Tag Archives: year

Skipping shots at sick visits tied to vaccine delays

Kids who don't get vaccines when they see their pediatrician for a sick visit - despite being due for the shots - are more likely to fall behind on immunizations and routine check-ups, according to a new study. “It's pretty common that kids will come in (for a sick visit) at a time when they should be getting their shots,” said Steve Robison, the study's author and a researcher at the Oregon Immunization Program, part of the state's health department. Sometimes babies end up skipping those shots, perhaps because parents are concerned they could make a sick baby feel worse or doctors are worried that parents won't come back for a well-baby check-up if infants are already caught up on vaccines. “The challenge is, if they come in sick, are they going to come back and get shots and well-baby visits in a timely way?” Robison said. His findings suggest those babies end up worse off if doctors forgo shots until they're better. “It's very clear that vaccinating at sick visits improves the vaccination rate,” said Dr. Alexander Fiks, a pediatrician at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who was not part of this study. “For parents, what I would say is, don't be afraid to get vaccines at sick visits because, for most kids with minor illnesses, it's really no problem. Medically, it's fine,” he added. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that babies receive at least 16 vaccine doses during their first six months. Those are spread across well-child visits. In an earlier study, Robison and his colleagues found a growing number of parents in Oregon are not sticking to the recommended vaccine schedule - so kids end up getting their shots late or not at all. This time, Robison looked at the immunization records of 1,060 children who went to the doctor for an ear infection around the time when a well-baby check-up should occur. All of the children had state-funded health insurance. About 8 percent of the sick babies received a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine at the sick visit itself, and another 57 percent had one within a few weeks. The others were late on their shots. Fiks said the findings support the results of other studies showing that when doctors skip shots at sick visits, kids are more likely to end up not following the immunization schedule. What's more, giving shots at sick visits did not seem to stop parents from bringing their baby back for well-child visits. Compared to babies who received their immunizations at routine check-ups, those who had their shots at sick visits had just as many well-baby visits by age two - about five, on average. And kids who skipped the shot at their sick visit, but had another visit within a few weeks, ended up receiving more routine check-ups compared to similar normally-vaccinated children, Robison reported in the medical journal Pediatrics. On the other hand, kids who didn't get a shot at the sick visit or within four weeks had slightly fewer routine visits over their first two years. Increasingly, children are becoming “under-vaccinated,” researchers said. A study earlier this year found that half of some 300,000 kids born between 2004 and 2008 had fallen behind on their immunizations at some point before age 2. The concern is that those children are vulnerable to the diseases that vaccines are designed to prevent. “The more kids within a given classroom who are unprotected, the more likely it is for there to be an outbreak,” said Fiks. The researchers agreed that a minor illness is not a reason to fall behind on routine shots. “If you want to keep the kids on schedule so that they're protected from disease, it's best to give the shot,” Robison said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/06/skipping-shots-at-sick-visits-tied-to-vaccine-delays/

Sunscreen slows skin aging, study shows

Though you may rely on anti-wrinkle creams packed with antioxidants and cosmeceuticals to keep your skin looking young, a new study suggests that you may be better off smoothing on sunscreen.   This is the first large study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, to demonstrate that sunscreen not only slows skin aging, but may also reverse it.  Researchers compared photoaging in 900 men and women from Australia over a four year period between 1992 and 1996. Photoaging is associated with coarser and slack skin, increased wrinkling and dryness, an increase in visible small blood vessels and white and blackheads on the face. The adults, who were all under age 55, were randomly assigned to two groups. One group was told to apply an SPF 15+ sunscreen every day. They were instructed to apply it to their head, neck, arms and hands every morning, and to reapply after heavy sweating, swimming, or spending more than a few hours outdoors. A second group could use sunscreen at their discretion. The adults were also randomized to take either a B-carotene supplement, which some believe protects against photoaging, or a placebo supplement. Their skin was assessed at the start and finish of the study.   By the end of the study, 77 percent of the participants told to use sunscreen every day were applying sunscreen at least 3 to 4 days per week, compared to 33 percent of discretionary users. Compared with discretionary sunscreen users, those assigned to daily sunscreen use were 24 percent less likely to show increased aging. The skin-saving effect of sunscreen was observed in all daily-use participants, regardless of age. At the beginning of the study, 58 percent of participants had moderate photoaging, but by the end of the study, that number dropped to 49 percent, suggesting a decrease in photoaging in some of the participants. There was no difference in photoaging among those taking carotene supplement and those taking the placebo. However, the authors said that they could not rule out a small increase or decrease in skin aging as a result of carotene supplementation. Though it was widely believed that sunscreen could delay aging, there has been little evidence of this until now. Notably, an increase in photoaging is also significantly associated with an increased risk of actinic keratoses (thick patches of skin) and skin cancer. Regularly applying sunscreen can prevent cosmetic changes and may reduce the risk of skin cancer as well, the authors wrote. To protect your face from aging, apply a daily moisturizer with an SPF 15 or greater.Laurie Tarkan is an award-winning health journalist whose work appears in the New York Times, among other national magazines and websites. She has authored several health books, including “Perfect Hormone Balance for Fertility.” Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/03/sunscreen-slows-skin-aging-study-shows/

