VIDEO CDC: First diagnosed case of Ebola in the U.S.

The patient is believed to have had a handful of contacts with people after showing symptoms of the virus, and before being hospitalized, Frieden said. A CDC team is en route to Texas to investigate those contacts. http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/30/health/ebola-us/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

Sweat-eating bacteria may improve skin health Read more at:

Bacteria that metabolize ammonia, a major component of sweat, may improve skin health and could be used for the treatment of skin disorders, such as acne or chronic wounds, scientists say. Read more at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/43901603.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Temporary Paralysis and Other Things You Need to Know About Enterovirus

There's a new mystery surrounding a respiratory virus suspected of sickening children in 45 states since August: temporary paralysis. The virus, called enterovirus 68, can start out like the common cold but can quickly turn serious and send children to the hospital with breathing problems. And now, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is investigating whether the virus led to temporary limb paralysis in nine children in Colorado. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/temporary-paralysis-things-enterovirus/story?id=25840897

Dallas hospital monitoring patient for potential Ebola infection

A Dallas hospital says it is isolating a patient who is showing signs of having the Ebola virus. The hospital expects to receive preliminary test results Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/29/dallas-hospital-monitoring-patient-for-potential-ebola-infection/

Stress Might Be Even More Unhealthy for the Obese

Researchers found that overweight people repeatedly placed in a stressful situation exhibited increasing amounts of interleukin-6, a protein that promotes inflammation in the body, in their blood. Normal weight people did not exhibit this escalation in interleukin-6 levels when exposed to repeated stress. The inflammation caused by interleukin-6 has been associated with a number of conditions for which obesity itself creates an increased risk, including hardening of the arteries, type 2 diabetes, cancer and fatty liver disease, the researchers said. http://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/obesity-health-news-505/stress-might-be-even-more-unhealthy-for-the-obese-suggests-692124.html#.VCmTIt6lHws.facebook

Obesity, Inflammation In Late Adolescence May Be Linked To An Increased Risk Of Later Colon, Rectal Cancer.

Obesity and inflammation in late adolescence are associated with increased risk for colon and rectal cancer in adulthood,And teens with high levels of inflammation had a 63 percent increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, compared with those with low levels of inflammation, researchers found. Obesity is thought to be a cause of inflammation, which has been associated with an increased risk for a variety of cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. http://consumer.healthday.com/cancer-information-5/colon-cancer-news-96/obese-in-adolescence-colon-cancer-in-later-life-692157.html

Early, frequent antibiotic use linked to childhood obesity

that “babies who got broad-spectrum antibiotics in their first two years of life, or who were prescribed four or more courses of antibiotics in that period, were more likely to be obese at some point between their second and fifth birthdays than were those who had taken no antibiotics, or who were treated with medications designed to target a narrow spectrum of disease-causing bacteria,” researchers found. The study's findings add to mounting evidence that the mix of bacteria in the gut plays a potent role in obesity. A welter of research has shown that the diversity of the gut's population of bacteria appears to confer protection from obesity, while an impoverished microbiotic environment in the gut has been linked to higher risk. The study also revealed that “among children who had four or more antibiotics prescriptions, including at least one wide-spectrum antibiotic, the risk of obesity rose to 17%.” What’s more, “the earlier a baby’s exposure to wide-spectrum antibiotic medications, the more likely he or she was, on average, to be obese between age three and five. Because the first 24 months of life comprise major shifts in diet, growth and the establishment of intestinal microbiome, this interval may comprise a window of particular susceptibility to antibiotic effects," the authors wrote.” http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-sn-childhood-antibiotics-obesity-20140929-story.html

CDC Investigates Limb Paralysis in Children After Enterovirus 68 Outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating whether limb weakness and paralysis in nine children could be connected to the far-reaching outbreak of the respiratory disease Enterovirus 68.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/cdc-investigates-limb-paralysis-children-enterovirus-68-outbreak/story?id=25804998

Iowa City VA patients not told about bacteria problem

Legionella bacteria can cause Legionnaires' disease, a dangerous type of pneumonia. VA administrators confirmed to the Register that they've found the bacteria in several sinks and other water outlets in the past few years. But they said they've been able to control the problem, and they have not seen the need to cause alarm by telling patients.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2014/09/28/legionella-bacteria-veterans-affairs-hospital/16372047/

