10 Things You Never Knew About the Clitoris

Brace yourselves ladies, there’s a whole lot to know about the clitoris that they didn’t teach us in health class. While you’ve probably heard the many unfortunate nicknames for this body part (including “the bean”— who came up with that?), and you definitely know a thing or two about the ahem, functions, of the clitoris, you might not know that it actually gets erect, for example.

Yep, “lady boners” (another very unfortunate nickname, sorry) are real.

To help you become a bit more “cliterate,” here are 10 facts about this amazing part of your anatomy.

RELATED: 14 Fascinating Things All Women Should Know About Orgasms

It’s truly unique

When it comes to climaxing, “the clitoris is really, really crucial,” says Jim Pfaus, PhD, professor and sex researcher at Concordia University in Montreal. But that’s not the only thing that makes it special: the clitoris is actually the only organ in the body with the sole function of providing pleasure.

It’s long been a mystery

Until 1998 most textbooks only illustrated the external glans. That’s when Helen O’Connell, an Australian urologist, revealed through a series of MRI studies that the clitoris is actually a complex, powerful organ system composed of a total of eighteen parts, two thirds of which are interior.

It’s much more than meets the eye

“When people talk about the clitoris, they’re usually just talking about the glans—the very sensitive outside part,” says Rebecca Chalker, PhD, Professor of Sexology at Pace University and author of The Clitoral Truth ($12, amazon.com). But the bump you can see on the vulva is only the tip of an iceberg.

The internal part is connected to the glans by the corpora cavernosa, two spongey areas of erectile tissue. Farther down, the corpora cavernosa branches off into a pair of wings known as the crura which extend into the body and around the vaginal canal like a wishbone. Then, underneath the crura are the clitoral vestibules, or vestibular bulbs. Like much of the clitoris, these sac-like structures of tissue become engorged with blood when you get aroused.

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It’s got a lot of nerve

The clitoris is the most nerve-rich part of the vulva, says Debra Herbenick, PhD, a sexual health educator from The Kinsey Institute. The glans contains about 8,000 nerve endings, making it the powerhouse of pleasure. To get some perspective, that’s twice as many nerve endings as the penis. And its potential doesn’t end there. This tiny erogenous zone spreads the feeling to 15,000 other nerves in the pelvis, which explains why it feels like your whole body is being taken over by your O-M-G moment.

Every woman’s is different

Women are all unique, so why would clitorises be any different? Every woman needs a different kind of stimulation to feel satisfied, depending on her unique biology. “Just because it’s sensitive doesn’t mean everyone wants it to be stimulated directly,” Herbenick says. “Some women prefer touching near the clitoris but not on it.” Pfaus agrees: “If she’s too sensitive with direct stimulation, more of that may make her want to kill you.”

It’s the real G-spot

We’ve all heard about the infamous G-spot: Does it exist? Do all women have one? Yes and yes. That’s because the G-spot is actually the clitoris. This notorious pleasure zone became sensationalized back in the 80s which, as Chalker explains, “created this idea that if you could only access the G-spot inside the vagina, it would promote female orgasm.” But we’ve since learned that some women may feel more sensation via the internal shafts of the clitoral complex (hence why some women might like vaginal penetration more than others), while others prefer external touch. One way is not better than another way, Pfaus adds; it’s really about exploring the possibilities to find out what you like best.

RELATED: 13 Reasons to Have More Sex

It’s very similar to the penis…

“The clitoris and the penis are somewhat mirror images of each other, just organized differently,” Chalker explains. “In fact, up until two weeks of pregnancy, all embryos appear to be female.” It’s not until week eight of gestation that testosterone kicks in and the penis starts to form. “None of these parts disappear, they just get rearranged,” Chalker says. For example the internal part of the clitoris, also made of erectile tissue, becomes the frame of the penis. With this concept in mind, Chalker points out: “If you consider the clitoris only consisting of the glans, then that’s like saying the only part of a penis is the tip.”

