Study Sees Link Between Mom's Flu, Bipolar Risk for Children

But the risk is small and the connection hasn't been proven, researchers say

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Women who come down with the flu during pregnancy may be at increased risk of having a child who develops bipolar disorder, a new study suggests.

The chance of a child eventually developing the mental health disorder was nearly four times higher when comparing mothers-to-be who had the flu to those who didn't, the researchers reported.

"We don't fully understand this," said study co-author Dr. Alan Brown. "The best guess is it's an inflammatory response. It could also be a result of fever," he noted.

"Mothers should stay away from people who have the flu," said Brown, a professor of clinical psychiatry and clinical epidemiology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City.

However, he added, regarding the new findings, "women should not be greatly concerned, because a fourfold increase is pretty high from an epidemiological standpoint, but still the vast majority of the offspring did not get bipolar disorder."

Brown explained that "the risk of bipolar disorder in the population is about 1 percent, so if it's increased fourfold that would make it a 4 percent risk." Moreover, the researchers only looked at one risk factor for bipolar disorder, not all risk factors, which could skew these results, he noted.

The report was published in the May 8 online edition of JAMA Psychiatry.

Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out routine tasks. Bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

The condition often develops in the late teens or early adult years. Some people have their first symptoms during childhood, while others may develop symptoms as adults, the agency noted.

For the study, researchers at Columbia University and Kaiser Permanente identified cases of bipolar disorder by database linkages of a Northern California health plan and a county health care system, along with data from a mailed survey.

Participants were mothers who gave birth between 1959 and 1966 and their offspring. Researchers found 92 cases of bipolar disorder and compared them with 722 people matched in terms of occurrence of maternal influenza during pregnancy.

While the new study found an association of pregnant women getting the flu and a higher risk of bipolar disorder in their offspring, it didn't establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

"There is no understanding of the causal factors of this," said Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He was not involved with the study.

"Pregnancy itself puts extra stress on women in general," he pointed out. "Pregnancy also affects the immune system and increases the risk of getting the flu."

Flu during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and low birth weight infants, Manevitz said.

Pregnant women should get a flu shot, both Manevitz and Brown suggested.

Other studies have shown a similar association between flu during pregnancy and the child's risk for autism and schizophrenia -- now there is this association with bipolar disorder, Manevitz said. "This doesn't give us any causal connection," he emphasized.

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Too many carbs , too few calories

I used to restrictive eat last year and lost a lot of weight then I started overeating and gained a lot back. Now I'm trying to lose it again. I'm finding that my willpower is less than it used to be which sucks. I cry a lot of the time because I used to fear gaining weight and now I have and I feel so upset with myself. I'm only 16 I know I shouldn't feel like this but I do.

On days I don't cheat and overeat, I only eat around 800 calories and 150 carbs. I stop at 150 because if I eat like 170 it says it's too much.

Should I eat 1200 calories a day and not pay attention to the carbs as long as they're not coming from junk or no?

Also, how do I develop a stronger willpower? I find myself keeping occupied then something triggers me while I'm doing the pre-occupy thing and I binge. :/

All help is appreciated.

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Treatment for Painful Curved Penis Shows Promise

Xiaflex up for FDA approval later this year, but some experts think injections required would be a tough sell

By Barbara Bronson Gray

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Some diseases are especially tough to discuss.

When Tony Lee realized that his penis was curving whenever he had an erection -- making it painful and difficult for him to have sex -- he had no idea what was wrong. He became depressed and very worried, and his relationship with his wife started to change.

"For a man to dread sex, it's just not natural," he said. "There were times when I would stay up late on purpose, just to make sure my wife was sleeping before I got into bed. I was just totally embarrassed."

His wife finally convinced him to see his primary care physician, who referred him to a urologist. The specialist told him he had Peyronie's disease, a connective tissue disorder involving the growth of fibrous collagen plaques in the soft tissue of the penis. The condition can cause pain, erectile dysfunction and shortening of the penis.

The diagnosis was difficult to face.

"You do freak out. It's such a personal area. It's like, 'Noooooo! Why couldn't I just lose a finger? Anything but this,'" said Lee, who is 46. Lee asked that his full name not be used.

Experts estimate Peyronie's disease, a connective tissue disorder, affects at least 5 percent of men. Although the cause of the disorder is not known, physicians think genetic predisposition and repetitive minor trauma to the penis during sexual activity may play a role. People with diabetes, and those who have had prostate cancer surgery or erectile dysfunction, are also susceptible to the disease, according to Dr. Larry Lipshultz, a professor of urology at Baylor College of Medicine.

