Moderna’s vaccine looks good for teens

Assuming you consider 100% efficacy after two doses to be good. Expect the company to file for a teen authorization shortly — in time for back-to-school.

Help diabetics with their lifestyles

Why not prepare to be a Lifestyle Coach for people with diabetes?

The Diabetes Training and Technical Assistance Center’s* Virtual Lifestyle Coach Training — now offered to Georgians — prepares individuals to serve as Lifestyle Coaches to deliver the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program.

It’s coming up starting June 2. Click here for the flyer with the details, and learn how to register (PDF).

* From Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health

Mild Covid: Once and done

Mild cases of Covid-19 appear to give patients long-lasting immunity from the disease, according to researchers at Washington University.

They found that yes, antibody levels drop soon after the infection clears, but that doesn’t mean immunity is gone.

“It’s normal for antibody levels to go down after acute infection, but they don’t go down to zero; they plateau. Here, we found antibody-producing cells in people 11 months after first symptoms. These cells will live and produce antibodies for the rest of people’s lives. That’s strong evidence for long-lasting immunity.”

But what about severe cases? There the jury’s still out, because the inflammation it causes might interfere with immune response. Or might not. “Further study is required.”

Captain Obvious knows where the state line is

A study from the Oregon Public Health Division found that, in states where marijuana is legal, more people are exposed to cannabis, “suggesting that exposures may be expected to increase with expanded legalization in more states.”

It’s almost as if, crazy as it sounds, when something is legal, more people have access to it. Further study may be needed.

Up your nose with … a Parkinson’s treatment

Levodopa can help treat Parkinson’s, but patients eventually build up tolerance to it and have to go from pills to injections. Now chemists at the University of York have a potentially better idea: A nasal gel.

Nasal, because of the direct connection to the brain (where levodopa is converted to dopamine). Gel because it adheres better to the inside “which allowed for better levels of uptake into both the blood and brain.”

The drug is already approved, so it’s a matter of finalizing the design of the delivery system for human trials.

Duke flushes

If the artificial intelligence being developed at Duke University ever achieves consciousness, it’s going to be very disappointed. Its job: analyzing stool samples for signs of inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and other conditions. What’s notable is that it can be added to a standard toilet, and deliver information to patients or practitioners.

“Patients often can’t remember what their stool looks like or how often they have a bowel movement, which is part of the standard monitoring process. The Smart Toilet technology will allow us to gather the long-term information needed to make a more accurate and timely diagnosis of chronic gastrointestinal problems.”

Updated supplement caution

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is once again planning to recommend “against the use of beta-carotene or vitamin E supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer.”

This is notable because it’s not saying “these might not help” — it’s saying the potential harm outweighs the benefits, which it said in 2014. New research has apparently not changed its mind. (There are other supplements — e.g., multivitamins — where the USPSTF said there’s not enough evidence either way to make a recommendation.)

Bone density and deafness

If you have female patients with osteoporosis or low bone density, they’re also at much higher risk for hearing loss.

A 34-year study (!) of nearly 144,000 women (!) by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women with either of those conditions had up to a 40 percent greater chance of hearing loss. And the worse news: Taking bisphosphonates didn’t change that, despite a study that found it worked in mice.

Yes, you can drink milk

If you woke up this morning and thought, “Will drinking milk increase my cholesterol?” Good news: No, no it won’t (according to nutrigenetics researchers at the University of Reading).

ICYMI

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure has been confirmed to head CMS.