Boys real victims of autism, says study

For a long time it has been commonly perceived that autism strikes boys more frequently than girls. And if the girls have autism, they are understood to be more severely affected than boys.

The previous studies have also suggested that autism is more likely to strike boys than girls and a group of geneticists have found the reason behind this.

According to the study, boys develop the autistic conditions from a comparatively small genetic component and the girls develop the condition from a stronger genetic hit.

The researchers say, girls are not the real victim of autism but when they develop it then they are at worse.

Geneticist Jean-Louis Mandel said, “In the male, maybe more subtle things are enough to create a disorder.”

He works at the College de France in Paris and the Academic Hospital in Strasbourg, France.

The researchers carried study on more than 16,000 people. During the study, the researchers found that autism is occurring less often in females, rather than being missed completely.

On an average, the researchers concluded, about seven males with mild autism exist for every female. The gender gap was, however, smaller for more severe cases, they highlighted.

The researchers also found that the autism is generally resulted from the mutations that either come from the parents or are new ones that develop in the child.

Scientists claim about 500 genes are associated with autism and therefore have different treatment approaches.

The study has also ignited the debate on autism with the study researchers claiming that the study is sufficiently large and well-executed and many believing that factors other than genes play a role in autism development.

The study was published on Thursday in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

News Source: www.utahpeoplespost.com/

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Obesity rates are down for children aged 2-5

Though she doesn’t have local statistics, a health official said she suspects a national decline in obesity among children 2 to 5 years old is happening here, too.

Barbara Jackman, executive director of the Martinsville Henry County Coalition for Health and Wellness, said there has been an early childhood focus among a number of community agencies and groups to promote good nutrition, physical activity and healthy weight.

The latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control obesity data, published in the Feb. 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), show a significant decline in obesity among children aged 2 to 5, according to a CDC news release.

Obesity prevalence for this age group went from nearly 14 percent in 2003-2004 to little more than 8 percent in 2011-2012 — a decline of 43 percent — based on CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, the release stated.

“We continue to see signs that, for some children in this country, the scales are tipping.This report comes on the heels of previous CDC data that found a significant decline in obesity prevalence among low-income children aged 2 to 4 years participating in federal nutrition programs,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in the release.

Although the precise reasons for the decline in obesity among 2- to 5-year-olds are not clear, many child care centers have started to improve their nutrition and physical activity standards over the past few years, the release stated. In addition, CDC data show decreases in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among youth in recent years. Another possible factor might be the improvement in breastfeeding rates in the United States, which is beneficial to staving off obesity.

Several local and regional officials said there has been an increased effort in this area to combat obesity.

“There’s a lot more focus on kids moving around, eating low-calorie and other healthful foods, drinking zero sugary drinks,” Jackman said. She and others also said there is more mass media coverage and public awareness about childhood obesity, and they think first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” Initiative, which promotes youth exercise and good nutrition, is helping.

Dr. Margaret “Molly” O’Dell, acting health director for the West Piedmont Health District, which includes Henry County and Martinsville, said more pediatricians are talking to parents about healthy weight and monitoring children’s body mass index.

Changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) have improved access to healthful foods, she added.

Jackman and O’Dell said they were encouraged by the national decline in obesity for children aged 2-5 and said if the trend continues, it bodes well for the future.

“Some studies show the seeds or roots of obesity can start as young as 3 years old when habits are formed,” Jackman said.

The key is to prevent children from entering adulthood obese, because after that, their chances of having a healthy weight decline, O’Dell said.

Preschoolers who are overweight or obese are five times more likely to become overweight or obese adults than preschoolers who are not obese, according to a brochure by the National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity, a project of ChangeLab Solutions, a nonprofit that provides legal information on matters relating to public health.

Brad Kinkema, CEO/executive director of the Martinsville/Henry County Family YMCA, said, “I can’t imagine we haven’t seen progress with all the efforts we’ve (agencies) been making” to promote exercise and good nutrition. For example, he mentioned the 95210 and Girls on the Run programs which stress healthy eating, exercise and self-image.

Smart Beginnings Martinsville Henry County recently sponsored a three-hour workshop for 48 child-care providers, and the focus was on providing healthful snacks and doing physical activities every day, Director Melanie McLarty said. “It was very well received,” she said.

Brenda Jordan, healthy beginnings coordinator at Smart Beginnings, said she works with personnel from the Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Coalition for Health and Wellness on a program in which healthful cooking classes are offered for families.

