Listeria cases spreading.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/28/health/salad-listeria/

Obesity, Diabetes In Pregnancy May Be Associated With An Increased Risk For Autism In Offspring.

published online Jan. 29 in Pediatrics reveals that women who are obese while pregnant may have nearly double the likelihood of giving birth to a child with autism. When expectant mothers are both obese and diabetic, the risk for autism in their offspring may be quadrupled. Researchers arrived at these conclusions after examining data on some 2,734 pairs of mothers and babies tracked between 1998 and 2014. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-autism-obesity-diabetes-idUSKCN0V70CK

Total Energy Expenditure From Exercise Plateaus At Higher Activity Levels, Study Finds.

reports that a study published online Jan. 28 in the journal Current Biology indicates that “Americans trying to lose weight won’t get the results they desire by slogging through extra miles on the treadmill – they’ll need to cut calories to do it.” After tracking “332 adults in five countries,” including the US, researchers “found that ‘total energy expenditure increases with physical activity at low activity levels but plateaus at higher activity levels.’” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-28/more-exercise-doesn-t-always-mean-losing-weight

Wearable Sweat Sensor Tracks Biochemical Markers.

reports in “Science Now” that the device could someday “alert sweat drenched users to risks of dehydration, fatigue, stress and other physical ailments.” The sensor tracks four biomarkers “including electrolytes like sodium and potassium, and metabolites like glucose and lactate,” as well as body temperature. Long term, the research team seeks to track “an array of other proteins, molecules and ions that could offer more clues to a person’s physical well being.” The Times highlights the prospect this device may become commonplace in the future. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-sweat-monitor-20160127-story.html

Case Of Zika Virus Emerges In Minnesota As Physicians Call For Bolder Response.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/u-s-to-halt-blood-donation-by-travelers-to-zika-affected-areas reported there are now ten cases of Zika virus in five states after a new case was reported in Minnesota. Medical editor Jon LaPook, MD, said there is concern because mosquitoes that could carry the virus are found in regions where sixty percent of Americans live. Dr. Daniel Lucey of the Georgetown University Medical Center told NBC Nightly News (1/27, story 6, 2:05, Holt), “Now we have a pandemic. ... We need global leadership for this evolving rapidly accelerating health problem.” Tom Costello reported that a “quarter of a million” Brazilian soldiers “are now on mosquito control missions” as the country prepares for Carnival and the Olympics. Costello added that President Obama is “pushing American researchers to develop a vaccine quickly, but that could be years away.” Officials Under Pressure To Stop Spread Of Zika Virus. Reuters (1/28, Steenhuysen, Nebehay) reports that the World Health Organization is under pressure to take action against the Zika virus outbreak spreading through Latin American and the Caribbean. WHO will hold a special session on Thursday on the Zika virus. The US Food and Drug Administration, and others, are working to quickly implement “donor deferral measures for travelers who have visited affected regions in order to protect the blood supply in the United States.”

Sedentary Women May Experience More Severe Menopause Symptoms, Study Finds.

Sedentary Women May Experience More Severe Menopause Symptoms, Study Finds. In a more than 1,100-word article, CNN (1/27, Storrs, To) reports that new research suggests that women “who lead sedentary lives have more severe menopause symptoms compared with more physically active women.” Researchers asked over 3,500 women living in Latin American cities “about their menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, irritability, insomnia and depression,” and found that “women who were sedentary...were 28% more likely to report having severe menopause symptoms than those who exercised more.” Additionally, researchers found that “sedentary women were also 52% more likely to be obese.” The findings were published in the journal Menopause. Medical Daily (1/28) also covers the study. http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/27/health/menopause-hot-flashes-exercise/index.html

CDC Outlines Testing Protocol for Zika Virus Long-term follow-up includes repeat hearing tests for infants

The CDC has urged expectant mothers or women planning to get pregnant to avoid visiting multiple countries, including Brazil, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Samoa. An outbreak of Zika virus infection was first recognized in northeastern Brazil in early 2015, and authorities reported a sharp increase in the number of reported cases of microcephaly in areas affected by the outbreak in September. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/55861?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-01-27&eun=g721819d0r