Parents Keep Too Tight a Leash on Teens’ Health Care: Survey

THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Too much parental involvement means that many American teens aren’t learning how to manage their own health care, new survey results suggest.

“The majority of parents are managing teens’ health care visits, and their teens may be missing out on valuable opportunities to learn how to take ownership of their own health,” said Sarah Clark, associate director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan.

“Having teens take the lead in responsibilities like filling out their own paperwork, describing their health problems, and asking questions during adolescence helps them gain experience and confidence in managing their health,” Clark said in a university news release.

Researchers questioned more than 1,500 parents of teens aged 13 to 18 years. Only one-third of parents said their teens had private discussions about their health with a doctor. And less than 10 percent said their teens can complete their health history form on their own.

Nearly 40 percent of parents surveyed said they alone — not their teen — would ask a doctor about health concerns, and only 15 percent of parents said their teen would speak on their own with a doctor about physical or emotional problems.

“Speaking with the doctor privately is important, not only to give teens a chance to disclose confidential information, but also to provide the opportunity for them to be an active participant in their own health care, without a parent taking over,” Clark added.

“Parents’ top reason for handling different aspects of the health care visit is that their teen would not be comfortable talking about these subjects — which may stem from the fact that they aren’t getting much practice,” she said.

Clark acknowledged that parents are naturally concerned about their child’s health and that letting their teens become independent in a health setting can be difficult. “But with parents’ guidance, these early opportunities will help teens prepare to navigate the health care system and take responsibility for their own health as they get older,” she said.

Clark suggested some ways parents can hand the medical reins over to their teenager. Before an appointment, encourage teens to write down any health issue or questions they have. When you arrive at the doctor’s office, have your teen check in at the registration desk and complete forms.

During the appointment, wait to speak so that your teen has time to explain any problems or ask questions, she advised.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains how teens can take charge of their health.

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More Than Half of U.S. States Not Well Prepared for Disease Outbreaks: Study

THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More than half of U.S. states are poorly prepared to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, a new report says.

Twenty-eight states and Washington, D.C. did not pass muster for preventing, detecting, diagnosing and responding to such outbreaks, researchers found.

They added that the United States must boost efforts to protect Americans from new threats such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and antibiotic-resistant superbugs, along with resurging diseases such as tuberculosis, whooping cough and gonorrhea.

Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, New York and Virginia tied for the top score, achieving eight of 10 indicators of preparedness. They were followed by: Alaska, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Nebraska at seven of 10; and Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin at six out of 10.

Due to their scores, the following states were considered not adequately prepared for infectious outbreaks: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington scored five of 10. Alabama, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming scored four of 10; Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Utah scored three of 10, and Oklahoma finished last at two out of 10.

The categories included health care-association infections, childhood vaccinations, flu vaccinations, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, food safety, antibiotic-resistant superbugs and the ability to deal with emerging infectious disease threats.

The report, released Dec. 17 by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, also included a number of recommendations for improving preparedness for dealing with infectious diseases.

“The overuse of antibiotics and underuse of vaccinations, along with unstable and insufficient funding have left major gaps in our country’s ability to prepare for infectious disease threats,” said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of TFAH.

“We cannot afford to continue to be complacent. Infectious diseases — which are largely preventable — disrupt the lives of millions of Americans and contribute to billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs each year,” he said in a news release from the two groups.

Paul Kuehnert, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation director, said, “America’s investments in infectious disease prevention ebb and flow, leaving our nation challenged to sufficiently address persistent problems.

“We need to reboot our approach so we support the health of every community by being ready when new infectious threats emerge,” he said.

More information

The World Health Organization has more on infectious diseases.

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Type 2 Diabetes May Raise Dementia Risk, Especially in Women: Study

By Maureen Salamon
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Women with type 2 diabetes may be at risk of developing a type of dementia resulting from damaged or blocked blood vessels to the brain, a new research review suggests.

