Study Hints at HPV Vaccine’s Cancer Prevention Promise

MONDAY, July 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine appears to prevent abnormalities that can lead to cervical cancer, a new study shows.

Canadian researchers found that young women who received the vaccine through a school-based program were less likely to have such abnormalities when screened for cervical cancer than those who did not receive the vaccine. The young women were screened less than 10 years after they received their first HPV vaccine.

The findings are from the province of Alberta. In 2008, Alberta introduced HPV vaccination for grade 5 girls (aged 10-11) and a three-year catch-up program for grade 9 girls (aged 14-15). The program provided three doses of the vaccine that protects against two strains of HPV. Those two strains of HPV account for 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer, the researchers said.

The study evaluated Pap test results for more than 10,000 women, taken between 2012 and 2015. During a Pap test, cells are collected from the cervix to check for cervical cancer. The women were between 18 and 21 years old.

Among those women, 56 percent had not received HPV vaccination. The remaining 44 percent had received one or more doses of the HPV vaccine through the school program. About 84 percent of those given the vaccine were considered fully vaccinated. That means they had three or more doses of the vaccine, the researchers noted.

More than 16 percent of unvaccinated women had cervical abnormalities on a Pap test. Among women who had been fully vaccinated, the rate of cervical abnormalities was 12 percent, the study showed.

“Eight years after a school-based HPV vaccination program was initiated in Alberta, three-dose HPV vaccination has demonstrated early benefits, particularly against high-grade cervical abnormalities, which are more likely to progress to cervical cancer,” study author Dr. Huiming Yang and co-authors wrote. Yang is the medical officer of health, and medical director of screening programs, for Alberta Health Services.

The researchers said they hope these findings and future research leads to improved prevention efforts. They also suggested that HPV vaccination programs could be integrated with cervical cancer screening programs.

The study was published online July 4 in the journal CMAJ.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on HPV vaccination.

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Beware Broken Glow Sticks

MONDAY, July 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Letting kids chew or cut glow sticks is a bad idea, health experts say.

While safer than sparklers and fireworks, pliable glow-in-the-dark products are easily broken open when put in the mouth. The contents can irritate the skin, eyes and mouth, the experts warn.

Some glow products contain a chemical called dibutyl phthalate (DBP). The liquid typically causes immediate stinging and a burning sensation in the mouth and eyes, according to the Nebraska Regional Poison Center in Omaha.

Last year, the poison center received 321 calls about glow products.

Here are some tips from the poison-control experts:

If ingested, the bitter-tasting chemical will likely cause brief discomfort in the mouth. Thorough rinsing should help.

If the liquid gets on the skin, wash it off immediately to prevent the child from rubbing the chemical in the eyes.

If it gets in the eyes, it will cause redness and burning. Prompt irrigation is necessary.

Exposure to DBP may cause serious symptoms in pets. They can include drooling, gagging and vomiting, according to the poison center.

More information

The Carolinas Poison Center has more about glow sticks.

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Food Safety Should Come 1st on the 4th

MONDAY, July 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — While having fun this Fourth of July, don’t forget about food safety.

“Because foodborne bacteria thrive and multiply more quickly in warmer temperatures, foodborne illness can spike during summer,” said Al Almanza, deputy undersecretary for food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“This is likely because people are spending more time outside — away from the sink and equipment in the kitchen that help consumers keep food safe,” he added in a USDA news release.

Each year, about one in six Americans (48 million people) suffers from foodborne illnesses, resulting in about 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Always keep cold foods cold (below 40 degrees Fahrenheit) and hot foods hot (above 140 degrees F), says the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Without refrigeration or a heat source, perishable foods should not be left out more than two hours if the outdoor temperature is below 90 degrees F, and only one hour if the temperature is at or above 90 degrees, the USDA says.

Because it’s likely be hot outside on July 4th, food should be put in a cooler within an hour. If you aren’t sure how long food has been left out, throw it out, the USDA advises.

In addition, you should place an appliance thermometer in the cooler so you know if the temperature is at or below 40 degrees, and divide large amounts of food into shallow containers for faster cooling. It’s also a good idea to pack drinks in a separate cooler so the food cooler isn’t opened frequently, the agency advises.

