11/02/15

Monday, November 2, 2015

How young is too young to be using tablets?

New research says that early childhood exposure to tablets has become nearly universal

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/how-young-is-too-young-to-be-using-tablets/

Medicare to pay for end of life care

In a major change in policy, Medicare will now pay for end of life counseling

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/medicare-to-pay-for-end-of-life-care/

For some, Obamacare does not seem so affordable

For one millennial living in Washington, D.C., the hefty healthcare price tag comes at a shock

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/for-some-obamacare-does-not-seem-so-affordable/

Affordable Care Act not so affordable

The third year of open enrollment for Obamacare began this week and premiums are up, too; far up for some

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/affordable-care-act-not-so-affordable/

Medicare to pay for end-of-life counseling for terminally ill

Discussion of end-of-life care is particularly personal for a former nurse diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medicare-to-now-pay-for-end-of-life-counseling-for-terminally-ill/

2 million gallons of raw sewage causes a foul situation in Houston

Severe flooding in Houston has caused a stinky situation -- nearly 2 million gallons of raw sewage are filling the city's streets

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/2-million-gallons-of-raw-sewage-causes-a-foul-situation-in-houston/

Death rates ticking up for middle-aged whites

Why are white Americans in their mid-40s and 50s dying at a faster pace? Researchers zero in on the culprits

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/death-rates-ticking-up-for-middle-aged-whites/

Why Am I So Tired? Conditions That Cause Fatigue

WebMD explains conditions that might cause you to feel sluggish during the day, such as anemia, thyroid trouble, sleep apnea, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and menopause.

From: http://www.webmd.com/women/guide/why-so-tired-10-causes-fatigue?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Are Feminine Hygiene Products Safe?

A typical woman goes through more than 12,000 sanitary pads or tampons over the decades that she has her period. But is long-term use of sanitary protection safe? WebMD has the details.

From: http://www.webmd.com/women/news/20151102/tampons-sanitary-pads-safety?src=RSS_PUBLIC

How growing up with a dog affects kids' asthma risk

Researchers say exposure to animals early in life may affect the likelihood of developing the chronic condition

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/growing-up-with-a-pet-dog-may-lower-asthma-risk/

What women need to know about dense breast tissue

Should you ask your doctor about getting more than a mammogram?

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-women-need-to-know-about-dense-breast-tissue/

Adult Epilepsy: Common Clinical Issues and New Therapies

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjeALXKKG1w

The placebo effect: Amazing and real

The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would.

Studies use placebos — an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill — in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many people who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be — and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

Is the power of the placebo effect rising?

A fascinating new study examined the impact of the placebo effect in 84 trials of nerve pain treatments that took place over the last 23 years. The researchers found that the placebo effect has become remarkably stronger, but this observation was only noted in U.S. studies. Why? One theory is that the flood of direct-to-consumer drug advertising in the U.S. (which is not allowed in most other countries) increases patients’ expectations that a medication will help them. Stronger and higher expectations of a drug’s effectiveness may translate into a bigger placebo effect.

Another theory links the rising effectiveness of placebos to the research trials themselves: the larger, more expensive, and more elaborate the trial, the higher the expectations of the study participants. Trials of this type tend to be more common in the U.S. than elsewhere.

Whatever the reason, there is a downside to this trend. A powerful placebo effect makes it harder for researchers to prove that a new medication is effective. The stronger the placebo effect, the more difficult it becomes to demonstrate a significant difference between a placebo and an active drug — even if the active drug is pretty good. As a result, some effective drugs might “fail” in clinical trials. And that could drive researchers to move their studies outside the U.S.

What’s next?

Research into the pros and cons of the placebo effect has changed how many people think about this phenomenon. We used to think the placebo effect was limited to suggestible people without “real” disease; we now know better. But there is plenty that remains mysterious. We don’t know how to predict who will respond well to a placebo or how to reliably harness its power. And it’s important to note that even though “feeling better” is important, it does not always come with genuine health benefits. For example, some study subjects taking a placebo for asthma reported improvement in their symptoms, but their measures of lung function were not actually any better.

