New York Diseases

New York becoming city of "exotic diseases."
The New York Times (2/11, A23, Hartocollis) says New York City's health department revelation last week that "three people had contracted cholera" was a reminder that the "city is not just a world capital of arts" and business but, also of "exotic diseases." The Times points out that "several people every year are found to have a biblical disease, leprosy, though health officials say no one has to fear catching it in the subway." Moreover, in 2002, "bubonic plague, more commonly associated with the 14th century, found its way to New York City through two travelers who came from a ranch in New Mexico, where the disease is endemic in flea-bitten wild animals like prairie dogs." And anthrax scares in 2001, caused the city to expand it "so-called syndromic surveillance system" to pick up "evidence of biological warfare."

Diet Soda and Heart Disease

Diet soda consumption may be linked to increased heart risks.
ABC World News (2/9, story 8, 1:40, Sawyer) reports that research presented at the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference suggest that diet soda consumption may be linked to increased heart risks.
NBC Nightly News (2/9, story 8, 2:10, Williams) reported that "the study followed more than 2,500 New Yorkers for more than nine years."
The Los Angeles Times (2/9, Mestel) "Booster Shots" blog reported that participants "were asked about their intake of sodas (among other questions) at the start of the study. After nine years, 559 cardiovascular events had occurred." Researchers found that "those who had reported drinking diet soda every day had a 60% higher rate of these events, which included various forms of stroke as well as heart attacks."
Medscape (2/9, Gandey) reported that "the risk persisted after controlling for metabolic syndrome, peripheral vascular disease, and cardiac disease history."

Chocolate and Acne

Chocolate may exacerbate facial acne vulgaris.
WebMD (2/8, Laino) reported, "Chocolate may make acne worse," according to research presented at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting. In a study involving "10 men aged 18 to 35 who had previously been diagnosed with acne," researchers found that those "who ate up to eight ounces of chocolate saw their average number of pimples skyrocket from few than four to as many as 70."
The study also "found a strong correlation between the amount of chocolate that was consumed and the amount of acneiform lesions that developed (r = 0.510 on day 4 and 0.608 on day 7)," Medscape (2/8, Lowry) reported. The finding runs counter to the results of earlier studies that reported no connection between chocolate and acne breakouts," Medscape noted. As for why chocolate appears to exacerbate acne in people prone to the disorder, the study authors theorized that theobromines contained within chocolate may play a role.

Diet and IQ

Researchers find link between diet and IQ.
The Los Angeles Times (2/8, Kaplan) "Booster Shots" blog reported that researchers from the University of Bristol in England have found a link between diet and IQ. Researchers monitored the eating habits of children from 3 years of age, whose IQs were tested while they were 8 ½ years old. They saw an IQ drop in children who ate diets high in "processed foods" but kids with "health-conscious" diets got a "small IQ boost." Children who ate a "traditional" diet were neither helped nor harmed in the IQ department.

New MS Link

Sun exposure, vitamin D linked to MS risk.
WebMD (2/7, Boyles) reported, "Higher vitamin D levels and exposure to sunlight appear to be independently protective against multiple sclerosis," according to a study in Neurology. The study included "216 people with early symptoms of MS who had not yet been diagnosed and 395 people with no MS symptoms matched for age, sex, and area of residence." All the study participants were "asked about their level of sun exposure during different periods of their lives, and the researchers also measured blood levels of vitamin D and skin damage due to sun exposure."
According to HealthDay (2/7, Mozes), "noting that sun exposure ranged from 500 to 6000 kiloujules per meter squared," the authors found that for "every additional 1000 kilojoules of exposure, the risk of developing the first signs of MS dropped by 30 percent." In addition, having a "higher vitamin D level was also independently linked to a lower risk for developing MS." Medscape (2/7, Anderson) also covered the study.

Pesticide Exposure and Development

Exposure to pyrethroid pesticides in utero may result in learning problems in children.
USA Today (2/8, Szabo) reports, "Babies exposed to high levels of pesticides while in the womb may suffer from learning problems," according to a study published online Feb. 7 in the journal Pediatrics. "The study focused on a chemical called permethrin, one of the pyrethroid pesticides, commonly used in agriculture and to kill termites, fleas, and household bugs," including cockroaches. After following 348 pregnant women and their youngsters for three years, researchers found that "children exposed to the highest pesticide levels before birth were three times as likely to have a mental delay compared to children with lower levels." HealthDay (2/7, Doheny) also covered the story.

