HPV Vaccine Lowering Infection Rates Among Girls: CDC

Extent of protection from sexually transmitted virus higher than expected, suggesting 'herd immunity' is at work, experts say

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- Vaccination against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) is proving highly effective in reducing the spread of the sexually transmitted virus among young women, new research shows.

The rate of new infections with strains of HPV targeted by the vaccine have dropped by 56 percent among females aged 14 to 19 since the first vaccine was approved in 2006, report researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the CDC, HPV infection is known to be the major cause of cervical cancer, and has also been strongly linked to vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, and certain throat/oral cancers.

The new findings "are striking results, and I think they should be a wake-up call that we should increase vaccination rates, because we can protect the next generation of adolescents and young girls against cancer," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a press conference held Wednesday.

The findings are published in the June issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Each year in the United States about 19,000 cancers caused by HPV occur in women, with cervical cancer being the most common. Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV, and just two HPV subtypes, 16 and 18, are responsible for seven out of every 10 cervical cancers.

About 8,000 cancers caused by HPV occur each year in men in the United States, most commonly being throat cancer.

The decline in HPV infections among girls is actually higher than had been expected, indicating that "herd immunity" may have taken effect as more girls receive the vaccine, study lead author Dr. Lauri Markowitz said at the press conference.

Herd immunity occurs when widespread vaccination shrinks the pool of infected people to the point that it becomes less likely that a person can catch the disease from someone else. In this type of scenario, "even people who aren't vaccinated will have some protection due to the vaccination program," Markowitz said.

Another possible reason for the better-than-expected results could be that the vaccine is so effective that a girl receives protection from HPV even if she receives only one or two shots out of the full recommended three-dose series of vaccination.

Whatever the reason, the new statistics are "great news," according to Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "I think every young woman should have the opportunity to have this vaccine. That's what I've been telling people for however long the vaccine has been available."

HPV is highly infectious. In fact, about 79 million Americans, most in their late teens and early 20s, are thought to be currently infected with HPV, and each year about 14 million people become newly infected.

View the original article here

Kris Jenner shopping in Chanel at Selfridges in London

Why The XX’s new track is the bell of Gatsby’s ball. Plus, the latest from Sigur Rós, Charli XCX, Waxahatchee and Daniel Johnston »

Read more »

View the original article here

Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky at the premiere of Iron Man 3 in Los Angeles

Why The XX’s new track is the bell of Gatsby’s ball. Plus, the latest from Sigur Rós, Charli XCX, Waxahatchee and Daniel Johnston »

Read more »

View the original article here

recipe app?

Does anyone know of an app in which you can plug in your ingredients and it'll spit out nutritional value of the dish?

View the original article here

Pippa Middleton on the street in London

Unlike her sister, whose current style signature is pastel dresses and cute coats, Pippa's DO-ing more subdued hues this spring. This navy Beulah jacket and matching shoes are, whilst not the most exciting thing ever, smart and understated for an evening out. 

Kate Middleton: Inside Her Royal Wardrobe

View the original article here

Iron Supplements May Prevent Anemia During Pregnancy

The benefits also include improved birth weights, analysis shows

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Taking iron supplements during pregnancy reduces women's risk of anemia and is linked with an increase in birth weight and a reduced risk of low birth weight, a new analysis finds.

Researchers examined more than 90 studies that included a total of nearly 2 million pregnant women and found that daily iron supplements significantly reduced women's risk of anemia during pregnancy.

Anemia during the first or second trimester was associated with a significantly higher risk of low birth weight and preterm birth, according to the study, which was published online June 20 in the journal BMJ.

In addition, the investigators found that for every 10 milligram increase in iron dose per day (up to 66 mg), mothers had a 12 percent lower risk of anemia, birth weight increased by 15 grams and the risk of low birth weight fell by 3 percent.

The World Health Organization recommends that pregnant women take 60 mg of iron per day, the study authors noted in a journal news release.

They also said iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, and the most common cause of anemia during pregnancy, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It is estimated that iron deficiency affected 32 million pregnant women worldwide in 2011.

"Our findings suggest that use of iron in women during pregnancy may be used as a preventive strategy to improve maternal [blood] status and birth weight," Batool Haider, of the departments of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues wrote.