…It even gets erect

“When we talk about erection, we can’t just talk about the penis,” Pfaus says. “We have to talk about the clitoris.” Sure, it might be less noticeable for women, but it can definitely be observed and felt. This occurs when the vestibular bulbs become engorged with blood during arousal. The blood is then trapped here until released via orgasmic spasms.

Size doesn’t matter

Like men, women can get self-conscious about their sexy parts. But guess what? Just like penises, clits come in all shapes and sizes. And size doesn’t matter for either, Chalker explains.  Think of it this way: since the brain is your main sex organ, the genitals are simply the receptors of pleasure. “It has to do with visual, tactile, and oral stimulation,” Chalker says, “rather that the actual size of the clit. So while glans may vary from woman to woman, this shouldn’t affect the pleasure-potential.” Also worth noting: chances are size doesn’t (or, at least, shouldn’t) matter to your partner.

It can grow with age

Although the size of your clitoris doesn’t impact your sex life, don’t be surprised if it changes dimensions over your lifetime. According to Chalker, due to a change in hormone levels after menopause, the clit may enlarge for many women. So if you notice some differences in the size of your lady parts over time, don’t be alarmed.

RELATED: 20 Weird Facts About Sex and Love

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Short Bursts of Intense Exercise Seems Good for Teen Hearts: Study

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Could just a few minutes of intense exercise three times a week reduce teens’ risk of potential heart problems?

That’s the suggestion of a small study by British researchers.

“We know that activity levels drop significantly as children reach adolescence, and so far attempts to increase this to an hour a day have proved fruitless. This study indicates that, providing the intensity is high, health benefits are achievable with just 8 to 10 minutes of exercise,” research team leader Alan Barker, from the University of Exeter, said in a university news release.

The researchers had seven boys and six girls, ages 13 and 14, do six high-intensity workouts over two weeks. The teens did this by cycling at high speed for one minute, followed by a 75-second break. They started by repeating this pattern eight times during each exercise session. By the end of the second week, the teens had worked up to 10 one-minute bursts of activity a session, the study authors said.

The training program improved the teens’ blood vessel function and their brain’s ability to control their heart rate, both considered to be important markers of heart health, the investigators explained.

“We may have more success in encouraging teenagers to dedicate a shorter time to improving their health by performing high-intensity exercise. This is an important finding, but more work is needed to inform existing physical activity guidelines for health,” study lead author Bert Bond, from the University of Exeter, said in the news release.

“The next step is to confirm these results on more participants, especially groups who are at greater risk of future cardiovascular disease, and to address the impact of longer high-intensity interventions,” Bond added.

The study was published online recently in the American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about children and exercise.

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Some Blood Pressure Drugs May Be Risky for Certain Surgery Patients

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Some people on blood pressure drugs called beta blockers may face heightened risks of heart complications during non-cardiac surgeries, a new, large study suggests.

The research involved over 55,000 surgery patients who were on various drugs to treat high blood pressure. The investigators found that those on beta blockers had a higher risk of heart attack, stroke or related death, compared to patients on other medications.

Overall, 1.3 percent suffered one of those complications within 30 days of surgery, compared with 0.8 percent of patients on other blood pressure drugs.

It’s not certain that beta blockers, themselves, are to blame, said lead researcher Dr. Mads Jorgensen, of the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark.

And, he stressed, the study included only people with “uncomplicated” high blood pressure — and not those with heart problems. Heart patients might get some benefit from a beta blocker if they’re having surgery, Jorgensen explained.

But the findings add to evidence that beta blockers can pose a hazard to some patients having non-cardiac surgery, he added.

The findings were published online Oct. 5 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Beta blockers include drugs like metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard) and propranolol (Inderal LA). They are prescribed to help treat high blood pressure, especially for people who have had a heart attack or suffer from chronic heart failure.

For years, beta blockers were also routinely prescribed ahead of surgical procedures — of all kinds — for people who might have an increased risk of heart complications, Jorgensen explained.

