Mishap may have destroyed frozen eggs and embryos

A hospital fertility clinic in Cleveland, Ohio says some 2,000 frozen eggs and embryos may have been damaged or destroyed when a storage tank malfunctioned. CBS News' Lou Young reports.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/mishap-may-have-destroyed-frozen-eggs-and-embryos/

Does hand sanitizer give people a false sense of security?

Hand sanitizing dispensers are stationed everywhere, but experts say some people may be relying on them too often

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/does-hand-sanitizer-give-people-a-false-sense-of-security/

Misleading explanation of benefits statements highlight need for standardization

This is the ninth in the Decoding Dental Benefits series featuring answers and solutions for dentists when it comes to the world of dental benefits and plans. The series is intended to help untangle many of the issues that can potentially befuddle dentists and their teams so that they can focus on patient care.

From: By David Burger
https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/march/misleading-explanation-of-benefits-statements-highlight-need-for-standardization

Malfunction Leads to Loss of Frozen Eggs, Embryos

There appears to have been an equipment failure at a long-term storage tank containing liquid nitrogen at the University Hospitals Fertility Center, NBC News reported.

From: https://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20180309/malfunction-leads-to-loss-of-frozen-eggs-embryos?src=RSS_PUBLIC

How to Advocate for Friends and Family in Jail and Prison

Recently, the American Diabetes Association requested to join a lawsuit concerning the failure to provide adequate diabetes care to prisoners at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility in Tennessee. It is far too common for jails and prisons fail to meet the basic needs of people with diabetes, with horrible consequences for people’s health and well-being.

An essential part of our mission is to advocate for all people with diabetes, no matter their circumstances. People who are incarcerated across the nation too often receive inadequate diabetes care, putting their health and even their lives at risk. It is extremely scary not only for the person with diabetes, but also for their family and friends. In a jail or prison, people often have little or no control over how they manage their diabetes. They are completely dependent on the jail or prison staff to provide their medications (including insulin), blood sugar checks, screening and treatment for complications, and access to visit with a doctor or other health care provider to help them manage their diabetes.

Common issues individuals who are incarcerated face:

Problems with insulin type. It is common for jails and prisons to use an NPH and Regular insulin regimen to treat diabetes—but most people with diabetes don’t use those kinds of insulin. They are used to managing their diabetes with long-acting and fast-acting insulins. This change in insulin can result in fluctuations in blood sugar, including more frequent high blood sugars and sudden low blood sugars. This causes concerns about diabetes-related medical complications, both short- and long-term.

Problems with insulin delivery. Often, for any number of reasons, an individual may not receive a prescribed dose of insulin, may receive an incorrect dose, or may receive a dose at an inappropriate time.

Inability to monitor blood sugar regularly. Most prisons do not allow inmates to carry a blood glucose monitor, meaning that individuals may not know what their blood sugar is at any given time.

Inappropriate nutrition. Whether it’s regular meals that have too many carbohydrates and refined sugars or limited access to commissary, individuals with diabetes often have trouble maintaining a healthy diet and getting the items they need to treat low blood sugar.

How to advocate on these issues:

File grievances. If there are issues with the medical care, you can tell your loved one that they can file a grievance with the jail or prison. The grievance should list and describe the particular problems and request to meet with a doctor or other medical staff to address the problems. It is important to keep a written record of the grievances, and appeal any grievances that are denied.

Request accommodations. If the individual requires more frequent blood sugar monitoring, the opportunity to exercise, modifications to diet or other changes to their daily routine, you can suggest they make a request for reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. For example, while the facility may have a policy of allowing blood sugar checks at certain times, or a certain number of times per day, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that jails and prisons make reasonable changes to their policies for individuals with disabilities including diabetes. Make the request in writing. Some facilities have a separate form to make a request for accommodations. Otherwise, use an inmate request form.

Make the problems known. As a family member or friend, you can make a big difference by communicating the needs of your loved one to as many people as possible. Contact the facility’s medical staff, warden and other officials to be sure they are on notice of your loved one’s medical needs, and of any problems with your loved one’s care. If appropriate, you can help your loved one gather medical records from before they were incarcerated that confirm their personal diabetes management needs. If none of that works, you can even contact your elected representatives, including state and federal legislators, your mayor, governor and city council representatives. It is important to be respectful and factual in these communications, to explain what the problems are and what, specifically, needs to be done in order for your loved one to be safe and to receive the accommodations they require.

