The following article will be featured on an upcoming episode of "Dr. Asa on Call" with Dr. Asa Andrew.
Men with high urinary levels of the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) may have lower sperm quality, which could affect their ability to conceive a child.
The new study, which appears in Fertility and Sterility, is the first to link BPA levels to sperm quality in humans. Other studies with similar results were conducted in animals. Exactly how BPA can affect sperm is not known, but animal studies have shown that BPA may have a negative impact on sperm production.
"The higher the BPA exposure, the worse the semen quality," says study author De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland. "The findings add more weight to the evidence about the effects of BPA on sperm quality," he says.
Of 218 men who worked in a factory in China, those with higher levels of BPA exposure had two to four times the risk of poor semen quality, including low sperm count and motility (the ability of the sperm to move toward the egg), compared to their counterparts who had lower levels of urinary BPA or no detectable BPA in their urine. Some of the factory workers were exposed to BPA on the job while others were not.
BPA levels varied among the men, but occupational exposure to BPA was the most significant contribution to higher levels of BPA.
Evidence Against BPA Mounting
Many manufacturers have already taken steps to eliminate the BPA in baby bottles and cups, but the chemical is also found in the linings of canned foods, plastic containers, dental sealants, and cigarette filters. The FDA has called for more study on BPA because of its "potential health concerns," and the Canadian government recently placed BPA on its list of toxic chemicals.
The time is now to take steps to reduce BPA exposure, Li says.
"You don’t have to wait for regulatory agencies to ban BPA," he says. "In most cases, avoiding BPA doesn’t cost much." Simple ways to steer clear of BPA involve not eating canned foods.
"This study clearly shows that BPA exposures adversely affect men in a serious way: by influencing their semen quality, which could have obvious impacts on their ability to have children," Laura N. Vandenberg, PhD, of the department of biology at Tufts University in Boston, says in an email.
"This study also shows that adult men are sensitive to BPA, and even small amounts of the chemical can have pretty drastic effects," she says. "What remains to be seen is whether the effects of BPA on semen quality are permanent after the kinds of low, chronic exposures that most adults experience."
Findings May Not Apply to U.S.
Steven G. Hentges, PhD, of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of the American Chemistry Council, a trade group in Washington, D.C., says the new findings are likely not generalizable to people in the U.S.
"This study wasn't designed to look at consumers, who in contrast to the Chinese workers in this study are exposed to low levels of BPA," he says.
"In the U.S., worker safety programs limit exposure to BPA with proper personal protective equipment," he says. As a result, exposures are likely not as high among U.S. workers.
And "even with extreme high exposures in this study, most of the workers with poor sperm quality still did not meet criteria for infertility as designated by the World Health Organization," he says.
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Dad's High Fat Diet May Cause Diabetes in Daughters
The following article was recently featured on "Dr. Asa on Call" with Dr. Asa Andrew:
While everyone knows a pregnant mother's poor health habits can have negative effects on the development and long-term health of her offspring, very little attention has been given to the health of fathers. But a preliminary study suggests that fathers who eat high-fat diets prior to conception could lead their daughters to develop type 2 diabetes.
A new study published in the journal Nature last week suggests that dad's weight, metabolic health, blood glucose levels and physical fitness levels prior to conception could all pass on potential health problems to his children. Findings are preliminary, however, as the study was conducted on rats, not humans, in a laboratory at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
Researchers discovered that the female offspring of male rats consuming a high-fat diet who were paired with non-diabetic females began developing signs of diabetes by 13 weeks. Those daughters all had fathers who were obese and diabetic at the time of conception.
As a result, study authors suggest that the sperm of diabetic and obese males may be compromised, leading to health problems down the road for their children, particularly development of diabetes.
"If it is true in humans, then it may be potentially contributing to what seems to be the amplification of the obesity and diabetes epidemic," Margaret Morris, senior author of the study, told Reuters.
Dr. Peter McGovern, director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, told AOL Health the results of such studies are intriguing, particularly given his own experience treating couples for infertility. "I've had many couples over the years who have failed to achieve pregnancy, and I've told them to control diabetes or the sperm won't function well," he says. Those who take his advice usually find conception easier.
McGovern says obese men often have a hard time conceiving, but that it may be because they're borderline diabetic or suffer insulin resistance. However, he says there is no significant data on how the sperm of diabetic men may impact offspring health beyond the moment of conception.
But he believes there could be a connection. "Diabetes or insulin resistance clearly causes reproductive problems in women," he adds, "so we think it plays a role in men as well."
His advice to diabetic or obese men who are thinking of having kids? Get the diabetes under control. At the very least, it will likely increase a couple's chances for conception, and it could perhaps have impacts on the fetus' health as well. "We know smoking, drug use and excessive alcohol consumption all affect the health of sperm," McGovern says, and he urges men and women who want to be parents to work on getting fit and healthy first.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew, listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
While everyone knows a pregnant mother's poor health habits can have negative effects on the development and long-term health of her offspring, very little attention has been given to the health of fathers. But a preliminary study suggests that fathers who eat high-fat diets prior to conception could lead their daughters to develop type 2 diabetes.