Here’s Why Europe Is OKing Fecal Transplants

C. difficile
is notoriously hard to treat, and if the standard first-line therapies of targeted antibiotics fail, patients and their doctors are willing to try anything to shut down the rampant growth of bacteria. Enter the fecal transplant, which involves doctors taking feces donated by a generous healthy stranger (who doesn’t harbor C. difficile or other infections), liquefying it in a solution of saline, water, or even milk or yogurt, straining it and delivering the resulting solution to another patient via colonoscopy. People generally feel better just a couple days after the transplant, and many recent studies show the treatment cures around 90% of C. difficile
http://time.com/3433333/fecal-transplant-safe/ 

The weird way red wine fights cavities

Researchers grew cultures of the types of bacteria responsible for dental diseases, and then dipped them into different liquids, including red wine, red wine without alcohol, red wine spiked with grape seed extract, and water with 12 percent ethanol. Red wine with or without alcohol and wine with grape seed extract worked best at getting rid of the bacteria. (Analyzing mouth bacteria could lead to earlier diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and treatment.)
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/06/06/weird-way-red-wine-fights-cavities/

Ebola Shot Turned Down by WHO Is Best Hope as Virus Rages

So far, more than 6,200 people have been infected and 2,900 have died, and the virus could sicken more than 1.4 million people by January under the worst-case scenario projected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-25/ebola-shot-turned-down-by-who-is-best-hope-as-virus-rages.html

Can Gut Bacteria Manipulate Eating Behavior?

Based on their review of recent scientific literature, researchers found that gut microbes could manipulate our eating behaviors through several mechanisms, including:

• Releasing toxins in the absence of nutrients and manipulating host behaviors through pain signaling.
• Altering host's taste receptors and influencing food preferences.
• Producing neurochemicals, which interfere with vagus nerve activity.
• Producing analogs of mammalian hormones which involved in mood and behavior.
• Direct manipulation of intestinal cells.
• http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/articles/diabetes-news/16935-can-gut-bacteria-manipulate-eating-behavior

Morning Break: Suing Over Mandatory Flu Vax

Nurses are suing Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston over a pending mandate for flu vaccination.
It's not you, it's me: Who are more punctual, doctors or patients? http://www.medpagetoday.com/HospitalBasedMedicine/Nursing/47832?isalert=1&uun=g721819d2220R5883165u&utm_source=breaking-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-news&xid=NL_breakingnews_2014-09-26

Chlamydia Still Common: CDC

Chlamydia continues to be the most commonly reported notifiable disease in the U.S., the CDC said.
And data from national surveys showed that 1.7% of people 14 through 39 are infected with Chlamydia trachomatis, the agency said in the Sept. 26 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/STDs/47830?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-09-26&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: Ebola could infect 1.4 million in Liberia and Sierra Leone by end of January

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa, already ghastly, could get worse by orders of magnitude, killing hundreds of thousands of people and embedding itself in the human population for years to come, according to two worst-case scenarios from scientists studying the historic outbreak. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/cdc-ebola-could-infect-14-million-in-west-africa-by-end-of-january-if-trends-continue/2014/09/23/fc260920-4317-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html

Luck has kept Ebola out of the U.S. But that’s very likely to change.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/09/24/luck-has-kept-ebola-out-of-the-united-states-but-thats-going-to-change/

Doctors say U.S. ready if Ebola virus spreads here

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/24/doctors-say-us-ready-if-ebola-comes-here/16185309/

Bacteria 'Communication' Could Kill Cancer on Command

"During an infection, bacteria release molecules which allow them to 'talk' to each other," lead study author Senthi Kumar said in a statement. "Depending on the type of molecule released, the signal will tell other bacteria to multiply, escape the immune system or even stop spreading. We found that if we introduce the 'stop spreading' bacteria molecule to cancer cells, those cells will not only stop spreading; they will begin to die as well."
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/9176/20140924/bacteria-communication-could-kill-cancer-on-command.htm

More than 700 infants at risk of tuberculosis infection in Texas

Parents of potentially infected children received a letter from the El Paso Department of Health last week, according to ABC News. They include children born at the hospital between September 2013 and August of this year, when officials discovered that the unnamed female nurse had the illness.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/09/23/more-than-700-infants-at-risk-of-tuberculosis-infection-in-texas/

Increase In Skirt Size Every Decade May Be Linked To Increased Risk Of Breast Cancer.

reports that research published in BMJ Open suggests that “women who go up a skirt size every decade between their 20s and their 60s may be at increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.” Investigators “found that an increase of one size every 10 years led to a 33 percent rise in the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, while an increase of two sizes per decade led to a 77 percent rise in risk.”