The treatment options are very limited, and there is no cure. "There is no oral or topical medication," said Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City. "You can excise the plaque and tighten up the other side, but that reduces the length, or you can use a penile prosthesis."

Lipshultz said he's had some luck with about half of his patients when he gives them a drug called verapamil, a calcium channel blocker, which is injected into the shaft of the penis. The use of the drug is based on its ability to degrade collagen, slowing, preventing or even reversing plaque formation and the progression of Peyronie's disease, according to a 2002 study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research. A verapamil gel that is applied to the skin is also sometimes used, according to Kavaler.

Lee, who has been dealing with Peyronie's for about two years, has used a "straightening machine" that stretches the penis, and he participated in one of two clinical trials for a new drug that is up for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Xiaflex, produced by Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc. He said his penis is now 70 percent of its pre-disease length as a result of the interventions.

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Flywheel Hits the High Seas...Seriously!

Who says cycling can only be enjoyed on land? Flywheel Sports is bringing its boutique indoor cycling experience out to sea with studios aboard Royal Caribbean International's premiere cruise ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Why is this necessary, you ask?

Flywheel co-founder Ruth Zukerman believes you shouldn't stop working out just because you're on vacation. (We at SELF totally agree -- I mean, we love a good fit-cation!) Instead of lounging around on the deck when sailing the seas, you can be melting fat and sculpting your bod with Flywheel's signature calorie-burning full-body cycling workout.

Flywheel at Sea will have all the features provided in Flywheel's 23 nationwide locations (not to mention it's chic spot in Dubai), including custom-made indoor cycling bikes, playlists by an in-house DJ and Torqboard, the Flywheel-exclusive technology that allows you to adjust your ride for resistance, speed and power. And of course, cyclists can feed their competitive needs with large flat screen displays showing other riders' stats.

But the sexy cycling studio won't stop with just those two ships; soon, they will be joined by two more studios: Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Breakaway (this month!) and Norwegian Getaway in February of next year.

If you are planning a summer vacation on one of these ships, be sure to stick to your routine and go for a crazy-cool spin with Flywheel at Sea. You'll feel so much better about all the fried deliciousness you can't stop devouring at the midnight buffet.

Would you cycle on a cruise ship? Tweet us at @iyeh22 and @SELFmagazine!

--Ivan Yeh

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Image Credit: Courtesy of Flywheel Sports

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My husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — what symptoms can we expect?

Posted June 25, 2013, 2:00 am

My husband was just diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Can you discuss it in your column? I don’t know anything about it.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a disease of the central nervous system. It causes problems with body motions and movement. PD worsens over time.

Brain cells “talk” to each other by making and releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters. When one cell releases a neurotransmitter, another picks up the signal. One type of neurotransmitter is dopamine.

Dopamine is made in an area deep in the brain called the basal ganglia. That is also where movements are coordinated. The dopamine made by cells in the basal ganglia is necessary for the basal ganglia to function properly.

PD develops when dopamine-producing nerve cells (neurons) in the brain die and not enough dopamine is produced. This affects movement. (I’ve put an illustration of this process below.)

In people with Parkinson’s disease, dopamine-producing nerve cells die. As a result, not enough dopamine is produced, making it difficult to control muscle movement.

(Image courtesy of Krames Staywell.) 

PD usually begins as a slight tremor or stiffness that is most obvious at rest. When the hands of a PD sufferer are resting in his lap, they may tremble. But when he reaches for a cup of coffee, for instance, his hands may stop trembling.

As the illness worsens, tremors become more widespread. PD also causes rigidity and a slowing of body movements. A person’s face slowly becomes expressionless. Initiating a movement, like sitting up from a chair, may take many seconds to start. A person walks slowly, with short, quick steps.

If your husband’s PD gets much worse, he will likely have difficulty walking and performing daily activities such as dressing or using utensils. But in some people PD progresses very slowly.

There is no cure for PD, but symptoms can be treated with medications. Medication may not be necessary at first. Treatment usually begins when symptoms interfere with work or home life, or when it becomes difficult to walk or maintain balance.

Medications used to treat PD either boost levels of dopamine in the brain or mimic the effects of dopamine. The most commonly used medication is levodopa. It is usually prescribed in combination with another drug called carbidopa. Other medications can also be used, either alone or in combination with levodopa.