Analyzing data from nearly 2.5 million participants in 14 studies, an international team of scientists found that women with type 2 diabetes may have a nearly 20 percent higher risk of developing vascular dementia than men with diabetes. Vascular dementia is characterized by memory, thinking and language difficulties due to reduced blood flow to the brain, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

But the risk for any form of dementia was the same for both sexes — about 60 percent higher for diabetics than for people without the disease, according to the research, published online Dec. 17 in the journal Diabetes Care.

“It’s plausible that the same mechanisms that drive the greater excess risk of heart disease and stroke in women with diabetes … are also causing the excess risk of vascular dementia,” said study author Rachel Huxley, head of the School of Public Health at Curtin University in Perth, Australia.

“We still don’t fully understand why women with diabetes are at excess risk of vascular disease and it may be related to sex hormones,” Huxley added. “It may also be that blood glucose levels in women with diabetes are much more … difficult to control than in men with diabetes.”

But, the study didn’t prove that type 2 diabetes caused either type of dementia; it merely showed an association between the two conditions.

About 44 million people worldwide are affected by dementia. According to study documents, dementia symptoms stem from two main causes: Alzheimer’s disease, which isn’t caused by blood vessel damage, or vascular dementia, which is preventable. Lifestyle risk factors for vascular dementia include type 2 diabetes, smoking and obesity.

The new review built on research spanning more than a decade, Huxley said, looking at records from 2.3 million individuals without dementia and more than 102,000 dementia patients.

While the nearly 20 percent greater risk of vascular dementia was noted among women compared to men with diabetes, the risk for nonvascular dementia (predominantly Alzheimer’s disease) associated with having diabetes was roughly the same in both genders — but still 40 percent higher than for people without diabetes.

Huxley said it’s still not clear to scientists why type 2 diabetes may increase the chances of dementia, regardless of gender.

“It’s a good question but one to which we don’t have a definitive answer,” she said. “Some studies suggest that vessel damage in the brain caused by diabetes is an important factor.”

Dr. James Ellison, the Swank Foundation endowed chair in memory care and geriatrics at Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del., said it’s well-known that diabetes damages blood vessels, and that aging of the blood vessels is a major contributor to the development of vascular dementia.

“But why it should be a more serious risk for women than men isn’t readily apparent,” said Ellison, who wasn’t involved in the new study. “The message to clinicians is to consider screening aggressively for diabetes and prediabetes and to be very attentive to women who are in higher risk groups, like women with gestational diabetes.” Gestational diabetes is pregnancy-related.

Huxley said people with diabetes shouldn’t panic about dementia, noting that many healthy lifestyle measures can offset risks.

“Individuals at risk of developing diabetes and those with overt diabetes can do many things to reduce their risk of dementia, such as quitting smoking, increasing the level of physical activity, eating a healthy diet, minimizing alcohol intake and even losing a few pounds,” she said.

“The take-home message is that for many people — with and without diabetes — dementia is not inevitable,” Huxley added. “Maintaining a healthy weight, watching what you eat and keeping your brain fit and active are some of the things that may reduce future risk of dementia. There’s some truth in the adage, ‘A healthy body equals a healthy mind.'”

More information

The Alzheimer’s Association offers more about vascular dementia.

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More U.S. Kids Have Type 1 Diabetes, But Researchers Don’t Know Why

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The number of U.S. kids living with type 1 diabetes has increased by almost 60 percent since 2002, and experts are not sure why.

Using a national database, researchers found that the prevalence of type 1 diabetes stood at just under 1.5 cases per 1,000 children and teenagers in 2002. By 2013, that figure had risen to 2.3 per 1,000.

The study, published online Dec. 17 in the journal Diabetes Care, adds to evidence of a global — and puzzling — rise in type 1 diabetes.

Unlike type 2 diabetes — a common adulthood disease — type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with obesity. It’s an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the cells that produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar.

