I wrote an article about Barbie after an interview with psychiatrist/cultural theorist Dr. Jeanne Randolph for the #MedicalPost/#CanadianHealthcare Network. It's free for #doctors, #pharmacists in #Canada. But here are few salient paragraphs.

"Dr. Randolph is both a #psychiatrist and a cultural theorist who uses a psychoanalytic lens when looking at icons such as Barbie. Studying #Barbie provokes questions about toys' contribution to the #health and ethics in #kids.

Indeed, back in the 1990s, she wrote a chapter for a book, Consuming Fashions: Adorning the Trans-National Body, that included details of a small study she conducted investigating how girls treated their Barbie dolls. The book itself included historical psychological and anthropological aspects of fashion.

What she found in wasn’t pretty.

Indeed, it was common for girls to cut off Barbie’s hair, paint them, poke or burn holes in them, twist their head around backwards, remove limbs, or even swap their head with other dolls.

But, she told the Medical Post, it's healthy for young kids to express aggressive or sadistic behaviours through their toys. It helps them cope with, and understand, their aggression in the long run—better than keeping it all bottled up and having it expressed in something real.

One moment, Barbie is a super model, an ideal parent or a brilliant astronaut, the next she might be beating up other toys, joining a biker gang, or holding up banks. Young kids learn about themselves and the world around them through play, she said.

For a long time, Barbie was marketed with an image of femininity that was devoid of aggression.

Barbie represented a huge cultural shift when she was first introduced in 1959. Prior to that, girls were given dolls that looked like babies, making their play limited to that as moms or caregivers—a fact the new movie points out.

Barbie was the first adult doll girls could identify with, Dr. Randolph said. They could expand the roles they played—except she was presented an exaggerated version of some idealized female form with her tall, slender proportions.

“In a way, Barbie was asking for it. It’s like the Barbie doll is so perfect, so unrealistic that she incited children to resent her or to be anxious because she’s not real,” she said. Hence some of the destructive behaviour.

Yet doing things like removing a Barbie’s head doesn’t mean a child will grow up a sociopath. Often, it’s just because the heads are easy to remove, and more of an exploration of how things work.

When she wrote about Barbie for that book chapter in the 1990s, Dr. Randolph wanted to include a picture of the doll. She looked for an advertising image that showed some aggression in Barbie, but the best she could find was an image of a fishing Barbie holding a large, plastic dead fish. The fish had a smile on it.

She wrote the toy company that produced Barbie for permission to use the image.

“I got a letter back from Mattel’s lawyers. They had read my chapter all about sadism and about how Barbie is asking for it, the doll is too perfect. They said I should seek legal council. They said they entirely rejected the negativity of this chapter and that Barbie is a valuable product which they did not want to be seen in this light,” she said.

There was always a disconnect between how Barbie was marketed and how little girls played with her.

The chapter was published, and the letter from Mattel was included in its entirety in a footnote.

However, the new Barbie movie showed a turnabout in recognition of the dichotomy Barbie represents. It acknowledged the imaginary, perfect world Barbie comes from, the cultural impact of Barbie dolls, that in real-life Barbies are mistreated, that many kids have cynical attitudes about Barbie, and also that some people love her.

“The movie is exactly what you would hope for in terms of the image and the humanity of women,” she said. The #feminist messages are strong, with powerful satirical punch towards #patriarchy."

For those with accounts, the story can be accessed here.
#medmastodon @medmastodon #psychiatry https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/its-normal-kids-abuse-their-barbie-dolls

A short news story I wrote reporting on a study that found the shape of your #heart can help predict risk for atrial fibrillation.
The first few paragraphs (most of the story):

Rounder hearts predict future heart failure, a-fib
Greater left ventricular sphericity showed 47% greater incidence of #cardiomyopathy

MAY 2023 -- Not everyone’s heart is quite the same shape and its shape changes over time – but this could help predict who’s at risk for #cardiomyopathy.

A study in CellPress, where researchers analysed cardiac MRIs of over 30,000 people, found that variations in left ventricle sphericity in normal hearts predicted risk for cardiomyopathy and related outcomes.

Researchers hypothesized that beyond size and function, the shape of hearts might carry extra details about heart health. To study this, they used data from a large biobank with cardiac imaging data to help analyze variation in cardiac morphology in normal populations.

