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Prevent Child Abuse America has proudly unveiled its new campaign, Pinwheels for Prevention, introducing the pinwheel as a symbol for child abuse and neglect prevention nationwide.

The pinwheel represents PCA America's efforts to change the way our nation thinks about prevention, focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur. It represents our efforts to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide, while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development.

The campaign is taking root as more than 400,000 blue and silver pinwheels were displayed in communities across the U.S. in 2008. Shining in the sun, the pinwheel is reflective of the bright future all children deserve and our belief that getting it right early is less costly than trying to fix it later.

The pinwheel represents PCA America's efforts to change the way our nation thinks about prevention, focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur.

A few ways in which you can show your support are:

- Wear a blue ribbon or blue wristband and tell people that it stands for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

- Call or write your elected officials and ask them to support funding for parent support and child abuse prevention programs. Enclose copies of articles on child abuse and neglect from your local newspaper. Our web site has information on how to reach your elected representatives.

- Contact your school district, library or faith group about support programs for parents and how you can help. If none exist, encourage them to sponsor classes and develop resources for parents.

Here is a link to some Pinwheels for Prevention Activities >>

Labels: child abuse, pinwheels for prevention

In 1971, the United States declared war on cancer. Despite momentous strides and life-saving advances since then, the fundamental goal of the war - to diminish death and suffering from cancer - has not been realized. Forty percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives; 1.4 million new cases will be diagnosed this year alone. Cancer will claim more than 565,000 American lives this year - about 1,500 people a day. And the disease inflicts incalculable physical pain and emotional distress on cancer patients and their families. The U.S. must reinvigorate the war on cancer - we must energize science and remove the barriers to discovering and delivering the cures for cancer.

The 21st Century Cancer ALERT (Access to Life-saving Early Detection, Research and Treatment) Act - sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy and Kay Bailey Hutchison - promises to reignite America's war on cancer by strengthening cancer research, emphasizing early detection, and improving cancer care for underserved populations.

ALERT stands for Access to Life-saving Early Detection, Research and Treatment:

Early Detection - The ALERT Act will place an emphasis on early detection and promote the discovery and development of biomarkers to detect cancers at the earliest possible stage when cancer is most treatable. The bill also has a particular focus on childhood, rare, and high-mortality cancers.

Research - The ALERT Act will strengthen the cancer research process by promoting public-private partnerships and collaboration between government agencies. The bill also has a focus on translational research so new discoveries and breakthroughs in the laboratory make their way to patients' bedsides as quickly as possible.

Treatment - The ALERT Act will improve access to cancer care for underserved populations by expanding access to clinical trials, patient navigation services, and screening and treatment for colorectal cancer.

Let your Senators know you support the ALERT Act. Urge them to co-sponsor the bill, if they haven't already, and to move it quickly to a vote!

Labels: alert act, cancer

This is a topic I don't broach much because it hits close to home, but maybe that's the reason it should be discussed.

Alcoholism can bring you slowly to death or if you're lucky it can kill you instantly if you foolishly get behind the wheel under the influence.

Yes, alcoholism is a disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems.

There is a difference between those who abuse alcohol and those who are true alcoholics. Alcohol abusers don't feel the same compulsion to drink and usually don't experience physical withdrawal symptoms when they don't drink. A dependence on alcohol also creates a tolerance to alcohol and the inability to control your drinking.

Did you know some people who drink too much can be causing alcohol-related esophageal cancer? One of the telling signs is a flushed face after drinking. Esophageal cancer, is an especially deadly type with five-year survival rates of 12 to 31 percent. Ethanol is first metabolized primarily by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) into acetaldehyde, a mutagen and animal carcinogen that causes DNA damage and has other cancer-promoting effects.

During midlife (ages 30 to 59)the consequences of heavy drinking often become evident. Alcoholic liver disease, alcohol pancreatitis, several types of cancer, disorders of the heart and circulatory system, alcohol-related brain disorders, and other adverse effects upon the endocrine and immune system are most likely to emerge during this time.

