Problem: All lots of ION* Sinus Support, ION* Biome Sinus, and Restore Sinus Spray products are possibly contaminated with the bacteria Microbacterium sp., Fictibacillus sp., Bacillus sp., (primarily B. malikii), and Paenibacillus sp.
Actions: If you have any of these products, do not spray them into your nasal cavities. Take a photo showing the lot number on the package and provide this to Biomic via phone at 1-844-715-0113 or via email sinusrecall@intelligenceofnature.com in order to obtain a refund.
#biomic #ion #restore #nasalspray #bacteria #infection #recall
biomic, ion, restore, nasalspray, bacteria, infection, recall
Kandy Cantaloupe Has Salmonella
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBeW90Orp3/
Recall By: Fda; Eagle Produce LLC
Problem: Kandy branded cantaloupe with lot numbers 797901, 797900, and 804918 have salmonella contamination. This bacterium triggers a serious gastroenteritis that may spread to a septicemia.
Sold: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington D.C.
Actions: Do not consume this product. Return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information, call Eagle at 1-800-627-8674.
#kandy #cantaloupe #salmonella #infection #recall
kandy, cantaloupe, salmonella, infection, recall
Dick Taylor Ginger Snap Milk Chocolate Bars Have Peanut
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBfqfHOJlU/
Recall By: Fda; Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate
Problem: Dick Taylor Ginger Snap Milk Chocolate Bars, batch 23194, actually contain Dick Taylor Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bars due to mis-packaging. This undeclared peanut is a danger to those consumers with peanut allergies.
Sold: Via retail stores in Humboldt County, CA and the company’s factory store in Eureka, CA.
Actions: Return these chocolate bars to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information, call Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate at 1-707-798-6010.
#dicktaylor #gingersnap #milkchocolate #peanut #allergy #recall
dicktaylor, gingersnap, milkchocolate, peanut, allergy, recall
Penzey’s Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle Contains Sesame
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBgd3hugKU/
Recall By: Fda; Penzey’s Spices
Problem: Penzey’s Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle contains undeclared sesame seeds. Affected are lot #s 37652-1 or 37652-2.
Actions: Do not consume this product and return it to your Penny’s Spice store for a full refund. More information is available at customerservice@penzeys.com, or 1-800-741-7787.
#penzeys #cheesesprinkle #sesame #allergy #recall
penzeys, cheesesprinkle, sesame, allergy, recall