Posts
Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Is Peanut Butter unhealthy?
Calorie Count always ranks Peanut Butter as either a C or D when I go to log it, and generally there are no negative points for it. There are a couple pros, but no cons, according to the site, yet it's ranked poorly, probably due to its higher calorie count, right? I'm just trying to figure out why else it's ranked to be nutritionally not so good for you. I've heard great things about peanut butter's health benefits in the past, so I'm just a bit confused. Also, I have one serving of peanut butter on toast for breakfast nearly daily and when I look at my daily analysis, for breakfast the 16g of healthy fat I'm consuming from the PB shows up in red, meaning I'm over-consuming bad nutrients, according to the key. It's one serving- how is eating one serving of something over-consuming it and unhealthy? If you eat the peanut butter without hydrogenated oils and everything, you're getting healthy fats that your body needs, plus some protein. Is it really bad to have two tablespoons- one serving- of peanut butter at a time? Or is CC highlighting that in red unnecessarily? Thanks!
Nails Need Love, Too
SATURDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- If you want healthy and attractive nails, you have to take good care of them.
"Nails need to be moisturized, especially after removing nail polish, so be sure to apply a cream regularly," Dr. Phoebe Rich, a clinical adjunct professor of dermatology at Oregon Health Science University, said in an American Academy of Dermatology news release.
"Always protect your cuticles. Never cut or forcefully push back your cuticles, as doing so could lead to an infection. If you must push them back, only do so gently after a shower or bath," she explained.
If you go to a nail salon, check for cleanliness. Are the stations clean? Does the nail technician wash her hands between clients? Are there dirty tools lying around?
Ask how the salon cleans its tools and find out if your nail technician has the necessary experience and/or license, if required, she added.
Rich also said there is no proof that immersing nails in gelatin makes them stronger. She added that polishes that contain strengthening ingredients increase nail stiffness, which may make nails break more often.
Artificial nails are fine for people with healthy nails, as long as they are not worn continuously, Rich said. Do not wear artificial nails to cover up nail problems, as they may make these problems worse. Artificial nails are not recommended for people who have brittle nails or are prone to fungal infections.
-- Robert Preidt 
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: American Academy of Dermatology, news release, April 2013
Health Tip: Lower Your Blood Pressure
(HealthDay News) -- High blood pressure increases a person's risk for heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this advice for people whose pressure is too high:
Cut back on salt in your diet, and increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.Get plenty of regular exercise.Lose weight if you're overweight or obese.Don't smoke, and limit alcohol intake.Take any prescribed blood pressure medication as directed. Talk to your doctor if you have side effects from any medication.-- Diana Kohnle
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
BPA Exposure Tied to Undescended Testicles in Boys
Early study doesn't prove that common chemical causes the condition, experts say
By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Fetal exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to low levels of a key developmental hormone in newborn boys with undescended testicles, according to an early new study.
The research adds to the list of growing health concerns related to BPA, which is widely used in food packaging. Government studies have shown that 92 percent of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies.
This study focused on boys with cryptorchidism, the medical term for undescended testicles. The condition occurs in 2 percent to 5 percent of newborn boys, according to the authors, and requires surgery to bring the testes out of the abdominal cavity. Boys born with cryptorchidism have an increased risk of fertility problems and testicular cancer in adulthood.
The researchers found that boys with cryptorchidism who had high levels of BPA in their fetal cord blood also had low levels of the hormone insulin-like 3, or INSL3, one of two hormones that regulate descent of the testicles.
The findings do not draw a direct link between BPA and cryptorchidism, as the newborns with undescended testicles did not have greatly increased levels of BPA compared with newborns without the birth defect.
Researchers found, however, that the BPA level in newborns' cord blood inversely correlated with the level of INSL3. That is, the higher the BPA level, the lower the level of the important testicular hormone.
The study was presented Sunday at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco. The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
"Alone, our study cannot be considered as definitive evidence for an environmental cause of undescended testis," lead author Dr. Patrick Fenichel, professor and head of reproductive endocrinology at the University Hospital of Nice, in France, said in a society news release. "But it suggests, for the first time in humans, a link that could contribute to one co-factor of [unexplained] undescended testis, the most frequent congenital malformation in male newborns."
This appears to be the first study that shows a link between INSL3 levels and BPA, said Shanna Swan, a professor and vice chair for research and mentoring in the department of preventive medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City.
