Air pollution was associated with risk for developing motor neuron disease such as ALS and likely contributes to an accelerated disease course following a diagnosis for individuals in Sweden, according to data published in JAMA Neurology.
Prior research has established that exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased risk of neurodegenerative disease, although current evidence is limited for its impact on motor neuron disease (MND), particularly in disease progression, wrote lead study author Jing Wu, PhD, of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institute, and

A popular over-the-counter supplement that patients with cancer are prescribed or buy on their own to improve hair and nail growth after treatment can negatively impact lab data needed to manage their care.
Biotin can skew results for prostate, breast, thyroid and other cancers, leading to unnecessary testing and stress for patients.
“Biotin does not have significant evidence to support its use for managing hair loss, and because of its interference with lab values in this patient population, it should be avoided,” Brittany Dulmage, MD, an oncodermatologist at The Ohio State University

Patients with asthma and major depressive disorder had more negative beliefs about their asthma, worse treatment adherence and more ED visits, according to data published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
By reframing maladaptive beliefs and addressing emotional distress, clinicians may improve asthma outcomes, Jonathan M. Feldman, PhD, a professor at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, and colleagues wrote.
“Prior research has shown that depression is associated with poor asthma outcomes and depression has a higher prevalence in older

In September, the federal government raised the application fee for new H-1B visas to $100,000. The fee could have lasting negative effects on the U.S. physician workforce, according to the AMA and medical specialty groups.
The H-1B visa program allows employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in certain occupations that require specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree in the specialty, such as technology, sciences, medicine and health care, education and business, among others.
The fee increase, instituted by presidential proclamation, appears to be targeted at the technology sector

Most adults with hypothyroidism receiving levothyroxine did not have a thyroid-stimulating hormone level within reference range, researchers reported in a study published in Clinical Endocrinology.
In a real-world analysis of primary care electronic health record data from adults living near Manchester in the U.K., 43.8% of adults receiving daily levothyroxine were within the TSH reference range of 0.4 mIU/L to 4 mIU/L, whereas 94.6% were within the free thyroxine reference range of 9 pmol/L to 25 pmol/L.
“The distribution of TSH is ‘unphysiological’ even at low levothyroxine dose,” Adrian

More adults receiving mobile-based behavioral support from ex-smokers achieved biochemically validated smoking abstinence at 6 months vs. a control group, but this difference did not reach significance, according to data published in CHEST.
“Clinicians can consider integrating mobile-based ex-smoker peer support as an adjunct to routine smoking cessation treatment,” Ziqiu Guo, PhD, and Man Ping Wang, PhD, of the school of nursing at The University of Hong Kong, told Healio in a statement. “Given clinicians’ heavy workloads and limited contact time with smokers, trained ex-smokers can provide

Children with food allergies who had late- vs. early-onset atopic dermatitis faced significantly lower odds for multiple food allergies, according to results published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
These children also had decreased odds for milk and egg allergies, according to researchers.
“These findings highlight the need for clinicians to closely monitor infants with early-onset eczema, as they may be at higher risk for multiple food allergies,” Hikma Hussien, MS, clinical research assistant at Rush University Medical Center, told Healio. “Early identification can guide

LAS VEGAS — Therapeutic progress for fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease has been stalled in a paradox: Antifibrotic drugs require endpoints for development, yet meaningful endpoints cannot be established without effective antifibrotic therapies.
However, a newly developed patient-reported outcome measure and stricture radiology index could provide the cornerstone endpoints needed to anchor trials for stricturing Crohn’s disease, according to data presented during Crohn’s & Colitis Congress.
“When you look at the antifibrotics for other organs — liver, heart, skin or lung — you have a rich

Activity limitations due to arthritis were reported in more than 24 million U.S. adults in 2023, with more than 47% of patients with arthritis experiencing such limitations, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.
“By 2040, it is estimated that 78.4 million adults in the United States (25.9%) will have diagnosed arthritis and, of those, 34.6 million (52%) will have [arthritis-attributable activity limitations (AAAL)],” Ellen W. Stowe, PhD, MPH, a health scientist in the division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the CDC, in Atlanta, and colleagues