“Back in the day, we felt confident that patients needed beta blockers,” he said.

That was based on evidence that the drugs can cut the risk of heart attack and other heart complications during or soon after surgery.

However, more recent research has shown that beta blockers may also raise the risks of stroke, and dangerous drops in blood pressure and heart rate.

“For a while now, doctors have been debating whether they’re truly helpful,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of clinical cardiology at National Jewish Health, in Denver.

“This study suggests that if you have [high blood pressure], but are otherwise relatively healthy, it might make sense to back off of your beta blocker before surgery,” said Freeman, who is also a member of the Patient-Centered Care Committee for the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

“But,” he added, “we don’t know for sure.”

Both he and Jorgensen stressed that people preparing for surgery should not stop taking their medication on their own.

The findings are based on more than 55,000 Danish patients who underwent a non-cardiac surgical procedure between 2005 and 2011. All were on at least two medications to control chronic high blood pressure — including 14,000-plus who were using a beta blocker.

Overall, the study found, beta-blocker patients had up to double the risk of a major cardiovascular complication — a heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular causes.

However, the finding is only an association, noted Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. That means there could be other explanations for the greater risks with beta blockers, he said.

According to the current guidelines from the ACC, people who are already on a beta blocker should stay on the medication when they undergo surgery.

For people not on a beta blocker, the ACC says, it is “reasonable” to start one in the weeks before surgery — but only if they have a high risk of heart complications. That includes people with multiple risk factors, such as diabetes, a recent heart attack, kidney disease or heart failure.

Freeman agreed that for high-risk patients, the protective effects of beta blockers may outweigh the downsides. But he said for lower-risk patients — people like those in this latest study — the risks may not be worth it.

Why would beta blockers do harm? The drugs work by making the heart beat more slowly and with less force — which might blunt the body’s natural response to the stress of surgery, Freeman explained.

Jorgensen agreed. “Surgery is a big stress, and the body needs to accommodate that,” he said. “Beta blockers put on a lid on the heart’s response.”

Freeman suggested that people already on a beta blocker talk to their doctor ahead of surgery about whether it’s necessary to stay on the drug.

That discussion is vital, Jorgensen said, because stopping a beta blocker on your own is never wise.

Plus, he added, “we can’t conclude from this study that stopping your beta blocker will lower your risk of [surgery] complications.”

More information

The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation has advice on preparing for surgery.

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Flu Vaccine May Also Protect Against Pneumonia

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Getting a flu shot may protect you not only from flu, but also from pneumonia, the leading cause of flu-related hospitalizations and deaths, a new study suggests.

Most children and adults hospitalized for flu-related pneumonia haven’t had a flu shot, the researchers said.

“Influenza vaccine can substantially reduce the risk of hospitalizations for influenza pneumonia, a serious complication of influenza infections,” said lead researcher Dr. Carlos Grijalva, an associate professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

“We estimate that approximately 57 percent of hospitalizations due to influenza pneumonia could be prevented by influenza vaccination,” he said.

The report was published online Oct. 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

For the study, Grijalva and his colleagues collected data on nearly 2,800 patients hospitalized for pneumonia in four U.S. hospitals from January 2010 through June 2012.

Approximately 6 percent of these patients had flu-related pneumonia, while other patients were hospitalized for pneumonia that was not caused by influenza, Grijalva explained.

“We compared the history of influenza vaccination between these patients. We found that influenza vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of influenza pneumonia that required hospitalization,” he said.

In the United States, annual flu epidemics send more than 200,000 people to the hospital and kill as many as 49,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The leading cause of these hospitalizations and deaths is not flu itself, but pneumonia, which is a common complication of flu, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

“The flu is a great enabler,” Siegel said. “It enables heart disease, pneumonia, appendicitis, sore throats and earaches.”

And pneumonia is the number one cause of hospitalization and death, he added.