"This hormone INSL3 has not been, to my knowledge, previously linked to any endocrine-disrupting chemicals," Swan said. "It's interesting, definitely, and it's an important step."
For the study, Fenichel and his colleagues studied 180 newborn boys between 2003 and 2005, including 52 boys born with one or two undescended testicles. They tested the infants' umbilical cord blood to measure levels of BPA and INSL3.
Community Gardening May Reap Body Weight Benefit
FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- People with plots in community gardens are less likely to be overweight or obese than those who don't garden, a new study suggests.
"It has been shown previously that community gardens can provide a variety of social and nutritional benefits to neighborhoods," study author Cathleen Zick, a professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah, said in a university news release. "But until now, we did not have data to show a measurable health benefit for those who use the gardens."
She and her colleagues looked at the body-mass index (BMI) of 198 community gardeners in Salt Lake City and compared them to non-gardening neighbors. BMI is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight.
The BMI of female community gardeners was an average 1.84 points lower than their neighbors, a difference of 11 pounds for a 5-foot-5 woman. The BMI of male community gardeners was 2.36 points lower than their neighbors, a difference of 16 pounds for a man at 5 feet 10 inches.
Compared to nongardeners, the likelihood of being overweight or obese was 62 percent lower for male gardeners and 46 percent lower for female gardeners, according to the study appearing online April 18 in the American Journal of Public Health.
The researchers also found that gardeners had lower BMIs than their same-sex siblings. The average BMI was 1.88 lower for female community gardeners compared to their sisters and 1.33 lower for male community gardeners compared to their brothers.
There was no difference in BMI or the risk of being overweight between married gardeners and their spouses. That is not surprising because spouses would likely help out with gardening and benefit from eating the healthy foods produced in the garden, the study authors noted.
These findings support "the idea that community gardens are a valuable neighborhood asset that can promote healthier living. That could be of interest to urban planners, public health officials and others focused on designing new neighborhoods and revitalizing old ones," Zick said.
But while "these data are intriguing," she noted, "they were drawn from participants in a single community gardening organization in Salt Lake City and may not apply broadly until more research is done."
And although the study found an association between gardening and lower BMI, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: University of Utah, news release, April 18, 2013
Losing 2 Pounds Per Week Help !!
I am 186-187 Pounds, 5 Feets 7 Inches, 15 Years Old.
My BMR is 1970.
I have been doing some calculations and i just need to verify them.
Ok my BMR is 1970, multiply by 1.2 (Sedentary) its around 2400 Calories.
If i exercise to burn 600 calories and i decide to eat near my BMR at 2000,
Then I have a Calorie Deficit of 1000 Calories right? Its 2 pounds.
Will this work?
P.S: I'm thinking about doing this 2 pounds per week till 30 days, then ill start on 1 pound per week ( don't tell me why I'm doing it first at 2 pounds, not your concern or business )
Kids' Learning Disabilities May Have Multiple Causes
FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Up to 10 percent of children -- two or three kids in every classroom -- are thought to have learning disabilities, and a new review finds these disabilities have complex causes and suggests possible approaches.
Children frequently have more than one learning disability, the research showed. For example, 33 percent to 45 percent of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also have dyslexia and 11 percent also have dyscalculia.
Dyslexia is a reading, writing and spelling disability while dyscalculia is a math learning disability.
The study, published April 18 in the journal Science, outlines the underlying causes of learning disabilities and the best way to tailor individual teaching and learning for affected children. It also discusses how best to train teachers, school psychologists and doctors who deal with these children.
The researchers said that specific learning disabilities (SLDs) are the result of abnormal brain development caused by complicated genetic and environmental factors. This leads to conditions as dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment.
"We now know that there are many disorders of neurological development that can give rise to learning disabilities, even in children of normal or even high intelligence, and that crucially these disabilities can also co-occur far more often that you'd expect based on their prevalence," study author Brian Butterworth, a professor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of the University College London, said in a university news release.
In one example from the study, it might not be recognized that a child known to have ADHD also has dyslexia. By attributing reading problems to ADHD and treating it alone, teachers may not provide the specific learning program the child needs.
Researchers are "finally beginning to find effective ways to help learners with one or more SLDs, and although the majority of learners can usually adapt to the one-size-fits-all approach of whole class teaching, those with SLDs will need specialized support tailored to their unique combination of disabilities," Butterworth said.
