Weight-Loss Supplements Not Effective For Majority Of People.

of 27 weight-loss “supplements that had been recalled by the FDA, but were still on the market,” revealed that one-third of users “didn’t lose any weight,” and while another third reported some weight loss, just “nine percent said they lost all the weight they hoped to and kept it off.” Additionally, the study found that about half of surveyed users “said they experienced at least one side effect, including a rapid heart rate, jitteriness, dry mouth, or digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhea.” Consumer Reports concludes that “the key to success is finding a diet you can stick with,” and “a recent review of 48 studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that popular programs like Atkins, Jenny Craig, and Weight Watchers, all worked as well as another.” adding that 20 percent of surveyed users believed the supplements “were safe and tested” by the FDA. TIME notes that “unlike prescription drugs, supplements aren’t regulated under the strict criteria that require manufacturers to perform rigorous safety and effectiveness testing before getting approved.” http://time.com/3648784/weight-loss-supplements/

FTO Gene Linked To Obesity In People Born After 1942.

researchers looked at data from the Framingham Heart Study. The investigators “found no link between the FTO gene and obesity for people born prior to 1942.” But, “they found a very strong link between the gene and obesity in those born after 1942 – a link twice as strong as reported in previous studies.” http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/will-fat-gene-get-you-your-birth-year-may-matter-n276366

Flu Deaths Hit Epidemic Threshold

HIgher than normal rates of influenza-like illness seen across the U.S. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/URItheFlu/49359?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-31&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Ebola in Scotland: Live updates after Scottish nurse tests positive for deadly virus and two other cases investigated

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/ebola-scotland-live-updates-after-4891756

Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Tied To Health Problems.

CDC’s journal Preventing Chronic Disease reveals “some interesting connections between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and a slew of health problems.” Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York “looked at how much sugar-sweetened soda people drank, how many vegetables and fruits they ate and how active they were, among other things and noticed a correlation between a person’s soda habit and other health factors.” For example, people who consumed more than one sugar-sweetened soda “per day were more likely to smoke, were more likely to eat no fruits or vegetables, and were more likely to have gone a month without much walking or biking.” People who drank no sugar-sweetened soda on a daily basis had a decreased likelihood of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. http://time.com/3639703/soda-sugar-health/

Ebola Toll Passes 20,000

Number is probably an underestimate of true impact. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Ebola/49338?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-30&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

NYTimes Blog Discusses National Diabetes Prevention Program.

the CDC “began rolling out the National Diabetes Prevention Program in 2012. Now, 527 organizations around the country — health care providers, community groups, employers, colleges, churches — offer it in every state, often at multiple sites.” According to the blog, it “may be the largest national health effort that most of us haven’t heard of, and one of the most important, especially for older adults.” Ann Albright, who directs the diabetes division at the CDC, said, “This is not a ‘diet,’ some sort of temporary thing.” Instead, Dr. Albright said, “This is intended to help people adopt new habits and to look at that as a way of life.” http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/diabetes-prevention-that-works/?ref=health

Researchers Create Artificial Human Sperm, Eggs Using Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Skin Cells.

Scientists say they have discovered a key factor in the lab formation of human primordial germ cells -- the precursors to egg and sperm -- and that it differs significantly from experiments involving rodent cells. lRelated Invasive species get by with a little help from their alien friends Science Now Invasive species get by with a little help from their alien friends The research, according to study authors, suggests that "mechanisms of early cell fate decisions in mice cannot be safely or wholly extrapolated to specification events during early human development." http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-primordial-germ-cells-20141224-story.html

Researchers Looking For Genes That Prevent Diseases.

In recent years, a few astounding protective gene mutations have been discovered, pretty much by accident. One prevents H.I.V. from entering cells and another enormously reduces the amount of LDL cholesterol, the dangerous kind, that people make. Both led to drugs. The AIDS drug is a mainstay of treatment, and the cholesterol drug is in the final stages of testing. Researchers, using systematic searches of genetic databases, also found alterations in some genes that partially protect from diseases like heart disease, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s. But now some are starting a more ambitious project — a search for mutations that provide complete protection. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/29/health/in-a-new-approach-to-fighting-disease-helpful-genetic-mutations-are-sought.html?ref=health&_r=0

High Blood Sugar May Slow Brain Growth In Young Children With T1D.

high blood sugar may slow brain growth in young children with type 1 diabetes.” Researchers used brain scans and tests that gauge mental abilities, in addition to blood sugar monitoring. The investigators found that “compared to children without diabetes, the brains of those with the disease had slower overall and regional growth of gray and white matter.” The “differences were associated with higher and more variable blood sugar levels,” but the investigators did not see “significant differences” in cognition. http://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/brain-health-news-80/diabetes-affects-kids-brain-growth-study-reports-694849.html

CDC reports potential Ebola exposure in Atlanta lab

esearchers studying Ebola in a highly secure laboratory mistakenly allowed potentially lethal samples of the virus to be handled in a much less secure laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, agency officials said Wednesday. One technician in the second laboratory may have been exposed to the virus and about a dozen other people have been assessed after entering the facility unaware that potentially hazardous samples of Ebola had been handled there. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/cdc-reports-potential-ebola-exposure-in-atlanta-lab/2014/12/24/f1a9f26c-8b8e-11e4-8ff4-fb93129c9c8b_story.html

Hep C Drug Deal Seen as Helpful to Patients

Patients will have access to Viekira Pak at all stages of the disease. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Gastroenterology/Hepatitis/49309?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-24&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

FDA OKs New Infection Drugs

A new antibacterial drug and an anti-influenza medication got the nod from the FDA. The agency approved the combination of ceftolozane, a cephalosporin antibacterial drug, and tazobactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor, which will be sold as Zerbaxa and used to treat complicated intra-abdominal infections and complicated urinary tract infections. And it also approved peramivir (Rapivab), an anti-influenza drug delivered by intravenous injection and intended for patients unable to take medication orally or by inhalation. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/49269?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-23&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Using E-Readers Before Bedtime May Disrupt Sleep Patterns.

Well” blog reports that after randomizing “12 healthy young adults to one of two activities: reading a light-emitting e-book in a dimly lit room for about four hours before bedtime on five consecutive evenings, or reading a printed book for the same amount of time,” researchers found that “compared with a printed book, a light-emitting e-book decreased sleepiness, reduced REM sleep (often called dream sleep), and substantially suppressed the normal bedtime rise of melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep and wake cycle.” People who read e-books reported feeling groggier and less alert in the morning. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/e-books-may-interfere-with-sleep/?_r=0

Certain Immune System Cells May Play Role In Weight Control.

research published online in Nature suggests that “certain immune system cells may play an important role in weight control.” Researchers “found that the cells, known as ILC2s, were less common in belly fat from obese adults, versus thinner people.” The investigators also found, “in experiments with mice...that ILC2s seem to spur the development of ‘beige’ fat cells, which boost the body’s calorie burning.” http://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/body-fat-health-news-300/immune-system-may-play-role-in-obesity-694880.html

Weight Training May Help Men Fight Belly Fat As They Age.

according to a study published online Dec. 22 in the journal Obesity, “men who completed 20 minutes of weight training a day saw a smaller increase in belly fat than men who spent the same amount of time sweating it out in a cardio workout.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/weight-lifting-belly-fat_n_6367756.html

Hospitals focus on antibiotic overuse as CMS prepares new mandate

Antibiotic resistance is a threat to national security. That's how President Barack Obama described the rapid growth of such resistance when he issued an executive order in September instructing HHS and the Defense and Agriculture departments to take aggressive action on the issue. A growing number of hospitals are instituting stewardship programs, which experts say not only improve patient outcomes, but also reduce costs and lengths of stay and lower antibiotic-resistance rates within hospitals. Those efforts have been bolstered by looming federal action that would make the inclusion of a stewardship program a requirement to participate in Medicare. In addition to improving patient outcomes, stewardship programs save money, in most cases more than paying for themselves, Srinivasan said. According to data cited by the CDC and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, a comprehensive antibiotic stewardship program can reduce antibiotic use by 22% to 36%, with annual savings of $200,000 to $900,000. “It's a win across the board,” Srinivasan said. Officials estimate that roughly half of the nation's hospitals have some kind of antibiotic stewardship program. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20141220/MAGAZINE/312209980/hospitals-focus-on-antibiotic-overuse-as-cms-prepares-new-mandate

