Category "Health"

While adults make up 95 percent of those who die annually from vaccine preventable diseases, a new study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine shows their vaccination rates remain stubbornly low, representing a growing public health concern.

The study, published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine, is the first to examine several important aspects of adult vaccination. Every year, 30,000 people on average die of vaccine preventable illnesses, almost all of them adult.

“Our study suggests that missed opportunities for adult vaccination are common because vaccination status is not being assessed at every (physician’s) visit, which is admittedly an ambitious goal,” said Laura Hurley, MD, MPH lead author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine at the CU School of Medicine. “Also, most physicians are not stocking all recommended vaccines.”

Recent estimates show only 62 to 65 percent of adults aged 65 and older received a pneumococcal or influenza vaccine respectively; just 20 percent of high risk adults between 19 and 64 received a pneumococcal vaccine and only 16 percent of those 60 and older got their herpes zoster (shingles) vaccination.

Hurley and her fellow researchers designed a national survey of primary care physicians in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looking at how doctors assessed vaccination status and stocked the 11 recommended adult vaccines in 2012.

“Physicians reported a variety of barriers to vaccine stocking and administration but financial barriers dominated the list,” the study said. “Physicians in smaller, private practice often assume more risks from stocking expensive vaccine inventories and may be particularly affected by these financial barriers.”

According to Hurley, who also practices at Denver Health, many doctors expressed difficulty getting reimbursed by insurance for vaccines.

For example, the herpes zoster vaccine has been recommended since 2008 but is not widely stocked by physicians. One major reason for this, the study says, is that zoster is covered by Medicare Part D, a pharmaceutical benefit, and physicians report problems with reimbursement. At the same time, the vaccine can require substantial out-of-pocket costs for patients, making it less attractive to them as well.

As a result of these difficulties, many physicians are referring patients to pharmacies or public health facilities for vaccinations. “The most commonly reported reasons for referring patients elsewhere for vaccines included insurance not covering the vaccine,” the study said.

There were also problems coordinating vaccine records when done by someone who is not the patient’s primary care physician. The study makes recommendations for improving the overall situation.

It suggests using Immunization Information Systems or IIS, a confidential database that records all vaccine doses administered by providers in a certain area. The system can allow doctors to know the vaccination status of their patients.

The authors point out that the Affordable Care Act addresses financial barriers to vaccination for privately insured patients by requiring insurers to cover recommended vaccines with no co-pays when delivered by in-network providers. There have also been recommendations for legislative action aimed at making Medicare Part D less of an obstacle to adult vaccinations.

“I feel we need to take a more systematic approach to this issue,” Hurley said. “As the population ages this could easily grow into a more serious public health issue.”

Source: Science Daily

The globe is facing a “tidal wave” of cancer, and restrictions on alcohol and sugar need to be considered, say World Health Organization scientists. It predicts the number of cancer cases will reach 24 million a year by 2035, but half could be prevented. The WHO said there was now a “real need” to focus on cancer prevention by tackling smoking, obesity and drinking.

The World Cancer Research Fund said there was an “alarming” level of naivety about diet’s role in cancer. Fourteen million people a year are diagnosed with cancer, but that is predicted to increase to 19 million by 2025, 22 million by 2030 and 24 million by 2035.

The developing world will bear the brunt of the extra cases.

Next time you feel the flu coming on, think twice before reaching for painkillers: they could do more harm than good. With the flu season underway, millions will be taking flu remedies, which commonly include painkillers. The general medical advice is to take painkillers such as acetaminophen or aspirin. But although such drugs can make you feel better, they also lower fever, which can make the virus itself worse. According to an analysis published last week, painkillers taken to treat fevers could cause 2,000 flu deaths each year in the United States alone. Fever is thought to be an antiviral weapon, because many viruses find it hard to replicate at temperatures above the body’s 98.6 degrees. But research hasn’t made it clear whether relieving fever slows recovery. Some studies show that lowering fever may prolong viral infections and increase the amount of virus we can pass on to others.

Source: NewScientist

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now officially investigating the potential that FDA-approved testosterone products increase the risk of serious adverse cardiovascular outcomes .

The agency cites two studies, one of which was published just two days ago, both reported by heart wire, that suggests men taking the testosterone supplements have an increased risk of death, MI, or ischemic stroke.

“We are providing this alert while we continue to evaluate the information from these studies and other available data and will communicate our final conclusions and recommendations when the evaluation is complete,” according to the FDA.