-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: University College London, news release, April 18, 2013
Ciara Geraghty: GLAMOUR Book Club Inquisitor
To celebrate the launch of her latest novel, Lifesaving for Beginners, Ciara Geraghty shares some of her writing secrets with GLAMOUR…Where do you write?
The attic of my house. It's got two windows, a desk, a chair and a couch. It's also got a door that locks, which is essential when you live in a house with other people, especially when those other people are children whose standard greeting is 'I'm starving', or husbands who want to know if you've seen the charger for their Blackberry / the batteries for the TV remote / the lid of the 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter'…What's your writing schedule?
I start after the school run (let's call it 9.30am, to give me time to make tea and toast), commute to my attic and remain there until 1.30pm when I go to collect my youngest daughter. I check my mails / Twitter / Facebook first, then (this is the tricky bit) switch off the internet. I usually read over what I've written the day before, do some editing and then face the horror of the blank page, take a breath, and begin. Do you have any music to write by?
No. I am too easily distracted and much prefer writing in a quiet space. The characters come out to play when it's quiet…Who would play your main characters in the movie?
Love this question, as am big fan of the movies…
I used to. When I began to write, I did it mostly at night, when my family were safely tucked up in their beds. I'd open the laptop and a bottle of beer and we'd wander hand in hand into the world inside my head. It was lovely, so it was.Now however, writing is my JOB and with jobs come discipline, something I'm not too fond of… My writing time is from 9am to 1.30pm and, while I've given it a go, beer just doesn't taste as good at 9am as it does at 10pm. I think it might have something to do with toothpaste.What's the best advice you were ever given?
Don't ever try to read the instructions on the base of a camping gas cooker by the light of a match as this may result in your tent going up in flames and your eyebrows never being the same again….What was your favourite book when you were a kid?
It's got to be the Five Find Outers. Yes, all fifteen books, although perhaps the very first one - The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage - remains my favourite. Fatty - Frederick Algernon Trotteville - was my hero. I suppose what I loved about the books was the fact that the six children lived in this sleepy little village yet exciting things happened, every single time they came home from boarding school for the 'hols' and went to the café to stuff their faces with macaroons. I too lived in a sleepy little village but nothing ever happened. I didn't go to boarding school. Or say 'hols'. I'd never eaten a macaroon. But they made my mouth water, all the same.Do you have a favourite EVER book?
That's a terrible question to ask! Like asking someone to judge a cute baby contest…THEY'RE ALL CUTE!!! THEY'RE BABIES!!!But if you insist, then I'd have to say that there is one book that never strays from my 'top ten favourite books EVER' and that is An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan. The book tells the true story of the imprisonment of Brian Keenan - an Irish writer and academic - and John McCarthy - a British journalist - from 1986 to 1990 in Beirut. While the book deals with the hostile and sometimes brutal conditions the men endured during their captivity, it also captures the essence of friendship and companionship and love and this, for me, is what makes this book sing like a song you'll never forget.What are you reading right now?
I've just finished Strumpet City by James Plunkett Kelly which is Dublin's 'One City One Book' choice for 2013. It's set back in the time of the Lockout in Dublin in 1913 - led by Jim Larkin - and explores the lead up to the six month lockout of 20,000 of Dublin's workers and the fallout from it. It's a fictional story based on real events and set against a backdrop of vicious poverty. Spanning seven years, it tells the tale from several characters points of view, from the impoverished Rashers Tierney, who lives on his wits with his dog on the fringes of society, in the basement of a tenement building in Dublin, to members of upper classes and the clergy, where many people believed in charity but were nevertheless anxious that poor people should 'know their place.' It's a fantastic read, accessible and entertaining, with a great deal of resonance still, in these austerity-riddled times, even though the book was published back in 1969. Highly recommended.Which author has had the biggest impact on your writing?
Lots! I would say 'influences' include John Irving and Margaret Atwood. I love the quirkiness of their characters and the ease of their storytelling. I love Irish writers; Kevin Barry, Joseph O'Connor, Roddy Doyle, Marian Keyes, Yvonne Cassidy, Colum McCann, Edna O'Brien. All great story tellers. And great writers. Coming from such a small, insignificant island but surrounded on all sides by these talented, amazing writers, makes people like me think that....YES....I CAN DO IT TOO!!!!!How long does it take you to write a book?
