Cervical Cancer Screening: Experts Weigh-in

http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/CervicalCancer/53786?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-30&eun=g721819d0r

Calcium Supplements May Not Strengthen Bones In Women Under 80, Study Finds.

reports the results from the meta-analysis “suggest that clinicians, advocacy organizations and health policymakers should not recommend increasing calcium intake for fracture prevention either with calcium supplements or through dietary sources,” the New Zealand researchers wrote. TIME adds that the “new results also fall in line with the guidance provided by the United States Preventative Services Task Force in 2013,” which, based on the evidence available, ultimately concluded that “post-menopausal women should not take daily supplements.” http://time.com/4053338/calcium-supplements-bone-health/

EPA Releases Updated Regulations For Pesticide Use By Farmworkers.

reports that the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday released updated worker-protection standards for farmworkers applying pesticides. The changes require farmworkers to be at least 18 years old to handle pesticides. Additionally, the revisions require mandatory yearly pesticide training. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/28/us-usa-epa-pesticides-idUSKCN0RS2GA20150928

Psychological Distress In Childhood May Be Associated With Higher Risk Of Heart Disease, Diabetes Later In Life.

The study authors say stress impacts later metabolic and cardiovascular risk in a number of ways, primarily through behavioral and biological pathways. "For example, distress may motivate harmful behaviors such as cigarette smoking and physical inactivity, or reduce educational and occupational achievement," Winning said. "Given there are sensitive periods for establishing behavior patterns -- for example, smoking is typically initiated in adolescence -- childhood and adolescent distress may be especially influential." Psychological distress, she said, may also have a more direct biological impact on health. "Chronic activation of stress-related biological responses, triggered by repeated or sustained exposure to stressful experiences, can lead to a cascade of deleterious effects on processes related to cardiometabolic health, including for example blood pressure and cholesterol." http://www.cbsnews.com/news/childhood-stress-linked-to-heart-trouble-later-in-life/

Genetic Variations May Influence Onset Of Puberty, Menopause.

reports that researchers at “Exeter and Cambridge universities showed that at least two repair mechanisms were involved” in the onset of menopause. The first repair mechanism “is used when the eggs are being formed and the woman’s DNA is being broken, rearranged and repaired,” and the second “corrects damage, caused” by environmental factors. reports that a study published in Nature Genetics found that genetic variations may “have an impact on the ages when a woman enters both puberty and menopause.” The study involved nearly 70,000 women of European ancestry and found over “50 genetic variations – including 18 previously discovered ones – that seem to be linked to the age a woman reaches menopause.” http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34380258

How Are New Drugs Evaluated by the FDA?

Insights from an FDA official http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/FDAGeneral/53756?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-29&eun=g721819d0r

Men, Women Differ In How They Experience Certain Diseases.

reported that studies have indicated that males and females differ in how they experience some diseases. Additionally, the studies show, men and women respond to treatments in different ways. The article discusses gender differences in Alzheimer’s, nicotine addiction, and lung cancer. http://www.wsj.com/articles/men-and-women-differ-in-how-they-experience-disease-respond-to-treatment-1443260476

Interview Discusses How And Why Physicians Make Diagnostic Errors.

In an 1,865-word interview in the Wall Street Journal (9/27, Landro, Subscription Publication), Dr. Hardeep Singh, the chief of health policy, quality and informatics at Houston’s Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center as well as an associate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, discusses how and why physicians make diagnostic errors. http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-medical-detective-story-why-doctors-make-diagnostic-errors-1443295859

Dosing Antihypertensives Before Sleep May Lower Risk Of Incident Diabetes.

