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More Mumps Cases...
In the past few weeks, the United States has had its biggest mumps outbreak in 20 years. Nine states, mainly in the Midwest but also in California, have reported cases of the viral disease. About 1,000 cases have been reported so far. They are scattered across the area, but the greatest number, 815, are in Iowa, stateline.org reported.
In Nebraska, health officials have used the mumps outbreak to test two communications systems, one sends emergency measures to local officials and the other tracks cases in real time.
Mumps, once widely associated with common childhood illnesses, such as measles and chicken pox, has been largely eradicated since the late 1960s. Having mumps as a kid means that you have to stay in bed for a week with the classic symptoms of fever and swollen cheeks. But adults can get these "childhood" infections as well. In Iowa, for example, mumps has mostly struck adults 18 to 22, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The virus usually starts with a sore throat and fever. But the thing that makes this disease unique is that it causes swelling of the glands, especially the salivary glands along the jaw.
The glands become tender and painful, and it makes eating difficult. In some people, it can go to other glands, such as the pancreas and testicles, and cause swelling. In the testicles, that can lead to sterility.
The mumps virus is mainly spread by coughing, sneezing and intimate contact, such as kissing. It can also be transmitted on the surface of items, such as toys. Fever, headaches and swelling of the cheeks -- actually a swelling of the salivary glands -- is typical.
Generally, people born before 1957 are thought to have had mumps, so they probably have longer-lasting protection. Vaccinations started in the '60s. And in 1985 or so, they decided to start giving two doses.
There is a blood test that shows if you're immune, but generally it's cheaper and easier to just give another dose of vaccine to people who have received the second dose.
The vaccine not always work, rarely found a vaccine at 100 percent, so 90 percent is thought to be pretty good. For people who haven't had a second vaccine, it would be reasonable to contact their physician. There are a few people who (shouldn't) get this -- pregnant women, people with immune system problems. For the most part, mumps is a nuisance disease, but it can have serious complications. There's certainly no need for panic, but it's a preventable thing, so making sure your immunizations are up to date is a good idea.
Read more!
In Nebraska, health officials have used the mumps outbreak to test two communications systems, one sends emergency measures to local officials and the other tracks cases in real time.
Mumps, once widely associated with common childhood illnesses, such as measles and chicken pox, has been largely eradicated since the late 1960s. Having mumps as a kid means that you have to stay in bed for a week with the classic symptoms of fever and swollen cheeks. But adults can get these "childhood" infections as well. In Iowa, for example, mumps has mostly struck adults 18 to 22, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The virus usually starts with a sore throat and fever. But the thing that makes this disease unique is that it causes swelling of the glands, especially the salivary glands along the jaw.
The glands become tender and painful, and it makes eating difficult. In some people, it can go to other glands, such as the pancreas and testicles, and cause swelling. In the testicles, that can lead to sterility.
The mumps virus is mainly spread by coughing, sneezing and intimate contact, such as kissing. It can also be transmitted on the surface of items, such as toys. Fever, headaches and swelling of the cheeks -- actually a swelling of the salivary glands -- is typical.
Generally, people born before 1957 are thought to have had mumps, so they probably have longer-lasting protection. Vaccinations started in the '60s. And in 1985 or so, they decided to start giving two doses.
There is a blood test that shows if you're immune, but generally it's cheaper and easier to just give another dose of vaccine to people who have received the second dose.
The vaccine not always work, rarely found a vaccine at 100 percent, so 90 percent is thought to be pretty good. For people who haven't had a second vaccine, it would be reasonable to contact their physician. There are a few people who (shouldn't) get this -- pregnant women, people with immune system problems. For the most part, mumps is a nuisance disease, but it can have serious complications. There's certainly no need for panic, but it's a preventable thing, so making sure your immunizations are up to date is a good idea.
Read more!
Green Tea, Separate But Not Equal
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles center for Human Nutrition recently tested 20 brands of green and black teas to measure their antioxidant levels. What they found is that there’s a strong variation between different brands of tea.
The researchers only looked at a single group of antioxidants, known as catechin content of green tea accounts for much of its disease-fighting power. The researchers measured the catechin content of a variety of green and black teas that were brewed for about three minutes each, and found levels as high as 217 milligrams for Celestial Seasonings Green Tea, 201 milligrams for Lipton Green Tea, 164 milligrams for Bigelow Darjeeling Blend (black tea) and 157 milligrams for Uncle Lee’s Green Tea. At the lower end, they found 53 milligrams of catechins in Stash Premium Green tea Decaf, 46 milligrams in Twinings Earl Grey Tea, 38 milligrams in Bigelow Constant Comment (black tea) and just 10 milligrams in Bigelow Constant Comment Decaf.