About a year and a half, on average, give or take (me taking and my editor giving…that's how we work it…).Do you have any top tips for aspiring authors?
- Be honest. Stay true to your characters. Let them do what they will on the page, regardless of whether or not you think it's 'nice' or 'politically correct' or 'moral'. Readers will invest themselves in your characters when they are believable. There are so many aspects to people. This is what makes us interesting to each other. Show all sides of your characters to your readers and they will follow your characters wherever you take them.
The three Bs: Beach, Bath, Bed.How do you get inspiration for your books?
I got the germ of the idea for 'Lifesaving for Beginners' from a friend of mine who, one night, told me the story of her father's unmarried sisters, both of whom died within months of each other. Her father was going through their personal effects afterwards and found a birth certificate. One of his sisters had given birth to a baby years before and had given the child up for adoption. The child was adopted by an American couple. He never knew.
It's not a sprint - it's a marathon. But if you keep going, you'll reach the Nirvana of 'The' and 'End'. Even if you walked a marathon, you'd get to the finishing line…eventually. Be patient. Keep writing. The only way a book gets written is one word at a time.
The attic of my house. It's got two windows, a desk, a chair and a couch. It's also got a door that locks, which is essential when you live in a house with other people, especially when those other people are children whose standard greeting is 'I'm starving', or husbands who want to know if you've seen the charger for their Blackberry / the batteries for the TV remote / the lid of the 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter'…What's your writing schedule?
I start after the school run (let's call it 9.30am, to give me time to make tea and toast), commute to my attic and remain there until 1.30pm when I go to collect my youngest daughter. I check my mails / Twitter / Facebook first, then (this is the tricky bit) switch off the internet. I usually read over what I've written the day before, do some editing and then face the horror of the blank page, take a breath, and begin. Do you have any music to write by?
No. I am too easily distracted and much prefer writing in a quiet space. The characters come out to play when it's quiet…Who would play your main characters in the movie?
Love this question, as am big fan of the movies…
Kat Kavanagh (nearly 40-year old writer with writer's block and a secret from her past that's getting ready to rear its head): Cate Blanchett, a brilliant character actress, who does a great Oirish accent…
Milo McIntyre (Nine year old from Brighton - a dote!!): How about David Rawle (Martin Moone from Moone Boy)? Haven't seen the series but have seen pictures and read the reviews and believe he's a dote too!!
Thomas Cunningham (a journalist who calls himself a farmer on account of his five stony fields in Monaghan - the love interest) How about Owen Wilson (but can he do Oirish accent?)
Faith (Milo's big sister. She's 25, a singer / songwriter in a band, whose world has just come crashing down around her): It's got to be Charlene McKenna (the star of the Irish series, Pure Mule and Raw). She'd be perfect!
Minnie Driver (the accountant, not the actress. Kat's best friend. Eccentric, fierce and loyal): I think Minnie Driver could play her to a tee (the actress, not the fictional accountant…)
Janet Noble (Kat's mother and a very serious prize-winning author) - the amazing Irish actor, Fionnula Flanagan.
I used to. When I began to write, I did it mostly at night, when my family were safely tucked up in their beds. I'd open the laptop and a bottle of beer and we'd wander hand in hand into the world inside my head. It was lovely, so it was.Now however, writing is my JOB and with jobs come discipline, something I'm not too fond of… My writing time is from 9am to 1.30pm and, while I've given it a go, beer just doesn't taste as good at 9am as it does at 10pm. I think it might have something to do with toothpaste.What's the best advice you were ever given?
Don't ever try to read the instructions on the base of a camping gas cooker by the light of a match as this may result in your tent going up in flames and your eyebrows never being the same again….What was your favourite book when you were a kid?
It's got to be the Five Find Outers. Yes, all fifteen books, although perhaps the very first one - The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage - remains my favourite. Fatty - Frederick Algernon Trotteville - was my hero. I suppose what I loved about the books was the fact that the six children lived in this sleepy little village yet exciting things happened, every single time they came home from boarding school for the 'hols' and went to the café to stuff their faces with macaroons. I too lived in a sleepy little village but nothing ever happened. I didn't go to boarding school. Or say 'hols'. I'd never eaten a macaroon. But they made my mouth water, all the same.Do you have a favourite EVER book?