And it’s usually diagnosed in childhood.

People with type 1 diabetes have to take daily insulin injections, or have an insulin pump implanted, to survive.

It’s a difficult disease to manage, and it carries long-term complications like nerve damage, kidney failure and heart disease, said Dr. Steven Griffen, vice president of translational development for the JDRF — a nonprofit that supports research into type 1 diabetes.

The fact that type 1 is growing more common means that it’s increasingly important to understand its causes, he said.

Griffen, who was not involved in the new study, said the rising prevalence among U.S. kids is worrisome, but not surprising. “We’re seeing this trend globally. Studies in other countries have had similar results,” he said.

“As to the question of why,” Griffen added, “we don’t have an answer.”

There are theories, he said, and researchers are digging into them.

One theory, according to Griffen, centers on the gut “microbiome” — the huge collection of bacteria that normally dwells in the digestive system. Some research has hinted that a lack of diversity in those gut bacteria may trigger type 1 diabetes in children with a genetic susceptibility.

It’s thought that certain trappings of modern life — antibiotic use, processed foods and even C-section births — may be diminishing the diversity of gut microbiomes.

Researchers are also studying other potential explanations, Griffen said — such as whether certain viral infections can set off the abnormal immune response that causes type 1 diabetes.

But for now, the reasons for the rising prevalence remain unclear, agreed Susan Jick, one of the researchers who worked on the latest study.

Her team did find a positive trend when it came to type 2 diabetes: After an initial rise, the number of children with the disease declined during the latter part of the study period.

In 2006, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 0.56 cases for every 1,000 kids younger than 18. By 2013, that had dipped to 0.49 per 1,000, the findings showed.

That’s good news, said Jick, a professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health. “We hope it continues to go down,” she added.

The decline in type 2 diabetes is more readily explainable, according to the researchers. During the study period, the obesity rate among U.S. preschoolers fell, which may partly account for the dip in diabetes in more recent years.

Jick’s team based the findings on an insurance claims database with information on roughly 30 million Americans. Between 2002 and 2013, over 96,000 children younger than 18 were diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Over those years, the number of children with type 1 diabetes rose by 57 percent.

There were also almost 3,200 kids diagnosed with diabetes-related kidney damage. And like type 1 diabetes, the prevalence grew over time, Jick said.

In 2002, just over 1 percent of children with diabetes had some degree of kidney dysfunction; by 2013, over 3 percent were affected, the investigators found.

Griffen said he suspects that increased detection explains a large share of that increase, however: Doctors may now be screening for kidney dysfunction more often, he suggested.

Jick said she thinks the findings highlight the importance of monitoring kidney function in patients with diabetes, even children.

According to the American Diabetes Association, some warning signs of type 1 diabetes include unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst, frequent urination and extreme fatigue.

More information

The American Diabetes Association has a primer on type 1 diabetes.

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Kids Who Are Better at Tasting Sugar Are More Likely to Be Overweight, Study Finds

Photo: Getty Images

Some kids can taste as little as 0.005 teaspoons of sugar in a fluid ounce of water. Others need three teaspoons until they register it. Logic would suggest that the less sugar-sensitive—those who need to add more sugar to get the hit of sweetness—would be more likely to be obese, right? Not according to new research.

A new study released by the Monell Center, which specializes studying taste and smell, found that it was the kids who could taste sugar at lower concentrations who were more likely to be overweight. Those kids also often had a specific gene variant that is known to influence receptiveness to bitter tastes.

The researchers looked at 216 healthy children between the ages of 7 and 14. Each one was tested for his or her sensitivity to sucrose by being given solutions of water and sucrose to swish around their mouths and then being asked if they could taste anything. Various aspects of the children’s weight were also recorded and their DNA was tested to find commonalities between the more sensitive subjects.