As individuals age they metabolize alcohol more slowly; as a result, alcohol remains in the body longer. Older adults are more likely to have health conditions that can be exacerbated by alcohol, including stroke, hypertension, neurodegeneration, memory loss, mood disorders, and cognitive or emotional problems. Additionally, older adults are more likely than younger people to take medications, putting them at risk for interactions that can be dangerous or even life-threatening. Alcohol also may decrease effectiveness of some medications.

The brain is particularly vulnerable to excessive alcohol use. Alcoholics often exhibit problems with memory, learning, planning, and other advanced brain functions. In severe cases, they may even develop dementia.

The long-term heavy use of alcohol can lead to Korsakoff's syndrome ("wet brain"). This progressive, irreversible condition causes severe cognitive and memory disturbances to the point where it is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. A person with this syndrome may appear intoxicated or confused even when not drinking.

Recognizing and accepting that an alcohol problem exists is the first, crucial step toward solving the problem. Because denial is frequently a characteristic of alcoholism, it's unlikely that people who are dependent on or who abuse alcohol will seek medical treatment on their own. Often it takes family members, friends or co-workers to persuade them to undergo screening for alcoholism or to seek treatment.

Think about the benefits of making a change:
- Being healthier and stronger without alcohol or drugs.
- Having family and friends who know they can depend on you.
- Having a future with lots of choices.

Acute withdrawal and detoxification is used for individuals who use alcohol heavily
and is designed to prevent and treat withdrawal symptoms, which can otherwise be
severe and even life-threatening. This treatment may require a stay in a specialized
facility in addition to close medical supervision.

"Cutting down" on drinking won't do the job; stopping all alcohol intake is required for a full recovery.

She said if we're gonna make this work
You gotta let me inside even though it hurts
Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see
She said like it or not it's the way it's gotta be
You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me

I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
And give me a break
I'll keep us together

~ Lifehouse

Labels: alcoholism

Wellness isn't just about taking vitamins to keep your insides healthier. It's also about feeling good about yourself. Keeping fit and good hygiene and positive self awareness all play a part in our overall well being.

Part of this comes into play just by pampering yourself every now and then. Allowing yourself time for a pedicure or a hot bath; even if you do the pedicure yourself and don't go out to pay someone for it.

Sabon NYC is a Luxury Body and Bath Fragrance Shop in New York City. Their tagline is "Listen To Your Body." Part of their mission statement says, "We strive to encourage an appreciation of the daily ritual of bath by creating an environment that inspires and captures the imagination, through the visual and sensory experience."

So you know when you get a product from Sabon, you're getting the best and you'll feel it when you use it.

Currently in stock on their website at sabonnyc.com you'll see fifteen different body scrubs. They come in yummy fragrances like Lemon Mint and Lavendar Apple to name two. Body scrubs are mandatory for me when I take a bath, I use them on my knees and elbows, ankles; the rough spots. Exfoliation, using body scrubs helps to make your skin glow with smoothness. SabonNYC.com has creamy, foamy, sugary and regular based body scrubs to choose from.

Remember, especially now that warmer weather is heading our way. Treat your body to some needed pampering and you'll end up feeling brand new.

Sponsored post.

Labels: body scrubs, hygiene, sabon nyc, wellness

Going Oprah on you today, with a post about keeping peace in your life.

First of all I recommend removing the toxins. I'm not just talking about your physical toxins which you can flush out of your body, but the toxins in your life which drain you emotionally. I understand it is easier said than done, but it is necessary. There are some people who bring you down and you know it. There's that person who 90% of the time has nothing positive to say, they complain about everything, they suck the energy right out of the room. Those people are not going to change and you need to be the one to remove them from your life. It will help you in ways you never though imaginable.

If you're not sure you need to remove those people toxins then ask them. Be straight forward with them, because we're all different and they might not realize their impact.

