Reflections on risk prediction
This Monday evening our next podcast becomes available. Dr. Gustavo Heudebert and I discuss another article about risk prediction. This topic has become a recurring theme on the Annals On Call podcast.
Why is risk prediction so important? In 2019 we make many decisions about prevention and testing based on risk prediction. In addition we also estimate harms and benefits. All these predictive models have advantages and flaws. In making a decision for statin use (another upcoming episode), we have to estimate the risk of cardiovascular events, how much taking a statin will decrease that risk, and the probability and type...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - February 16, 2019 Category: Internal Medicine Authors: rcentor Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 21st 2019
In this study, scientists screened cells from old animals to identify any RBPs that change upon aging. The screening showed that one particular protein, Pumilio2 (PUM2), was highly induced in old animals. PUM2 binds mRNA molecules containing specific recognition sites. Upon its binding, PUM2 represses the translation of the target mRNAs into proteins.
Using a systems genetics approach, the researchers then identified a new mRNA target that PUM2 binds. The mRNA encodes for a protein called Mitochondrial Fission Factor (MFF), and is a pivotal regulator of mitochondrial fission - a process by which mitochondria break u...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 20, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Nattokinase and Reversal of Atherosclerotic Lesions
Atherosclerosis is one of the great killers. Fatty deposits form in blood vessels walls, narrowing and weakening the vessels. Eventually something ruptures, and the result is a stroke or heart attack, but even absent that the condition can narrow vessels sufficiently to cause fatal coronary artery disease. Even with modern medicine, the condition is inexorable: the toolkit doesn't yet include a way to more than slightly reverse the buildup of these plaques, and medical professionals must focus on ways to incrementally slow the progression of atherosclerosis rather than delivering any true cure.
One of the side-effec...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 15, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 14th 2019
In conclusion, reduction of LDL-C to less than 50 mg/dl seems safe and provides greater CV benefits compared with higher levels. Data for achieved LDL-C lower than 20-25 mg/dl is limited, although findings from the above mentioned studies are encouraging. However, further evaluation is needed for future studies and post-hoc analyses.
Wary of the Beautiful Fairy Tale of Near Term Rejuvenation
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2019/01/wary-of-the-beautiful-fairy-tale-of-near-term-rejuvenation/
One might compare this interview with researcher Leonid Peshkin to last year's discussion with Vadim Gladyshev....
Source: Fight Aging! - January 13, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Alirocumab – a PCSK9 inhibitor
Alirocumab – a PCSK9 inhibitor
Alirocumab is a human monoclonal antibody to proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin type 9 (PCSK9). It is used to treat high cholesterol which is not controlled by diet and statin therapy. Those with statin intolerance will also benefit from this drug. It may be noted that several patients treated with currently available oral lipid lowering agents do not reach target low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels recommended by clinical guidelines. The cardiovascular risk of these patients remain significantly high. Earlier, these patients had only one option – LDL apheres...
Source: Cardiophile MD - January 13, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
People who live in neighborhoods with green spaces have less stress, healthier blood vessels and lower risk of heart attack and stroke
People who live in neighborhoods with more green spaces may have less stress, healthier blood vessels and a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.Residential greenness is associated with lower levels of sympathetic activation, reduced oxidative stress, and higher angiogenic capacity. This is independent of age, sex, race, smoking status, neighborhood deprivation, statin use, and roadway exposure.For this study (see the link below), researchers tested for a variety of biomarkers of stress and heart disease risk in blood and urine samples from 408 patients at a cardiology clinic in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.Residents of th...
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - January 11, 2019 Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Longevity Nature Source Type: blogs
Is it Safe to Greatly Reduce LDL Cholesterol, Far Below Normal Levels?
In conclusion, reduction of LDL-C to less than 50 mg/dl seems safe and provides greater CV benefits compared with higher levels. Data for achieved LDL-C lower than 20-25 mg/dl is limited, although findings from the above mentioned studies are encouraging. However, further evaluation is needed for future studies and post-hoc analyses. (Source: Fight Aging!)
Source: Fight Aging! - January 9, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Long-term statin use protects against prostate cancer death
Statins and other drugs that lessen cardiovascular disease risk by lowering blood lipids rank among the world’s most prescribed medications. And for the men who take them, accumulating evidence has for years pointed to another added benefit: a lower risk of developing prostate cancer.