Reducing Cancer Risk

Three lifestyle changes may significantly reduce cancer rates.
HealthDay (2/3, Preidt) reported that approximately "340,000 cancer cases" in the US could be prevented "each year if more Americans ate a healthy diet, got regular exercise and limited their alcohol intake," according to the World Cancer Research Fund. The WCRF said such lifestyle changes could lead to "significant reductions in particularly common cancers such as breast (38% fewer cases per year), stomach (47% fewer) and colon (45% fewer). ... 'Physical activity is recommended for people of all ages as a means to reduce risks for certain types of cancers and other non-communicable diseases,'" said Dr. Tim Armstrong of World Health Organization. The research "was released Feb. 3 to mark World Cancer Day."
WebMD (2/3, Hendrick) added that the World Cancer Declaration "outlines 11 targets it says could be achieved by 2020" to fight cancer. These goals include "significant drops in global tobacco use, obesity, and alcohol intake; universal vaccination programs for hepatitis B and human papilloma virus (HPV); universal availability of effective pain medication; and efforts to dispel misconceptions about cancer." The CNN (1/4, Bixler) in its "The Chart" blog also covers the WCRF recommendations.

FDA and Kids Colds

FDA: Skip OTC remedies to treat colds in young children.
The Boston Globe (2/3) reported that the Food and Drug Administration does not recommend giving children under age four "any sort of over-the-counter cold remedy" because of the possibility of "potentially life-threatening side effects." Additionally, the FDA has "raised warning bells" against some alternative remedies, such as "Zicam nasal swabs," which are "linked to rare side effects such as an irreversible loss of smell."

Exercise and Memory

Moderate aerobic exercise may delay age-related memory decline.
The AP (1/31) reported that, according to a study published Jan. 31 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "one year of moderate physical exercise can increase the size of the brain's hippocampus in adults aged 55 and more, leading to an improvement in spatial memory."
In fact, "walking three times a week may improve memory in older adults and help prevent mental decline as people age," Bloomberg News (2/1, Ostrow) explains. "The study of adults ages 55 and older found a two percent expansion of the hippocampus, the brain's memory processor that can shrink during middle age, in those who walked 40 minutes, three times a week, for a year."
The Los Angeles Times (1/31, Brown) "Booster Shots" blog reported, "To complete the study, the team recruited 120 older people who didn't exercise regularly. Half were randomly assigned to an aerobic exercise program, walking around a track three days a week for 40 minutes per session," while "the other half embarked on a stretching-and-weights program."
MRI scans revealed that "after 12 months, the group that walked showed an average 2% growth in the hippocampus compared with when they began, while the control groups suffered a more than 1% shrinkage in the same region compared with when the study started," the Time (1/31, Park) "Healthland" blog noted. HealthDay (1/31, Goodwin) added, "MRI brain scans" also revealed that "those who showed the greatest improvements in memory also showed the greatest increases in hippocampal volume."
According to the CNN (1/31, Caruso) "The Chart" blog, "The researchers also saw an increase in a molecule called BDNF, which affects learning and memory. Those people in the aerobic exercise group improved their memory performance from the beginning of the study." WebMD (1/31, Warner) also covered the story.

Bath Salts???...Really?

Law enforcement, health officials concerned by "bath salts."
The Los Angeles Times (1/28, Sewell) reports that "'bath salts,' are powerful synthetic stimulants, designed to be comparable to cocaine or methamphetamine, and with similar risks, law enforcement and health officials say." However, unlike "cocaine or meth, the stimulants are legal in most of the US, at least for now, selling for about $25 to $40 a packet online and in convenience stores and head shops." Poison control centers across the US "fielded 235 calls relating to the 'bath salts' last year, and already have seen 214 cases this year, according to the American Assn. of Poison Control Centers."

