Aggressive Hypertensive Therapy May Do More Harm Than Good In People With Diabetes And Moderately Elevated Blood Pressure.

eported, “For patients with diabetes and moderately elevated blood pressure, aggressive antihypertensive therapy may do more harm than good,” the findings of a 49-study meta-analysis published Feb. 25 in the BMJ suggest. In patients with diabetes whose “systolic blood pressure (SBP)” was “less than 140 mm Hg at baseline, additional antihypertensive treatment increased the risk of cardiovascular mortality by 15%,” the meta-analysis revealed. Healio (2/26, Cox) also covered the story. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Diabetes/56426

CDC Reports First U.S. Case of Microcephaly Linked to Zika

Pregnant traveler gave birth to microcephalic baby http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/56451?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-27&eun=g721819d0r

Updated: Ohio Local case of Zika virus reported, officials advise public not to panic

A Martins Ferry woman tested positive for the virus after she arrived home from Haiti more than a month ago. Health officials in Belmont and Ohio counties are reacting. The woman was treated at an Ohio County hospital after blood tests reveals she was infected with the Zika virus. Officials say there is no cause for concern right now, but hospitals and health departments across the region are on heightened alert for Zika. "You have an individual that traveled to a country where there is the Zika virus and then came back and had the virus. It can be concerning because you have to care for that individual," Howard Gamble, Wheeling-Ohio County health department administrator, said. Gamble says mosquitoes that transmit the virus are not found in the area right now, but in tropical climates. The virus can only be transmitted here from person to person by sexual contact from a male to his partner, though even these instances are rare. http://wtov9.com/news/local/first-case-of-zika-virus-reported-in-ohio-valley

More listeria cases linked to Springfield Dole facility

http://wdtn.com/2016/02/25/more-listeria-cases-linked-to-springfield-dole-facility/

Health public health Why You’re Hearing About Listeria Way More Often

Foodborne illness might seem to be happening more frequently than ever, especially with recent headlines about Chipotle’s E. coli outbreaks and last month’s listeria contamination in Dole salads. But hearing more about these outbreaks may be a sign that the food supply is getting more safe—not less. Thanks to a new pathogen-tracking system, the government says it can connect cases that previously would have been seen as separate bouts of food illness. http://time.com/4234080/food-safety-chipotle-listeria/

Low Serum Vitamin D May Be Linked To Increased Risk Of Adverse Pathology In Men With Localized Prostate Cancer Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy.

reports that research indicated “low serum vitamin D was associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse pathology in men with localized prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy.” Investigators found that “at the time of surgery, 45.8% of the cohort of 190 men demonstrated adverse pathology – defined as the presence of primary Gleason 4, any Gleason 5 disease, or extraprostatic extension.” Individuals “with serum 25-(OH)D <30 ng/mL were 2.64 times more likely to be affected than men with higher levels of vitamin D.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/ProstateCancer/56408

fewer people are returning to the hospital “for costly readmissions” under the Affordable Care Act, “according to a new study by the Department of Health and Human Services.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/270712-obamacare-reducing-extra-hospital-stays-study-finds The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, credits the law’s Hospital Readmission Reduction Program with preventing 565,000 hospital readmissions over five years. The Hill explains that the program creates an incentive to reduce readmissions by penalizing hospitals with high readmission rates. HHS economist Rachael Zukerman wrote in a blog post, “The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program is just one part of the Administration’s broader strategy to promote better care, smarter spending and healthier people by paying providers for what works, unlocking health care data, and finding new ways to coordinate and integrate care to improve quality.”

This Year’s Flu Vaccine Is 59% Effective, Preliminary Data Show.

reports preliminary data suggest that the flu vaccine is 59 percent effective this year. Unlike last year’s vaccine, the AP adds, “this year’s is a good match to the strains making people sick.” The data was presented Wednesday at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting in Atlanta. The committee gives advice on vaccine use to the CDC. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_FLU_VACCINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-02-24-19-21-32

Pancreatic Cancer Is At Least Four Separate Diseases, Research Suggests.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35650171

Vaginal Ring Thwarts HIV Infection -- When It's Used

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/CROI/56341?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-24&eun=g721819d0r

Air Pollution May Lead To Weight Gain, Rat Study Suggests.

