Category Archives: Longevity Medicine

Every two seconds, someone in the United States requires a blood transfusion, according to the American Red Cross.This year, however, the United States is facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade, theRed Cross says.

Donating blood saves lives, says Robert DeSimone, MD, director of transfusion medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, who is encouraging people to do their part and make an appointment to donate.

For as long as medicine has been around, weve had to rely on the goodness of other people to give us blood when we need it, says Sarah Vossoughi, MD, the medical director of apheresis and associate director of transfusion medicine and cellular therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. We really need people who want to come and donate. The fact that we can store blood and use it when we need it in partswhether you need the red cells, the plasma, or the plateletshas been a huge medical advance.

While blood donors dont expect to be rewarded for the act of kindness, rolling up your sleeve comes with some surprising health benefits. Heres what you get when you give blood:

By going to donate blood, you are getting a mini-physical, says DeSimone.

Before you are allowed to donate, your vital signs will be checked to make sure you are fit enough for the procedure. This exam might turn up a condition that needs medical attention, such as high blood pressure or a heart arrhythmia like atrial fibrillation. In addition, youll be screened for infectious diseases you may be unaware of.

If we detect an issue with your vital signs or another health issue, we would direct you to go to a physician at that point to be checked, DeSimone says.

The health screening will also reveal if you have a rare blood type. This information can be useful if you ever face surgery or another medical situation in which a transfusion may be required. Plus, youll have the satisfaction of knowing your donation is particularly needed.

Regular blood donation is linked to lower blood pressure and a lower risk for heart attacks. It definitely helps to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, says DeSimone.

This article originally appeared in Health Matters, an online publication of NewYork-Presbyterian.

Whats the connection? If your hemoglobin is too high, blood donation helps to lower the viscosity of the blood, which has been associated with the formation of blood clots,heart attacks, andstroke, DeSimone says. Interestingly, these benefits are more significant in men compared to women. We think maybe its because women have menstrual cycles, so they do it naturally without donating blood.

People with a condition called hereditary hemochromatosis must have blood removed regularly to prevent the buildup of iron. Fortunately, this blood can benefit others.

These are essentially healthy patients who are otherwise normal, but they have a gene mutation where they make too much blood, and they make too much normal blood, Vossoughi says. So we can use that blood.

The New York Blood Center Hereditary Hemochromatosis Program allows people with hemochromatosis to donate blood rather than have it removed and thrown away. Instead of having to go to a clinic or one of our phlebotomy centers every few months to reduce their blood volume, they can go to any local blood drive, Vossoughi says. That blood will then be used for somebody who needs it.

One blood donation can save up to three lives, according to DeSimone. People usually donate because it feels good to help others, and altruism and volunteering have been linked to positive health outcomes, including a lower risk for depression and greater longevity.

Giving blood is a way to engage in the immediate community and help people around you, Vossoughi adds. People who do these types of things and engage in their community in this way tend to have better health and longer lives.

It is also a way to feel that you have positively helped during the COVID-19 crisis. Donating blood is safe if you have had theCOVID-19 vaccine. It is also safe if you have had COVID-19, though you must be symptom-free for two weeks and have not had a positivediagnostic testfor COVID-19 in the past 14 days, DeSimone says. If you have any COVID-19 symptoms like a fever or cough, do not give blood. Donating blood is safe as donors are socially distanced and required to wear a face mask covering their nose and mouth, regardless of vaccination status.

Creating moments of kindness during a time of need does wonders for your mental health andfeeling of well-being, DeSimone says.

For one blood donation, it takes your body about 500 calories to replace it, Vossoughi says. Thus, the juice and cookies youre offered after giving blood are a zero-calorie snack, she says. If you prefer, go for a fancy dessert instead!

If you plan to give blood, follow these steps:

Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated makes it easier to find your veins and prevents you from becoming light-headed after donating, Vossoughi says.

Eat well beforehand. Dont skip breakfast, and be sure to eat snacks offered to you. These things will help you tolerate the donation well and feel like yourself the rest of the day, she says.

Exercise before donating blood, not afterward. Its OK to go to the gym before you donate blood but not so wise afterward. We dont want people getting dizzy, Vossoughi says. Youve basically done your workout for the day once youve donated blood.

Take iron tablets. The American Red Cross recommends that individuals who donate blood frequently take an iron supplement or a multivitamin with iron. More and more, were recommending that teenage donors in particular take iron, because its been shown that teenage donors may become iron deficient after blood donation, DeSimone says.

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The Surprising Benefits of Donating Blood - Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Even when over 21 cases of stealth omicron i.e. BA.2 sub lineage of Omicron variant is found in Indore, only two patients remain in the hospital as rest of them are recovered and discharged from the hospital.

