Abuse, Poverty in Childhood Linked to Adult Health Problems

TUESDAY, March 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Childhood abuse and poverty may raise the risk of health problems in adulthood, a new study suggests.

“Childhood disadvantage has long-term health consequences — much longer than most of us realize,” said study author Kenneth Ferraro, a professor and interim head of sociology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

“A novel aspect of this study is that childhood disadvantage was linked to the onset of new health problems decades later,” he said in a university news release.

The researchers examined data from more than 1,700 adults who were surveyed in 1996 when they were between the ages of 25 and 74, and again in 2006 when they were aged 35 to 84.

“Health problems and quality-of-life issues were a concern during the first wave of the study,” said Ferraro, director of Purdue’s Center on Aging and the Life Course.

“However, when we revisited the study’s adult participants 10 years later, childhood poverty and frequent abuse were related to the onset of new health problems, such as cancer and heart disease, even after we adjusted for risk factors including health lifestyle and socioeconomic status,” he said.

The researchers only found an association, rather than a cause-and-effect link. Still, they said family composition during childhood — such as if both parents were in the home — appeared to play a role in health when the study participants were adults, but not to the same degree as poverty and physical or verbal abuse.

It’s “possible we have underrepresented the relationship between childhood disadvantage and later life health problems because those most severely affected were not able to participate in a social survey,” Ferraro said.

“But, now that we have identified some of the early origins of adult disease, we should focus on greater resources, even during midlife, to break the chain of risks,” he said.

The study was published in the February issue of the journal American Sociological Review.

More information

The Children’s Defense Fund has more about child poverty.

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Experts Undecided on Whether Seniors Should Get Routine Vision Checks

TUESDAY, March 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — There’s just not enough good data to say whether or not seniors should be routinely screened for vision trouble by their primary care physicians, an influential panel of U.S. experts reports.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) believes current data isn’t adequate to assess the potential benefits and harms of such screening in people 65 or older.

The task force is an independent, volunteer panel of experts that reviews the scientific evidence and makes recommendations on preventive health services.

“We need more evidence on accurate ways to screen for eye conditions in older adults in a primary care setting,” task force chair Dr. Al Siu said in a USPSTF news release. Siu is Mount Sinai Health System chair, and a professor in the department of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City.

However, task force member Dr. Michael Pignone said that “older adults who are having vision problems should talk to their primary care doctor or eye specialist.”

Pignone, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, said that “in the absence of clear evidence, primary care doctors should use their clinical judgment when deciding whether to screen for vision problems in patients without vision symptoms.”

Vision problems are a major impediment to seniors’ independence and quality of life. Common types of eye problems in older people include: refractive errors (the main reason people wear glasses or contacts); cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens); and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects vision in the center of the eye.

Primary care doctors typically check vision with an eye chart test. While this test can detect refractive errors, it does not identify early stage AMD or cataracts in people who do not report vision problems, according to the panel’s statement issued March 1.

One expert stressed, however, that checking seniors’ vision should be a top priority if symptoms arise.

“It remains clear that the elderly population is at risk for a number of sight-threatening diseases that can be treated, leading to better visual outcomes,” said Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

More information

The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging has more about seniors and vision problems.

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Scientists Report Finding ‘Gray Hair’ Gene

TUESDAY, March 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they’ve pinpointed the first gene linked with gray hair.

They said the discovery, culled from a genetic analysis of more than 6,000 people of mixed ancestry in Latin America, proves that genes play a role in graying hair.

“We already know several genes involved in balding and hair color, but this is the first time a gene for graying has been identified in humans, as well as other genes influencing hair shape and density,” said study author Kaustubh Adhikari, from University College London, in England.

“It was only possible because we analyzed a diverse melting pot of people, which hasn’t been done before on this scale. These findings have potential forensic and cosmetic applications as we increase our knowledge on how genes influence the way we look,” he said in a college news release.