Memory Enhancer

Scientists discover substance that may help improve memory.
The Wall Street Journal (1/27, D2, Wang, subscription required) reports that, according to research published in the journal Nature, scientists claim to have discovered a substance, called IGF-II, that may help improve their memory, at least in rats. When researchers blocked IGF-II, the rodents could not retain memories and forgot what they had learned. Notably, the study findings suggest that declarative memory (that is, the ability to remember things, places, and facts) can be improved. In patients with Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia, for example, declarative memory is severely affected. The scientists called for further study of IGF-II and said their findings indicate yet another possible future target for treating dementia in humans.

Diet and Depression

Study analyzes effects of dietary fat on depression.
Bloomberg News (1/27, Lopatto) reports, "People who eat more trans fats from cheese, milk, or processed foods may have a 48-percent increased risk of depression, compared with those who consume almost no trans fats," according to a study published in the journal PLoS One.
The Los Angeles Times (1/26, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported that the researchers "followed 12,059 people over six years, analyzing their diets, lifestyles, and medical problems." The people "who ate the most trans fats" had a "48% increased risk of depression, compared with people who did not eat trans fats." In contrast, individuals who "ate a lot of polyunsaturated fats" had a "lower risk of depression," the study found.
According to WebMD (1/26, Doheny), "The ill effects of bad fats on heart disease are believed to be due to increases in LDL 'bad' cholesterol and reductions in HDL 'good' cholesterol." There are also "inflammatory changes, and these changes have also been linked with depression, the researchers say." The study's lead author also theorized that "inflammation may interfere with the brain's neurotransmitters, such as serotonin...and a lack of serotonin adversely affects mood."

Parents of Overweight Kids

Researchers examine role played by parental behavior in helping obese children lose weight.
HealthDay (1/25, Goodwin) reported that "obese children whose parents took classes on the importance of healthy eating and exercise lost weight and kept it off for the next two years, according to" a study published online in the journal Pediatrics. After enrolling "mostly mothers of 169 moderately obese or overweight children aged five to nine years in a six-month 'healthy lifestyle' course, in which parents were taught about portion size and reading nutrition labels, being a good role model for their children, and setting limits," researchers found that "at the end of six months, children's body mass index...dropped an average of 10 percent, as did their waist circumference. Eighteen months later, the children had kept the weight off, the investigators found."

Antibiotic Resistance Update

Antibiotic-resistant bugs may be originating from animal farms.
WebMD (1/25, Doheny) reported antibiotic-resistant insects may be "originating from animal farms where antibiotics are used to promote growth," according to a study in BMC Microbiology. Investigators visited several pig farms collecting flies and cockroaches, "and fecal matter from the pigs." They focused on "two common gut bacteria, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium" and found that Enterococci were found in "nearly 90% of the pig samples, 94% of the cockroach samples, and more than 98% of the fly samples." Testing the samples "for antibiotic resistance against eight different antibiotics used in human medicine," revealed that they were "highly resistant to tetracycline." The samples were also found to be resistant to "erythromycin, streptomycin, and kanamycin."

Top Cities for Hospitals

HealthGrades releases list of top five cities for hospital excellence.
HealthGrades has released a quality study in which it identifies hospitals in the top 5% in the US as well as cities having the highest concentration of top hospitals.
Minnesota's Twin Cities rank among nation's top five for hospital excellence. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (1/26, Lerner) reports, "The Twin Cities are among the nation's top five cities for hospital excellence, says a report by HealthGrades, a private rating company." Specifically, "Minneapolis-St. Paul ranked fourth on a list of 50 cities, based on the number of hospitals winning a HealthGrades award for excellence." Compared with other states, "Minnesota ranked second only to Delaware, according to the report."
Dayton, Ohio ranks third in US for hospital quality. The Dayton Daily News (1/26, Sutherly) reports that Dayton, OH "ranks third in the nation for hospital quality" behind West Palm Beach, FL and Brownsville, TX, according to the report. What's more, "five of seven eligible hospitals in the Dayton area made the top five percent: Miami Valley and Good Samaritan hospitals and Grandview, Kettering and Sycamore medical centers."
California hospitals rank among nation's top five percent. The San Jose Mercury News (1/26, Rosenberg) reports that in California, "Sequoia Hospital and two facilities run by Mills-Peninsula Health Services are ranked among the nation's top five percent of hospitals." In fact, "the Peninsula medical centers were among the top 268 hospitals in the United States -- including six in the Bay Area." The Mercury News notes that "patients at the top hospitals typically have a 30 percent better chance at survival than at a typical medical center."

