Curated News: Medical Meetings

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In addition to helping patients shed pounds, weight loss surgery may also improve kidney function.

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Simple exercises can help improve the health of patients with kidney disease.

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In a study of blacks with normal kidney function, those with severe periodontal disease developed chronic kidney disease at 4 times the rate of those without severe periodontal disease.

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Many young patients with chronic conditions don’t take their medications correctly, but 2 new studies point to ways to address such medication non-adherence.

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Sleep apnea may accelerate kidney function decline in diabetic patients with kidney disease.

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Transplanted kidneys may not function long-term if they come from donors with variants in a particular gene.

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Researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have developed a technology that improves the detection of tumors during radiation therapy for early-stage lung cancer.

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Patients on dialysis are very vulnerable during emergencies or disasters, but many are unprepared for such situations.

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Preschoolers whose parents have rules about what their children can and cannot eat have healthier eating habits than those raised without such rules, according to a new study by pediatrics researchers at the University at Buffalo.

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James L. Sublett, M.D., Louisville, Kentucky, was installed president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) at the ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta on Nov. 10. Bryan L. Martin, DO, Columbus, Ohio, was elected ACAAI president-elect.

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Scott Hunt served 25 years as executive director and CEO of the Endocrine Society before announcing his retirement in 2013, and today the American Medical Association (AMA) announced it presented him with the Medical Executive Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Employers increasingly offer financial incentives to employees for participation in wellness activities; however whether these incentives lead to improved health behaviors and outcomes is unclear. This study gathered data on adult health plan members for three years, and compared the uptake of telephone health coaching among members who received employee incentives to those who did not. Results show those offered incentives were 33 times more likely to use the health coaching, and also did so sooner.

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The Obesity Society (TOS) outgoing president, Steven Smith, MD, presented the first-ever presidential medals to influential public figures during the Opening Session of the Society’s annual meeting, ObesityWeekSM 2014, this week in Boston. The recipients include TOS past-president and pioneer in obesity research and treatment George Bray, MD; United States Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO); HBO’s John Oliver; and, former FDA leader, Eric Coleman, MD. This is the first time TOS recognized key public figures for efforts that support the Society’s goals and mission.

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Many people have been told, incorrectly, that they’re allergic to penicillin, but have not had allergy testing. These people are often given alternative antibiotics prior to surgery to ward off infection. But when antibiotic choices are limited due to resistance, treatment alternatives may be more toxic, more expensive and less effective.

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Some doctors don’t know fact from fiction when it comes to treating allergies.

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Last year’s long, harsh winter was brutal, and caused some experts to predict the “polar vortex” would turn into the “pollen vortex,” and make allergy sufferers more miserable than ever before. But the “pollen vortex” didn’t happen – at least not everywhere.

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According to a study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, teens and caregivers have different levels of asthma health literacy, and teens don’t necessarily get their information from caregivers when it comes to managing asthma symptoms.

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According to a new study being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, stock epinephrine was used on 38 children and adults in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) during the 2012-13 school year for severe anaphylactic emergencies. According to the study, CPS was the first large urban school district in the United States to develop and implement a comprehensive stock epinephrine policy in accordance with state guidelines.

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News Brief: According to a study being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta, November 6-10, increased levels of asthma and allergic rhinitis (hay fever) were found in children in India who were exposed to more indoor pollutants.

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According to a presentation at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, as many as 50 percent of older adults with obstructive airway disease have overlapping characteristics of asthma and COPD. And this percentage increases as people get older.

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Interesting facts and myths about asthma and allergies from the ACAAI 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting

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Researchers explored whether high- or low- protein diets might lead to less weight gain when consuming excess calories due to the ability of the body to burn extra energy with a high-protein diet. They found that study participants all gained similar amounts of weight regardless of diet composition; however, there was a vast difference in how the body stored the excess calories. Those who consumed normal- and high- protein diets stored 45% of the excess calories as lean tissue, or muscle mass, while those on the low-protein diet stored 95% of the excess calories as fat. Study results also show that the increase in metabolism tied to a high-protein diet was not sustainable when participants changed to a normal-protein diet, suggesting that the human body cannot be trained to maintain a higher metabolism.

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An allergic response to a medication for allergies can often go undiagnosed. A presentation at the ACAAI Annual Meeting sheds light on adverse responses to topical skin preparations; helps identify patients who are hypersensitive to antihistamines, and identifies allergic responses to various drugs used in the treatment of asthma.

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Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery in patients with type 2 diabetes, once considered a high-risk procedure, carries a complication and mortality rate comparable to some of the safest and most commonly performed surgeries in America, including gallbladder surgery, appendectomy, and total knee replacement, according to new research from the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute.

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A diet high in fat can increase one’s risk for diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome; however few studies have assessed the effects of a maternal high fat diet on offspring. This research suggests that a high-fat maternal diet during pregnancy and while breastfeeding could have significant and lasting detrimental effects on the brain function and behavior of children. The study is one of few basic science studies conducted to measure the direct effect of a high-fat maternal diet on the cognitive functioning on offspring.

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This research evaluates the perception of obesity among both the American public and healthcare professionals during the past year. Results show a significant shift in perceptions of obesity in 2014, with the percent of Americans seeing obesity as a community problem increasing as much as 13% and the percent of healthcare professionals increasing 18%. Data also show differences among various demographic groups.