Capturing a High-Fiber Diet’s Curbs on Appetite

A potential food additive multiplies the effects of a high-fiber diet. The researchers focused on a naturally occurring substance called propionate, produced when fiber ferments in the gut. Propionate stimulates the release of hormones that signal the brain to reduce hunger, and the researchers wanted to see if giving volunteers high doses would magnify the effect. So they developed a formulation called IPE (inulin-propionate ester) that is designed to reach the gut intact; two teaspoons deliver the propionate punch of perhaps 10 bowls of whole-grain cereal. In small experiments, it seems to work. http://www.wsj.com/articles/capturing-a-high-fiber-diets-curbs-on-appetite-1419025820

Stress Of Moving From Rural To Urban Setting May Increase Diabetes Risk.

the stress of moving from a rural setting to an urban one makes newly urban transplants more vulnerable to diabetes and other metabolic disorders -- at least in the developing world. "Our findings indicate that people who leave a rural lifestyle for an urban environment are exposed to high levels of stress and tend to have higher levels of the hormone cortisol," said study co-author Dr. Peter Herbert Kann, M.D. Ph.D. in a press release. "This stress is likely contributing to the rising rates of diabetes we http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/19/diabetes-urban-stress_n_6356622.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000618

Pregnancy Complications in SLE Linked to Subclinical CVD

SLE-induced inflammation may contribute to fetal growth restriction and preterm birth. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Lupus/49220?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-20&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Listeriosis Deaths Linked to Caramel Apples

Commercial caramel apples are being linked to a multistate outbreak of listeriosis that has claimed at least four lives, the CDC said. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/49228?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-20&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Few States Score Well on Infection Readiness

Despite improvements over the past 10 years, America's health system is still not ready either for infectious disease emergencies or for the day-to-day business of preventing illness, a new report says. The highest score seen was an eight -- achieved by five states (Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia) -- while seven states had a score of seven and 13 had a score of six. The remaining 25 states and the District of Columbia scored five or lower, with Arkansas at the bottom with two. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/49212?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-19&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

High-Dose Flu Vaccine Better for Frail Elderly

For frail older people living in long-term care, a high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine is a better option than the standard drug, researchers are reporting. The impact of the flu on older people is well-known, with more than 90% of influenza deaths among those 65 and older, http://www.medpagetoday.com/Geriatrics/Vaccines/49198?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-19&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

OmniCarb Study: Cutting Carbs No Silver Bullet

Overweight and obese people who followed a low glycemic index diet in the context of an overall DASH-type diet had no greater improvements in insulin sensitivity, lipid levels or systolic blood pressure compared to study subjects who ate high glycemic index foods, in a randomized, controlled feeding study. ollowing a low-glycemic index, low-carbohydrate diet, compared to a high-glycemic index, high-carbohydrate diet did not affect insulin sensitivity, systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol or HDL cholesterol, but it did lower triglycerides

Swimmer's Ear Gets New Drug

Finafloxacin otic suspension (Xtoro), manufactured by Alcon Laboratories, was okayed to treat the condition when caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and/or Staphylococcus aureus, according to an FDA statement. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/GeneralPrimaryCare/49188?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-18&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Researchers Identify Membrane-Bound Transcription Factor That Mimics Starvation.

researchers in Japan have identified a membrane-bound transcription factor that mimics starvation and appears to be critical for controlling whole-body energy homeostasis and improving obesity and diabetes.” In mouse studies, researchers found that cAMP-responsive element-binding protein 3-like 3 (CREB3L3) “activates a wide spectrum of metabolic responses to starvation.” When fed normal chow, increases in body weight were significantly suppressed in the CREB3L3 transgenic mice, but not in wild type mice fed the same diet. "Compared with wild type mice, the suppression of increase in body weight in transgenic mice was mainly accompanied by the remarkable suppression of fat mass increase and not by the suppression of lean mass increase," the researchers wrote. CREB3L3 overexpression also improved diet-induced hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia and reduced plasma triglyceride levels. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Obesity/49183

Questioning the Idea of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs

reports that “rigorous new research from the National Institutes of Health suggests that for people who already follow a healthful diet, the glycemic index may not be very important.” The research, “published in JAMA, found that diets containing low glycemic foods did not lower cholesterol and other heart disease risk factors compared to diets containing mostly high glycemic foods.” “In fact, among those eating the high-carb diets, those consuming low-glycemic-index foods had worse insulin response and higher LDL cholesterol.” Investigators found that “among dieters eating the low-carb diets, the high v. low glycemic index foods did not make a difference in insulin response, blood pressure, LDL or HDL cholesterol levels.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/questioning-the-idea-of-good-carbs-bad-carbs/?ref=health&_r=0

Little Known About Postoperative Infections Rates In Surgery Centers.

the number of ambulatory surgery centers or ASCs — which perform procedures such as colonoscopies, cataract removal, joint repairs and spinal injections on patients who don’t require an overnight stay in a hospital — has increased dramatically in the past decade, for reasons both clinical and financial.” However, while “postoperative infections in hospitals have been a source of concern for years...little is known about the rates in surgery centers.” The article points out that “a 2010 report by CDC researchers examined 68 centers in three states...and found that two-thirds had one or more lapses in infection control.” http://kaiserhealthnews.org/news/popularity-of-out-patient-surgery-centers-leads-to-questions-about-safety/

WHO: True Ebola Toll Hidden

That's because much of the region is rural, where communication is poor and the challenges of containing the epidemic remain great despite the international effort to halt the epidemic. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Ebola/49156?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-17&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Men Still Drive STD Increases

On the positive side, the rate of reported cases of chlamydia fell for the first time since national reporting of the disease began, the agency said in the report, "Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2013." On the down side, the 2013 rate of reported primary and secondary syphilis cases rose nearly 11% over 2012 -- the highest rate since 1995. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/STDs/49155?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-17&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Syphilis Test Gets OK for Wider Use

While syphilis is easy to treat, the number of people in the U.S. who have the disease has been rising, reaching 16,663 reported cases in 2013 according to the CDC. The annual rate for that year was 5.3 primary and secondary cases per 100,000 population -- nearly double what it had been 8 years earlier in 2005. But that number is almost certainly an underestimate, since it is based on 34 states and the District of Columbia. The true number, the CDC thinks, is closer to 55,000 new cases a year. The test uses whole blood from a fingerstick and results can be available within minutes, the agency noted. The speed of the test allows healthcare workers to get a second sample at the same office visit to confirm any positive results and that, in turn, increases the probability of timely treatment, the agency said. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/STDs/49136?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-16&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Many People In US Working When They Should Be Sleeping.

reports that according to a study published in the December issue of the journal Sleep, people in the US appear to be exchanging sleep time for work. After examining “nearly 125,000 responses to the American Time Use Survey to calculate two things: first, how much sleep we’re getting, and second, what we’re doing instead of sleeping,” researchers found that “compared to normal sleepers, so-called ‘short sleepers’ – those who are getting six hours or less on weeknights – worked 1.5 more hours on weekdays and nearly two hours more on weekends and holidays.” People who worked at multiple jobs got even less sleep. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/15/americans-are-trading-sleep-for-work-and-its-literally-killing-us/

Behavior, Biology Make it Hard to Keep Pounds Off

Behavioral fatigue is a big problem, causing patients to grow weary of diet and exercise regimens that seem to yield little benefit after the first 6 months, the report says. Dieters also have to work against biology: reductions in resting and non-resting energy expenditure occur in response to caloric restriction and initial weight loss, according to the report, which was published in the January issue of Obesity. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Obesity/49134

Some Nutritionists Say Guidelines On Saturated Fat May Be Driving Obesity Rates.

yesterday, “a group of prominent nutritionists and scientists” were set to meet “before drafting a report to the departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture that will help the agencies set the influential template that tells Americans how to eat,” the so-called Dietary Guidelines which “will state that Americans should limit consumption of saturated fat in order to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease.” Now, however, some nutritionists argue that “the Dietary Guidelines’ emphasis on reducing saturated fat prompted food makers to remove fats and replace them with refined carbohydrates, or sugars, to compensate for the loss of taste,” thereby unintentionally increasing obesity rates.