New app helps to boost weight loss by tracking calories

Nutritionists often advise individuals to keep a journal of all the foods they eat, so people can track their calories and boost weight loss.  But “calorie counting” can be a tedious endeavor. Now, there is an app that can do the counting for you.  “My Fitness Pal” is a free app that allows you to note everything you eat throughout the day.  Users can look up popular food brands and dishes from restaurants to calculate their nutritional value.  There is even a section for logging calories burned through exercise. A recent study from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Ill., found that people who used a mobile app to track eating and activity lost an average of 15 pounds – and kept the weight off for at least a year. However, the study authors noted that technology alone is not enough to ensure weight loss.  Of the 69 overweight and obese adults the researchers examined, all were offered nutrition and exercise classes to help maintain their body weight throughout the rest of the year.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/new-app-helps-to-boost-weight-loss-by-tracking-calories/

H1N1 flu outbreak kills 17 in Venezuela

An outbreak of H1N1 flu has killed 17 people in Venezuela and infected another 250, private media and local authorities said on Monday. H1N1, often referred to as swine flu, was a flu strain that swept around in the world in a 2009/2010 pandemic. “We're suffering a tail-end of the pandemic,” a former Venezuelan health minister, Rafael Orihuela, told a local TV station, commenting on the widespread reports of 17 deaths in the South American nation of 29 million people. Most of the cases were in border states near Colombia. Venezuela's government has not confirmed the figures given by media and local health authorities. But officials said high-risk groups had largely been immunized, with 3 million vaccinations carried out so far this year. The World Health Organization's (WHO) official data show 18,500 people were reported killed in the 2009/2010 H1N1 pandemic, but a study in The Lancet last year said the actual death toll may have been up to 15 times higher at more than 280,000.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/28/h1n1-flu-outbreak-kills-17-in-venezuela/

Mystery illnesses in Alabama mostly colds and flu, tests show

Officials investigating a cluster of mysterious illnesses in Alabama have so far found only cold and flu viruses. In tests on seven of the nine patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found no sign that the illnesses were caused by any single germ, CDC spokeswoman Sharon Hoskins said in an email. Meanwhile, Alabama officials said they had added two more cases to the cluster, which included two earlier deaths. Seven of the cases were reported last week, including the deaths. The two new illnesses were reported this week. Most of the nine were treated at Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, but one was seen at a hospital in Crenshaw County. Health officials have described the patients as ranging in age from 20 to more than 80. The nine people suffered a flu-like illness with symptoms like fever, cough and shortness of breath. Mysterious illnesses are always unnerving, but the cluster report came at a particularly sensitive time. Health officials have been monitoring two deadly new illnesses that recently surfaced in different parts of the world — one a deadly form of bird flu that has appeared in China, the other a SARS-like coronavirus that seems to have originated in the Middle East. The bird flu has caused 131 illnesses and 32 deaths since the beginning of the year, according to the World Health Organization. The SARS-like virus (called MERS) has been identified as the cause of 44 illnesses, including 22 deaths, the WHO said. Neither seems to be highly contagious so far, and neither illness has been reported in the United States. But in a world of daily international air travel, it's always possible that a concerning new germ will hitchhike on an infected globetrotter and enter this country. The CDC tested the Alabama patients for MERS, for different forms of flu and for more than a dozen other illnesses, the agency spokeswoman said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/23/mystery-illness-in-alabama-mostly-colds-and-flu-tests-show/

