Health Highlights: April 17, 2013

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Surgical Complications Profitable for Hospitals: Study

Surgical errors help boost hospitals' profits and some would end up losing money if they took better care of patients, according to a new study.

The researchers explained that mistakes can add cash to hospitals' coffers because insurers pay them for the longer patient stays and extra care associated with surgical complications that could have been prevented, The New York Times reported.

Altering the payment system so that poor care is not rewarded could help reduce surgical complication rates, said the study authors from the Boston Consulting Group, Harvard's schools of medicine and public health, and Texas Health Resources, a nonprofit hospital system.

The team analyzed the records of more than 34,000 patients who had surgery in 2010 at one of 12 hospitals operated by Texas Health Resources. Of those, 1,820 had one or more preventable surgical complications, such as blood clots, pneumonia or infected incisions, The Times reported.

The median length of stay for patients with these complications was 14 days, about four times longer than for patients without complications. Hospital revenue averaged $49,400 for a patient with complications and $18,900 for a patient without complications, according to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers said they are not suggested that hospitals are trying to make money by deliberately causing surgical complications or refusing to remedy the problem. But they said the current payment system makes it difficult for hospitals to make changes because improvements in patient care can end up costing them money, The Times reported.

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Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Common in Raw Meat: FDA Report

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present in a significant amount of raw meat sold in the United States, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.

Tests conducted by the agency found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 81 percent of raw ground turkey, 69 percent of pork chops, 55 percent of ground beef and 39 percent of chicken, CNN reported.

In addition, there were significant amounts of salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria, which cause millions of cases of food poisoning a year in the U.S. Of the chicken samples tested, 53 percent had an antibiotic-resistant form of E. coli.

In livestock, antibiotics are used to prevent disease and to boost growth. In 2011, nearly 30 million pounds of antibiotics were sold for use in meat and poultry, compared with nearly 8 million pounds for human use, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.

"Antibiotic use in animals is out of hand," Dr. Gail Hansen, a veterinarian and senior officer for the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming, told CNN. The campaign's goal is to curb the overuse of antibiotics in food production.

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Pet Hedgehogs Linked to Salmonella Outbreak: CDC

Pet hedgehogs have been identified as the cause of a salmonella outbreak that sickened 23 people in 9 states and led to one death, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The illnesses were reported between December 26, 2011 and March 5, 2013 and occurred in: Alabama (1), Idaho (1), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Michigan (3), Minnesota (3), Ohio (5), Oregon (1), and Washington (7).

Thirty-five percent of people who became ill were hospitalized and one death was reported in Washington. Children age 10 and younger accounted for 39 percent of patients, the CDC said.

Investigators linked the outbreak to contact with pet hedgehogs bought from a number of breeders in different states.

The CDC said people should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately after touching hedgehogs or anything in the area where the animals live and roam. Adults should supervise young children as they wash their hands.

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FDA Should Have Been Tougher With Compounding Pharmacies: Commissioner

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should have taken stronger action against compounding pharmacies like the one linked to a meningitis outbreak last year, agency commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg admitted to Congress Tuesday.

Because it had become overly concerned about avoiding lawsuits, the FDA did not control compounding pharmacies as effectively as it could have, Hamburg said at a hearing before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, The New York Times reported.

"I think we allowed ourselves to be far too cautious because of fears of litigation that might further undermine our authority," she explained. "That should not happen. Public health should not be impeded by those kinds of legal regulatory ambiguities."

Hamburg added: "We weren't as aggressive as we could have been, and I regret that," The Times reported.

The commissioner also repeated concerns that the FDA still lacked the authority to force compounding pharmacies to follow tougher safety standards, but some committee members expressed doubts about that claim.

In the outbreak last fall, more than 50 people died and 680 more became ill with fungal meningitis after receiving injections of a contaminated steroid made by the New England Compounding Center.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Could Turtle Gene Findings Aid Human Health?

WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have decoded the DNA of the western painted turtle in the hopes that a greater understanding of these reptiles could one day improve treatment for people who suffer a heart attack or stroke.

The researchers identified 19 genes in the turtles' brain and 23 in the heart that are activated in situations with low oxygen. These genes also occur in humans. The study authors said their findings might lead to treatments to repair tissue damage due to oxygen deprivation associated with cardiovascular emergencies.

"Turtles are nothing short of an enigma," senior study author Richard Wilson, director of Washington University's Genome Institute, said in a university news release. "They may be slowly evolving, but turtles have developed an array of enviable features. They resist growing old, can reproduce even at advanced ages and their bodies can freeze solid, thaw and survive without damaging delicate organs and tissues. We could learn a lot from them."