Still, the day may come when the placebo effect is better understood and, under the right circumstances, used effectively in clinical practice. Given that many people either don’t improve with standard medications or have bothersome side effects, that day can’t come soon enough.

The post The placebo effect: Amazing and real appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Robert Shmerling, M.D. http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-placebo-effect-amazing-and-real-201511028544

Ground Beef Recalled Due to Possible E. Coli

From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/20151102/ground-beef-recall?src=RSS_PUBLIC

More cases likely in Chipotle's E. coli outbreak

Health officials expect more cases to emerge as they investigate the restaurant chain's third E. coli outbreak this year

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-cases-likely-in-chipotles-e-coli-outbreak/

Dogs in the Home May Lower Kids' Odds for Asthma

Study findings support notion that early life exposure to microbes, allergens may prevent illness, experts say

From: http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20151102/dogs-in-the-home-may-lower-kids-odds-for-asthma?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Beware Safety Risks Posed by 'Off-Label' Drug Use

Study raises concerns about using meds to treat conditions for which they weren't approved

From: http://www.webmd.com/news/20151102/beware-safety-risks-posed-by-off-label-drug-use?src=RSS_PUBLIC

5 Ways to Beat Spring Allergies

Suffer from seasonal allergies? WebMD has tips for fast, easy relief.

From: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/5-ways-to-beat-spring-allergies?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Dietary Olive and Perilla Oils Affect Liver Mitochondrial DNA Methylation in Large Yellow Croakers [Nutrient Physiology, Metabolism, and Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions]

Background: Substantial progress has been made in nutritional epigenetics, but little is known regarding whether mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) methylation is involved in this process.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether dietary lipid sources [various fatty acids (FAs)] modify mtDNA methylation.

Methods: A total of 600 large yellow croakers (Larimichthys crocea) with an average initial weight of 151 ± 4 g were fed 1 of 5 diets (3 replicate cages/treatment) containing either fish oil (FO) (control), palmitic acid, olive oil (OO), sunflower oil, or perilla oil (PO) as the dietary lipid source (12% dry weight of the diet) for 70 d. Pyrosequencing was used to determine the effects of dietary lipid sources (FAs) on mtDNA methylation.

Results: Mitochondrial arginine transfer RNA and NAD(H) dehydrogenase 4L encoding region methylation in the liver was higher in the OO (9.5% ± 0.52%; P < 0.05) and PO (7.3% ± 0.33%; P < 0.05) groups than in the FO (5.9% ± 0.42%) group, whereas 12S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) methylation in the liver was lower in the OO group (2.7% ± 0.22%) than in the FO group (4.2% ± 0.73%) (P < 0.05). Additionally, fish fed the OO diet had lower liver mRNA levels of ND3 (P < 0.05), ND4L (P < 0.05), ND6 (P < 0.05), 12S rRNA (P < 0.05), and 16S rRNA (P < 0.05) than those fed the FO diet, whereas fish fed the PO diet had lower liver mRNA levels of 16S rRNA than those fed the FO diet (P < 0.05). Moreover, fish fed the OO (P < 0.05) or PO (P < 0.05) diet had lower liver mitochondrial complex I activity than did those fed the FO diet.

Conclusions: These findings provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that dietary lipid sources influence mitochondrial function through mtDNA methylation in large yellow croakers.

From: Liao, K., Yan, J., Mai, K., Ai, Q. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/short/145/11/2479?rss=1

The Effects of Oral Quercetin Supplementation on Splanchnic Glucose Metabolism in 1-Week-Old Calves Depend on Diet after Birth [Nutrient Physiology, Metabolism, and Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions]

Background: Inadequate colostrum supply results in insufficient intake of macronutrients and bioactive factors, thereby impairing gastrointestinal development and the maturation of glucose metabolism in neonatal calves. The flavonoid quercetin has been shown to have health-promoting properties, including effects in diabetic animals. However, quercetin interacts with intestinal glucose absorption and might therefore exert negative effects in neonates.