Nearly all patients improve after they start taking levodopa. But long-term use often causes side effects and complications.

Depression is fairly common in people with PD. Antidepressant medications can help. Regular exercise and a balanced diet also may help to improve a patient’s sense of well-being and body control. The type of exercise called tai chi has been shown to help.

Surgery is considered only when medications are no longer effective. Surgical options include deep brain stimulation in which electrical stimulation is delivered to targeted areas of the brain to control symptoms. Another option involves destroying precisely targeted areas of the brain that are responsible for the most troubling symptoms.

We can do a great deal more to help people with PD today than when I was in medical school. Based on the progress of research, I expect more effective treatments in the future.

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Kate Bosworth at the Black Rock LA premiere

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Tummy Time and Infant Development

Tummy Time and Infant Development webmd.ads.adSeedCall = function() { var self = this; var defer = new jQuery.Deferred(); // need a set a 1 second timeout here to resolve it if the ad call hangs // if we get to 1 seconds, resolve the deferred object self.adSeedCallTimeout = setTimeout(function(){ defer.resolve(); webmd.debug('timeout happened'); },1000); // grabs pageview id out of global scope and makes sure it exists as we need to pass it to ads in that case var pageviewId = window.s_pageview_id || ''; // save out the PB iFrame URL as we need to clean it up var iframeURLOutOfPB = '//as.webmd.com/html.ng/transactionID=1985842116&tile=6449865&tug=&pug=__&site=2&affiliate=20&hcent=2786&scent=1190&pos=5200&xpg=3546&sec=8006&au1=&au2=&uri=%2fparenting%2fbaby%2fsleep-naps-12%2ftummy-time&artid=091e9c5e804c7404&inst=0&leaf=14071&cc=10&tmg=&bc=_diet_age121_&mcent=µ=¶ms.styles=json01&pvid=' + pageviewId; // remove the ampersands. This regex is cleaner than trying to drop it into an element and all that, as all we want it to replace the &'s var cleanIframeURL = iframeURLOutOfPB.replace(/&/g, '&'); // using require instead of webmd.load as we will eventually depracate webmd.load require([cleanIframeURL], function(){ // if you get here before the timeout, kill it clearTimeout(self.adSeedCallTimeout); // go ahead and resolve the deferred object. We will wait for lotame defer to be done, if it exists though // that allows us to make sure the lotame audience values are in the ads_perm cookie (or timeout occurred) // // if the ad call took forever and the deferred object was already resolved with the timeout, that is ok // because of deferred functionality, it will not be resolved again. Thanks jQuery if(webmd.object.get('webmd.lotame.defer')) { webmd.lotame.defer.done( function(){ defer.resolve(); } ); } else { defer.resolve(); } webmd.debug('actual seed call came back'); } ); return defer.promise(); } webmd.ads.adSeedCallPromise = webmd.ads.adSeedCall(); // self executing function for scope (function(){ // grabs pageview id out of global scope and makes sure it exists as we need to pass it to ads in that case var pageviewId = window.s_pageview_id || ''; var iframeURLOutOfPB = '//as.webmd.com/html.ng/transactionID=1985842116&tile=6449865&tug=&pug=__&site=2&affiliate=20&hcent=2786&scent=1190&pos=101&xpg=3546&sec=8006&au1=&au2=&uri=%2fparenting%2fbaby%2fsleep-naps-12%2ftummy-time&artid=091e9c5e804c7404&inst=0&leaf=14071&segm=0&cc=10&tmg=&bc=_diet_age121_&mcent=µ=&pvid=' + pageviewId; var cleanIframeURL = iframeURLOutOfPB.replace(/&/g, '&'); // here we will use some of the ad params in the XSL to populate webmd.ads.params // we could move to use this param object to create ads instead of the URL above, but that will require a fundemental // change to webmd.ads, as the refresh function takes the "src" tag instead of individual params // something to look into as far as the future webmd.ads.params = { 'affiliate':'20', 'hcent':'2786', 'scent':'1190', 'xpg':'3546', /* leaf is all weird coming out of the XSL so we have to do this hack to it */ 'leaf':'&leaf=14071'.replace(/&leaf=/, ''), 'site':'2', 'transactionID':'1985842116', 'tile':'6449865' } var ad = { adLocation:'banner', adURL:cleanIframeURL, trans:'1985842116', tile:'6449865', pos:'101' }; // check to make sure this seed call functionality exists, if it does, dooo it if(webmd.object.exists('webmd.ads.handleAdSeedCall')) { webmd.ads.handleAdSeedCall(ad); } })(); Skip to content Enter Search Keywords. Use the arrow keys to navigate suggestions. Health A-Z