The gene linked with gray hair is called IRF4. The international team of researchers said it was known to play a role in hair color, but this is the first time it has been connected with the graying of hair.

Along with possibly helping find ways to delay hair graying, the gene might improve understanding of aging, the researchers said.

The researchers also found that another gene called PRSS53 seems to influence hair curliness.

“It has long been speculated that hair features could have been influenced by some form of selection, such as natural or sexual selection, and we found statistical evidence in the genome supporting that view,” Adhikari said.

“The genes we have identified are unlikely to work in isolation to cause graying or straight hair, or thick eyebrows, but have a role to play along with many other factors yet to be identified,” he said.

The study was published March 1 in the journal Nature Communications.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about aging changes in hair and nails.

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Healthier Arteries May Lower Dementia Risk in Old Age

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Elderly Americans whose arteries are clear of calcium buildup appear less likely than others to suffer from heart disease or dementia, according to new research.

University of Pittsburgh researchers found that among people in their 80s and 90s, those without calcium buildup in their arteries developed dementia later than those with high levels of calcium. Calcium-clogged arteries — also called atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries — are linked to increased risk for heart disease, heart attack, stroke and, apparently, dementia as well.

These results suggest that aggressive prevention of elevated heart risk factors that lead to calcium buildup “could result not only in increased longevity and decreased heart attacks, but also substantial reduction of incidences of dementia, especially among older women,” said Dr. Lewis Kuller, an emeritus professor of public health, who led the research team.

However, Kuller cautioned that these findings show only an association between hardening of the arteries and dementia, they don’t prove that calcium buildup causes dementia.

The report was released online Feb. 29 in advance of publication in the March 8 print issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The key to warding off heart disease and apparently dementia is to live a healthy lifestyle, Kuller said.

“Lifestyle risk factors measured even in pre-menopause, at age 45 to 50 — such as levels of cholesterol, smoking, blood pressure, higher physical activity — are determinants of calcium levels among these older women,” he said.

For the study, Kuller and colleagues collected data on more than 500 people who took part in a cardiovascular health-cognition (heart health and mental health) study. The participants, average age 80 at the start, were followed from 1998 through 2013.

Each year, the participants were assessed for signs of dementia, and had calcium levels in their heart arteries measured.

People whose coronary artery calcium levels were zero did not show initial signs of dementia until slightly more than seven years from the first measurement. But, those with the highest calcium levels showed signs of dementia in as little as five years, on average, the researchers found.

White women with low calcium buildup scores had a significantly decreased risk of dementia, the findings showed.

These findings have two possible implications, Kuller said. First, as prevention and treatment of heart disease continues to improve, people will live longer and the prevalence of dementia will increase.

Second, risk factors that lead to atherosclerosis and heart disease might also play a role in the risk of dementia.

However, because of the small size of the study, these results need to be replicated to confirm the findings, Kuller said.

But some experts are already believers.

“Cardiovascular disease significantly contributes to dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,” said Walter Swardfager, an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Toronto in Canada and co-author of an accompanying journal editorial.

In people who survive to be 80 and older, more than half will likely have dementia before they die, he said. “Even in those who live this long without having a heart attack or stroke, blood vessel disease can predict death and dementia,” Swardfager said.

As more people live longer, dementia and vascular disease will become increasingly common, he added.

“To prevent dementia in the very old, we may need to prevent cardiovascular disease or learn to protect the brain from it,” Swardfager said.

More information

For more on atherosclerosis, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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3 Half-Up Hairstyles From the Oscars You Can Totally DIY

Photo: Getty Images

The Oscars were, well, the Oscars: three hours of waiting to hear whether Leo won or not. But he wasn’t the only thing that kept us watching. We feasted our eyes on the stunning hairstyles actresses wore on the red carpet. We especially loved the twist these three leading ladies put on their half-up, half-down styles—which are shockingly easy to recreate on your own. Fatima Sheikh, a Cutler/Redken Soho Stylist, walks us through looks worn by Brie Larson, Alicia Vikander, and Diane Kruger.