Objective: We evaluated the interaction between neonatal diet and quercetin feeding on splanchnic glucose metabolism in neonatal calves.

Methods: Calves (n = 28) were assigned to 4 groups and fed either colostrum or a milk-based formula on days 1 and 2 and supplemented daily with 148 μmol quercetin aglycone/kg body weight [colostrum with quercetin (CQ+)/formula with quercetin (FQ+)] or without this substance [colostrum without quercetin (CQ–)/formula with quercetin (FQ–)] from days 2–8. From day 3 onward, all calves received milk replacer. A xylose absorption test was performed on day 3, and on day 7, blood samples were collected to study glucose first-pass uptake after [¹³C₆]-glucose feeding and intravenous [6,6-²H₂]-glucose bolus injection. Plasma concentrations of metabolites and hormones were measured by taking additional blood samples. A biopsy specimen of the liver was harvested on day 8 to measure the mRNA expression of gluconeogenic enzymes.

Results: Higher postprandial plasma concentrations of glucose, lactate, urea, adrenaline, noradrenaline, insulin, and glucagon on day 7 in colostrum-fed calves indicate that metabolic processes were stimulated. Postabsorptive xylose and glucose plasma concentrations each increased by an additional 26%, and splanchnic glucose turnover decreased by 35% in colostrum-fed calves, suggesting improved glucose absorption and lower splanchnic glucose utilization in colostrum-fed calves. Quercetin supplementation resulted in higher noradrenaline concentrations and enhanced peak absorption and oxidation of [¹³C₆]-glucose by 10%. Liver mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mRNA abundance was reduced by 34% in colostrum-deprived calves.

Conclusions: Feeding colostrum during the first 2 d of life is crucial for maturation of splanchnic glucose metabolism in calves. Supplementing quercetin improves gastrointestinal absorption capacity, particularly in colostrum-deprived calves.

From: Gruse, J., Görs, S., Tuchscherer, A., Otten, W., Weitzel, J. M., Metges, C. C., Wolffram, S., Hammon, H. M. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/short/145/11/2486?rss=1

High Amylose Starch with Low In Vitro Digestibility Stimulates Hindgut Fermentation and Has a Bifidogenic Effect in Weaned Pigs [Nutrient Physiology, Metabolism, and Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions]

Background: Dietary amylose resists enzymatic digestion, thereby providing a substrate for microbial fermentation that stimulates proliferation of beneficial microbiota and production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the large intestine of pigs and humans. However, the effect of increasing dietary amylose in pigs immediately postweaning on growth, nutrient digestibility and flow, and intestinal microbial and SCFA profiles has not been studied and can be used as a model for newly weaned human infants.

Objective: We studied the effects of increasing dietary amylose on growth, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal microbial and metabolite profiles in weaned pigs.

Methods: Weaned pigs (n = 32) were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 diets containing 67% starch with 0%, 20%, 28%, or 63% amylose for 21 d. Subsequently, pigs were killed to collect feces and digesta for measuring starch digestion and microbial and metabolite profiles.

Results: Feeding weaned pigs 63% compared with 0%, 20%, and 28% amylose decreased (P < 0.05) feed intake by 5% and growth by ≥12%. Ileal digestibility of dry matter decreased (P < 0.05) by 10% and starch by 9%, thereby increasing (P < 0.05) hindgut fermentation, cecal and colonic total SCFAs, and colonic Bacteroides, and lowering (P < 0.01) ileal, cecal, and colonic pH in pigs consuming 63% compared with 0%, 20%, and 28% amylose. Cecal and colonic Bifidobacteria spp. increased by 14–30% (P < 0.05) and Clostridium clusters IV and XIVa were decreased (P < 0.01) in pigs consuming 63% compared with 0%, 20%, and 28% amylose.

Conclusion: Increasing dietary amylose in pigs immediately postweaning stimulated hindgut fermentation and Bifidobacteria spp., thereby manipulating the gut environment, but also reduced intake and growth. An optimum dietary amylose concentration should be determined, which would maintain desired growth rate and gut environment in weaned pigs.