“Dosing antihypertensives before sleep instead of upon waking lowered risk of incident diabetes in a randomized trial” published in the journal Diabetologia. The 171-patient study revealed that “incidence of new-onset diabetes was significantly lower in the bedtime group (4.8%) versus the daytime group (12%) (P<0.001).” http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Hypertension/53731

High Levels Of BPA Linked To Low Birth Weight In Baby Girls, Study Finds.

reported that a new study found that “pregnant women with high levels of [bisphenol-A] BPA in their blood during their first trimester were more likely to have baby girls with low birth weights.” The study revealed that “for every doubling in free, or unconjugated, BPA in the mothers’ first-term blood, babies weighed, on average, 6.5 ounces less.” The findings were published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. HealthDay (9/26, Thompson) also covered the study. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-linked-to-low-birth-weights-in-baby-girls/

Healthy Habits May Improve Ovulation In Women With PCOS.

reported that a new study suggests that women with “polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS], a common condition in women known to cause infertility,” may benefit from weight loss and exercise. The study revealed that weight loss and exercise “could improve ovulation in women with PCOS.” The findings were published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. http://www.medicaldaily.com/weight-loss-and-exercise-combined-birth-control-could-help-women-pcos-get-pregnant-354372

Does Hillary Clinton Have the Rx For Rising Health Costs?

She released two proposals this week aimed at curbing patients' health spending. While the Republicans running for president are united in their desire to repeal the federal health law, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton is fashioning her own healthcare agenda to tackle out-of-pocket costs -- but industry experts question whether her proposals would solve the problem. In addition to defending the Affordable Care Act, Clinton released two separate proposals this week. One would seek to protect people with insurance from having to pay thousands of dollars in addition to their premiums for prescription drugs; the other would set overall limits on out-of-pocket health spending for those with insurance. NOTICE THE SOURCE OF THIS ARTICLE. It is NOT from a Pro-Hillary group or the mainstream media!! http://www.medpagetoday.com/Washington-Watch/ElectionCoverage/53738?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-26&eun=g721819d0r

Americans Eat Up To 15 Hours A Day, Study Says.

reports a study by researchers at the Salk Institute in La Jolla “that detailed the consumption patterns of just over 150 nondieting, non-shift-working people in and around San Diego for three weeks,” showed “that a majority of people eat for stretches of 15 hours or longer most days – and fast for fewer than nine hours a night.” The study suggests that “Americans’ erratic, round-the-clock eating patterns...have probably contributed to an epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.” http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-americans-all-day-eating-20150924-story.html

Fidgeting May Counteract Negative Effects Of Prolonged Sitting, Study Suggests.

reports that the study, published online in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, used data from the United Kingdom Women’s Cohort Study, following 12,778 women age 37 to 78 over a 12-year period. The women were divided into three groups based on self-assessments of their fidgeting habits: low, middle, or high. Among the women who did not fidget, the researchers “found that women who sat for seven or more hours daily had a 30 percent increased risk of dying from any cause,” compared to those who sat less than five hours a day. Meanwhile, “middle or high fidgeters saw no increased risk.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/09/23/can-fidgeting-offset-the-ill-effects-of-sitting-new-study-says-so/ Another study showed this 2 years ago!

Saturated fats: current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats

Still, it's probably comforting to know that countries where people eat more cheese, for example, have less heart disease than in the U.S. In the French paradox, people have high saturated fat diets, and drink wine regularly, but seem to have less heart disease. So something seems to be amiss with the saturated-fat-causes-heart-disease theory, but just what's going on is still a mystery. Diet and lifestyle do play a role in heart disease risk, but we may still have some work to do to really nail down the causes of that risk. The great fat debate is revving up again. What's greasing the wheels is some recent research that shows that diets high in saturated fat are not associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and all-cause mortality. It's a meta-analysis that pools the results of many studies. The news about saturated fat has been accumulating. Last year, the authors of another meta-analysis from Cambridge University in England included over 650,000 participants, in both observational studies and randomized controlled trials, and concluded that "current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats." http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/EdibleRx/53696?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-24&eun=g721819d0r

Legionnaires’ Disease Bacteria Causes Evacuation in Chicago-Area Schools

https://www.yahoo.com/health/legionnares-disease-bacteria-causes-evacuation-in-190610589.html

Active, Passive Smoking Both Associated With Higher Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes, Research Suggests.

