Physicians Office Resource Volume 9 Issue 09 | Page 29

Physicians Office News Briefs

"These data strongly suggest that functional
and anatomical changes within the brain stem,
which we believe underlie the elevated
sympathetic activity in individuals with untreated
OSA, can be restored to healthy levels by CPAP
treatment," the authors write. "These data
highlight the effectiveness of CPAP treatment in
reducing one of the most significant health issues
associated with OSA, that is, elevated MSNA and
its associated elevated morbidity.”

E

nergy Drinks Plus Alcohol Tied to
Brain Injury in Teens
The consumption of energy drinks
and alcohol mixed with energy drinks
increases the odds of traumatic brain
injury (TBI) among adolescents, according to a
study published Sept. 16 in PLOS ONE.
Gabriela Ilie, Ph.D., from St. Michael's
Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues analyzed
data from the Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health's 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and
Health Survey of
10,272 seventh- to
12th-graders (ages 11
to 20 years) to
determine the
prevalence of
adolescent TBI and its
associations with
energy drinks, alcohol,
and energy drinks
mixed in with alcohol.
The researchers
found that 22.4 percent of all students
reported a history of TBI, with sports injuries
accounting for most injuries in the past year
(45.5 percent). However, based on multinomial
logistic regression, relative to adolescents who
never sustained a TBI, the odds of sustaining a
recent TBI were greater for those consuming
alcohol, energy drinks, and energy drinks
mixed in with alcohol than for abstainers. The
odds ratios for these behaviors were higher for
students who sustained a recent TBI than for
those who sustained a former TBI (lifetime but
not past 12 months).
"TBI remains a disabling and common
condition among adolescents and the

consumption of alcohol, energy drinks, and
alcohol mixed with energy drinks further
increase the odds of TBI among adolescents,"
conclude the authors.


U

SPSTF Recommendations for
Aspirin Use Vary by Age
The U.S. Preventive Services
Task Force (USPSTF) has
concluded that the benefits
and harms of low-dose aspirin for prevention
of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer
vary by patient age. These findings form the
basis of a draft recommendation statement
published online Sept. 14 by the USPSTF.
Researchers from the USPSTF reviewed the
evidence relating to use of low-dose aspirin to
prevent CVD and cancer. They then prepared
recommendations that address different age
groups.
The researchers found that for adults aged 50
to 59 years who have a 10 percent or greater 10year CVD risk and are not at
increased risk for bleeding, lowdose aspirin should be taken to
prevent CVD and colorectal cancer
(Grade B recommendation). For
individuals aged 60 to 69 years
with a greater than 10 percent 10year CVD risk, the decision to use
low-dose aspirin should be an
individual one (Grade C
recommendation). For adults
younger than 50 years and for
those age 70 years and older, the current
evidence was insufficient to weigh the balance
of benefits and harms of aspirin use (Grade I
statements). These findings form the basis of the
draft recommendation statement, which will be
available for comment until Oct. 12.
"Taking aspirin is easy, but deciding whether
or not to take aspirin for prevention is
complex," task force vice chair Kirsten BibbinsDomingo, Ph.D., M.D., said in a statement.
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