Needing a bigger skirt size reflects an increase in abdominal fat, Menon said. The exact mechanism between increased abdominal fat and higher breast cancer risk needs more study, Menon said. But it is known that obesity increases the amount of estrogen in the body, which many breast cancers need to grow. "Previous studies suggest that body fat around the waist is metabolically more active than fat tissue elsewhere in the body," she said.

http://consumer.healthday.com/cancer-information-5/breast-cancer-news-94/as-skirt-size-rises-so-does-breast-cancer-risk-study-692041.html

Statins increase weight and blood sugar and raise diabetes risk, study finds

Statins increase weight and blood sugar levels and raise the risk of diabetes, a study has found, but experts maintain that the benefits of the drug "greatly outweigh" the risks.

The cholesterol-lowering drugs taken by millions of Britons can directly increase the risk of diabetes because of the way they function, research has shown.

Statins have previously been associated with higher rates of type 2 diabetes, but it was not clear whether the drugs were responsible or some other coincidental factor.

Now a study has produced strong evidence that the drugs' basic mechanism can lead to weight gain and a modest increase in diabetes risk.

However, experts said the benefits of taking statins still greatly outweigh the risks and advice on taking the drugs should not be changed.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11116875/Statins-increase-weight-and-blood-sugar-and-raise-diabetes-risk-study-finds.html

Morning Break: Ebola Waste Piles Up, EHRs Held Hostage

Waste haulers have been unwilling to collect Ebola-tainted linens and gear from U.S. hospitals, citing federal guidelines requiring hazmat training to perform the task, Reuters reported -- sending staff at Emory University Hospital, which treated two patients with the disease, "to Home Depot to buy as many 32-gallon rubber waste containers with lids that they could get their hands on."
A new CDC worst-case-scenario report projected 21,000 cases of Ebola by the end of September, and 1.4 million by January 2015. The agency's best-case-scenario was far more optimistic.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/InfectionControl/47804?isalert=1&uun=g721819d2208R5883165u&utm_source=breaking-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-news&xid=NL_breakingnews_2014-09-24

Soda Producers Set Goals on Cutting U.S. Beverage Calories

The pledge marks a rare commitment by beverage makers in the fight against obesity at a time when the industry is under increasing scrutiny of its products. Drink-makers opposed a cap on sugary drink portions in New York City, and are trying to stop a new tax on sugary drinks that San Francisco residents will vote on in November.

Under the voluntary agreement announced Tuesday, the companies said they would market and distribute their drinks in a way that should help steer consumers to smaller portions and zero- or low-calorie drinks. They also have committed to providing calorie counts on more than 3 million vending machines, self-serve fountain dispensers and retail coolers in stores, restaurants and other points of sale.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/soda-companies-set-goals-on-beverage-calories-1411493446

CDC says diabetes rates may show first signs of slowing

The numbers remain big and are still rising: 8.3% of adults had been diagnosed with diabetes as of 2012. But the rates at which new cases are accumulating and overall counts are climbing have slowed in recent years, says a report published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One possible explanation: Diabetes rates are tracking obesity rates, which also show signs of leveling off, despite some contradictory evidence (including a report out a week ago showing rising rates of abdominal obesity — fat around the belly). Type 2 diabetes, the most common kind, is linked to obesity.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/23/cdc-diabetes-rates-slowing/16105731/

USPSTF: Screen Women for STDs

• Sexually active women, ages 24 or younger, should be screened for both chlamydia and gonorrhea, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
• Note that in a separate guidance, the task force urges "high-intensity" behavioral counseling on sexually transmitted infections for all sexually active adolescents and adults at increased risk.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/STDs/47780?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-09-23&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