“We went into the study thinking that the kids who were very insensitive to sugar were going to be the obese kids, because they needed to consume more for the same effect,” says Danielle Reed, PhD, a behavioral geneticist, the lead author of the study which will be published in the journal Nursing Research. “But we actually found the opposite. The obese kids were more sensitive.”

The researchers can’t quite figure out why, but speculate that it might be because if sugar has a very strong effect on the receptors on the tongue, it may also have a strong effect on other organs in the body. It could also be that sugar has a different effect on the biology or metabolism of those who react to it in smaller doses.

RELATED: The Trouble with Sugar Free Kids

In general, children are more sensitive to sugar than adults and, as the junior mob riots in Dylan’s Candy Bar prove daily, they like higher levels of sugar than adults do and will make heroic efforts to seek it out. These preferences decline during adolescence, as kids stop growing. Scientists think that’s because sugar is great for bone growth but used to be hard to find, so humans evolved to favor it while young.

While parents tend to protest if their kids are adding a lot of sugar to their food, Reed says the children may not be doing it just to be excessive. “The big message is that kids are really, really different in their sensitivity to sugar,” says Reed. “Parents may be freaking out that their kids are adding a lot of sugar or want a lot of sugar in things, but certain kids are pretty insensitive so it could be that they’re adding it just so they can taste it.”

At this stage it’s not worth getting your child’s DNA analyzed to see whether they’re more or less sensitive to sugar, or if adding a lot of sugar is going to make them fat. There’s a much easier way to find out: look at your kids’ parents. (Often, that’s you.) If you have a chubby elementary or middle schooler and aren’t sure if he or she is going to grow out of it or needs to change his or her diet, your go-to data set is the chubbiness of you and your spouse.

While there are many myths around how unhealthy sugar is—no it isn’t making your kid hyperactive—it’s still pretty clear that it should not be a big part of your or your child’s diet, and this study doesn’t change that conventional wisdom. “When we were evolving sugar was very rare and very helpful,” says Reed. “Now it’s too available and it has turned on us.”

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

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The Secret to Amazing Curls Is Apparently Bubble Wrap

Photo: YouTube

With all of the fabulous hair gadgets on the market promising to deliver incredible curls, who knew that the secret to supreme spirals is actually lying right there in your last Amazon delivery box.

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A YouTuber named Paula Stephania uses bubble wrap to create the quintessential curl and the results are seriously gorgeous. Her method is easy to understand even though she films her videos in Portuguese.

RELATED: Get Ready For 100 Years of Chinese Beauty

Simply wrap and roll hair, sleep on it and wake up with shiny, luscious curls. Could it really be that easy? Stephania makes it look like a piece of cake. Watch her video and start rounding up all of the bubble wrap you can find!

This post originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

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7 Major Health Lessons We Learned From Celebrities This Year

Photo: Getty Images

Like it or not, celebrities are a major force in American culture. That can be a bad thing when famous people spread misinformation (just because you’re known, doesn’t mean you’re in the know), but it can be a truly great things when celebs use their platform for good. In 2015, there were a handful of celebrities who did just that by sharing their own health struggles. In turn, they raised awareness about diseases affecting people around the world. Here, seven people who opened our eyes this year, and what we learned from them.

Angelina Jolie

All the way back in March, Angelina Jolie Pitt wrote a touching New York Times op-ed about her decision to have preventive surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, just two years after having a preventive double mastectomy. Jolie Pitt carries a mutation in the BRCA1 gene that gives her an 87% chance of developing breast cancer and a 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Her first preventive surgery dramatically reduced her risk of developing breast cancer, and the latest surgery will likely keep her safe ovarian cancer.

What made her story truly inspiring was that a cancer scare was what prompted the surgery, and she was able to speak so movingly about a feeling so many people have experienced: “I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren,” she wrote. She was also adamant about the need for other women with BRCA mutations to educate themselves about the many options available to find the one that’s right for them.

Selena Gomez

In an October interview with Billboard, Selena Gomez answered rumors that she was treated for addiction during a 2013 hiatus, revealing that in fact, she took some time off to be treated for lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease.