A new study published in the journal Nature last week suggests that dad's weight, metabolic health, blood glucose levels and physical fitness levels prior to conception could all pass on potential health problems to his children. Findings are preliminary, however, as the study was conducted on rats, not humans, in a laboratory at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
Researchers discovered that the female offspring of male rats consuming a high-fat diet who were paired with non-diabetic females began developing signs of diabetes by 13 weeks. Those daughters all had fathers who were obese and diabetic at the time of conception.
As a result, study authors suggest that the sperm of diabetic and obese males may be compromised, leading to health problems down the road for their children, particularly development of diabetes.
"If it is true in humans, then it may be potentially contributing to what seems to be the amplification of the obesity and diabetes epidemic," Margaret Morris, senior author of the study, told Reuters.
Dr. Peter McGovern, director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, told AOL Health the results of such studies are intriguing, particularly given his own experience treating couples for infertility. "I've had many couples over the years who have failed to achieve pregnancy, and I've told them to control diabetes or the sperm won't function well," he says. Those who take his advice usually find conception easier.
McGovern says obese men often have a hard time conceiving, but that it may be because they're borderline diabetic or suffer insulin resistance. However, he says there is no significant data on how the sperm of diabetic men may impact offspring health beyond the moment of conception.
But he believes there could be a connection. "Diabetes or insulin resistance clearly causes reproductive problems in women," he adds, "so we think it plays a role in men as well."
His advice to diabetic or obese men who are thinking of having kids? Get the diabetes under control. At the very least, it will likely increase a couple's chances for conception, and it could perhaps have impacts on the fetus' health as well. "We know smoking, drug use and excessive alcohol consumption all affect the health of sperm," McGovern says, and he urges men and women who want to be parents to work on getting fit and healthy first.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew, listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Accurate Diagnosis of Dementia Type Crucial for Treatment, Future Interventions
The following article will be featured on an upcoming episode of "Dr. Asa on Call" with Dr. Asa Andrew.
Clinical evaluations for specific type of dementing neurodegenerative disease are critically important, suggest 2 new literature reviews from German researchers.
In the first analysis, investigators write that correct diagnosis is crucial because treatment differs significantly between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Parkinson disease dementia (PDD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia.
For patients with DLB, cognitive and/or psychiatric impairments are their first symptoms. For them, dopaminergic treatments should be given "if motor manifestations arise within 1 year," write Brit Mollenhauer, PD, Dr. med, from the Paracelsus-Elena Hospital in Kassel and the Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany, and colleagues.
In PDD, memory impairment and cognitive deficits occur only after motor symptoms have fully developed and been present for at least 1 year. For these patients, the study authors write that early screening is needed so that "further diagnostic and therapeutic steps can be taken in timely fashion."
In addition, both DLB and PDD patients have been found to respond well to cholinesterase inhibitors for treating cognitive problems and behavioral disturbances. However, "because of the serious side effects associated with administration of traditional neuroleptic drugs, it’s important to distinguish" these dementia types from AD, add the study authors.
In the second review, the researchers note that new biomarkers can increase the probability of identifying AD at the predisease stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to higher than 80%.
"Early detection of [AD] before the onset of dementia provides an opportunity to study potential approaches for secondary prevention, which are now an object of intense clinical research," write Gerhard W. Eschweiler, PD, Dr. med, from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Tübingen and from the Geriatric Center at the University Hospital of Tubingen, Germany, and colleagues.
The 2 reviews were published in the October dementia theme issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, the official journal of the German Medical Association.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew, listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Clinical evaluations for specific type of dementing neurodegenerative disease are critically important, suggest 2 new literature reviews from German researchers.
In the first analysis, investigators write that correct diagnosis is crucial because treatment differs significantly between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Parkinson disease dementia (PDD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia.
For patients with DLB, cognitive and/or psychiatric impairments are their first symptoms. For them, dopaminergic treatments should be given "if motor manifestations arise within 1 year," write Brit Mollenhauer, PD, Dr. med, from the Paracelsus-Elena Hospital in Kassel and the Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany, and colleagues.
In PDD, memory impairment and cognitive deficits occur only after motor symptoms have fully developed and been present for at least 1 year. For these patients, the study authors write that early screening is needed so that "further diagnostic and therapeutic steps can be taken in timely fashion."
In addition, both DLB and PDD patients have been found to respond well to cholinesterase inhibitors for treating cognitive problems and behavioral disturbances. However, "because of the serious side effects associated with administration of traditional neuroleptic drugs, it’s important to distinguish" these dementia types from AD, add the study authors.
In the second review, the researchers note that new biomarkers can increase the probability of identifying AD at the predisease stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to higher than 80%.
"Early detection of [AD] before the onset of dementia provides an opportunity to study potential approaches for secondary prevention, which are now an object of intense clinical research," write Gerhard W. Eschweiler, PD, Dr. med, from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Tübingen and from the Geriatric Center at the University Hospital of Tubingen, Germany, and colleagues.
The 2 reviews were published in the October dementia theme issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, the official journal of the German Medical Association.
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Regular Exercise a Must for Frail Obese Dieters
The following is an article that Dr. Asa Andrew will be discussing on an upcoming episode of "Dr. Asa on Call"
Frail obese elderly patients who are dieting to lose weight and improve their health should incorporate regular exercise into their weight-loss regimen to prevent bone loss, according to research presented here at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 2010 Annual Meeting.