website reports that a study involving rats “suggests air pollution” may “lead to weight gain.” The study, published online Feb. 18 in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, revealed that “by day 14, the rats exposed to the polluted air were seven percent heavier.” Five days later, “they were 15 percent fatter.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/could-air-pollution-be-making-us-fat/

Sepsis, Septic Shock Redefined in Consensus Statement Major changes in new update

The new definitions do away with the current use of two or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria for sepsis diagnosis. Components of SIRS include tachycardia, tachypnea, hyperthermia or hypothermia, and elevated white blood count. The new definition for sepsis includes evidence for infection, plus life-threatening organ dysfunction, which is clinically characterized by an acute change of two points or greater on the Sequential [Sepsis-related] Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Septic shock is now defined to include sepsis with fluid-unresponsive hypotension, serum lactate level greater than 2 mmol/L, and the need for vasopressors to maintain mean arterial pressure of 65 mm Hg or greater. "These updated definitions and clinical criteria should clarify long-used descriptors and facilitate earlier recognition and more timely management of patients with sepsis or at risk of developing it," according to the task force's publication. "Sepsis is common and it is one of the top killers in U.S. hospitals and worldwide," task force member Christopher W. Seymour, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told MedPage Today. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SCCM/56323?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-23&eun=g721819d0r

Mouse Study Reprograms Stomach Tissue To Replace Lost Pancreatic Beta Cells.

for many years now, “scientists have been trying to figure out how to replenish vital insulin-producing beta cells that are missing in type 1 diabetes.” Unfortunately, “in type 1 diabetes, the body continues to inflict damage on native and transplanted insulin cells.” In research published online Feb. 18 in the journal Cell Stem Cell, researchers reveal they “may have found a way to replace these lost beta cells – by reprogramming stomach tissue.” Working with mice, investigators “took samples of tissue from the lower stomach...and grew this tissue into mini-organs that, when transplanted back into animals, functioned as insulin-producing cells.” http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/#8aef9ba6dbd2

HPV Infections Decline Among Teenage Girls Following Introduction Of Vaccine, Study Suggests.

reports that the study found “girls between 14 and 19 years old saw infection rates on the four types of HPV covered by the Gardasil vaccine fall 64 percent from the rate prior to the vaccine’s introduction — from 11.5 percent in 2003-2006 to 4.3 percent between 2009 and 2012.” Meanwhile, “in women ages 20 to 24, prevalence of the infection declined 34 percent in those years, from 18.5 percent to 12.1 percent.” The New York Times (2/22, A14, Hoffman, Subscription Publication) also covers the story. http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2016/02/22/Vaccination-rate-for-HPV-is-in-decline-but-so-are-infections/stories/201602220018

Natriuretic peptide dysregulation in diabetes responded to pioglitazone

Previous animal and laboratory studies have shown that cardiac NPs, key hormones in cardiorenal homeostasis, also activate thermogenic brown fat gene expression patterns to increase energy expenditure in adipocytes, Collins and colleagues said. Overall our results suggest that drugs that target the pathway(s) that lead to increased NP levels may be a new way to treat metabolic disorders, including obesity, insulin resistance, and potentially type 2 diabetes," Collins said in a statement. "Since we already have access to FDA approved drugs to control blood sugar, and we know that these drugs impact NP levels, we may be able to redesign these drugs to specifically target other metabolic conditions including obesity." http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Obesity/56301

Periodontitis Linked With Childhood Arthritis

Periodontitis and the oral pathogens involved in the inflammatory disease may be environmental factors contributing to the development of anticyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody-positive disease in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), an association study found. Antibodies to Porphyromonas gingivalis were significantly higher in children with CCP-positive JIA than in those with seronegative JIA, with median levels of 9.04 μg/mL versus 5.69 μg/mL (P<0.001), according to Sampath Prahalad, MD, of Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/56274?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-22&eun=g721819d0r

Gut Bug Composition Linked to Early Signs of Obesity and Diabetes Twin study controls for genetics and upbringing

