A weight off our shoulders
The most important news in healthcare: Friday, June 26th
Good morning. Today we’ve got the mind-body connection covered, with stories on the experimental re-opening of gyms in Norway and a first in the world of deep brain stimulation.
If you’ve had enough rest days…
The pulse:
After a study of nearly 4,000 individuals showed extremely low rates of COVID-19 infection in gym goers, Norway has decided to reopen all of its gyms with modest restrictions in place.
Tell me about this study of 4,000 gym goers.
In March, Norway, like most countries, ordered all of its gyms to close to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, some people worried about the negative health consequences attached to the likely decline in exercise rates. In response, Norway decided to fund a trial to see if the closure of gyms was absolutely necessary to prevent COVID-19 spread.
How was the study run?
About 4,000 healthy people, aged 18-64 with no underlying health conditions, were invited to return to five gyms in Oslo and work out. There were some of the expected safeguards in place – maintaining social distancing measures of three feet apart for floor exercises and six feet apart in high-intensity classes, for example. Showers and saunas were also closed. Notably, however, participants were asked not to wear masks and were able to use locker rooms.
What was the outcome?
About 3,000 individuals consented to being tested for COVID-19 after two weeks. Amazingly, there was only one positive case in the entire group, and the case was actually in someone who had not yet used the gym and had contracted COVID-19 in the workplace.
So does this mean I don’t have to worry about using my gym?
Well, there are some caveats. For one, the study has not yet been peer-reviewed or published. Secondly, Oslo is a relatively low-prevalence environment. This means if you are in a place with a high rate of COVID-19 infections, the study results do not necessarily hold true.
Bottom line it for me
A new study from Norway claims that the health benefit of regular exercise may outweigh the relatively small risk of contracting COVID-19 in the safeguarded gym.
Source: scitechdaily
A new generation of Deep Brain Stimulation
The pulse
For the first time ever, the FDA has approved a new deep brain stimulation system from Medtronic that allows physicians to continually monitor brain signals in their patients.
What is deep brain stimulation?
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical technique used for advanced stages of a number of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and essential tremor. DBS is able to reduce abnormal signaling that causes symptoms such as tremors. It was first approved in 1997 for the treatment of Parkinson’s.
Tell me more about how it works.
A small pacemaker-like device is placed under the skin of the chest and connected by insulated wires to electrodes implanted in specific parts of the brain. This allows for continuous electrical pulses to be sent to the area of the brain causing symptoms and help correct them.
That sounds a bit scary.
Though it may sound intrusive, DBS is actually considered to be a minimally invasive, safe elective procedure with quite a high success rate – 92.5% of patients report high satisfaction with DBS.
So what makes Medtronic’s DBS system special?
Medtronic’s new Percept PC Deep Brain Stimulation system is able to actually capture and record the patient’s brain signals while delivering its electrical stimulation therapy. This means that physicians can track patient’s brain signals and see how they line up with symptoms recorded by patients. In short, this could allow for more tailored, personalized DBS therapy that is specifically targeted to each patient’s symptoms.
Bottom line it for me
Medtronic’s recently FDA approved deep brain stimulation system is the first of its kind to offer feedback on the system to physicians, potentially leading the way towards personalized DBS.
Rapidfire:
In response to soaring COVID-19 infections in his state, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has been forced to pause his re-opening of Texas after 55 days of allowing restaurants, bars, and malls to operate normally.
The World Health Organization announced today that it will plan to purchase 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for high risk populations, including the elderly, healthcare workers, and people with diabetes. The plan requires raising over $11 billion in the next six months.
The FDA has approved a new drug called Fintepla to treat a rare form of childhood epilepsy called Dravet syndrome. Fintepla has been shown to reduce the rate of monthly seizures by 70%, making it the most effective drug for the rare condition to date.