All these patients were admitted to Shri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences and out of the remaining two patients, one is in ICU.

According to respiratory medicine expert of Shri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS) Dr Ravi Dosi, out of 21 patients, only two patients are remaining in the hospital including one in ICU.

Most of the patients are discharged and those remaining in the hospital are also stable. Patients didnt get any other symptoms than the previous strain of Omicron but the longevity of the disease increased and some patients required higher drugs as compared to others who were treated with basic treatment, Dr Dosi said.

He added that vaccines played an important role in creating an extra layer of protection against the disease and people must take the precaution dose if their date is due for the same.

As many as 21 cases of BA.2 sub lineage of Omicron were found at SAIMS on Monday. The patients were of age 2 months to 86 years and all eligible were vaccinated with both doses of vaccine.

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Indore: 21 cases of stealth omicron; Only two remained in hospital as all others recovered and discharged - Free Press Journal

Moderna President Stephen Hoge said theres a real risk that existing Covid-19 vaccines will be less effective against omicron, while U.S. medical adviser Anthony Fauci said the variants severity may be limited.

U.S. health officials said yesterday its still unclear how transmissible the latest Covid-19 variant is, how well existing vaccines work and whether it will lead to more severe illnesses. Hoge stopped short of comments by Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel that spooked markets last week, saying its too early to tell by how much omicron will degrade vaccines.

I think that theres a real risk that were going to see a decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccines, Hoge said in an ABC interview. What I dont know is how substantial that is.

An updated formulation probably would be needed if effectiveness is shown to drop significantly, he said.

Are we going to see something more like a 50% decrease in efficacy, which would really mean wed probably need to reboot the vaccines and update them? Hoge said.

Data from South Africa, where omicron was first detected in November, suggest it may not cause more severe illness than the more widely circulating delta variant, Fauci said on CNNs State of the Union. He cautioned that his conclusion was preliminary.

Thus far, it does not look like theres a great degree of severity to it, Fauci said. We feel certain that there will be some degree, and maybe a considerable degree, of protection against the omicron variant with existing vaccines, he said. Read more from Tony Czuczka and Justin Sink.

Read more: South Africa Dodging Hospitalization Surge Fuels Omicron Hope

The U.S. is reevaluating the travel ban on eight southern African countries as more information about the omicron variant and its spread becomes available, Fauci said yesterday.

That ban was done at a time when we were really in the dark we had no idea what was going on, Fauci said in an interview with CNNs State of the Union. U.S. medical advisers are evaluating the new restrictions on a daily basis and Fauci said he was hopeful well be able to lift that ban in a quite reasonable period of time. Read more from Justin Sink and Aysha Diallo.

More on Omicron:

Contractor Shot Mandate Under Assault in Texas, Georgia Hearings: Bidens power to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for federal contractors was under attack in two federal courtrooms Friday, with a pair of judges appointed by the Trump administration considering whether to up the tally of states where the measure is blocked. Attorneys for Texas and a seven-state coalition led by Georgia told the judges that Biden overstepped his authority with an intrusive policy for contractors thats actually just cover for his real agenda of getting Americans vaccinated. Biden administration lawyers defended the presidents power to set the terms for federal contracts as long as its related to economic efficiency, as it is with ensuring contractor workers can perform instead of being sick with Covid-19. Read more from Robert Iafolla.

Biden Shot-or-Test Litigation Denied Fast-Track Schedule: A federal appeals court in Cincinnati rejected the Biden administrations request to move up deadlines in the legal challenge to its emergency shot-or-test rule that would accelerate consideration of lifting an order that froze the rule. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit didnt explain why it turned aside the administrations petition to move up the briefing schedule on its motion to dissolve the Fifth Circuits stay. The Sixth Circuit said in its order issued late Friday that it reserves judgment to set deadlines for reviewing the merits of the emergency rule. Read more from Robert Iafolla.

Answers Wanted on OSHA Health-Care Covid-19 Rule: Time is running out for OSHAs original Covid-19 health-care emergency temporary standard. The standard is set to expire Dec. 21, six months after it was enacted June 21. While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the rule saying the mandate would be replaced with a permanent one within six months, as of Friday, OSHA hasnt said when that permanent standard will be issued or how the measure will differ from the temporary version. Asked for guidance regarding the release, a Department of Labor spokeswoman said Friday that OSHA does not have an update at this time. Read more from Bruce Rolfsen.

More Headlines:

Oversight Plans Drug Pricing Hearing: The House Oversight and Reform Committee scheduled a hearing Thursday to reveal findings in the panels three year investigation into pharmaceutical pricing and business practices. The hearing will also look at the need for structural reforms for the industry.