That's a terrible question to ask! Like asking someone to judge a cute baby contest…THEY'RE ALL CUTE!!! THEY'RE BABIES!!!But if you insist, then I'd have to say that there is one book that never strays from my 'top ten favourite books EVER' and that is An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan. The book tells the true story of the imprisonment of Brian Keenan - an Irish writer and academic - and John McCarthy - a British journalist - from 1986 to 1990 in Beirut. While the book deals with the hostile and sometimes brutal conditions the men endured during their captivity, it also captures the essence of friendship and companionship and love and this, for me, is what makes this book sing like a song you'll never forget.What are you reading right now?
I've just finished Strumpet City by James Plunkett Kelly which is Dublin's 'One City One Book' choice for 2013. It's set back in the time of the Lockout in Dublin in 1913 - led by Jim Larkin - and explores the lead up to the six month lockout of 20,000 of Dublin's workers and the fallout from it. It's a fictional story based on real events and set against a backdrop of vicious poverty. Spanning seven years, it tells the tale from several characters points of view, from the impoverished Rashers Tierney, who lives on his wits with his dog on the fringes of society, in the basement of a tenement building in Dublin, to members of upper classes and the clergy, where many people believed in charity but were nevertheless anxious that poor people should 'know their place.' It's a fantastic read, accessible and entertaining, with a great deal of resonance still, in these austerity-riddled times, even though the book was published back in 1969. Highly recommended.Which author has had the biggest impact on your writing?
Lots! I would say 'influences' include John Irving and Margaret Atwood. I love the quirkiness of their characters and the ease of their storytelling. I love Irish writers; Kevin Barry, Joseph O'Connor, Roddy Doyle, Marian Keyes, Yvonne Cassidy, Colum McCann, Edna O'Brien. All great story tellers. And great writers. Coming from such a small, insignificant island but surrounded on all sides by these talented, amazing writers, makes people like me think that....YES....I CAN DO IT TOO!!!!!How long does it take you to write a book?
About a year and a half, on average, give or take (me taking and my editor giving…that's how we work it…).Do you have any top tips for aspiring authors?
- Be honest. Stay true to your characters. Let them do what they will on the page, regardless of whether or not you think it's 'nice' or 'politically correct' or 'moral'. Readers will invest themselves in your characters when they are believable. There are so many aspects to people. This is what makes us interesting to each other. Show all sides of your characters to your readers and they will follow your characters wherever you take them.
- Write as if nobody will ever see your work. Don't think about what your mother might think. Or your husband. Or the parents on the PTA. Write as if you are a hermit in a cave who never meets anyone or goes anywhere. This is fiction; it's not an autobiography.
- The blank page is terrifying. So fill it up with words. It doesn't matter if you think what you're writing is terrible. That's what editing is for.
- Writing is like any other activity; the more you do it, the better you become. You have to practise. Have this as your mantra. It worked for Samuel Beckett: 'Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.'
- This bit isn't mine. I stole it from Hilary Mantel but I think it's a really good piece of advice. She says, 'Start with a bang. Are you doing the Haka or just shuffling your feet?' I don't think she's talking just about the very beginning of a book but also about the start of your chapters. Get to the action!!
- OK, here's the science bit: Go through whatever you're working on and delete every single adverb and most of the adjectives. Instead of those pesky things, strengthen your verbs. This will help your writing to jump off the page, right into your readers' heads!!
What's the best way to relax after writing?The three Bs: Beach, Bath, Bed.How do you get inspiration for your books?
I got the germ of the idea for 'Lifesaving for Beginners' from a friend of mine who, one night, told me the story of her father's unmarried sisters, both of whom died within months of each other. Her father was going through their personal effects afterwards and found a birth certificate. One of his sisters had given birth to a baby years before and had given the child up for adoption. The child was adopted by an American couple. He never knew.
The minute I heard the story I knew I wanted to write it. The idea of a woman who gives her baby away and gets on with the living of her life, never referring to it, never talking about it, perhaps never even thinking about it. It is almost as if it never happened. And although my story begins many years later, in 1987, things in Ireland hadn't really changed. I mean, in 1984, Ann Lovett, a 15-year old girl, gave birth to a baby boy, all alone, in the grounds of a church. They both died. I was fourteen then. I never forgot it. The loneliness of it. That kind of loneliness stays with you.