Siegel pointed out that the study didn’t prove that getting a flu shot also prevents pneumonia, but only shows that most people who had flu-related pneumonia hadn’t been vaccinated.

To prove a cause-and-effect relationship, researchers would have to assign one group of people to receive flu vaccines and another group to not receive flu vaccines. The rates of hospitalization for flu-related pneumonia in both groups would then have to be compared, he explained.

“This study raises the prospect that the flu shot decreases the risk of getting pneumonia,” Siegel said. “I’m buying that — but it’s not proof.”

But it is possible that the flu shot offers protection from pneumonia, Siegel added.

“People may get some protection they are not even counting on,” he said. “You may get added protection against the real killer — pneumonia.”

All Americans over the age of 6 months should be vaccinated each year against the flu, the CDC recommends.

More information

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on the flu.

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Routine Screening for Child Abuse Might Spot More Cases: Study

By Tara Haelle
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The early signs of child abuse among infants and toddlers — head trauma, cracked ribs or abdominal injuries — are often missed, and that may be due in part to a lack of standardized screening, researchers report.

“We probably need to increase testing for abusive injuries, but these data are less about an increase or decrease and more about consistency,” said study author Dr. Daniel Lindberg, from the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect in Denver.

“If your child has a femur fracture, the decision to test for other abusive injuries shouldn’t depend on the hospital you go to, or the color of your skin, or your net worth or your demeanor,” Lindberg said.

“This study suggests that young kids who present with the most concerning sentinel injuries should at least prompt the provider to consider whether abuse is likely and, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, should prompt them to perform a careful physical examination and obtain other tests to look for hidden abusive injuries,” he added.

Such tests would include a physical exam, X-rays, blood tests and CT scans for internal injuries. A skeletal survey, which is a set of X-rays to look for hidden fractures, is particularly important, Lindberg explained.

“The key thing this study tries to recommend is that we move toward a more routine, consistent approach to abuse testing, and away from an approach that is based on a doctor’s impression of how parents are acting or whether there are other known risk factors,” Lindberg said.

The findings were published online Oct. 5 in the journal Pediatrics.

One expert agreed that more consistent screening would spot more cases of child abuse.

“Pediatricians and other medical providers who care for abused and neglected children have long recognized that specific injuries are more often associated with abuse,” said Dr. Thomas Valvano, medical director of the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Program at Oregon Health and Science University’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

“The use of protocols [based on evidence] for evaluating children with injuries associated with an increased risk of abuse can also reduce the likelihood that abuse will be misdiagnosed,” Valvano said.

An estimated 600 children die from child abuse each year, while another 119,000 continue to suffer from it annually, the study noted. Yet, one in five abuse-caused fractures and up to 30 percent of abusive head traumas are missed by doctors the first time, leaving children vulnerable to further abuse.

The researchers examined the records of more than 4.1 million children under the age of 2 who had been seen at one of 18 different medical institutions during a seven-year period.

From these records, the researchers identified just over 30,000 children who had sentinel injuries, such as bruises or burns in young infants, brain bleeding or fractures in children under 1, and rib fracture, abdominal injuries, genital injuries or bleeding behind the retinas for children under the age of 2.

The researchers excluded children who had been in a car accident or had been previously diagnosed with child abuse. Most of these children — 90 percent — had only one potentially suspicious injury.

Among all the children under 2 years of age, 0.17 percent had been victims of child abuse, but percentages were higher among those with sentinel injuries. For example, 3.5 percent of children under 1 year old with burns and 56 percent of children under 2 years old with rib fractures had been abused. Among those with rib fracture, severe abdominal injury or bleeding in the skull, at least one in five children had been abused, according to the study.

Yet medical test usage for identifying abuse varied greatly across hospitals, the investigators found. For example, anywhere from 20 percent to 74 percent of the children received skeletal surveys, depending on the center.