In the newest study, men treated with testosterone were significantly more likely to have an MI in the first 90 days after starting the medication. In the three months after the start of testosterone therapy, the risk of MI overall was increased by 36% and was even higher in older men. For those aged 65 years and older, the risk of MI was more than twofold higher in the 90 days after filling the prescription.

The second study, which was also an observational analysis, of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients, found that testosterone therapy in men was linked with an increased risk of death, MI, or ischemic stroke.

The agency stresses that testosterone products are approved for use in men with low testosterone levels and an associated medical condition, such as a failure of the testicles to produce testosterone because of a genetic condition or chemotherapy. Other medical conditions include problems with the hypothalamus or pituitary gland that result in low testosterone levels. The FDA says that these testosterone therapies are not approved for men with low levels without the associated medical condition.

The FDA says that patients should not stop taking testosterone therapy unless they first consult with their physician but adds all physicians need to consider the risk/benefit profile when considering a prescription for their patient. “The prescribing information in the drug labels of FDA-approved testosterone products should be followed,” they write.

Source: MedScape

Ever feel like a zombie after just one sleepless night? Your brains certainly do: According to a new study in the journal Sleep, a single night of sleep deprivation results in an uptick of two enzymes usually associated with brain damage.

Researchers from Uppsala Universityin Sweden put 15 young, well-rested and healthy men through a night of total sleep deprivation. When they tested their blood the next morning, they found higher concentrations of the enzyme NSE and S-100B — both biomarkers of cell damage in the brain that could lead to cognitive problems and memory loss.

These findings follow research earlier this year showing that sleep “cleans” your brain of toxins and other substances than can destroy your neurons. “With this finding in mind, once could speculate that the sleep loss-induced rise in circulating levels of NSE and S-100B in our study may be a result of increased neuronal damage,” says study author Christian Benedict, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience at the university. NSE is an enzyme found in all neurons, and S-100B is the “glue of the brain”, Dr. Benedict says. Some research suggests that S100B is important for information processing, and elevated levels make it easy for doctors to detect brain cell damage through a simple blood test.

The researchers havent yet conducted the experiment on women. But findings could apply, since the levels of NSE and S-100B were significantly higher compared to participants’ natural baselines. Still, the levels weren’t higher than those found after a concussion. “A single night of sleep loss is not equally harmful as head injury,” says Dr. Benedict. “However, it does suggest that getting a regular, good night’s sleep may be useful for supporting brain health.”

Read more about the study here.

The agency is investigating the ingredient after a Consumer Reports study found many sodas with levels of 4-methylimidazole that are questionable. The report included 12 soda brands from five different makers sold in California. Research on the safety of the caramel coloring isn’t consistent, but in California, the chemical is considered a carcinogen and is supposed to be labeled if the amount passes a threshold of 29 micrograms. In the Consumer Reports analysis, two soda products — Pepsi One and the beverage Malta Goya — had levels beyond 29 micrograms. And according to the Associated Press, companies like Coke and Pepsi have asked suppliers to reduce the labeling threshold. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is looking into the matter, but so far, the Associated Press reports, decades of studies on the chemical show there is no known health risk to humans. The FDA will consider new data to determine whether consumers’ exposure to the coloring is affecting their health. The chemical can also form when meat is grilled and coffee beans are roasted.

Source: Time

“Temperature training” may be what is missing from your weight-loss plan. New evidence suggests that regular exposure to mildly cold air may help people lose weight by increasing the amount of energy their bodies have to expend to keep their core temperature up, researchers say.

In other words, warm, cozy offices and homes may not be ideal places for those who want to lose weight. In fact, being able to control the ambient temperature might be partly responsible for the rise in obesity rates in industrial societies, said researchers from the Netherlands in a study published last week in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism.

“Since most of us are exposed to indoor conditions 90 percent of the time, it is worth exploring health aspects of ambient temperatures,” said study researcher Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt of Maastricht University Medical Center. “What would it mean if we let our bodies work again to control body temperature?”

The human body withstands the cold by shivering, which produces heat; this provides one explanation for why cold temperatures may promote weight loss. Studies have shown that people expend five times more energy when shivering than when they are resting.

The body uses more energy when the mercury drops for other reasons as well. For example, a type of fat called brown fat, which burns calories rather than storing them, is activated in response to cold. In young and middle-aged people, heat production through brown fat can account for up to 30 percent of the body’s energy budget, the researchers said.

A previous study from researchers in Japan found a decrease in people’s body fat after they spent two hours per day for six weeks in a room with a temperature of 62.6 degrees.

The new study also found that people get used to the cold over time. After spending six hours a day at 59 degrees for 10 days, people in the study not only had more brown fat, the participants also said they felt more comfortable and shivered less when exposed to lower temperatures.