"Regular exercise is effective in preventing bone loss and increasing bone turnover during dietary-induced weight loss in obese older adults with adequate calcium and vitamin D intake," said Krupa Shah, MD, from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. "Therefore, exercise should be included as part of a comprehensive weight-loss program to offset the adverse effects of dietary-induced weight loss on bone."
Weight loss improves frailty and metabolic and coronary heart disease risk factors in obese older adults, but can also cause bone loss and increase the risk for fracture, Dr. Shah noted.
When the investigators began this study, it was not known whether exercise training would offset these effects.
They randomized 107 obese individuals with a body mass index above 30 kg/m2 who were older than 65 years to 1 of 4 groups: diet only, exercise training, diet plus exercise training, and a control group, which received advice on a healthy lifestyle.
All participants received daily supplemental calcium (1200 to 1500 mg) and vitamin D (1000 IU).
At the end of the 1-year study, patients in the diet only group had lost a mean of 10 lb, and those in the diet plus exercise training group had lost a mean of 9 lb; patients in the exercise training and control groups maintained their weight.
The study also found that participants in the diet only group had a mean reduction in total hip bone mineral density of 2.3%, compared with those in the control group (P < .05). However, in the exercise training group, there was a 1.3% increase in total hip bone mineral density.
In the diet plus exercise training group and the control group, there was no change in hip bone mineral density.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew listent to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Frail obese elderly patients who are dieting to lose weight and improve their health should incorporate regular exercise into their weight-loss regimen to prevent bone loss, according to research presented here at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 2010 Annual Meeting.
"Regular exercise is effective in preventing bone loss and increasing bone turnover during dietary-induced weight loss in obese older adults with adequate calcium and vitamin D intake," said Krupa Shah, MD, from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. "Therefore, exercise should be included as part of a comprehensive weight-loss program to offset the adverse effects of dietary-induced weight loss on bone."
Weight loss improves frailty and metabolic and coronary heart disease risk factors in obese older adults, but can also cause bone loss and increase the risk for fracture, Dr. Shah noted.
When the investigators began this study, it was not known whether exercise training would offset these effects.
They randomized 107 obese individuals with a body mass index above 30 kg/m2 who were older than 65 years to 1 of 4 groups: diet only, exercise training, diet plus exercise training, and a control group, which received advice on a healthy lifestyle.
All participants received daily supplemental calcium (1200 to 1500 mg) and vitamin D (1000 IU).
At the end of the 1-year study, patients in the diet only group had lost a mean of 10 lb, and those in the diet plus exercise training group had lost a mean of 9 lb; patients in the exercise training and control groups maintained their weight.
The study also found that participants in the diet only group had a mean reduction in total hip bone mineral density of 2.3%, compared with those in the control group (P < .05). However, in the exercise training group, there was a 1.3% increase in total hip bone mineral density.
In the diet plus exercise training group and the control group, there was no change in hip bone mineral density.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew listent to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Cholera Kills at Least 250, Sickens More Than 3,000 in Haiti
Here's a recent article that Dr. Asa Andrew will be discussing on an upcoming episode of "Dr. Asa on Call"
A cholera outbreak that already has left 250 people dead and more than 3,000 sickened is at the doorstep of an enormous potential breeding ground: the squalid camps in Port-au-Prince where 1.3 million earthquake survivors live. Health authorities and aid workers are scrambling to keep the tragedies from merging and the deaths from multiplying.
Five cholera patients have been reported in Haiti's capital, heightening worries that the disease could reach the sprawling tent slums where abysmal hygiene, poor sanitation, and widespread poverty could rapidly spread it. But government officials said Sunday that all five apparently got cholera outside Port-au-Prince, and they voiced hope that the deadly bacterial disease could be confined to the rural areas where the outbreak originated last week.
"It's not difficult to prevent the spread to Port-au-Prince. We can prevent it," said Health Ministry director Gabriel Timothee. He said tightly limiting movement of patients and careful disposal of bodies can stave off a major medical disaster.
If efforts to keep cholera out of the camps fail, "The worst case would be that we have hundreds of thousands of people getting sick at the same time," said Claude Surena, president of the Haiti Medical Association. Cholera can cause vomiting and diarrhea so severe it can kill from dehydration in hours.
Robyn Fieser, a spokeswoman for Catholic Relief Services, said she was confident that aid groups and the Haitian government will be prepared to respond to an outbreak should it occur in the camps. But she stressed that the challenge of preventing its spread is "immense."
"There are proven methods to contain and treat cholera, so we know what we're dealing with. The biggest challenge is logistics, that is, moving massive amounts of medicine, supplies and people into place to treat them and prevent the disease from spreading," Fieser said from the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Doctors Without Borders issued a statement saying that some Port-au-Prince residents were suffering from watery diarrhea and were being treated at facilities in the capital city. Cholera infection among the patients had not been confirmed, however, and aid workers stressed that diarrhea has not been uncommon in Port-au-Prince since the earthquake.
Aid groups also began training more staff about cholera and where to direct people with symptoms. The disease had not been seen in Haiti for decades, and many people don't know about it.