"We often figure that other people see the world in the same way we do and overestimate the degree to which they understand our approach and actions. Rather than making assumptions, ask for clarification; even ask about their intention to harm you ('Did you realize when you did that, it affected me in this way?' They might not be aware of it). Be willing to take the first step in opening up such conversation. Also, when we think we'll be rejected, we tend not to smile, we make less eye contact and stand farther away. The other person may perceive these gestures as a brush-off. Go out of your way to say hello. Or smile or make eye contact. We have to take a deep breath and try to recognize that we all feel anxiety. Go in and learn."
— Linda Tropp, PhD, director of the psychology of peace and violence concentration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Next, to show that you're listening, occasionally pause and rephrase the other person's point ('It sounds like this is what you're saying'). Once they're done talking try to make your point ('Here's my perspective; do you see where I'm at on this?').

Most importantly, if open commuincation isn't working then be strong enough to realize you must walk away from this person; even if they are family. You cannot become part of something co-dependent. You will be enabling their toxicity and they will be breaking you down. What good can come from this?

Labels: communication, Emotional, toxic people

Damn, so when I'm having a really slow response day I should try doing sudoko puzzles or something to get my brain moving faster.

The smarter the person, the faster information zips around the brain, a UCLA study finds. And this ability to think quickly apparently is inherited.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, looked at the brains and intelligence of 92 people. All the participants took standard IQ tests. Then the researchers studied their brains using a technique called diffusion tensor imaging, or DTI.

DTI is a variant of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that can measure the structural integrity of the brain's white matter, which is made up of cells that carry nerve impulses from one part of the brain to another. The greater the structural integrity, the faster nerve impulses travel.

"These images really give you a picture of the mental speed of the brain," says Paul Thompson, Ph.D., a professor of neurology at UCLA School of Medicine.

Haier says the good news is that we're not necessarily stuck with the brain, or the brain speed, we inherit. He says thinking is like running or weightlifting. It helps to have certain genes. But anyone can get stronger or faster by working out.

The brain is like a muscle, Haier says: "The more you work it the more efficient it gets."

So people who practice the violin, or do math problems, or learn a foreign language are constantly strengthening certain pathways in their brains.

And Thompson notes that our brains, unlike our bodies, peak relatively late in life.

"The wires between the brain cells, the connections, are the things that you can modify throughout life," he says. "They change and they improve through your 40s and 50s and 60s."

Woohoo!

Labels: brain, intellect, neurology

With the nation's economic crisis contributing to greater workplace stress, providing effective mental health care for employees may be more important than ever.

Unfortunately, the approach most companies take in purchasing mental health care benefits is flawed and unlikely to produce the best outcomes for either their bottom line or their employees' welfare, according to a Florida State University College of Medicine researcher.

Kathryn Rost, the Elizabeth Freed Professor in Mental Health at the College of Medicine, has received a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct research with potential to change purchasing behavior for companies trying to provide mental health care to employees. The work has enormous potential implications that go beyond mental health. Rost is focusing on depression care management, but the findings likely will apply across a broad range of employee health care coverage.

Absenteeism and lost productivity at work due to depression costs American businesses $51 billion annually, according to a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Rost's work will examine the purchasing behavior of 360 businesses in 18 U.S. cities, each with a minimum of 100 employees, providing mental health care to more than 40,000 workers. Part of the study involves educating companies to ask the right questions of vendors selling mental health care coverage. Rost's team provides dos and don'ts when negotiating with vendors and uses role-playing to guide employers through the process of choosing the right plan.

America's mental health system is in dire need of a stimulus. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) gave the nation's mental health care system a D grade on its state-by-state report card, issued March 11, 2009. The national average grade represents an average of each state's individual grade for a number of different aspects of mental health care, including awareness, funding and improvement over time.

"The NAMI report card confirms what the National Council is hearing from community mental health centers that treat people with mental illnesses around the country. We are seeing treatment center after treatment center experiencing increased demand while receiving fewer resources. Clearly, years of federal and state neglect coupled with the economic downturn have caught up with us," said Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.

State grades for 2009 include six Bs, 18 Cs, 21 Ds and six Fs, based on 65 specific criteria involving every aspect of a state's mental health treatment and support services. Although fourteen states improved their grades, 12 states fell backward since NAMI's last report card in 2006. The national average remained a D.

"At a time of increasing demand for services, community mental health centers have shown amazing commitment and creativity. These mental health organizations have proven remarkably resourceful, searching for alternative funding sources and implementing quality improvement measures in order to serve more individuals without added resources -- but it is time for a bailout. The evidence in NAMI's report card will help us rally the call to reinstate and strengthen state and federal funding for mental health resources nationwide," said Director of State Policy at the National Council Chris Loftis.

Labels: depression, funding, mental health

Continuing its efforts to educate, inform and empower the people of Chicago, SAVE THE PATIENT, a not-for-profit patient-focused organization, is hosting its 25-minute live call-in show, "Community Health," on Chicago Access Network (CAN-TV) on Monday, March 23, at 6:00 PM, CDT, on Channel 21.

Monday's program will feature an enlightening discussion about the healing benefits of silence, with Anne LeClaire, author of "Listening Below the Noise." Viewers will find out how, in these uncertain times of financial upheaval, the practice of silence will benefit them and why health-care professionals are incorporating silence into their practices.

All the efforts of SAVE THE PATIENT promote positive and productive interactions between patients and medical professionals by encouraging individuals to know and implement their rights to ask questions, receive understandable answers, and explore medical options. "SAVE THE PATIENT's mission is to assist the public in becoming informed and, therefore, better health care consumers," noted President and Founder Lenore Janecek.

Viewers, who wish to join discussions can call-in to pose questions or share concerns.

Established in 2001, SAVE THE PATIENT provides current and accurate information to assist individuals in making health care decisions. Our services are available to people of all ages, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.

SAVE THE PATIENT assembles and provides objective resources from the wide array of medical care, prevention, and treatment information and options available. We do not practice medicine nor represent or endorse professional diagnosis or treatment options.

They provides information and education through patient advocacy, community outreach, educational seminars and its signature tool: the Health Caring Card [pdf].

Labels: save the patient

Here's the lowdown on the low-cal and no-cal sugar substitutes:

Sucralose (Splenda): It's sugar, sort of. At least it starts out life that way, before being chemically processed into a form that your body won't be able to absorb, making it sweet revenge (it's calorie-free). Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose (table sugar), twice as sweet as saccharin, and 3.3 times as sweet as aspartame.

"In determining the safety of sucralose, the FDA reviewed data from more than 110 studies in humans and animals. Many of the studies were designed to identify possible toxic effects including carcinogenic, reproductive and neurological effects. No such effects were found, and FDA's approval is based on the finding that sucralose is safe for human consumption."

Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet): Many experts think it's harmless, others think it's unsafe. Given this lack of consensus, (and because you have other choices), it's probably smart not to give Equal equal billing with other sweetener options.

An analysis of peer reviewed medical literature using MEDLINE and other databases was conducted by Ralph G. Walton, MD, Chairman, The Center for Behavioral Medicine, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Dr. Walton analyzed 164 studies which were felt to have relevance to human safety questions. Of those studies, 74 studies had aspartame industry-related sponsorship and 90 were funded without any industry money.

Of the 90 non-industry-sponsored studies, 83 (92%) identified one or more problems with aspartame. Of the 7 studies which did not find a problems, 6 of those studies were conducted by the FDA. Given that a number of FDA officials went to work for the aspartame industry immediately following approval (including the former FDA Commissioner), many consider these studies to be equivalent to industry-sponsored research.

Saccharin: The law also required that any foods containing saccharin must carry a label that reads "Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals."

"We know for certain that it causes cancer in animals," says Andrew Laumbach, Ph.D., consumer safety officer in FDA's Office of Premarket Approval. He acknowledges, however, that animal studies do not always predict the behavior of a substance in the human body.

Acesulfame-K (Sunnette): Acesulfame potassium is a calorie-free artificial sweetener, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K (K being the symbol for potassium), and marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One.

Acesulfame potassium is currently used in more than 4,000 products around the world. In the United States, acesulfame potassium is approved for use in candies, tabletop sweeteners, chewing gums, beverages, dessert and dairy product mixes, baked goods, alcoholic beverages, syrups, refrigerated and frozen desserts, and sweet sauces and toppings.

Acesulfame K stimulates insulin secretion in a dose dependent fashion thereby possibly aggravating reactive hypoglycemia ("low blood sugar attacks").

Sorbitol: In large doses, it can cause stomach upset and diarrhea, can interfere with the absorption of vital nutrients, plus lead to dehydration). It's safe in moderate amounts. Sorbitol has more calories than other substitutes and less sweetness than regular sugar.

It's actually used as a medicinal laxative to treat occasional episodes of constipation. It stimulates bowel movements by drawing water into the large intestine.

Mannitol: Like sorbitol, it's safe, and moderate amounts are fine, but its poor absorption by your body means it can cause unfortunate goings-on in your stomach.

Labels: artificial sweeteners

Biofilms are everywhere - in dental plaque and ear canals, on contact lenses and in water pipelines - and the bacteria that make them get more resilient with age, finds a new study in FEMS Microbiology Letters.

Because bacteria in biofilms resist antibiotics, the study may have long-term implications for medical researchers seeking to develop better drugs and less infection-prone devices.

Biofilms are bacterial cities clinging to a surface. In addition to aiding infections, they can hamper industrial processes by clogging pipelines and gumming up machinery.

And as the study shows, biofilms may hold lessons for scholars of evolution.

Authors Steven Finkel and Alison Kraigsley of USC College found evidence of natural selection in a single-species bacterial biofilm. Finkel is associate professor of molecular biology. Kraigsley is a graduate student in Finkel's group.

"The bacteria that originally formed the biofilm are not the same as the bacteria that we harvest from that same biofilm later," Finkel said. "The mutants we find are more fit than the original founding strain."

The biofilm experiment is a variation on the Finkel group's best-known work: their studies of how starvation of microbes in a closed environment leads to the emergence of a dominant type of cells known as GASP mutants, for Growth Advantage in Stationary Phase.

GASPers, as Finkel calls them, outcompete bacteria from younger cultures. The key is not the age of individual microbes but the age of the culture they come from: young offspring of GASPers exhibit the same dominance as their parents.

Our five-year-old has chronic sinus infections, one of the specialists he has recently seen said the mucous might be resistant to antibiotics. We'll hopefully be finding this out within the next couple of weeks.

The FDA says bacteria becoming resistant is a real threat.

"Bacteria and other microorganisms that cause infections are remarkably resilient and can develop ways to survive drugs meant to kill or weaken them."

Although their page devoted to this topic has not been updated in several year.

I am sure by now you have heard about MRSA or more scientifically know as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The bacteria is resistant to antibiotics and is common worldwide. In recent years many countries have recorded MRSA infections in healthy people who had not been hospitalised or stayed in other healthcare facilities or institutions, nor received medical procedures in the previous year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 95,000 people in the United States developed serious MRSA infections in 2005 (the latest data available).

While the CDC cannot say how many children were infected, the agency reported the greatest increase in hospital visits were among those under 18 during an eight-year period ending in 2005.

I believe more and more of these types of strains will be developing at a rapid pace for years to come. And I specifically see this becoming more and more of an issue with young children which makes me incredibly sad.

Anne Buboltz, a postdoctoral fellow in veterinary and biomedical sciences at Penn State, explains that "antibiotic resistance is a natural result of evolutionary pressures." Just as animals evolve to evade predators or survive in harsh climates, bacteria evolve to withstand the things that threaten them-and these include antibiotics. "Bacteria with an antibiotic resistance gene can survive where non-resistant bacteria do not," says Buboltz. These survivors then reproduce, and the resistant strain becomes more common.

Have we unwittingly forced this natural process into overdrive? Buboltz believes so, noting, "The widespread use of antibiotic drugs creates a greater force of selection for bacteria with antibiotic-resistant genes." And that use is on the rise. Some of the increase is due to other miracles of modern medicine: many diseases that used to be deadly can now be treated with transplants or chemotherapy, and as ill patients live longer, they often require long and repeated courses of antibiotics.

We'll see how it all turns out.

Labels: antibacterial, antibiotic resistance, biofilms, children, mrsa

2009 is already shaping up to be a year of change for children's health coverage. So far, President Obama has:

- Signed legislation expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and stated it was "only the first step" and was a "down payment on his commitment" to provide health coverage for every American-and that means every child, too.

