Anti-consumption agents: Tirzepatide and semaglutide for treating obesity-related diseases and addictions, and improving life expectancy.

American culture encourages overconsumption, fueled by ubiquitous availability and pervasive marketing of ultra-processed foods and other addictive substances. This chronic overindulgence has contributed to rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), substance abuse, mental health disorders and premature mortality. Glucose-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1RAs) affect the brain's reward pathway that mediates addiction to foods and various other substances.

Association of Plasma Omega-3 Levels With Incident Heart Failure and Related Mortalities.

Objective: To investigate the association between plasma omega-3 levels and incident heart failure (HF) and to examine their relationship with total and cardiovascular (CV) mortality among patients with preexisting HF.

Patients And Methods: The UK Biobank is an ongoing prospective cohort study of individuals recruited in the United Kingdom between April 1, 2007, and December 31. 2010.

Omega-3 and Risk of atrial fibrillation: Vagally-mediated double-edged sword.

Objective: Studies regarding effects of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), on risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) have reported discordant results. The aim of this review is to clarify effects of marine omega-3 intake on risk of AF.

Patients And Methods: A PubMed search was performed using terms: atrial fibrillation, omega-3, EPA, DHA, vagal tone.

Atrial Fibrillation and Semaglutide Effects in Obesity-Related Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: STEP-HFpEF Program.

Background: Obesity is a key factor in the development and progression of both heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). In the STEP-HFpEF Program (comprising the STEP-HFpEF [Research Study to Investigate How Well Semaglutide Works in People Living With Heart Failure and Obesity] and STEP-HFpEF DM [Research Study to Look at How Well Semaglutide Works in People Living With Heart Failure, Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes] trials), once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg improved HF-related symptoms, physical limitations, and exercise function and reduced body weight in patients with obesity-related HFpEF.

Substance use patterns, sociodemographics, and health profiles of harm reduction service recipients in Burlington, Vermont.

Background: Understanding current substance use practices is critical to reduce and prevent overdose deaths among individuals at increased risk including persons who use and inject drugs. Because individuals participating in harm reduction and syringe service programs are actively using drugs and vary in treatment participation, information on their current drug use and preferred drugs provides a unique window into the drug use ecology of communities that can inform future intervention services and treatment provision.

Methods: Between March and June 2023, 150 participants in a harm reduction program in Burlington, Vermont completed a survey examining sociodemographics; treatment and medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) status; substance use; injection information; overdose information; and mental health, medical, and health information.

Omega-3 fatty acids in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Even with substantial progress in primary and secondary prevention, cardiovascular disease (CVD) persists as a major cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Ω-3 PUFAs) have gained considerable attention for their ability to improve CV health and prognosis. Metanalyses of randomized controlled trials have demonstrated Ω-3 PUFAs' positive impact on CVD outcomes for both primary and secondary prevention endpoints.

Lessons Learned from Contact Tracing COVID-19 cases in Dental Settings in East Scotland.

Introduction: Dental settings were considered high risk settings for COVID-19. A Dental Public Health Team in East Scotland worked to risk assess each situation timeously to break chains of transmission.

Aim: To present learning from routine data collected from contact tracing COVID-19 cases in the dental setting.

SGLT inhibitors for improving Healthspan and lifespan.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitor/inhibition (SGLTi), initially approved as a glucose-lowering therapy for type 2 diabetes, is associated with decreased risks for many of the most common conditions of aging, including heart failure, chronic kidney disease, all-cause hospitalization, atrial fibrillation, cancer, gout, emphysema, neurodegenerative disease/dementia, emphysema, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, atherosclerotic disease, and infections. Studies also show that SGLTi improves overall life expectancy and reduces risks of cardiovascular death and cancer death. These wide-ranging health benefits are largely unexplained by the SGLTi's modest improvements in standard risk factors.

Vision screening and vocational aptitude: A factor analysis approach.

For a good vision screening battery to quickly and accurately reflect the status of the human visual system it should be relevant, reliable, and streamlined. Because the early visual system has limited functional architecture, many simple measurements of the visual system may in fact be measuring the shared computations and parallel processes of other visual functions, making much of the measurement process redundant. This can make a screening battery repetitious and therefore inefficient.

Training Strategies to Optimize Cardiovascular Durability and Life Expectancy.

The optimal dose of physical activity and best types of exercise for improving cardiovascular (CV) durability and optimizing longevity are unknown. The purpose of this article is to review the recent literature on the effects of duration and intensity of exercise, physical fitness, and specific types of training/sports on long-term CV health and life expectancy. A systematic review of recent studies (2011 to 2022) was conducted using PubMed.

PCSK9 inhibitor, ezetimibe, and bempedoic acid: Evidence-based therapies for statin-intolerant patients.

Statins are first-line therapy for treating dyslipidemia because of their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering efficacy, superior event-reduction data and unrivaled cost-effectiveness. Yet, many people are intolerant of statins, whether due to true adverse events or the nocebo effect, so within one year about two-thirds of primary prevention patients and one-third of secondary prevention patients are no longer taking their prescription. Statins still dominate this landscape, but other agents, often used in combination, potently reduce LDL-C levels, regress atherosclerosis and lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

The association of disparities in neighborhood median household income and mortality in patients admitted to the hospital with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Lower neighborhood median household income (nMHI) is associated with increased adverse outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, its effect on mortality is yet unknown.

Methods: Data from the regional United States (U.

A Health Inequalities Impact Assessment of the surveillance of COVID-19 in asymptomatic patients attending dental settings in Scotland.

Introduction: A key aspect of the public health response to COVID-19 in Scotland was enhanced community surveillance, including testing in dental settings. Across Scotland, dental settings offered patients over 5-years-old the opportunity to participate in community surveillance of COVID-19.

Methods: A Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (HIIA) was conducted to understand the differential impacts the programme would have on the population and to improve the accessibility of the programme.

Debunking the vegan myth: The case for a plant-forward omnivorous whole-foods diet.

Vegan diets are widely promoted as protective against cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, removing all animal foods from a human's diet usually causes unfavorable health consequences. Our hominin ancestors began consuming meat, fish, seafood, and eggs >2 million years ago. Consequently, humans are genetically adapted to procure nutrients from both plant and animal sources.

Early-Onset Cardiovascular Disease From Cocaine, Amphetamines, Alcohol, and Marijuana.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), a disease typically associated with aging and the definitive leading cause of death worldwide, now threatens young and middle-aged populations. Recreational abuse of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamine-type stimulants has been an escalating public health problem for decades, but now use of these substances has become a significant contributor to early-onset CVD. While this remains a global phenomenon, the epicentre of substance abuse is rooted in North America, where it has been exacerbated by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Use of Commercially Produced Medical Education Videos in a Cardiovascular Curriculum: Multiple Cohort Study.

Background: Short instructional videos can make learning more efficient through the application of multimedia principles, and video animations can illustrate the complex concepts and dynamic processes that are common in health sciences education. Commercially produced videos are commonly used by medical students but are rarely integrated into curricula.

Objective: Our goal was to examine student engagement with medical education videos incorporated into a preclinical Cardiovascular Systems course.