Members of one grassroots Haitian organization traveled around Port-au-Prince's camps booming warnings about cholera from speakers in the bed of a pickup truck.
"Many people have become sick," announced Etant Dupain, in front of the Champs de Mars camp by Haiti's broken national palace. "If you have a family member that has diarrhea, bring them to the hospital immediately. Have them use separate latrines."
In a promising development, aid group Partners in Health said hospital management was improving in the city at the center of the initial outbreak, St. Marc, which is about a 60-mile (95-kilometer) drive northwest of Haiti. Just 300 patients were hospitalized on Saturday, a number that has decreased by the end of each day.
A cholera treatment center in St. Marc is expected to be functional within the week, and efforts were ongoing to make clean water available in rural communities, especially those where rivers were the only source of water.
Some health experts were hopeful that they will be able to control the outbreak of cholera in impoverished Haiti.
"In a way, it couldn't have happened at a better moment than now because everyone is on the field - lots of (non-governmental organizations), lots of money. We haven't had any hurricanes so far this fall but people are here, and people are prepared," said Marc Paquette, Haiti director for the Canadian branch of Medecins du Monde.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
A cholera outbreak that already has left 250 people dead and more than 3,000 sickened is at the doorstep of an enormous potential breeding ground: the squalid camps in Port-au-Prince where 1.3 million earthquake survivors live. Health authorities and aid workers are scrambling to keep the tragedies from merging and the deaths from multiplying.
Five cholera patients have been reported in Haiti's capital, heightening worries that the disease could reach the sprawling tent slums where abysmal hygiene, poor sanitation, and widespread poverty could rapidly spread it. But government officials said Sunday that all five apparently got cholera outside Port-au-Prince, and they voiced hope that the deadly bacterial disease could be confined to the rural areas where the outbreak originated last week.
"It's not difficult to prevent the spread to Port-au-Prince. We can prevent it," said Health Ministry director Gabriel Timothee. He said tightly limiting movement of patients and careful disposal of bodies can stave off a major medical disaster.
If efforts to keep cholera out of the camps fail, "The worst case would be that we have hundreds of thousands of people getting sick at the same time," said Claude Surena, president of the Haiti Medical Association. Cholera can cause vomiting and diarrhea so severe it can kill from dehydration in hours.
Robyn Fieser, a spokeswoman for Catholic Relief Services, said she was confident that aid groups and the Haitian government will be prepared to respond to an outbreak should it occur in the camps. But she stressed that the challenge of preventing its spread is "immense."
"There are proven methods to contain and treat cholera, so we know what we're dealing with. The biggest challenge is logistics, that is, moving massive amounts of medicine, supplies and people into place to treat them and prevent the disease from spreading," Fieser said from the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Doctors Without Borders issued a statement saying that some Port-au-Prince residents were suffering from watery diarrhea and were being treated at facilities in the capital city. Cholera infection among the patients had not been confirmed, however, and aid workers stressed that diarrhea has not been uncommon in Port-au-Prince since the earthquake.
Aid groups also began training more staff about cholera and where to direct people with symptoms. The disease had not been seen in Haiti for decades, and many people don't know about it.
Members of one grassroots Haitian organization traveled around Port-au-Prince's camps booming warnings about cholera from speakers in the bed of a pickup truck.
"Many people have become sick," announced Etant Dupain, in front of the Champs de Mars camp by Haiti's broken national palace. "If you have a family member that has diarrhea, bring them to the hospital immediately. Have them use separate latrines."
In a promising development, aid group Partners in Health said hospital management was improving in the city at the center of the initial outbreak, St. Marc, which is about a 60-mile (95-kilometer) drive northwest of Haiti. Just 300 patients were hospitalized on Saturday, a number that has decreased by the end of each day.
A cholera treatment center in St. Marc is expected to be functional within the week, and efforts were ongoing to make clean water available in rural communities, especially those where rivers were the only source of water.
Some health experts were hopeful that they will be able to control the outbreak of cholera in impoverished Haiti.
"In a way, it couldn't have happened at a better moment than now because everyone is on the field - lots of (non-governmental organizations), lots of money. We haven't had any hurricanes so far this fall but people are here, and people are prepared," said Marc Paquette, Haiti director for the Canadian branch of Medecins du Monde.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Disease Outbreak in Haiti Kills at Least 142
Coming up Monday on "Dr. Asa on Call" Dr. Asa Andrew will be discussing this article from the weekend.
At least 142 people have died in a cholera outbreak, and aid groups are rushing in medicine and other supplies Friday to combat Haiti's deadliest health problem since its devastating earthquake.
The outbreak in the rural Artibonite region, which hosts thousands of quake refugees, appeared to confirm relief groups' fears about sanitation for homeless survivors living in tarp cities and other squalid settlements.
"We have been afraid of this since the earthquake," said Robin Mahfood, president of Food for the Poor, which was preparing to fly in donations of antibiotics, dehydration salts and other supplies.
Many of the sick have converged on St. Nicholas hospital in the seaside city of St. Marc, where hundreds of dehydrated patients lay on blankets in a parking lot with IVs in their arms as they waited for treatment.
