04/21/17

Friday, April 21, 2017

Obama-era Surgeon General replaced

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Vivek Murthy was “asked to resign his duties"

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vivek-murthy-obama-era-surgeon-general-replaced/

Mumps outbreak reported at university

Students are required to be vaccinated for mumps before they come to school, with a few exceptions

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mumps-outbreak-reported-at-university-of-minnesota/

Royals William, Kate and Harry team up to raise awareness for mental health

Prince Harry, Prince William and Princess Kate took to the BBC Radio airwaves Friday, serving as guest DJs to promote their new mental health charity. As Mark Phillips reports, the royals are opening up about how losing their mother impacted their lives as part of their new effort.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/royals-william-kate-and-harry-team-up-to-raise-awareness-for-mental-health/

Thousands of scientists plan March for Science on Earth Day

More than 200 science organizations are planning 600 marches around the world, the first time scientists are marching in defense of science itself

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thousands-of-scientists-plan-march-for-science-on-earth-day/

Doctors, pharmacists charged in $40M kickback scheme

Prosecutors say they orchestrated a complex insurance fraud scheme involving unnecessary treatment for workers’ compensation insurance patients

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-doctors-pharmacists-charged-millions-in-kickback-scheme/

ADA.org resource explains new federal rule on substance abuse

A new resource on ADA.org includes information on a federal rule that changed the confidentiality requirements for substance abuse patients.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/adaorg-resource-explains-new-federal-rule-on-substance-abuse

Home Birth Safe for Some, But Not All, Women

Certain factors make home delivery too chancy, pregnancy experts say

From: http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20170421/home-birth-safe-for-some-but-not-all-women?src=RSS_PUBLIC

FDA issues safety note on codeine and tramadol

Codeine and tramadol should be restricted for children, especially those younger than 12 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in an April drug safety communication.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/fda-issues-safety-note-on-codeine-and-tramadol

Texan dentist’s ‘extraordinary contributions’ lead to Health Volunteers Overseas honor

The HVO Golden Apple recognizes volunteers who have made exceptional contributions to global heath and the mission of the organization.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/texan-dentists-extraordinary-contributions

ADA puts genetic testing and oral health in context for dentists

What role does genetics play when it comes oral health?

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/ada-puts-genetic-testing-and-oral-health-in-context-for-dentists

New version of GOP health care bill could be finished as early as Friday

The White House is hoping the House could consider and vote on the Obamacare repeal bill by late next week

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-version-of-gop-health-care-bill-could-be-finished-as-early-as-friday/

Water pollutants lurking in your medicine cabinet

Ingredients from shampoo, sunscreens and other personal care products are turning up in water supplies, and some could have harmful effects

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/water-pollutants-in-your-medicine-cabinet/

New germ tops food poisoning list

The government’s latest report card on food poisoning suggests that this bug now surpasses salmonella as the most common culprit

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-germ-tops-food-poisoning-list/

White wine may do no favors for a woman's skin

New research suggests certain drinking habits are related to this skin condition

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-wine-may-do-no-favors-for-a-womans-skin/

Quick-thinking pharmacist saves customer

“I think something really bad is about to happen,” recalls Illinois man who developed a sudden, life-threatening condition

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cvs-pharmacist-saves-man-having-food-allergy-epipen/

Mayo Clinic Minute: 3 tips for controlling sugar in your diet

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjduuSiWDRI

Henrietta Lacks Film Highlights Research Issues

The story of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American cervical cancer patient whose tumor cancer cells changed the course of biomedical research, will debut on HBO.

From: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20170421/henrietta-lacks-film-highlights-research-issues?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Making Mayo's Recipes: Italian Meatballs

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u38peD3Io3A

#AsktheMayoMom: Child Abuse Prevention

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8HwSiUB_Gg

ADA, EEOC resolve charges of discrimination

The American Dental Association has entered into agreements to resolve charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission arising from the severance of the ADA's former chief counsel and director of human resources in 2010.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/ada-eeoc-resolve-charges-of-discrimination

Immune Therapy Shows Early Promise Against MS

First step was to test its safety in small trial of 6 people

From: http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20170420/immune-based-therapy-shows-early-promise-against-ms?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Could a Zap to the Brain Jog Failing Memory?

