A trial of 3,220 smokers puts cash rewards for quitting to the test - News-Medical

IntroductionOral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is a multidimensional concept that encompasses an individual’s subjective perception of how oral health affects their daily functioning, psychological well-being, and social interactions [1]. The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) has emerged as one of the most widely validated and commonly used instruments to measure OHRQoL across diverse populations and clinical settings [1, 2]. Its 14 items span seven domains (functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical disability, psychological disability, social disability, and handicap) providing a comprehensive assessment of the burden of oral conditions on daily life [2]. Understanding the factors that influence OHRQoL is essential for identifying at-risk populations, designing targeted interventions, and evaluating the effectiveness of dental care. Previous research has identified sociodemographic and behavioral correlates of OHRQoL, including age, gender, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, dental attendance patterns, and oral hygiene practices [3,4,5].

Bioengineer.org news storyFor millions of people living with HIV, antiretroviral therapy has transformed a once-fatal infection into a manageable chronic condition. Yet the very drugs that suppress the virus can carry quiet costs, and one of the most insidious is bone loss. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, or TDF, has been a cornerstone of HIV treatment worldwide for two decades, prized for its potency, durability, and low cost. But a growing body of evidence has linked TDF exposure to measurable reductions in bone mineral density, raising an increasingly urgent clinical question: once bone has been lost on a TDF-based regimen, can it be recovered? A new prospective cohort study, published in BMC Infectious Diseases, offers some of the most detailed longitudinal evidence to date that the answer, for many patients, is yes. The research team enrolled 223 virologically suppressed men living with HIV who had low bone mineral density while taking TDF-based antiretroviral therapy.

The new treatment kills off a sub-group of fat cells. (Jian Fan/iStockphoto/Getty Images) Early clinical trials into a new fat reduction treatment have reported promising results, and the treatment takes a more unusual approach: Rather than shrinking fat cells, as most weight loss strategies do, it safely and naturally kills them off. The drug here is CBL-514, which is administered via injection. As well as proving effective at reducing subcutaneous fat (just below the skin), there's evidence it can also reduce visceral fat (stored deeper around the organs). According to the team behind the trials, CBL-514 and its unconventional strategy have the potential to reduce fat in key areas of the body – with further benefits that come with weight loss likely to follow. "We expect that patients will be pleased by the cosmetic effects, such as the flatter stomach that can come with subcutaneous fat loss," says endocrinologist Timothy Garvey, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who headed up the trial.