Now researchers are reporting that long-term statin use (more than 10 years) can also reduce the odds of a prostate cancer death. The new findings come from a study led by Alison Mondul, a cancer epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Mondul says that most men develop slow-growing, indolent prostate cancers th...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 7, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charlie Schmidt Tags: Living With Prostate Cancer Prostate Knowledge HPK Source Type: blogs
Reduce HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES naturally and safely . . . without scam products
High triglyceride levels are as common as muffin tops and man breasts. You will find a triglyceride level among the four values on any standard cholesterol panel. High triglycerides are either ignored by most doctors or reflexively “treated” with drugs, such as fibrates (Lopid, fenofibrate), prescription fish oil (Lovaza, Vascepa) and, of course, statins. But buried in this single triglyceride value is tremendous insight into diet, metabolic efficiencies, and cardiovascular risk, with control using natural, non-medication means easy to accomplish with absolute NO need for overpriced Big Pharma scam products.
Why are ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - December 28, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates grain-free triglycerides undoctored Weight Loss wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Statistical Certainty: Less is More
By ANISH KOKA MD
The day after NBC releases a story on a ‘ground-breaking’ observational study demonstrating caramel macchiatas reduce the risk of death, everyone expects physicians to be experts on the subject. The truth is that most of us hope John Mandrola has written a smart blog on the topic so we know intelligent things to tell patients and family members.
A minority of physicians actually read the original study, and of those who read the study, even fewer have any real idea of the statistical ingredients used to make the study. Imagine not knowing whether the sausage you just ate contained rat droppings. At...
Source: The Health Care Blog - December 26, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Data Health Policy Anish Koka Brian Nosek data analysis HRRP randomized controlled trials statistics Source Type: blogs
What Does Christmas Have To Do With Genomics?
Do you have the feeling that genomics is all around this year and you cannot escape DNAs, SNPs, chromosomes and double spirals wherever you look? Do you suspect that even Billy Mack is considering a change to “Genes are all around you” in everyone’s favorite holiday movie, Love Actually? Well, that won’t be a surprise as Christmas and genetics have more in common than you think – and scientists are even working on figuring out Santa’s genetic make-up.
Gene-edited Christmas trees and Santa’s DNA
If it’s all in our genes, the explanation for the Grinch hating the holidays or Santa’s incredible working capac...
Source: The Medical Futurist - December 18, 2018 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Genomics Patients christmas Christmas tree december dinner DNA dna testing food future Gene genes genetics holiday holidays Innovation nutrigenomics pharmacogenomics Santa technology Source Type: blogs
Nutritional Lipidology
The statin drug industry and their willing and eager servants, i.e., doctors, have managed to prop up a drug franchise that has reaped hundreds of billion of dollars over the years while providing little benefit but plenty of harm. Although I’ve discussed these issues many times here in the Wheat Belly Blog, the Wheat Belly books, and more recently in the Undoctored book and Blog, it bears exploring further. I keep on hoping that clarity, logic, evidence, truth and repetition overcome our lack of billions of dollars in marketing that Big Pharma controls, a genuine David-vs-Goliath situation.
I call all the varied c...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - December 17, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates cardiovascular cholesterol heart lipoproteins statin undoctored wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, December 17th 2018
In this study, we found that TNF-α resulted in an impairment of autophagic flux in microglia. Concomitantly, an increase of M1 marker expression and reduction of M2 marker expression were observed in TNF-α challenged microglia. Upregulation of autophagy via serum deprivation or pharmacologic activators (rapamycin and resveratrol) promoted microglia polarization toward M2 phenotype, as evidenced by suppressed M1 and elevated M2 gene expression, while inhibition of autophagy with 3-MA or Atg5 siRNA consistently aggravated the M1 polarization induced by TNF-α.
Moreover, Atg5 knockdown alone was sufficient to trigger...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 16, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Effective Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease Requires Targeting the Mechanisms of Aging
These days, an ever larger fraction of the research community is waking to the idea that the effective treatment of age-related disease requires approaches that target the mechanisms of aging. This is a good thing, as it begins to narrow the scope of advocacy within the research community to the task of steering scientists towards better rather than worse ways of going about targeting the mechanisms of aging. It remains the case that most of the better supported lines of work related to aging are, in effect, very challenging ways to produce only small benefits at the end of the day - most researchers are working on methods...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 10, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Sign up for the Wheat Belly/Undoctored Caribbean Cruise!
Join us for a glorious week at sea with elegant tropical ports, incredible food compatible with our lifestyle, and plenty of discussions and workshops on the Wheat Belly and Undoctored lifestyles. In addition to two educational paths to choose from, this year we host new lessons such as our L. reuteri yogurt-making demonstration in which we give you the tablets to take home to make it on your own! We will also discuss SIBO, new insights into skin health, REAL heart health without statins.
PRICES STARTING AS LOW AS $1099 USD BEFORE TAXES AND PORT FEES. More information here.
(Per person based on double occupancy. Start a co...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - December 6, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates autoimmune bowel flora Dr. Davis low-carb microbiota oxytocin probiotic reuteri undoctored Weight Loss wheat belly Source Type: blogs