View the original article here

3 New Packs of Face Wipes We Heart

I'm a clean-face addict, but I'm also prone to over doing it -- which is probably while I coat my face in this stuff every night. But I've been spending way too much time out of the house and it's seriously getting to be a problem when I get home and I'm tired, stressed, grimy, sweaty, annoyed, whatever -- and have no interest in washing my face.

So, I started stocking up on another option: face wipes.

I know what you're thinking, guys: "Those towelettes will NOT clean your face!" But I totes promise these do. No false advertising here.

Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all wipes. There is an awesome mix of crazy-effective benefits in every pack you pick up. Here are three of my latest faves guaranteed to give a clean, glowy complexion.

If you're like me and you're starting to feel a little less-than-useful (I swear grad school is aging me way too quickly), reach for cleansing wipes with anti-aging ingredients. The new Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Wipes have vitamin C to brighten, lighten and tighten, algae to firm and rev skin's collagen production, coQ10 to repair and green tea to protect. Sigh. I feel younger just talking about them.Next time you are feeling especially grimy, pull out a pack of Alba Botanica Hawaiian 3-in-1 Clean Towelettes, Deep Pore Purifying, Pineapple Enzyme . These bad boys have gentle cleansers to get rid of makeup, fruit enzymes to break through oil and awapuhi (aka ginger's long lost cousin) to tone and tighten skin. Bonus: the towelettes are biodegradable so you don't feel totally wasteful using 'em to clean yourself up.Tend to be on the sensitive side? Not only did Aveeno Ultra Calming Makeup Removing Wipes win our Healthy Beauty Award for Best Makeup Remover. They're super gentle (they have aloe and cucumber) and soft, but somehow still crazy effective.

RELATED LINKS:

View the original article here

Some Infertile Men Show Higher Cancer Risk, Study Suggests

Factors that contribute to lack of sperm may also raise odds for tumors, researchers say

By Amy Norton

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Men who are infertile because they produce no sperm may have a higher-than-average risk of developing cancer, a new study finds.

Researchers found that of more than 2,000 men with fertility problems, those with no sperm production had an increased risk of developing cancer over the next six years.

The men were young going into the study (about age 36, on average), so few did develop cancer. Among men with no sperm -- what doctors call azoospermia -- just over 2 percent were diagnosed with cancer.

Still, their risk was three times higher than that of the average man their age.

"They have the cancer risk of a man about 10 years older," said lead researcher Dr. Michael Eisenberg, an assistant professor of urology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

About 15 percent of infertile men are azoospermic, according to the study, which was published June 20 in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

This isn't the first work to connect male infertility to cancer risk, but it suggests the link may be concentrated among men with the most severe type of infertility.

"This suggests that it's not male infertility in general, but azoospermia in particular," Eisenberg said.

That's an important piece of information, said a male-infertility expert not involved in the study. If the link between male infertility and cancer is real, you would expect that more severe infertility would be tied to a greater cancer risk, said Dr. Thomas Walsh, of the University of Washington in Seattle.

"This reinforces the idea that this is a real relationship," Walsh said.

He said he doubts anyone would say that infertility is causing cancer. But he and Eisenberg said it's possible that some common genetic factors contribute to both azoospermia and a greater vulnerability to cancer.

"When we see a man with azoospermia, we usually assume there's a genetic cause," Eisenberg said. There are certain gene mutations already tied to the condition, but a minority of azoospermic men turn out to have one of them when they are tested. That means there are likely other, as yet unknown, gene defects involved in azoospermia, Eisenberg said.

And some of those genetic flaws might be involved in cancer susceptibility, he said.

Another infertility expert was cautious about interpreting the findings because of the small numbers: only 10 cases of cancer among the 451 men with azoospermia, and 19 cases among nearly 1,800 men with other types of infertility.

The idea that genetic abnormalities might underlie both azoospermia and cancer risk has merit, said Dr. Frederick Licciardi of NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. But, he said, "while this is important reasoning and is based in basic science studies, I do not feel they have enough evidence in this paper to bolster this theory."

View the original article here

Snack Time: Buddy Fruits

We all know that we need to eat more fruits and veggies, but it can be challenging with an on-the-go lifestyle. I mean, let's face it, it's not exactly easy to peel an orange as you drive down the interstate. That's why I love these Buddy Fruits snacks. Not only are the cute pouches totally portable, they are also all natural and made completely from fruit and nothing else.

