Altura

Neighborhood Healthcare and Altura are pleased to share a toolkit to supplement the Building Clinical Trial and Health Research Access for People of Color via Community Health Centers (CHCs) white paper. Its aim is to provide CHCs a range of options to support patients and increase diversity in and access to clinical studies of all types. Additionally, a call to action for life science companies and research organizations is included. To learn more and download the white paper and toolkit, please visit https://lnkd.in/g9kxmKVU To post a study on the HCP Studies research engagement platform for access by CHCs, patients and communities, please email: info@alturastudies.com.

A global study of the vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) finds it offers folks aged 60 and over 80% protection against severe illness and/or hospitalization, according to findings were published in The Lancet. Overall, folks over 60 reduced their odds for RSV-linked severe illness, hospitalization, admission to the ICU and death by four-fifths, compared to similarly aged people who did not get vaccinated, the researchers said. The benefit was especially plain among the most vulnerable age group, those aged 75 and older. "I encourage older adults to follow CDC guidance and get vaccinated for RSV as we enter this year's and every year's respiratory disease season," said study co-author Dr. Shaun Grannis. #health https://ow.ly/mV2t50TSQB6

A low-carbohydrate diet may help adults with type 2 diabetes gain better blood sugar control and make it possible to decrease diabetes medication, a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggests. Compared with a higher-carbohydrate diet, carbohydrate-restricted intake improved the function of compromised beta-cells in the pancreas during the 12-week trial, researchers said. Beta cells produce and release insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Participants on the low-carb diet had their initial beta cell responses improve twice as much as those on the high-carb diet, researchers noted. "Our data suggests that a carbohydrate-restricted diet provides the opportunity to improve beta cell function without the need for weight loss and after any diabetes medications were withheld," said the study's corresponding author, Marian Yurchishin. #diabetes https://ow.ly/EkQW50TSQyS

Obesity is a more powerful driver of breast cancer than previously thought, a new study in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health suggests. About 40% of hormone-positive breast cancers in postmenopausal women might be linked to excess body fat, researchers reported. For this study, researchers compared BMI with a different measure of body fat called the CUN-BAE, an equation which accounts for gender and age in BMI measurements. About 23% of breast cancer cases were linked to excess body weight as measured by BMI. However, about 38% of breast cancers were linked to excess fat as measured by the CUN-BAE, results show. Twice as much risk for hormone-positive breast cancers could be linked to excess fat when using the CUN-BAE equation -- 42%, compared with 20% when using BMI. "The findings of this study highlight the importance of considering more accurate measures of body fat than BMI to estimate the cancer burden attributable to obesity in postmenopausal breast cancer," concluded the research team led by Veronica Davila-Batista. #CancerResearch https://ow.ly/EK5u50TRe3i

The recent Virginia Community Healthcare Association (VCHA) 2024 Annual Conference included a session chaired by Altura. The slides from this session, Leveraging Clinical Studies to Reduce Health Disparities, are being shared to support access and diversity for studies of all types. Slides include information about NIH’s CARE for Health initiative to build a national primary care research network, FDA’s perspective on fostering clinical trial innovation, NIH’s All of Us research program, Genentech’s efforts to expand research diversity and Altura’s experience supporting primary-care based research, as well as results from a national FQHC study on research participation. #healthequity #clinicaltrials #FQHCs #primarycare

Research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that exposure to bright light at night raises mortality risk, particularly from heart disease and diabetes, but seeking daylight could lower these risks and promote longevity. Exposure to brighter night light was found to be associated with increased all-cause mortality risk, with stronger associations for cardiometabolic mortality. On the other hand, exposure to brighter daylight was found to correlate with lower risks of all-cause mortality and cardiometabolic mortality. In conclusion, the study suggests that maintaining darkness during late night and early morning, when circadian rhythms are most sensitive, and seeking bright light during the day can potentially enhance circadian function. This is especially important for those at risk of circadian disruption, such as in intensive or elderly-care settings. #heart https://ow.ly/BEf450TRe1z

New research in The Lancet links genetic predispositions to smoking and high BMI with elevated dementia risk while highlighting the protective power of education and physical activity. Mendelian randomization revealed that genetically predicted smoking, high body mass index (BMI), high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes (T2D), high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations, and high triglycerides significantly increased all-cause dementia risk. In contrast, genetic predispositions to higher physical activity levels and longer education times were found to confer a protective effect against Alzheimer's disease and all-cause dementia. The present study identifies populations as high-risk individuals requiring immediate behavioral interventions to reduce future dementia risk. #dementia https://ow.ly/24gw50TRe0b

Carbonated beverages are associated with an increased risk for ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), according to a study published in the Journal of Stroke. The researchers identified a linear association for carbonated beverages with ischemic stroke after multivariable adjustment (odds ratio, 2.39) and consumption once/day was associated with ICH (odds ratio, 1.58). Fruit juice/drinks were associated with increased odds of ICH with once/day or twice/day consumption (odds ratios, 1.37 and 3.18, respectively). Intake of more than seven cups/day water was associated with a reduced risk for ischemic stroke. "We encourage individuals to maintain adequate levels of hydration and generate hypotheses that the future risk of stroke could be reduced by optimizing water intake, minimizing fruit juice/drinks, and avoiding carbonated beverages," the authors write. #stroke https://ow.ly/SiEU50TNVP0

Quitting smoking even as late as at 75 years of age can meaningfully increase a person's life expectancy, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The results show that although the benefits of quitting smoking diminish with age, there are still substantial gains for older individuals. The chances of gaining at least one year of life among those who quit at age 65 are 23.4% and 14.2% at age 75. Results showed that nearly 10% of individuals who quit at age 65 gain at least 8 years of life compared to those who do not. Additionally, 8% of those who quit by age 75 gain at least 4 years of life compared to those who continue smoking. Life expectancy for a 75-year-old person who smokes is 9 years. If that person quits, he/she will regain (on average) 0.7 years (7.8% of the life expectancy), and about 8% of those individuals who quit will regain at least 4 years of life (45% of the life expectancy). "The cessation benefit is not limited to young and middle-aged adults who smoke; this study demonstrates its applicability to seniors as well. While the gains from quitting at older ages may seem low in absolute values, they represent a large proportion of an individual's remaining life expectancy," said co-investigator Kenneth E. Warner, PhD. #health https://ow.ly/Jm2V50TN2xB

The risk of asthma in the child can be reduced by nearly half if the mother engages in active physical exercise at least three times a week during pregnancy, compared to a child of a mother who is less active, a new study published in MED shows. Maternal exercise is known to affect fetal activity and fetal breathing movements, which support lung development. "The findings are very promising in terms of asthma prevention. It is highly encouraging to see that by engaging in reasonable amounts of exercise, mothers can significantly influence not only their own health, but also the health of their child," says Dr Pirkka Kirjavainen, the lead researcher of the study. "It is intriguing that moderate maternal exercise during pregnancy may have an equally strong protective effect on a child's asthma risk as if one of the parents quits smoking." #asthma https://ow.ly/ccou50TN2vS