Insulin under pressure

The latest needle-free insulin delivery system comes from those thrifty Dutch. (And yes, they call it a “game changer.”) Unlike microneedle patches and such that other universities are developing, the one the Dutchies have developed — they call it “BuBble Gun” — uses high pressure to force the drugs through the skin.

Apparently this doesn’t hurt, despite the description:

With BuBble Gun, a laser beam is directed at the fluid medicine in a glass cartridge, heating it until it boils and creates a bubble. This bubble grows until it squeezes the liquid at high velocity—30 to 100 meters a second—out of its tube and, in the case of a medicine, into the skin.

Rather than piercing the skin, the way a needle would, the drug is pushed between skin cells.

Their biggest hurdle right now is adjusting the pressure to account for different skin thicknesses.

Salt really does kill

Here’s an eyebrow raiser: Up to 30% of cardiovascular-related deaths may be attributed to salt intake. Based on a cohort study of 64,000 patients over 7 years, Vanderbilt University researchers found that not only does excess sodium increase the risk of death from by 7 to 13 percent, it seems that just a 1,000 mg increase in salt intake was responsible for …

• 10 percent of all cardiovascular disease deaths;
• 13 percent of all coronary heart disease deaths; and
• 30 percent all heart failure deaths.

Maybe a bit of salt substitute (or simply potassium chloride) is in order.

Diseases on the march

Grandma and grandpa are letting their guards down

STIs for people over 55 are on the rise, big time.

Rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in people ages 55 and up more than doubled in the U.S. over the 10-year period from 2012 to 2022, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The trend is prompting doctors to call for more discussions with older people about sexual health.” We’ll leave those discussions to you.

Consumption is jumpin’

Cases of tuberculosis in the US shot up by 16% from 2022 to 2023 to hit the highest level in more than a decade, probably due to more cases worldwide, as well as a post-pandemic jump. (The good news is that we still have one of the lowest rates in the world.)

Big ol’ study: Chronic fatigue is real

No one is entirely sure what causes chronic fatigue syndrome, but at least one mystery about it has been cleared up: It’s “unambiguously biological,” not, as some clinicians said, a psychological condition.

“It’s a systemic disease,” wrote the authors (“75 multidisciplinary scientists and clinicians”), “and the people living with it deserve to have their experiences taken seriously.”

They compared healthy people to those who reported chronic fatigue syndrome and found those with CFS had testable biological differences in the immune system and the fecal microbiome, as well as “Reduced neurotransmitter metabolism” and “Autonomic nervous system dysfunction,” among several other markers.

What’s still unclear is how CFS develops, and whether there will be simple biomarker they can find (rather than a list of checkboxes).

Short takes

Managing cannabis expectations

An oncologist’s reminder: Cannabis is not a cure for cancer. Never has been. It might help alleviate some symptoms, but the potential side effects — an wide variation in strengths and types — mean patients need to tread (or, rather, toke) carefully.

Respiratory virus update

Covid, flu, and RSV are all on the decline (although flu numbers are still above normal).

Patients can’t get Zepbound

The next drug in shortage is Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, the hottest of the GLP-1 weight loss drugs. It’s simply because of “unprecedented demand.” While the FDA hasn’t (yet) officially listed it as in shortage, patients are having a hard time getting it.

“It’s like The Hunger Games,” said the president of the Obesity Medicine Association. “Well, actually more like the anti-Hunger Games.”

Shocker: Investing pays returns

A new report from the Global Health Technologies Coalition and Australia’s Policy Cures Research — two organizations that look at how biomed investment affects poorer countries — found that when the US government invests in health research around the world, it not only helps in the short term, it pays some serious long-term dividends.

Our $46 billion in healthcare-research spending (over 15 years)…

… gave rise to $104 billion in economic activity, created 600,000 new jobs, and is expected to spur another $102 billion in industry investments in the United States and beyond.

And that’s on top of preparing us at home for various tropical diseases that are making their way north. Not to mention that, you know, healthy people produce more, create jobs, and of course pay taxes.

Today’s TikTok dopiness

“Oatzempic’ — how drinking watery oatmeal with lime can help you lose 40 pounds in just a couple of months. (Spoiler: It can’t.)

“Believing what is being said on social media can be like believing everything that people say on dating app profiles.”