Smoking and Breast Cancer

Smoking may increase women's breast-cancer risk by 6% or more.
USA Today (1/25, Szabo) reports that any history of smoking increases a woman's "chance of breast cancer by 6 percent," according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The analysis, which is "believed to be the largest ever to address the question," is based on data from the Nurses' Health Study and included "more than 111,000 women followed from 1976 to 2006." According to CNN /Health (1/25, Gardner), study participants "reported 8,772 cases of invasive breast cancer during" that 30-year timeframe.
The Los Angeles Times (1/25, Kaplan) "Booster Shots" blog notes that the researchers flagged "polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines and N-nitrosamines" found in tobacco smoke as contributors to breast cancer. The risk was higher for women who "started smoking before age 17, smoked at least 25 cigarettes per day at any point in their lives, and smoked for at least 20 years." The risk of breast cancer was 25-percent higher for women who "picked up the habit before age 18, smoked for at least 36 years and smoked at least 26 cigarettes per day."

Yoga Update

Yoga therapy becoming more mainstream in US.
HealthDay (1/24, Thompson) reports, "Yoga may be becoming more of a mainstream approach to Americans' health woes." A growing body of "scientific evidence is building the case that the spiritual balance created by yoga provides proven health benefits." Research has found that yoga can "help people who are dealing with health problems as wide-ranging as back pain, chronic headaches, sleeplessness, obesity, neck aches, upset stomach, anxiety, depression and high blood pressure," said Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an associate neuroscientist in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The health benefits mainly stem from yoga's focus on "the connection between mind and body," Khalsa said.

Wal Mart Fights Obesity

First Lady, Wal-Mart to fight childhood obesity.
All three television networks covered the announcement that the First Lady and Wal-Mart have forged an agreement geared at preventing childhood obesity. Media sources generally characterized the move as a victory for Mrs. Obama's signature campaign. ABC World News (1/20, story 3, 2:15, Stephanopoulos) reported, First Lady Michelle Obama "announced that Wal-Mart, which sells more groceries than any market in America, is going to change what's on its shelves." On the CBS Evening News (1/20, story 3, 2:10, Couric) the First Lady was shown saying, "I am thrilled about Wal-Mart's new nutrition charter." NBC Nightly News (1/20, story 6, 0:25, Williams) said that Mrs. Obama "has announced she's working with the nation's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, which promised today to cut prices on fresh fruits and vegetables and to reduce fats, sugars, salt, eliminate transfats in some of its own store brands by the year 2015."
The AP (1/21, Jalonick) reports, "Wal-Mart...says it will reformulate thousands of products to make them healthier and push its suppliers to do the same, joining first lady Michelle Obama's effort to combat childhood obesity. The first lady accompanied Wal-Mart executives Thursday as they announced the effort in Washington." Wal-Mart "plans to reduce sodium and added sugars in some items, build stores in poor areas that don't already have grocery stores, reduce prices on produce and develop a logo for healthier items."
The Washington Post (1/21, Mui, Henderson, Bacon) reports, "Just a few years ago, President Obama refused to shop at Wal-Mart. But his wife now has other ideas." The First Lady said, "When I see a company like Wal-Mart launch an initiative like this, I feel more hopeful than ever before. ... We can improve how we make and sell food in this country." The Washington Times (1/21, Dinan) and the New York Daily News (1/21, Mandell) also cover the story.
Sleep deprivation may result in calorie loss.

Pet Infections

Study suggests pets may transmit infections, illnesses to humans.
HealthDay (1/21, Mott) reports that "seemingly healthy pets can carry parasites, bacteria or viruses that cause mild to life-threatening" illnesses in humans, according to a report in journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Of the 250 zoonotic diseases, "more than 100 are derived from domestic pets," said co-author Dr. Bruno Chomel of the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine. Although disease transmission is "low in comparison to how many people sleep with their pets -- more than half of all US pet owners," Chomel said the "risks are still there." Other infections transmitted to people after sleeping with domestic animals, "kissing them or being licked" by pets include "hookworm, ringworm, roundworm, cat scratch disease and drug-resistant staph infections." The elderly, children "younger than 5-years" old, and people "with HIV/AIDS" or cancer are at the greatest risk.