Lyme Disease, Fibromylagia Link Evaporates

Earlier studies that suggested that Lyme disease may trigger fibromyalgia were performed before the use of two-tier serologic testing for Lyme disease and therefore may have included patients who did not actually have Lyme disease, the investigators wrote online in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Further, these studies did not follow Lyme disease patients over the long term. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Fibromyalgia/49114?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-15&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Increases In BMI Tied To Greater Risks, Even In Normal-Weight Young Adults.

Elevated B.M.I. and numerous blood indications of metabolic risk closely matched higher gene scores, strongly suggesting that higher B.M.I. alone causes the increase in cardiovascular risk factors independent of fatty food consumption, exercise, smoking and other variables. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/weight-gain-carries-risks-no-matter-your-weight/?ref=health&_r=0

Report: Superbugs Could Result In 10 Million Deaths Each Year By 2050.

The world could have a deadly and expensive problem on its hands if the growing fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria stays on the same track, according to a dire new warning. The so-called superbugs, if left unchecked, could result in 10 million deaths each year by 2050 — more than the number of people killed by cancer — and put a $100 trillion dent in the global economy, according to a new report commissioned by United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron. The analysis, which projects a 2 percent to 3.5 percent drop in global economic output, comes from RAND Europe and KPMG. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/12/superbugs-could-soon-kill-more-people-than-cancer/

Is an Expensive New Antibiotic Worth the Cost?

Patients with extensive cellulitis or large abscesses often require hospital admission for intravenous antibiotics. Most infections are due to Staphylococcus aureus and streptococci, but there are a number of infections that are due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can be a treatment challenge for many reasons including antibiotic toxicity, bacterial resistance, and/or lack of an oral formulation to treat the infection. This greatly adds to hospitals costs and the other associated risks of inpatient stays. Outpatient treatment of these patients is cost saving and increases patient satisfaction. What if there was a treatment that was as effective as the usual once or twice daily inpatient treatments? Dalbavancin is a lipoglycopeptide antibiotic with activity against gram-positive pathogens including MRSA. The terminal half-life of the antibiotic is 2 weeks. Put simply, this antibiotic is like vancomycin with a long half-life.http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/49088?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-13&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Mumps Checks NHL Players

The National Hockey League is battling an outbreak of mumps among players on several teams, and -- although only nine players have been affected so far -- it comes in a year in which more than 1,000 cases were recorded in the U.S. like influenza, there is a period before the onset of symptoms when infected people are already contagious and can spread the disease unwittingly. They remain contagious for a few days after symptoms appear. But it's unusual, one expert told MedPage Today, that it's occurring among young men most of whom should have been vaccinated against mumps in childhood. All nine players affected -- two Americans, five Canadians, and two Swedes -- come from countries where childhood vaccination with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the norm. On the other hand, "the vaccine is not perfect by any means, http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/49112?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-13&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Antipsychotic Ziprasidone Associated With Serious Skin Reaction.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/11/pfizer-fda-antipsychotic-idUSL3N0TV4MH20141211

Sugar May Be More Important Contributor To Hypertension Than Salt.

a study published in Open Heart finding that “sugar, not salt, appears to contribute to the majority of the hypertension risk associated with processed food.” The study analyzed “results from two types of studies: epidemiological studies and small interventional studies,” and “together they make a rather strong case.” It is remarked that “cardiologists have noticed that the recommendations to increasingly lower salt intake have not resulted in the expected positive cardiovascular outcomes.” The researchers conclude that patients should be advised to “eat less processed food.” “It is time for guideline committees to shift focus away from salt and focus greater attention to the likely more-consequential food additive: sugar.” She explains possible reasons for this, but suggests that it may be wise to keep an eye on both sugar and salt in the diet. http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/12/11/study-is-sugar-worse-for-blood-pressure-than-salt/

Questioning Medicine: Why Is Tamiflu Still Around?

The author discusses his reasons for a belief that there is no clinical benefit associated with the use of Tamiflu. a report with access to some of the full clinical data concluded "there is no evidence that oseltamivir reduces the likelihood of hospitalization, pneumonia, or combined outcome of pneumonia." And what was more shocking was that this trial, WV15912, which took 401 adults with at least one cardiac or respiratory condition, had an end result of a nonsignificant 1-hour reduction in symptoms. I repeat only 1 hour, only 60 minutes, only 3,600 seconds. When the Cochrane reviewers were finally able to look at and sort through the body of information, and not just the abstract data, they came to similar conclusions, and reported that there were no differences for hospital admissions, reductions in confirmed pneumonia, or other complications. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/URItheFlu/49062?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-12&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Baby infected in birthing pool died of Legionnaire's disease

An infant in Texas died from Legionnaires' disease few weeks after being born in a heated birthing pool at home, according to a new report from investigators at the Texas Department of State Health Services. Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia and is caused by Legionella bacteria, which live in warm water and can be commonly found in hot tubs and plumbing systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The baby's death, in January 2014, is the first and only documented case of this infection linked with water birth in the United States, and comes after a few similar cases of Legionella infection reported in the UK and France. But there could be more cases that haven't been reported, the researchers said. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/baby-infected-in-birthing-pool-died-of-legionnaires-disease/

Predicting the flu so you can avoid it

Imagine being able to predict when the flu might strike your town, a bit like how meteorologists predict when a storm is heading your way. Think about what companies or hospitals or even you could do to prepare. That's exactly what infectious disease experts at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health are doing. They've figured out a way to forecast the flu. Their model is a huge advance, as most current models mapping the flu look backward instead of forward. The team won a contest sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called "Predict the Influenza Season Challenge." http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/10/health/flu-prediction-model/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Cannabis for Child Seizures: Popular, but Is It Effective?

Epileptic patients and especially parents of children with the condition believe that the cannabidiol component of marijuana was effective, but there remains little solid evidence that it was not just a placebo effect, researchers said here. Two surveys of parents of children with severe seizure disorders, presented at the American Epilepsy Society annual meeting, found high rates of perceived efficacy, particularly for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and infantile spasms. But the authors of those studies said the results were, in the words of one, "too good to be true" and in direct conflict with their own experiences in seeing patients taking cannabidiol-based products. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AES/49039?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-11&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Popular Nerve Pain Medicine Has Little Effect On Back Pain.

Pfizer Inc.’s best-selling drug, Lyrica (pregabalin), “didn’t help patients with the most common cause of back pain,” severe lumbar spinal stenosis, “any more than a placebo in a small study.” The study’s findings, published in the journal Neurology, casts “doubt on the potential for doctors to expand the medication’s use.” The FDA “has not approved the drug’s use for spinal stenosis,” but Lyrica “and similar medicines are often used to treat lower back pain.” Lyrica is currently used “to treat pain caused by shingles and diabetes and for conditions including epilepsy, fibromyalgia and hot flashes.” Houman Danesh, a specialist in pain management, rehabilitation and physical medicine at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, said “the drug’s reputation may be strong enough to withstand the results of the trial” and said he doesn’t “think people will change their practice based on one study.” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-10/pfizer-s-lyrica-doesn-t-help-most-common-back-pain-study-finds.html

Even One Minute Of Intense Exercise During A 10-Minute Workout May Improve Fitness.

