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Category: Health

Keep Your Kidneys Working Well

Consumer Reports

The risk of developing CKD generally increases with age. “This is often due to a longer exposure to medical conditions or medications that can harm the kidney function,” says Laura Maursetter, DO, a nephrologist who’s an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure are all known risk factors for kidney disease, as is long-term use of over-the-counter NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen.

Reducing intake of one amino acid improves longevity & health in mice

New Atlas

Studies into the benefits of protein-restricted diets have shown that lower protein consumption is associated with a decreased risk of age-related diseases and mortality and improved metabolic health. Now, exploring alternatives to calorie-restricting diets, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that reducing the intake of a single amino acid in mice extended their lifespan, making them leaner, less frail, and less susceptible to cancer.

“We like to say a calorie is not just a calorie,” said Dudley Lamming, corresponding author of the study. “Different components of your diet have value and impact beyond their function as a calorie, and we’ve been digging in on one component that many people may be eating too much of.”

The state of mental health across Wisconsin’s public universities in 4 charts

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Late fall is crunch time for John Achter and his team of counselors across the state public university system.

The novelty of the new school year has worn off, the realities of classes have set in and finals are looming. An increasing number of students have been seeking counseling in recent years, often during this stressful period of the semester.

New analysis looks at relationship between gender, wages and trust in tap water

Wisconsin Public Radio

A recent analysis from a UW-Madison professor finds that bottled water consumption is most prevalent among low-income women, signaling a distrust in household tap water. We speak with Manny Teodoro, an associate Professor in the LaFollette School of Public Affairs/Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison.

Wisconsin college students faced mounting mental health challenges during COVID. Now they’re ready to talk about it.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Katherine Zimmerman had a very good problem on her hands. So many students showed up for the September kickoff meeting of an organization she leads that she had to move attendees to a larger room on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

That’s not surprising for a school bursting at the seams. But the turnout was unexpected, given the group’s focus on a topic long treated as taboo: mental health.

10th cohort of UW Health program graduates to next chapter

WISC-TV 3

The medical assistant apprenticeship program started in 2018 and was the first of its kind in Wisconsin. UW Health and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development created the program to address a shortage in healthcare workers. After eight months of their apprenticeship, all twenty participants in the 10th year cohort celebrated this huge milestone.

Rehabilitation hospital opens in Fitchburg, giving Dane County its second

Wisconsin State Journal

The Fitchburg facility, which involves a partnership with SSM Health, joins Dane County’s only other standalone rehab hospital, the 50-bed UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital, which opened in 2015 on Madison’s Far East Side. That facility, a joint venture with UnityPoint Health-Meriter and Kindred Healthcare, replaced a 21-bed rehab unit at UW Hospital and a 16-bed rehab unit at Meriter Hospital.

If you think gratitude and thankfulness make you feel better, you’re right. And science backs it up.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When neuroscientists talk about gratitude, they often cluster it with other social and moral emotions like appreciation and compassion. That’s no coincidence. These emotions activate similar networks in our brains, said Cortland Dahl, a scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds, part of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“Gratitude, I would say, is a very specific version of (appreciation), where we’re oriented to something we really appreciate that has benefited us personally — somebody else’s presence in our lives, how they’ve supported us, being the most common expression of that,” Dahl said.

5 things to do when you’re depressed

CNN

Psychiatrist Charles Raison, a professor of human ecology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said he has struggled with depression. Raison, who is also the director of the Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center and a former mental health expert for CNN Health, described the state of mental health in the Unites States in one word: “bad.”

Wisconsin kindergartners are behind the rest of the country in getting vaccines for measles, other preventable diseases

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin also had among the lowest vaccination rates for other required vaccines, which protect against such diseases as chickenpox, polio and whooping cough.

“It’s very concerning,” said Dr. James Conway, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and medical director of UW Health’s immunization program. “This is mostly a call to action that we need to do better.”

Lawmakers back project to treat PTSD in veterans with magic mushrooms

The Capital Times

The bill would create a pilot project in collaboration with researchers at UW-Madison to explore the medicinal benefits of psilocybin to treat PTSD among a select group of veterans. Program participants would need to be military veterans ages 21 and older, who are not members of law enforcement and who have been diagnosed with treatment-resistant PTSD.