Buddy Fruits offers a range of seven products that are all ideal healthy, tasty snacks for active women. Because they're made of 100% fresh fruit, these snacks are also vegan and gluten-free. Plus, calorie-wise, they are a no-brainer with the entire product line coming in at or under 100 calories per snack. Whether you need an afternoon pick-me-up or a pre- or post-workout energy boost, Buddy Fruits offers a delicious and healthy option to get at least one serving of fruit a day, so it's easy to make the right decision.

I totally loved the frozen fruit "slurpees" -- they're amazingly refreshing for summer. (PS: Great for those who have texture issues with fruit!) Likewise, the apple chips make getting extra servings of produce in easy -- try dipping them in a little bit of honey for some added sweetness. And while the fruit snacks may have stuck to our hands a little bit, they were delicious -- and way healthier than the sugary kind you'd find the middle of your grocery store. Visit BuddyFruits.com to find out where you can get the good stuff in your area.

RELATED LINKS:

View the original article here

What is ideal weight?

I think this is a question that many people ask themselves but to be more specific going beyond BMI does this actually vary between individuals. 

I am 5.8 , weigh 148 pounds and have a bmi of about 22.5 but i am just very average and havent got a clue what I should aim for. 148 sounds a lot and my weight fluctuates a lot and i haven been a bit on the heavy side but never obese and never slim. i have already lost like 10 pounds but I am not satisfied with my body yet and want to make more improvements.  Does anyone else have this problem, and what do you aim for, increasing muscle, working out more? So i am beginning to wonder if there is such thing as an ideal weight or do we just have to be satisfied at some point with what we have? 

View the original article here

Totes TLC

Foot & Heel Cream with Avocado Oil & Shea Butter, , Manuka Doctor http://www.manukadr.co.uk/

After those long, hectic days commuting in the city, your feet can be left aching, swollen and in need of some serious TLC. Manuka Doctor's Foot & Heel Cream with Avocado Oil & Shea Butter is the ultimate boost for your tired toes. Not only does it cool and refresh your feet, it hydrates them with a rich moisturising cream. Having tried and tested this product, we can safely say it's a foot therapy must-have.

By Lisa JC

View the original article here

A Deadly Form of Diabetes That Doctors Sometimes Miss

Common signs of type 1 diabetes often resemble symptoms of other illnesses

By Serena Gordon

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- Addie Parker was a happy 4-year-old who appeared to have the flu. But within hours she was in a coma.

Tragically, her parents weren't familiar with the signs of type 1 diabetes -- extreme fatigue, thirst and sweet-smelling breath, among others -- in time to save their little girl. Soon after she was diagnosed, Addie's brain hemorrhaged. She died six days later, about a month shy of her fifth birthday.

Experts say a lack of awareness of the signs of type 1 diabetes is all too common. Just this month, a Wisconsin toddler died apparently because of undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.

"Addie had flu symptoms," recalled her mother, Micki Parker, who works in the operating room at a nearby hospital but was unfamiliar with type 1 diabetes.

"By the next morning, she was throwing up every hour," Parker said. Addie didn't have a fever, but later that day, she couldn't get up from the bathroom floor because she was so dizzy.

Eventually, the Parkers learned that Addie's blood sugar level was 543 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) -- more than four times higher than normal, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Most people have heard of type 2 diabetes, but type 1 diabetes is far less common. It can strike at any age -- even though it used to be known as juvenile diabetes -- and it always requires treatment with injected insulin or insulin delivered through a pump. People with type 1 diabetes don't produce insulin, a hormone needed to convert the food you eat into fuel for the body. Without insulin, glucose (blood sugar) rises to unhealthy levels.

Untreated, type 1 diabetes causes serious complications and even death. But it's often mistaken for other illnesses -- even by doctors.

"There's an underawareness of type 1 diabetes in the public, and in the healthcare system," said Dr. Richard Insel, chief scientific officer for JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). "Missed diagnoses even occur in emergency rooms; people don't always think of it."

Every day, about 80 Americans are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and the total number rose 23 percent between 2000 and 2009 in children under 20. Currently, about 3 million Americans -- most of them adults -- are living with type 1 diabetes, according to the JDRF.

One of them is 20-year-old Amanda Di Lella, who was 13 when she knew something was seriously wrong.

"I was losing weight, but I was always hungry. I was always tired. My symptoms weren't extreme at first, but they quickly got worse," she said. "I went from being tired to not being able to get out of bed, from being thirsty to drinking 10 bottles of water in the middle of the night. I had lost 15 pounds, and only weighed 75 pounds when I begged my mother to take me to the doctor."