They noted “Cardiomyopathies of different etiologies often result in a similar end-stage phenotype of a more round, spherical ventricle. Among individuals with known cardiac disease, increased sphericity of the left ventricle (LV) has been associated with adverse outcomes, including ventricular arrhythmias and death.”

It also stated that “within the spectrum of normal LV chamber size and systolic function, there exists variation in LV sphericity, and this variation may be a marker of cardiac risk with genetic underpinnings.”

The researchers turned to artificial intelligence to help analyze 38,897 cardiac MRIs from the U.K. Biobank database. The cohort had undergone cardiac MRIs and had normal LV end-diastolic volume, normal LV end-systolic volume, and normal LV ejection fraction.

The team looked at LV sphericity and whether it predicted incident cardiomyopathy as well as clinical manifestations such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and #cardiac arrest. Other factors were taken into account such as body mass index, pulse rate, #hypertension, diabetes, and prior #myocardial infarction.

“We found that individuals with spherical hearts were 31% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation and 24% more likely to develop cardiomyopathy,” said Dr. David Ouyang in a press release. He is coauthor of the study and a cardiologist at Cedars Sinai in California....

The full story is online. Sorry, its password protected. It's accessible, free to #doctors and #pharmacists #myocardial #medicine #MedicalPost #MedMastodon #cardiology @medmastodon

MY NEWS REPORT: https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/rounder-hearts-predict-future-heart-failure-fib

THE STUDY: https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2666-6340%2823%2900069-7

If you're a #doctor or #pharmacist in #Canada, you can check out some of my recent short articles on the Canadian Healthcare Network website (The #Medical Post, #Pharmacy Practice. Sorry, access requires a password).

- Different kind of ‘kiss’ is potential new treatment for male hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Kisspeptin modulates activity in #brain activity in regions related to sex drive, increases interest. https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/different-kind-kiss-potential-new-treatment-male-hypoactive-sexual-desire-disorder

-- Heterosexual women who set orgasm as a goal more likely to attain it. Study shows differences between women and men in sexual goal setting.
https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/heterosexual-women-who-set-orgasm-goal-more-likely-attain-it

- Seizure drug could extend survival time of donor organs.
Strategy could mean more hearts available for transplant.
https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/seizure-drug-could-extend-survival-time-donor-organs

- #Fetus found in the brain of a one-year old child surgically removed. Fetus-in-fetu believed to occur in 1 in 500,000 live births.
https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/fetus-found-brain-one-year-old-child-surgically-removed

#MedMastodon #MedicalPost #neurology #reproduction #obstetrics

#Parkinson’s disease drug may help teens with type 1 diabetes
Drug improves blood pressure, vessel characteristics.
My newest news story in the #MedicalPost/ #CanadianHealthcareNetwork.
Sorry --it's password protected for Canadian #doctors, #pharmacists. But here are some highlights:

DEC 2022 -- Bromocriptine, a medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease and as an adjunct treatment for type 2 diabetes (T2D), can lower blood pressure in teens with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Increased blood pressure in teens is a concern because it raises the risk of cardiovascular events later in life. Peripheral vascular dysfunction, along with accelerated large arterial stiffness and impaired cardiac function, has already been shown in youth with T1D, according to a study in Hypertension.

A once-daily AM bromocriptine quick release (BCQR) formulation was developed and FDA approved for therapeutic use in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the study said. Previous research showed it was associated with a reduction in major adverse #cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with T2D after one year of treatment....

#MedMastodon #diabetes #cardiovascular #cardiology
Link to the story: https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/parkinsons-disease-drug-may-help-teens-type-1-diabetes

Link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36472197/

Eating grapes increases UV protection in skin, reduces, melanoma risk, study finds. But some foods increase the risk of photodamage. My newest news story in the #MedicalPost/ #CanadianHealthcareNetwork.
Sorry --it's password protected for Canadian #doctors, #pharmacists. But here are some highlights:

DEC 2022 -- Does eating grapes each day help keep the melanoma away?