Advocates want a stronger role for family caregivers when patients leave the hospital

Wisconsin Examiner

Beth Fields, an occupational therapist and geriatric health and caregiving researcher at the University of Wisconsin, described her own experience with the challenges caregivers face.

After a back injury, her brother spent three weeks in intensive care before being sent home. Her family received “little information on how to support him when he got back home,” she said, and medical complications sent him back to the hospital.

“We must take a critical look at the support we are providing to the caregivers who are the backbone of our long-term care health care system,” Fields said.

UW-Madison organization paves new path for sexual assault victims on campus

Spectrum

Isabelle Bogan is a junior studying marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also a sexual assault survivor.

“I wasn’t treated very well by friends when I told them about it or by people who knew the [assaulter],” said Bogan.

Bogan said she never wanted to be labeled as a sexual assault survivor. She said she just wanted to continue on with her life the best way that she could. That’s why she became a peer facilitator at Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment, or PAVE.

Milwaukee County stops taking fathers to court to pay back Medicaid for childbirth costs

Wisconsin Examiner

Prof. Tiffany Green, a health care economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has researched the impact of birth- cost recovery programs, said a study she conducted pointed to better child support payments when birth-cost recovery (BCR) stopped.

“With the caveat that our results of preliminary, we found that BCR cessation was linked to increased probability of paying support to birthing parents (i.e., mothers and other individuals who gave birth), and that the amount of that support increased,” Green told the Wisconsin Examiner Monday. That pattern appeared “particularly pronounced among the fathers of Black children,” although not among fathers of white children. Future research will explore possible explanations for those differences, she added.

After a string of student deaths at UW-River Falls, an expert speaks to student mental health

MPR

Students and faculty of the University of Wisconsin River Falls are mourning the loss of four members of the campus community.

In September, a professor of journalism died unexpectedly of natural causes. The obituaries of the three students say they all lost their battles with depression. Two of these students were from Minnesota. Last year, 43 percent of the student body came from Minnesota.

UW Health nurses reporting safety concerns to state amid labor dispute

Wisconsin Public Radio

Nurses at UW Health submitted paperwork Thursday urging Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services to investigate concerns about patient safety.

It’s the latest escalation amid an ongoing labor dispute with the health care system, as nurses who are pushing for collective bargaining power raise alarms about the effects of under-staffing, employee turnover and worker burnout.

Wisconsin veterans with PTSD could seek psilocybin treatment under a bipartisan bill

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder could have access to medicinal psilocybin treatment under a bipartisan bill.

The proposal would create a pilot program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison run in collaboration with the university’s Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances and its School of Pharmacy. Veterans age 21 and older suffering from treatment-resistant PTSD would be eligible to participate as long as they are not currently serving as law enforcement officers.

Democratic lawmakers propose funds for universal, free school meals

WORT FM

Earlier this summer, the Healthy School Meals for All coalition and UW-Madison Professor Jennifer Gaddis released the first statewide survey of the Wisconsin school nutrition workforce.

That report found that of the approximately 5,089 K-12 school nutrition workers across the state, 94% were women, and 88% were white.

It also found that four out of five school food workers who were not managers worked part-time, and that a quarter of schools across the state offered poverty-level starting wages for school nutrition workers.

Science of fainting: New research showing link between brain and heart offers clues

NBC News

“Oftentimes we’re just scratching our heads as to what to do about it,” said Dr. Zachary Goldberger, a cardiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health who wasn’t part of the new research.“Now that these scientists have helped us to understand that there’s a possible mechanism for it, you could potentially imagine that there’ll be therapies on the horizon,” he said.

Fact check: Claim that Wisconsin abortion restrictions worsened OB-GYN shortage half-true

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In fact, the UW Health spokesperson said the hospital isn’t certain if its decrease in applications is an indication of a trend – though she noted that some applicants have asked about the 1849 law in their interviews.

Dr. Ellen Hartenbach, chair of the OB-GYN department at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, also told Wisconsin Health News in May that the university is uncertain if abortion restrictions caused this year’s decrease in applicants.

Youths are struggling with anxiety, depression more than ever. UW team trying to get more psychologists in the pipeline.

Wausau Daily Herald

Every year, 60 to 70 school psychologist positions in Wisconsin go unfilled.

That’s based on the most recent data collected by the Wisconsin School Psychologists Association. And it’s a good reminder why Katie Eklund, co-director of the School Mental Health Collaborative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, spends her time focusing on workforce initiatives.