View the original article here

Health Tip: Signs of Periodontal Disease

(HealthDay News) -- Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, is an infection of the tissues that surround the teeth. Potential risk factors include poor dental hygiene, smoking or chewing tobacco, and your family history of the disease.

The American Dental Association says potential warning signs of periodontal disease include:

Gums that bleed easily, or are swollen, red or tender.Gums that are receding from the teeth.Frequent bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth.Loosening or separating of permanent teeth.A change in the way teeth align when you bite.A change in the way dentures fit.

-- Diana Kohnle
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

View the original article here

'Gut Reaction' May Predict Cardiovascular Risk

Higher levels of stomach substance called TMAO linked to heart attack, stroke, study suggests

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- A blood test that assesses levels of a compound produced in the stomach appears to be a strong indicator of whether there will be heart trouble down the road, researchers report.

The higher the levels of the compound -- called trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) -- the greater the risk for cardiovascular problems, said the Cleveland Clinic team. Eventually, TMAO could be a target to help prevent or reduce the risk of heart problems, the researchers suggested.

"A new blood test measuring something in the blood that is generated by the bacteria in our gut actually predicted in a strong and powerful way the future risk of heart attack, stroke and death," said lead researcher Dr. Stanley Hazen, from the Clinic's Lerner Research Institute.

Measuring TMAO predicted heart risk better than other blood tests or the usual risk factors, such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking, he noted.

"This is a potentially new target we can go after to prevent heart disease," Hazen said.

In a preclinical study, the researchers found that dietary choline -- found in egg yolks -- is metabolized into TMAO. Carnitine, found in red meat, is another potential source of the compound. According to Hazen, TMAO changes how cholesterol is metabolized. "It's not changing the cholesterol in your blood, it's changing how the cholesterol is being managed," he said.

More specifically, TMAO helps cholesterol attach to blood vessels. It also makes it harder for the liver and the intestines to get rid of cholesterol, he explained.

"This new blood test may help identify people who are most in need of getting preventive cardiology help," Hazen said.

Because TMAO levels seem related to diet -- those who eat the most meat have the highest levels -- Hazen said the test could help people tailor their diets to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems.

Eating a heart-healthy diet that is low in fats, dairy and sugar -- as recommended by the American Heart Association -- tends to reduce TMAO, Hazen said. Vegetarians have the lowest levels of TMAO, he noted.

In this study, published in the April 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Hazen's team collected data on TMAO levels from more than 4,000 patients and followed them for three years on average.

As TMAO levels increased so did the risk for heart attack, stroke or heart disease, the investigators found. Those with the highest levels of TMAO had 2.5 times the risk for these outcomes compared to those with the lowest levels of TMAO, the study authors reported.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a spokesman for the American Heart Association and professor of cardiovascular medicine and science at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that "there has been increasing interest in the role that intestinal microbial metabolism can play in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases."

View the original article here

Gaining Weight Not Losing It

I'm looking for a little insight. I've always been a bigger guy, more muscular and very little extra weight. I got in a relationship, well paying job, and started a family. Next thing I know, I'm 314 lbs. I seen a picture of myself taken by friends, and I was embarrassed. At that time I knew it was time for me to start losing weight. 

I cut out the fast food, non healthy snacks, and sodas. Though, sometimes I give into temptation, I most certainly watch my portions. For the most part I've replaced my diet with more veggies, fiber, and less calorie foods/drinks.

Within the first week I lost 16 lbs and was down to 298. I felt great in so many ways, knowing my hard work was paying off with 6 days of exercise and the right foodsI knew that it wasn't always going to be that easy. But, I didn't give up. I've been working out in the gym not for 6 weeks, and I'm back up to 306. My girlfriend, says it looks like I've put on some extra muscle, and my arms and shoulders are looking more firm.

When I work out, I only do a little bit of strength (basic weight lifting, rowing) but mostly cardio (stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical for over an hour 5-6 days a week), stretches, and other small work outs like jumping jacks. When I can I take the stairs instead of the elevator. Looking at me no one can guess I way what I do. I just need some advice on what to do different, and what I'm doing wrong. I will be consulting a physician soon, but for now I wonder if there is someone out there that can help me.

My apologies in advance if this Topic is placed in the wrong area, and if it's a bit lengthy. Any advice and help would be very appreciated. Thanks in advance.

-Tre

View the original article here