Increase in HIV infections among Navajo prompt fears of epidemic

An increase in HIV infections among the Navajo people in Gallup, N.M. has the medical community concerned over a possible epidemic, the New York Times reported. Among the reservation’s population, 47 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in 2012, which is a 20 percent increase from 2011, according to a report released last month by the federal Indian Health Service. Furthermore, data has revealed that cases of HIV among the Navajo have increased almost five-fold since 1999. “I’m scared to death,”  Dr. Jonathan Iralu, an infectious disease specialist who compiled the report and runs an HIV clinic in the impoverished Navajo community, told the New York Times. “The numbers show there is a dangerous rise, and the time to act is now, before it’s too late.” The tally of new cases within the tribe this year is the highest annual number recorded by the Indian Health Service. “I’m afraid that if we wait too long,” Dr. Iralu said, “it could turn into a true epidemic.” Iralu said that in the past, most cases of HIV in Native American communities would occur when members contracted the virus while traveling outside of the reservation and would then returning with the disease. However, he now believes that the infection is spreading within the reservation.   Despite the fact that education and routine screening programs have improved, there’s still a large stigma surrounding HIV in the Navajo community. Many of the reservation’s members are reluctant to discuss sex in public – and those with HIV often keep their disease a secret from family and friends, the New York Times reported. To combat these barriers to prevention, the Indian Health Service dedicated $5 million over the past three years for communities to create HIV various treatment and education programs. The Navajo AIDS network, the tribe’s health department and Iralu’s clinic are reportedly working on outreach efforts – such as running public service announcements, using social media to promote awareness and distributing condoms. Early detection remains critical among Native American communities. Though new infection rates among Navajos are roughly equal to infection rates among whites and lower than black and Hispanic communities, survival rates for Indians are much lower than other racial groups. Iralu suspects that lower screening rates, along with the increased risk among American Indian communities for diseases like diabetes or drug and alcohol abuse are contributing factors to the higher death rates. Click for more from the New York Times.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/21/increase-in-hiv-infections-among-navajo-prompt-fears-epidemic/

Combined supplements no better for cholesterol

The cholesterol-lowering agent red yeast rice, an alternative treatment method for patients that can't tolerate statin drugs, doesn't work any better when a plant-derived compound called sterol is added to it, according to a new study.  “I expected to see a synergistic effect with red yeast rice, and I was shocked to see no effects whatsoever,” the study's lead author Dr. David Becker said. Statin drugs like Lipitor are the first-line option for lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, or “bad cholesterol,” for patients at risk for heart disease, said Becker, a cardiologist with Temple Health Systems in Philadelphia. But while 15 million Americans take statin drugs, according to IMS Health, “10 to 20 percent of people can't tolerate statins and stop them,” said Becker, because of bothersome side effects, like muscle pain. Some of those people turn to red yeast rice, which is made by culturing yeast on the grain, and contains a statin-like compound that slows the body from making its own cholesterol. Red yeast rice supplements usually cost about $20 for a bottle of between 100 and 200 600-milligram tablets. Previous studies found that phytosterols, plant-derived steroids found in vegetable oil, lower LDL levels when used alone. Outside of dietary sources like margarine, phytosterol supplements are available in drug stores for about $20 for 200 900-milligram tablets. The study included 220 people with high LDL, averaging around 150 milligrams per deciliter, who had discontinued or declined statins prescribed by their doctor. (For people without heart disease risk factors, national U.S. guidelines recommend levels below 130.) They all took 1,800 milligrams of red yeast rice twice per day. Half of the group also took two 450-milligram tablets of phytosterols twice daily, while others took a placebo, for one year. Half of the participants attended meetings with doctors, dietitians and exercise physiologists for three months and was told to exercise and eat a Mediterranean diet for the rest of the year. The other half did not have special diet or exercise instructions. There was no difference in LDL cholesterol between the phytosterol or placebo groups at three months, six months or one year, according to the study published in the American Heart Journal. “There was absolutely no effect of phytosterols in any manner across the board,” Becker said. Though the diet and exercise group members seemed to have a head start at lowering their LDL, at the end of the study both groups had arrived at the same average of about 110 milligrams per deciliter. SEVERAL LIMITATIONS The trial had several limitations, according to Dr. Jeffrey Shanes, a cardiologist at Loyola-Gottlieb Memorial and Elmhurst Memorial Hospitals in Melrose Park, Illinois. About 30 percent of study participants dropped out of the trial after being screened and put in a treatment group, Shanes, who was not involved in the study, said. The statin-like compound in red yeast rice can cause the same muscle pain as synthetic statins for some patients, he said. Red yeast rice contains some sterols of its own, so it's possible that adding more sterols didn't appear to lower LDL any further because they were already in play, Shanes said. Becker would recommend diet and exercise before red yeast rice, he said. Batches subject to poor quality control may contain a potentially fatal liver-damaging byproduct of yeast fermentation, for example. And it may also increase the risk of muscle injury when combined with other cholesterol drugs. “Under no circumstances should people be going to Walgreens and getting red yeast rice because of the potential drug interactions, because every batch is different,” Shanes said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/17/combined-supplements-no-better-for-cholesterol/