Morning Break: Ebola 'Contained' in Some Nations

Reversing rhetorical direction, the WHO said Monday that Ebola was "pretty much contained" in Senegal and Nigeria, according to Reuters, which also quoted the Democratic Republic of the Congo's prime minister as saying essentially the same for his country.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/InfectionControl/47783?isalert=1&uun=g721819d2181R5883165u&utm_source=breaking-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-news&xid=NL_breakingnews_2014-09-23

Low iron intake during pregnancy linked with autism

The five-fold greater risk of autism was associated with low iron intake— by way of supplements— if the mother was age 35 or older at the time of the child’s birth, or if she suffered from metabolic conditions such as obesity, hypertension or diabetes.
“The association between lower maternal iron intake and increased ASD risk was strongest during breastfeeding, after adjustment for folic acid intake,” Rebecca J. Schmidt, assistant professor in the department of public health sciences and a researcher affiliated with the MIND Institute, said in a news release.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/22/low-iron-intake-during-pregnancy-linked-with-autism/

Early Deaths Could Fall By 40% in the Next 20 Years

According to researchers writing in The Lancet, we’re doing a good job of reducing the number of premature deaths—those occurring in people under 70. And if current trends continue with some improvements, such early deaths should drop by 40% over the next two decades. http://time.com/3404365/premature-mortality-fall/

Probiotics May Reduce Beta-Cell Islet Autoimmunity In Babies At Risk For T1D.

Medscape (9/20, McCall) reported that according to the results of a study involving some 7,000 youngsters and presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, babies “who are at genetic risk of developing type 1 diabetes [T1D] and who were given probiotics before three months of age had a 33% reduction in the risk of pancreatic beta-cell islet autoimmunity.” The probiotics given in the study contained “mainly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium” and “were given either as a supplement or in probiotic-fortified infant formula.”

ADVANCE-ON: No Legacy Effect for Tight Sugar Control

Tight glycemic control didn't reduce mortality or major cardiovascular events in long-term follow-up of the ADVANCE study, researchers reported here. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EASD/47759?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-09-22&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

Does Inflammation Increase Fracture Risk?

Aging is associated with chronic, low-grade, systemic inflammation characterized by an increase in circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 1 (IL-1).
This pro-inflammatory response has been linked to a wide range of chronic conditions associated with aging, including cardiovascular disease,  http://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-center/Osteoporosis/inflammation/a/46130?isalert=1&uun=g721819d2173R5883165u&utm_source=Alert&xid=NL_ALERT_2014-09-19

It's time to get your flu shot

Nearly 60% of the flu cases reported to the CDC last flu season were people between 18 and 64. That figure proves even the healthiest can come down with the flu, says Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/18/health/flu-shot/index.html?hpt=he_c2

U.S. Officials Warn Virus Could Sicken, Kill Dogs

Health officials are warning dog owners to be on the lookout for a deadly canine virus that could sicken or kill their pets.

Dozens of dogs have been killed by the canine parvovirus in New Jersey, according to ABC News affiliate WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says the virus is highly contagious and can affect all dogs, although puppies and unvaccinated pets are most at risk. 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/officials-warn-virus-sicken-kill-dogs/story?id=25648721

How Bacterial Pneumonia Damages the Heart

The bacteria actually invade and kill heart cells, increasing the chances of heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms and heart attacks in patients, scientists report.
http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20140919/scientists-spot-how-bacterial-pneumonia-damages-the-heart

Public not told of infection outbreak at private Toronto pain clinic

Two weeks after Anne Levac went to a Toronto pain clinic for an injection of steroids for chronic back pain.

Both women developed bacterial infections in their spines following their visits to the Dufferin St. clinic: Levac was diagnosed with an epidural abscess and Martin with bacterial meningitis, as well as an epidural abscess.