"If these microbial shifts play a causal role in the onset of obesity or type 2 diabetes, they may represent not only novel markers for early diagnosis, but also a target for preventative therapeutic intervention," wrote the authors. "Even if these shifts are not ultimately the primary causal agents behind their associated diseases, microbial dysbioses may still be manipulated to avert disease onset, and their specifics are likely to improve our mechanistic understanding of host-microbiota interaction and its role in disease prevention and treatment." Previous research has shown that the microbiome plays a role in some metabolic disorders, but the link isn't well understood. Some of this research has indicated that the composition of microbiota look different in obese and diabetic patients than in healthy controls, but Yassour and colleagues added that there's no "strong consensus" across studies in differences between obese and lean patients, adding that this may be because of biological reasons or because of inconsistent measuring techniques. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/MetabolicSyndrome/56267?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-19&eun=g721819d0r

Insufficient Sleep Common Among US Adults, CDC Report Finds.

reports that “South Dakota has the largest proportion of residents who get at least seven hours of sleep each night,” while Hawaii “has the lowest proportion.” After surveying some 444,000 US adults in 2014, the CDC “also found that while two-thirds of white people nationally got enough sleep, only about half of blacks, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders did.” The NBC News (2/18, Fox) website quotes the CDC report, which said, “Sleeping less than seven hours per night is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, frequent mental distress, and all-cause mortality.” http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/third-americans-aren-t-getting-enough-sleep-n520861

Breastfed Children May Not Get Enough Vitamin D, Study Suggests.

website reports that the study, which involved more than 2,500 youngsters in Canada, found that “children who are both eating solid food and breastfeeding are at higher risk” for being deficient in vitamin D. In fact, babies “who were breast-fed up to 36 months and did not take supplements were more likely to develop vitamin D deficiency even though they had started eating solid foods.” http://abcnews.go.com/Health/study-advises-mothers-give-newborns-vitamin-supplements/story?id=37036367

Does Ethnicity Drive Response to Flu Vax? Study shows variation in key infection-fighting gene

Ethnicity seemed to influence genetic variation in a key immune system gene, which generates antibodies that can recognize and ward off the influenza A virus, researchers reported. The findings, which link ethnic background to influenza vaccine response, could have a significant impact on efforts to develop a universal flu vaccine that would provide protection against a wide variety of flu strains, according to Wayne Marasco, MD, PhD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues. The study is the first to show genetic variation in the key infection-fighting IGHV1-69 gene associated with the ethnicity of vaccine recipients, they wrote in Scientific Reports. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Vaccines/56231?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-18&eun=g721819d0r

Because of Zika virus Puerto Rico May Need To Import Blood Supply From Mainland US.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/17/cdc-puerto-rico-could-hit-hard-zika/80506164/

FDA Issues Zika Guidelines For Blood Banks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/health/fda-issues-zika-virus-guidelines-for-blood-supply.html?_r=1

“people will exercise more if you give them money – but only if they are paid in the right way.”

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/15/the-right-incentive-to-get-people-to-move-more/?ref=health&_r=0

Maternal Fish Consumption In Excess Of Three Times A Week During Pregnancy Tied To Overweight, Obesity In Offspring.

“Science Now” reported that “newborns whose mothers ate fish more than three times a week during pregnancy grew faster in their first two years of life and were more likely to be overweight or obese at four and six years old than were babies born to mothers who ate little to no fish during pregnancy,” research suggests. In a study published online Feb. 15 in JAMA Pediatrics and “conducted across several countries, researchers” also “found that the weight-related effects of a mother’s high fish consumption was more pronounced when the offspring was female.” http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-pregnancy-fish-obesity-20160215-story.html

MS Patients May Lose Ability to Taste Lost taste perception associated with more MS brain lesions

http://www.medpagetoday.com/clinical-context/MultipleSclerosis/56182?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-15&eun=g721819d0r

Fatigue in RA: Worse in Winter? Swedish study says yes

multiple determinants of fatigue among people with RA, and may in part reflect a connection to seasonal affective disorder, which is known to affect symptoms of depression (including fatigue) in the general population." Feldthusen and colleagues suggested several factors that could contribute to seasonal variations in fatigue, including physical activity, which correlates inversely with fatigue and tends to be more frequent in the spring and summer. Vitamin D deficiency also could contribute, as might the large variations in temperature and daylight hours in Sweden. In addition, most of the study participants were working or were students and may have taken vacations in the summer.http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/56160?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-13&eun=g721819d0r