Health Ministry director Gabriel Thimothe said laboratory tests confirmed that the illness is cholera. He said Friday morning that 142 people have died and more than a thousand infected people were hospitalized.
The president of the Haitian Medical Association, Claude Surena, said people must be vigilant about hygiene and wash their hands frequently to slow the spread of the disease.
"The concern is that it could go from one place to another place, and it could affect more people or move from one region to another one," he said.
Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection spread through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours. Treatment involves administering a salt and sugar-based rehydration serum.
No cholera outbreaks had been reported in Haiti for decades before the earthquake, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Haitian officials, including President Rene Preval, have been pointing to the lack of severe disease outbreaks as a hard-to-see success of the quake response.
With more than a million people left homeless by the disaster, however, experts have warned that disease could strike in the makeshift camps with nowhere to put human waste and limited access to clean water.
At the hospital, some patients including 70-year-old Belismene Jean Baptiste said they got sick after drinking water from a public canal.
"I ran to the bathroom four times last night vomiting," Jean Baptiste said.
The sick come from across the Artibonite Valley, a starkly desolate region of rice fields and deforested mountains. The area did not experience significant damage in the Jan. 12 quake but has absorbed thousands of refugees from the devastated capital 45 miles (70 kilometers) south of St. Marc.
Trucks loaded with medical supplies including rehydration salts were to be sent from Port-au-Prince to the hospital, said Jessica DuPlessis, an OCHA spokeswoman. Doctors at the hospital said they also needed more personnel to handle the flood of patients.
Elyneth Tranckil was among dozens of relatives standing outside the hospital gate as new patients arrived near death.
"Police have blocked the entry to the hospital, so I can't get in to see my wife," Tranckil said.
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince issued an advisory urging people to drink only bottled or boiled water and eat only food that has been thoroughly cooked.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew - log onto www.drasa.com and listen to "Dr. Asa on Call"
At least 142 people have died in a cholera outbreak, and aid groups are rushing in medicine and other supplies Friday to combat Haiti's deadliest health problem since its devastating earthquake.
The outbreak in the rural Artibonite region, which hosts thousands of quake refugees, appeared to confirm relief groups' fears about sanitation for homeless survivors living in tarp cities and other squalid settlements.
"We have been afraid of this since the earthquake," said Robin Mahfood, president of Food for the Poor, which was preparing to fly in donations of antibiotics, dehydration salts and other supplies.
Many of the sick have converged on St. Nicholas hospital in the seaside city of St. Marc, where hundreds of dehydrated patients lay on blankets in a parking lot with IVs in their arms as they waited for treatment.
Health Ministry director Gabriel Thimothe said laboratory tests confirmed that the illness is cholera. He said Friday morning that 142 people have died and more than a thousand infected people were hospitalized.
The president of the Haitian Medical Association, Claude Surena, said people must be vigilant about hygiene and wash their hands frequently to slow the spread of the disease.
"The concern is that it could go from one place to another place, and it could affect more people or move from one region to another one," he said.
Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection spread through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours. Treatment involves administering a salt and sugar-based rehydration serum.
No cholera outbreaks had been reported in Haiti for decades before the earthquake, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Haitian officials, including President Rene Preval, have been pointing to the lack of severe disease outbreaks as a hard-to-see success of the quake response.
With more than a million people left homeless by the disaster, however, experts have warned that disease could strike in the makeshift camps with nowhere to put human waste and limited access to clean water.
At the hospital, some patients including 70-year-old Belismene Jean Baptiste said they got sick after drinking water from a public canal.
"I ran to the bathroom four times last night vomiting," Jean Baptiste said.
The sick come from across the Artibonite Valley, a starkly desolate region of rice fields and deforested mountains. The area did not experience significant damage in the Jan. 12 quake but has absorbed thousands of refugees from the devastated capital 45 miles (70 kilometers) south of St. Marc.
Trucks loaded with medical supplies including rehydration salts were to be sent from Port-au-Prince to the hospital, said Jessica DuPlessis, an OCHA spokeswoman. Doctors at the hospital said they also needed more personnel to handle the flood of patients.
Elyneth Tranckil was among dozens of relatives standing outside the hospital gate as new patients arrived near death.
"Police have blocked the entry to the hospital, so I can't get in to see my wife," Tranckil said.
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince issued an advisory urging people to drink only bottled or boiled water and eat only food that has been thoroughly cooked.
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Are kids' ER visits for food allergies on the rise?
The following article was recently featured on "Dr. Asa On Call"
Children's visits to the emergency room for serious food-allergy reactions may be on the rise, if the experience of one major U.S. medical center is an indicator.
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston found that the number of food-induced allergic reactions treated in their ER more than doubled over six years -- from 164 cases in 2001, to 391 in 2006.
There was an even sharper increase in the number of more serious, and sometimes life-threatening, reactions known as anaphylaxis. Signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis include skin reactions like hives and flushed or pale skin; nausea, vomiting or diarrhea; dizziness or fainting; difficulty breathing; and a sudden drop in blood pressure that can lead to shock.
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www.drasa.com
Children's visits to the emergency room for serious food-allergy reactions may be on the rise, if the experience of one major U.S. medical center is an indicator.