Keep coolers in the shade, cover them with blankets or tarps, and replenish ice if it melts, the USDA says.

When cooking outdoors, use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry and seafood to make sure it’s safe to eat. In general, cook ground beef to at least 160 degrees, and poultry to a minimal safe internal temperature of 165 degrees, the USDA says.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on food safety.

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1 in 3 Hospitals in Developing World Lack Running Water

SUNDAY, July 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Clean running water is essential for hospital sanitation, but a new report finds a third of hospitals in the developing world don’t have it.

“Running water is something we so take for granted and it doesn’t exist in a third of hospitals in these countries,” said study co-leader Dr. Adam Kushner, adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore.

He said some hospitals try to find a way around the problem, but hazards remain.

“Some hospitals truck in water or collect it in rain barrels, with no guarantee of its cleanliness,” Kushner said. “Without clean water, there is no way to clean surgeons’ hands or instruments, wash gowns and sheets or clean wounds to prevent or reduce infections.”

His team examined 19 studies published between 2009 and 2015. The studies included data on water availability in 430 hospitals in 19 low- and middle-income nations.

In all, 147 (34 percent) of the hospitals did not have continuous running water, with rates varying country to country. For example, less than 20 percent of hospitals in Liberia had proper water facilities, while more than 90 percent had them in Bangladesh and Ghana.

“In order to provide basic health care, you need a functioning system and running water is part of that,” Kushner said in a school news release. This widespread issue “shows the deficiencies in the health systems in general in those countries,” he said.

In many developing nations, large numbers of people can’t get needed surgery, and lack of water makes that problem even worse, the researchers said.

“Hopefully, people aren’t operating [without water], but what do you do if a woman shows up in obstructed labor and needs an emergency C-section and it’s the dry season and the rain barrel is empty?” Kushner said. “You can’t operate with dirty instruments, but if you don’t she’s going to die. This is the sort of dilemma that surgeons in these hospitals face.”

The findings were published online recently in the Journal of Surgical Research.

More information

The American College of Surgeons offers surgery resources for patients.

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Heat Waves Are Health Threats

SATURDAY, July 2, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Heat waves are more than uncomfortable, they can be deadly.

That’s especially true in large cities. And, seniors, children and people with chronic health problems are at higher risk for heat-related illness and death, according to Dr. Robert Glatter. He’s an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

“Those who have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, as well as those who suffer with mental illness, may be at risk for heat-related emergencies, including heat cramps, heat syncope (fainting), heat exhaustion, as well as heat stroke,” he said in a hospital news release.

“Various classes of medications including beta blockers, as well as diuretics, can impair sweating — ultimately disrupting the body’s ability to cool itself. Other medications including antihistamines, as well as antidepressants and sedatives, may also impair your ability to sweat, leading to heat-related illnesses,” Glatter said.

But young, healthy people also need to heed hot and humid weather, he added.

To beat the heat, drink water when you feel thirsty, but don’t drink more than necessary. If you’re physically active outdoors in the heat for more than an hour, it’s a good idea to consume sports drinks, Glatter said.

And watch for signs of heat-related illness, he added.

“A high pulse rate, headache, dizziness, nausea, as well as shallow breathing, may be the initial signs of dehydration that may precede heat-related illness,” Glatter said.

An air-conditioned location is the best place to be on hot and humid days. If you don’t have air conditioning at home, use a fan and a spray bottle with cool water to prevent your body from overheating, he suggested.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about extreme heat and health.

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Family Key to Helping Teens Avoid Obesity

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Having a stable family and a good relationship with mom and dad makes young people more likely to develop healthy habits that may protect them against obesity, a new study suggests.

The researchers also found that fathers are especially important for helping their sons to develop behaviors that will allow them to maintain a healthy weight.

“A high level of family dysfunction may interfere with the development of healthful behaviors due to the families’ limited ability to develop routines related to eating, sleep or activity behaviors, which can lead to excess weight gain,” said the study’s lead author, Jess Haines, of the University of Guelph in Ontario.