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Track your way to weight loss success Manage your family's vaccinations Join the conversation See more benefits Sign Up Why WebMD? My WebMD Show Menu My Tools My WebMD Pages My Account Sign Out FacebookTwitterPinterest WebMD Home Health & Parenting Center Health & Baby Center A Guide to Your Baby's Sleep and Naps Email a Friend Print Article if (pf_param == "true") {printElements();} A Guide to Your Baby's Sleep and Naps Next Article: Skip to Article Content Sweet Dreams for Your Baby and You 4 methods to help your baby sleep through the night. Set Your Baby’s Sleep Cycle Set the stage early for good sleep patterns. 10 Ways to Help Prevent SIDS Lower your baby’s risk by following these 10 steps. Tummy Time for Your Newborn Babies need tummy time, but only when they’re awake. Answers About Your Baby’s Sleep Is it safe to sleep with baby? How many naps does your baby need? A Guide to Your Baby's Sleep and Naps False Tummy Time for Your Newborn What is tummy time and why is it important to your infant's development? Our experts weigh in. WebMD Feature

By Wendy C. Fries

Reviewed By Hansa D. Bhargava, MD

During tummy time, your baby lays on her belly to play while you supervise. Since your baby sleeps on her back to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), she needs to spend some of her awake time on her stomach to develop physically and mentally.

The Benefits

On her tummy, your baby lifts her head, which strengthens her neck and upper back muscles.

Being able to move her head reduces your baby’s risk of SIDS because she can move away from anything smothering her. Strong muscles let your baby roll over, sit, and crawl.

Tummy time also gives your little one a different view of the world.

Babies need to learn how to support their heads when they are still, says Tanya Altmann, MD, a pediatrician in California. “They also need to be able to turn their head in response to what's happening around them and hold their heads steady when they're moved."

Spending time on her stomach also helps your baby's head become round instead of developing flat spots on the back of her head.

When to Start

Tummy time can begin right after birth, says Chris Tolcher, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician in California, or definitely by the time your baby is a month old.

For the first few weeks, you may want to delay tummy time until her umbilical cord stump falls off. As long as your baby is comfortable, though, you can safely let her play on her stomach right away.

You may be surprised to see that “even a newborn can start to turn [her] head side to side," says Laura Jana, MD, a Nebraska pediatrician.

Remember: Never let your baby sleep on her tummy, because even one time increases her risk of SIDS. When you put your baby on her tummy, always place her on a smooth, flat surface with no loose items (toys, blankets, pillows) close to her, which might block her airway, Tolcher says.

How Frequently and for How Long

Some pediatricians suggest having your baby play on her stomach five or 10 minutes a couple times a day. Others say you don't have to worry about a set amount of time. There’s no set guideline.

"I usually recommend starting to offer tummy time at least once per day," says Scott Cohen, MD, FAAP, an attending pediatrician at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He suggests leaving your baby on her tummy as long as she accepts it -- whether that’s 15 seconds or 15 minutes.

It's time to pick your baby up if she starts crying or fussing.

Some babies initially resist tummy time because they don't have good control and find it hard to lift their heads. But the more practice your baby gets, the better she’ll like it, says Cohen, who is also the author of Eat, Sleep, Poop.

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Star Trek Into Darkness Interview

Zachary Quinto & Chris Pine open up about Spock & Captain Kirk's special relationship, Benedict Cumberbatch's villainous credentials & the characters they'll be pitching to play in JJ Abrams' Star Wars Ep.7.

Star Trek Into Darkness is out in cinemas across the UK now

« Back to more GLAMOUR TV

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Focus on Health, Not Fat, in Food Talks With Kids

Teens whose parents harped about weight gain tended to have more unhealthy eating behaviors, study shows

By Denise Mann

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 24 (HealthDay News) -- There's a right way and a wrong way to persuade your adolescent to eat healthy and help avoid obesity, a new study suggests.

Pointedly connecting food with fatness or talking about needed weight loss is the wrong way and could even encourage unhealthy eating habits, researchers report.

Instead, discussions that focus on simply eating healthfully are less likely to send kids down this road, a new study shows.