“While the results from the study are not surprising, they do serve as a constant reminder for medical providers on the front lines to be vigilant for red flags in the types of patients’ injuries and injury pattern, as well as the behavior and detail disclosed in the history surrounding the injury or injuries,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

“Doing a thorough history and physical exam, and always maintaining a high index of suspicion for child abuse when the injuries don’t match with a history obtained from parents or caregivers is essential to avoid missing cases of child abuse,” Glatter said.

The study reveals the importance of establishing a more standardized protocol for assessing possible child abuse, Lindberg said.

Valvano added that while more child abuse cases may be identified with routine screening, that does not necessarily mean more children will be misdiagnosed as abused when they were not.

“The evaluation of child abuse is a multidisciplinary process involving medical providers, child protective services and law enforcement,” Valvano said. “Referring children for evaluation by medical providers with expertise in the field of child abuse is key. Child abuse specialists are trained to differentiate between accidental and abusive injuries, and often diagnose accidental injury.”

Further, proper testing should rarely lead to “false positives,” Lindberg suggested.

“For the most concerning injuries in this study, the risk of abuse is high enough, the risk of missing that abuse is high enough and the risks of testing small enough, that testing should be routine,” Lindberg said.

Others who notice suspicious injuries — especially any bruising in infants under 6 months old — can play a role in preventing child abuse, too, he added.

“Family and friends should feel empowered to ask about these injuries, and if there isn’t a great explanation, they should know that anyone — not just doctors — can report a reasonable concern for abuse,” Lindberg said.

More information

For more on preventing child abuse, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Dove’s Self-Esteem Project Will Give You All the Feels

When I think back to my middle and high school years, the one thing I wish I had more of is confidence. Dove’s latest self-esteem project campaign zones in on the single aspect of themselves teen girls wish they could change…and it will make your younger self tear up.

From curly-haired girls wishing they had straight hair and vice versa, to wanting either darker or lighter skin, each young lady featured will hit home in some way.

A recent study conducted by Dove discovered that nine out of 10 girls want to change at least one thing about their physicality, which is like the impetus behind the powerful video.

Everyone has beautiful qualities, but that doesn’t mean we always recognize or appreciate them internally. Dove is hoping to change all of that with their latest campaign. Watch the video and grab a tissue – this one is a bit of a tearjerker. You’ll just want to give a hug to each of these girls.

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

MIMI Chatter is an endless stream of beauty content. We bring together the must-knows and the how-tos from your favorite sites, beauty influencers, our editors, and YOU.

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Could Injection Be Used Someday to Spay or Neuter Pets?

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A single injection might control fertility in pets and other animals, a new study suggests.

California Institute of Technology researchers working with mice said they’ve taken a first step in developing an inexpensive alternative to spaying or neutering dogs and cats.

One injection was enough to halt egg and sperm production in mice, the scientists said. After receiving the shot, male and female mice were unable to reproduce for about two months, and suffered no side effects.

The shot delivers packaged DNA into muscle cells. This causes the animals’ bodies to produce antibodies that neutralize male and female reproductive hormones, according to the study published Oct. 5 in the journal Current Biology.

“Spaying and neutering wild animals is not a trivial process — it takes money and time to anesthetize them, do the surgery, and let them recover. This is a much more benign way of managing populations,” study senior author and biology professor Bruce Hay said in a journal news release.

He and his colleagues are now testing the injection in female cats.

Although results of animal studies aren’t necessarily replicated in humans, Hay’s team said this line of research could even lead to a similar injection for people.

“It’s a long road to develop any new drug, but it might someday provide an alternative to current surgical methods of permanent contraception,” Hay said.

More information

The American Humane Association has more about spaying and neutering.

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Hispanic, Poor Children May Have Greater Risk of Losing Eye to Cancer

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Hispanic and poor children with a rare eye cancer are at somewhat greater risk of losing an eye due to late diagnosis of the disease, a new study shows.

The finding suggests that these children have less access to primary care than white children and those from families with higher incomes, researchers said.