The answer is yes—at least in people with specific characteristics, according to a study in Antioxidants. There, researchers investigated skin changes in people who consumed grapes daily. In fact, grapes appear to reduce risk by altering some of the gut microbiome and increasing resistance to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of the skin

Looking specifically at grapes was of interest for several reasons. For one, grapes are a common source of resveratrol, a cancer chemopreventive agent found in wine and grape juice, as well as having hundreds of phytochemicals. In general, studies have suggested grape consumption has an influence on atherosclerosis, inflammation, cancer, gastrointestinal health, central nervous system effects, osteoarthritis, urinary bladder function, and vision, the authors wrote.

Some studies (mostly in mice, but also some small human trials) have shown photoprotection activity of the skin from consuming grape powder. One study showed “enhanced DNA damage repair, reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis, and modulation of oxidative stress markers,” the paper said.
The cross-over study by Dr. John Pezzuto from Western New England University in Massachusetts and colleagues was conducted to investigate the potential of grape consumption to modulate UV-induced skin erythema...
... Other studies in the medical literature show various foods which can increase photoprotection, while some can lead to increased photodamage.

A review of plant-based foods and skin health identified several beneficial fruits and vegetables. Researchers noted “each food has a unique nutrient profile that provides an array of bioactive compounds that either alone or synergistically may afford protection for the skin,” and that “diets consisting mainly of meat, refined grains, snacks, soft drinks, coffee, and alcoholic beverages were associated with more wrinkling in women.”

“Overall, we found that the consumption of colorful fruits and vegetables abundant in vitamins, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and polyphenols is indicated for skin health and esthetics. In general, yellow, orange, and red fruits such as mangos, melons, citrus, tomatoes, and vegetables such as red bell peppers and dark-green leafy kale are good sources of carotenoids. Fruits with deep red or purple colors such as grapes, pomegranate, and passion fruit are rich in anthocyanins and polyphenols,” the paper said. ...

#MedMastodon #dermatology
https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/eating-grapes-increases-uv-protection-skin-reduces-melanoma-risk?check_logged_in=1

Med news. Post lockdown sees a 37% jump in asthma- and COPD-related ED visits. But rebound effect varies by age with asthmatic children under 5 years seeing an 81% jump in study at Missouri hospitals.
My newest report in the #MedicalPost.
Sorry, password protected, but free for Canadian #doctors and #pharmacists. Some highlights:
DEC 2022 -- Asthma and COPD emergency department (ED) visits jumped 37% after the relaxing of COVID-19 mitigation efforts. But the impact varied depending on the age of patients, with asthmatic children being hit hardest with rebound.

Viruses may have a greater impact on these conditions than previously appreciated, according to a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Global. It investigated the effects of pre- and post-lockdowns on respiratory disease visits to the ED.

“We were surprised that the benefits of lockdown precautions in terms of asthma exacerbations were concentrated so strongly in children—and similarly that the rebound in asthma activity was so much more in children once people stopped masking,” said study coauthor Dr. Jeffrey Haspel. He is an associate professor of #medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine.

The study was a retrospective analysis of data on ED visits for asthma and #COPD exacerbations, as well as positivity rates for common respiratory viruses at several hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri. Researchers looked at all age groups and at weekly event rates occurring in the 52-week intervals before, during, and after institution of the COVID-19 lockdown...
#MedMastodon #pediatric #asthma

One in three #SouthAsians with #ASCVD on statins are eligible for icosapent ethyl (IPE). IPE should be considered for this high-risk population.
Story I wrote for the #MedicalPost. (Sorry, password protected for #doctors and #pharmacists).

Highlights:
A third of South Asians in Canada with known atherosclerotic #cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and who take #statins would qualify to get additional treatment with icosapent ethyl (IPE).

This is a significant-sized population who could benefit from the additional lowering of triglycerides using IPE, according to a study presented at the recent annual meeting of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (#CCS). This year’s CCS had 1,400 in-person delegates, over 350 online delegates and 130 sessions.

However, a major study, the REDUCE-IT trial driving the use of IPE had very few non-white participants, according to a poster abstract presented by Canadian researchers.

IPE is a highly purified preparation of #eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which is an omega-3 fatty acid. It is used to treat severe hypertriglyceridemia (500 mg/dL and over). It is used as an adjunct to statin therapy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in people whose serum #triglyceride levels are over 150 mg/dL.
#MedMastodon

https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/one-three-south-asians-ascvd-statins-are-eligible-icosapent-ethyl