Gomez’ admission raised the profile of the potentially life-threatening disease that is often hard to diagnose, and started conversations about what it’s like to be seriously sick without looking like it. “I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke,” Gomez told Billboard. “I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re a–holes.’ I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”

Lesson: never assume you know what others are going through.

RELATED: 9 Celebrities With Lupus

Jimmy Carter

In August, former President Jimmy Carter announced that he was being treated for melanoma that had spread to his brain. The sad news (followed by an awesome recovery) brought attention to a new form of treatment for the disease–pembrolizumab (Keytruda). The drug is part of a rapidly growing class of drugs called immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Keytruda received accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for advanced melanoma in 2014, and this year the agency granted the drug the same for treating certain lung cancers.

This month, President Carter announced that he is now in remission.

Avril Lavigne

After ominously hinting at her health issues in a series of vague Twitter posts, Avril Lavigne opened up to People about her experience with Lyme disease. “I could barely eat, and when we went to the pool [at my 30^th birthday party], I had to leave and go lie in bed,” she explained in an April interview with the magazine. “My friends asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ I didn’t know.”  After months, she finally got a diagnosis; her suffering was likely the result of the tick-related infection. By speaking out about her condition, Lavigne not only spread knowledge about the disease itself, but also about the importance of taking anti-tick precautions like bug spray and staying in the center of hiking trails.

Chrissy Teigen and Tyra Banks

After getting bombarded with questions about having kids over the years, Chrissy Teigen got real about her struggle with infertility on an episode of FABlife. She later told E! News, “usually I’m getting crap from people [on social media], but the amount of stories that were shared was really cool to see.”

Since discussing her struggle, Teigen announced that she and husband John Legend are expecting a child.

RELATED: 15 Factors That Affect a Woman’s Fertility

Charlie Sheen

In November, Charlie Sheen announced in an interview with Matt Lauer that he is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Sheen told Lauer on-camera that he decided to announce his status to end an extortion campaign that cost him millions of dollars, adding “I have a responsibility now to better myself and to help a lot of other people, and hopefully with what I’m doing today, others may come forwards and say, ‘Thanks, thanks, Charlie.'” The day of the interview social media exploded, with many commending him for making a public declaration about a disease that still carries an unfortunate stigma.

note: your judgmental reaction to charlie sheen's hiv status disclosure is being witnessed by hiv+ friends who are too afraid to do the same

— claire mawisa (@clairemawisa) November 17, 2015

 

New level of respect for Charlie Sheen today!!!! No one deserves this awful disease.

— rodrigo santana (@rodrigo1993) November 17, 2015

 

RELATED: 16 Signs You May Have HIV

Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Panettiere has no shame about her struggle with postpartum depression, and she’s been outspoken about how it shouldn’t be swept under the rug. During an interview on Live! With Kelly and Michael in September she touched on the shame associated with the disease. She also explained that it’s more than just “baby blues.”

“It’s something I think needs to be talked about, and women need to know they’re not alone, and that it does heal,” Panettiere said.

In October, she checked into a rehab facility to get help for the disorder.

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Toothlessness a Clue to Deadly Heart Disease?

THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Toothless heart disease patients are nearly twice as likely to die as those who have all their teeth, a new study suggests.

Gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss, and gum disease-related inflammation is believed to play a role in the narrowing of arteries, the researchers said.

“While we can’t yet advise patients to look after their teeth to lower their cardiovascular risk, the positive effects of brushing and flossing are well established. The potential for additional positive effects on cardiovascular health would be a bonus,” said study lead author Dr. Ola Vedin, a cardiologist at Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala Clinical Research Center in Sweden.

The study included more than 15,000 heart disease patients in 39 countries. They were assessed for tooth loss and followed for an average of 3.7 years.