Today, they live with disabilities caused from permanent nerve damage. They cannot control their bladders and bowels and are unable to walk without canes. http://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2014/09/20/public_not_told_of_infection_outbreak_at_private_toronto_pain_clinic.html

Giants Hall of Famer Willie McCovey hospitalized with infection

McCovey, 76, has had a series of health issues related to orthopedic procedures that have limited his mobility.http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Giants-Hall-of-Famer-Willie-McCovey-hospitalized-5768820.php

Stewardship Cuts Antibiotic Use, Costs

Antibiotic stewardship programs can improve patient care, reduce the use of the medications, and save money, researchers reported here.
And in some cases they might be associated with a reduction in antibiotic resistance, investigators said during a media event at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ICAAC/47535

Ebola Response: Fighting the Last Outbreak?

A vigorous international response -- probably much smaller than the latest U.S. commitment -- might have begun to halt the outbreak in the spring, according to Estrella Lasry, MD, the tropical medicine adviser for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).
http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/47724?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-09-19

Restaurant didn't give girl fatal E. coli infection, health officials say

All of the test results have come back negative and our comprehensive investigation of the establishment did not reveal a link to the reported case,” said Lincoln County Environmental Health Program Manager Amy Chapman,
Based on the current investigation results, public health officials are confident that there is an extremely low risk of E.coli infection to the public. http://koin.com/2014/09/17/lincoln-co-restaurant-not-source-of-e-coli-infection/

Livestock Workers May Carry Staph Bacteria from Pigs

Workers who handle livestock may carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their noses after they leave the farm.

A small study of hog workers in North Carolina found that many carried staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and some carried drug-resistant strains of the bug, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. http://news.yahoo.com/livestock-workers-may-carry-staph-bacteria-pigs-161254569.html

Always Craving Chips And Cookies? Blame It On Your Gut Bacteria!

According to the scientists, each bacterial species has a different nutritional need. Some prefer fat, while others love sugar. So they not only fight each other to satisfy their cravings, but also manipulate us into consuming more of what they want. While the researchers are not completely sure about how this occurs, Aktipis and her team speculate that it could be by changing the expression of our taste receptors such that certain foods taste better than others or by releasing hunger stimulating messages or even, manipulating the vagus nerve that connects to stomach to the brain. Evidence has shown that obese people possess a vastly different gut microbiome compared to healthy people, which may explain why they tend to seek out the wrong foods.

HORRAY I have somebody or something to blame my cravings for breads and sweets on !!!

Gut bacteria are even able to control our moods when it comes to eating. This is supported by how infants cry when they are hungry. The word hangry was added to the dictionary this past year for a reason; people are naturally more hostile when they are craving food, and this is all because our gut microbiome knows how to use our body’s emotions to get the nutrients they want..  THIS IS ME. I act like I am having road rage!!  http://www.dogonews.com/2014/9/17/always-craving-chips-and-cookies-blame-it-on-your-gut-bacteria

Sex in the Sink: Gene-Swapping Bacteria Are Making New Superbugs

Bacteria appear to be having the microbial equivalent of inter-species sex in hospital sinks, swapping chunks of DNA that render them impervious to antibiotics, researchers reported Wednesday.

The findings may help explain the rise in drug-resistant “superbugs” in hospitals, and they suggest that they may sometimes be breeding on site, as opposed to being carried in by patients. 

A great example of antigenic shift.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/sex-sink-gene-swapping-bacteria-are-making-new-superbugs-n205751

 

Twelve Percent Of Active-Duty Service Members Are Obese.

According to a report called Mission: Readiness released by a group of 450 retired generals and admirals “about 12 percent of active-duty service members were obese based on height and weight, a number that has risen 61 percent since 2002.” According to the report, the “extra weight cost military about $1.5 billion annually” in healthcare and other expenses. Admiral Casey W. Coane, a member of Mission: Readiness, said that the problem has gone “unreported” and is impacting nation’s “ability to defend.” The group is advocating for the Obama Administration’s bill for healthy meal plans for schools, which was first passed in 2012. Admiral Coane believes that the bill can help address the issue of obesity.http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/18/us/poor-fitness-in-military-poses-peril-report-says.html?ref=health

Artificial Sweeteners Tied To Glucose Intolerance, Altered Gut Microbiota.

YIKES according to a study published online Sept. 17 in the journal Nature, “reaching for artificial sweeteners to avoid sugar may be trading one evil for another.” Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel posit that “differences in gut microbes may explain why some people can handle artificial sweeteners just fine while in an unknown percentage of others the sweeteners lead to diabetes.”