O’Dell said “it’s hard to monitor” childhood obesity at the local level because statistics are limited.

The Associated Press reported the main finding of the new national obesity study was that, overall, both adult and childhood obesity rates have held flat in the past decade. And there were no significant changes in most age groups.

But there were two exceptions: For some reason experts aren’t sure about, the obesity rate in women age 60 and older rose from 31.5 percent to more than 38 percent. And the preschool obesity rate dropped, the AP reported.

Jackman said she doubts the obesity rate in women age 60 and older has increased locally. “There are a lot of opportunities — exercise classes, trails — and a lot of participants in that age group,” she said.

“We still have a long ways to go in curbing the obesity problem,” Kinkema said. He is especially concerned about obese adults. “When people start realizing it’s affecting their pocketbook, when they get Type 2 diabetes and have to buy insulin, hopefully that will get them motivated” to lose weight, he said.


News Source: www.martinsvillebulletin.com

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Doctors should disinfect their stethoscope after every patient

Stethoscopes should be disinfected after each use because they pick up bacteria from a patient’s skin, a study has found.

The researchers from the University of Geneva assessed the level of bacterial contamination on physicians' hands and stethoscopes following a single physical examination.

Their findings, published in the March issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, revealed that stethoscopes had as many bacteria on them as the palms of doctors' hands, and only doctors' fingertips had more.

Cleaning stethoscopes regularly would cut down on transmission of bacteria, the researchers said.

Dr Didier Pittet, Director of the Infection Control Program and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, University of Geneva Hospitals, said: "By considering that stethoscopes are used repeatedly over the course of a day, come directly into contact with patients' skin, and may harbour several thousands of bacteria (including MRSA) collected during a previous physical examination, we consider them as potentially significant vectors of transmission.

"From infection control and patient safety perspectives, the stethoscope should be regarded as an extension of the physician's hands and be disinfected after every patient contact."

A total of 71 patients were examined for the study by one of three physicians using sterile gloves and a sterile stethoscope. After they completed the examination, two parts of the stethoscope (the tube and diaphragm) and four regions of the physician's hands (back, fingertips, and thenar and hypothenar eminences) were measured for the total number of bacteria present.

The stethoscope's diaphragm was more contaminated than all regions of the physician's hand except the fingertips. Further, the tube of the stethoscope was more heavily contaminated than the back of the physician's hand. Similar results were observed when contamination was due to methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after examining MRSA-colonised patients.

News Source: www.onmedica.com

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'Three-parent babies' could be born in Britain next year

Britain is set to become the first country in the world to create babies with the DNA of three people after the government set out new draft regulations

Three parent babies could be created by using the DNA of a 'second mother' to fill in defective genetic material in an egg Photo: 

ALAMY

The first three-parent babies could be born by 2015 after the government set out new draft regulations which will allow donor DNA from a 'second mother' to be implanted into a defective egg.

The procedure, which was developed British scientists, is currently banned, but ministers want to change the law to prevent children suffering debilitating conditions like muscular dystrophy.

The Department of Health has launched a consultation on draft guidelines which is due to end in May.

Under the new rules, IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation) clinics will be able to replace a baby's defective mitochondrial DNA with healthy DNA from a female donor's egg.

It is controversial because it would result in babies having DNA from three people.

While many doctors and scientists applaud the move, pointing out that it could eliminate terrible diseases, critics argue "mitochondrial transfer" could lead to designer babies.

Dr David King, director of the pressure group Human Genetics Alert, said: "If passed, this will be the first time any government has legalised inheritable human genome modification, something that is banned in all other European countries.

"The techniques have not passed the necessary safety tests so it is unnecessary and premature to rush ahead with legalisation.

"The techniques are unethical according to basic medical ethics, since their only advantage over standard and 

safe egg donation is that the mother is genetically related to her child. This cannot justify the unknown risks to the child or the social consequences of allowing human genome modification."

However most health experts and scientists have backed the government claiming it heralds a new era in genetic medicine.

Professor Peter Braude, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at King's College London, said: "I am pleased that the Government has been brave enough to follow through on their promises given during the 2008 revision of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, to bring before Parliament an option to help a small but deserving portion of society blighted with the spectre of transmitting mitochondrial disease to their children.

"Although rare, the effects of mitochondrial disease are devastating on those families, and the technology proposed will bring hope to those carrying the disorders.