Turtles evolve very slowly -- at about one-third of the rate of human evolution -- found the team of researchers from several institutions, including Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis University and the University of California, Los Angeles. The body design of turtles has not changed much in 210 million years.

By examining the turtle's DNA, the researchers found that turtles are more closely related to birds than other reptiles, such as lizards and snakes. They are also able to withstand oxygen deprivation not by relying on new genes, but by activating gene networks found in humans and most other vertebrates and using those genes in new ways.

"This is a backdoor route for turtles to evolve," study co-author Patrick Minx, of the Genome Institute, said in the news release. "Rather than evolve new genes, they adapted existing genes for new uses."

Up to 50 percent of the 330 turtle species worldwide are considered threatened, however, primarily due to human consumption, the researchers said. Although claims have been made that eating turtles can help people live longer or cure cancer, these are unsubstantiated, the researchers added.

Changes in turtles' habitats have also played a role in their global decline.

"The challenge is to preserve the rich diversity of turtles that still exist on Earth as we continue to unravel their secrets for success," study first author H. Bradley Shaffer, of UCLA, said in the news release. "Turtles have a tremendous amount to tell us about evolution and human health, but time is running out."

The study was published online recently in the journal Genome Biology.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Washington University in St. Louis, news release, April 3, 2013

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Baking after Eating Disorder - NEED HELP!

hi everyone :)

a few months ago i become slightly anorexic with my lowest bmi being 17. So it wasnt drastic but my parents still sent me to an inpatient clinic as there was things that happend in my past that i needed to sort out. I have been out for about 2 months. I am 174cm tall, almost 18 years old and i weigh currently 58kgs. Whenever i calculate my bmi it says i am a normal weight, but my parents and dietitian are insisting i get to a weight of atleast 60 kgs. I am currently not doing an sport which really doesnt help much. 

My huge problem is that I bake standard slab cakes to sell to my farm workers to earn more for the holiday coming up. I need the money and therefore can't stop baking. I tend to binge on the raw cake batter and the icing. I don't know how to stop myself and afterwards I absolutely feel sick to my stomach, does any one have any advice for me to stop this?

Thanks :) 

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See Jon Hamm guest starring in Sesame Street

Jon Hamm has made a surprise appearance in a special edition of Sesame Street.

The Mad Men actor appears with Elmo, who is making a sculpture and goes on to tell the audience about the day's word, which is surprise, surprise "sculpture".

Sporting a beard, Jon Hamm shows examples of sculptures made of clay, marble and steel.

"Can we please show your sculpture now, Elmo, before I get a hernia?" he jokes, before Elmo shows the audience his masterpiece.

WATCH JON HAMM'S GUEST APPEARANCE BELOW

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MAD MEN: SEASON SIX

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Volunteering May Be Good for the Heart in More Ways Than One

Time spent helping others linked to lower blood pressure in older adults, study finds

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- Anyone who has ever been a volunteer knows that it feels good to help others, but researchers have found a less obvious benefit: volunteering can help reduce older adults' risk of high blood pressure.

The new study included more than 1,100 adults, aged 51 to 91, who were interviewed about their volunteering and had their blood pressure checked in 2006 and 2010. All of them had normal blood pressure at the time of the first interview.

The investigators found that participants who said during the first interview that they volunteered for at least 200 hours per year were 40 percent less likely to have high blood pressure four years later than those who did not volunteer.

It didn't matter what type of activity the volunteers performed. Only the amount of time spent helping others as a volunteer was associated with a reduced risk of high blood pressure, according to the study scheduled for publication in the journal Psychology and Aging.

The findings suggest that volunteering may be an effective medicine-free option to help prevent high blood pressure, which is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease -- the leading cause of death in the United States. High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects about 65 million Americans.

"Every day, we are learning more about how negative lifestyle factors like poor diet and lack of exercise increase hypertension risk," lead author Rodlescia Sneed, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, said in a university news release.

"Here, we wanted to determine if a positive lifestyle factor like volunteer work could actually reduce disease risk. And, the results give older adults an example of something that they can actively do to remain healthy and age successfully," Sneed explained.

"As people get older, social transitions like retirement, bereavement and the departure of children from the home often leave older adults with fewer natural opportunities for social interaction," Sneed noted. "Participating in volunteer activities may provide older adults with social connections that they might not have otherwise. There is strong evidence that having good social connections promotes healthy aging and reduces risk for a number of negative health outcomes."

While the study found an association between time spent volunteering and blood pressure levels, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

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Man Arrested in Tainted Letter Case, Officials Report

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- A Mississippi man has been arrested in connection with the sending of letters suspected of being tainted with the deadly toxin ricin to President Obama and a Republican senator, federal agents said Wednesday night.

