03/24/16

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Thousands possibly exposed to hepatitis at heart clinic

Health department is notifying patients to get tested after cases of illness emerge

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thousands-possibly-exposed-to-hepatitis-in-west-virginia/

Couple's caffeine habits linked to risk of miscarriage

Researchers report surprising findings on caffeine consumption before pregnancy - and the man's intake matters, too

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/couples-caffeine-habits-before-during-pregnancy-risk-of-miscarriage/

Gene Analysis: Zika's Arrival in the Americas

Findings suggest one person carried the virus to the region in 2013

From: http://www.webmd.com/news/20160324/gene-analysis-pinpoints-zikas-arrival-in-the-americas?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Healthy Vitamin C Amount Might Prevent Cataracts

Key is to get the nutrient from foods rather than a supplement, researchers say

From: http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/cataracts/news/20160324/healthy-amount-of-vitamin-c-might-keep-cataracts-at-bay?src=RSS_PUBLIC

FDA Wants Abuse-Deterrent Generic Painkillers

One more step to combat the epidemic of potent painkiller abuse

From: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20160324/fda-wants-generic-narcotic-painkillers-to-be-abuse-deterrent?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Volunteers needed for Pennsylvania ‘MOM-n-PA’

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/march/volunteers-needed-for-pennsylvania-mom-n-pa

Study: Heart attack patients getting younger, fatter

Despite years of prevention efforts, heart patients are more likely to be obese and smoke cigarettes

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heart-attack-patients-getting-younger-more-obese/

Blink app is like Groupon for discount Rx drugs

The tech startup aims to provide cheap generic prescription drugs through its app and website

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blink-app-is-like-groupon-for-discount-rx-drugs/

Kids' Drinks, Juices Have Day's Worth of Sugar

Study was conducted in Britain, but U.S. experts say similar results would be found in America

From: http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20160324/kids-fruit-drinks-juices-contain-days-worth-of-sugar?src=RSS_PUBLIC

This May Point to Postpartum Depression Risk

Goal is to identify and treat this mental health issue early

From: http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20160324/love-hormone-levels-in-pregnancy-may-point-to-risk-for-postpartum-depression?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Government could audit dentists for HIPAA compliance

The federal government has begun auditing some health care providers, including dental practices, to ensure they are complying with patient privacy laws and health care information security laws.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/march/government-could-audit-dentists-for-hipaa-compliance

How to avoid Zika virus on spring break

If you're heading to the Caribbean or Latin America this spring, take precautions to protect yourself from the virus

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-avoid-zika-on-spring-break/

Brothers create "Groupon" for cheap prescription drugs

A tech startup called "Blink Health" is on a mission to provide the lowest prices on generic prescription drugs through its app and website

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/brothers-create-groupon-for-cheap-prescription-drugs/

Ask The Mayo Mom: Congenital Heart Defects, Part 1 - Mayo Clinic

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3RpOwgJtBs

Stem Cells and Growth Factors for Osteoarthritis: Hope or Hype

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7srQz2-ku8k

Ask The Mayo Mom: Congenital Heart Defects, Part 2 - Mayo Clinic

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiFz816WN5I

Ask The Mayo Mom: Congenital Heart Defects, Part 3 - Mayo Clinic

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGAcHqEC-vE

Mayo Clinic Minute: Drug Combo for Lung Cancer

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkdMzn6WRog

Daytime Sleepiness, Long Naps Tied to Heart Risks

People who nap more than 1 hour a day also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, researchers say

From: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20160324/daytime-sleepiness-long-naps-linked-to-heart-risks-study?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Would you know if your teen was depressed?

Parents of teenagers, here is another post that I hope will be helpful to you.

Moms and dads of teens — and the doctors who care for these children — know how difficult it can be to identify depression in adolescents. When is your teen simply feeling down or irritable, and when is it something more?

Doctors are receiving better and better training in diagnosing teenage depression, but perhaps the greatest challenge is finding time to make sure it happens. During a typical well-child visit, parents are usually busy trying to address the concerns they have about their child, while at the same time trying to understand what vaccines they need and making sure school forms are filled out. Pediatricians are busy trying to address physical and emotional concerns and anticipate problems that may come up for your child regarding friends, schoolwork, academic work, safe sex, and other risky behaviors.