- Declared, "Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year" in his State of the Nation address, and as a result of his message, the Senate Finance Committee got to work immediately to move forward with health care reform by holding a public hearing on our nation's health care.

- Convened a health care reform summit at the White House, and Children's Defense Fund (CDF) was there to speak up for children.

President Obama took one more step last week in his campaign to reform America's broken health care system in announcing two new members of his health care reform team: Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary-designate of Health and Human Services and Nancy Ann DeParle as Director of the White House Office for Health Reform. We are delighted that Secretary-designate Sebelius shares President Obama's belief "that we can't fix the economy without fixing health care."

You can e-mail the two newest members of the Health Care Reform team to ensure that any health care reform includes health coverage for ALL children.

Labels: children healthcare, childrens defense fund

A study was done to see if music being played during a ride in an ambulance had positive effects on the injured party.

Music was played for eligible adult patients during Critical Care Transport (CCT) while recording vital signs. A questionnaire was subsequently mailed to patients to rate whether the ambulance transport was stressful, the impact music had on transport, whether music changed their anxiety, whether music made them comfortable and relaxed, and whether they would prefer music to be played on future transports. Vital signs were compared between respondents who perceived transport as stressful and those who did not.

One hundred two patients were enrolled; 23 respondents (22.5%) constituted the study group. Four patients (17.4%) reported CCT as stressful (average response, 4.75). Nineteen (82.6%) rated CCT as not stressful (average response, 1.63). Subjectively, patients reported a positive impact of music on transport, with improved comfort and relaxation but only a minimal decrease in anxiety. No statistically significant change in vital signs was observed between cohorts; too few patients were enrolled to generate power to detect any difference.

Music therapy is a simple adjunct for use during CCT that may increase patient comfort and alleviate anxiety.

According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy interventions can be designed to:
- promote wellness
- manage stress
- alleviate pain
- express feelings
- enhance memory
- improve communication
- promote physical rehabilitation

So, in essence it absolutely makes sense that music could ease the mind a bit if you're going through a traumatic ambulance experience.

Labels: music, stress, therapy

A new study has found that a high waist circumference is strongly associated with decreased lung function independent of smoking history, sex, body mass index (BMI) and other complicating factors.

The study analyzed health information on more that 120,000 people from the Paris Investigations Preventives et Cliniques Center, and assessed demographic background, smoking history, alcohol consumption, as well as lung function, including FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) and FVC (forced vital capacity, or the total expiratory volume) with respect to BMI, waist circumference and other measures of metabolic health.

The results were published in the second issue for March of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking status, alcohol consumption, leisure time physical activity and cardiovascular history, metabolic syndrome remained independently associated with lung function impairment," wrote lead author Natalie Leone, M.D., of French National Institute for Health and Medical Research. "We found a positive independent relationship between lung function impairment and metabolic syndrome due mainly to abdominal obesity."

Abdominal obesity was defined as having a waist circumference of greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.

The researchers also found a significant interaction between metabolic syndrome and smoking status, with estimated lung function impairment risk in current and former smokers being higher than in those who never smoked.

"Prospective studies are needed to determine the temporal relationship between lung function impairment and metabolic syndrome, including abdominal adiposity in particular. Mechanistic studies are also required to clarify the underlying physiopathological pathways," concluded Dr. Leone.

While more research will undoubtedly shed light on the underlying mechanisms linking abdominal fat to lowered lung function, there is an immediate clinical consideration:

"I believe there is now enough evidence to recommend that waist circumference always be measured before spirometry tests. Abdominal obesity could then be highlighted on the printed report so that the physician interpreting the report could take the effect of obesity into account," wrote Dr. Enright.

Labels: lung dieases, obesity, weight gain

February 2009 turned out to be a month when vaccine science was put on trial in the U.S. Court of Claims in Washington, D.C., in mainstream media and on the internet, in the British Medical Journal and in vaccine safety research initiatives by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The month began with a Feb. 6 CBS-TV news report on new information released by NVIC on serious Gardasil risks, which was followed within 48 hours by a highly orchestrated and very well publicized transatlantic attack on MMR vaccine researcher Andrew Wakefield, M.D. in preparation for a Feb. 12 public announcement by the U.S. Court of Claims denying federal compensation to three children, who regressed into autism after MMR vaccination. The same day that three autistic children were denied federal compensation in the U.S., the British Medical Journal published a Cochrane Collaboration analysis revealing that influenza vaccine studies are more likely to be published in medical journals and rated highly if they are funded by pharmaceutical companies, even when the vaccine studies are of poor quality.

Finally, it is a hopeful sign that at the end of February a joint statement was signed by a diverse group of vaccine stakeholders who met in Salt Lake City Feb. 20-21, 2009 to discuss national vaccine safety research priorities. Assisted by expert facilitators from The Keystone Center, the CDC sponsored Vaccine Safety Writing Group included federal and state public health officials, pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, immunologists, vaccine developers, health policy analysts, child vaccine advocates and representatives from vaccine safety and autism groups including NVIC, SafeMinds and Autism Speaks.

The vaccine stakeholder group stated that the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) should "charge an expert panel with evaluating study designs for research on the impact of the standard schedule of vaccination on an array of health outcomes of significant public interest. This draft charge is responsive to issues raised at community meetings in Alabama, Oregon and Indiana as well as the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee request for collaboration with the National Vaccine Program Office."

On March 16, 2009 from 9 to 5 p.m. at the Hubert Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C., the National Vaccine Advisory Committee will hold an open public meeting for citizens to discuss the government's draft vaccine safety research agenda. To register to attend, contact Kirsten Vannice at: Kirsten.vannice@hhs.gov. To join the meeting via telephone or by webscast, go to this website.

SOURCE: National Vaccine Information Center

Labels: children, vaccines

Obese women have alterations in their ovaries which might be responsible for an egg's inability to make an embryo, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Obese women trying to become pregnant experience longer times to conception, even if they are young and have a regular menstrual cycle. This study sought to determine if there are alterations in an egg's environment in obese women which contribute to poorer reproductive outcomes.

"Characteristics of eggs are influenced by the environment in which they develop within the ovary," said Dr. Rebecca Robker, PhD, of Adelaide University in Australia and lead author of the study. "Our study found that obese women have abnormally high levels of fats and inflammation in the fluid surrounding their eggs which can impact an egg's developmental potential."

According to Dr. Robker, the fats might alter the very sensitive metabolism of the egg and such changes are known to be harmful to embryo formation. In addition, inflammation can damage cells and when this happens to eggs it can affect embryo survival.

For this study, researchers followed 96 women seeking assisted reproduction at a private clinic in South Australia from February 2006 to April 2007. Dr. Robker and her colleagues measured hormone and metabolite levels in follicular fluid obtained from the subjects' ovaries during their egg collection procedures. They found that obese women exhibited an altered ovarian follicular environment, particularly increased metabolite and androgen activity levels, which may be associated with poorer reproductive outcomes.

"Obesity is well known to cause changes in blood lipids and heightened inflammation which detrimentally affects a person's general health," said Dr. Robker. "Our research shows that obesity similarly changes the environment in the ovary which bathes and nourishes a woman's developing eggs."

The article "Obese Women Exhibit Differences in Ovarian Metabolites, Hormones and Gene Expression Compared to Moderate Weight Women," will appear in the May 2009 issue of JCEM.

But that's not the only correlation between infertility and obesity.

Researchers say hormonal changes and diminished sexual quality of life in obese men are related to the degree of obesity.

"In our study population, we found that lower testosterone levels and diminished ratings for sexual quality of life were correlated with increased Body Mass Index," said Ahmad Hammoud lead author from the University of Utah.

"Previous studies have found that obesity is correlated to lower sperm count and can be associated with infertility, but we wanted to know if obesity was biologically associated with an unsatisfying sex life, and if so, could it be reversible," said Dr. Ahmad Hammoud. "Our results show that the answer to both questions may be yes."

"Subjects who lost weight through bariatric surgery experienced a reduction in estradiol levels, an increase in testosterone levels and an increase in ratings of sexual quality of life," Hammoud said.

Labels: infertility, obesity