The FBI has identified the suspect as Paul Kevin Curtis of Corinth, Miss., according to the New York Times.

On Wednesday, officials reported that a preliminary, inconclusive test suggests the deadly toxin ricin was in a letter sent to President Obama on Tuesday, officials report.

The letter was intercepted at the White House mail screening facility, which is not located near the White House complex, USA Today reported Wednesday.

The preliminary test showed evidence of ricin, but the FBI said only a complete second test can confirm if the letter actually did contain the deadly poison, the Associated Press reported.

Ricin, which is found in the castor oil plant, can prove deadly if inhaled, one expert noted.

"Without a doubt, ricin is toxic," said Victoria Richards, a toxicologist and assistant professor of medical sciences at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

"If castor beans are eaten [about 20 for an adult] death can occur in six to eight days," Richards said. "When concentrated, ricin powder may be lethal in a much shorter timeframe. There is a process called oral inhalation, in which powders or aerosolized agents [depending on the particle size] can be deposited in the mouth and eventually swallowed."

If swallowed, "ricin will cause nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and dehydration," Richards added. "Multiple organ damage also occurs, and eventually death."

At least three U.S. senators also reported receiving suspicious mail in recent days. A letter sent to Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., tested positive for ricin in a preliminary test. On Wednesday morning, a suspicious letter was received by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and a suspicious package was received by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

"We do not know yet if the mail presented a threat," Levin said, USA Today reported.

The letter received by Wicker on Tuesday contained a "white granular substance" and was quarantined before the initial test indicated that the substance was ricin. The letter was intercepted at an off-site mail facility. The material has been sent to an accredited laboratory for further analysis.

The president was briefed on the suspicious letters on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning, said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, USA Today reported.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Victoria Richards, Ph.D., assistant professor of medical sciences, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Conn; USA Today

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Ab/core

Anyone know of any good ab/core exercises that aren't sit ups or crunches? I've got this popping noise in my left hip that happens when I do sit ups. The only thing I know about are planks. 

TIA

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Brain Changes Seen in Relatives of People With Alzheimer's

By Denise Mann
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- If Alzheimer's disease runs in your family, you may be more likely to have brain changes associated with the disorder even before symptoms such as memory and thinking problems occur, according to new research.

An estimated 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, a number expected to increase dramatically as the baby boomer generation ages. The Alzheimer's Association predicts that the number of people aged 65 and older with the condition will reach 7.1 million by 2025.

To get a better handle on risk for Alzheimer's disease, researchers at Duke University looked at brain scans of more than 250 adults aged 55 to 89. Some had no signs of memory or thinking problems, while others did.

The researchers also analyzed genes and other markers in spinal fluid that are known to help predict Alzheimer's risk. A variation in the APOE gene was seen among those participants who were at greater risk for earlier onset of Alzheimer's.

Individuals who had a parent or sibling with Alzheimer's disease showed silent brain changes, the study found.

Specifically, close to 50 percent of healthy participants with a positive family history would have met the criteria for early Alzheimer's disease based on measurements of their cerebrospinal fluid, but just 20 percent of those without a family history would have fulfilled such criteria. The findings appear online April 17 in the journal PLoS ONE.

"In early-onset Alzheimer's disease, the genetics are much more clear-cut and we can test family members and know if they will develop Alzheimer's," said senior author Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke.

It is not as clear-cut, however, when it comes to later-onset Alzheimer's, Doraiswamy said. "The genetics are much more complex, and although we know these individuals are at a slightly greater risk, we don't know when they start developing silent brain changes," he said. "[The new study is] documenting very clearly that asymptomatic family members have twice the rate of silent brain changes and that these changes happen in certain pathways known to be related to Alzheimer's disease."

The findings may help advance research that seeks to prevent Alzheimer's disease by using drugs, he said, and it's not a reason to panic and start to think the worst if you have a family history of the disease. "The findings don't suggest you should worry any more or any less," he said.

Although the study found an association between having a family history of Alzheimer's and showing brain changes related to the disease, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

"Having a family history does not mean you will get Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's division at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. You may be at a higher risk for developing it, but it is not predestined, said Isaacson, who was not involved with the new study.

"Make brain-healthy choices now to help lower this risk," he suggested. "We know that if it is good for the heart it is good for the brain." Such choices include engaging in regular physical activity and eating a healthy low-fat diet.

"It's also important to keep your brain fit by doing something you enjoy -- whether crossword puzzles or learning a foreign language -- every day," Isaacson said.