Ask for help. You can obtain more information about the rights of those who are incarcerated by calling 1-800-DIABETES or emailing askada@diabetes.org. A Legal Advocate will review your questions and provide information that relates to your request.

Interested in learning more? Explore our resources on legal rights to medical care here.

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—Post courtesy of ADA Law Enforcement Working Group co-chairs: Sarah Fech-Baughman, ADA Director of Litigation, and Aaron Fischer, Disability Rights California Litigation Counsel

From: American Diabetes Association http://diabetesstopshere.org/2018/03/09/how-to-advocate-for-friends-and-family-in-jail-and-prison/

Social Support Helps Boost Young Cancer Patients

The 204 participants in the study included 102 cancer survivors, 18 to 30 years old, who'd been  diagnosed with cancer when they were 15 to 30. The others were the same age as the cancer survivors, but they'd never had cancer.

From: https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20180309/social-support-helps-boost-young-cancer-patients?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Kidney Donations Down Among Men and the Poor

The living kidney donation rate among men dropped by 25 percent between 2005 and 2015, but remained stable among women, the researchers found.

From: https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20180308/kidney-donations-down-among-men-and-the-poor?src=RSS_PUBLIC

5 ways daylight saving time messes with your health

Losing an hour of sleep when the clocks "spring forward" can take a surprising toll on your health and well-being

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/daylight-saving-time-affects-your-health-wellness/

Enlisting Gut Bacteria And Fiber To Fight Diabetes

A 6-year-study has discovered a possible connection between gut bacteria and blood sugar, a revelation that could pave the way for new treatments for diabetes.

From: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20180309/enlisting-gut-bacteria-and-fiber-to-fight-diabetes?src=RSS_PUBLIC

"Devastating": Thousands of frozen eggs, embryos possibly damaged at hospital

Officials say the fertility clinic suffered a refrigerator malfunction

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/frozen-eggs-embryos-possibly-damaged-ohio-hospital/

Henry Schein donates health care supplies to nine dental schools

Melville, N.Y. — Henry Schein announced March 6 it is donating $265,000 in health care products to nine dental schools in support of the schools’ oral health outreach missions to underserved communities in the U.S. and globally.

From: https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/march/henry-schein-donates-health-care-supplies-to-nine-dental-schools

Does smoking or drinking increase my risk for colorectal cancer? - Dr. Russell Heigh

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Yo84oKgY8

What practical things can I do to prevent colorectal cancer? - Dr. Russell Heigh

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkyV43BeSyQ

Want to Know Gender Identity? Ask Away, Patients Say

The new study involved nearly 500 patients being seen for the first time at three Mayo Clinic sites in Minnesota. They were given either routine intake forms or forms that included questions about sexual orientation and gender identity.

From: https://www.webmd.com/sex/news/20180309/want-to-know-gender-identity-ask-away-patients-say?src=RSS_PUBLIC

ADA resources abound when it comes to signing contracts

From:

By David Burger

https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/march/ada-resources-abound-when-it-comes-to-signing-contracts

Federal dental service leaders meet with ADA leaders in Washington

Government affairs: Federal dental service leaders meet with the ADA Council on Government Affairs in Washington to discuss legislative and regulatory issues during the council’s March 1-3 meeting.

From: https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/march/federal-dental-service-leaders-meet-with-ada-leaders-in-washington

New ADA Foundation grant program spurs international volunteerism

The ADA Foundation is launching a new grant program for international dental volunteer projects, designed to support established U.S.-based nonprofit organizations that are working to improve access to oral health care in underserved communities outside the U.S.

From: https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/march/new-grant-program-spurs-international-volunteerism

Updated version of ADA's premier resource on fluoridation available

Dental professionals who have questions about water fluoridation can turn to the updated 2018 edition of "Fluoridation Facts," which was released in March, for answers.

From: By Michelle Manchir
https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/march/updated-version-of-adas-premier-resource-on-fluoridation-available

Hospital in hot water with feds after 5 newborns injured in ICU

Hospital in hot water with feds after 5 newborns injured in intensive care

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/madison-wisconsin-hospital-hot-water-with-feds-5-newborns-injured-in-intensive-care-unitypoint-health-meriter/

Can you rewire brain to get out of a rut? (Yes you can…)

Regardless of the context, routines — once comforting and safe — can gradually become ruts. Stable relationships, familiar patterns, and secure jobs can quickly lead to boredom, depression, unconscious anxiety, or a debilitating addiction. As Brooklyn clergyman Samuel Parkes Cadman once said, “the only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.”