AI revolution in diabetes care: How technology is beating this silent killer

Forbes

Take the case of Rufus Sweeney, a 4th-year medical student at UW-Madison and Oklahoma Choctaw. When he discovered his pre-diabetes condition, he turned to glucose monitoring apps in the market that recommended lifestyle changes, from diet adjustments to sleep tweaks. His breakthrough came when he prioritized physical activity over all other app notifications.

As health care buckled during pandemic, UW students supplied critical help | Opinion

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This is the fourth chapter of a 5-part series in which former University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson and Vice President Jim Langdon reflect on their experience guiding the system though the COVID-19 pandemic. As the health care crisis raged, facilities on the front lines began to have severe staffing issues. Drawing inspiration from the foundations of the UW System, they found ways to help students jump from the classroom to the community to assist.

Dairy workers on Wisconsin’s small farms are dying. Many of those deaths are never investigated.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Lola Loustaunau, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School for Workers, said that “it would really open the door for a lot of protections for workers” if OSHA consistently inspected small dairy farms that provide housing to immigrant workers.

“If they are politically interested in doing something,” she added, “it looks like they have all the basis to do it.”

A spider was found inside a woman’s ear. Such cases are rare, doctors say, but not unheard of.

NBC News

Dr. Stacey Ishman, an otolaryngology instructor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, estimated that she has treated about eight patients with insects in their ears over her 23-year career — often people who did outdoor activities like camping.

“Most of the time the ear is completely fine,” said Ishman, who also wasn’t involved in the new report. “If there’s some injury to the ear canal, quite honestly it’s more often from people trying to get it out than it is from the bug itself.”

Wisconsin reaches an all-time high in domestic violence-related deaths

Wisconsin Public Radio

In 2022, Wisconsin saw a record-setting increase in domestic violence-related suicides and homicides, up 20 percent compared to the previous year. We talk to Mariel Barnes, an assistant professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison, about why Wisconsin’s domestic violence problem is worsening, and what we can do to improve outcomes for victims.

Roughly 70% of Wisconsinites hold onto old opioid prescriptions. Drug Take Back Day can help.

Green Bay Press-Gazette

Expired and unused medications can fall into the wrong hands. Consider that less than 30% of opioid prescriptions are actually taken as prescribed for medical purposes. According to a recent study from Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, roughly 70% of people in Wisconsin hold onto their opioid prescriptions well past their need for medication, and it reaches nearly 90% in older Wisconsinites. One study found that leftover prescriptions accounted for nearly 40% of recreational use in high school seniors.

Wisconsin hospitals face financial challenges, association says

Wisconsin State Journal

UW Hospital reported a 4.1% operating margin last year, but had a net income loss of $15.5 million. UnityPoint Health-Meriter had a 3.0% margin and loss of $17 million.

Meriter’s loss reflects stock market investment losses and the rising costs of medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and staffing, spokesperson Nicole Aimone said. UW Hospital faced similar “financial headwinds,” spokesperson Sara Benzel said.

Wisconsin receives regional tech hub designation from the federal government

Wisconsin Public Radio

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of the partners behind the tech hub application, and contributes to the biohealth industry through academic research and providing an educated workforce through its medical physics, biotechnology and medical engineering programs.

In a statement, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said the university is thrilled to be part of the collaboration that helped secure the federal designation.

“Our culture of innovation and strong collaborative spirit, both within the university and across the state, make us well-positioned to make the most of this important opportunity,” she said.

Wisconsin organizations urge lawmakers to embrace local approach to reducing childhood obesity

Wisconsin Public Radio

In 2018, the UW-Madison’s Division of Extension received a $2.5 million five-year grant from the CDC’s High Obesity program to address obesity in Menominee County. The funding led to the Kemāmaceqtaq: We’re All Moving initiative, which worked with county and tribal government and community groups.

Gauthier, who helped lead the initiative, said the last five years of work have focused on changing policies and making environmental improvements to support healthy choices. The initiative has helped local government buildings, schools and community groups adopt new nutrition policies, supported a local farmers market program and led a walking audit of the county to identify how to improve infrastructure for walking and biking.

Amber Canto is director of the Health and Wellbeing Institute with the UW-Madison’s Division of Extension and project director for the High Obesity Program grant funding. She said they’ve received another five-year award to continue their work in Menominee County and begin work in Ashland County, which now also has an obesity rate of more than 40 percent.

