Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/COiOW4RQtio   Half of those admitted to hospitals with severe CoVid infections at the pandemic’s beginning were continuing to suffer with at least one symptom of LongCovid 2 years later.  A Chinese study with the longest patient followup to date follkowed 1192 participants infected with the original Wuhan strain during 2020.  Their median age was 57 years,  Controls were matched persons with no history of infection.   Researchers assessed the patients at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years following infection using a 6 minute walking test, lab tests, and questionnaires probing symptoms, mental health, quality of life, work history, and need for health care.  Two-thirds (68%) of patients had at least one symptom at 6 months and that figure only dropped to 55% by 2 years.  Most common were fatigue and muscle weakness in half (52%) at 6 months and still present in 31% by 2 years.  The same percentage had sleep problems at 2 years.  Some good news: 89% percent managed to drag themselves bac

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Il4p2NLoyCc   Those men whose sperm were in younger epigenetic age categories were 17% more likely to successfully father children.  This the finding of researchers at Wayne State’s Center for Human Growth and Development.   They studied 379 male partners of couples actively trying to get pregnant.  The epigenetic age of their sperm was determined by DNA methylation patterns, and the sperm were placed in several age categories.  While the sperm genetic age advancement was often closely tied to a man’s chronological age, other factors including smoking serve to genetically age sperm faster.  After data tabulation, those men with sperm in younger epigenetic age categories were more successful at impregnating their partners.   With couples waiting longer to become parents, epigenetic sperm aging joins other tests to not only predict the chances of getting pregnant but also risks that the developing fetus may harbor problematic or even life-threatening genetic defects.   https://www.s

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/1EJHEpRiNhA   The greater the intensity of road cycling training on a given day, the lower the moods of those cyclists the following day.  Researchers at Barcelona’s Laboratory of Sports Psychology and Sport Research Institute carefully monitored 5 recreational road cyclists over a 6 week period.   Captured was data that reflected the cyclists actual and perceived physical exertion and their cardiovascular responses on the training day and the day after.   Their mood was quantitated using a 10-point scale.   The morning after a day of intense cycling and exertion, the mood of the trainees tended to be low as did their heart rate variabilities.  This was particularly true if a trainees felt that the level of required physical exertion was beyond their capacities.   This model provides a framework for tailoring the progressive intensity of athletic training to the capabilities and needs of the trainees.  This strategy is incorporated into a number of smartphone apps.   https://peerj

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/3EF1xXDxb28   When asthmatics develop oxygen-robbing attacks, rescue with inhaled therapy that includes not only albuterol but also a steroid is 26% more effective than treatment with the bronchodilator albuterol alone.  The randomized, double-blind multicenter MANDALA study followed a group of 3132 asthmatics who received one of three therapies: 180 ug of albuterol alone, the albuterol plus 160 ug of the steroid budesonide, or the albuterol plus a 80 ug half-dose of the budesonide.  The measure of effective rescue therapy was avoiding any inpatient admission, any ER or urgent care visit, or 3 days of systemic steroid therapy    In contrast to the 26% outcome advantage afforded by the full dose of steroid plus albuterol, the half dose yielded only a 16% advantage over albuterol alone in terms of eliminating the need for inpatient or outpatient emergency care.  Following the patients over time, the two drug therapy also reduced the annualized rate of severe exacerbation by 26% and

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/jUgc6YPWkrE   Your chance of developing LongCovid is about 21% greater after an Omicron BA.2 infection compared with a Delta infection.  The UK’s Office for National Statistics surveyed 6631 persons infected with either the CoVid Delta variant or one of the Omicron subvariants after 3 shots of either the Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZenaca CoVid vaccines.  The survey asked participants if they experienced any symptoms of LongCovid from 4 to 8 weeks after their infections.  If so, did their LongCovid symptoms interfere with their daily activities.   When the numbers were crunched, the incidence of LongCovid for the triple vaccinated was about 8 to over 9%.  Unlike the situation for Delta, the addition of the 3rd shot did not measurably decrease the LongCovid incidence after the Omicron subvariants.   In general, the incidence of any LongCovid trended higher after Omicron BA.2 than after either Omicron BA.1 or Delta.  The incidence of activity-limiting LongCovid was no higher after BA.2