What's the one thing to remember when you're writing a novel?It's not a sprint - it's a marathon. But if you keep going, you'll reach the Nirvana of 'The' and 'End'. Even if you walked a marathon, you'd get to the finishing line…eventually. Be patient. Keep writing. The only way a book gets written is one word at a time.
Ciara Geraghty's latest novel, Lifesaving for Beginners, is out now in paperback, £6.99 http://amzn.to/16JZQiK Follow Ciara on twitter @ciarageraghty
« Back to more Entertainmentneed low sodium diet foods
Hello! My ENT has recommended a low sodium diet.. :/ and great food suggestions? Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.
Scientists Spot Cancer Metabolism Changes
SUNDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Hundreds of potential targets for new cancer drugs that could starve tumors have been identified by scientists who analyzed gene expression data from 22 types of malignancies.
The study revealed a number of cancer-associated changes in the metabolism of cells. To support their uncontrolled growth, cancer cells need to reprogram and "supercharge" a cell's normal metabolism, the researchers explained.
Pinpointing these metabolic changes could prove important in efforts to develop drugs that interfere with cancer metabolism, according to the study, which was published online April 21 in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
"The importance of this new study is its scope," lead investigator Dennis Vitkup, an associate professor of biomedical informatics at Columbia University Medical Center, said in a center news release. "So far, people have focused mainly on a few genes involved in major metabolic processes. Our study provides a comprehensive, global view of diverse metabolic alterations at the level of gene expression."
One of the major findings was that cancer-induced changes in metabolism are significantly different in various types of tumors.
"Our study clearly demonstrates that there are no single and universal changes in cancer metabolism," study co-author Dr. Matthew Vander Heiden, an assistant professor at MIT, said in the news release. "That means that to understand transformation in cancer metabolism, researchers will need to consider how different tumor types adapt their metabolism to meet their specific needs."
Targeting metabolism may be a way to strike cancer at its roots, according to Vitkup.
"You can knock out one, but the cells will usually find another pathway to turn on proliferation. Targeting metabolism may be more powerful, because if you starve a cell of energy or materials, it has nowhere to go," he explained.
-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Columbia University Medical Center, news release, April 21, 2013
Blood Test Might Predict Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Study Finds
Evidence of two autoantibodies signaled a 70 percent risk, researchers say
By Serena Gordon
HealthDay ReporterTUESDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes often seems to come out of the blue. But German researchers say they can predict who will likely develop the chronic disease.
Blood samples taken from children at increased genetic risk of type 1 diabetes reveal significant "preclinical" clues, the researchers found. The strongest predictor is the presence of two diabetes-related autoantibodies, they reported in the June 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"If you have two or more autoantibodies, it's nearly inevitable that you will develop the disease. Most people -- even physicians -- don't appreciate this risk," said Dr. Jay Skyler, deputy director for clinical research at the Diabetes Research Institute and a professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Skyler was not involved in the research.
Nearly 70 percent of youngsters with two diabetes-related autoantibodies developed type 1 diabetes over a 10-year period compared to less than 15 percent of kids with just one autoantibody, the researchers found.
Skyler, co-author of an accompanying journal editorial, said this study highlights the need for effective prevention strategies for type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone needed to turn the carbohydrates from food into fuel for the body.
To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must monitor their food intake and replace the lost insulin through injections or an insulin pump.
Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, and there's currently no known way to prevent or cure it, according to the JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Association). And unlike its more common counterpart, type 2 diabetes, the development of type 1 diabetes isn't linked to lifestyle choices.
The current study included children from Colorado, Finland and Germany who were followed from birth for as long as 15 years. Children in the Colorado and Finland study groups were included in the study if they had a specific genotype that indicated a genetic predisposition to developing type 1 diabetes. Children in the German study had to have a parent with type 1 diabetes to be included in the study.
More than 13,000 youngsters were recruited in all. During the study follow-up, the researchers found that nearly 1,100 children -- or about 8 percent of the total group -- developed one or more autoantibodies, which are markers for the destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
The vast majority of the children, despite their higher risk, remained free of type 1 diabetes and free of signs that the disease might develop.
"Autoantibodies are a marker for the risk of diabetes. [But] they are just markers; they are not causing the disease," said Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
Early, Severe Flu Season Caused Big Rise in Child Deaths: CDC
Senior hospitalizations also up during 2012-13 onslaught, U.S. health officials say
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- This past flu season started earlier, peaked earlier and led to more adult hospitalizations and child deaths than most flu seasons, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.