Canto said they’ve tracked increases in healthy food options and recreationally-accessible miles, but the bigger impacts are harder to quantify this early on.

“That data has shown, from a theory perspective, that if these opportunities are present that the behavior and therefore the health outcomes will shift over time,” she said at Monday’s hearing.

Wisconsin health sciences consortium gets federal innovation funds to accelerate biotech industry

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Consortium members include GE HealthCare, Rockwell Automation, Exact Sciences Corp., Accuray, Plexus, Employ Milwaukee, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Milwaukee and Madison area technical colleges, Milwaukee 7 and the Madison Regional Economic Partnership.

New partnership will offer prenatal check-ins, pregnancy care in Milwaukee

Wisconsin Public Radio

A Milwaukee nonprofit and Froedtert Health are launching a new initiative to improve health outcomes for pregnant people and infants by offering prenatal care in a community setting.

Funded by a grant from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Penfield Children’s Center will be offering group pregnancy care sessions. Participants with similar due dates will meet regularly at the nonprofit’s location for pregnancy-related classes and to get an individual prenatal check-up through a new maternal mobile clinic operated by Froedtert. They’ll also be able to access postpartum care at the mobile clinic and work with a social care navigator at Penfield to access additional support.

How to avoid, identify and treat concussions

CNN

Far from being something to brush off lightly, concussions are classified as traumatic brain injuries, Julie Stamm, author of the book “The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future,” told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the podcast Chasing Life.

“I often use the term concussion because it’s just so commonly used in sport especially. But it is a traumatic brain injury, and it’s often classified as a mild traumatic brain injury — and even that feels like it minimizes the injury,” said Stamm, a clinical assistant professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

More Wisconsin kids aren’t meeting vaccination requirements. A new report looks at some of the reasons why.

Wisconsin Public Radio

Dr. Emma Mohr, pediatric infectious disease physician at UW Health, said she is encountering more families who are questioning recommended vaccinations for their kids than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said hearing about the development of the COVID-19 vaccines — and often the misinformation spread about the shots — has put all vaccinations at the forefront of parents’ minds.

“They say ‘oh, people were questioning the COVID vaccine and researching it. Now our doctor is offering us a different vaccine, should we be questioning this one and researching this one?'” Mohr said.

Wisconsin Assembly passes transgender sports restrictions, gender-affirming care ban

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) also opposes the ban on transgender girls and women from competing in sports designated for women. And University of Wisconsin-Madison officials previously warned that the university’s teams would be out of compliance with NCAA policies if the legislation is enacted.

UW-Madison Pharmacy School offering early assurance program to address pharmacist shortage

Spectrum News

Nationwide, big-name retailers and small community pharmacies are struggling to find pharmacists. The challenge to recruit more is magnified in rural areas.

UW-Madison is offering a new program to help build a pharmacy workforce in Wisconsin. It’s called the PharmD Early Assurance Program.

These southeast Wisconsin school districts have policies that affect trans students

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Two bills that never got a vote in the State Senate in 2021 were reintroduced and are now up for a vote in the Legislature that would ban transgender girls and women from competing in sports designed for women at publicly funded K-12 schools, University of Wisconsin System campuses and state technical colleges.

UW mobilized to offer free COVID testing in pandemic. It helped keep college campuses open.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Editor’s note: This is the second chapter of a 5-part series in which former University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson and Vice President Jim Langdon reflect on their experience guiding the system though the COVID-19 pandemic. After making a controversial decision to return to in-person classes in the fall of 2020, they discuss the innovative testing program that helped limit the spread of COVID at colleges and the communities they serve.

New drug offers hope for UW Health patient with rare, inherited ALS

Wisconsin State Journal

Dr. Collin Kreple, a UW Health neurologist who delivered Francis’ tofersen injection in September, said it may take longer than the short period of the drug’s clinical trial to reveal its clinical effectiveness. Another study has started in people with SOD1 mutations who don’t have symptoms yet.

20% of female college students can’t afford period products, new survey shows

Forbes

The survey included respondents from five schools: Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Harvard University, New York University, and University of Central Florida. A majority (58%) reported working or receiving grants to help cover the cost of living during school. Fourteen percent of respondents reported both receiving financial aid and experiencing period poverty.