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston found that the number of food-induced allergic reactions treated in their ER more than doubled over six years -- from 164 cases in 2001, to 391 in 2006.
There was an even sharper increase in the number of more serious, and sometimes life-threatening, reactions known as anaphylaxis. Signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis include skin reactions like hives and flushed or pale skin; nausea, vomiting or diarrhea; dizziness or fainting; difficulty breathing; and a sudden drop in blood pressure that can lead to shock.
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Stress, Exercise Could Help Deadly Cancer Cells Survive Treatment
Here's a recent story from Aol Health that Dr. Asa Andrew discussed on his radio show "Dr. Asa on Call"
Cancer patients who subject themselves to psychological or physical stress, even in the form of intense exercise, a day or two before treatment might be canceling out its effects without even realizing it.
New research shows that significant stress in the body, including that caused by a rigorous workout, may activate a protein that will help deadly cancer cells survive chemotherapy and radiation.
Scientists at The Ohio State University say the findings suggest that cancer cells have found a way to use the stress-sensitive protein to stave off treatment.
"One of the known inducers of this factor is exercise. I am not against exercise, but the timing is critical," study lead author Govindasamy Ilangovan, an associate professor of internal medicine at Ohio State, said in a statement. "It looks like any intense or prolonged physical activity a couple of days before the start of cancer therapy is highly risky, and has potential to reduce the benefits of the treatment."
The study, published in the journal Molecular Cancer Research, relied on several experiments on breast cancer cell cultures. The team linked the ability of cancer cells to resist treatment to the presence of a common protein called heat shock factor-1, known to be induced by stress.
Researchers initially saw that the protein protected heart tissue from toxins, and set about proving whether it could also stop cancer cells from being zapped by radiation or chemo.
They found that another protein activated by heat shock factor-1, called Hsp27, stopped cancer cells from being killed by radiation and chemo medication, even after the cells' DNA was damaged.
The team wants to create a drug that will block heat shock factor-1 in patients undergoing cancer therapy so their treatment isn't compromised. But for now, they advise those with cancer to avoid any kind of stress a few days before they go in for radiation or chemo.
Researchers tested the findings by suppressing Hsp27 using a molecule called siRNA, which interferes with the protein's ability to function. When Hsp27 was blocked, more cancer cells died during therapy -- at least 60 percent of them in one of the trials.
"We clearly showed that a reduction in the level of the Hsp27 protein made the cancer cells more susceptible to both treatments," Ilangovan said.
The experiments showed that Hsp27 levels peaked within 48 hours after a stressful event like vigorous exercise that triggers heat shock factor-1, which they believe means the protein is especially active in the two days after the body is exposed to stress.
"The process that sets these activities in motion takes a couple of days," Ilangovan said. "It is not proven in a clinical setting, but our hypothesis leads us to strongly caution cancer patients about avoiding stress because that stress might trigger recurrence of cancer cell growth."
The research was funded by grants from the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew, listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Cancer patients who subject themselves to psychological or physical stress, even in the form of intense exercise, a day or two before treatment might be canceling out its effects without even realizing it.
New research shows that significant stress in the body, including that caused by a rigorous workout, may activate a protein that will help deadly cancer cells survive chemotherapy and radiation.
Scientists at The Ohio State University say the findings suggest that cancer cells have found a way to use the stress-sensitive protein to stave off treatment.
"One of the known inducers of this factor is exercise. I am not against exercise, but the timing is critical," study lead author Govindasamy Ilangovan, an associate professor of internal medicine at Ohio State, said in a statement. "It looks like any intense or prolonged physical activity a couple of days before the start of cancer therapy is highly risky, and has potential to reduce the benefits of the treatment."
The study, published in the journal Molecular Cancer Research, relied on several experiments on breast cancer cell cultures. The team linked the ability of cancer cells to resist treatment to the presence of a common protein called heat shock factor-1, known to be induced by stress.
Researchers initially saw that the protein protected heart tissue from toxins, and set about proving whether it could also stop cancer cells from being zapped by radiation or chemo.
They found that another protein activated by heat shock factor-1, called Hsp27, stopped cancer cells from being killed by radiation and chemo medication, even after the cells' DNA was damaged.
The team wants to create a drug that will block heat shock factor-1 in patients undergoing cancer therapy so their treatment isn't compromised. But for now, they advise those with cancer to avoid any kind of stress a few days before they go in for radiation or chemo.
Researchers tested the findings by suppressing Hsp27 using a molecule called siRNA, which interferes with the protein's ability to function. When Hsp27 was blocked, more cancer cells died during therapy -- at least 60 percent of them in one of the trials.
"We clearly showed that a reduction in the level of the Hsp27 protein made the cancer cells more susceptible to both treatments," Ilangovan said.
The experiments showed that Hsp27 levels peaked within 48 hours after a stressful event like vigorous exercise that triggers heat shock factor-1, which they believe means the protein is especially active in the two days after the body is exposed to stress.
"The process that sets these activities in motion takes a couple of days," Ilangovan said. "It is not proven in a clinical setting, but our hypothesis leads us to strongly caution cancer patients about avoiding stress because that stress might trigger recurrence of cancer cell growth."