For the study, the researchers reviewed information on about 3,700 daughters and 2,600 sons, aged 14 to 24, in the United States.

About 80 percent reported having close and stable families. The findings showed that 60 percent of daughters and 50 percent of sons said they had a good relationship with their parents.

The investigators found that children with stable families and strong relationships with their parents were more likely to follow a healthy diet. They were also more likely to be physically active and get enough sleep.

The daughters in these families ate less fast food, and were less likely to be overweight or obese, the researchers found.

Among the sons, those who had a close relationship with their father were less likely to be overweight or obese, according to the report.

“Much of the research examining the influence of parents has typically examined only the mother’s influence or has combined information across parents,” Haines said in a university news release.

“Our results underscore the importance of examining the influence fathers have on their children, and to develop strategies to help fathers support the development of healthy behaviors among their children,” she said.

“It appears the father-son parent relationship has a stronger influence on sons than the mother-daughter relationship has on young women,” said Haines. She added that more research needs to be done to figure out why this difference exists.

The study findings highlight the importance of family behaviors and relationships on young people’s health.

The study was published recently in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about raising healthy teens.

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2009 Swine Flu Originated in Mexico

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The 2009 swine flu pandemic originated in pigs in a small region of central Mexico, a new study reports.

Researchers used genetic analysis to pinpoint the source of the H1N1 pandemic. This version of the swine flu killed more than 17,000 people worldwide. The scientists used the same type of genetic analysis to learn how the virus jumped from pigs to people.

It’s the first time the origin of a pandemic flu virus has been determined in such detail, the study authors said.

The virus was a combination of a North American swine virus that had jumped between birds, humans and pigs, and a Eurasian swine virus that circulated for more than 10 years in pigs in Mexico before jumping into humans, the investigators said.

“Knowing where and how an animal influenza virus infects humans and spreads all over the world helps us understand how we can reduce risk of these pandemics,” said study senior author Adolfo Garcia-Sastre. He is director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“This virus came from, and was confined to, a very small geographic area, and had been there 10 years before one emergent strain gained the capacity to infect humans. The virus was completely under the radar,” he explained in a hospital news release.

The study was published online June 28 in the journal eLife.

More information

Flu.gov has more on the H1N1 flu virus.

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How Pregnancy Can Trip You Up

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A pregnancy “waddle” really does increase a woman’s risk for falls, a new study reveals.

The baby bump changes the way women walk and perform everyday activities, such as rising from a chair or turning around while walking, said researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan.

This may help explain why pregnant women are as likely to fall as women who are 70 years old, the researchers said.

For their study, the researchers used a three-dimensional video recording system, called 3D motion capture, to assess the way pregnant women walk.

“Biomechanics studies like ours of how humans move are valuable for many things, like making our built environments safer or designing mobility skills,” said Koichi Shinkoda in a university news release. He is a professor in the Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences.

Shinkoda’s team used the 3D recording system — which is typically found on movie sets — to create biomechanical models of eight women at three stages of pregnancy. The researchers also created biomechanical models of seven women who weren’t pregnant.

A computer analysis of the video led to the creation of virtual models that represent the average pregnant woman.

“This model is just the start of our goal of contributing to a safe and comfortable life before and after childbirth for pregnant women,” said the study’s first author, Yasuyo Sunaga, a doctoral student at the university.

The study’s findings confirm why pregnant women walk differently. Even in their first trimester of pregnancy, women’s center of mass is farther forward, the researchers said.

As a result, they lean backwards while standing and bend their hips less while walking. This increases their risk for tripping over their toes or losing their balance, the researchers said.

“Now that we have the appropriate data, we hope to apply our model and make it possible to problem-solve these concerns of daily life,” said Sunaga.

The study appears in the July issue of Applied Ergonomics.

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides more on a safe and healthy pregnancy.

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Many Smartphone ‘Fertility Apps’ May Not Work

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A smartphone app probably won’t help you get pregnant or avoid pregnancy, researchers report.

“Smartphone apps are increasing in popularity because more and more women are interested in using natural or fertility awareness-based methods of family planning,” said study leader Dr. Marguerite Duane.