"If you have a family history, get educated and informed about positive lifestyle choices and consider taking part in an Alzheimer's prevention trial," he said. "We can finally say 'Alzheimer's disease' and 'prevention' in the same sentence, and that is a great thing."

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., professor of psychiatry and medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.; Richard Isaacson, M.D., director, Alzheimer's division, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; April 17, 2013, PLoS ONE

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Zumba Launches Fight Against Hunger

There are things that are good for you (exercise), and things that are good for the world (charity). And there's only so many hours in a day so a girl's gotta multitask, right? Cue Zumba Fitness, the crazy party workout, and its just-launched Great Calorie Drive, that benefits Feeding America and the United Nations World Food Programme. How it goes down: for every class you take, Zumba will donate 750 calories worth of food to these charities. (This means that when you're burning off last night's French fries, you'll be giving someone a bowl of oatmeal).

Zumba is challenging the world to donate 2.6 billion calories, which will mean 3.5 million meals by the time the challenge ends in June. That's a huge amount of food, right? Consider that 870 million people worldwide are affected by hunger, so we need to all do our part -- and all you have to do is dance! Just download the app and check in when you attend a Zumba class. Before you go, snag a cute "Burn Baby Burn" racerback tank or cargo pants -- 30% of the sale of World Hunger Stopper apparel goes to Feeding America and the WFP. Sweat for charity and clothes? Sold.

RELATED LINKS:

Image Credit: Tom Rafalovich

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calorie consumption

Hi, I need a little help or really some opinions with how many calories I should consume and still be on track to lose a little weight(ideally no more than 9lbs). I am 5'6.5 and 133.6lbs, 22 and female. I did my BMR which is around ~1439 and then multiplying that by 1.55 for moderate activity gives me ~2,230. Then I subtract 500 which allows me 1,730. Now I've always counted calories since forever I can remember and have always ate around 1500 to 1600 max when I'm in a routine (I don't count when I have cheat days every so often). 1,730 seems high to me anyone else think different? What I really mean is I am terrified to eat more and perhaps gain! By moderate activity, I will help specify, I do hot yoga 2-3 times a week, strength training 2x a week and cardio 1-2 times a week( I know I should be doing more cardio but I hate it) all of these activities for 1 hour. I burn anywhere from 200-500 calories according to my polar heart rate monitor. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

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Fecal Transplant Studied for Kids With Bowel Disease

WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Fecal transplantation -- an innovative enema treatment -- may help reduce or eliminate symptoms of ulcerative colitis in most children and young adults, according to a small study.

The process, formally called fecal microbial transplantation, involves placing stool from a healthy donor into a recipient's intestines in order to restore healthy bacteria.

The early clinical trial -- the first in the United States to study the process in children -- was conducted by a team at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The study included 10 participants, aged 7 to 20 years, with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. Enemas were used to give the patients lab-prepared stool samples from a healthy adult donor. Each patient received five such treatments within one week.

Seventy-eight percent of the patients had a reduction in ulcerative colitis symptoms within a week, and 67 percent still had reduced symptoms a month after fecal transplantation. Thirty-three percent of the patients no longer had any symptoms of ulcerative colitis after the process.

No serious side effects were noted, according to the study, which was published online and in the June print issue of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition.

Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the large intestine, or colon, and rectum, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, cramping, bloody diarrhea, pus in the stool, fever, rectal pain, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, mouth sores, skin lesions and slow growth in children.

The disease often forces children to miss school and limit their social activities.

Fecal transplantation "has been proposed as a promising new treatment option for recurrent C. difficile infection and possibly for ulcerative colitis," lead investigator and pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Sachin Kunde said in a hospital news release.

"We believe that the procedure may restore 'abnormal' bacteria to 'normal' in patients with ulcerative colitis," Kunde said. "Our short-term study looked at the safety and tolerability of [fecal microbial transplantation] for these patients."

Larger and longer studies are needed before the process could be recommended for clinical practice, the researchers said.

As many as 700,000 Americans have ulcerative colitis, and approximately 25 percent are diagnosed during childhood, according to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. Kunde said fecal transplantation could offer patients a natural, inexpensive treatment option.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, news release, April 2013

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i can't stop overeating for various reasons?!

argh!

i've been overeating a lot lately, as in some days 3000/4000 when i'm at a healthy weight and don't exercise, so my metabolism is pretty slow.

basically it seems everyone around me is trying to feed me like crazy and i give in easily to their high calorie food. when i'm at home on my own all day i can eat healthily using a basic plan but if one thing throws off my normal routine BAM it ends up being a binge!

any ideas to help prevent this? :(

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Clinical Trials Helped One Woman's Fight Against Cancer

And new tool for finding the right match may help others get novel treatments

By Barbara Bronson Gray

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Monica Barlow, a 35-year-old from Maryland, was training for a half-marathon when she noticed she couldn't shake a bad cough and ongoing fatigue. After a couple of rounds of antibiotics from an urgent care clinic didn't work, she sought another opinion.

A CT scan brought wrenching news: There was a tumor in her left lung.

"I never smoked, I eat well, exercise and had never had any medical problems prior to this," Barlow said. "To say it was a shock doesn't even begin to describe it."

Four years later, Barlow has been through a series of ups and downs. After learning the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and liver, she started chemotherapy, which only shrunk the tumors temporarily. She then joined two consecutive clinical trials, each offering to help control her cancer with novel drugs.

Barlow, who is director of public relations for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, credits her participation in those clinical trials with prolonging her life.

Clinical trials test potentially promising treatments for a wide range of challenging diseases. But it can be difficult to find a good match for your particular situation and tough to know where to start looking. Even when you join a suitable trial, the outcomes are far from a sure thing.

Such has been the case for Barlow.

After she found out the lung cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and liver, she started an 18-week course of intravenous chemotherapy -- carboplatin, pemetrexed (Alimta) and bevacizumab (Avastin). Then there was some good news: The treatment had stabilized or shrunk all of the tumors.

A year later, her doctor found that the liver tumors were back. Because he discovered Barlow carried the ALK gene mutation, he suggested she join a clinical trial for a medication called crizotinib (Xalkori).

Initially, she didn't know if she was taking the real drug or a placebo. "That was a concern," she said. "It wasn't great to hear; it was stressful." Later in the trial, all patients were able to get the actual drug and placebos were no longer given to anyone, she said.

Barlow took Xalkori for two years, but last year the cancer returned yet again, requiring three ablations (localized methods to destroy a tumor without removing it) and two chemoembolizations (which deliver chemotherapy directly to the liver tumor while minimizing exposure to healthy tissues). Those procedures were not effective, and the next step was surgery to remove almost half of her liver.

Then, when tumor growth appeared in the new liver tissue that had grown back after the surgery, her doctors suggested she try a second clinical trial for a drug called LDK 378, which is being developed by Novartis.

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Deep Brain Stimulation Studied as Last-Ditch Obesity Treatment

No major side effects seen in 3 patients over nearly 3 years

By Amy Norton

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- For the first time, researchers have shown that implanting electrodes in the brain's "feeding center" can be safely done -- in a bid to develop a new treatment option for severely obese people who fail to shed pounds even after weight-loss surgery.

In a preliminary study with three patients, researchers found that they could safely use the therapy, known as deep brain stimulation (DBS). Over almost three years, none of the patients had any serious side effects, and two even lost some weight -- but it was temporary.

"The first thing we needed to do was to see if this is safe," said lead researcher Dr. Donald Whiting, vice chairman of neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. "We're at the point now where it looks like it is."

The study, reported in the Journal of Neurosurgery and at a meeting this week of the International Neuromodulation Society in Berlin, Germany, was not meant to test effectiveness.

So the big remaining question is, can deep brain stimulation actually promote lasting weight loss?

"Nobody should get the idea that this has been shown to be effective," Whiting said. "This is not something you can go ask your doctor about."

Right now, deep brain stimulation is sometimes used for tough-to-treat cases of Parkinson's disease, a movement disorder that causes tremors, stiff muscles, and balance and coordination problems. A surgeon implants electrodes into specific movement-related areas of the brain, then attaches those electrodes to a neurostimulator placed under the skin near the collarbone.

The neurostimulator continually sends tiny electrical pulses to the brain, which in turn interferes with the abnormal activity that causes tremors and other symptoms.

What does that have to do with obesity? In theory, Whiting explained, deep brain stimulation might be able to "override" brain signaling involved in eating, metabolism or feelings of fullness. Research in animals has shown that electrical stimulation of a particular area of the brain -- the lateral hypothalamic area -- can spur weight loss even if calorie intake stays the same.

The new study marks the first time that deep brain stimulation has been tried in that brain region. And it's an important first step to show that not only could these three severely obese people get through the surgery, but they also seemed to have no serious effects from the brain stimulation, said Dr. Casey Halpern, a neurosurgeon at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the research.

"That shows us this is a therapy that should be studied further in a larger trial," said Halpern, who has done animal research exploring the idea of using deep brain stimulation for obesity.

"Obesity is a major problem," Halpern said, "and current therapies, even gastric bypass surgery, don't always work. There is a medical need for new therapies."

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