At least 149 children died, compared to the usual range of 34 to 123, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The predominant strain of flu circulating in 2012-13 -- H3N2 -- made the illness deadlier for children, explained Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist with the CDC.
"With children H3 viruses can be severe, but there was also a lot of influenza B viruses circulating . . . and for kids they can be bad, too," she said.
Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, added that H3N2 is easily transmitted from person to person and has a high rate of complications, which accounts for the increased hospitalizations.
"This is the kind of flu that enables other infections like pneumonia," he said. "Really what people need to know is that flu isn't the problem. The flu's effect on the immune system and fatigue is the problem."
The flu season started in September, which is unusually early, and peaked at the end of December, which is also unusual, Siegel said.
Flu season typically begins in December and peaks in late January or February.
Texas, New York and Florida had the most reported pediatric deaths. Except for the 2009-10 H1N1 flu pandemic, which killed at least 348 children, the past flu season was the deadliest since the CDC began collecting data on child flu deaths, according to the report, published in the June 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Older adults were targeted heavily by the 2012-13 flu. Those aged 65 and older accounted for more than half of all reported flu-associated hospitalizations in the 2012-13 flu season -- the most since the CDC started collecting data on flu hospitalizations in 2005-06, the agency reported.
In addition, more Americans saw a doctor for flu than in recent flu seasons, the CDC noted.
The flu vaccine was well matched to the circulating strains, but less effective than health officials had hoped. In January, the CDC reported that the vaccine was about 60 percent effective, which meant it offered "moderate" protection from the flu.
Siegel said even a moderately effective vaccine is better than not getting vaccinated at all because flu symptoms will be milder, with a lower chance of complications.
According to Brammer, decisions about the vaccine for this coming season were made in February so manufacturers could make a sufficient supply for fall. The makeup will be basically the same as the 2012-13 vaccine with some tweaks to some of the strains so they better match changes in the viruses, she said.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated. The agency urges people at higher risk for severe disease -- including young children, pregnant women, anyone with a chronic health problem and the elderly -- to get the vaccine.
Don't make any assumptions about the course of next season's flu based on the recent past, these experts added.
"I wouldn't assume next year's flu season is going to be milder or that it's going to be early," Siegel said. "The flu is unpredictable."
Because the 2012-13 flu season started several months earlier than usual, the CDC also advised doctors to consider influenza as the source of respiratory illnesses that occur beyond the typical flu window.
Ever Been the Seventh Wheel?
I've third-wheeled many a date in my lifetime as the token single friend. Now, I'm never sure how the happy couple feels when I tag along, but personally, I'm a huge fan of said wheeling. You get to enjoy a movie without the anxiety of deciding where to strategically place your hand on the armrest. You can go to town on a plate of spaghetti, while your friend is stuck cutting her salad. And you can wear sweatpants. Need I say more? I didn't think so.
But since coming back to school, I am no longer a third wheel, but rather, the seventh. When I left for New York, the Fourtress (the name of our apartment) had a majority of single ladies -- three of the four of us, in fact. Our nights were spent attempting to fit on one bike, keeping up with the Kardashians and partaking in random shenanigans around campus. That's what I thought was going to be the kickoff to my last quarter as a senior, but as soon as I touched down in Chi-town, two of my roomies had updates for me; they had met guys late in the game, making the Fourtress an apartment of committed, monogamous women. Oh, with one exception -- me.
The first time I felt the full force as the seventh wheel was on apartment game night. The respective couples paired up around our table for a little Pictionary action, and, like the uncoordinated kid last picked for dodgeball, I was left standing alone, wondering if I was supposed to both draw and guess my own clues. Then again, I'd win, so I wasn't entirely opposed to the idea. Either way, you get my drift.
Sometimes when I'm lying on the couch in pajamas and all three roommates are out to dinner with their boys, I'm all whiney, like, "Seventh wheeling is the pits!"
But most times, I'm like, "Nah. NBD."
The dating world would require wearing real pants (see first paragraph), and I'm two months away from graduating college with too many friends to hang out with and too many adventures to still partake in. Real pants would be a hassle. I just need to organize Pictionary on my terms next time. Thinking I'll recruit an art major as my partner.
Anyone else the only single one in a group of friends? I wanna hear from you. Tweet me @hmils and @SELFMagazine!
RELATED LINKS:
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)