Brie Larson’s clipped loose waves

Photo: Getty Images

Brie Larson stepped up her hair game with a sophisticated bejewelled hair clip that gave us royalty vibes. “After curling the hair with a large iron (1 1/2 inch or bigger), lift up the crown and back comb in sections, spraying Living Proof Flex Shaping Hairspray ($25; sephora.com) as you go for added hold,” Sheikh explains. Smooth the crown of the hair and then secure your pretty pin. We like this Claire’s Crystal Flowers and Vines Hair Comb ($13; claires.com). With the front pieces that weren’t pinned back with the hair comb, divide the front of the hair in the center for a middle part and smooth away from your face, then twist each section back and delicately tangle the ends around the pin vines and leaves of the comb. Use bobby pins to hold any fly aways down and for extra hold with the twisted pieces.

Alicia Vikander’s half top-knot

Photo: Getty Images

Alicia Vikander’s top knot induced some serious hair envy. Best part: it’s a style that can be worn any day of the week. Start by spraying strands with Redken Fashion Waves 07 Texturizing Spray ($15; amazon.com) for some lived-in texture. Part your hair down the middle, and then pull back the top half of your hair as you would if you were doing a classic half-up-half-down. Tie with an elastic, making sure not to over-smooth out the front for a natural effortless look, Sheikh says. Take the hair you just secured and twist it around itself into a bun. “Secure the ends with two Bobby pins going in each direction so that they lock into each other, helping to hold better,” she explains.

Diane Kruger’s undone tiered braid

Photo: Getty Images

Diane Kruger, who always looks phenomenal, made our girl-crush soar infinitely with an undone, yet somehow totally put-together braid at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. “This calls for texture all over. You can do this  by using a 1-inch iron to make non-uniform waves, and then blast it with amika Un.Done Texture Spray ($24; birchbox.com) to give that great bedhead texture. Rub strands between fingers and tease a bit to fully achieve the grittiness that Kruger had going on,” Sheikh explains. Section the top part of hair, leaving the frontmost pieces free, and make a very loose braid with the back pieces, and secure it with a clear elastic. Divide the front sections that were left free and roll them away from your face. Bring them together in the back, twisting them around the length of the braid, and secure the ends in the clear elastic that’s holding the braid together. Next, grab the bottom section of your hair that was left loose and braid that, too, pulling the ends of the top braid to the end of the bottom braid; tie a clear elastic there as well. Gently pull both braids to make the whole look appear undone and natural, Sheikh notes. Add a few fancy bobby pins to the top and you’re done!

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Move of the Week: Donkey Kickbacks

You may feel a little sheepish when you start doing donkey kickbacks—but trust us, you won’t regret this move. Not only does it torch calories, it also strengthens your core and glutes. Watch Health’s contributing fitness editor, Kristin McGee, demonstrate how to kick your way to a tighter tummy and toned butt.

RELATED: 4 Lower-Body Moves to Tone Your Legs and Butt

Here’s how to do it: Come onto all fours and tuck your toes. With your back neutral, scoop your abdominals and lift both knees about 2 inches off the ground. Bright your right knee in, then kick it straight out behind you. Repeat 8 times; switch legs and repeat.

Trainer tip: When you contract your abs, your knees should almost float off the floor, pulled up by the strength of your core.

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Study Finds Shortage of Surgeries in World’s Poorest Countries

TUESDAY, March 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The number of surgeries worldwide increased over the last decade, but only about one-third are performed in poor countries, a new study reports.

“Clearly, there are huge disparities in the provision of surgery around the world, and this points to an unmet need for surgical and anesthetic care in many countries,” said study author Dr. Thomas Weiser. He is an assistant professor of surgery of Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif.