From: Fouhse, J. M., Gänzle, M. G., Regmi, P. R., van Kempen, T. A., Zijlstra, R. T. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/short/145/11/2464?rss=1

Amino Acid Oxidation Increases with Dietary Protein Content in Adult Neutered Male Cats as Measured Using [1-13C]Leucine and [15N2]Urea [Nutrient Physiology, Metabolism, and Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions]

Background: Cats are unique among domestic animals in that they are obligate carnivores and have a high protein requirement. However, there are few data on protein turnover and amino acid (AA) metabolism in cats.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of dietary protein content on urea production and Leu metabolism in cats.

Methods: Eighteen neutered male cats (4.4 ± 0.11 kg body weight, aged 4.6 ± 0.41 y) fed to maintain body weight for 3 wk with 15%, 40%, or 65% metabolizable energy intake as crude protein (CP) had [1-¹³C]Leu administered in the fed state. Urea production was measured by the infusion of [¹⁵N₂]urea. Leu flux, nonoxidative Leu disposal (NOLD; protein synthesis), Leu rate of appearance (R_a; protein degradation), and Leu oxidation were determined.

Results: Urea production and Leu oxidation were both ~3 times greater in cats fed 65% CP compared with those fed 15% CP, whereas those fed 40% CP were ~1.6 times greater (P < 0.05). Leu flux was 1.9 and 1.3 times greater in cats fed 65% CP compared with those fed 15% and 40% CP (P < 0.001). Almost 39% of total Leu flux was oxidized by cats fed 15% CP, whereas this increased to 58% in cats fed 65% CP (P < 0.002). There were no differences for R_a, but cats fed 65% CP tended to have 30% greater NOLD (P = 0.09) and to be in positive protein balance (P = 0.08) compared with those fed 15% CP.

Conclusion: The high protein requirement of cats combined with a low rate of whole-body protein synthesis ensures that an obligate demand of AAs for energy or glucose (or both) can be met in an animal that evolved with a diet high in protein with very little or no carbohydrate.

From: Wester, T. J., Weidgraaf, K., Hekman, M., Ugarte, C. E., Forsyth, S. F., Tavendale, M. H. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/short/145/11/2471?rss=1

WHO: EMRO Health +SocialGood - Segment about Poliomyelitis

From: World Health Organization http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D6C6YDiYxM

Breast health guidelines for women

Issues surrounding dense breast tissue and mammography are prompting women to ask more questions about their breast health

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/breast-health-guidelines-for-women/

Man with rare disorder can't recognize own reflection

Doctors recount odd case of a man who was convinced he saw a stranger in his bathroom mirror

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-with-rare-brain-disorder-cant-recognize-his-own-reflection/

Common myths about the brain debunked

Find out what scientific research actually says about some commonly-held beliefs about the brain and how it works

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/common-myths-about-the-brain-debunked/

Soy Protein May Protect Against Osteoporosis

Getting plenty of soy protein from food, or taking soy supplements, could help protect older women from osteoporosis, early results from a new study suggest. WebMD explains.

From: http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/news/20151102/soy-protein-osteoporosis?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Ground beef recalled over E. coli

All American Meats, Inc., recalls more than 167,000 pounds of ground beef that was distributed to retailers nationwide

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ground-beef-recalled-over-e-coli/

What Your Gynecologist Wants You to Know

Does your gyno notice if you wax? WebMD shares seven secrets and tips from female doctors.

From: http://www.webmd.com/women/features/things-gynecologist-wants-you-know?src=RSS_PUBLIC

USDA Provides $314 Million in Water and Waste Infrastructure Improvements in Rural Communities Nationwide

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2015 – USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced loans and grants for 141 projects to build and improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural communities across the nation.

From: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2015/11/0304.xml&contentidonly=true

Monday, November 2, 2015

The placebo effect is for real

Is the power of the placebo effect rising?

What’s next?

Related Posts: