Health and

HHS HealthBeat

(December 31, 2009)

Practicing prevention

Listen to Tip Interested? Take the Next Step

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

By 2015, about 1 in 5 Americans will be between the ages of 50 and 64, which means they’ll be at a higher risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease or cancer. But a study indicates people now in this age range are not doing what they should to control their risks.

The study found only about 1 in 4 regularly take advantage of preventive services such as screenings and immunizations. And at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lynda Anderson says smoking is still a problem:

[Lynda Anderson speaks] "Only one state has met the target of 12 percent or less of adults being current smokers."

That’s Utah, at 9 percent.

The study was done by the CDC in collaboration with AARP and the American Medical Association.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: December, 30 20

http://higher risk -dobi.blogspot.com/Health and

Read more...

Alert

Janzen Farms Recalls Hazelnut Kernels Because of Possible Health Risks

Company Contact:
Betty Janzen,
503-868-7353

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 24, 2009 - Janzen Farms, Dayton, Oregon is recalling hazelnut kernels because the product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditic and arthritis.

Hazelnut kernels were sold in November and December 2009 at Lenny's North, Seattle, WA and six 1 lb. bags were sold at the Sunset Produce Stand in Banks, OR.

The product is packed in 1 lb plastic bags closed with a twist-tie, with a label reading: "OREGON HAZELNUTS Product of U.S.A., JANZEN FARMS 20555 SE Webfoot Rd, Dayton, OR. Net wt. 16 oz (1 lb)".

No illnesses have been reported to date.

This recall resulted from routine sampling of product by the FDA at the company which shells the nuts and supplies the shelled hazelnuts for Janzen Farms. The supplying company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and the company continues their investigation as to what caused the problem.

Consumers who have purchased the select shelled hazelnuts packed by Janzen Farms in Dayton, Oregon are urged to return it to the place of purchase or discard it. Consumers with questions may contact Betty Janzen at 503-868-7353, Monday – Friday, between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

http://medicalinformation-dobi.blogspot.com/search/label/Alert

Read more...

Alert

FDA Warns Public of Continued Extortion Scam by FDA Impersonators

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning the public about criminals posing as FDA special agents and other law enforcement personnel as part of an international extortion scam.

The criminals call the victims -- who in most cases previously purchased drugs over the Internet or via "telepharmacies" -- and identify themselves as FDA special agents or other law enforcement officials. The criminals inform the victims that purchasing drugs over the Internet or the telephone is illegal, and that law enforcement action will be pursued unless a fine or fee ranging from $100 to $250,000 is paid. Victims often also have fraudulent transactions placed against their credit cards.

The criminals always request the money be sent by wire transfer to a designated location, usually in the Dominican Republic. If victims refuse to send money, they are often threatened with a search of their property, arrest, deportation, physical harm, and or incarceration.

"Impersonating an FDA official is a violation of federal law," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The public should note that no FDA official will ever contact a consumer by phone demanding money or any other form of payment.”

FDA special agents and other law enforcement officials are not authorized to impose or collect criminal fines. Only a court can take such action, with fines payable to the U.S. Treasury.

Anyone receiving a telephone call from a person purporting to be an FDA or other law enforcement official who is seeking money to settle a law enforcement action for the illegal purchase of drugs over the Internet should refuse the demand and call the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office at (800) 521-5783 to report the crime.

In addition to posing as FDA officials, criminals have posed as special agents of the DEA, FBI, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs Service, as well as U.S. and Dominican prosecutors and judges. In response, the FDA, in conjunction with various federal, state, and local agencies, is actively pursing criminal charges.

The FDA also reminds consumers to use caution when purchasing prescription drugs over the telephone or the Internet. In addition to the increased risk of purchasing unsafe and ineffective drugs from Web sites operating outside the law, there is the danger that personal data can be compromised. For more on FDA’s concerns about unlawful drug sales on the Internet, see http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ProtectYourself/default.htm.

http://medicalinformation-dobi.blogspot.com/search/label/Alert

Read more...

Treatment

HHS HealthBeat

(December 30, 2009)

Back to yoga

Listen to Tip Interested? Take the Next Step

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A study indicates yoga – done under the right circumstances – can make life better for people with chronic low back pain.

Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine saw that in a pilot study of people in lower-income minority neighborhoods.

Those who took the 12 weekly 75-minute classes wind up with greater ability to move, and an 80 percent decrease in their pain medications, compared with those who did not do yoga.

Researcher Robert Saper cautions that some types of yoga might be bad for back pain. So he says:

[Robert Saper speaks] "For individuals who are pursuing yoga for their back pain, it’s very important that they identify a class and a teacher who has experience with this."

The study in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: December, 29 2009

http://medicalinformation-dobi.blogspot.com/search/label/Treatment

Read more...

Alert

	HEALTH RISK: HIGH

WASHINGTON, December 24, 2009 - Associated Grocers of Maine, importing firm, a Gardiner, Maine, establishment, is recalling approximately 312 pounds of ham products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The following products are subject to recall:

• 16-ounce packages of "SUPER TRIM, Shurfine, IMPORTED, COOKED HAM, WATER ADDED, 98% FAT FREE."

	Recommendations For People At Risk For Listeriosis Wash hands with warm, soapy water before and after handling raw meat and poultry for at least 20 seconds. Wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water. Immediately clean spills. Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will not be cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and egg products and cooked foods. Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, bologna or other deli meats unless reheated until steaming hot. Do not eat refrigerated pâté, meat spreads from a meat counter or smoked seafood found in the refrigerated section of the store. Foods that don't need refrigeration, like canned tuna and canned salmon, are safe to eat. Refrigerate after opening. Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk and do not eat foods that have unpasteurized milk in them. Do not eat salads made in the store such as ham salad, chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad or seafood salad. Do not eat soft cheeses such as Feta, queso blanco, queso fresco, Brie, Camembert cheeses, blue-veined cheeses and Panela unless it is labeled as made with pasteurized milk. Use precooked or ready-to-eat food as soon as you can. Listeria can grow in the refrigerator. The refrigerator should be 40 °F or lower and the freezer 0 °F or lower. Use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature of your refrigerator.

Each package bears the establishment number "141" inside the Canadian seal of inspection and a Sell by date of "10JA24."

The ham products were produced on November 25, 2009, and distributed to retail establishments in Maine and New Hampshire.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

The problem was discovered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) who notified FSIS. The CFIA notified FSIS that some of the recalled ham products had been exported to the United States. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

Media and consumers with questions about the recall should contact company Vice President of Administration Cathy Callahan at (207) 588-3201.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. #


http://medicalinformation-dobi.blogspot.com/search/label/Alert

Read more...

Treatment

Small Changes in Protein Chemistry Play Large Role in Huntington's Disease

In Huntington's disease, a mutated protein in the body becomes toxic to brain cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that a small region adjacent to the mutated segment plays a major role in the toxicity. Two new studies supported by the National Institutes of Health show that very slight changes to this region can eliminate signs of Huntington's disease in mice.

Researchers do not fully understand why the protein (called mutant huntingtin) is toxic, but one clue is that it accumulates in ordered clumps of fibrils, perhaps clogging up the cells' internal machinery.

"These studies shed light on the structure and biochemistry of the mutant huntingtin protein and on potentially modifiable factors that affect its toxicity," said Margaret Sutherland, Ph.D., a program director at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). "They reveal sites within the huntingtin protein and within broader disease pathways that could serve as targets for drug therapy."

Both studies were published online this week. One study, published in the Journal of Cell Biology, was led by Leslie Thompson, Ph.D., and Joan Steffan, Ph.D., of the University of California, Irvine. The other study, in Neuron, was led by X. William Yang, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles in collaboration with Ron Wetzel, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Huntington's disease is inherited, and usually strikes in middle age, producing uncontrollable movements of the legs and arms, a loss of muscle coordination, and changes in personality and intellect. It is inexorably progressive and leads to death of affected persons usually within 20 years after symptoms first appear. Individuals with the disease carry mutations that affect the huntingtin protein. The mutations involve a triple repeat DNA sequence, a type of genetic miscue similarly found in Friedreich's ataxia, Kennedy's disease, fragile X syndrome, and other neurodegenerative disorders.

The normal huntingtin protein consists of about 3,150 amino acids (which are the building blocks for all proteins). In individuals with Huntington�s disease, the mutated protein contains an abnormally long string of a single amino acid repeat; lengthier chains are associated with worse symptoms and earlier onset of the disease. In recent years, however, researchers have begun looking at the effects of other, nearby amino acids in this large protein — and in particular, biochemical changes to those amino acids.

In their study, Drs. Steffan and Thompson investigated how a process called phosphorylation affects huntingtin. Phosphorylation is the attachment of chemical tags, known as phosphates, onto the amino acids in a protein. The process occurs naturally and is a way of marking proteins for destruction by cellular waste handling systems. The researchers liken it to putting a sign on a pile of junk that tells the garbage collectors to take it away. Their study shows that phosphorylation of just two amino acids, located at one end of huntingtin, targets the protein for destruction and protects against the toxic effects of the mutant protein.

"Clearance of mutant huntingtin is likely regulated at many levels, but our data establish that these two amino acids are critical," Dr. Steffan said.

Could boosting phosphorylation of those two amino acids reduce the buildup of huntingtin and improve symptoms of the disease? In parallel with the UC Irvine research, Dr. Yang and his team at UCLA were asking that question using an animal model of Huntington�s disease. Previously, Dr. Yang had created mice that carry the mutant huntingtin gene. These mice develop symptoms reminiscent of Huntington�s disease in humans, including poor coordination, mental changes such as increased anxiety, loss of brain tissue, and accumulation of clumps of huntingtin in brain cells.

Through further genetic engineering, Dr. Yang altered the same two critical amino acids at the end of the mutant huntingtin protein to either mimic phosphorylation (phosphomimetic) or resist it (phosphoresistant). Mice with the phosphoresistant version of the protein developed symptoms of Huntington's, but mice with the phosphomimetic version remained free of symptoms and huntingtin clumps up to one year.

Meanwhile, test tube experiments by Dr. Wetzel's group in Pittsburgh showed that phosphomimetic modification of a huntingtin fragment reduced its tendency to form clumps. Together, data from the mouse and test tube experiments provide strong support for the idea that phosphorylation acts as a molecular switch to alter clumping of the mutant protein, the researchers said.

The nearly complete lack of any signs of disease in the phosphomimetic Huntington mice may point toward new strategies to treat the disorder someday. Dr. Yang said, "Drugs that enhance or mimic the effects of phosphorylation may help to detoxify the mutant huntingtin protein."

If such drugs could be developed, Drs. Steffan and Thompson theorize, they would likely be most effective at early stages of the disease, but less so at later stages, when the clearance machinery appears to run down. Dr. Yang said he plans to examine older mice carrying the phosphomimetic version of mutant huntingtin to determine how long they are protected from the disease.

The researchers received major funding from NINDS, with additional support from the National Institute on Aging, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Several nonprofit foundations also contributed to the research, including the Hereditary Disease Foundation, the Fox Family Foundation and CHDI Inc.

Co-authors of the Journal of Cell Biology study included J. Lawrence Marsh, Ph.D. and Lan Huang, Ph.D., at UC Irvine; Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City; Donald C. Lo, Ph.D. at Duke University, Durham, N.C.; Paul H. Patterson, Ph.D., at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena; and Steven Finkbeiner, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of California, San Francisco.

Co-authors of the Neuron study included Xiaofeng Gu, M.D., Ph.D., and Erin Greiner at UCLA; Rakesh Mishra and Ravindra Kodali, Ph.D., at the University of Pittsburgh; Alex Osmand, Ph.D., at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and Dr. Finkbeiner at UCSF.

NINDS (www.ninds.nih.gov) is the nation�s primary supporter of biomedical research on the brain and nervous system. NIA (www.nia.nih.gov) leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people. NICHD (www.nichd.nih.gov) sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. NIGMS (www.nigms.nih.gov) supports basic biomedical research that is the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

For more information about Huntington's disease, visit http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/huntington/huntington.htm.

http://medicalinformation-dobi.blogspot.com/search/label/Treatment

Read more...

Health and

Neighborhood Food Options Linked to Obesity in New York City

Access to stores that sell healthy foods may be a crucial factor in fighting obesity, according to a new study.

About two-thirds of adults nationwide are overweight, and almost one-third are obese. Much attention has been focused on the role of fast food and soft drinks in obesity. A growing body of research suggests that the "built environment" also plays a role—that is, access to stores that sell healthy foods and to resources that support physical activity, such as green spaces.

Researchers at Columbia University led by Dr. Andrew Rundle set out to explore how the food environment relates to weight in New York City, an area with a variety of people and neighborhoods. The researchers tapped the New York Cancer Project for data on height, weight, age, race/ethnicity, gender, income and education for over 13,000 residents of New York City.

The researchers defined a person's neighborhood as a half-mile around his or her home. To form a picture of these areas, they compiled data from several sources, incorporating population information, bus and subway stops, land use information and neighborhood food establishments. The team then analyzed any possible associations between a person's food environment and his or her BMI-a ratio of weight to height often used to estimate body fat. The analysis was supported by NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

The team reported in the March 2009 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives that they found 1 significant association between the food environment and BMI: access to healthy food outlets such as supermarkets, natural food stores and fruit and vegetable markets.

Surprisingly, the researchers didn't uncover an association with unhealthy food outlets such as fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, pizzerias, bakeries and candy and nut stores. However, they note that the lack of association may just reflect the fact that virtually all New York City neighborhoods provide many opportunities for people to eat poorly. Almost 99% of the people in the study lived within a half-mile of an unhealthy food outlet. By contrast, only 82% lived within a half-mile of a healthy food outlet. There were more unhealthy food choices for most people as well, with an average of over 7 unhealthy food outlets for every healthy outlet.

The researchers note that this finding doesn't prove that healthy food choices are responsible for lowering BMI. People who prefer healthy foods may tend to move into neighborhoods with more healthy food outlets. Retailers selling healthy foods, in turn, open where they think the population will be most receptive to their products.

While these results need to be confirmed by future studies, they suggest that increasing access to healthy food outlets could help combat the obesity epidemic more effectively than limiting unhealthy food. Many communities around the country have begun initiatives to promote access to supermarkets, farmers markets, and fruit and vegetable stands. "I see a role for follow-up studies to examine changes in diet and obesity rates in neighborhoods where new supermarkets or produce stores open," Rundle says.

—by Harirson Wein, Ph.D.

http://medicalinformation-dobi.blogspot.com/search/label/Health%20and

Read more...