 Artificial sweeteners cannot be digested, so it was assumed that there would be no way for them to lead to diabetes. Microbes seem to provide the missing link.

In a series of experiments in mice and people, the researchers examined the interaction between gut microbes and consumption of the sweeteners aspartame, sucralose and saccharine. Depending on the types of microbes they had in their intestines, some people and mice saw a two- to fourfold increase in blood sugars after consuming the artificial sweeteners for a short time. Over time, high blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes.  Mice with no gut microbes did not see increases in blood sugar levels when they ate artificial sweeteners. Once these bug-free mice were treated with the feces of normal mice that had eaten artificial sweeteners, their blood sugar levels spiked upon eating artificial sweeteners, suggesting that the gut bugs were the driving force in the reaction.  I get BAD GAS from ALL of these sweeteners but my siblings do not. I wonder if that means my bacteria are the bad ones and raise my glucose levels???  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/17/artificial-sweetener-diabetes/15777225/

Based on existing evidence, guidelines jointly published in 2012 by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association noted that artificial sweeteners "when used judiciously…could facilitate reductions in added sugar," and thus influence weight loss.

The new Nature study marks a significant advance because it brings together two separate areas of research—the role of sweeteners in raising blood sugar levels, and the complex workings of the vast colonies of bacteria that inhabit the gut. Individuals can have differing bacterial colonies in their gut, meaning people respond differently to what they consume they found that several types of bacteria that changed after the consumption of artificial sweeteners previously had been associated with Type 2 diabetes in humans.

The results appears to demonstrate that for some people, artificial sweeteners can alter the composition of gut bacteria in such a way that it may contribute to—rather than reduce—certain metabolic conditions related to obesity, such as glucose intolerance.

. http://online.wsj.com/articles/research-shows-zero-calorie-sweeteners-can-raise-blood-sugar-1410973201

She noted that many conditions, including obesity and diabetes, had been linked to changes in the microbiome.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=health&_r=0

Novel Drugs Target Tough-to-Treat Bacteria

Researchers described early progress in the development of new agents that target difficult-to-treat Gram-negative resistant bacteria, including one drug already in early human testing that uses a "Trojan Horse" concept.
Gram-negative bacteria acquire iron which is necessary for growth and multiplication, and S-649266 binds to iron. When Gram-negative bacteria acquire iron bound to S-649266, they also absorb S-649266, transporting the drug through the outer membrane into the periplasmic space where it binds to penicillin-binding proteins and disrupts cell wall synthesis, he explained.
This use of the iron uptake system may allow S-649266 to be an effective approach to treat Gram-negative bacterial infections that are not able to be treated by available antibiotics, the researchers said.Other drugs highlighted were:

• AA139 targets the outer membrane of Gram-negatives such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Adenium Biotech).
• ASP2397 has potent fungicidal activity against Aspergillus (Astellas Pharma).
• TD-1607 is a glycoprotein-cephalosporin for multidrug-resistant Gram-positive infections (Theravance Biopharma).
• OP0595 is a new series beta-lactamase inhibitor (Meiji Seika Pharma).

  http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ICAAC/47560

Fatty Dairy Products May Be Linked To Lower Risk Of Developing T2D

Eating a lot of fatty dairy products, such as cream and fermented milk, seemed to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes development, Swedish researchers said here.
But the effect isn't the same for all animal fats, the researchers warned. Higher intake of meat and meat products was tied to a greater risk of developing the disease.
"Our findings suggest that in contrast to animal fats in general, fats specific to dairy products may have a role in prevention of type 2 diabetes," It's not well understood how dietary fats affect glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, but the researchers noted that several epidemiological studies have shown that a high intake of dairy products may protect against type 2 diabetes.

Eating a lot of low-fat dairy products, on the other hand, was initially associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, but that association disappeared after further adjustment for protein intake, the researchers said. "The decreased risk at high intakes of high-fat dairy products, but not of low-fat dairy products, indicate that dairy fat, at least partly, explains observed protective associations between dairy intake and type 2 diabetes,"
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EASD/47682


He also pointed out that meta-analyses that show associations between dairy consumption and decreased hypertension, as well as cardiovascular disease have also been published in recent years (Hypertension 2012;60:1131-1137, Am J Clin Nutr 2011;93:158-171).