“Because retinoblastoma is most often diagnosed during well-child visits, the disparities uncovered in this study raise questions about inequities in primary care that go beyond the few children who develop this rare cancer,” said study senior author Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo. He is clinical director of the Solid Tumor Center at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

The study team looked at 830 cases of U.S. children under age 10 who were diagnosed with retinoblastoma — an eye tumor typically discovered during routine check-ups. The children were diagnosed between 2000 and 2010.

While nearly all of the children survived the eye cancer, Hispanic and poor children were somewhat more likely to lose an eye because their cancer was discovered at a later stage.

At diagnosis, the disease had spread beyond the eye in 33 percent of Hispanic children, and in 28 percent of children living in poor neighborhoods. Among non-Hispanic children and children living in better-off neighborhoods, that rate was just 20 percent, the researchers said.

Almost three-quarters of Hispanic children had to have the diseased eye removed, as did 74 percent of black and Asian children, the study found. Just under two-thirds of white children had to have their diseased eye removed, the study reported.

Slightly more than three-quarters of children living in poor areas had to have their diseased eye taken out. Meanwhile, 64 percent of those in wealthier neighborhoods needed to have the eye with the tumor removed, the researchers said.

“Despite the advances of recent decades in the care of children with cancer, disparities still exist. These disparities may impact children in different ways, depending on the type of cancer and treatment received,” Rodriguez-Galindo said said in a center news release

The study was published Oc.t 5 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about retinoblastoma.

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State Anti-Bullying Laws May Lead to Fewer Bullied Kids

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — States that get tough on bullies by enacting anti-bullying laws appear to reduce bullying and cyberbullying among high school students, a new study suggests.

Among 25 states that adopted at least one component of the U.S. Department of Education guidelines on bullying in their anti-bullying laws, 24 percent saw lower odds of bullying, the researchers found. In addition, these states saw 20 percent lower odds of cyberbullying, the study revealed.

“This research is important because it gives us a sense that anti-bullying legislation works,” said lead researcher Mark Hatzenbuehler, co-director of the Center for the Study of Social Inequalities and Health at Columbia University in New York City.

While this study found a link between lower rates of bullying and cyberbullying in states with anti-bullying laws, the study’s design doesn’t allow it to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

But this research does set the stage for future studies that can pinpoint which laws, and which combinations of laws, are most effective, Hatzenbuehler said.

Although laws alone won’t fix the problem, they are a necessary part of the solution, he added. “Anti-bullying policies are an important part of a comprehensive strategy for preventing bullying among youth,” he said.

The report was published online Oct. 5 in JAMA Pediatrics.

One in five U.S. high school students has been bullied during the past 12 months, according to background information in the study.

Forty-nine states currently have anti-bullying laws, Hatzenbuehler said. Montana is the only exception.

For the study, researchers reviewed data on more than 63,000 high school students. The teens came from both public and private high schools. Students from 25 U.S. states were included in the study.

The investigators then matched this information to anti-bullying guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education and state laws on bullying.

The researchers looked at 16 components in four categories. These included: definitions of the anti-bullying policy; the school districts’ policy development and review; mandated procedures to deal with bullying; and strategies for communication, training and legal support.

“This research uncovered specific components of anti-bullying laws that were most effective in reducing bullying and cyberbullying,” Hatzenbuehler said.

“For example, laws were particularly effective if they included a description of how bullying is defined and where the legislation applies,” he said.

Rates of bullying and cyberbullying varied by state, the study found. The state with the lowest rate of bullying (among those studied) was Alabama with just 14 percent of teens reporting bullying in the past year. South Dakota had the highest bullying rates at nearly 27 percent, the study found.

Slightly more than 15 percent of teens reported cyberbullying during the past year. Again, Alabama had the lowest rate, with 12 percent of teens reporting cyberbullying. And South Dakota had the highest rates at nearly 20 percent, the study said.

Todd Herrenkohl, a professor of social work at the University of Washington in Seattle, said, “This study offers an important perspective on the role of anti-bullying laws in preventing self-reported bullying behaviors among high school students.”