"It is true that genetic alteration of disease risk is an important step for society and should not be taken lightly. However the proposed changes to the regulations ensure it will be limited to informed couples, who understand from sad personal experience the significant effects of their disease, and are best placed to balance the risks of the technology with the possibility of having children without mitochondrial disease."

Around one in every 200 babies born in the UK has a severe mitochondrial disease. Although rare, the disorders can be passed to future generations through the maternal line.

Examples of mitochondrial diseases include conditions that cause muscle wasting, nerve damage, loss of sight and heart failure.

Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, Britain's biggest research charity, said: "It is now almost a year since a major public consultation found broad support for the use of new IVF techniques for preventing mitochondrial diseases, so we are pleased that the Government has now published draft regulations that would permit this.

"Once further public consultation on the detail of these regulations is complete, we urge the Government to move swiftly so that Parliament can debate the regulations at the earliest opportunity and families affected by these devastating disorders can begin to benefit."

Doug Turnbull, Professor of Neurology at the University of Newcastle, 

said: "I am delighted that the Government has published the draft regulations. This is very good news for patients with mitochondrial DNA disease and an important step in the prevention of transmission of serious mitochondrial disease"

Robert Meadowcroft, chief executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said: "News that the wait for proposed amendments to genetic research regulations to be shared with the public is over will be welcomed by many families living with mitochondrial disease.

"We have supported the Government's review of the mitochondrial transfer IVF technique throughout, in the firm belief that open, thorough and transparent dialogue is critical. However, it will soon be two years since the 

initial consultation with the public was announced and three since the review began.

"There have been lengthy waits at every stage, and we now call on the Government to ensure that regulations are passed before the next general election, so that the technique can be moved towards clinical trials as soon as possible."

He added: "Encouragingly, we have seen that, when given in-depth information, the majority of people in the UK are broadly supportive of this technology. We now need to see a prompt, efficient discussion with the public on the rules that will govern how it is taken forward."

The new consultation is not to debate whether mitochondrial transfer should be allowed, but how it should be implemented.

Once the rules are brought in, it will be up to the fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), to decide whether a treatment can go ahead on a case-by-case basis.

Mitochondrial transfer will only be allowed when there is a "significant risk" of disability or serious illness.

Children born after mitochondrial transfer will not be entitled to discover the identity of the "third parent" donor.

Liz Curtis, from the Lily Foundation, which funds research into mitochondrial diseases, said: "The publication today of the draft regulations is welcomed by The Lily Foundation. We meet too many families on a daily basis whose worlds have been turned upside down by the devastating effects of mitochondrial diseases.

"These IVF techniques will eradicate mitochondrial disease for some families, offering the opportunity to have a healthy child. We hope the approval will not take too long, so these families can benefit from this as soon as possible and hopefully see a little light at the end of a dark tunnel."

News Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

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Tooth Extraction Prior to Cardiac Surgery May Not Be a Good Idea

People with an infected or abscessed tooth are at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. They are at particular risk for developing a serious infection during surgery, including endocarditis, a potentially life-threatening infection of the heart. Because of this risk, in order to reduce the chance of infection, many patients undergo dental extraction prior to having a planned cardiac surgery. Now, however, a new paper published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery raises the possibility that prophylactic dental extraction may be far more risky than previously thought.

Physicians from the Mayo Clinic retrospectively reviewed data from 205 patients who underwent dental extraction prior to a planned cardiac operation. They found a higher than expected (8%) rate of adverse outcomes, defined as death, acute coronary syndrome, stroke, renal failure requiring dialysis, and postoperative mechanical ventilation. A total of 3% of the subjects died after the dental extraction and before the cardiac surgery.

It seems possible, they wrote, that “preoperative dental surgical procedures may increase risk in these patients.” But they were “unable to conclude the adverse outcomes were due to dental extraction. However, the cumulative insults endured by these patients during dental extraction (additional anesthetic and surgical stresses), along with delay in definitive cardiovascular operation, may have contributed to the outcome.”

“Guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association label dental extraction as a minor procedure, with the risk of death or non-fatal heart attack estimated to be less than 1%,” said the first author, Mark Smith, in a press release. “Our results, however, documented a higher rate of major adverse outcomes, suggesting physicians should evaluate individualized risk of anesthesia and surgery in this patient population.”