The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggests that “active and passive smoking are associated with a significantly higher risk of incident type 2 diabetes, but the risk for those who quit smoking decreases over time.” Investigators “looked at 88 studies with nearly 6 million participants and found that the risk ratio of developing type 2 diabetes was 1.37 for current smokers (95% CI 1.33-1.42), 1.22 for never smokers both with and without exposure to second-hand smoke (95% CI 1.10-1.35), and 1.14 for former smokers (95% CI 1.10-1.18) when compared to non-smokers.” http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Smoking/53672

Clinton Proposes Plan To Cut Drug Costs.

reports that with “voter fury rising over the high cost of prescription drugs,” Clinton “proposed capping out-of-pocket drug expenses at $250 a month” on Tuesday, while Sen. Bernie Sanders “extolled his own plan and long record for pushing to lower drug costs.” Clinton “announced her patient spending cap as part of a plan that includes requiring most drug makers to spend a defined portion of their profits on research and development, ending tax breaks for pharmaceutical advertising and allowing Americans to import lower-priced drugs from other countries.” http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/us/politics/hillary-rodham-clinton-proposes-cap-on-patients-drug-costs-as-sanders-pushes-his-plan.html?ref=politics&_r=0

Antibody Blocks C. Diff Recurrence

Recurrent Clostridium difficile disease (CDI) can be prevented by targeting one of its bacterial toxins with a monoclonal antibody, researchers reported here. In two Phase III randomized clinical trials, an antibody against the B toxin of C. difficile, combined with standard antibiotic care to cure acute CDI, reduced the risk of recurrence by about 50%. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ICAAC/53666?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-23&eun=g721819d0r

Obesity Rates Remain High Nationwide, Study Reveals.

reports that new data from the Centers for Disease Control show that obesity rates remain steady but “high around the country.” The analysis revealed that “Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi were states with the highest adult obesity rates,” while “Hawaii, the District of Columbia and Colorado had the lowest rates.” According to the CDC, over a “third of U.S. adults are obese and around 17% of children are obese.” The study indicates the obesity rate is nearly 48 percent for African-American adults, 43 percent for Latino adults, and about 33 percent for white adults. The AP (9/22, Stobbe) reports that a telephone survey indicated that “obesity rates stayed about the same in 45 states last year,” with slight “increases in Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah.” According to the AP, the government released the rates Monday, “which were analyzed in a separate report by the advocacy group, Trust for America’s Health.” http://time.com/4042605/adult-obesity-rates/

Kids' Vaccines Cut Healthcare Use

Dramatic drop seen in admissions for pneumonia, rotavirus http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ICAAC/53663?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-22&eun=g721819d0r

Whooping Cough's Rare Cousin Caused Outbreak Symptoms are similar to classical disease but current vaccine is no protection

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ICAAC/53655?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-22&eun=g721819d0r

Infectious Disease Experts Protesting Dramatic Increase In Drug Price.

reported that “specialists in infectious disease are protesting a gigantic overnight increase in the price” of Daraprim (pyrimethamine), a drug used to treat protozoal infections. After the drug was acquired in August by Turing Pharmaceuticals, “a start-up run by a former hedge fund manager,” Turing “immediately raised the price to $750 a tablet from $13.50, bringing the annual cost of treatment for some patients to hundreds of thousands of dollars.” The Times cites Daraprim of an increasingly common “business strategy of buying old neglected drugs and turning them into high-priced ‘specialty drugs.’” USA Today (9/19, Rushton) also reported. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2015/09/18/company-hikes-price-5000-drug-fights-complication-aids-cancer-daraprim/32563749/

Smells Like Tuberculosis?

A device that detects a pattern of chemicals in the breath was both sensitive and specific for TB in a small pilot study, according to Amandip Sahota, MD, of the University Hospitals of Leicester in England. Advertisement In the study, the device was able to detect both pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms of the disease, Sahota reported at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC). http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ICAAC/53649?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-21&eun=g721819d0r

Kids Without Gardens More Likely to Get Fat

Young children with lack of green space and poor housing are candidates for obesity. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EASD/53618?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-19&eun=g721819d0r

Flu Season: Vaccine Seems Good Match So Far

Vaccine has been updated to better match the H3N2 strain. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/URItheFlu/53617?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-19&eun=g721819d0r

Consumers Will Demand More Fat And Red Meat, Less Carbs, Report Says.

