05/06/16

Friday, May 6, 2016

Baseball scraps Puerto Rico series over Zika fears

MLB decides to move Pirates-Marlins series after players expressed concerns about their health

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fmlb-pirates-marlins-baseball-puerto-rico-zika-fears%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Paintball game sends teen to ER with unusual injury

Paintball players and doctors are urged to be aware of the potential dangers associated with the sport

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpaintball-game-sends-teen-to-er-with-damaged-liver%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Can Oral Contraceptives Worsen Crohn’s Disease? – IBD in the News

From: Mayo Clinic http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DoxA2Pr898wk&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

FDA Approves of Biosimilar to Infliximab – IBD in the News

From: Mayo Clinic http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2tNDhEXXGuM&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Get Ready for Spring Allergy Season

If you or your child has allergies, it’s important to prepare for a rise in pollen, bees, and even trigger foods in the spring.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fallergies%2Ffeatures%2Fprepare-spring-allergies%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Zika Destroys Fetal Brain Cells, Lab Study Finds

Virus appears to activate an immune system response that turns off or stunts cell development

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fnews%2F20160506%2Fzika-destroys-fetal-brain-cells-lab-study-finds%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Report alleges profit motivated OxyContin's 12-hour claim

Documents reveal the company behind the painkiller knew the drug could wear off sooner in many patients, LA Times reports

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Freport-alleges-profit-motivated-oxycontins-12-hour-claim%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Addicts turning to anti-diarrhea medication to get high

Experts say some desperate addicts are taking dangerously high doses of Imodium A-D

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Faddicts-use-imodium-a-d-anti-diarrhea-medication-to-get-high%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Harsh Parenting May Harm a Child's Physical Health

Problems might last into early adulthood, study suggests

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fparenting%2Fnews%2F20160506%2Fharsh-parenting-may-harm-a-childs-physical-health%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Walking Fido Is Doggone Good for Your Health

Host of benefits unleashed for older folks, researchers find

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpets.webmd.com%2Fdogs%2Fnews%2F20160506%2Fwalking-fido-is-doggone-good-for-your-health%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

More than sad: Depression affects your ability to think

When you think of clinical depression, you probably think of feeling sad and down for long periods of time; losing your energy and your interest in things you used to enjoy; sleeping too much or too little, or eating too much or too little. But besides these, depression can actually change your ability to think. It can impair your attention and memory, as well as your information processing and decision-making skills. It can also lower your cognitive flexibility (the ability to adapt your goals and strategies to changing situations) and executive functioning (the ability to take all the steps to get something done).

For people with severe depression, medications can provide some relief of low mood and energy, bolster the motivation to engage in enjoyable and important activities, and help people return to normal sleeping and eating patterns. (Notably, antidepressants are less helpful in general for mild and moderate depression.)

But we don’t know whether antidepressant medications treat cognitive impairment related to depression. Recently, an international research team attempted to answer this question as part of a larger study on depression treatment. Their results were published in The Lancet last month.

To study the effect of three common antidepressant medications on depression-related cognitive impairment, the researchers asked over 1,000 people with depression who were taking either escitalopram (Lexapro), sertraline (Zoloft), or venlafaxine-XR (Effexor-XR) to go through extensive cognitive testing. In short, none of the medications helped. Of these patients, 95% showed no improvement on any of the cognitive impairments mentioned above, and none of the three drugs was better than the others at improving cognitive symptoms.

This result is not completely surprising — antidepressant medications are mainly meant to help improve mood and increase the ability to participate in beneficial and enjoyable activities, two key aspects of depression treatment. It’s also worth noting that different parts and processes of the brain are responsible for cognitive (versus emotional) functioning; this may explain why the three drugs tested didn’t seem to help improve cognitive symptoms. New drugs for depression may be able to address these symptoms as well.

Beyond medications, problem-solving treatment can train people how to improve their problem-solving skills, and cognitive behavioral therapy can teach people to recognize and challenge distorted thinking patterns. Another approach, cognitive remediation therapy, uses practice drills to improve memory and executive functioning. Combining these behavioral interventions with antidepressants may yield better results for improving depression-related cognitive impairments.

There are some limitations to this study: it’s not known if the participants had cognitive impairments before they developed depression, and the length of drug treatment and follow-up was short — eight weeks in total. However, this study is important because the cognitive impairment symptoms of depression have received little attention — and haven’t necessarily been the target of medications for depression. It shows that we have a long way to go in helping people with depression return to a normal level of full mental functioning.

The post More than sad: Depression affects your ability to think appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: James Cartreine, PhD http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.health.harvard.edu%2Fblog%2Fsad-depression-affects-ability-think-201605069551&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Opens USDA Farmers Market for the 21st Season

Washington, May 6, 2016 — Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack opened the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers Market for its 21st season and announced a new partnership with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to promote gardens, farmers markets, and community supported agriculture programs (CSAs) at Federal workplaces.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usda.gov%2Fwps%2Fportal%2Fusda%2Fusdahome%3Fcontentid%3D2016%2F05%2F0107.xml%26amp%3Bcontentidonly%3Dtrue&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

LASIK surgery: Is it right for you?

Think LASIK might free you from glasses? Here's help understanding whether the procedure makes sense for you.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mayoclinic.org%2Ftests-procedures%2Flasik-eye-surgery%2Fin-depth%2Flasik-surgery%2Fart-20045751&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Poor Vision and Bad Falls Plague Many Seniors

Year-long CDC study finds 1.3 million people over 65 with poor eyesight fell at least once

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fhealthy-aging%2Fnews%2F20160505%2Fpoor-vision-and-dangerous-falls-plague-many-us-seniors%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Addicts Using Diarrhea Drug Imodium to Get High

Trend is increasing among those who can't get opioid prescription painkillers, experts say

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Fmental-health%2Faddiction%2Fnews%2F20160505%2Faddicts-using-diarrhea-drug-imodium-to-get-high%3Fsrc%3DRSS_PUBLIC&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Mystery of Pakistan's "solar kids" baffles doctors

Shoaib Ahmed and his brother Abdul Rasheed are completely healthy, normal children -- until the sun goes down

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpakistan-solar-kids-medical-mystery-doctors-baffled-brothers-vegetative-night%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

USDA Awards $39.3 Million in Loans and Grants to Support Economic Development in Rural Areas

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $39.3 million in loans and grants for 68 projects that will help small, rural businesses and communities in 26 states. The announcement comes as the Obama Administration celebrates the profound economic impact of American entrepreneurs during National Small Business Week.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usda.gov%2Fwps%2Fportal%2Fusda%2Fusdahome%3Fcontentid%3D2016%2F05%2F0106.xml%26amp%3Bcontentidonly%3Dtrue&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Standards pioneer, ADA volunteer dies

Dr. Mark Diehl, a longtime ADA volunteer credited as a pioneer of dental informatics, died April 18 after an illness. He was 70.

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ada.org%2Fen%2Fpublications%2Fada-news%2F2016-archive%2Fmay%2Fstandards-pioneer-ada-volunteer-dies&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Cancer con woman faces lawsuit in Australia

Blogger Belle Gibson convinced many that she'd beaten brain tumor through healthy living to sell a cookbook

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Faustralia-cancer-con-woman-belle-gibson-lawsuit-healthy-diet-farce%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

Lucy Liu opens up on her "nontraditional family"

The "Elementary" actress talked to CBS about her son, Rockwell, and her life as a single mom

From: http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Flucy-liu-opens-up-on-her-nontraditional-family-gestational-carrier%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8

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