Well” blog reported that according to a study published Nov. 3 in PLoS One, “a single minute of intense exercise, embedded within an otherwise easy 10-minute workout, can improve fitness and health.” After recruiting “a group of 14 sedentary and overweight but otherwise healthy men and women,” then asking the participants to undergo three weekly 10-minute sessions of interval cardio on stationary bicycles for six weeks, researchers then found that both “men and women had increased their endurance capacity by an average of 12 percent, a significant improvement.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/one-minute-workout/?ref=health

Prenatal exposure to household chemical linked to reduced IQ, study says

“phthalates have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system, including testosterone and thyroid hormone levels.” While some of these chemicals “have been banned from children’s toys and childcare products, no steps in the US have been taken to alert pregnant women to potential exposure to the developing fetus.” Fox News also reports that “chemical exposure levels in the study were slightly higher than those reported in a national sample by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/12/10/prenatal-exposure-to-household-chemical-linked-to-reduced-iq-study-says-1590128890/

Long Radiation Treatments Called Unnecessary in Many Breast Cancer Cases

Two-thirds of women who have lumpectomies for breast cancer are receiving radiation treatment that lasts nearly twice as long as necessary, a new study reports. The conventional, longer treatment lasts five to seven weeks. But four rigorous studies and guidelines from a leading radiology society conclude that three to four weeks of more intense radiation is just as effective. Women overwhelmingly prefer the shorter course of radiation, studies have found. It is also less expensive. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/health/for-many-with-breast-cancer-shorter-radiation-treatment-is-just-as-effective-study-finds.html?_r=0

Tarrant County confirms 2 flu deaths

They're seeing a vertical increase in the number of positive test results, with 52 percent of those testing positive having a mutated form of the flu virus -- which isn't covered by the flu shot.

Triple Hormone Combo May Boost Metabolism

A monomeric peptide comprised of GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon reduced body weight and diabetic complications in obese mice, Matthias Tschoep, MD, PhD, of Helmholtz Diabetes Center in Munich, and colleagues reported in Nature Medicine. "The triple-action produces exceptional results in rodent models of obesity and diabetes, reducing blood glucose levels, appetite, and body fat to baseline levels," Tschoep told MedPage Today. "This means major progress toward the ultimate goal of precision medicines that control metabolism by simultaneously mimicking multiple physiological signals."http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/49002

US Health Rankings Show More Are Obese, Fewer Exercise.

reports on the annual America’s Health Rankings, which found that “Americans got fatter last year and were more slothful too” which was a return to a “steady increase in obesity” found over the state rankings’ 25 year history, from “encouraging improvement in last year’s report.” Specifically, the obesity rate has “more than doubled” during that period to 29.4 percent of adults, while 23.5 percent of adults “report doing no physical activity or exercise in the last 30 days.” In addition, “nearly 10% of adults” report having diabetes. The report also shows a continued “downward trend” in smoking, as well as increases in “Immunization coverage for adolescents” and declining infant mortality. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/10/public-health-obesity-inactivity-state-rankings/20095261/

Moderate Results With Tx Program for Food Addiction

A multipart behavioral treatment program offered only a slight improvement in symptoms of food addiction among obese patients with comorbid binge eating disorder, a researcher said here.Emerging research has suggested that this construct of food addiction may characterize a subgroup of patients with binge eating disorder and obesity that may represent a more disturbed variant," Binge eating episodes require two features: eating large amounts of food during discreet periods of time, during which the individual experiences a subjective sense of loss of control over eating during that episode." "The DSM-V also has five behavioral indicators of criteria. [The patient] needs at least three of them to reflect this loss of control," he added. Those behaviors include eating when not hungry -- usually rapidly -- and way past the point of satiety. There also needs to be marked distress about the binge eating, Grilo noted. "The diagnosis requires the absence of extreme and appropriate compensatory behaviorism such as self-induced vomiting, laxative misuse, and so forth -- things that are characteristics of bulimia nervosa -- and the frequency and duration stipulations are once weekly binge eating for the past 3 months, http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAAP/49020?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-10&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

New York health insurer Oscar to pay members who walk more

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Oscar Health Insurance, which sells health plans on Obamacare exchanges in New York and New Jersey, said it will pay members up to $240 per year in Amazon.com Inc gift cards for the thousands of steps they take each day. The plan is the latest effort by venture-capital backed Oscar to distinguish itself in the individual insurance market, where it is rare to offer members incentives to improve their health. Employer-sponsored health plans regularly use incentives such as lower premiums or higher contributions as part of their "workplace wellness" programs. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/08/usa-healthcare-oscar-idUSL1N0TS14K20141208

More US Physicians Writing Exercise Prescriptions.

Rather than just explain the dangers of inactivity, they suggest the right amount of exercise, and in some cases refer patients to certified trainers or physical therapists who can design regimens for different medical conditions such as asthma and diabetes that might limit certain activities. http://www.wsj.com/articles/doctors-dole-out-prescriptions-for-exercise-1418080961

Researchers Manipulate Fat-Storing White Cells, Offer Renewed Hope For Weight Loss Pill.

they’re one step closer to creating” a weight loss pill “thanks to a breakthrough that can change the way energy-storing white fat cells behave.” For the report, published in Nature Cell Biology, “scientists screened about 1,000 compounds and found two that make the white fat cells act more like their brown cousins, which burn excess energy rather than store it.” The researchers “worked with stem cells that would normally turn into white fat cells,” and by “exposing the cells to drugs,” such as Pfizer Inc’s rheumatoid arthritis medicine Xeljanz (tofacitinib), “made them behave more like brown cells that burn fat to regulate body temperature. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-08/fat-burning-pill-closer-to-reality-harvard-researchers-say.html

Does Flu Vaccine Reduce Kids' ED Visits?

The CDC recently announced it expects a more severe flu season this year, but a study in the January issue of Pediatrics was unable to find a correlation between influenza vaccination rates for children under 5 years old and a decline in children hospitalized for influenza-related illness. Significant increases in emergency department (ED) visits (P<0.05) and decreases in hospitalizations (P<0.05) over time were not clearly related to vaccination trends, researchers wrote. "We know the vaccine is 50% to 70% effective in preventing medical care visits for kids, but there's a lot of variability from year to year in which a strain circulates, so it's hard to really link trends in illness to vaccine uptake at this point," http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Vaccines/48976?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-09&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Obama, complaining of sore throat, diagnosed with acid reflux

Acid reflux is a condition in which the stomach contents flow back up from the stomach into the esophagus, causing such symptoms as heartburn and sore throat. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/obama-complaining-of-sore-throat-diagnosed-with-acid-reflux/ar-BBgr8YC

Weight-Loss Surgery Patients Who Don’t Take Supplements May Face Vision Problems.

research published in Obesity Surgery suggests that “weight-loss surgery patients who don’t take prescribed vitamin and mineral supplements could put themselves at risk for vision problems.” HealthDay adds, “A lower intake of vitamins A, E and B1 (thiamine) and copper are especially concerning because they help with the normal functioning of the eye and optic system...said” the investigators. The researchers “found that vitamin A deficiency was most strongly linked to eye problem. http://consumer.healthday.com/eye-care-information-13/eye-and-vision-problem-news-295/vitamins-help-prevent-eye-problems-after-weight-loss-surgery-study-finds-694243.html

Breastfeeding Longer May Protect Babies At High Risk For Obesity.

according to a study published in the January print issue of the journal Pediatrics, the longer infants at high risk for obesity “breast-feed, the less likely they may be to become overweight.” After following 595 youngsters from birth until age two, researchers found that “among those children with a higher risk for obesity, babies who breast-fed for less than two months were more than twice as likely to gain extra weight than those who breast-fed for at least four months.” http://consumer.healthday.com/women-s-health-information-34/breast-feeding-news-82/breast-feeding-for-longer-may-protect-infants-at-risk-for-obesity-694218.html

California Pertussis Outbreak Biggest in 70 Years

A whooping cough epidemic in California this year provides additional evidence that the immunity given by acellular pertussis vaccine is not permanent, researchers reported. From Jan. 1 through Nov. 26, the state registered 9,935 cases of pertussis, for an incidence of 26.0 cases per 100,000 population, according to investigators with the California Department of Public Health. It's the largest number of cases reported in California in nearly 70 years, the group reported. Infants had the largest burden of disease, but there was also a peak among adolescents 14 through 16 -- the age cohort whose members have only had the acellular pertussis vaccine, they reported in the Dec. 5 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/GeneralPediatrics/48935?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-05&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