Although a 59-degree room would probably be too cold for most people, it’s possible that room temperatures in the mid-60s would also activate brown fat, the researchers said.

The long-term effects of regular exposure to cold are still unclear and require further investigation, but evidence suggests that training the body to tolerate cooler air may indeed help burn calories, the researchers said.

“Similarly to exercise training, we advocate temperature training,” the researchers said. “More-frequent cold exposure alone will not save the world, but is a serious factor to consider in creating a sustainable environment together with a healthy lifestyle.”

However, exposure to cold weather still poses a risk for hypothermia, loss of electricity and heat, etc. It’s a good reminder that everyone should have an emergency preparedness kit available at all times. At the Presidential Healthcare Center, we provide advice regarding emergency preparedness supplies and can make a Presidential Healthcare Center Emergency Backpack for you if need be.

Source: Washington Post

A study conducted by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center shows that, during sleep, the brain flushes out cellular waste. Though the study was conducted on mouse brains, the lead researcher said that the plumbing system also exists in dogs and baboons, and it’s logical to think that the human brain also clears away toxic substances. This study may provide new clues to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders, in which toxic substances build up.

When we sleep, our brains get rid of gunk that builds up while we’re awake. The finding may mean that for people with dementia and other mind disorders, “sleep would perhaps be even more important in slowing the progression of further damage,” Dr. Clete Kushida, medical director of the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, said in an email. Kushida did not participate in the study, which appeared in the journal Science.

People who don’t get enough shut-eye have trouble learning and making decisions, and are slower to react. But despite decades of research, scientists can’t agree on the basic purpose of sleep. Reasons range from processing memory, saving energy to regulating the body.

The latest work, led by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center, adds fresh evidence to a long-standing view: When we close our eyes, our brains go on a cleaning spree. The team previously found a plumbing network in mouse brains that flushes out cellular waste. For the new study, the scientists injected the brains of mice with beta-amyloid, a substance that builds up in Alzheimer’s disease, and followed its movement. They determined that it was removed faster from the brains of sleeping mice than awake mice.

The team also noticed that brain cells tend to shrink during sleep, which widens the space between the cells. This allows waste to pass through that space more easily.Though the work involved mouse brains, lead researcher Dr. Maiken Nedergaard said this plumbing system also exists in dogs and baboons, and it’s logical to think that the human brain also clears away toxic substances. Nedergaard said the next step is to look for the process in human brains.

In an accompanying editorial, neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said scientists have recently taken a heightened interest in the spaces between brain cells, where junk is flushed out.

It’s becoming clearer that “sleep is likely to be a brain state in which several important housekeeping functions take place,” she said in an email.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In a statement, program director Jim Koenig said the finding could lead to new approaches for treating a range of brain diseases.

Source: USA Today

The Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) was notified of seven patients with severe acute hepatitis and fulminant liver failure of unknown etiology. Patients were previously healthy and sought medical care during May-September 2013. Clinicians reported that the seven patients had all used OxyElite Pro, a dietary supplement marketed for weight loss and muscle gain, before illness onset.The HDOH, with the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), initiated a public health investigation including patient interviews, medical chart reviews, and collection of supplement samples for analysis. Results from FDA product testing are pending. While the investigation is ongoing and these data are preliminary, clinical data, laboratory tests, and histopathology of liver biopsy specimens collected thus far suggest drug- or herb-induced hepatotoxicity. Drug- and herb-induced hepatotoxicity have been reported in association with exposure to a variety of drugs and herbs used as dietary supplements and can lead to severe acute hepatitis and liver failure.

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Strokes are increasingly hitting younger people–and the incidence of the crippling condition could double worldwide by 2030 according to the first global analysis of the problem. Though the chances of a stroke jump dramatically with age, the growing number of younger people with worrying risk factors such as bulging waistlines, diabetes and high blood pressure means they are becoming increasingly susceptible. Scientists combed through more than 100 studies from 1990 to 2010 studying stroke patients across the world and used modeling techniques when there wasn’t enough data. They found the incidence of stroke has jumped by a quarter in people aged 20 to 64, and that those patients make up almost one-third of the total number of strokes.

Most strokes occur when a clot blocks the blood supply to the brain. Patients often experience symptoms including a droopy face, the inability to lift their arms and garbled speech. If not treated quickly, patients can be left with long-term side effects, including speech and memory problems, paralysis and the loss of some vision.

Researchers said most strokes still occur in the elderly and that the numbers of people suffering strokes are still increasing as the world’s population ages.

Read more at CTV News.