  Vidcast: https://youtu.be/wXCnjvWXStI The FDA and Grandma’s Cuisine have recalled Cheese-Filled Pierogis sold under the Grandma’s Cuisine, Bernat’s, and Golden Eagle brands.  These pierogis contain undeclared milk allergen.  Those with milk allergies may develop serious and life-threatening allergic reactions after ingesting these pieogis.  Grandma’s Cuisine branded pierogis were distributed in Restaurant Depot chain stores and local retail stores in NY, NJ, and PA. Bernat’s branded pierogis were distributed to retail stores in MA. Golden Eagle brand pierogis were distributed to retail stores in NJ.  If you bought these pierogis, return them to the place of purchase for a refund.  For more information, contact the company by phone at 1-570-421-0102.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/dymski-pierogies-dba-grandmas-cuisine-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-milk-frozen-cheese-filled   #grandmascuisine #pierogis #cheesefilled #milk #allergy #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/8ylJ2vzTYPQ   The FDA and the Mars Wrigley Confectionery US are recalling specific varieties of Skittles, Starburst, Life Savers Gummies.  These candies or the bags containing them are contaminated with a very thin metal strands.  The flavors involved are: original, sours, sour berries, wild berries, and five flavor.  If you bought any of these, dispose of the product and contact Mars Wrigley Confectionery by phone at 1-800-651-2564 for a refund or for answers to questions.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/mars-wrigley-confectionery-us-llc-issues-voluntary-recall-specific-varieties-skittlesr-gummies   #marswrigley #skittles #starburst #lifesavers #gummies #foreignbody #injury #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/aw0_WPrnx2c   The FDA and Mrs Millers Homemade Jams have recalled the following products:  Smokey BBQ Bacon Jam and Spicy Chili Bacon Jam.  The recall is due to an undeclared soy allergen found in the Worcestershire Sauce and Hickory Smoke ingredients used in these jams.   These jams were sold in Ohio. Delaware, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Minnesota, Nebraska, West Virginia, California, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Washington state.  If you bought either of these products and you or a family member have a soy allergy, destroy the product and contact the company by phone at 1-330-674-1165 more via email at info@millershomemadejams.com.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/mrs-millers-homemade-jams-issues-voluntary-recall-due-undeclared-soy-allergen   #mrsmillershomemadejams #soy #allergy #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZFvzdnCefTs   The FDA and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream have recalled Van Leeuwen Oat Milk Brown Sugar Chunk Non-dairy Frozen Dessert.  This product contains undeclared tree nuts specifically cashews and pistachios.   Those with an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts, tree nuts including chestnuts, brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, cashews, eggs, and sulfites run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions after consuming this product.  Involved is lot #21V194  with a best by date of 1/13//2023.  If you have this product in your freezer, return it to the place of purchase for a refund.  Additional information is available by contacting Kate Alberswerth by email at kate@vanleeuwenicecream.com or by phone at 1-718-701-1630.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/van-leeuwen-issues-voluntary-recall-undeclared-tree-nuts-cashew-and-pistachio-frozen-dessert-product   #vanleeuwen #nondairy #oatmilk #treenuts #allergy #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ckYFf44eZ7c   The FDA and HP Hood LLC now recall Planet Oat Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Planet Oat Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl frozen dessert.    The issue is undeclared peanuts.  Apparently, the Planet Oat Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl frozen dessert was mistakenly packaged in the Planet Oat Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough containers.  Those with a peanut allergy could develop a serious and life-threatening allergic reaction are ingesting these products. 4,481 cases of product are involved and both products bear a best by date of 12/17/2022.  If you bought either of these products, return them to the place of purchase for a refund or an exchange.  If you require more information contact HP Hood Consumer Affairs at 1-800-242-2423.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/hp-hood-llc-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-peanuts-planet-oat-non-dairy-frozen-dessert   #hood #planetoat #cookiedough #peanutbutterswirl #peanuts #allergy #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/7Px38iwOQWc   The CPSC and Yamaha Motor Corporation USA are recalling Yamaha Wolverine RMAX Off-Road Side-by-Side Vehicles.  These vehicles have a defective fuel tank that leaks creating fire and explosion hazards.  About 4,130 of these vehicles were sold.  If you have one of these potential firetraps, stop using it and contact your authorized Yamaha dealer to schedule a free inspection and repair.  For more information, phone the Yamaha Motor Corporation USA at 1-800-889-2624.   https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Yamaha-Recalls-Wolverine-RMAX-Off-Road-Side-By-Side-Vehicles-Due-to-Fire-and-Explosion-Hazards-Recall-Alert   #yamaha #offroad #wolverine #gastank #fire #explosion #recallh  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/aHuKzrsiDCc   Let’s review some the healthcare-related business news for this 2nd week of May, 2022   Bill Gates just tested positive for CoVid despite the fact that he is fully vaccinated and boosted.  His case so far is symptomatically mild.  He is attending the first in-person meeting that the Gates Foundation has had in several years, but he will be doing so virtually.  Ironically, his latest book “How to Prevent the Next Pandemic” was published last week.   https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-says-he-has-tested-positive-for-covid-19-2022-5   Yelp and Microsoft now join Citibank, Apple, Tesla, and Amazon in adding a unique health benefit for their employees.  In support of access to a full panel of reproductive health care including pregnancy termination, these companies and likely others will pay travel costs if services are unavailable in in an employee’s home state.   https://www.businessinsider.com/yelp-exec-abortion-travel-expenses-benefit-miriam-warren-2022-4 h