The paper represents “a significant departure from current thinking,” writes Michael Jonathan Unsworth-White  in an invited commentary. It “raises the question whether we should in fact get on with our cardiac operations and deal with the dental work at some other time, if at all, or risk killing our patients with good intent!”

News Source: www.forbes.com

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Mailing free test kits improves colon cancer screening rates

Colon cancer screening rates went up by nearly 40% in a Kaiser Permanente study that mailed test kits to patients' homes. The pilot study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was part of a program to address disparities among uninsured, low-income and Latino patients.

The findings are to be published in the journal BMC Cancer.

Lead author Dr. Gloria Coronado, epidemiologist and senior investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, says:

"We are very happy that so many of the patients who received the screening kits in the mail actually completed the tests and mailed them back."

The study involved 869 patients registered with three community health clinics in metropolitan areas in Portland, Oregon. Most of the patients in the health clinics were Latinos living below the poverty line and around half of them had nohealth insurance.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans, yet one third of adults do not undergo proper screening.

In the US, colon cancer screening is low in general, and more so among minorities

Dr. Coronado explains that "colon cancer screening rates are low among the general population, but even lower among minorities and those without health insurance." She adds that this pilot is part of a "larger STOP Colon Cancer study, which aims to increase screening among thousands more patients who receive their care from community health clinics."

For the study, Dr. Coronado and her colleagues arranged for an introductory letter - in English and Spanish - explaining the home test kit and colorectal cancer screening, to be mailed to 112 patients with one of the clinics. This letter was followed 2 weeks later with a mailed stool test kit.

If the tests weren't returned within 3 weeks, the patients received reminder postcards.

For the second clinic, 101 patients received the same mailings over the same timescale: the letter, then the test kit and then the reminder postcard. Except, in this case, if test kits weren't returned within a month, the patients also got a reminder phone call.

With the third clinic, the researchers enlisted 656 patients as controls. These did not receive a stool test kit by mail, but they had the option of having a screening test as part of routine visits to the clinic.

Mailed test kits were more successful than routine clinical screening

When they reviewed the results, the researchers found that only 1% of the controls had completed a stool test, compared with 39% of the patients who received tests in the mail, and 37% who were also reminded by phone.

Co-author Dr. Tanya Kapka, a family physician at the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, that operated the three clinics in the study, says:

"Many patients don't understand that a simple stool test called FIT, or fecal immunochemical test, can save their lives."

"The FIT test can be done at home," she adds, "it only takes a few minutes, and, if conducted annually, is effective for determining which patients are most likely to have colon cancer."

The NIH is funding an extension of the pilot to cover 26 federally qualified health centers in Oregon and California.

Meanwhile, Medical News Today, recently learned how researchers at MIT have brought closer the day when we have a cheap urine test for cancer. Their experimental version uses injected nanoparticles to find diseased tissue, upon which they release a cascade of biomarkers that can be detected in urine samples, rather like a home pregnancy test.

News Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

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Three Parents? FDA Mulls Safety of Embryo Technique

 Is it designer babies or a way for parents to have healthy children?

A panel of Food and Drug Administration officials is finishing up a meeting on Wednesday asking whether an experimental technique using eggs and sperm from three adults is safe to try in humans.

The FDA advisers are not looking at the ethical implications, but whether the science is solid enough to justify trying the process in people. The goal would be to allow people to have babies free of horrific and untreatable mitochondrial diseases, and perhaps also to help some older women have babies if their own eggs are no longer fully healthy.

“Safety issues and how to get data to address them is really the issue,” said John Gearhart, an expert in embryo development at the University of Pennsylvania who is serving on the panel of experts. “Somehow, the designer babies slant is always there.”

For most scientists watching the meeting, the question is all about whether researchers know enough to try the technique safely in people.

“In my mind, it’s not eugenics,” said Phil Yeske, chief science officer for the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. “It’s affording potential for women affected by mitochondrial disease to have a healthy child.”

Scientists have been tinkering for years with the approach, which uses parts of the egg cells of two females, and the sperm from a male to create an embryo. It’s been done a few times in monkeys to create healthy offspring and now some researchers would like permission to try with humans.

“In my mind, it’s not eugenics. It’s affording potential for women affected by mitochondrial disease to have a healthy child.”

Fertility specialist Dr. Jamie Grifo of New York University tried one technique in the 1990s to help older women conceive healthy children using IVF techniques and the healthy eggs donated by younger women, but the FDA asked him to stop.