Those with the fewest teeth were older, smokers, female, less active and more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, more body fat and a lower level of education, the study found.

During the follow-up, more than 1,500 major events — either cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke — occurred, as well as 705 cardiovascular deaths, 1,120 deaths from any cause, and 301 strokes.

After adjusting for certain factors, the researchers concluded that every increased level of tooth loss was associated with a 6 percent increased risk of major cardiovascular events, and a roughly 15 percent higher risk of cardiovascular death, death from any cause and stroke.

Compared to patients with all their teeth, those with no teeth had a 27 percent higher risk of major cardiovascular events. The researchers also found toothlessness was associated with an 85 percent higher risk of cardiovascular death, 81 percent higher risk of death from any cause, and a 67 percent higher risk of stroke.

The study only found a link, not a cause-and-effect relationship, between dental health and heart health. It was published Dec. 16 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

“The risk increase was gradual, with the highest risk in those with no remaining teeth,” Vedin said in a journal news release.

“For example the risks of cardiovascular death and all-cause death were almost double to those with all teeth remaining. Heart disease and gum disease share many risk factors such as smoking and diabetes but we adjusted for these in our analysis and found a seemingly independent relationship between the two conditions,” Vedin explained.

Among study participants, around 16 percent had no teeth, and roughly 40 percent were missing half of their teeth, Vedin noted.

“This was an observational study so we cannot conclude that gum disease directly causes adverse events in heart patients. But tooth loss could be an easy and inexpensive way to identify patients at higher risk who need more intense prevention efforts,” Vedin said.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about preventing gum disease.

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2016 Will Be the Year You Keep Hearing About Gymnast Simone Biles

Photo: Getty Images

Last week, the U.S. Olympic Committee named Simone Biles its Team USA Female Olympic Athlete of the Year, beating out nine-time World Champion swimmer Katie Ledecky and tennis superstar Serena Williams, according to USA Today.

It’s OK if you’re not sure who we’re talking about.

Biles is an 18-year-old gymnast from Texas who started her elite career in 2013, the year after the London Olympics. Since gymnastics gets little attention during the years in between the Olympics, Biles is not yet a household name—but she will be. Barring catastrophe, this 18-year-old Texan—who is the LeBron James of gymnastics—is all but guaranteed to be the breakout star of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Let us count the reasons why:

She’s on a winning streak

Biles hasn’t lost the all-around category at a meet since March 2013, when she took home the silver medal at the American Cup. Since then, it’s been gold after gold after gold, including three straight World and National all-around titles. Biles is the first African American to be world all-around champion, and only the second woman to win three consecutive world titles—a feat that had not been accomplished since 1992.

RELATED: 10 Biggest Workout Trends of 2015, According to Google

She’s already the most decorated gymnast of all time

Despite only three international appearances and no Olympics (yet), Biles has earned more World medals than any other gymnast—ever—with 10 golds, and 14 medals in total.

Biles is so dominant that other gymnasts joke that they’ve given up trying to catch her. “All, the girls are like, ‘Simone’s just in her own league. Whoever gets second place, that’s the winner. Simone gets her own super first place,'” said Aly Raisman, double Olympic gold medalist, in an interview with USA Today. “Even the coaches joke about it.”

She has a heartwarming backstory

Born in 1997 in Columbus, Ohio to a mother who struggled on and off with drugs and alcohol, Biles spent time in foster care before being taken in by her grandparents in Houston at age 3. Her grandparents later adopted her and her younger sister, Adria. Today, Biles calls them “Mom” and “Dad.”

Biles discovered gymnastics at age 6—though you could also say gymnastics discovered her. On a daycare field trip to a local gymnastics center, a coach spotted her copying gymnasts and sent a letter home encouraging her parents to sign her up for classes.

She has a super-difficult move named after her

At the 2013 World Championships, Biles debuted a double layout with a half twist. She’s the first woman to ever complete this insanely challenging trick in international competition, which means the move is now named after her.