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VqIN3664keY   Short Shorts are quickie reports about cutting edge medical and healthcare discoveries.  They’re worth knowing about this 2nd week of May, 2022.   Silkworms help to repair Achille’s tendons.  From UCLA and the Terasaki Institute for Medical Innovation comes the novel combination of silk from the Bombyx mori silkworm and a water-retaining gel called GelMA.  These materials form a matrix in which mesenchymal stem cells can grow to produce a strong, biocompatible material called SG that can repair tendons.  This material works in rats and soon will be tested in humans.   https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202107714   A new portable MRI device offers on-the-spot evaluations of wrist and elbow joint integrity for athletes such as tennis and baseball players at high risk for overuse injuries.  Developed at Japan’s University of Tsukuba, the car-mounted device can be deployed in the field at the practice sites to catch cartilage and bony injuries early while s

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kUBUoXgOAZA   The latest subvariants now spreading around the world, Omicron BA 2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 easily escape neutralization by antibodies that neutralize the original Omicron and earlier subvariants including BA.1. and BA.2.  These later subvariants boast an increasing number of novel mutations.   Chinese virologists now report that their studies pitting these latest subvariants against the anti-CoVid antibodies found in the sera of vaccinated and boosted persons.  The vaccinations were performed with an inactivated virus vaccine CoronaVac and the boosts achieved with a protein subunit vaccine Zifivax.   Compared with BA.2, the more recent subvariants evade protection by vaccination followed by boosting and vaccination followed by an Omicron or BA.1 infection.  This suggests that any new boosters must contain the novel antigens found on the spikes of BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 or even later variants.   https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.04.30.489997v1.full.pdf+ht