"A lot of parents are aware of the obesity problem in the U.S -- it's everywhere you turn -- but they wonder how to talk about it with their children," said study lead author Dr. Jerica Berge of the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.

She advises that parents "tell kids to eat more fruits and vegetables because eating them will make them healthy and strong. Don't connect these conversations to weight and size."

The study is published online June 24 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in adolescents in the United States over the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This has had a profound effect on children's health, with condition formerly only seen in adults, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, now being diagnosed in children.

The new study included survey data from more than 2,300 adolescents with an average age of about 14 and more than 3,500 parents.

Overall, the data showed, conversations about eating that focused on a child's supposed need to lose excess weight were linked to a higher risk of problem dieting and other unhealthy eating behaviors among adolescents.

On the other hand, parents who talked about healthy eating and living but did not focus on weight and size were less likely to have children who dieted or engaged in other unhealthy eating behaviors such as anorexia, binge eating or bulimia.

These benefits were seen in both overweight and normal weight teens, the study showed.

Overall, about 28 percent of moms and 23 percent of dads of kids who were not overweight said they had conversations that focused on healthy eating, while only 15 percent of moms and 14 percent of dads who had overweight children said they talked about health.

About 33 percent of moms and 32 percent of dads of non-overweight kids said they discussed weight and the need to lose weight; for overweight kids, that number rose to 60 percent of moms and 59 percent of dads.

Berge stressed that even when parents say all the right things about eating, it doesn't matter much if children see Mom and Dad ignoring their own advice.

It's "do as I do," she said. "Modeling does have a big role in showing kids the type of behavior that you want them to take on."

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Blacks May Face Higher Risk of MS Than Whites

Study finding contradicts common belief that the opposite is true

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Black Americans may be at higher risk for multiple sclerosis than whites, according to study findings that contradict a widely held belief that blacks are less likely to develop the neurological disease.

The theory that blacks are less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) than whites was based on faulty evidence, the study authors said.

For the new study, the researchers examined three years of data from more than 3.5 million members of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health plan and identified 496 people who were diagnosed with MS during that time.

The investigators found that blacks had a 47 percent increased risk of MS compared with whites, while Hispanics and Asians had a 58 percent and 80 percent lower risk than whites. The higher risk in blacks was seen only in women, while the lower risk for Hispanics and Asians was seen in both sexes. Black women had triple the risk of MS that black men did, the findings showed.

Blacks accounted for 21 percent of the patients diagnosed with MS, but made up only 10 percent of the total number of patients in the study. Among the other groups: whites made up 52 percent of those with MS and 38 percent of the study population; Hispanics made up 23 percent of those with MS, and 40 percent of the study population; Asians accounted for 3 percent of those with MS, and 9 percent of the study population, according to the study in the May 7 issue of the journal Neurology.

"One explanation for our findings is that people with darker skin tones have lower vitamin D levels and, ultimately, an increased risk, but this would not explain why Hispanics and Asians have a lower risk than [whites]," study author Dr. Annette Langer-Gould, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California department of research & evaluation, said in a journal news release.

"About 19,000 people per year, or 250 people per week, will be diagnosed with MS in the U.S. alone. These numbers highlight the need for more minorities to be included in MS studies, so that we can fully understand how race may play a role in developing the disease," she added.

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Nikki Reed at the 7 For All Mankind x Nikki Reed Jewellery Collection Launch

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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quit smoking, gained weight

I'm having a terrible time loosing 15 lbs? I gained it after I quit smoking for 29 years. I am having trouble with belly weight? Premenopause I guess. Its very depressing that I can't fit my last summer clothing :(

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Health Tip: Give Your Kitchen a Daily Cleaning

(HealthDay News) -- Any kitchen can be a breeding ground for germs, so it's important to give yours a thorough cleaning every day.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers this advice:

Using hot, soapy water, thoroughly clean the counter and other work surfaces each day to clean spills and food particles.Keep non-food items such as mail, lunch bags and purses away from the kitchen counter.Thoroughly wash the counter before preparing food.Make sure all dishes and cookware are thoroughly cleaned in hot, soapy water and rinsed well.Frequently swap dish towels and rags for clean ones. Wash these items in the hot cycle of your washing machine and thoroughly dry them.Wash sponges in a water/bleach solution or throw them away.Regularly clean appliances, including the inside of the microwave.

