Scientists Are Targeting the Common Cold

In lab tests, this molecule blocked viruses that cause colds and prevented them from taking control of human cells.

From: https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20180515/scientists-are-targeting-the-common-cold?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mayo Clinic Minute: What are NSAIDs?

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

Certain type of jobs may shorten your life

New research suggests that men in certain types of jobs may be at risk of an early death​

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/physically-demanding-jobs-may-shorten-life-study-finds/

America's Fittest City: Arlington, VA

The city received an overall score of 77.7 on the college's annual fitness index -- just half a point ahead of Minneapolis and 3.7 points ahead of neighboring Washington, D.C.

From: https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20180515/americas-fittest-city-arlington-va?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Melania Trump Hospitalized After Kidney Surgery

Trump’s surgery marked the first time a first lady had a serious medical procedure while in the White House since Nancy Reagan had a mastectomy in October 1987.

From: https://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/news/20180515/melania-trump-hospitalized-after-kidney-surgery?src=RSS_PUBLIC

4 things to know about ticks and Lyme

As the weather gets better and school vacations begin, along with sunburns and water safety there is something else parents need to think about: ticks and Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is spread by the bite of the blacklegged tick. While there are cases in various parts of the country, it’s most common in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, as well as around the Great Lakes. The early symptoms of Lyme include fever, body aches, and a bull’s-eye rash. It’s very treatable with antibiotics, but if not caught and left untreated, it can lead to serious health problems.

Here is information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on four things that everyone should know and do:

1.  Prevention is key

As is true with all health problems, preventing them in the first place is always best. Be mindful of where your children play, as brush and tall grasses are where the ticks hang out. As much as possible, try to keep to the center of paths. Use a repellent with DEET (at least 20%), picaridin, or IR3535 on exposed skin (the Environmental Protection Agency has a great online tool that can help you choose the best insect repellent), and spray clothing (including socks and shoes) and gear like backpacks with permethrin.

2. Do tick checks at the end of every day

Even if your kids were just playing outside in the yard, get in the habit of looking them over. Ticks like warm, moist areas like the armpits, groin, and scalp, so you should particularly check there. Be sure to look carefully, because the blacklegged tick often transmits when it’s in the nymph stage, and nymphs are really tiny.

If you find an attached tick, grab it at the base with a tweezer and pull it upward with steady pressure. You can get rid of a live tick by wrapping it tightly in something or flushing it down the toilet.

Along with checking your human family members, be sure to check pets that have been outside, as they can carry ticks inside with them. You should also check clothing. Anything that isn’t going into the wash can be thrown into the dryer for 10 minutes or so (when washing clothes, be aware that if they aren’t washed in hot water, they may need extra time in the dryer to kill any ticks on them).

3. Be on the lookout for symptoms

If you do tick checks at the end of every day you should be fine, because it takes at least 24 hours — more often 36 to 48 hours — for an infected tick to transmit Lyme. This is a really important point that many people don’t know.

The classic rash of Lyme is an expanding bull’s-eye rash at the site of the bite. The rash is present in 70% to 80% of cases. Of course, that means it isn’t present in 20% to 30% of cases, so if someone in your family had a tick on them for more than 24 hours, or if you live in an area where there are many cases of Lyme and there may have been a tick bite, you should call your doctor if the person has a fever, chills, aches and pains for no clear reason, along with swollen lymph nodes or swelling of one or more joints. While having these symptoms doesn’t mean for sure that a person has Lyme, it’s worth getting checked out, as early treatment generally leads to a complete cure.

4. Be a cautious consumer of information when it comes to testing and treatment of Lyme

As with many conditions, there is a lot of misinformation out there about Lyme testing and treatment. It’s important to use laboratories that use evidence-based norms and processes. There are many advertised tests for Lyme disease, but some of them are simply not reliable — and it’s really important to have reliable information when making a diagnosis. It’s also not recommended to do testing for Lyme in someone who does not have clear symptoms of Lyme disease.

Most people recover completely after treatment of Lyme, but there are some people who have chronic symptoms such as fatigue, pain, or joint swelling after Lyme disease. This is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome or post-Lyme disease syndrome. The cause of these syndromes is unknown. Prolonged use of antibiotics is not recommended. Studies have shown that it doesn’t help, and there can be serious health problems when antibiotics are taken for prolonged periods of time.

To learn more about Lyme and its treatment and prevention, visit the Lyme disease page on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire

The post 4 things to know about ticks and Lyme appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Claire McCarthy, MD https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/4-things-to-know-about-ticks-and-lyme-2018051513833

STD cases reach all time high in this state

Officials are particularly concerned by a spike in stillbirths due to congenital syphilis

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/std-cases-reach-all-time-high-in-california-report-finds/

Can Fido Fetch the Fountain of Youth?

In dogs, the researchers now hope to add about 20 percent more to the animals' ball-chasing time on Earth.

From: https://pets.webmd.com/news/20180515/can-fido-fetch-the-fountain-of-youth?src=RSS_PUBLIC

What Makes Up the American Gut?

As of mid-2017, the scientists had analyzed data from thousands of samples provided anonymously by people from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and 42 other countries or territories.

From: https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20180515/what-makes-up-the-american-gut?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Telehealth to make a splash in Hawaii at annual meeting

In 20 years, teledentistry may play a key role in improving access to oral health care, and an annual meeting course will offer insight into that future.

From: By David Burger
https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/may/telehealth-to-make-a-splash-in-hawaii-at-annual-meeting

Arizona romaine lettuce farmers grow frustrated amid E. coli outbreak

The CDC tells CBS News that the risk of new E. coli infections from tainted romaine lettuce is low, but the number of cases will rise. The CDC says older infections will likely be linked to the same strain of bacteria originating in Arizona. Mireya Villarreal reports from Yuma, the region at the center of the outbreak.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/arizona-romaine-lettuce-farmers-grow-frustrated-amid-e-coli-outbreak/

Romaine lettuce farmers frustrated by FDA response to E. coli outbreak

The CDC tells "CBS This Morning" that the risk of new E. coli infections from tainted romaine lettuce is low, but the number of cases will rise

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/e-coli-outbreak-romaine-lettuce-farmers-frustrated-by-fda-response/

Melania Trump's kidney "embolization procedure" explained

Dr. Tara Narula joins "CBS This Morning" to describe the "embolization procedure" that first lady Melania Trump underwent to treat a benign kidney condition.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/melania-trumps-kidney-embolization-procedure-explained/