CDC: Severe Flu Season Possible

This winter's flu season could be more severe than usual, the CDC is warning. While activity is low so far, most of the circulating virus is the H3N2 strain of influenza A, according to CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD. When H3N2 virus predominates, "we tend to have seasons that are worse flu years, with more hospitalizations from flu and more deaths from influenza," Frieden told reporters in a telephone briefing. In the week ending Nov. 22, he said, 91% of 1,200 samples tested were influenza A -- almost all of them H3N2 -- and 9% were influenza B. Only a small fraction were H1N1 influenza, which has predominated in recent years. But a second factor might foretell a bad flu season, Frieden said: Of the H3N2 samples, only 48% were matched to this year's vaccine and the majority of samples were "drifted" variants with slightly different immunogenic molecules. One possible implication, Frieden said, is that the seasonal vaccine now distributed across the country might be less effective than usual, although he added that sometimes vaccines remain effective against drifted strains. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/health/cdc-warns-that-flu-season-may-be-more-deadly-than-usual.html?_r=0

Mammograms: Less Pain, Risk-Based Screens?

esearchers say a device to standardize the pressure applied during mammography could cut the pain of breast compression, while another group of researchers here found that risk-based screening for women in their 40s likely misses 75% of tumors in that age group. A third study also presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting suggested adding a 3-dimensional view to digital mammography would help with detection in dense or fatty breasts. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/RSNA/48918?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-04&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Disease Activity Predicts Death in Sjogren's

Sjogren's syndrome has typically been considered a nonlethal chronic disorder characterized by mucosal and ocular dryness. However, it's now recognized that in up to 80% of patients there is systemic involvement, most often affecting the skin, joints, lungs, and peripheral nerves, and the prognosis is largely dependent on these systemic components. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/GeneralRheumatology/48894?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-03&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Many people unfamiliar with cancer symptoms, survey suggests

Many people in mid- and late life may be unfamiliar with common cancer symptoms such as unexplained coughing, bleeding, and persistent changes in bowel or bladder habits, suggests new research published Tuesday in the journal PLOS ONE. In a questionnaire that asked about symptoms and their corresponding ailments, about 53 percent of 1,700 people surveyed reported that they had at least one red-flag cancer symptom during the previous three months— but only 2 percent said they thought cancer was a possible cause. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/12/02/many-people-unfamiliar-with-cancer-symptoms-survey-suggests/

Lifestyle Changes, Medications Equally Effective For Preventing Prediabetes From Progressing To T2D.

investigators analyzed data from a dozen studies. They found that “men and women with prediabetes who made lifestyle changes were 40 percent less likely to progress to diabetes after one year, and 37 percent less likely to progress after three years, compared to those who did not make lifestyle changes.” http://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/misc-diabetes-news-181/lifestyle-changes-help-prevent-diabetes-in-both-sexes-study-finds-694142.html

Why late night dining may encourage weight gain

that according to a mouse study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, “eating after the sun has gone down might trigger weight gain.” In the study, “even when given the same amount of calories overall, mice that ate around the clock put on more fat.” However, the study also found that “fasting for at least 12 hours appears to switch on important fat burning pathways in the body. Even when the restricted feed time mice were allowed a blow out at weekends and could eat when they liked, they still gained less weight, suggesting that the diet can withstand some temporary interruptions, Additional work in mice by another team showed that limiting eating to half the day also altered the balance of microbes in the gut, which experts say might be important. The revelation that there is a circadian rhythm in gut microbes now adds another dimension to this very interesting area of research." http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30297497

Diabetes in Midlife Tied to Memory Problems Late in Life

Diabetes can impair blood circulation, and the authors suggest that the association of diabetes with thinking and memory problems may be the result of damage to small blood vessels in the brain. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/diabetes-in-midlife-tied-to-memory-problems-late-in-life/?ref=health&_r=0

HIV Remains Uncontrolled for Most Patients

Only three Americans in 10 with HIV had the virus under control in a 2011 snapshot of the epidemic, according to the CDC. Note that in 2011, an estimated 1.2 million people in 50 states and Washington were living with HIV and most of them were aware of their status. http://www.medpagetoday.com/HIVAIDS/HIVAIDS/48848?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-01&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Researchers To Study Whether Stool Transplants Can Forestall Diabetes.

Most of the microbes are found in the lower intestine, where they digest food that wasn’t broken down higher in the gastrointestinal track. But a high-calorie diet of fast food and highly processed and sweetened foods gets broken down earlier, leaving few leftovers for most of the microbes. “So you can imagine that if microbes are not getting fed, they are hungry and they’re going to tell the brain, ‘Eat more,’ ” Khoruts said. “We’re eating more and we’re getting fatter, and the cycle continues.” Eventually, the microbes go extinct, and the only way to fix the problem is a fecal transplant from a lean, healthy donor. Obese people, studies have shown, have less diverse microbiota than lean individuals. And the microbiota found in remote tribal peoples — who haven’t been exposed to antibiotics or processed foods — are far more diverse than those found among urbanites. http://www.startribune.com/local/284227581.html

First Human Ebola Vaccine Trial Shows It Seems to Work

The first test of an Ebola vaccine in people shows it's safe and appears to be working as designed, doctors reported Wednesday. A look at the first 20 people injected with the vaccine, which has been shown to protect monkeys from Ebola, shows no dangerous side effects. And it seems to be producing an immune response that would be expected to protect them from infection. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/first-human-ebola-vaccine-trial-shows-it-seems-work-n256196

Infant's Death Linked to Dietary Supplement

The product is a dietary supplement intended to contain three viable bacteria, Bifidobacterium lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. It is claimed to have "probiotic" properties and is marketed for infants and children by Solgar, of Leonia, N.J. Such products are being used in preterm infants on the basis of a recent Cochrane review suggesting a benefit in cases of necrotizing enterocolitis, a possible complication in preterm infants, the CDC advisory said. Rhizopus oryzae, a known cause of mucormycosis, the advisory said. An investigation by the hospital found that unopened bottles of the lot were contaminated with mold, which was confirmed by the CDC to be R. oryzae. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/GeneralPediatrics/48821?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-27&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

HRT Slows Atherosclerosis in Younger Women

Starting hormone therapy early after menopause was associated with a significant slowing of atherosclerotic progression -The researchers said the results support the "timing hypothesis" of hormone therapy, writing that the trial "supports the concept that hormone therapy reduces early atherosclerosis but has no effect on established lesions."http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/48812 Does not say how but I know estrogen boosts HDL, good cholesterol.

Type 1 diabetes could be diagnosed with simple breath test, says Oxford University

The test works by detecting the harmful chemicals called ‘ketones’ which accumulate in the body when insulin levels are low. After collecting blood and “breath samples from 113 children and adolescents between the ages seven and 18,” researchers discovered “a significant relationship between increased levels of acetone in the breath of the subjects and increased levels of blood ketones.” The test itself detects acetone levels in the breath. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11253360/Type-1-diabetes-could-be-diagnosed-with-simple-breath-test-says-Oxford-University.html

FDA Unveils Sweeping Calorie Labeling Requirements.

e FDA’s announcement of two new rules “requiring the operators of chain restaurants, movie theaters and vending machines to clearly display calorie information for food and drink products.” The new rules are “new additions to the menu labeling law passed in March 2010 as part of” the ACA. In a statement, Hamburg noted that “Americans eat and drink more than one-third of their calories away from home” and that “these final rules will give consumers more information when they are dining out and help them lead healthier lives.” As far as the specific requirements of the labels are concerned, Manny Alvarez, MD said on Fox News (11/26) that restaurants with 20 or more locations will “have to display not only the caloric content of the food” but also “the sodium, the fat and the unsaturated fats.” When asked about the “goal” of the new regulations, Hamburg says the rules “reflect the fact that overweight and obesity is a huge problem in this country affecting millions and millions of people.” Hamburg went on to say “that consumers have a very big interest in knowing more about the food that they eat and the food that they feed their families,” and so the FDA is “trying to provide uniform, consistent information about calories in particular, but access to other nutritional information as well for consumers when they eat outside the home.” http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/will-labeling-calorie-counts-menus-bring-americas-obesity-rates/