About two dozen children were born using various approaches, the FDA says, and at least three of them had developmental disorders including Turner syndrome, a genetic conditon in which a female doesn't have the usual pair of two X chromosomes. But FDA says it’s hard to tell whether the IVF technique is what caused the problems.

Taiwanese scientists tried another method, using a woman’s own healthy mitochondria, and reported 20 babies were born in 2004. But they haven’t reported on how healthy those children are today, FDA says.

It’s an important question, said Michigan State University's Keith Latham. "The end of the experiment will come decades later," Latham told the committee hearing. "It's going to take us that long to figure out the health of the progeny produced from these procedures."

The committee will not come to a decision this week, and the FDA isn’t due to decide any time soon, either. Hearings like this are designed to gather information and to get people thinking and asking questions.

“There’s overall great concern for the well-being of these kids,” said Dr. Evan Snyder of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, Calif., the panel’s chairman.

Mitochondria help provide energy in a cell. They also carry a special type of DNA, called mitochondrial DNA, and this DNA is passed down virtually unchanged from mothers to their children.

It probably accounts for less than 1 percent of a person’s genetic traits, but they are important to health. Damaged mitochondria are responsible for more than 200 different diseases, Yeske said.

They include Alpers disease, which causes seizures, dementia and blindness; carnitine deficiency, which can damage the heart and sometimes sends babies into coma; and Leigh’s disease, a progressive disorder in which brain cells gradually die off, causing a range of symptoms.

There’s no cure for any of these conditions. “So this is a group of patients that really has no hope,” Yeske said.

“In my view, trying the technique to fix a terrible disease even with risks of failure makes ethical sense. Given the severity of mitochondrial diseases it is worth trying the technique."

His organization hasn’t taken a stand on the research yet. “Watching the science is the best way to describe our position,” he said. “Obviously, we wouldn’t advocate for something that isn’t safe. Let’s face it, the ethical considerations are significant here, too.”

But Art Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University, said in an NBC opinion piecethat it’s worthwhile.

“In my view, trying the technique to fix a terrible disease even with risks of failure makes ethical sense,” he said. “Given the severity of mitochondrial diseases, it is worth trying the technique."

An estimated 1 in 4,000 children born in the U.S. is affected by some version of mitochondrial disease, according to the Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.

And in the end, there's this: “All of us deal with mitochondrial dysfunction,” said Yeske. “It’s called aging.”

News Source: www.nbcnews.com

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C-section birth 'link to later obesity'

People born by Caesarean section are more likely to be obese later in life than those born naturally, a large analysis suggests.

The analysis of 38,000 births, published in the journal PLoS One, showed the odds of being obese were 22% higher.

The UK researchers say it is important women are informed about the long-term consequences of Caesarean section.

But experts said it was unclear what was really going on.

The study showed that for every 100 vaginal births, 60 adults would go on to be overweight or obese. But out of every 100 born by Caesarean section, there would be 65.

On average, being born by C-section added half a point to a person's body mass index (BMI).

One of the researchers, Dr Matthew Hyde from Imperial College London, told the BBC: "It is an increase of five in 100, which is a significant concern.

"It is only a half unit increase in BMI, but if you have that increase across a population you'll see a large increase in weight and the well publicised side-effects."

He said advice around childbirth was tailored to the immediate consequences for baby and mother, but long-term issues needed to be raised as well.

Previous research has hinted that other conditions, such as asthma, may be more likely after Caesarean birth.

Why so big?

There are two main theories about how vaginal birth could protect against obesity:

• the stress of a natural birth may alter the activity of genes in the baby
• a vaginal birth exposes the baby to bacteria that colonise the gut, so differences in gut bacteria could in the future affect weight

However, the study cannot prove that C-section makes people fatter as other factors could be at work.

This could include obese women, who are more likely to have obese offspring, being more likely to need a Caesarean.

Either way, researcher Prof Neena Modi said: "There are good reasons why C-section may be the best option for many mothers and their babies, and C-sections can on occasion be life-saving.

"However, we need to understand the long-term outcomes in order to provide the best advice to women who are considering Caesarean delivery."

Commenting on the study, Patrick O'Brien, a consultant obstetrician and a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told the BBC: "It is important and interesting to flag up this association, but it is important to realise that it is hard to know for sure if it is the Caesarean section that led to this or whether something else was the cause."

He said it was important to be fair to women when advising them about the pros and cons of different methods of delivery, and that the theoretical long-term outcomes from vaginal birth would need to be discussed equally.