Consumers are increasingly eschewing bread in favor of butter and red meat as carbohydrates take a back seat to fat and protein, a worldwide shift underpinned by a changing medical consensus that promises to transform the food industry. Global demand for fat will rise 43 percent by 2030 with per-capita consumption jumping almost a quarter, according to a report released Thursday by the Credit Suisse http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-17/global-fat-demand-set-to-soar-as-consumers-shun-carbohydrates

Study Finds Link Between Diabetes, Napping

reports that “after examining more than 200 studies involved 261,000 participants,” investigators “found that severe daytime fatigue was associated with a 56 per cent increased risk of developing diabetes.” The data also indicated that “taking a regular daytime nap for an hour or more was found to increase the risk of developing the condition by 46 per cent.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11872199/Why-power-naps-may-be-bad-for-your-health.html

Pesticide Exposure Linked to Diabetes Development

In pregnancy, pesticides may be a trigger for gestational diabetes http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EASD/53609?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-18&eun=g721819d0r

Caffeine Appears To Disrupt The Body’s Circadian Rhythms, Small Study Suggests.

They found caffeine can block cell receptors — molecular doorways — that let in adenosine, a message carrying chemical or neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. The same team did a study that showed when they stuck eight people out in the mountains without any artificial light, their body clocks switched over to send them to sleep at sunset and awaken at sunrise. The new findings may help explain why heavier coffee drinkers tend to be night owls, they said. It might lead to strategic ways to use coffee to fight jet lag — rather than simply throwing back a few triple espressos and hoping for the bes reports that caffeine appears to disrupt the body’s circadian rhythms, which explains why people who drink coffee at night cannot fall asleep. For example, “the amount of caffeine in a double espresso shifts this clock by 40 minutes.” When “combined with bright light,” the effect is “even worse,” the study (9/17) published Sept. 16 in the journal Science Translational Medicine suggests. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/heres-why-coffee-keeps-you-night-n428406

Three-Year-Old US Girl Diagnosed With T2D.

reports that case details of a three-year-old US Hispanic girl diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will be presented today at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. While it remains unclear if this is the youngest T2D patient in the world, the study’s presenter, Michael Yafi, MD, director of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Texas-Houston, pointed out that his own research on the subject has not yet found any other similar cases of T2D in a child so young, but he surmised that others may indeed exist. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/16/us-health-diabetes-toddler-idUSKCN0RG2YF20150916

Maternal Lupus Linked With Kid's Autism Risk is more than doubled for autism spectrum disorders

Some research has suggested that children whose mothers have lupus are at greater risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, and that exposure to maternal antibodies and cytokines may contribute to the risk. "There's a growing body of literature that suggests that genetics alone is not the total answer to autism, and that in utero environment plays a role," said Betty Diamond, MD, of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Lupus/53553?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-16&eun=g721819d0r

Vaccinations Among US Kids Since 1994 Will Save 732,000 Lives, CDC Says.

says a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month found that the vaccination of children from 1994 to 2013 will prevent 732,000 early deaths in the United States. The report found that 90 percent of children under age 3 were vaccinated against polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B and chickenpox last year, but less than 90 percent “received DTaP — the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis — or the vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae Type B, pneumococcal disease, hepatitis A and rotavirus.” Only 0.7 percent of children did not receive any vaccination. “The really positive message here is that even though we hear a lot about vaccine refusal, most parents choose to protect their children,” said Dr. Amanda Cohn, a pediatrician with the CDC. Adults Urged To Get Vaccinated For HPV, Other Diseases. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9/15, Daly) reports on other vaccines that adults should get in addition to the influenza vaccine. The CDC reported last fall that adults 19 and older were “below target levels for pneumonia, tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, herpes zoster (shingles) and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations.” Medical experts support “expanding HPV vaccinations for young men and women, designed to prevent the sexually transmitted disease from causing cancer.” Young adults born after 1980 who have not had chickenpox are also recommended to get that vaccine. Young people between 16 to 23 are also “targeted for the meningococcal vaccines.” http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2015/09/15/Adults-need-more-than-just-the-annual-flu-vaccine/stories/201509150008

New Islet Cell Transplantation Technique Frees Woman With T1D From Insulin Injections.