From Polio to Plague: Don't Forget Other Bugs

In Madagascar, 119 cases of plague -- caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and spread by infected fleas -- have claimed 40 lives since early September, the agency reported at the weekend. Most have been bubonic, but 2% of the cases are the highly dangerous pneumonic form, in which the bacteria reach the lungs and can then be spread in droplets through coughing. Meanwhile, after a quiet summer, cases of Middle East coronavirus infection have increased in Saudi Arabia, which has been the center of that outbreak. The Saudi Ministry of Health reported 18 lab-confirmed cases of the virus so far this month, after 31 in October and 12 in September. All told, the ministry reported a total of 810 cases and 346 deaths since 2012, when the virus was first identified. Thirteen patients are currently being treated and 451 have recovered. Several dozen cases of the virus have also been reported outside the country, and the WHO said it has been formally notified of 909 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection. The early symptoms of MERS are nonspecific, the agency noted and healthcare workers need to apply standard precautions consistently, adding droplet precautions when patients have acute symptoms and contact precautions and eye protection when MERS infection is probable or confirmed. In China, the H7N9 avian flu continues to cause illness, although not at the alarming pace seen in 2013 and early 2014. In the past 3 months, China reported seven cases and two deaths from the virus. The novel avian flu strain was first identified in February 2013 and caused some 135 cases that spring. A second wave, starting in September, included another 220 cases to mid-February. The case-fatality rate over the two waves was about 31%. The virus is the first H7 strain to cause serious illness in humans; previous outbreaks of flu with a similar hemagglutinin gene -- the 'H' in H7N9 -- have mostly caused mild disease, such as conjunctivitis. H7N9 is regarded as a low-pathogenic avian strain -- it doesn't cause sickness and death in birds, making it difficult to track in poultry, which appear to be the reservoir for the virus. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/48809?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-25&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Lunch Brought From Home is Unhealthier Than Cafeteria Food

Most lunches brought from home don’t meet the nutritional guidelines set by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), finds a new study. Over the last few years, school lunches have undergone a makeover in hopes of curbing adolescent obesity and helping kids get healthier. Schools now provide more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk. Soda and sugar-sweetened beverages have been dismissed and vending machines restocked with healthier snacks. Even breakfast options are better for young people. http://time.com/3602757/school-lunch-cafeteria-food/

Regular Yogurt Consumption Tied To Lower Risk For T2D.

Some research has suggested that calcium, magnesium and fatty acids found dairy products may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, which develops when the body stops making insulin. The researchers did not find that dairy consumption in general affected diabetes risk, but they did find that yogurt was specifically associated with a lower risk of developing the disease. With further calculations, the researchers concluded that consuming one serving of yogurt per day was associated with an 18% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. “Some mechanisms suggest that yogurt is special,” he said. “There is some research suggesting that the probiotic bacteria in yogurt may be beneficial. But there is no certain conclusion yet.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/yogurt-may-lower-diabetes-risk/?ref=health&_r=0

Hospitals Turn To Technology To Boost Cleanliness.

how hospital sanitization benefits from the implementation of new technology, such as “new sanitation devices to track cleanliness” and “microbial resistant materials” used in hospital garments and curtains, all of which can reduce the number of healthcare acquired infections (HAIs). In addition to detailing the new technology, the article also highlights the importance of getting healthcare workers to increase the number of times they wash their hands and technology to ensure compliance with new guidelines. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/11/21/how-tech-strengthens-hospital-sanitization/

NIH Researchers Identify New Autoinflammatory Disease Tied To Specific Recessive Missense Mutation.

Symptoms included recurrent episodes of high fevers, sideroblastic anemia, and neurologic abnormalities including developmental delay, encephalopathy, optic nerve atrophy, and sensorineural hearing loss. Other manifestations included dysmorphic features and short stature, musculoskeletal symptoms, and inflammatory bowel disease-like gastrointestinal symptoms. Hypogammaglobulinemia also was present, along with deficiency of B cells possibly resulting from a maturation defect of B cells in the bone marrow. Two of the patients died. Systemic inflammation was prominent. The initial cytokine analyses in two of the patients identified high levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and type 1 interferon, suggesting a possible role for therapeutic targets. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ACR/48757

Ebola: Can It End Next Summer?

The West African Ebola outbreak could be under control by next summer if local and international efforts to battle it continue to grow, according to the U.N. Secretary-General. "If we continue to accelerate our response, we can contain and end the outbreak by the middle of next year," Ban Ki-moon told reporters after he and other U.N. leaders met in Washington, D.C., to discuss the situation. But he cautioned that "results to date are uneven," with slowing rates of transmission in some places and increasing rates elsewhere in the three hardest-hit countries: Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Ebola/48783?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-24&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Highly contagious bird flu strain found in the Netherlands

Dutch authorities on Sunday said they had found the H5N8 strain of bird flu at a poultry farm in the central Netherlands. Authorities say it's the same highly contagious strain found earlier this month in Germany and the same one that has sparked massive poultry culls in Asia. http://www.smh.com.au/world/highly-contagious-bird-flu-strain-found-in-the-netherlands-20141116-11nx06.html

Gout May Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease

Our findings provide the first population-based evidence for the potential protective effect of gout on the risk of AD, and support the neuroprotective role of uric acid,http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ACR/48761?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-22&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Exercise Might Not Help Some Type 2 Diabetics Control Their Blood Sugar

In other words," Pena said, "why is it that someone who walks 30 minutes every other day and loses 15 pounds is able to significantly reduce their hemoglobin A1c [a measure of blood sugar control], whereas another person who reports to exercising twice as much is unable to achieve the same success?" Their analysis revealed that in 15 percent to 20 percent of people with type 2 diabetes, exercise did not lead to improvement in blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, or their body's ability to burn fat. The animal and genetic studies suggest that this "resistance to exercise" among people with type 2 diabetes is genetic and can be handed down through generations, according to findings published Nov. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. http://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/misc-diabetes-news-181/exercise-might-not-help-some-type-2-diabetics-control-their-blood-sugar-693872.html

BP Still High With Lupus Nephritis in Remission

Apart from renal involvement, they surmise that hypertension could arise from other causes such as endothelial dysfunction and SLE-related alterations in body composition, as well as the use of glucocorticoids and CyA. "Hypertension is a known side effect of effective treatment with CyA," the authors wrote. "It has a prominent effect on the blood vessels and leads to systemic vasoconstriction [particularly in the kidney], thus causing reduced glomerular filtration rate and sodium retention." http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Lupus/48738?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-21&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Replacing Vaccine Needles With Tens Of Thousands Of Drug-Laced Pins That Won't Hurt A Bit

If you're someone who hates injections, you'll like the next generation of vaccine delivery devices because they don't look anything like needles and, apparently, they don't hurt a bit. Take the Nanopatch, being developed by an Australian company called Vaxxas. Instead of a single spike, it's covered in tens of thousands of tiny drug-laced pins. It's designed to be pressed against the skin and barely make it through the surface. http://www.fastcoexist.com/3038247/replacing-vaccine-needles-with-tens-of-thousands-of-drug-laced-pins-that-wont-hurt-a-bit?partner=rss

Humans and Mice Are Both More Similar—and Different—Than Previously Thought

researchers have “found that in some ways, mice are more similar to humans than previously thought, and in other ways are more different.” According to Newsweek, “The upshot of the research is that now that we can delve deeper into the similarities and differences between mice and” humans, “hopefully we’ll be able to learn how to better test human medicine in mice. “ http://www.newsweek.com/humans-and-mice-are-both-more-similar-and-different-previously-thought-285635

Genetically Low Vitamin D Concentrations Linked To Deaths Due To Cancer, Other Causes But Not CVD Mortality

Having low levels of vitamin D because of your genetics may raise the risk of early death, a new study suggests. But the risk is not linked with early death due to heart-related causes, the researchers added. http://consumer.healthday.com/senior-citizen-information-31/misc-death-and-dying-news-172/low-levels-of-vitamin-d-may-raise-early-death-risk-study-693800.html

Obesity Now A $2 Trillion Annual Economic Burden.