The study is one of the first to examine this issue systematically and the findings are convincing, he said.

“However, anti-bullying laws by themselves are insufficient to address this enduring problem,” Herrenkohl said.

State laws are important to the extent that state laws increase awareness of the problem and lead to action, he said. But proven prevention and intervention programs are also essential, Herrenkohl suggested.

“Enforcing policies and aligning those policies with proven programs is critical and invariably more difficult than developing broad mandates,” Herrenkohl said.

More information

For more about bullying and cyberbullying, visit Stopbullying.gov.

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New Antibiotic-Resistant ‘Superbug’ an Emerging Threat, CDC Says

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A relatively new antibiotic-resistant bacteria called CRE is making inroads in some major American cities, U.S. health officials report.

Surveillance of seven U.S. metropolitan areas found higher-than-expected levels of CRE in Atlanta, Baltimore and New York City, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lower-than-expected levels were found in Albuquerque, Denver and Portland, Ore., while the Minneapolis rate was what the agency anticipated.

But CDC researchers were dismayed that they found active cases of CRE infection in every city they examined, said senior author Dr. Alexander Kallen, a CDC medical officer.

The results support the CDC’s decision to promote coordinated regional efforts to prevent the spread of CRE and other antibiotic-resistant germs, Kallen said.

“Here we are with an opportunity to intervene on one of these multidrug-resistant organisms just as it’s about to emerge and it’s still relatively uncommon,” he said. “That is the time you want to intervene. It’s much easier to control things and prevent the organism from becoming more common when it’s rare.”

About 9 percent of people died due to their infection from CRE, the researchers found. But some estimates have held that as many as 50 percent of CRE infections contribute to death if they lead to a bloodstream infection, Kallen said.

CRE, or Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, are a class of common bacteria that have developed resistance to some of the most widely used antibiotics, Kallen said. CRE were first reported in 2001.

The best-known enterobacteriaceae are E. coli, a common cause of food poisoning, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause pneumonia and potentially fatal bloodstream infections, Kallen said.

CRE bacteria are able to produce an enzyme that breaks down antibiotics, forcing doctors to resort to older and more toxic antibiotics to stave off infections, he said.

Most CRE infections occur at a hospital. In fact, hospitalization was the most common potential exposure to CRE, the study found. Patients’ median (midpoint) age was 66.

But public health experts are worried that since enterobacteriaceae are so common in daily life, havoc could ensue if CRE starts to become transmitted outside of health care settings.

“We’re seeing more and more patients in the community with an e. coli kidney infection that we have no oral therapy to treat,” said Dr. Mary Hayden, an associate professor of pathology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “If CRE gets into the community and starts causing regular old urinary tract infections in otherwise healthy people, it will have a significant impact because we don’t have agents to treat those things.”

In the study, published Oct. 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the CDC conducted active surveillance of CRE in 2012 and 2013 among people living in the seven cities listed above.

The overall rate of CRE in those cities was 2.93 infections per 100,000 people, researchers found.

That’s low compared with the antibiotic-resistant bug MRSA, and the opportunistic C. difficile bacteria, which causes potentially deadly diarrhea in people whose digestive systems have been subjected to heavy antibiotics.

However, CRE has become more common in a short amount of time, said Hayden, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal.

“I think we learned from those situations that these problems can spread very rapidly,” she said. “If we look at what has happened with other similar antibiotic-resistant organisms, we can see what will happen with this unless we do something now.”

To stop the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the CDC is promoting regional efforts in which hospitals, long-term care facilities and other health care offices communicate regularly about infections, Kallen said.

Many antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread in a community because they are carried by patients from one facility to another. Better coordination can prevent this spread by identifying patients and isolating them with good infection control, he said.

Hayden praised this study as a “really good initial step,” but said she hopes it will be expanded to include many other metropolitan areas.

“This provides a nice national picture, but we could do better,” she said.

More information

For more on CRE, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1Mbgtq6