reports that in August, scientists at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine “used a new technique to transplant insulin-producing islet cells into a woman with type 1 diabetes.” That patient “is now living without injections of the blood sugar-regulating hormone.” During the Aug. 18 procedure, researchers “implanted...islet cells inside a ‘biodegradable scaffold’ on the omentum, a lining within the abdomen.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/type-1-diabetes-treatment-islet-cells_55f6e3aae4b063ecbfa4df4b?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ir=Healthy%2BLiving§ion=healthy-living

Seniors With Low Levels Of Vitamin D May Lose Cognitive Abilities Faster.

eports that researchers studied “383 people enrolled in a long term Alzheimer’s study who participated in a series of cognitive studies and had their blood levels of a version of vitamin D measured yearly for five years.” At study start, “61% of the volunteers had vitamin D levels below recommended levels, and those with dementia showed lower levels of the vitamin.” http://time.com/4033662/vitamin-d-alzheimers/

23 million Americans suffer from addiction, but only 1 in 10 get the treatment they need.

Our health care system allows too many people with substance use disorders to go without care. We need to invest in treatment. Drug and alcohol addiction is a disease, not a moral failing—and we must treat it as such. GREAT VIDEO https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton

Vaccination Rates For Older Adults Fall Short Of National Goals.

reported that while vaccination rates for children “have steadily risen well over 90% the past few years,” the rates for adults over 60 “getting flu, pneumonia, tetanus or shingles shots...have stayed stubbornly flat and trail national goals.” Federal data indicate that three out of four of those over 60 do not get the shingles vaccine, while “nearly half” are not immunized for tetanus, four in 10 are not vaccinated for pneumonia, and “one in three seniors each year skips the flu vaccine.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/09/12/kaiser-ouch-vaccination-rates-among-elderly-lag/72147204/

Marijuana Use In Early Adulthood Tied To Increased Risk For Prediabetes, But Not Diabetes, By Middle Adulthood.

Marijuana use in early adulthood was associated with an increased risk for prediabetes, but not diabetes, by middle adulthood,” according to a study published in Diabetologia. The “adjusted analysis of data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study” revealed that “current marijuana use was associated with a 65% increase in prediabetes risk and very frequent use (≥100 uses) was associated with a 49% increase in risk.” http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/53527

Honey, Cane Sugar, HFCS Have “Same Impacts” On Health.

that a study by the USDA and published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that the health effects of high fructose corn sweetener (HFCS) and honey “were essentially the same,” according to Susan K. Raatz, a USDA research nutritionist involved in the study. The researchers found that daily doses of honey, cane sugar and high-fructose corn sweetener had “basically...the same impacts” on “blood sugar, insulin, body weight, cholesterol and blood pressure” as one another. that a study by the USDA and published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that the health effects of high fructose corn sweetener (HFCS) and honey “were essentially the same,” according to Susan K. Raatz, a USDA research nutritionist involved in the study. The researchers found that daily doses of honey, cane sugar and high-fructose corn sweetener had “basically...the same impacts” on “blood sugar, insulin, body weight, cholesterol and blood pressure” as one another. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/09/11/honey-seemed-like-a-healthier-choice-then-scientists-tested-it-against-high-fructose-corn-syrup/

DoD Official: Plague Bacteria and Encephalitis Possibly Shipped

Following on the news that broke earlier this year that U.S. military labs both improperly stored and shipped deadly anthrax specimens, a senior defense official told NBC News on Thursday that active samples of plague bacteria and two strains of encephalitis may also have been shipped from military labs to locations all over the world. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dod-official-plague-bacteria-encephalitis-possibly-shipped-n425246

CDC Studying Puzzling Rise In Rabbit Fever In Western US.

reports that on Thursday state epidemiologist officials said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is studying the puzzling rise in cases of tularemia, or rabbit fever, a rare bacterial disease that has killed a Wyoming man and sickened many in Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska this year. Reuters explains that tularemia rarely affects more than a few people each year, compared to this year’s 74 confirmed cases in Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/10/us-usa-rabbit-fever-idUSKCN0RA2VA20150910

FDA Moves to Prevent Foodborne Illness

About one in six Americans gets sick each year from foodborne illness, according to the CDC, and 3,000 Americans die from such illnesses every year. "Over the past few years, high-profile outbreaks related to various foods, from spinach to peanut products, have underscored the need to make continuous improvements in food safety," said the FDA. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/FDAGeneral/53486?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-11&eun=g721819d0r

