The Med & Mic™ 03.15.22
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MED NEWS blog post from Dr. Maria ON Speaking, LLC
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COVID Numbers up in Other Countries
While COVID is on the decline in the U.S., other countries are experiencing an upswing. Nearly half of Europe has recorded increases in the past week due to the Omicron subtype BA.2.
Finland up 84%
Switzerland up 45%
UK up 31%
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and Italy also have double digit increases.
In China, new cases doubled in a day. Travel has been restricted in the province of Jilin, where 90% of the symptomatic cases are.
Experts are predicting a good spring and summer in the U.S., though. Roughly every four to six months, there is a new variant. More from NBC News, Reuters, and CNN.
Best COVID Vaccine for Breastfeeding Moms
Dutch researchers have determined mRNA vaccines produce a better antibody response in human breast milk. In the study, 96% of breastfeeding women who received the Pfizer vaccine, and 97% who received the Moderna vaccine, had detectable antibodies in their breast milk. Only 39% of those who got the AstraZeneca and 48% of those who got the Johnson and Johnson had detectable antibodies. These antibodies are important for protecting newborns, since it takes time for them to make antibodies themselves. More in MedPage Today.
The Effect of Sleeping with Lights On
Sleeping with a dim light on raised the blood sugar and heart rate of healthy young people in a sleep lab experiment. The study involved 20 people who had a sleep study for one night in a completely darkened room. Blood sugars were checked from an IV tube without waking the participant. Heart and brain rhythms and melatonin levels were also monitored. A randomly selected group also had a similar sleep study in a dimly lit room. Turns out, even the slight amount of light decreased slow wave and REM sleep, the stages in which cellular renewal occurs. Heart rate and insulin resistance rose. Other research has shown a link between artificial light at night and weight gain and problems with blood sugar processing. “Could that explain why there is a higher prevalence of diabetes or obesity in society?” says study author Dr. Phyllis Zee in a CNN report. She recommends completely darkening a room for sleep or using a sleep mask.
Transplanted Hearts: Age Can Matter
Usually younger organs are beneficial for recipients. However, people have a 17% higher chance of dying if they receive a transplanted heart from a young donor who died of stroke. This pattern was not seen if the donor died of stroke but was over 40. Even with the higher risk, the 1-year survival was still 90%. More in MedPageToday.
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