App Helps Determine if Pneumococcal Vaccine Is Needed

he app addresses the following key questions: For a patient 65 and over, which comes first, PCV13 or PPSV23? Which younger adult patients need both vaccines and in what order? How long do I wait to give the next shot in the sequence? Which patients need that second 5-year booster of PPSV23? What qualifies as "immunocompromised" indications for vaccination? How do I keep the intervals between shots straight with recommendations from CDC including 8 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months? Which children 6-18 need which vaccine and in which order http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/IltifatHusain/56152?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-12&eun=g721819d0r

patients with fully electronic health records experienced fewer adverse events such as hospital-acquired infections.

eports that a recent study funded by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) “suggests that patients with fully electronic health records experienced fewer adverse events such as hospital-acquired infections.” Researchers wrote that “patients hospitalized for pneumonia and exposed to a fully electronic EHR had 35 percent lower odds of adverse drug events, 34 percent lower odds of hospital-acquired infections, and 25 percent lower odds of general events.” The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Patient Safety. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/electronic-health-records-trim-odds-hospital-acquired-infections-other-adverse-events-ahrq-says

No Cases Of Mosquitoes Transmitting Zika In US.

reports the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday published a study which found Zika in the brain tissue of a microcephalic fetus that had been carried by a European women who had Zika symptoms in the 13th week of her pregnancy while she was living in Brazil. The detailed report says the women terminated the pregnancy after ultrasounds of the fetus began to show microcephaly symptoms in the 29th week of gestation after she had returned to Europe. In an accompanying editorial to the study, Eric Rubin, professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the findings don’t provide concrete proof that Zika causes the birth defect, but it does make the link stronger. http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-study-links-zika-virus-to-microcephaly-1455143072

Eye Problems in Microcephalic Infants May be Linked to Zika Virus

http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/56105?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-10&eun=g721819d0r

Research Shows Gut Microbiome May Be Linked To Bone Health.

Rana Samadfam, PhD, the principal scientist in musculoskeletal research at Charles River, writes in a guest blog for Scientific American (2/10) saying that our gut microbiome, which is “now known to influence heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and obesity,” may also help bones heal. Samadfam says that “exciting new research now shows that the gut microbiome can affect bone strength in both animal models and humans.” Samadfam writes that the results from rodent models may be “related to the immune system,” as “different cells in the immune system can regulate bone density, and an imbalance in this regulation leads to diseases such as arthritis, cancer and osteoporosis (a disease in which bones become weak and brittle).” In addition, treatments with probiotics in rodent models have been shown to improve bone mass, which may “indicate that treatments that affect the composition of the microbiome can also regulate bone health.” http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/how-your-gut-affects-your-bones/

Zika confirmed in people in Indiana and Ohio, among other states

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/02/09/zika-confirmed-oh-elsewhere-among-travelers-affected-areas/80052798/#

White House: Fight Against Zika Needs Billions Obama administration will request more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding

http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/56086?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-09&eun=g721819d0r

Flint Is Not The Only City Water with Unsafe Lead Levels.

says while the Flint crisis “may be the most serious contamination threat facing the country’s water supplies,” it is “hardly the only one” as “unsafe levels of lead have turned up in tap water in city after city.” While “Federal officials and many scientists agree that most of the nation’s 53,000 community water systems provide safe drinking water,” those case “are unsettling reminders of what experts say are holes in the safety net of rules and procedures intended to keep water not just lead-free, but free of all poisons.” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/us/regulatory-gaps-leave-unsafe-lead-levels-in-water-nationwide.html?_r=0

Global Lawmakers Considering Taxes On Sweetened Foods And Soft Drinks.

reports that governmental officials around the world are considering taxes on sweetened foods, particularly soft drinks, to battle obesity. Opponents of the proposed taxes, including the International Council of Beverage Associations, assert that the levies do not provide health benefits, burden the economy, and unfairly target certain food products. France, Hungary, Mexico, and Scandinavian countries have already implemented sugar taxes and India, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Great Britain officials are currently discussing the issue. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sugar-tax-drinks-idUSKCN0VH1D5

State Of Emergency Declared For Hawaii County For Dengue Fever Outbreak.