NIH To Invest $35M To Research Dietary Supplements.

reports that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced yesterday “that it will invest a total of $35 million toward research into dietary supplements.” The agency has awarded grants to five research centers that will investigate “the effectiveness of some of the most popular ‘natural’ dietary supplements in the country.” Critics say that the NIH investment will not solve the “real issue with supplements: a total lack of regulation.” http://www.popsci.com/nih-pledges-35-million-to-research-nutritional-supplements

Short Bouts Of High-Intensity Exercise May Help Reverse Some Early Cardiac Changes In People With Type 2 Diabetes.

reports that a study published in Diabetologia “suggests that short bouts of high-intensity exercise could help reverse some early cardiac changes in people with type 2 diabetes.” Researchers found that “high-intensity intermittent exercise significantly improved...participants’ heart structure and function.” http://consumer.healthday.com/fitness-information-14/misc-health-news-265/short-intense-workouts-help-heart-in-people-with-type-2-diabetes-703079.html

Study Provides New Insights Into How Chronic Overeating Leads To Metabolic Problems, Type 2 Diabetes.

reports that investigators “have discovered it’s possible to develop troubling signs that could lead to diabetes after just a few days of a high-calorie diet.” For the study, six men “were put on bed rest and fed a daily high-carb, 6,000 calorie diet and then studied to see how their bodies reacted.” The study “found that those on the high-calorie diet developed insulin resistance, where the body’s insulin does not work as well and the pancreas has to crank up insulin production.” reports, “After analyzing the men’s urine and fat tissue, the researchers spotted a rise in proteins” tied to oxidative stress, which “appeared to trigger changes to a glucose transporter protein, known as GLUT4.” Such “changes may have affected the protein’s ability take up glucose in response to insulin, leading to insulin resistance,” scientists theorized. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/study-finds-warning-signs-diabetes-show-days/story?id=33635677

Antibiotics for Appendicitis Has Its Downsides

A Finnish group randomized patients with acute appendicitis to surgery and antibiotics and found that antibiotics were successful in 73% of patients. Depending on how this is framed, you can celebrate a 70% success or lament a 30% failure. Much of the debate in healthcare is a battle of framing. The study has limitations. Finland is not just a land of the midnight sun but a land of fewer laparoscopic surgeries than the U.S. This is important because if done properly, laparoscopic surgery has a lower morbidity than open surgery, as Skeptical Scalpel explains. Should we be excited that antibiotics can be used for acute appendicitis? Patients won't need to be opened up. This will be a revolution. A paradigm shift. Right? Maybe. Maybe not.http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/KevinMD/53463?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-10&eun=g721819d0r

Salmonella outbreak kills two, sickens hundreds in the U.S.

A salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers grown in Mexico has killed two people and sickened hundreds in the United States, health officials said Wednesday. The outbreak of Salmonella Poona has been reported in 30 states since July, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 341 people sickened, more than half have been children younger than 18. The fatalities occurred in California and Texas. At least 70 people have been hospitalized. Fast facts on salmonella http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/09/health/arizona-salmonella-outbreak/

Study: Living In A Food Desert May Not Heavily Influence Eating Habits.

reports on a recently published Rand Corp. study published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease that found “virtually no link between the type of food and drinks that Los Angeles County adults consume and the proximity of fast-food outlets, grocery stores and convenience stores to their homes.” The result undermines the widely held notion that so-called food deserts contribute heavily to the obesity epidemic in the US. http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-adv-food-environment-20150908-story.html

Surgeon General To Announce National Walking Campaign.

reports that US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy will announce a national walking campaign today that is “intended to combat chronic disease and obesity, and to surmount obstacles that stand in the way of simply taking a walk.” Murthy said in an interview that “we’ve really lost touch with physical activity,” and that he sees “walking as a starting point, a gateway to other activities.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/surgeon-general-to-call-for-national-walking-campaign/2015/09/08/eaac79f6-5665-11e5-b8c9-944725fcd3b9_story.html

New York City Board Of Health Poised To Vote On Menu Sodium Warnings.