The research was funded by grants from the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew, listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Low Vitamin D Levels for Skin Cancer Patients
A recent article from Web MD that Dr. Asa Andrew discussed on "Dr. Asa on Call"
Protecting your skin from the sun to help prevent skin cancer may have an unhealthy side effect: vitamin D deficiency.
A new study shows vitamin D deficiency is increasingly common among people with a genetic predisposition to sun-related skin cancers known as basal cell nevus syndrome.
Researchers found people with basal cell nevus syndrome were three times more likely to have low vitamin D levels than the general population.
“Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of autoimmune disease, fractures, cancer, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality,” write researcher Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD of Stanford University, and colleagues in the Archives of Dermatology. “There is increasing concern that sun protection, recommended by dermatologists to prevent further UV damage in populations susceptible to skin cancer, may result in abnormally low levels of [vitamin D], which may have subsequent detrimental effects on health.”
In the study, researchers took periodic blood samples from 41 people with basal cell nevus syndrome over a period of two years. The results show 23 (56%) of the participants had vitamin D deficiency.
Blood levels of vitamin D were lower among those with basal cell nevus syndrome who were overweight and in those who had blood samples taken in winter compared with summer.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Protecting your skin from the sun to help prevent skin cancer may have an unhealthy side effect: vitamin D deficiency.
A new study shows vitamin D deficiency is increasingly common among people with a genetic predisposition to sun-related skin cancers known as basal cell nevus syndrome.
Researchers found people with basal cell nevus syndrome were three times more likely to have low vitamin D levels than the general population.
“Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of autoimmune disease, fractures, cancer, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality,” write researcher Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD of Stanford University, and colleagues in the Archives of Dermatology. “There is increasing concern that sun protection, recommended by dermatologists to prevent further UV damage in populations susceptible to skin cancer, may result in abnormally low levels of [vitamin D], which may have subsequent detrimental effects on health.”
In the study, researchers took periodic blood samples from 41 people with basal cell nevus syndrome over a period of two years. The results show 23 (56%) of the participants had vitamin D deficiency.
Blood levels of vitamin D were lower among those with basal cell nevus syndrome who were overweight and in those who had blood samples taken in winter compared with summer.
To hear more of Dr. Asa Andrew listen to "Dr. Asa on Call" or log onto www.drasa.com
Vitamin B12 May Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
This is a recent article that Dr. Asa Andrew will be speaking about tonight on "Dr. Asa On Call"
Mounting evidence suggests that vitamin B12 may play a role in protecting the brain against Alzheimer's disease and in reducing the risk of memory loss.
The latest research, published in the Oct. 19 issue of the journal Neurology, followed 271 Finnish residents ages 65 to 79 for seven years. None of the study participants had symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease at the start of the study.
Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, tested blood samples of the participants for homocysteine, an amino acid associated with vitamin B12, and for levels holotranscobalamin, which is the active portion of B12, according to a statement from the study authors.
High levels of homocysteine in the blood have been associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's, but increased levels of B12 can lower homocysteine levels. During the course of the study, 17 participants developed Alzheimer's disease. And study authors found that for each micromolar increase in homocysteine concentration, the risk of Alzheimer's disease was increased 16 percent.
They also found that each picomolar (1 picomolar equals 1 million micromolar) increase in concentration of the active form of vitamin B12 reduced risk of the disease by 2 percent.
"Our findings show the need for further research on the role of vitamin B12 as a marker for identifying people who are at an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease," said study author Dr. Babak Hooshmand, of the Karolinska Institutet, in a statement. "Low levels of vitamin B12 are surprisingly common in the elderly. However, the few studies that have investigated the usefulness of vitamin B12 supplements to reduce the risk of memory loss have had mixed results."
Catch more of Dr. Asa Andrew tonight with "Dr. Asa on Call" or visit www.drasa.com
Mounting evidence suggests that vitamin B12 may play a role in protecting the brain against Alzheimer's disease and in reducing the risk of memory loss.
The latest research, published in the Oct. 19 issue of the journal Neurology, followed 271 Finnish residents ages 65 to 79 for seven years. None of the study participants had symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease at the start of the study.
Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, tested blood samples of the participants for homocysteine, an amino acid associated with vitamin B12, and for levels holotranscobalamin, which is the active portion of B12, according to a statement from the study authors.
High levels of homocysteine in the blood have been associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's, but increased levels of B12 can lower homocysteine levels. During the course of the study, 17 participants developed Alzheimer's disease. And study authors found that for each micromolar increase in homocysteine concentration, the risk of Alzheimer's disease was increased 16 percent.
They also found that each picomolar (1 picomolar equals 1 million micromolar) increase in concentration of the active form of vitamin B12 reduced risk of the disease by 2 percent.
"Our findings show the need for further research on the role of vitamin B12 as a marker for identifying people who are at an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease," said study author Dr. Babak Hooshmand, of the Karolinska Institutet, in a statement. "Low levels of vitamin B12 are surprisingly common in the elderly. However, the few studies that have investigated the usefulness of vitamin B12 supplements to reduce the risk of memory loss have had mixed results."