Senators Ready Bill to Overturn Biden Vaccine Mandate: The Occupational Safety and Health Administrations Nov. 5 rule requiring private sector employers to enforce Covid-19 vaccination or testing policies would be overturned by S. J. Res. 29. The resolution appears to have enough votes for Senate passage after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) stated his support on Thursday. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he expects a vote this week. If the Senate does pass the resolution, it would likely stall in the Democratic-controlled House, Bloomberg Government Analyst Adam M. Taylor writes.

Aging Research, Advocacy Group Launches with Gingrich Help: A group trying to elevate age-related conditions and promote research into making humans live longer is getting help from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a long-time advocate for expanding the governments research portfolio, Alex Ruoff reports.

The Alliance for Longevity Initiativesa nonprofit backed by several research organizations and companiesis hoping to make inroads in Congress to expand what the government spends on aging research and to make it easier for companies to gain approval for medicines meant to help people live longer lives, Dylan Livingston, the groups president and founder, said. This is about keeping in better health for a longer period of time, Livingston said. The group wants to work with the Food and Drug Administration to create a special pathway for therapies in the longevity medicine space and increase the budget for the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, Livingston said.

The Alliance on Thursday will host a talk with Gingrich and former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.). Gingrich is connected to the group by Joseph DeSantis, who is chief strategy office for Gingrich 360, a consultancy formed by Gingrich, and sits on the board of directors for the Alliance.

Telehealth Visits in Medicare Soar: Medicare telehealth visits increased 63-fold from roughly 840,000 in 2019 to 52.7 million in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic caused beneficiaries to forgo in-person doctor visits in favor of virtual encounters, according to an HHS study. Ninety-two percent of telehealth visitswhich allow patients and providers to interact live via computer, tablet, or smartphonetook place from beneficiary homes, which was not allowed by Medicare before the pandemic. The massive increase in telehealth visits occurred while overall in-person visits to clinicians fell by 11% from 2019 to 2020. Read more from Tony Pugh.

More Headlines:

To contact the reporters on this story: Michaela Ross in Washington at mross@bgov.com; Alex Ruoff in Washington at aruoff@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Zachary Sherwood at zsherwood@bgov.com; Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com

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HEALTH CARE BRIEFING: Vaccines May Struggle With Omicron Variant | Bloomberg Government - Bloomberg Government

Drinking a citrus-flavoured drink has been shown to have positive effects on blood sugar levels. In addition to preventing dehydration it can help the kidneys flush out extra sugar in the blood. Otherwise, mounting blood sugar levels an indicator of type 2 diabetes could increase stroke risk. Observational research, cited in the National Library of Medicine, stated that the intake of water (which can be flavoured with lemon) correlated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

Experts at Medical News Today noted that lemon-flavoured water is one of the best drinks for diabetes.

Lemon water contains no sugar, meaning the risk of blood sugar spikes are considerably reduced.

The drink is also very hydrating, meaning you are less likely to mistake dehydration for hunger.

As such, the likelihood of inappropriate snacking is reduced, which may otherwise spike blood sugar levels.

READ MORE:How to live longer: 'Secrets' of extending longevity and slowing ageing at the cell level

By maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, you are effectively improving your chances of longevity.

This is because uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (and high blood sugar) can lead to heart disease and stroke, the NHS confirmed.

By drinking lemon water, the risks of blood sugar spikes are lowered, thereby reducing the risk of a deadly stroke.

However, good management of blood sugar levels requires more than just sipping on lemon water.

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The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted warning signs of high blood sugar. These are:

To help keep blood sugar levels under control, the CDC strongly recommend drinking water instead of juice or soda.

In terms of dietary actions, it's best to "eat at regular times, and don't skip meals".

The foods you eat need to be lower in calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and salt.

The NHS expanded on what it takes to "eat healthily", which involves:

Good blood sugar control also requires regular exercise, for at least 150 minutes each week.

An annual visit to the doctor is also wise to keep on top of your health.

As well as helping to control blood sugar levels, registered nutritionist Jo Lewin outlined the other health benefits of consuming lemon water.

For example, one 150ml glass of lemon water provides approximately 18mg of vitamin C and 65mg of potassium.

The citric acid in lemon water may also help to prevent kidney stones, said Lewin, which are caused by a build-up of calcium oxalate.

In addition, remaining hydrated can also help flush out any potential kidney stones.

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How to live longer: The best citrus drink to lower blood sugar and boost longevity - Daily Express

Cardiovascular disease is an umbrella term for a number of conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.