News Source: www.bbc.com

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Seth Rogen Talks About Mother-In-Law's Struggle With Alzheimer's Disease

Photo credit: Apega/WENN

Seth Rogen testified at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the economics and current state of research of Alzheimer's disease treatment and prevention on Wednesday, February 26 in Washington D.C. The actor attended the hearing to share a story related to the disease.

At the hearing, Rogen said that he met his wife Lauren Miller's parents nine years ago. Shortly after, her mother Adele was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 55. "After forgetting who she and her loved one were, she forgot how to speak, feed herself, dress herself, all by age of 60," he said. At that time, Rogen also admitted that he only knew that the disease "was something only really, really old people got" which included "forgetting your keys and mismatched shoes."

"The situation is so dire that it caused me, a lazy, self-involved, generally self-medicated man-child to start an entire charity organization," he added. He and his wife created "Hilarity for Charity" which is aimed to educate young people about the disease.

"I came here today for few reasons," he also said. "One, I'm a huge 'House of Cards' fan. ... Two, people need more help. I've personally witnessed the massive amount of financial strain this disease causes." He continued, "The third reason I'm here, simply, is to show people that they're not alone. So few people share their personal stories, so few people have something to relate to, I know that if me and my wife saw somebody like me talking about this, we would feel less alone."

Rogen later took to Twitter to encourage his followers to keep supporting the campaign. "All those empty seats are senators who are not prioritizing Alzheimer's. Unless more noise is made, it won't change," he wrote.

News Source: www.aceshowbiz.com

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Hundreds of foods in U.S. contain 'ADA' plastics chemical: report

(Reuters) - Nearly 500 foods found on grocery store shelves in the United States, including many foods labeled as "healthy," contain a potentially hazardous industrial plastics chemical, according to a report issued Thursday by a health research and advocacy group.

Azodicarbonamide, also known as ADA, was found as an ingredient in breads, bagels, tortillas, hamburger and hot dog buns, pizza, pastries, and other food products, according to a report by the Environmental Working Group, based in Washington.

Some consumer groups have called for the removal of azodicarbonamide from use in foods. Fast food chain Subway said earlier this month that it was removing the chemical from its products, but stated that ADA is a safe and widely used ingredient for many foods.

Azodicarbonamide is fully approved for use in food by the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. But ADA is banned as an additive in Australia and some European countries.

As a food additive, azodicarbonamide is used as a flour bleaching agent and as an oxidizing agent in dough to improve its performance for bakers. It is also used in plastics to improve elasticity and can be found in yoga mats and shoes.

The World Health Organization states that epidemiological studies in humans and other reports have produced "abundant evidence that azodicarbonamide can induce asthma, other respiratory symptoms, and skin sensitization" to people working with the chemical.

The Environmental Working Group said manufacturers should immediately end the use of ADA in food. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, this month called on the FDA to ban ADA from foods.

The FDA states that azodicarbonamide can be used safely if the amount in flour does not exceed 2.05 grams per 100 pounds of flour or 45 parts per million.

(Reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

News Source: in.reuters.com

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Medical Cannabis Dispensaries New Regulations Approved in San Diego

A new development for medical cannabis dispensaries in San Diego, as the City Council has approved new regulations on Tuesday, February 25. The new regulations will limit the dispensaries to no more than four per district and sets zoning and operating restrictions.

Since California’s Compassionate Use Act was approved by voters in San Diego 17 years ago, the issue was addressed several times. In 2011, zoning and operating restrictions were enforced by the City Council; however, advocates collected signatures, forcing the council to reconsider the restrictions. Some say the new regulations for medical cannabis dispensaries, approved by the San Diego City Council, are considered to be even stricter.

Dispensaries are allowed to operate legally with a use permit from the city, valid for five years. In addition, an annual public safety permit is required. Dispensaries are not allowed within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, churches, care facilities and playgrounds. In fact, they are not allowed within a 1,000 feet of another dispensary. With these new regulations, the San Diego City Council hopes to be able to limit problems that medical cannabis may cause. Councilwoman Marti Emerald says, “We cannot turn our backs on this, or else there will be a continued proliferation of illegal operations. In addition, there is a great chance that people will abuse the system, resulting in medical cannabis ending up in the hands of children or people who do not need it for medical reasons. With these new regulations, we are spreading out the impact.”