Globally, the number of operations rose 38 percent between 2004 and 2012 — reaching nearly 313 million procedures in 2012, according to the study published Feb. 29 in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

But in 2012, only 30 percent of surgeries occurred in the 104 nations with health-care spending of less than $400 per person a year (U.S. dollars). Those countries have 5 billion people, or 71 percent of the world’s population, according to background notes in a journal news release.

“Surgical care can be lifesaving and also helps prevent long-term disability due to injuries, infections, cancers and maternal conditions,” Weiser said in the news release.

“In addition to the disparities in access, the safety of surgical care is of utmost concern, in light of the huge and growing volume of operations being performed annually around the world,” Weiser said.

The study also raises questions about whether countries are providing the most essential operations, said Dr. Walter Johnson, coordinator of the World Health Organization’s Emergency and Essential Surgical Care Program.

For example, cesarean deliveries accounted for about 30 percent of all surgeries in poor nations, and less than 3 percent of surgeries in 44 rich countries, he said.

“The study findings suggest that while countries may be providing more cesarean sections per capita than a decade ago, other emergency and lifesaving surgical care is simply not available for the majority of people in need in low- and middle-income countries,” Johnson said.

More information

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality lists the most common operating room procedures in the United States.

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Earthquake Survivors With PTSD Show Brain Differences

TUESDAY, March 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — There appear to be significant differences in the brains of earthquake survivors with and without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study by Chinese researchers finds.

The research included 67 survivors who had PTSD and 78 who didn’t. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that develops after a traumatic event. All of the study volunteers had MRI brain scans.

The researchers saw changes in the thickness and volume of the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain — also called gray matter, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

People with PTSD had more thickness in the gray matter in certain areas of the brain than people who didn’t have PTSD. The researchers also noted less volume in other areas of the brain in people with PTSD than in those without the disorder.

The study was published online March 1 in the journal Radiology.

“Our results indicated that PTSD patients had alterations in both gray matter and white matter in comparison with other individuals who experienced similar psychological trauma from the same earthquake,” senior study author Dr. Qiyong Gong said in a journal news release. Gong is from the Huaxi MR Research Center at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China.

One of the areas of the brain that changed in people with PTSD plays an important role in visual processing. This area is more active in people with PTSD when doing memory tasks, Gong said.

The researchers noted that these changes may be related to the visual flashback symptoms that occur in PTSD.

These findings may help identify people who are more likely to develop chronic PTSD after a traumatic event, the researchers said.

“It is particularly important to compare PTSD patients to similarly stressed individuals in order to learn about the specific brain alterations directly related to PTSD that occur above and beyond general stress responses,” Gong said.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on PTSD.

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Traffic Pollution Tied to Preterm Birth Risk for Asthmatic Women

TUESDAY, March 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to high levels of certain traffic air pollutants may increase the risk of preterm birth in pregnant women with asthma, a new study suggests.

Both short- and long-term exposure to pollution from vehicles was linked to a higher risk of preterm birth in women with asthma. This was especially true when women were exposed to pollutants just before conceiving, in early pregnancy and the last six weeks of pregnancy, the study found.

“Preterm birth is a major public health problem in this country, affecting more than one in 10 infants born in the United States,” said study author Pauline Mendola, an investigator at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Preterm birth is considered to be a birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

“Our study found that air pollution appears to add to the preterm birth risk faced by women with asthma. These findings set the stage for further studies designed to help prevent preterm birth in this at-risk group,” she added in an agency news release.

However, the new study only found a link between traffic pollution and preterm birth in this group of women. It did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Asthma affects about 9 percent of women of reproductive-age in the United States. It is known to increase the risk of pregnancy complications and health problems in infants, the study authors said.

The study included data from more than 223,000 single-child births. The babies were born at 19 hospitals across the United States between 2002 and 2008. The researchers also examined air quality data in the regions around the hospitals. They measured six types of pollutants, including nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide exposure.