Where does screening for depression fit in?

Several medical organizations that provide up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines to physicians recommend that we do screen our teens for depression. Among them is the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), an agency charged with providing recommendations to the Primary Care community about preventing chronic or difficult-to-detect illnesses. To help us keep our teens as healthy as possible, the USPSTF recently published an updated guideline about screening for Major Depressive Disorder in adolescents.

What is screening?

Screening is the act of checking for a condition that is common in a community but not obvious to doctors unless some sort of testing is done. For example, doctors screen for high blood pressure by checking blood pressure measurements at most visits. Doctors can’t tell, just by looking at a patient, if his blood pressure is high. The same goes for depression. Sometimes it is very difficult to tell if a person is suffering from depression, until it is quite serious. The point of screening is to catch dangerous problems early, before they become severe problems. When doctors elect to screen patients for a condition, typically the following guidelines are met:

The condition is common, but silent, in the community; lots of people have it.
The condition is important to a person’s future health.
Detecting the condition early improves outcomes.
The condition is something we can treat!
The testing required is good, easy to administer, and not overly painful or inconvenient.

Can we screen for depression in teens?

Yes, we can, and doctors have been doing so for years, although not necessarily in an organized or systematic way. The USPSTF recommendation is important because it emphasizes this need to test all teens — because depression is common in teenagers, and potentially dangerous.

A few facts about screening for teenage depression:

Depression is prevalent, but often silent, in adolescents. We don’t have reliable numbers for children 11 or younger, but for children 12-18, rates of depression in the U.S. have been estimated to be around 8%. That means that about one out of every 12 teens will experience an episode of major depression in his or her teenage years!
The condition is important! Depression in adolescence is associated with depression later in life. It can also lead to poor school performance, substance abuse, early pregnancy, and even suicide.
Early detection may help prevent long-term, serious problems by allowing your teen to get good treatment in a more timely manner.
Effective treatment is available. Readers of my last blog post may recall that I discussed how some antidepressant medications have been associated with higher risk of teen suicide. But this is not the case for all medications or all treatments. Psychotherapy, in particular, has been associated with much improved outcomes and little to no risk to a teen’s health.
The screening test is painless and easy to do. Several simple, short questionnaires exist which have been vetted by experts and proven to be reliable, even when administered to teenagers.

What will screening look like for my teen?

When your adolescent comes to the pediatrician or family doctor’s office for a physical, he or she will be given a short questionnaire, such as the Beck Depression Inventory or the PHQ-A. These questionnaires typically have about nine questions and can be completed in 1-2 minutes. It is important to let your teen complete this questionnaire on his own. Your pediatrician may discuss the answers with your teen privately, but rest assured that if the concern of depression is raised, the pediatrician will never hide from you the fact that your teen is at risk.

A final word…

As parents, you spend much more time with your adolescents than we doctors can during brief office visits. If you notice that your teen has simply not been acting like himself, or if you are worried, please let your pediatrician know! He or she is always ready to help.

The post Would you know if your teen was depressed? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Nandini Mani, MD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/would-you-know-if-your-teen-was-depressed-201603249331

In Conservative Indiana, Medicaid Expansion Makes Poorest Pay

The novel expansion model is testing how far a state can go under Obamacare in making poor people share responsibility for the cost of health care.

From: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20160324/in-conservative-indiana-medicaid-expansion-makes-poorest-pay?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Utah names new dental school dean

The University of Utah School of Dentistry announced that Dr. Wyatt Rory Hume will become dean.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/march/utah-names-new-dental-school-dean

USDA Offers New Toolkit to Assess Economic Impact of Local Foods

CHICAGO, March 24, 2016 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today unveiled a new resource created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Colorado State University that will help communities and businesses evaluate the economic benefits of investing in local food systems. The Secretary released details about “The Economics of Local Food Systems: A Toolkit to Guide Community Discussions, Assessments and Choices,” in his keynote remarks at the 12th Annual Good Food Festival and Conference in Chicago.

From: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2016/03/0073.xml&contentidonly=true

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