Morning reading 丨 September 2, pay attention to health every day

【Coronavirus】

Lupus or arthritis does not increase the risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 patients

Two studies published in Arthritis and Rheumatism at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine found that the majority of adults with lupus or inflammatory arthritis were not at higher risk of hospitalization for COVID-19.

The first study found that patients with lupus who took immunosuppressive drugs such as mycophenolates and azathioprine had no higher risk of hospitalization than those who did not take such drugs. In the second study, the researchers looked at 103 patients who were treated for inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondylitis) from March 3 to May 4, all of whom were confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. Of these, 27 (26 per cent) were hospitalized and 4 (4 per cent) died, which is comparable to the 25 per cent hospitalization rate for all New Yorkers.

【Medical Exploration】

Pharmacological activation of skin nociceptors reduces scarring

A new study published by researchers in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the United States found that pharmacology activates TRPA1, a nociceptor on the sensory neurons of the skin, which reduces scarring and promotes tissue regeneration.

The researchers validated the effects of TRPA1 activation by using allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a TRPA1-specific pharmacological agonist. They found that topical AITC treatment improved ear foramen closure in wild-type mice and, in some cases, even completely, while no similar phenomenon was observed in TRPA1-deficient mice. These findings demonstrate that activating TRPA1 on peripheral sensory neurons of the skin promotes tissue regeneration. Tissue regeneration is a complete reconstruction of all tissue-specific cell subtypes and functional structures, so that scars do not form.

【Slimming down】

Weight loss should be taken early in the middle age to reduce the risk of early death

A study published in JAMA Network Open, a sub-issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that weight loss in midlife reduces the risk of premature death.

The researchers used data from 24,205 participants aged 40-74 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1998 to 2015, including participants aged 25, 10 years prior to joining the study, and body mass index (BMI) for the year they joined the study, and analyzed the relationship between changes in BMI and the likelihood of death among participants during the observation period. The results showed that participants whose BMI had remained in the "obese" range from youth (starting at age 25) to middle age had a risk of early death by half (54%) compared to participants whose BMI remained in the "obese" range from youth to middle age. Weight loss after middle age did not significantly reduce the participants' risk of death.

【Health Reminder】

Unripe or ripening bananas can worsen constipation

Many people think that eating bananas can solve constipation, but doctors say that bananas do not have a great effect on alleviating constipation, on the contrary, bananas that are picked up when immature or immature contain tannic acid, which will combine with proteins in food to produce a tannic acid protein that is not easy to digest and absorb, but will aggravate constipation.

According to doctors, most people's constipation is functional constipation, which is caused by indirect disease factors such as age and diet structure, such as decreased digestive function in the elderly; reduced diet and water intake; less intake of crude fiber food, reduced activity, etc. Doctors recommend that if you want to stay away from constipation, you should develop good eating habits, ensure the intake of dietary fiber and water, and eat more coarse grains and beans and potatoes. In addition, it is necessary to establish good bowel habits and avoid playing with mobile phones and reading newspapers.

【Knowledge Update】

Lack of sleep makes people more irritable

A study published in Sleep at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Iowa State University examined the effects of sleep deprivation on anger. The researchers tracked 202 college students for a month's sleep, and preliminary results showed that sleep-deprived people showed more anger over several days.

The team also added 147 community residents to the experiment. They were divided into two groups that maintained normal sleep time and were forced to sleep only 5 hours for two nights, and the levels of anger of participants exposed to irritating noise were assessed. The results found that participants who slept well were able to adapt to the noise and also reported lower levels of anger two days later. In contrast, sleep-restricted people showed higher and stronger feelings of anger at disgusting noises. This suggests that lack of sleep can disrupt the mood's ability to adapt to bad environments.

Beijing News reporter Liu Xu

Proofread by Li Xiangling

Source: Beijing News