Fatty liver disease is underdiagnosed in the US

A condition involving excess fat buildup in the liver is grossly underdiagnosed in the United States, according to an analysis of Medicare claims data. The condition, called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is often associated with obesity and is not related to alcohol consumption. In the Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics analysis of information on 10,826,456…

Green tea may help with weight loss efforts

In an analysis of randomized controlled trials, individuals who consumed green tea experienced a significant decline in body weight and body mass index. On the other hand, the analysis did not show any significant change in terms of waist circumference (a measure of abdominal fat) with green tea supplementation. The findings are published in Phytotherapy…

Cancer survivors’ experiences with financial toxicity

Many cancer survivors with high medical copayments experience financial toxicity, an economic side effect of cancer treatment. A recent analysis of published studies found that few cancer survivors received financial information support from healthcare facilities during their initial treatment, even though cancer-related financial toxicity has multiple impacts on survivors’ health and quality of life. The…

Work-related PTSD in nurses

A recent analysis of published studies examined the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among nurses and identified factors associated with work-related PTSD among nurses. The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. For the analysis, investigators identified 24 relevant studies. The researchers found that PTSD is a world-wide issue affecting nurses and…

Interleukin-12 electroporation may sensitize ‘cold’ melanomas to immunotherapies

Bottom Line: Combining intratumoral electroporation of interleukin-12 (IL-12) DNA (tavokinogene telseplasmid, or TAVO) with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) led to clinical responses in patients with immunologically quiescent advanced melanoma, according to results from a phase II trial. Journal in Which the Study was Published: Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association…

A Quarantine Activity for the Wine Lover

I’ve sabered open a bottle of Champagne. But disgorging one? Yes, try this at home. Just follow the step-by-step that comes with Família Geisse’s Cave Amadeu Rústico Nature from southern Brazil. In sparkling wine parlance, disgorging refers to extracting the sediment, or lees, that accumulate as the wine develops. Traditionally it’s done by gradually turning…