Vitamin E and PMS

Supplement with vitamin E, essential fatty acids may help reduce PMS symptoms.
WebMD (1/19, Mann) reported, "A supplement containing vitamin E and essential fatty acids may help reduce symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)," according to a study published in the journal Reproductive Health. "Of 120 women with PMS or the more severe premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), those who took one- or two-gram capsules of vitamin E and a combination of gamma linolenic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and other polyunsaturated acids daily showed marked improvements in their PMS symptoms at six months, compared to women who received dummy pills." Notably, "women who received the higher two-gram dose of the new supplement showed greater improvements in PMS symptoms than those who received the lower one-gram dose," WebMD added.

Video Games and Depression

Prolonged video game playing may increase risk for depression, anxiety.
Bloomberg News (1/16, Lopatto) reported, "About nine percent of children play such long hours of video games that they are pathological gamers, increasing risks of anxiety, depression, bad grades and social phobia," according to a study published online Jan. 17 in the journal Pediatrics. In a two-year study encompassing some 3,034 youngsters in third, fourth, seventh, and eighth grades, researchers found that "the compulsive gamers played for a weekly average of 31 hours compared with 19 for kids not deemed pathological." For study purposes, "gamers are considered pathological when their playing interferes with everyday life, and their behavior is described as being similar to that of gambling addicts, according to background information in the paper."
"Over a two-year period about 84% of those who started out as excessive gamers remained so, indicating that this may not simply be a phase that children go through," the CNN (1/17, Wade) "The Chart" blog reported. "Boys were more likely to show symptoms of excessive gaming."
HealthDay (1/17, Gordon) reported that pathological video gamers appear to "have trouble fitting in with other kids and are more impulsive than children who aren't addicted." And, "once addicted to video games, children were more likely to become depressed, anxious or have other social phobias. Not surprisingly, children who were hooked on video games also saw their school performance suffer." MedPage Today (1/17, Smith) also covered the story.
Sleeping problems may predispose adolescents to later mental health issues. The Wall Street Journal (1/18, Peterson, subscription required) reports that children with chronic sleep problems may have a greater risk for developing mental illness, according to a study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The investigators found that of 392 children, those who have problems sleeping between ages 12 and 14 were twice as likely to have suicidal ideation between ages 15 and 17 than those who had no trouble sleeping.

Adults and Mental Illness

As many as one in four US adults may have some form of mental illness, surveys suggest.
The Wall Street Journal (1/14, Bialik, subscription required) "The Numbers Guy" blog reported that as many as one in four US adults may be troubled by some form of mental illness, according to the results of two surveys conducted during the early 1990s and then about ten years later. Psychiatrist Darrel Regier, MD, MPH, director of research at the American Psychiatric Association, said of the surveys' findings, "We were really surprised." Dr. Regier, who is vice chairman of an APA task force working on the updated version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also pointed out that the DSM-V will attempt to separate symptoms of mental illness from its results in an effort to tease out more information about the degree of mental illness.
Group says learning how to identify, help people with mental illnesses should be a common first-aid skill. The Washington Post (1/17, Saslow) reported, "Learning how to identify and help people with mental illnesses should be a first aid skill as common as CPR, according to the Washington-based National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH)." The Post pointed out that "since 2008, the organization has offered 12-hour 'mental health first aid' certification courses nationwide" during which students are provided with "a five-step action plan for identifying individuals in crisis and knowing more about when and how to intervene." Since the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson, AZ, "inquiries about the program have spiked...according to NCCBH spokeswoman Meena Dayak."
Psychiatrist says college mental-health programs overwhelmed by number of students needing help. On its website and on its "Morning Edition" program, NPR (1/17, Neighmond) discussed the fact that "severe mental illness is more common among college students than it was a decade ago, with most young people seeking treatment for depression and anxiety." Child psychiatrist Jerald Kay, MD, who has worked with the American Psychiatric Association's committees on college mental health, explained that today's "college mental health programs are typically overwhelmed with the numbers of students needing help." What's more, despite the presence and availability of mental health counselors, Dr. Kay noted that "most schools have psychiatrists available only a few hours a week -- a dire shortage of specialized help in such a time of great need, he" said, particularly at a time when many institutes of higher learning have had to cut back on their mental-health programs for budgetary reasons.