Loosen your belts: U.S. waist sizes keep expanding

The waists of men, women, blacks, whites and Mexican Americans all grew significantly from 1999 to 2012, researchers from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA.
The average man's waist grew from 38.9 inches to 39.7 inches; the average woman's belly expanded even more, from 36.3 inches to 37.8 inches.
Those are just averages. The study shows that more American guts are official health hazards – in an "abdominal obesity" The total amount of body fat is important, but the location of the fat is also important," he says. Abdominal fat is particularly dangerous, he says, even in people who are not otherwise obese because it is inflammatory.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/16/waist-sizes-expanding-study/15723771/ 

Focusing on the standards used by the study, TIME (9/16) reported the “sobering” CDC study shows “why it’s problematic to base weight status and health on body mass index (BMI).” TIME noted the debate over whether researchers should still use BMI to measure obesity “since the numbers can be misleading,” whereas waist circumference “is more indicative of where body fat is resting,” which has health implications. 

Will the Ebola virus go airborne?

But interviews with several infectious diseases experts reveal that whereas such a mutation — or more likely series of mutations — might physically be possible, it’s highly unlikely. In fact, there’s almost no historical precedent for any virus to change its basic mode of transmission so radically. “We have so many problems with Ebola, let’s not make another one that, of course, is theoretically possible but is pretty way down on the list of likely issues," says infectious diseases expert William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University.http://www.nature.com/news/will-the-ebola-virus-go-airborne-1.15943?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

VIDEO Mystery Respiratory Virus Spreads to 21 States

Scary virus that is sending kids to the ICU is now in the Northeast. It's a virus, called EV-D68, which causes coughing and wheezing, ... A. This virus, which is relatively rare, is far more serious than most. http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/mystery-respiratory-virus-spreads-21-states-25525251

Coliform bacteria found at several McDonald's restaurants in Volgograd — standards agency

Russia's foods standards agency has announced the results of hygiene infringements it found during inspections at McDonald's restaurants in Russia’s southern Volgograd region.
Coliform bacteria have been detected at three McDonald's restaurants in the city of Volgograd and at one of the fast food chain's outlets in the city of Volzhsky,.  This is the bacteria in fecal material.
http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/749807

Nicotine Tied to Insulin Response in Healthy Mice

reports that according to a study published in the journal Endocrinology, “acute nicotine exposure promoted insulin resistance in non-obese, nondiabetic mice, while chronic exposure increased insulin sensitivity.” Researchers arrived at that conclusion after subjecting “normal (male C57BL/6J) mice to acute (30 minutes at 0.2 mcg/g body weight) and chronic (same treatment daily over 10 weeks) nicotine treatment. In earlier studies, nicotine has been shown to induce anti-inflammation and improve glucose tolerance in insulin-resistant mice. In addition, nicotine treatment improved glucose homeostasis in an obese, diabetic mouse model. Although acute nicotine treatment creates a predisposition for hyperglycemia due to increased production of catecholamines and NO, the effects wear off over time, and chronic treatment changes the scenario by invoking PI-3-kinase/Akt/GSK-3-beta as well as IL-6/Stat3 pathways to enhance insulin action, inhibit CREB activity, and suppress gluconeogenic genes," the researchers wrote. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/47669

Obama to announce expanded plan to fight Ebola

Some 3,000 U.S. military personnel will be deployed to West Africa to lead the project, officials said, and Obama issued the order to the Pentagon on Tuesday.
The project calls for more doctors and health care professionals; more portable hospitals, laboratories, and other medical facilities; and increased training for first responders and other medical officials throughout West Africa.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/16/obama-ebola-atlanta-centers-for-disease-control/15691299/

P&G changing toothpaste ingredients after dentist calls Crest's use of polyethylene dangerous

Polyethylene is a plastic used in several products like garbage containers, grocery bags, bulletproof vests and even knee replacements. It’s also in some toothpaste products. spotted little blue specks in the gum lines of her patients a few years ago. For a while, she said she had no idea what she was dealing with.


http://www.kjrh.com/money/consumer/pg-changing-toothpaste-ingredients-after-dentist-calls-crests-use-of-polyethylene-dangerous