Dementia
Secondhand smoke linked to dementia risk
According to a new study published in the journal http://BMJ.com, exposure to secondhand smoke may increase a person's risk of developing dementia by as much as 44%. The study, which is the largest review to date showing a link between secondhand smoke and dementia, collected information on over 4,800 nonsmokers over age 50. Saliva samples were tested for levels of cotinine, a product of nicotine that can be found in saliva for about 25 hours after exposure to smoke. The participants were also given neuropsychological tests to assess their brain function and cognitive impairment.
The researchers found that people with the highest cotinine levels had a 44% increase risk of cognitive impairment compared with those with the lowest levels, indicating that secondhand smoke can be just as detrimental as smoking itself.
Heart health
Daily aspirin guidelines revised
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has updated its guidelines for daily aspirin intake to prevent heart attack and stroke. The new guidelines are, for the first time, customized for age and gender. They recommend that men age 45 to 79 should take aspirin if the chances of preventing a heart attack outweigh the chances of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding; women age 55 to 79 should take aspirin if the chances of reducing ischemic stroke outweigh the risks of GI bleeding. They recommend that men under age 45 and women under age 55 who've never had a heart attack or stroke shouldn't take daily aspirin for prevention. They also suggest that at this time, it isn't clear whether men and women age 80 and over should take aspirin.
The guidelines also state that lower doses of daily aspirin (75 to 81 mg) appear to be at least as effective as higher doses (100 mg or more), which can reduce the risk of GI bleeding and other adverse reactions. Higher doses may actually do more harm than good, especially in individuals taking clopidogrel (Plavix) to prevent blood clots after a recent heart attack or stroke.
Nursing
New study shows the economic value of nursing
A new study supported by grants from the American Nurses Association, Nursing's Agenda for the Future, and a coalition of over 85 nursing associations has taken a close look at the correlation between several patient outcomes and nurse staffing levels. The patient outcomes included reduced hospital-based mortality, hospital-acquired pneumonia, unplanned extubation, failure to rescue, nosocomial bloodstream infections, and length of stay. Compiling findings from 28 different studies that analyzed the relationship between higher nurse staffing and patient outcomes, the study found that as nursing staffing levels increase, patient risk of complications and length of hospital stay decreases. This results in savings in medical costs, improved national productivity, and lives saved.
The study went on to suggest that adding 133,000 RNs to the acute care hospital setting would save nearly 6,000 lives and about $6.1 billion in medical costs per year.
Did you know?
Exposing children with peanut allergies to a daily dose of peanuts may help them build tolerance to the allergy. A recent experimental study gave 33 children with a history of peanut allergies gradually larger daily doses of peanut protein. The doses were steadily increased, and by the tenth month of the study the children were eating the equivalent of up to 15 peanuts per day. They were closely monitored, and nine of the children stayed on maintenance therapy for more than 2 1/2 years. Four of them were able to stop the therapy altogether and eat peanuts without any adverse reactions.
The researchers tracked the levels of immunoglobulin E, an antibody that the body makes in response to allergens, in the children. They found that the levels declined to nearly nothing in the children taking the therapy at the end of the trial.
About four million Americans have food allergies; tree nut allergies, which include peanuts, are the most common. Even though the children in the study did build up a tolerance and were able to eat peanuts, the researchers caution that this approach is still in its experimental stages, more research needs to be done, and parents shouldn't try this on their own.