The worldwide cost of obesity is about the same as smoking or armed conflict and greater than both alcoholism and climate change, research has suggested. The McKinsey Global Institute said it cost £1.3tn, or 2.8% of annual economic activity - it cost the UK £47bn. Some 2.1bn people - about 30% of the world's population - were overweight or obese, the researchers added. They said measures that relied less on individual responsibility should be used to tackle the problem. http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30122015

Consumption Of Trans Fats Tied To Impaired Memory In Men.

After studying “more than 1,000 men under the age of 45,” researchers found that “the more trans fat they consumed, the fewer words they later remembered on a memory test.” Other research has shown a link between trans fat consumption and obesity, aggression, heart disease and diabetes. trans fat, also called partially hydrogenated oil, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/18/trans-fat-damage-memory/19213173/

Study Identifies Possible Method to Block Production of Antibodies Associated with Lupus

Previous studies have shown that CD154, a protein located on the surface of white blood cells, is not properly produced in people with lupus. This abnormality likely contributes to the development of lupus, possibly by over stimulating cells that produce antibodies. Researchers have now found the first evidence to support a possible mechanism that links CD154 with IL-15, a signaling protein often elevated in the blood of people with lupus. Understanding these mechanism could lead to future developments of novel therapies for the treatment of lupus and other autoimmune diseases. http://www.lupus.org/research-news/entry/study-ids-possible-method-to-block-production-of-antibodies?utm_source=Newsletter+11-18-14&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email

A Role for the Microbiome for Arthritis in Kids?

Children who were exposed to antibiotics had an increased risk of developing juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), a researcher reported here. "Dysregulation of the human microbiome has been implicated in the development of several autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, and exposure to antibiotics has been linked with inflammatory bowel disease in children," http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ACR/48682?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-19&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Mom Dies After Eating Cookie Dough, Son Speaks In Front Of FDA Panel

Rivera, 58, had contracted the deadly E.Coli strain called E. Coli O157:H7 that was discovered in Nestle Toll House cookies in 2009, leading to a massive recall after Rivera filed a lawsuit before her death. http://www.hngn.com/articles/49728/20141117/mom-dies-after-eating-cookie-dough-son-speaks-in-front-of-fda-panel.htm

172 Passengers on Month-Long Cruise Fell Ill with Norovirus, CDC Says

A cruise ship docked in California on Sunday after 172 people on board fell ill with the highly contagious norovirus during a nearly month-long trip, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Some of the more than 4,100 people aboard the Crown Princess began to show signs of the gastrointestinal sickness a few days into the voyage from Los Angeles to Hawaii to Tahiti, according http://www.people.com/article/norovirus-crown-princess-cruise

Knee OA Risk Lower in Joggers

People who run at any time of life have lower rates of knee pain and osteoarthritis (OA) compared with nonrunners, according to cross-sectional analysis of data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ACR/48641?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-18&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Calorie-Tracking Apps May Not Help You Lose Weight

Millions of Americans use smartphone apps that help them track how many calories they consume each day, but a new study finds that people who used a popular one after their doctor recommended it did not lose any weight. The study doesn't conclusively debunk the idea of using such apps as weight-loss tools. Some participants were barely overweight in the first place, and their level of motivation varied, the researchers noted, and they added that they believe MyFitnessPal is fine as a calorie counter for people who are willing to use it. http://consumer.healthday.com/health-technology-information-18/cellphone-health-news-729/calorie-tracking-smartphone-apps-may-not-help-you-lose-weight-693795.html?related=true&utm_expid=38353063-2.r5ETjFV6SrG5_xobVbsyDw.1

Swing-Shift Workers Do Not Fool Their Bodies Into Burning Calories, Using Nutrients The Way Others Do.

try as they might to adjust to a schedule that has them toiling while others sleep, swing-shift workers do not fool their bodies into burning calories and using nutrients the way people who obey their internal circadian clocks do.” According to the Times, “The result – a metabolism that burns fewer calories during sleep and slows down at night despite work demands – could help explain why those who work overnight shifts are more likely to be obese and to develop type 2 diabetes.” http://www.latimes.com/la-sci-sn-swingshift-obesity-20141117-story.html?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+latimes/features/lifestyle+%28L.A.+Times+-+Fashion+&+Style%29

Researchers Coming Closer To Developing Non-Addictive Medications To Relieve Severe, Chronic Pain.

researchers are “closing in on creating medicines that could relieve severe, chronic pain without getting people hooked – raising hopes as well as skepticism among those fighting drug abuse.” One company, “Cara Therapeutics, recently released research showing its opioid drug,” currently known as CR845, “is far less likely to cause patients to feel high than a control medicine considered to have a low potential for abuse.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/17/non-addictive-opioids-on-horizon/18810059/

Long-Term Use Of Triclosan May Promote Growth Of Tumors In Mice.

Triclosan, a widely used antibacterial, is everywhere: in your cleaning supplies, soap, acne lotion, fabrics and even toothpaste. So too are the signs that it might be toxic: a 2012 study showed that triclosan impairs muscle contraction in cells, and other studies have linked it to endocrine disruption and bacterial resistance. Now, new research published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that long-term use of triclosan may promote the growth of cancerous tumors in lab mice. http://time.com/3589572/triclosan-liver-tumors-mice/

Cutting calories slows aging, new study finds

Previous studies found a dietary impacts on one or two genes, while this study analyzed the impact on more than 10,000, said professor Stephen D. Ginsberg, who was senior study investigator. For the study, researchers fed female mice – which are more prone to dementia than males – 30 percent fewer calories from a carbohydrate diet than those fed to other mice. The scientists then analyzed tissue from the animals’ hippocampal region, which is critical to memory and the part of the brain first affected by Alzheimer’s tissue. They found that longterm calorie restriction suppressed the age-dependent activity of 882 genes in the hippocampal region. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/cutting-calories-slows-aging-new-study-finds/2014/11/17/6156e156-6e75-11e4-8808-afaa1e3a33ef_story.html

Why 3 in 10 People with Diabetes Don’t Know They Have It

Annals of Internal Medicine “suggests that nearly 30% of adults with diabetes remain undiagnosed—the same rate as people with HIV.” The study also suggests that “just like many HIV patients, only about 20% of diabetes patients are treated satisfactorily.” The corollaries between incomplete treatment of both diseases suggest that overlapping solutions may address both diseases. Incentives could encourage both patients and health care providers to screen and then treat diabetes. “They’re extremely similar because they both require patients to be extremely proactive in managing their own condition,” said Ali, specifically citing diet, exercise and taking medication. http://time.com/3589130/hiv-aids-diabetes/

Doctor Being Treated for Ebola in Omaha Dies

A surgeon who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone, Dr. Martin Salia, died Monday while being treated in a biocontainment center in Omaha. “We used the maximum amount of supportive care and every advanced technique available in an effort to save his life,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “We are reminded today that even though this was the best possible place for a patient with this virus to be, that in the very advanced stages, even the most modern techniques that we have at our disposal are not enough to help these patients once they reach the critical threshold,” Dr. Gold said. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/us/martin-salia-omaha-ebola-dead.html?_r=0

Killing More Cancerous Cells than Healthy at Thomas Jefferson University

Research in the laboratory of Ulrich Rodeck, MD, PhD, at Thomas Jefferson University, is looking to make prostate cancer (and other cancer types) radiation therapy safer and more effective for patients. Dr. Rodeck’s work with a new anti-cancer drug, RTA-408, currently being developed by Reata Pharmaceuticals, is directed toward protecting normal cells from radiation while enhancing the effects of radiation on cancer cells. “It was really exciting to see that combining radiation and RTA-408 more effectively inhibited tumor growth compared to using either one or the other as single treatment modalities,” said Dr. Rodeck in a news release from the university. http://prostatecancernewstoday.com/2014/11/17/killing-cancerous-cells-healthy-thomas-jefferson-university/