Deep brain stimulation appears to help, but much more research is needed, scientists say

From: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20170420/could-a-zap-to-the-brain-jog-failing-memory?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Study Cites Factors Linked to Suicide in the Young

Researchers say interventions should come earlier in life for disadvantaged children

From: http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20170420/study-cites-factors-linked-to-suicide-in-the-young?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Opioid lawsuit targets Wal-mart, CVS, Walgreens and more

The tribe says drug stores and distributors have contributed to “an epidemic of prescription opioid abuse” among its members

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cherokee-nation-opioid-lawsuit-cvs-walgreens-wal-mart-drug-stores/

Adult dental benefit moves closer to reality in Maryland

Maryland residents are one step closer to having an adult dental benefit through the Maryland Medical Assistance Program, also known as Medicaid.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/adult-dental-benefit-moves-closer-to-reality-in-maryland

Federally qualified health center settles $400,000 HIPAA breach

The federal government in April settled a potential violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act with a Denver-area federally qualified health center that was reportedly the victim of a 2012 phishing attack.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/federally-qualified-health-center-settles-hipaa-breach

FTC files complaint about man offering fake tech support services

The Federal Trade Commission obtained an April preliminary injunction that bars a Florida man from illegally deceiving customers by falsely claiming to offer tech support services on behalf of the FTC.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/ftc-files-complaint

Do Diet Sodas Pose Health Risks?

Study suggests -- but does not prove -- a possible link to stroke, dementia

From: http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20170420/do-diet-sodas-pose-health-risks?src=RSS_PUBLIC

South Beach Diet

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/south-beach-diet/art-20048491

Rheumatoid arthritis medications: Dangerous during pregnancy?

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/in-depth/rheumatoid-arthritis-pregnancy/art-20091856

New hepatitis data highlight need for urgent global response

New WHO data reveal that an estimated 325 million people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The WHO Global hepatitis report, 2017 indicates that the large majority of these people lack access to life-saving testing and treatment. As a result, millions of people are at risk of a slow progression to chronic liver disease, cancer, and death.

From: http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/global-hepatitis-report/en/index.html

Home Remedies: The PRICE strategy for first aid

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ege4QzU3NrA

Misophonia: When sounds really do make you “crazy”

You hear your spouse breathing nearby and you instantly get angry. Your 6-year-old yawns and it triggers a fight-or-flight reaction in you. You avoid restaurants because you can’t stand the sound of chewing. Sounds other people don’t even seem to notice, drive you up a wall. You might have misophonia.

What is misophonia?

People with misophonia are affected emotionally by common sounds — usually those made by others, and usually ones that other people don’t pay attention to. The examples above (breathing, yawning, or chewing) create a fight-or-flight response that triggers anger and a desire to escape. This disorder is little studied and we don’t know how common it is. It affects some worse than others and can lead to isolation, as people suffering from this condition try to avoid these trigger sounds. People who have misophonia often feel embarrassed and don’t mention it to healthcare providers — and often healthcare providers haven’t heard of it anyway. Nonetheless, it is a real disorder and one that seriously compromises functioning, socializing, and ultimately mental health. Misophonia usually appears around age 12, and likely affects more people than we realize.

What causes misophonia?

New research has started to identify causes for misophonia. A British-based research team studied 20 adults with misophonia and 22 without it. They all rated the unpleasantness of different sounds, including common trigger sounds (eating and breathing), universally disturbing sounds (of babies crying and people screaming), and neutral sounds (such as rain). As expected, persons with misophonia rated the trigger sounds of eating and breathing as highly disturbing while those without it did not. Both groups rated the unpleasantness of babies crying and people screaming about the same, as they did the neutral sounds. This confirmed that the misophonic persons were far more affected by specific trigger sounds, but don’t differ much from others regarding other types of sounds.

The researchers also noted that persons with misophonia showed much greater physiological signs of stress (increased sweat and heart rate) to the trigger sounds of eating and breathing than those without it. No significant difference was found between the groups for the neutral sounds or the disturbing sounds of a baby crying or people screaming.

The brain science of misophonia

The team’s important finding was in a part of the brain that plays a role both in anger and in integrating outside inputs (such as sounds) with inputs from organs such as the heart and lungs: the anterior insular cortex (AIC). Using fMRI scans to measure brain activity, the researchers found that the AIC caused much more activity in other parts of the brain during the trigger sounds for those with misophonia than for the control group. Specifically, the parts of the brain responsible for long-term memories, fear, and other emotions were activated. This makes sense, since people with misophonia have strong emotional reactions to common sounds; more importantly, it demonstrates that these parts of the brain are the ones responsible for the experience of misophonia.

The researchers also used whole-brain MRI scans to map participants’ brains and found that people with misophonia have higher amounts of myelination. Myelin is a fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells in the brain to provide electrical insulation, like the insulation on a wire. It’s not known if the extra myelin is a cause or an effect of misophonia and its triggering of other brain areas.

There is some good news

Misophonia clinics exist throughout the US and elsewhere, and treatments such as auditory distraction (with white noise or headphones) and cognitive behavioral therapy have shown some success in improving functioning. For more information, contact the Misophonia Association.

The post Misophonia: When sounds really do make you “crazy” appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: James Cartreine, PhD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/misophonia-sounds-really-make-crazy-2017042111534