Breast cancer info for primary care; Hurricane Helene vs hospitals, not just in the Southeast; metabolic molecules – Morning Medical Update

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Key Takeaways

Breast cancer is the second deadliest cancer, with over 42,000 expected deaths this year.
Hurricane Helene has disrupted IV fluid supply, emphasizing the need for disaster relief efforts.
A molecule named LaKe mimics the metabolic effects of running, with potential as a dietary supplement.

Since 1985, October has been national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, more than 42,000 women will die of it, making it the second-deadliest cancer after lung cancer. Here is a slideshow with eight updates that primary care physicians should know about this malignancy.

iv bag factory: © julie - stock.adobe.com

Here’s mud in your IV

Just about everyone knows getting enough water is essential for good health. Physicians know well that IV fluids are an important part of treatment in hospitals. Now they are starting to hear about another effect of Hurricane Helene. The Baxter International Factory in Marion, North Carolina, is one of the largest suppliers of IV fluids in the nation. Now it’s “shut down and covered in mud,” like much of the rest of that region. Here’s a report from NPR. Here’s a way to help hurricane relief: Donate to Operation Airdrop, a Texas-based nonprofit that recruits volunteer pilots to fly in supplies to areas where natural disaster makes ground access difficult.

Diet, exercise and molecules

Researchers said they have discovered a molecule that in the human body creates a metabolic state that matches running 10 kilometers at high speed on an empty stomach. Human trials have begun and if those go well, the new molecule, named LaKe, could become a dietary supplement. Here is a news release about it and the study to support the findings.