Why You Probably Can’t Donate a Kidney Even If You Want To

data from a representative sample of 7,000 U.S. adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey survey. They discovered that a full 55% of the U.S. population would be ineligible to donate a kidney because of medical conditions—most of them preventable. Based on the criteria the Bleyers used, 15% of adults would be excluded due to obesity, 19% to hypertension, 12% to excessive alcohol use and 12% to diabetes. That’s not necessarily because a medical condition has rendered the organs damaged. “Our number one thing is we want to preserve the health of the donor,” says Dr. Bleyer. “The donors have to be in really pristine condition.” https://time.com/3585545/kidney-donation-obesity/

Something in your sunblock may be causing fertility problems

A new study from the National Institutes of Health finds that chemicals in sunscreens and personal care products that filter out UV rays may lead to infertility issues among men. The study followed 500 couples who are part of a larger study known as the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment. This large study looks at the role between environmental chemicals and fertility. To get at this result, the authors took urine samples from the couples and had them keep a journal until they had conceived or had tried for 12 months. The couples who took the longest to conceive had something in common. BP-2 or 4OH-BP, two UV filter chemicals found commonly in sunblocks and sunscreens, were found in high concentrations in the male partner's urine. The chemicals are also used in moisturizers and shampoos. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/14/health/sunblock-fertility-problems/index.html?eref=edition

AHA: Not All CPR Is Equal

Note that while performing chest compression at a rate of 80 to 120 compressions a minute was within guidelines, the failure to compress to a depth of more than 4-6 centimeters would make the number of compressions performed moot. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AHA/48632?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-17&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Ebola: Signs of Progress, CDC says

The response to the Ebola outbreak in Liberia is showing encouraging signs of progress, with downward trends in new cases especially in two regions of the country that had been hot spots, the CDC is reporting. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Ebola/48598?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-15&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Sleep Problems In Firefighters Tied To Accident Risk, Health Problems.

that according to a study published Nov. 13 in the Journal of Critical Sleep Medicine, “37 percent of” 7,000 firefighters tested “screened positive for at least one sleep disorder, most for obstructive sleep apnea.” After controlling for confounding factors, investigators “found that compared with sound sleepers, those with a sleep disorder were about twice as likely to have a motor vehicle crash, to nod off while driving, and to have cardiovascular disease or diabetes.” In addition, the firefighters faced a threefold higher risk of having anxiety and depression. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/firefighter-accidents-are-linked-to-sleep-problems/?ref=health&_r=0

Measles: A Disease We Thought Was History Is Making An Alarming Comeback

Once thought to be virtually eliminated in the U.S., measles continues to make a comeback, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has documented a total 603 cases in 22 states thus far in 2014. http://news.yahoo.com/disease-thought-history-making-alarming-194600629.html

When Does Diabetes Really Start?

For most of my professional life, a diagnosis of diabetes was made when the fasting blood glucose exceeded 140 mg/dL. In 1998, a consensus committee, based on an extensive review of data, changed that to 126 mg/dL. A normal fasting blood glucose was now 100 mg/dL. A glucose between those values is now impaired fasting glucose. Similarly, glucose 2 hours after a meal or glucose load should be 140 mg/dL. A postprandial value becomes diabetes when it exceeds 200 mg/dL. Between 140 and 199 is impaired glucose tolerance. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Diabetes/48572?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-14&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Drug Combo Disappoints in Hepatitis B

A drug combination cured only a small fraction of patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV), a researcher said here. After 48 weeks of treatment with tenofovir (Viread) and pegylated interferon, fewer than one patient in 10 lost the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), the gold standard for cure of the virus, http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AASLD/48571?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-14&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily

Press Release: Prestigious Awards Recognize Three Researchers for Their Studies in Lupus

Three medical investigators are the 2014 recipients of prestigious career awards that recognize their important achievements in research on the autoimmune disease lupus. Dr. Jane E. Salmon of Hospital for Special Surgery in New York will receive the Evelyn V. Hess Award. http://www.hss.edu/newsroom_research-award-lupus-studies.asp?mc_cid=289b23e047&mc_eid=17e68ecaf5

Website Educates Public About Sugar’s Effects On Health.

scientists have started SugarScience.org, a new website “to educate the public on precisely how too much sugar can make people sick.” The site’s creators “say they have reviewed 8,000 independent clinical research articles on sugar and its role in metabolic conditions that are some of the leading killers of Americans, like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and liver disease.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/website-explores-sugars-effects-on-health/?ref=health&_r=0

Ebola: Mali Reports New Cases

The West African nation of Mali is reporting a second confirmed case of Ebola as well as two new probable cases, all of them fatal.

Sugar Cap-and-Trade May Cut Obesity

The cap-and-trade strategy debuted in the U.S. in the 1990s in response to high levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides released into the atmosphere as waste from the electrical power industry. The government placed a cap on the amount of sulfur dioxide that a company could produce, but allowed companies to trade pollution rights. was applied to the food industry with added sugars -- looking specifically at how such a policy could impact caloric consumption and obesity and diabetes rates, should manufacturers decide among themselves whether to reformulate their products or to buy and sell added sugar "emissions" permits. They relied on data from the USDA, the U.S. Census Bureau, and NHANES to construct a mathematical model of a cap-and-trade policy that aimed to reduce added sugar emissions into the food supply by 20% over 20 years. They found that this policy could substantially reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes rates -- driving down obesity prevalence by 1.7 percentage points and the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 21.7 cases per 100,000 people during that time period.

Some People End Up Heavier After Undertaking An Exercise Regimen.

according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, “a substantial number of people who take up an exercise regimen wind up heavier afterward than they were at the start, with the weight gain due mostly to extra fat, not muscle.” The study of “81 healthy but sedentary women” who undertook an exercise program for 12 weeks without modifying their diet also revealed that “women who were losing weight after four weeks of exercise tended to continue to lose weight, while the others did not.” Many reward themselves with more calories than they burn. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/exercising-but-gaining-weight/?ref=health&_r=0

Popular Diets May Result In Similar Weight Loss Over One Year.

researchers “scoured existing research about Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers and the Zone diets to find out which was most effective and which had the most scientifically rigorous proof to back up its weight-loss claims, especially over the long term.” After examining data from 12 studies, investigators found that “none of the four diet plans led to dramatic weight loss, and none was significantly better than the others when it came to keeping weight off for a year or more.” The investigators also found that the “diets...did not result in differences in heart-disease risk factors, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or blood sugar levels.” http://time.com/3578729/diet-atkins-south-beatch-weight-watchers-or-zone/

Kidney Week To Spotlight Dialysis for Ebola

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASN/48499?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-11-11&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily Nephrologists involved in the care of Ebola patients at Emory University will present their clinical exerience during a special session at this year's Kidney Week meeting.

Physicians, Dietitians Noticing Increase In People With Orthorexia Nervosa.

reports that dietitians and physicians are noticing an increase in the number of people suffering from orthorexia nervosa. Even though the condition is not included in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), investigators at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine have come up with diagnostic criteria for it. The guidelines appeared earlier this year in the journal Psychosomatics. People who suffer from the condition are so obsessed with eating certain foods they consider healthy and not eating anything else that they end up underweight and malnourished. The condition may be comorbid with obsessive-compulsive disorder. http://online.wsj.com/articles/when-healthy-eating-calls-for-treatment-1415654737

Written Commitment To Exercise May Make Office Workers Sit Much Less.

reports that according to the results of a 48-participant study published in the November issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, office workers who committed in writing to spending more time in physical activities both inside and outside the office spent much less time sitting and more time using their muscles. http://online.wsj.com/articles/to-exercise-more-sign-a-contract-1415642812