An increase in nitrogen oxide exposure in the three months before pregnancy was linked to a higher risk of preterm birth. The increase in risk was higher for women with asthma than those without the airway disease, the study found.

Higher levels of carbon monoxide exposure during the same period raised preterm birth risk by 12 percent for women with asthma, but had no effect on those without asthma, the study said.

The researchers also found that exposure to high levels of particulate-matter air pollution was associated with higher risk of preterm birth in women with asthma. Particulate matter consists of tiny particles of substances such as metals, dust and acids, the researchers said.

“Early environmental exposures can have significant effects on later health,” Mendola said.

She added that early exposure to air pollution may set off inflammation or other internal stresses. These problems could affect the development of the fetus and lead to preterm delivery down the road.

The study was published online March 1 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on preterm birth.

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Lawn Mowers Can Cause Severe Injuries to Kids

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Despite long-standing safety guidelines, U.S. children continue to suffer severe injuries from both regular power lawn mowers and ride-on mowers, a new Pennsylvania-based study finds.

In more than half of such cases, children required an amputation, the research showed.

“People don’t realize how dangerous lawn mowers are,” warned senior study author Dr. Douglas Armstrong. He’s a professor of orthopedic surgery and division head of pediatric orthopedics at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Penn.

“All lawn mowers have a tremendous amount of kinetic energy given off at the tip of the lawn mower blade. It’s higher than a bullet leaving the muzzle of a 357 Magnum, which means that the injuries we see are not just lacerations, they’re the result of something more like an explosion or blast injury,” he explained.

The researchers looked at information from all children with lawn mower-related injuries treated at Pennsylvania trauma centers between 2002 and 2013. The investigators found an average of about 16 accidents a year.

In all, the study found that nearly 200 children under the age of 18 were injured because of a lawn mower. The majority of those injured (81 percent) were boys, and the average age was 8 years. Nine in 10 accidents occurred during warm weather months (April through September), according to the study.

More than half of the cases (55 percent) involved “ride-on” lawn mowers, the investigators found. Ride-on lawn mowers are small vehicles outfitted with a seat, versus standard lawn mowers you need to walk behind and push.

The researchers said nearly two-thirds of the injuries involved the lower extremities. Slightly more than half of the kids had to have an amputation because of the injury. One child (age 1) died due to an incident involving a ride-on lawn mower, the study authors reported.

“The vast majority of the injuries could have been prevented if safety guidelines had been followed,” Armstrong said.

Those guidelines, outlined in 2001 by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommend that no child under the age of 16 should operate a ride-on mower, while no child under 12 should operate a powered or non-powered push mower.

The advisory further cautions parents — whether on farmland or in the suburbs — to keep all children under the age of 6 indoors when any mower is in operation. Kids shouldn’t ride along as passengers on mowers operated by adults, the pediatric group said.

Following that advice would have prevented almost 70 percent of the Pennsylvania accidents, Armstrong said.

A child’s maturity level likely plays an important role in the risk of injury, Armstrong said. “Young children often lack the ability to anticipate, to learn, to engage in manual coordination, and to pay attention. They’re easily distracted from their task,” he said.

“It’s not until they’re older that they can really attend to what they’re doing, and be taught and retain information. And, most importantly, understand that bad things can happen, which many younger kids don’t even consider,” he added.

The AAP agreed, stating that “children should not operate lawn mowers until they have displayed appropriate levels of judgment, strength, coordination, and maturity necessary for their safe operation.”

Dr. Kevin Shea, an orthopedic surgeon and professor of orthopedic surgery at UConn Health in Farmington, Conn., agreed with AAP policy.

“Limiting use to older, adequately trained adolescents and adults is important,” he said, while stressing the need for parents to keep children at a safe distance altogether.

Armstrong and his colleagues are scheduled to present their findings Tuesday at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Orlando, Fla. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about lawn mower safety.

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