Catch more of Dr. Asa Andrew tonight with "Dr. Asa on Call" or visit www.drasa.com
Dr. Asa On Call 10-18-10
Here are a couple of recent stories that Dr. Asa will be talking about tonight on "Dr. Asa On Call":
Yale Researchers Find Key Depression Gene – Aol Health
Researchers at Yale University say they've identified a new gene that seems to trigger depression.
The scientists say the gene, MKP-1, might be a key contributor in the development of clinical depression.
"This could be a primary cause, or at least a major contributing factor, to the signaling abnormalities that lead to depression," study lead author Ronald S. Duman, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Yale, said in a statement.
Duman and his colleagues did genome scans of the brain tissue of 21 deceased people who had been diagnosed with depression and compared them to the genes of 18 people who hadn't been diagnosed with the condition.
They found that one gene, MKP-1, increased more than two-fold in the brains of people who were depressed. That gene blocks a molecular pathway neurons need to survive and function properly, which, when rendered inactive, has been linked to depression and other disorders.
The team also discovered that when MKP-1 is impaired in mice, they become resistant to stress, but when it's activated, they show signs of depression.
University of Pennsylvania psychiatrist Dr. Christos Ballas said the study is flawed.
"You can't say this is a gene for depression because it's a gene for only one kind of depression," he told AOL Health. "It's a gene for a specific description of depression."
Ballas said there is evidence that depression is in part genetic, but there are other factors involved in the illness.
New CPR Guidelines: Chest Compressions First – Web Md
New guidelines released today by the American Heart Association recommend that the three steps of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) be rearranged.
The new first step is doing chest compressions instead of first establishing the airway and then doing mouth to mouth. The new guidelines apply to adults, children, and infants but exclude newborns.
The old way was A-B-C -- for airway, breathing and compressions.
The new way is C-A-B -- for compressions, airway, and breathing.
"By starting with chest compressions, that's easy to remember, and for many victims that alone will be lifesaving," says Michael R. Sayre, MD, chair of the emergency cardiovascular care committee for the American Heart Association and co-author of the executive summary of the 2010 AHA guidelines for CPR and emergency cardiovascular care.
The old approach, he says, was causing delays in chest compressions, which are crucial for keeping the blood circulating.
The new guidelines may inspire more people to perform CPR, says Sayre, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State University, Columbus. "Mouth to mouth is hard if you're not trained," he tells WebMD. ''Anybody can do chest compressions, whether they have had a class or not. Good chest compressions really help save lives. In many cases, there is a reserve of oxygen left in the patient's blood and lungs, from the last breath, and we can take advantage of that oxygen reserve and just do chest compressions."
Bible Verse: If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. - James 2:8
Make Sure To Join Dr. Asa Andrew tonight with "Dr. Asa On Call"
Yale Researchers Find Key Depression Gene – Aol Health
Researchers at Yale University say they've identified a new gene that seems to trigger depression.
The scientists say the gene, MKP-1, might be a key contributor in the development of clinical depression.
"This could be a primary cause, or at least a major contributing factor, to the signaling abnormalities that lead to depression," study lead author Ronald S. Duman, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Yale, said in a statement.
Duman and his colleagues did genome scans of the brain tissue of 21 deceased people who had been diagnosed with depression and compared them to the genes of 18 people who hadn't been diagnosed with the condition.
They found that one gene, MKP-1, increased more than two-fold in the brains of people who were depressed. That gene blocks a molecular pathway neurons need to survive and function properly, which, when rendered inactive, has been linked to depression and other disorders.
The team also discovered that when MKP-1 is impaired in mice, they become resistant to stress, but when it's activated, they show signs of depression.
University of Pennsylvania psychiatrist Dr. Christos Ballas said the study is flawed.
"You can't say this is a gene for depression because it's a gene for only one kind of depression," he told AOL Health. "It's a gene for a specific description of depression."
Ballas said there is evidence that depression is in part genetic, but there are other factors involved in the illness.
New CPR Guidelines: Chest Compressions First – Web Md
New guidelines released today by the American Heart Association recommend that the three steps of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) be rearranged.
The new first step is doing chest compressions instead of first establishing the airway and then doing mouth to mouth. The new guidelines apply to adults, children, and infants but exclude newborns.
The old way was A-B-C -- for airway, breathing and compressions.
The new way is C-A-B -- for compressions, airway, and breathing.
"By starting with chest compressions, that's easy to remember, and for many victims that alone will be lifesaving," says Michael R. Sayre, MD, chair of the emergency cardiovascular care committee for the American Heart Association and co-author of the executive summary of the 2010 AHA guidelines for CPR and emergency cardiovascular care.
The old approach, he says, was causing delays in chest compressions, which are crucial for keeping the blood circulating.
The new guidelines may inspire more people to perform CPR, says Sayre, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State University, Columbus. "Mouth to mouth is hard if you're not trained," he tells WebMD. ''Anybody can do chest compressions, whether they have had a class or not. Good chest compressions really help save lives. In many cases, there is a reserve of oxygen left in the patient's blood and lungs, from the last breath, and we can take advantage of that oxygen reserve and just do chest compressions."
Bible Verse: If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. - James 2:8
Make Sure To Join Dr. Asa Andrew tonight with "Dr. Asa On Call"
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