reports that today, the New York City Board of Health is poised “to vote...on a groundbreaking rule that would slap a black-and-white salt-shaker emblem on chain-eatery dishes with more than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams – about a teaspoon – of sodium.” If the rule is passed, “New York would be the first US city with such a requirement.” The rule would go into effect Dec. 1. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SODIUM_ON_MENUS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Approximately Half Of All Americans Have Either Diabetes Or Pre-Diabetes, Study Suggests.

reports that approximately “half of all Americans have either diabetes or pre-diabetes, according to a new” study published Sept. 8 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study also indicates that after about 20 years “of linear growth, the prevalence of diabetes in” the US has “finally” begun to level off. An accompanying editorial “said the study suggests the implementation of food, nutrition and physical activity policies and regulations by federal, state and local governments as well as other efforts to curb obesity and diabetes have finally started to pay off.” http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-sn-diabetes-study-20150908-story.html

More Physical Activity May Improve Arthritis Patients' Mood

Being more physically active on days when patients with either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis are feeling especially fatigued buffers the negative effect of fatigue on positive mood, the Dunedin Fatigue Study suggested. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/53435?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-08&eun=g721819d0r

Obese Smokers Tend To Gain More Weight After Quitting, Study Suggests.

reports on a new study, which found that “heavy smokers and those who are obese gain more weight after quitting smoking.” Investigators found that smoking cessation “led to significant average weight gains among those who had been heavy smokers (23 pounds) or were obese before quitting (16 pounds).” The research was published in the International Journal of Obesity. http://consumer.healthday.com/cancer-information-5/smoking-cessation-news-628/significant-weight-gain-after-quitting-smoking-tied-to-obesity-702340.html

Kids Throwing Away Veggies, Fruits Required In School Lunch Programs.

“Well” blog, a study published in the journal Public Health Reports suggests that US school children appear to be throwing away vegetables and fruits required under a 2012 USDA school lunch rule. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after videotaping “498 children during school lunch before the new vegetable rules were imposed” and “another 944 children as they went through vegetable-enhanced lunch lines.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/children-tossing-school-lunch-fruits-and-vegetables/?ref=health

Plague Cases On The Rise In The US.

“Well” blog reports that “there have been 13 cases and three deaths from plague in the United States in the past five months,” but investigators are unsure why the disease seems to be on the rise. The CDC “reported last week that the recent cases of plague have afflicted residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah,” with two cases associated with Yosemite National Park. Dr. Christina Nelson, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC and an author of the report, “said using insect repellents and wearing long pants were practical ways to prevent exposure.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/plague-cases-in-u-s-on-the-rise/?ref=health&_r=0

Siblings now main source of infants' whooping cough

t's been clear for years that cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, are rising in the United States. In 2012, more than 48,000 cases were reported nationwide -- the highest number since 1955, the CDC said. A major reason for this is that throughout the 1990s, U.S. health officials switched from the traditional whooping cough vaccine to a newer one known as DTaP, out of concerns about rare neurological problems linked to the older vaccine, Skoff said. The downside is that DTaP's effects don't last as long. "The vaccine is very effective in the short term," Skoff stressed. But the CDC estimates that whooping cough immunity slowly wanes each year after a child's final dose, which is given around age 5. If vaccinated children eventually catch the infection, they might not get very sick, Skoff noted. But they can pass it on to young infants, who are at high risk of becoming severely ill. Of babies younger than 1 year who get whooping cough, half end up in the hospital, according to the CDC. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/siblings-now-main-source-of-infants-whooping-cough/

Research In Mice May Help Explain Mechanism Behind Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of Dietary Omega-3, Omega-9 Fatty Acids.

eported that research “in mice may help explain the mechanism behind the anti-inflammatory effects of dietary omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids that help protect against obesity and metabolic disease.” Specifically, “two G protein-coupled receptors – GPR120 and GPR40 – play critical roles, ‘as mediators of the beneficial effects of dietary unsaturated fatty acids in the context of obesity-induced insulin resistance,’” suggested the study published online in the journal Endocrinology. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Diabetes/53408

Health Consequences Of Fracking Still Unclear.

reports on the lack of scientific research into the health effects of hydraulic fracturing. The attempt to discover the potential negative health effects of fracking has been inhibited by the fact that people leasing land for fracking are often required to sign confidentiality agreements preventing them from discussing ill health effects. The article notes the difficulty of eliminating other potential sources of health difficulties including lifestyle choices, coal mining and the use of chemicals. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/03/us-health-fracking-epidemiology-idUSKCN0R328Q20150903

Oral Contraceptives May Help Reduce Lesions In Women With Acne.