There are four main types of cardiovascular disease. Coronary heart disease Strokes and TIAs (mini-stroke) Peripheral arterial disease Aortic disease

A study by the medical journal PLOS Medicine has looked into the effect of exercise on those with cardiovascular disease.

The study found that patients with cardiovascular disease can benefit significantly from exercise and physical activity.

Conducted in the Netherlands on 142,493 people, the personnel behind the study wanted to find out if someones cardiovascular health status impacted the benefit of exercise.

They found: Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is beneficial for reducing adverse outcomes CVD patients demonstrated a linear association, suggesting a constant reduction of risk with higher volumes of MVPA. Therefore, individuals with CVDs should be encouraged that more is better regarding MVPA.

What this means is that the study found that the more someone with cardiovascular disease exercised, the better it was for their health.

READ MORE: Dementia warning: The 60p ingredient shown to double the risk of memory decline study

Furthermore, Dr Bakker, one of the authors went on to say: With every increase in physical activity volume leading to a further risk reduction of mortality and cardiovascular events.

However, it wasnt just non-leisure exercise, such as running or cycling that helped, but non-leisure exercise (exercise accrued via work) was said to have some benefits.

On the flip side, the study did mention some caveats and limitations with regard to their research.

Dr Edo Paz said: First off, activity level is self-reported, which can be inaccurate. Another key limitation of this study is that it is an observational study and thus limited by confounding. That means that exercise may be highly correlated with another factor.

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What Dr Paz means by this, is that exercise is affected by other factors such as your weight and your diet, that can more accurately determine the probability of a cardiovascular event coming.

Lastly, the study admitted that whilst it had studied the impact of moderate to vigorous activity, that it had not looked at the impact of light intensity physical activity.

Light intensity physical activities are those which involve standing up and moving around, but not any great distance.

This includes working at your desk, ironing or walking from your bedroom to the kitchen in the morning.

Nevertheless, the study does still show that exercise can greatly benefit those with cardiovascular disease.

As mentioned, there are other factors at play, such as your diet and your overall fitness.

This includes how much you smoke as the harmful components of tobacco can damage your blood vessels and your lungs.

Whether or not you have diabetes is also a factor as high blood sugar levels can also damage your blood vessels.

Other risk factors of cardiovascular disease include your ethnicity.

In the UK at least, the condition is more common in people of south Asian, Caribbean or African descent.

Finally, whether you have a family history of cardiovascular disease will be a risk factor.

You are considered to have a family history if your mother or sister were diagnosed before they turned 65, or your father or brother were diagnosed before the age of 55.

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How to live longer: The lifestyle factor that could extend longevity - Toys Matrix

Assistant Professor of Surgery David Aufhauser studies xenotransplantation, which is the transplantation of organs between species. We asked him to share his background and describe why he is excited to be part of the UWMadison community.

David Aufhauser: assistant professor in the School of Medicine & Public Healths Division of Transplantation

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Educational/professional background: I majored in history and biological sciences at Stanford University. I then moved to Philadelphia for medical school and general surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019 I moved to Madison to complete my fellowship in Abdominal Transplant Surgery here at UW.

What is your field of research, and how did you get into it? I study xenotransplantation, which is the transplantation of organs between species. Transplant surgery captured my imagination back in medical school. Its an incredible therapy that can restore unbelievably sick patients to good health and result in enormous improvements in both longevity and quality of life. Unfortunately, there are more patients needing transplants than there are organs available. Xenotransplantation has the potential extend a transformative therapy to more people in need by solving this shortage, and I hope to be a part of the effort to make it a reality.

What attracted you to UWMadison? The people. When I interviewed here, I met a group of talented surgeons who share my passion for transplant surgery and who want to try to transplant everyone in need. The division has a strong history of delivering great clinical care and performing innovative research, and I wanted to help carry that tradition into the future

What was your first visit to campus like? I had a perfect spring day hereits impossible to beat this town when its 70 and sunny!

Favorite place on campus? The Terraceno other university can match it!

This is a unique point in time, as were returning after more than a year of pandemic. What do you most look forward to? Catching up with friends and family.

Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? Absolutely! Clinical transplant surgery and xenotransplantion are both very much about taking the taking the cutting edge of medical and biologic knowledge and applying it to improve peoples lives.

Whats something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties, now that we can attend them again? Some people who need liver transplants for metabolic diseases can donate their original liver to another person in something called a domino liver transplant!

Hobbies/other interests: Golf, running, biking, and spending time with my wife Hilary (who is also UW faculty in Pulmonology and Critical Care) and daughters Alice (age 3) and Sophie (age 1).

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New Faculty Focus: David Aufhauser - University of Wisconsin-Madison