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Recent guidance from the United States’ Affordable Care Act and the United Kingdom’s Responsibility Deal encourage calorie labeling in chain restaurants, yet there have been mixed results as to the effects of calorie labeling on consumers’ meal choices and weight status. This first-ever, long-term study on calorie labeling shows that consistent exposure to prominent calorie labeling of main meals reduced the likelihood of young adults gaining any weight over a one-year period by 50%. This study will be presented as part of the Obesity Journal Symposium.

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While recent studies indicate that added sugar consumption has begun to decline, no research has examined whether these changes have persisted, or are consistent across critical subpopulations. Researchers examined five nationally representative surveys about food intake in the U.S. from 1977 to 2010, and found that added sugar consumption by American adults has increased by about 30% in the last three decades. This study will be recognized by TOS Pediatric Obesity Section with a Poster of Excellence Award, an honor given each year to the most outstanding abstracts in the research area.

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This study adds evidence to the current thinking that individuals with obesity can successfully reduce cravings using distract tasks. For this study, researchers tested the effects of three, 30-second distraction techniques to reduce cravings for the study participant’s favorite foods. They found that the effect of tapping one’s own forehead and ear with their index finger, tapping one’s toe on the floor, or a control task of staring at a blank wall, all worked significantly to reduce the cravings; however, forehead tapping worked best out of all techniques.

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Recently released Census Bureau data show that the number of people commuting by bike has increased by 60% over the past decade - but until now, the increase has not been closely tied to a supportive city infrastructure. Researchers evaluated how the development of the Minneapolis Greenway affected the commute of residents over a ten-year period. The research found that bike-friendly infrastructure changes were tied to increases in “active commuting” by bike-riding residents, which can promote healthy weight and reduce cardiac risk.

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A recently awarded grant will fund a human clinical trial in type 1 diabetes beginning in early 2015 to see if verapamil will have an effect in humans by attacking the disease where it occurs. Meanwhile, more small molecule drugs at UAB are in development.

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Senior citizens are at no higher risk for complications from cosmetic surgery than younger patients, according to a recent study by plastic surgeons at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

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After six months, people with intragastric balloons in their stomachs lost more than twice their excess weight, compared to people who tried to lose weight under a medically supervised diet and exercise program alone, according to new research from a randomized clinical trial presented here at ObesityWeek 2014, the largest international event focused on the basic science, clinical application and prevention and treatment of obesity.

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People with obesity may have an unexpected ally after weight-loss surgery: their tongues. New research from the Stanford University School of Medicine finds patients who reported a decrease in taste intensity after bariatric surgery had significantly higher excess weight loss after three months than those whose taste intensity became higher.

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Patients with obesity take significantly fewer medications after weight-loss surgery than their non-surgical counterparts, and end up spending 22.4 percent less on drugs for diabetes and heart disease after four years, according to new research.

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Researchers used data from the 2007 - 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to estimate the proportion of adults in the United States recommended for treatment based on The Obesity Society (TOS), The American Heart Association (AHA) and The American College of Cardiology Guidelines (2013) for Managing Overweight and Obesity in Adults, released in November 2013. Data show 131 million American adults – about 65 percent – are recommended for behavioral weight-loss treatment, with 83% of those (or 116 million) also recommended for pharmacotherapy. Another 25% (or 32 million) of adults recommended for both pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatment are also potential candidates for bariatric surgery.

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People with muscular dystrophy could one day assess the effectiveness of their medication with the help of a smartphone-linked device, a new study in mice suggests. The study used a new method to process ultrasound imaging information that could lead to hand-held instruments that provide fast, convenient medical information.

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A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) adds more credence to a growing awareness of the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in neuromuscular disease.

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Surgeons are tweaking existing computer technologies to enhance their visualization of cancerous tumors and persistent wounds according to two studies presented this week at the 2014 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

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Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a way to use sound to create cellular scaffolding for tissue engineering, a unique approach that could help overcome one of regenerative medicine’s significant obstacles.

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Einstein and Montefiore to present new research that reveals a genotype that can predict survival and risk factors for cognitive impairment.

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Patients who received post-operative radiation therapy (PORT), radiation therapy after surgery, lived an average of four months longer when compared to the patients who had the same disease site, tumor histology and treatment criteria and who did not receive PORT, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

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Analysis of data from an institutional patient registry on stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) indicates excellent long-term, local control, 79 percent of tumors, for medically inoperable, early stage lung cancer patients treated with SBRT from 2003 to 2012, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

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Patients at high-risk for developing lung cancer are more likely to receive low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening when their primary care provider is familiar with guideline recommendations for LDCT screening for lung cancer, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

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Analysis of 607 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) lung tumors and neuroendocrine tumors (NET) identified common molecular markers among both groups that could reveal new therapeutic targets for patients with similar types of lung cancer, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

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Biopsies were found to be the most costly tool prescribed in lung cancer diagnosis, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

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Lung cancer patients with minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) have similar, positive five-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates as patients with adenocarcinoma in-situ (AIS), according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

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Myasthenia gravis is a disorder than can be associated with abnormal function outside of skeletal muscle. Two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) demonstrate that there is a significant proportion of myasthenia patients with arrhythmias and co-morbid inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

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Among the approved 177 scientific abstracts presented at the AANEM 61st Annual Meeting, only one was chosen by the Research Committee of the AANEM Foundation for Research & Education to receive the Best Abstract Award. K. Ming Chan, MD, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, will receive the award for his work entitled, “Post-Surgical Electrical Stimulation Enhances Sensory Function Following Digital Nerve Transection: A Double Blind, Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.”

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Dr. Shklyar is among the youngest recipients of the AANEM Foundation's Golseth Young Investigator Award for her research on quantitative ultrasound backscatter analysis for the evaluation of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.