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

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Screen All Baby Boomers for Hepatitis C, Expert Panel Says

This generation has highest rate of infection, likely contracted decades ago

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 24 (HealthDay News) -- All adults born between 1945 and 1965 -- the baby boom generation -- should be screened for the hepatitis C virus along with injection-drug users and anyone transfused before 1992, according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The guidelines, released Monday, mirror recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and provide a long-awaited policy from the task force, an independent panel of experts.

"For everyone born between 1945 and 1965 we recommend a one-time screening," said task force member Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an associate professor in residence at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.

People in this age group account for three-quarters of all hepatitis C cases in the United States, Bibbins-Domingo said. Many contracted the disease decades ago but don't know it.

Hepatitis C -- a leading cause of liver damage and liver disease in the United States -- is considered a silent killer because it progresses without any indications of illness. More than 30 percent of U.S. patients needing liver transplants have end-stage liver disease related to hepatitis C.

"The challenge is that many people have hepatitis C and don't have signs and symptoms of the disease," Bibbins-Domingo said. "Those people should be identified and consider treatment."

An estimated 3.9 million people are infected with hepatitis C in the United States, the task force said. Unlike other types of hepatitis, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.

In its 2004 statement, the task force advised against routine screening of adults without symptoms and high risk of infection. It also said it had too little evidence to recommend for or against routine screening for adults with high risk of infection.

It became apparent, however, that two-thirds of infected people weren't getting screened, while treatment was becoming more successful.

"Many people appear to benefit from treatment," Bibbins-Domingo said. "That is what led the task force to conclude that it is beneficial for people to find out they have hepatitis C in order to seek treatment."

Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said he welcomes the new guidelines, which were published June 25 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

"I am absolutely thrilled that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which has had a head-in-the-sand approach toward screening, has come out for a one-time screening for hepatitis C," Siegel said.

Siegel encourages everyone at risk to get tested.

Screening for hepatitis C involves a simple, inexpensive blood test. Those who test positive usually receive a course of antiviral medication over several months. Most people have no detectable virus following treatment, Bibbins-Domingo said.

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iPads Could Affect Implanted Heart Devices, Early Study Finds

Young researcher suggests that users avoid placing tablets too close to the chest

By Barbara Bronson Gray

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Sprawled out on the couch, reading the news on your iPad, you'd never think you could be putting yourself at risk. But you might be, if you happen to have an implanted heart device.

Magnetic interference could alter the settings and even deactivate the technology of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), according to a small new study -- conducted by a 14-year-old investigator and her colleagues.

The researchers found that magnets imbedded in the iPad 2 and its Smart Cover may cause electromagnetic interference that can disrupt a cardiac rhythm device.

Specialized magnets are imbedded in the heart devices to allow physicians to routinely adjust their settings. The magnets can suspend the ability of the devices to prevent sudden rapid heart rates, such as tachycardia and fibrillation.

That risk occurs when a person falls asleep with the tablet on the chest. Thirty percent of study participants had interference with their devices when the iPad 2 was placed there, the researchers found. Yet electromagnetic interference was not found when the iPad was at a normal reading distance from the chest.

The magnetic field drops off quickly with distance, explained Gianna Chien, the lead study author. And heavier people who happen to have more fat on their chest -- not just in their abdomen -- also seem to be less sensitive to the interference, she added.

The research is scheduled to be presented Thursday at the Heart Rhythm Society's annual meeting in Denver. Chien, a high school freshman, worked with her father, Dr. Walter Chien, a cardiologist with Central Valley Arrhythmia in Stockton, Calif., to coordinate patient testing.

Other devices with imbedded magnets -- such as cellphones and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines -- may also affect cardiac rhythm devices, but were not tested in this study.

Last year, research published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics suggested that the iPad 2 can interfere with the settings of magnetically programmable shunt devices in the brain when held within two inches of the technology.

That study reported on a 4-month-old girl with hydrocephalus -- abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain -- who developed a shunt malfunction. This was due to a changed setting of the magnetically programmable valve that regulates the flow of CSF out of the brain cavity, or ventricle. The mother had been using an iPad 2 while holding the infant.

An expert noted how difficult it could be to detect such a malfunction.

"The real problem is that you don't even know; there is no trigger, no light goes off [to alert you]," said Dr. Salvatore Insinga, a neurosurgeon at the Cushing Neuroscience Institute at North Shore-LIJ Health System, in New York. "With all the tech devices people are using now and all the implanted things in patients, this is more of an issue now." Insinga was not associated with either study.

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