These women want “to feel empowered with greater knowledge of their bodies,” said Duane, an adjunct associate professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

But an analysis of nearly 100 fertility awareness apps found most don’t use accurate methods that are based on scientific evidence. Also, many have a disclaimer saying they shouldn’t be used to prevent pregnancy, Duane’s study found.

The researchers identified more than 95 fertility awareness apps on iTunes, Google, or Google Play. The investigators excluded 55 from evaluation because they either had a disclaimer against their use for avoiding pregnancy or did not use evidence-based methods.

Each of the remaining 40 apps was assessed on a five-point scale.

“Of those reviewed, 30 apps predict days of fertility for the user and 10 do not. Only six apps had either a perfect score on accuracy or no false negatives (days of fertility classified as infertile),” the researchers wrote.

“When learning how to track your fertility signs, we recommend that women first receive instruction from a trained educator,” Duane said in a university news release. She’s also executive director of the Fertility Appreciation Collaborative.

The study results were published June 30 in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has tips if you’re trying to conceive.

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Could ‘Zaps’ to the Brain Help Fight Glaucoma?

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Electrical pulses to the brain may help restore vision in some partially blind patients, German researchers report.

Glaucoma and other types of damage to the eye’s optic nerve typically cause permanent damage. But, the new technique appears to kick-start the brain’s visual control centers, the researchers explained.

A 10-day treatment regimen — entailing upwards of nearly an hour a day of electrical pulses aimed directly into the eye — improved vision among patients who were losing their sight, the researchers said.

“By giving currents through the eye, we force retinal cells connected to the brain to fire intensely,” explained study author Dr. Bernhard Sabel, a member of the medical faculty at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg. “This activates the brain’s [vision] cells to function better again. And, ‘what fires together, wires together.’ “

According to the U.S. National Eye Institute, glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve, a bundle of 1 million-plus nerve fibers that links the eye’s retina to the brain’s vision processing center.

The Glaucoma Research Foundation says roughly 3 million Americans have the disease, which to date has no known cure. An estimated 120,000 Americans are blind as a result of glaucoma.

If caught early, a combination of eye drops, pills and laser and conventional surgery (to relieve fluid and/or pressure buildup) can slow disease progression and sometimes prevent serious vision loss.

But because it is symptomless and painless, glaucoma is often caught late, when partial to total vision loss is largely considered irreversible, doctors say.

In the new study, investigators focused on 82 partially blind adult patients between 2010 and 2012. Thirty-three had glaucoma, while the rest had other types of optic nerve damage.

A little more than half (45) the group was assigned to receive electrical stimulation therapy; the rest received a placebo treatment.

Electrical stimulation sessions ranged from 25 minutes on the first day to 50 minutes a day by day 10.

Two days after treatment ended, the electrical stimulation group saw a 24 percent improvement, on average, in the ability to perceive objects across their whole field of vision. This improvement was maintained two months out, on average. By comparison, the control group saw less than a 3 percent improvement, which dropped off to almost nothing after two months.

Some patients saw permanent improvements, while others lost their gains over time. What’s more, a third of the electrical stimulation patients did not realize any treatment benefit at all, with no clear indications as to why, Sabel said.

Still, the treatment was deemed to be safe, with mild side effects and no discomfort during the procedure, he said.

Sabel said the findings justify making electrical stimulation available to patients immediately, adding, “We do not need more research to show that it [is] a major step forward.”

Dr. Alfred Sommer, a professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, suggested that while the effort may ultimately lead to new avenues of research, the immediate practical benefit to patients remains “unclear.”

“[The treatment] obviously has not reversed the optic nerve degeneration caused by glaucoma or optic neuritis [nerve inflammation],” he said. “Nor have they [the study authors] demonstrated any improvement in visual acuity or the tasks of daily living.

“What they claim to have improved,” added Sommer, “is the ability of an individual to identify a light stimulus in an area of the visual field they couldn’t previously. Perhaps they have, but unless this actually improves a person’s ability to function, it isn’t a ‘cure.’ “

The study findings were published June 29 in the journal PLOS One.

More information

Visit the U.S. National Eye Institute for more on glaucoma.

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