Here’s surprise: Only two iced tea mixes were evaluated, but tests revealed that both Lipton Iced Tea and Snapple Peach Iced Tea had no measurable catechin content. Another surprise: Green tea is commonly thought to contain more antioxidants than black tea. This was often, but not always, the case in this study. And the researchers did not test for thearubigin and theanine, powerful antioxidant compounds contained in black tea.
There have been fewer studies of black tea – which makes up 80 percent of the tea consumed in the U.S. – and there is a weaker understanding of how to measure the amount of antioxidant chemicals it contains. Some black tea actually exceeds the number of antioxidants found in green tea. Clearly, more research is required to sort out the important differences between green and black teas, but we already have a real-life test of green tea – a test that is thousands of years old in millions of people living in Asia.
Read more!
The researchers only looked at a single group of antioxidants, known as catechin content of green tea accounts for much of its disease-fighting power. The researchers measured the catechin content of a variety of green and black teas that were brewed for about three minutes each, and found levels as high as 217 milligrams for Celestial Seasonings Green Tea, 201 milligrams for Lipton Green Tea, 164 milligrams for Bigelow Darjeeling Blend (black tea) and 157 milligrams for Uncle Lee’s Green Tea. At the lower end, they found 53 milligrams of catechins in Stash Premium Green tea Decaf, 46 milligrams in Twinings Earl Grey Tea, 38 milligrams in Bigelow Constant Comment (black tea) and just 10 milligrams in Bigelow Constant Comment Decaf.
Here’s surprise: Only two iced tea mixes were evaluated, but tests revealed that both Lipton Iced Tea and Snapple Peach Iced Tea had no measurable catechin content. Another surprise: Green tea is commonly thought to contain more antioxidants than black tea. This was often, but not always, the case in this study. And the researchers did not test for thearubigin and theanine, powerful antioxidant compounds contained in black tea.
There have been fewer studies of black tea – which makes up 80 percent of the tea consumed in the U.S. – and there is a weaker understanding of how to measure the amount of antioxidant chemicals it contains. Some black tea actually exceeds the number of antioxidants found in green tea. Clearly, more research is required to sort out the important differences between green and black teas, but we already have a real-life test of green tea – a test that is thousands of years old in millions of people living in Asia.
Read more!
Diabetics High Depression
INVESTIGATORS have found that about 25 per cent of patients with diabetes have symptoms of depression, confirming the relationship between these two conditions.
Rates of depression were similar across ethnic groups but there were significant differences in the use of depression treatment across groups.
Dr Mary de Groot, of Ohio University, Athens, and colleagues examined rates of depressive symptoms, depression treatment, and satisfaction with treatment in a multicultural sample of 221 patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) or type 2 (non-insulin-dependent diabetes).
Seventy-five had type 2 diabetes, 60 per cent were women, the average age was 54 years and 53 per cent were white.
Conservatively, 25.3 per cent of the subjects had clinically significant depression. There were no significant differences in the rates of depression by ethnic group or diabetes type.
"Approximately 76 per cent reported experience with one or more types of depression treatment," the investigators note in the journal Diabetes Care.
"A total of 52 per cent reported treatment with antidepressant medications, 63 per cent from mental health providers, 15 per cent with herbal remedies, and 19 per cent from alternative healers."
Compared with whites, African Americans were less likely to report receiving any type of depression treatment. No difference between whites and Hispanics in treatment use was observed.
News from News.com.au
Read more!
Rates of depression were similar across ethnic groups but there were significant differences in the use of depression treatment across groups.
Dr Mary de Groot, of Ohio University, Athens, and colleagues examined rates of depressive symptoms, depression treatment, and satisfaction with treatment in a multicultural sample of 221 patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) or type 2 (non-insulin-dependent diabetes).
Seventy-five had type 2 diabetes, 60 per cent were women, the average age was 54 years and 53 per cent were white.
Conservatively, 25.3 per cent of the subjects had clinically significant depression. There were no significant differences in the rates of depression by ethnic group or diabetes type.
"Approximately 76 per cent reported experience with one or more types of depression treatment," the investigators note in the journal Diabetes Care.
"A total of 52 per cent reported treatment with antidepressant medications, 63 per cent from mental health providers, 15 per cent with herbal remedies, and 19 per cent from alternative healers."
Compared with whites, African Americans were less likely to report receiving any type of depression treatment. No difference between whites and Hispanics in treatment use was observed.
News from News.com.au
Read more!
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