She’s a team player

Everyone on Team USA has their eyes on the prize, but regardless, they have each other’s backs—and Biles is no exception. Watch a meet on TV, and you’ll see Biles cheering on her teammates and hugging them after they complete their routines. And in post-competition interviews, Biles always credits her teammates for their hard work.

nothing compares to having USA on your back and @gabrielledoug by your side 😘❤🏅
love you https://t.co/CYeTOAz89a—
Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) October 30, 2015

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Annual Blood Test Might Help Prevent Deaths From Ovarian Cancer

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An annual blood test to screen postmenopausal women for ovarian cancer could reduce deaths from this killer by 20 percent, a large British trial suggests.

Currently, with no reliable screening method, most ovarian cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, and 60 percent of patients die within five years, the study authors explained.

Using newly developed software to analyze blood test results, the researchers hope routine testing can find cancer early when it’s curable and significantly reduce deaths.

“This is an important step forward in managing a disease that has a very poor prognosis,” said lead researcher Dr. Ian Jacobs, a professor at University College London.

“This is the first time that there has been evidence of a reduction in deaths from ovarian cancer through early detection by screening,” he said. “It opens up the prospect that, in due course, a national screening program for ovarian cancer could become available alongside breast cancer and cervical cancer screening.”

The study findings were published online Dec. 17 in The Lancet.

The trial enrolled more than 200,000 women aged 50 to 74 between 2001 and 2005. The women were randomly selected to have no screening (50 percent of the women); annual screening of a blood marker (CA125) plus ultrasound (25 percent of the study group); or ultrasound alone (the remaining 25 percent). Screening ended in December 2011.

Instead of a being a one-time blood test, this new approach analyzes a woman’s CA125 pattern over time to detect any significant increase.

Over a follow-up of roughly 11 years, 630 women who had no screening were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, as were 338 women screened with the blood test and 314 screened with ultrasound alone.

At first glance, screening appeared to have no significant life-saving effect. But when the researchers excluded women who had undiagnosed ovarian cancer when they entered the study, an average reduction in deaths of 20 percent appeared.

According to Jacobs, 641 women would have to be screened to prevent one death from ovarian cancer.

Robert Smith, senior director of cancer control at the American Cancer Society, said, “With longer follow-up, the reductions in deaths will grow stronger and the numbers to screen to save a life will get smaller.”

Smith said in breast cancer screening, which is deemed effective, nearly 1,400 women need to be screened to save one life.

“If you can prevent one death by screening 1,000 people, that’s responsible public health,” Smith said.

Among women in the study screened with the blood test, about 14 out of 10,000 underwent unnecessary surgery for what turned out to be normal ovaries. In these women, the major complication rate following surgery was 3 percent, the findings showed.

The study authors are optimistic about the findings.

“We knew from our previous studies conducted over a period of 30 years that screening was acceptable to women, that it had a low false-positive rate, achieved a high detection rate and could detect ovarian cancer at an earlier stage. We now have evidence to suggest that it saves lives,” Jacobs said.

Further follow-up will clarify how great the impact is, and perhaps resolve questions regarding the risk-to-benefit ratio and cost-effectiveness of ovarian cancer screening, he said.

“When all of this information is available, decisions about implementing a national screening service can be made,” Jacobs said. “In the meantime, women who are considering whether or not to undergo ovarian cancer screening and the health professionals who advise them will have more information from this report on which to base their decision.”

Rene Verheijen, from the department of gynecological oncology at the UMC Utrecht Cancer Center in the Netherlands, said screening and early detection could prove to be “an alternative to aggressive and expensive treatments that try but fail to improve survival of patients with ovarian cancer.”

However, Verheijen, co-author of an accompanying journal editorial, said more work is needed. “It remains to be seen whether this would mean that screening of all women would yield the same results,” he said.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 21,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015, and more than 14,000 will die from it.

More information

For more on ovarian cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

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