Ruts are indeed threatening and stultifying. But are we doomed to be in them once we fall into them, or can our brains be changed? To answer this question, psychologist and brain researcher Caroline Di Bernardi Luft and her colleagues conducted a study, drawing on what we already know about how we fall into ruts in the first place.

Why do we get stuck in ruts?

We become stuck in ruts due to our brains’ habitual electrical patterns. Past experience shapes present and future behavior. Faced with new situations, our brains will apply rules based on prior events to match the current context. And there’s a part of the brain that is especially wired to do this. Called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) — think of it as the brain’s “pattern seeker” — this brain region works hard to find old rules that can be applied to the here and now to circumvent the chore of new learning. Dr. Di Bernardi Luft and colleagues wanted to see if people could get out of ruts when the brain’s pattern seeker was blocked.

How to create a rut in an experiment

In order to explore this, they had to first get people into a rut. So they gave them four types of matchstick arithmetic problems, each with a different rule set. Once they got used to a rule, they were given a problem with another set of rules. So, to solve each new category of problem, they had to get out of the rut of the old way of thinking.

In a typical problem, matchsticks are used to form an incorrect equation consisting of roman numerals (I, II, etc.) and arithmetic operators (e.g., +, –). Participants would then have to correct the equations by moving only one matchstick. The problem is not just math, it’s creative too.

For each of the four types of matchstick problems (A, B, C, and D), there is a different rule. For example, for problem type A, you could move a matchstick within a numeral, so that IV = III + III becomes VI = III + III when you move the “I” in “IV” to form a “VI.” For B, you move a matchstick from a plus sign (e.g., I = II + II becomes I = III – II when the vertical part of the plus is moved to join the first “II.”). For C, you rotate a matchstick within a plus sign to create an equals sign (e.g., change “+” to “=”). And for D, you change an “X” into a “V” by sliding the matchstick of the right arm of the “X” to the right.

To solve the problems effectively, you have to forget prior rule sets, but this is difficult to do. As a result, you sometimes get stuck in a rut.

How to inhibit ruts with electricity

With this challenge at hand, the researchers then passed a specific kind of electrical current from positive (anodal) to negative (cathodal) electrodes through the scalp overlying the DLPFC. Called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), this type of low level electricity can excite or inhibit the brain tissue beneath the scalp. Beneath the positive electrode, it stimulates the underlying brain tissue, and beneath the negative electrode, it inhibits the brain tissue. As a comparison, they also used a sham current. After each of these types of current was applied, participants were given the matchstick problems. Of the different problems, the “C” type problems were the most difficult, and required forgetting prior rules.

So what did they find? The main finding of the study was encouraging: when a negative current was applied over the DLPFC, it was easier to break former habit patterns for “C” type problems. The implications of this were quite exciting. Breaking former habits makes you more creative. You behave less like an automaton, and look at things in a unique way. In effect, you become unstuck and get out of your mental rut. It is possible to get out of a mental rut after all!

What does this mean for you?

In my book, Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind, I explain how very important it is to become unfocused if we are to break away from mental patterns. This does not imply that you must be distracted, but that you should build “unfocus time” into your day. This turns off regions like the DLPFC, and turns on other circuits instead. Going for a meandering walk, daydreaming, doodling, and 90 minutes of napping are all ways of turning off the DLPFC to enhance creativity. They relax the usual mental constraints and help you break through your habits too.

So, while you are waiting for a product that delivers this electrical zap to help relieve boredom and get you out of a rut, why not try out one of the simple methods above for 15 minutes a few times a day? When you do, you will likely prepare your brain inevitably for a much more exciting and creative life. And ruts will become far less detrimental to you too. In essence, you will have taken advantage of your brain’s ability to rewire itself, which Dr. Di Bernardi Luft and her colleagues demonstrated so elegantly.

The post Can you rewire brain to get out of a rut? (Yes you can…) appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Srini Pillay, MD https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/rewire-brain-get-out-of-rut-2018030913253