The AP (2/8) reports Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi issued a proclamation on Monday declaring a state of emergency for the island because of its ongoing dengue fever outbreak. The Hawaiian Department of Health said the outbreak has resulted in 251 confirmed cases across the island. Gov. David Ige (D) also addressed the outbreak in a news conference last week, stating that “there is a continuous conversation about it, as we proceed through an event and identify a course of action,” CBS News (2/8) reports on its website. Reuters (2/9) also covers the story. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-mayor-declares-state-of-emergency-to-address-dengue-fever-outbreak/

Severe Burn Injuries May Lead To Alterations In Bone Metabolism, Study Finds.

“Changes in bone turnover markers suggest that severe burn injuries lead to alterations in bone metabolism that can influence bone quality and structure,” the findings of a 32-patient study published online Jan. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggest. In the study, investigators “found significant changes in all turnover markers and bone metabolism regulators.” The study authors concluded, “Ongoing changes of [bone turnover markers] and regulators of bone metabolism suggest alterations in bone metabolism with likely adverse influence on bone quality and structure in male patients with severe burn injuries.” http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/bone-mineral-metabolism/news/online/%7B84f35a01-c257-437c-b454-65bd7ac6730c%7D/severe-burn-injury-can-alter-bone-metabolism

MERS Virus Targets Lungs

The lungs are the main target of the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), according to the results of the first autopsy performed on a victim of the disease. Since it was first reported in September 2012, there have been 1,638 cases of infection by the MERS coronavirus in 26 countries, including 587 deaths, the World Health Organization said. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/56065?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-08&eun=g721819d0r

Contaminated Water Found In Colorado.

reported that traces of PFOS and PFOA, “two compounds once used in nonstick cookware coatings, firefighting foam and other materials,” were found “in three drinking water systems in Colorado, prompting officials to shut down three wells and start looking for the source.” The EPA said the compounds were detected in water systems serving about 69,000 people. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DRINKING_WATER_CHEMICALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Current Tdap Booster Fails To Protect Older Children Efficacy drops off markedly after a year in kids 10 and older, study finds

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Vaccines/56044?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-06&eun=g721819d0r

Influenza infection may increase atrial fibrillation risk but vaccine helps

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Arrhythmias/56042?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-06&eun=g721819d0r

Florida Expands Zika Emergency As First Reported Case From Blood Transfusion Emerges.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/nyregion/new-york-state-to-offer-free-zika-testing-for-pregnant-travelers.html?ref=world&_r=0 In its lead story, the CBS Evening News (2/4, lead story, 2:30, Pelley) reported there are now at least 51 cases in the US. Correspondent Mark Strassmann added that with 80 percent of Zika patients showing no symptoms, “it’s likely there are many more cases than the official numbers indicate.” NBC Nightly News (2/4, story 6, 0:25, Holt) reported that Florida expanded its state of emergency to five counties as Gov. Rick Scott said on Thursday there are now 12 confirmed Zika cases in the state, all from people infected outside the US. ABC World News (2/4, story 5, 1:35, Muir) added that that Scott has requested “thousands more” kits to be tested for Zika, as the state currently has less than 1,000. Meanwhile, Linzie Janis reported that the first case of Zika infection from a blood transfusion was reported in Brazil. Jon LaPook, MD, reported on the CBS Evening News (2/4, story 2, 2:10, Pelley) that donated blood is “not yet tested” for the virus in Brazil. Donors instead “are asked if they’ve recently been ill,” but since most don’t show symptoms, “self-reporting misses most infections.” LaPook added that there is a test that can detect Zika virus in blood samples, “but it’s not government approved in Brazil or in the United States where about 21 million units are transfused each year.”