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/jgOpwuaA4cA   Survivors of severe CoVid infections suffer deficits in their cognitive functions equivalent to 20 years of aging or the loss of 10 IQ points.  British researchers at the Cambridge NeuroCOVID Group compared the cognitive functioning of 46 persons 6 months following a bout of severe CoVid with the performance of 460 healthy, matched controls.   Those who were CoVid-infected mounted slower and more incorrect responses than the matched healthy controls on computerized cognitive tests measuring reasoning, attention, and memory.  The deficits were markedly worse for those who had required mechanical ventilation.  When followed out to 10 months, some but not many evidenced slow improvement.   https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(22)00147-X/fulltext#%20   #CoVid #longcovid #cognition #memory #attention  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/1SgJ-DiZ0eQ   Women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy have a 63% higher risk of heart attack and/or stroke later in life.  Epidemiologists at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital studied 60,000 nurses over a 30 year period.   The study revealed nearly 10% of pregnant women develop high blood pressure during a first pregnancy with obesity increasing that risk 3-fold.  Jumping ahead 30 years when the women were in their sixties, those who had gestational hypertension had a 41% greater risk of cardiovascular disease while those who suffered pre-eclampsia had a 72% greater CV disease risk.   Women contemplating pregnancy should work with their healthcare team on preconception care to get their weight and blood pressure under control before conception let alone before the 3rd trimester.   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109722044862?via%3Dihub   #pregnancy #hypertension #heartattack #stroke #preeclampsia  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Z-N2bFdF588   Consuming a Mediterranean Diet for 3 months significantly lifted the spirits of young men 18 - 25 years.  Australian public health researchers studied 72 test subjects in a parallel group, non-blinded, randomized study.   At the end of 12 weeks, those adhering to the Mediterranean diet compared with controls showed significantly improved scores on both the Beck Depression Inventory Scale and the Quality of Life score.   So guys, if you want a non-medicinal pick me up, chuck those greasy red meat burgers and fries in favor of more beans, nuts, grains, fruits, and veggies.  Forego the gobs of butter and use olive oil.    https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqac106/6571247?redirectedFrom=fulltext   #menshealth #twentysomethings #depression #mediterraneandiet  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/7fK1ZL2SgGY   Increased exposure to the forever chemicals PFAS and phthalates leads to significant weakening of long bones in adolescent boys.  Epidemiologists at the Maine Medical Center studied the blood, urine, and bone X-rays of 453 boys and 395 girls 12 to 19 years of age.   The overall concentrations of PFAS in the blood and phthalate metabolites in the urine were associated with a significant drop in bone density but only in the boys.  No such association was seen in the teen girls.   Now that I have your attention, lets talk more about PFAS and phthalates.  They are called forever and hormone disrupting chemicals because, once in the body, they are not destroyed by our traditional human detoxification in the liver or excretion in the urine.  These chemicals are now ubiquitious with PFAS, short for perfluroalkyl and polyfluroalkyl substances, getting into our bodies from plasticized fast food, popcorn, and pizza boxes.  Phthalates invade us due to their presence in cosmetic

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/PY9aMaAUhKk   Children on vegetarian diets grow just as well and are as well nourished as meat-eaters.  But…. These kids do have a tendency to be underweight.   These conclusions from a Canadian study of 8907 children from 6 months of 8 years of age studied from 2008 to 2019.   Those children exclusively eating plant-based diets had statistically similar body mass indices, heights, iron levels, Vitamin D values, and cholesterol levels as those who consumed a wider range of foods including meat.  The vegetarian kids nearly nearly twice as likely to be underweight as defined as being below the third percentile for BMI.   With exclusively plant-based diets becoming all the rage in both Canada and the US, the pediatric researchers conducting this study emphasize the importance of consistent growth monitoring for those children consuming these more narrow ranges of foods.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220502094813.htm   #vegetarians #children #nutrition #malnutrition

  Vidcast:  H-E-B Bakery Two-Bite Brownies on Recall   The FDA and H-E-B are recalling H-E-B Bakery Two-Bite Brownies and H-E-B Simply Delicious Cookies with Brownie Bites Party Trays. These products contain metal fragments that could lead to injuries of the mouth, throat, and gastrointestinal linings.  The items were sold in Texas and Mexico. If you bought these pastries, do not consume them.  Return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.  For additional information, call H-E-B Customer Service at 1-855-432-4438.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/specific-items-containing-h-e-b-bakery-two-bite-brownies-manufactured-outside-supplier-voluntarily   #heb #brownies #cookies #foreignbodies #lacerations #recall