While medical cannabis dispensaries will now be regulated in San Diego, another city on Tuesday banned medical cannabis dispensaries and other associated facilities. The City Council of Boulder City, NV voted against dispensaries unanimously and is the first to do so in its county. Resident Myreen Aschenbach says, “I am happy that our city is being proactive about this. The last thing we need here is a Venice Beach where everyone can get cannabis for the slightest headache.” Ed Uehling lives in Boulder City since the 1940s and expects that the city’s ban on medical cannabis dispensaries will have consequences, as legal card holders will have to drive to Las Vegas. Uehling remembers the alcohol ban in Boulder City decades ago, when people drove to Las Vegas to get a beer. He says it caused more traffic accidents. “It is like we live  in the 17th century,” he said.

Although the City Council of Boulder City has empathy for those who need medical cannabis for their illness, they feel that medical cannabis dispensaries will not do the city any good, stating that burglaries and crimes increase in cities and neighborhoods where dispensaries are legally operating. Evidence; however, was not shown.

Medical cannabis is allowed in the state of Nevada since 2001, but patients experience difficulties in buying the drug. Nevada will adopt its final regulations in April, paving the way for an estimated 66 dispensaries throughout the state. Although the new regulations for medical cannabis dispensaries in San Diego may seem stricter to some residents, others, living in  Boulder City, are hoping that some day they will be approved.

By Diana Herst

Review Journal
San Diego6
Fox 5

News Source: guardianlv.com

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Measles back again in US, experts call for vaccination

Measles are back again in America with two highly contagious cases popping up in the Bay State from Trader Joe’s and a sushi bar in Framingham.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of about 60 people in the United States contract measles every year. These people are mostly exposed to the disease in other countries who then travel here.

The disease was uprooted from the US long back and the medical experts hold the anti-vaccination campaigners as the reason behind the popping up of an almost-eradicated disease in the United States.

“I would strongly encourage all parents to get their children vaccinated and avoid the alternative. … You don’t know how bad this disease can be until you see it front and center.” said Dr. Mark Pasternack, chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on February 21 has issued a public health alert after the measles cases were confirmed.

Meanwhile, the medical providers are on task to vaccinate the Americans against measles. Besides health officials are also recommending those who feels that they may have been exposed to the virus and are experiencing symptoms of measles.

Health officials have asked all those who have been experiencing any symptoms of measles to refer to their doctors.  Doctors say, symptoms of the measles appear 10 days to two weeks after exposure. The initial symptoms include cold, fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. After two to four days of these initial symptoms, a rash may appear for a few days and then disappear. Measles are considered to be contagious up to four days before and after the rash appears. They spread more easily than almost any other disease as they communicate mainly through airborne transmission such as breathing, coughing, and sneezing.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, people who may be at risk of contracting the disease includes:

• Infants and young children who have not received their first dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age.
• School-age children who have not received their second dose of the MMR vaccine.
• Adults who have not received at least one dose of the MMR vaccine.

News Source: www.utahpeoplespost.com

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US weighs the pros and cons of crafting embryos from three people

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week began discussions over whether it should allow testing of a controversial procedure that would create babies from the DNA of three people. As the Associated Press reports, supporters of the procedure say it could prevent children from inheriting many diseases, though others have expressed ethical concerns, saying it could lead to the development of so-called "designer babies."

Early testing in animals has so far suggested that offspring created from the DNA of three people — two parents and a female donor — could lead healthy lives, preventing them from inheriting debilitating diseases like blindness and organ failure. But there is wide agreement that it may be many years before the results can be fully evaluated, as researchers continue to monitor the long-term health of the progeny.

A SLIPPERY SLOPE?

This week, the FDA began hearing arguments from experts in the field, as well as people with ethical concerns. Detractors say the procedure enters nebulous new territory, as it could open the door for the creation of children with desired traits. Others questioned the FDA's authority to regulate such a procedure, arguing that the agency typically regulates drugs and medical devices.

Speakers also included Shoukhrat Mitalipov, of the Oregon Health and Science University, who has produced five healthy monkeys from a technique that replaces the defective mitochondrial DNA in the eggs of a prospective mother with from a healthy donor. Mitochondrial DNA is only passed down from the mother, and mutations in the mitochondria can lead to diseases at birth.

The FDA's panel of experts suggested that more testing will need to be done on animals before allowing for experiments with humans, while raising questions over whether results from animal tests should have any impact on proposed human trials.

News Source: www.theverge.com

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