“This is important. It’s not just facial acne that’s hormonally sensitive. For us to say it’s just the facial distribution that’s hormonally sensitive is ridiculous. We all know as dermatologists that all acne is androgen driven, and it’s all hormonally sensitive.” Oral contraceptives can be used alone, as Dr. Schlosser usually initiates treatment, or they can be used in conjunction with spironolactone or antibiotics. Three OCs are approved by the FDA for the treatment of acne. http://www.familypracticenews.com/specialty-focus/dermatology/single-article-page/head-for-oral-contraceptives-to-target-womens-acne/e963b29058bd30ebf9d71544b4323ecb.html

Obesity and Death: What Can We Learn from Weight Histories?

My findings thus suggest that weight histories are an essential piece of the puzzle for understanding obesity's effects, just as former smoking status is important in the study of the effects of smoking on mortality. Failure to take weight histories into account has likely caused widespread bias in the literature, with the effect of obscuring obesity's true toll. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Obesity/53385?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-09-04&eun=g721819d0r

Report Finds E-Cigarettes Produce “High-Levels” Of Carcinogenic Chemicals.

reports the Center for Environmental Health released a report titled “A Smoking Gun: Cancer Causing Chemicals in E-cigarettes,” which found e-cigarettes “produced high levels of either formaldehyde or acetaldehyde, or both, two chemicals that cause cancer and have been linked to genetic damage, birth defects and reduced fertility.” The Hill adds, “In its report...the CEH said testing showed 21 products produced a level of one of the chemicals at more than 10 times the state safety standard, and that seven products produced one of the chemicals at more than 100 times the safety level.” http://thehill.com/regulation/252531-report-many-e-cigs-produce-high-levels-of-cancer-causing-chemicals

People With T2D May Be More Prone To Developing Brain “Tangles” Associated With Alzheimer’s.

“People with type 2 diabetes [T2D] may be more prone to developing the brain ‘tangles’ associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” according to a study published online Sept. 2 in Neurology. The study, which included “124 older adults with type 2 diabetes and almost 700 without the disease” and involved functional magnetic resonance imaging, revealed that individuals with T2D “had a greater accumulation of brain tangles – even if they were free of dementia or milder problems with memory and thinking.” Healio (9/3, Oldt) also covers the study. http://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/alzheimer-s-news-20/type-2-diabetes-tied-to-alzheimer-s-brain-tangles-702934.html

Sustained Calorie Restriction May Influence Disease Risk Factors In Healthy, Non-Obese People.

reports that a new study from National Institute on Aging researchers suggests that “sustained calorie restriction” may “influence disease risk factors and possible predictors of longevity in healthy, non-obese people.” Included in the study were “more than 200 healthy adults.” Researchers found that caloric restriction led to “significant improvements in several predictors of heart disease, including a six percent decrease in total cholesterol, a four percent fall in blood pressure, and increased levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol,” as well as to a “47 percent decrease in levels of C-reactive protein,” and “reduced insulin resistance.” The findings appear in the September issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. http://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/dieting-to-lose-weight-health-news-195/eating-fewer-calories-tied-to-lower-odds-of-age-related-conditions-702867.html

CDC Warns People Their Heart Age May Be Older Than Their Chronological Age.

“three out of four Americans have a predicted ‘heart age’ that’s older than their actual age in years,” the CDC report reveals. For instance, “a 50-year-old male smoker with an untreated systolic blood pressure of 140, without diabetes and a body mass index of 30...has a predicted heart age of 72,” while “a woman with the same risks has a heart age of 74, the study said.” Poor people and minorities, particularly African Americans, had worse heart health than whites, researchers found. Mississippi, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Alabama have the highest number of people whose heart age is advanced. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/08/31/cdc-heart-age-risk/71492158/