Tell me why

Why are older people more susceptible to the flu? Because their alveolar macrophages are weak.

With age, more cells become senescent (i.e., unable to reproduce) as a defense against runaway division. But senescence produces an immune modulator called PGE2.

It turns out (found University of Michigan researchers) that PGE2 is bad for the lung’s immune cells — those alveolar macrophages. It damages them and keeps new ones from being generated. And fewer working immune cells in the lungs leads, obviously, to more susceptibility to viruses.

Next up: finding out why PGE2 has that effect, possibly leading to treatments.

Natural isn’t always safe

If you’re using (or selling) “natural” skincare products, heed the advice “Test on a small area first.”

Because there’s no legal definition of “clean” or “natural,” Stanford University dermatologists did some testing, and they found that…

Nearly 90 percent of the 1,651 personal skin care products studied — including lotions, soaps, and moisturizers — contained at least one of the top 100 most common allergens known to cause contact dermatitis.

Advice: You can either “navigate and interpret the long list of ingredients found in skincare products and know which ones might aggravate the skin” or simply try a new product on a small area (preferably out of sight, just in case) for a few days.

Switched to ‘overload’

Healthcare pros — including pharmacists and techs — are burning out thanks to … well, you read the news, don’t you?

How bad is it? And what can you so you’re not a statistic?

Not only will we tell you, we’ll give you an hour of CPE credit for learning! Check out a free webinar from the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation: “Pharmacy Well Being: Strategies to Mitigate Burnout” with Alex Varkey, chair of APhA’s Well-Being Steering Committee.

It’s this Thursday, November 17, from 7:30 – 8:30 pm. The webinar is free for pharmacists and pharmacy techs, but we need you to register. Click here to do just that.

Vaping makes flu worse

If you or someone you know uses e-cigarettes, here’s a timely bit of advice: If you think you might get the flu^*, stop vaping.

The vapor from e-cigs (found researchers at National Jewish Health^*) increases the inflammation in the lungs’ small airways when they’re hit with influenza A. In other words, if you vape and get the flu, it’s gonna be worse. And it might apply to other respiratory diseases, too.

^* You might get the flu.

The telex machine is kept so clean

Eli Lilly has pulled all its advertising from Twitter for obvious reasons. (If you know know about the obvious reasons, click the link for the story.)

Side note

Eli Lilly’s official Twitter handle is @LillyPad. That’s cute … unless you don’t prevent someone else from registering @EliLillyandCo, making it easier to impersonate you.

Pro tip: Register variations of your company’s name on social media platforms, even if you don’t use them. Just in case.

A supplement danger to know about

A form of vitamin B3 called nicotinamide riboside (NR) “may actually increase the risk of developing breast cancer that metastasizes to the brain.”

University of Missouri chemists were using a new imaging technique to study how NR levels change throughout the body; it’s supposed to improve cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological health, and is even given to chemotherapy patients.

Instead…

The international team of researchers […] discovered high levels of NR could not only increase someone’s risk of developing triple-negative breast cancer, but also could cause the cancer to metastasize or spread to the brain. Once the cancer reaches the brain, the results are deadly because no viable treatment options exist.

Saving you a click: Flu vax effectiveness

How effective is this year’s flu vaccine? About 50% against major illness, based on current data. That’s a lot better than previous years.

Side note: Georgia is one of the states that has gone beyond red alert for flu activity:

Elsewhere: It ain’t so neat to admit defeat

It’s one thing to tell yourself the pandemic is over (sorry, Joe, it’s not). It’s another thing to forego a mask even in a crowded store. But it’s an entirely another another thing to take a cruise on a floating nutrient bath. And yet, that’s what 4,600 people did … and at least 800 of them on the Majestic Princess have now tested positive for Covid.

Please note, this is a new story; it’s not a rerun of the February 2020 Diamond Princess outbreak, or of the March 2020 Ruby Princess outbreak, or of any of the shenanigans on the Pacific Princess.