Drive By Truckers

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

Up to one-third of crashes of large trucks are attributable to sleepiness, and large truck crashes result in more than 4,000 deaths annually. For each occupant of a truck who is killed, 6 to 7 occupants of other vehicles are killed.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder that is characterized by repetitive episodes of complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep.1 OSA is common among adults,2,3 and it is particularly common in commercial operators.4–8 Untreated OSA leads to increased morbidity and mortality, as well as high costs related to crashes, health care use, absenteeism, and lost productivity.9–11 A systematic review and meta-analysis commissioned by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) shows that drivers with OSA have a crash risk that is between 21% and 489% higher than comparable drivers without OSA.12 A 2013 meta-analysis of more than 25,000 individuals who were enrolled in 12 studies shows that OSA was associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (relative risk: 1.79), fatal and nonfatal stroke (relative risk: 2.15), and death from all causes (relative risk: 1.92).13

Obstructive sleep apnea screening, diagnosis, and treatment in the transportation industry – https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.9672

Unhealthful Eating – Pandemic Style

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

Mindless eating and snacking;

Increased food consumption;

Generalized decrease in appetite or dietary intake;

Eating to cope;

Pandemic-related reductions in dietary intake;

And, a re-emergence or marked increase in eating disorder symptoms.

Approximately 8% of those studied reported extreme unhealthy weight control behaviors, 53% had less extreme unhealthy weight control behaviors and 14% reported binge eating. The study revealed that these outcomes were significantly associated with poorer stress management, greater depressive symptoms and moderate or extreme financial difficulties.

University of Minnesota Medical School. “COVID-19 pandemic has been linked with six unhealthy eating behaviors: Study shows a slight increase in eating disorders, one of the deadliest psychiatric health concerns.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210412114740.htm (accessed May 1, 2021).

Pandemic or no pandemic at times I am guilty of number one on the list. I found the absolute best pita crackers, crispy and salty, and…

What Middle Class?

/ SupremeCmdr / 8 Comments

Hat tip to Mike Shedlock, a registered investment advisor at SitkaPacific Capital Management for highlighting the following video for his blog readers.

This is the portion of the blog post where I typically add a snarky comment.

Nope. Not going to joke about this.

Brussels Chicory Stabilizes Unstable Atherosclerotic Plaques and Reshapes the Gut Microbiota (in Mice)

/ SupremeCmdr / 3 Comments

Brussels chicory might help stabilize atherosclerotic plaques in mice by reducing intestinal permeability and gut microbial LPS production. This study provides a promising approach to slow the progression of atherosclerosis.

The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 152, Issue 10, October 2022, Pages 2209–2217, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxac103

Does not look like mice food.

(Image borrowed from the internet. If you own the copyright on this photo let me know and I’ll delete immediately. If copyright infringement has occurred I assure you it was unintentional.)

Brussels chicory aka Belgian endive aka Witloof. We don’t eat much of this vegetable in the US. Maybe because virtually no one grows it.

Demand has grown such that California Endive Farms, who are the only commercial endive producer in the country, has had to expand their operations in order to keep up.

Belgian endive consumption in the US on the rise — https://www.infiniteherbs.com/belgian-endive-consumption-in-the-us-on-the-rise/

Number of Children Hospitalized for E-scooter Injuries Surge from 2011-2020

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

Authors of the abstract, “National Trends in Pediatric e-Scooter Injury,” found hundreds of e-scooter injuries between 2011-2020. The rate of hospital admittance for patients increased from fewer than 1 out of every 20 e-scooter injuries in 2011 to 1 out of every 8 requiring admittance into a hospital for care in 2020…

Researchers examined a national database of pediatric e-scooter injuries that were seen in emergency departments at over 100 US hospitals from 2011-2020 to find out what kinds of injuries children were sustaining and if any trends existed. Over 10% of all patients had a head injury, including a concussion, skull fractures, and internal bleeding. The most common injuries were arm fractures (27%), followed by minor abrasions (22%) and lacerations needing stitches (17%). The average age was 11.1 years and 59% of patients were male. Admittance to a hospital rose from 4.2% in 2011 to 12.9% in 2020.

American Academy of Pediatrics. “Number of children hospitalized for E-scooter injuries surge from 2011-2020: During 10-year study, all e-scooter injuries rose, including head injuries and injuries requiring hospitalization.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221007085739.htm (accessed October 7, 2022).

Nicotine Addiction (hook ’em while they’re young)

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released federal data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) on e-cigarette use among U.S. youth. The findings, published in Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, show that youth use of e-cigarettes remains high, with 2.5 million (9.4%) of the nation’s middle and high school students reporting current e-cigarette use. 

New Data Show More Than 2.5 Million U.S. Youth Currently Use E-Cigarettes — https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/new-data-show-more-25-million-us-youth-currently-use-e-cigarettes