Some People With BMIs Categorizing Them As Overweight Or Obese May Be Quite Healthy, Study Suggests.

reports in “Science Now” a new study published online Feb. 4 in the International Journal of Obesity suggests that “some 54 million Americans who are labeled as obese or overweight according to their body mass index [BMI] are,” upon “a closer look, actually healthy.” The study’s findings “reveal that employers could potentially saddle people with unfairly high health insurance costs based on a deeply flawed measure of actual health.” Shots” blog, physicians “contend that BMI’s usefulness ends at a rough indication that a patient should be checked for things like high blood pressure or cholesterol.” BMI was not invented as an “individual health metric.” Professional athletes, for example, “often have BMIs that could get them in trouble with a workplace wellness plan,” and “that mismatch between BMI and health is true not just for athletes,” the study found. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-bmi-does-not-measure-health-20160204-story.html

Florida Declares Health Emergency Over Zika Cases.

eported Florida declared a health emergency after at least nine cases of Zika virus were reported in four counties, bringing the total to 50 cases across 13 US states. Meanwhile, one of the world’s “most prominent ethicists,” Arthur Caplan, PhD, Director of Medical Ethics, NYU, urged Brazil to cancel the Olympics, stating “I don’t know if [Brazil’s] up to doing the Olympics and epidemic control at the same time.”

Poll: Most Americans Are Trying to Reduce Sugar Intake

A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,883 adults living in the U.S, conducted Jan. 15-21, finds that 58 percent say they tried to limit sugar in their diets in the previous 30 days. That is higher than the percentage of those who were targeting reductions in their intake of calories, sodium, fats, cholesterol, or carbohydrates. Only 39 percent said they had not tried to cut sugar intake. Last month, the U.S. government said that Americans should seek to keep their intake of added sugars, which is sugar added during processing or preparation of foods, to less than 10 percent of daily calories, the first time it had recommended a specific limit. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/55982?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-04&eun=g721819d0r

Low fat diet is equal to low carb diet for weight loss

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Obesity/55970

Zika virus infection 'through sex' reported in US

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35478778

HPV, MenB Vaccines Added to Kids' Immunization Schedule

The formal addition of the 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, along with the serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine for certain adolescents, are just two of the updates to the 2016 recommended vaccine schedule for children and adolescents, which were released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Recommendations about the HPV 9-valent vaccine (now called 9vHPV) were released following the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting last February, but this is the first time the vaccine has been formally added to the AAP-endorsed schedule. The group now recommends immunization with the HPV vaccine for children as young as age 9 if they have a history of sexual abuse. The HPV vaccine was already recommended for nonhigh risk children at age 11. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Vaccines/55946?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-02&eun=g721819d0r

WHO Declares Zika Virus A Global Health Emergency.

reports officials say WHO’s move “will help intensify mosquito control efforts and expedite the creation of a more rigorous diagnostic test and a preventive vaccine.” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that “clusters” of microcephaly, and not Zika itself, led to the emergency declaration, even though the virus is “strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven,” to be the cause of the abnormal birth defects. On its front page, the New York Times (2/2, A1, Tavernise, Subscription Publication) says the emergency declaration gives WHO a chance to “revive its reputation after a faltering response during the Ebola epidemic.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/01/who-health-emergency-zika/79647164/

Mother’s Bacteria May Colonize Cesarean Births.

reports that “In the first study of its kind,” researchers on Monday confirmed that a mother’s beneficial microbes can be partly transferred to her baby after a cesarean section, which “could influence a child’s lifelong health.” According to the lead author, New York University’s Dr. Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, the study suggests a new way to inoculate babies. Dr. Jack Gilbert at Argonne National Laboratory said, “Just understanding that it’s possible is exciting.” A larger study is underway. The Boston Globe (2/1) reports that some epidemiological studies have suggested that “C-section babies may have an elevated risk for developing immune and metabolic disorders, including Type 1 diabetes, allergies, asthma, and obesity.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/post-cesarean-bacteria-transfer-could-change-health-for-life-study-shows/?_r=0

Gene May Be Biological Switch For Obesity, Study Suggests.

reported that new research published in the journal Cell revealed that gene Trim28 may essentially be “a biological on/off switch for obesity.” Researchers studied “13 sets of identical twins in which one was obese and the other was lean” and found that the cells of the obese mouse had less Trim28 activity compared to their lean twin. The researchers “concluded that Trim28 may act as an epigenetic switch to either turn obesity on or off by suppressing or activating a set of genes that control weight.” According to the CDC and National Institutes of Health, “more than one in three adults in the United States are obese.” The findings may prove useful in developing treatments for the disease. http://www.popsci.com/molecular-switch-may-turn-obesity-on-or-off