regional medical center: April 2012

Senin, 30 April 2012

Anxiety, Depression Often Go Hand-in-Hand With Arthritis

Anxiety, Depression Often Go Hand-in-Hand With Arthritis

Man massaging elbow in pain

MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Depression or anxiety affect one-third of Americans with arthritis who are aged 45 or older, a new study shows.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also found that even though anxiety is nearly twice as common as depression among people with arthritis, doctors tend to focus more on depression in these patients.

[Read: Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis Early and Aggressively.]

The study included nearly 1,800 people with arthritis or other rheumatic conditions who took part in the CDC's Arthritis Conditions and Health Effects Survey. Among the study participants, 31 percent reported anxiety and 18 percent reported depression.

One-third of the patients reported at least one of the two conditions and 84 percent of those with depression also had anxiety. Only half of those with anxiety or depression sought mental health treatment in the previous year, according to the study, which was published in the April 30 issue of the journal Arthritis Care amp; Research.

"Given their high prevalence and the effective treatment options that are available, we suggest that all people with arthritis be screened for anxiety and depression," study leader Dr. Louise Murphy, of the Arthritis Program at the CDC, said in a journal news release.

[Read: Higher Cancer Rate Seen in Children With Juvenile Arthritis.]

"With so many arthritis patients not seeking mental health treatment, health care providers are missing an intervention opportunity that could improve the quality of life for those with arthritis," she added.

In the United States, 27 million people age 25 and older have osteoarthritis, and 1.3 million adults have rheumatoid arthritis, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases offers advice on how to live with arthritis.

Pacifiers Don't Discourage Breast-Feeding

Pacifiers Don't Discourage Breast-Feeding

By Maureen Salamon
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Widely held wisdom that pacifier use among newborns interferes with breast-feeding is wrong, a new small study suggests.

Analyzing feeding data on nearly 2,250 infants born between June 2010 and August 2011, Oregon Health amp; Science University researchers learned that limiting use of pacifiers -- also known as binkies, corks and soothers -- may actually increase babies' consumption of formula during the birth hospitalization.

"The overarching belief persists that pacifiers interfere with breast-feeding, even though research hasn't concretely showed they cause a problem," said study co-author Dr. Laura Kair, a resident in pediatrics at the university's Doernbecher Children's Hospital. "We like to rely on our best evidence as physicians, so when we see these results jibe better with our own personal experience than evidence-based practice in our field, it makes us take [note]."

[Read: Wider Breast-Feeding Could Save Babies' Lives.]

Kair and co-author Dr. Carrie Phillipi, medical director of the hospital's mother-baby unit, are scheduled to present their findings Monday at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting in Boston.

Seeking to determine if eliminating routine pacifier distribution on the hospital's mother-baby unit would increase the rate of exclusive breast-feeding, Kair and Phillipi learned that this rate actually dropped significantly -- from 79 percent to 68 percent -- after pacifiers were restricted.

Additionally, the proportion of breast-fed newborns receiving supplemental formula rose from 18 percent before the policy change to 28 percent afterward, while the percentage of babies fed only formula remained statistically unchanged.

To encourage exclusive breast-feeding, which benefits both mothers and babies, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recommend that hospitals caring for newborns follow their "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding" -- one of which states that pacifiers should not be provided to breast-feeding babies. Hospitals hoping to achieve the status of "Baby-Friendly Hospitals" often follow this recommendation, Phillipi said.

"Parents come to us looking for advice," Phillipi said. "Our hope in publicizing this study is to stimulate a conversation about the topic, especially as many hospitals are thinking of removing pacifiers to become Baby Friendly."

[Read: Many Women Say No to Breast-Feeding for 6 Months.]

Dr. Richard Schanler, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section, noted that the study did not offer information about how newborns were comforted who did not receive pacifiers or how hospital staff members were educated about this issue during the research.

"You cannot draw conclusions to change health care practices from this type of study," said Schanler, also associate chairman of the department of pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park.

Phillipi acknowledged that the study's results are difficult to apply to individual cases, but "we're really hoping to bring this conversation to a different level . . . so we're able to give parents the best evidence possible. Our overall goal is to improve breast-feeding rates . . . we know it's the best nutrition for babies."

Research presented at scientific meetings is considered preliminary because it hasn't yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal.

More information

The U.S. Office on Women's Health has more about breast-feeding.

Having Kids Doesn't Inspire Adults to Eat Healthier

Having Kids Doesn't Inspire Adults to Eat Healthier

MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Starting a family does not lead young adults to eat healthier in order to set a good example for their children, a new study says.

Researchers analyzed the diets of more than 2,500 participants enrolled in a study examining the development of coronary artery disease risk factors in young adults. None of the participants had children at the start of the study, which collected data from 1985 to 1993.

[Check it Out: U.S. News World Report's Guide to Healthy Eating.]

During that time, saturated fat intake decreased by 2.1 percent among non-parents and by 1.6 percent among parents. Neither group showed statistically significant changes in their intake of calories, fruits and vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, or fast food.

The study appears online April 30 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

"We found that parenthood does not have unfavorable effects on parents' diets but neither does it lead to significant improvements compared to non-parents, as health practitioners would hope," lead investigator Dr. Helena Laroche, of the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Medical Center, said in a journal news release.

"In fact, parents lag behind their childless counterparts in decreasing their intake of saturated fat, and their overall diet remains poor," she added.

[Read: Cancer Survivors Urged to Eat Better, Exercise.]

Many factors may explain why parents had a smaller decrease in their intake of saturated fat than non-parents.

"Finding foods that children like and request has been described by parents as one of the major factors influencing purchasing decisions," Laroche said. "Given that marketing strategies to U.S. children focus on high-fat, high-sugar foods, these requests are often for less healthy foods."

Laroche noted that the data was collected about 20 years ago and changes since then could mean the findings would be different in current families.

More information

The Nemours Foundation outlines how parents can encourage healthy eating habits in children.

Prenatal Pesticide Exposure May Harm Kids' Brains

Prenatal Pesticide Exposure May Harm Kids' Brains

Prenatal Pesticide Exposure May Harm Kids' Brains

April 30, 2012 -- Prenatal exposure to a pesticide used on many crops may be linked with abnormal changes in a child's developing brain, scientists report.

Compared to children with low prenatal exposure, those with high exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos had abnormalities in the cortex (the outer area of the brain), says Virginia Rauh, ScD, professor and deputy director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

The cortex helps govern intelligence, personality, muscle movement, and other tasks.

"In areas of the cortex, we detected both enlarged and reduced volumes that were significantly different from the normal brain," she tells WebMD. "This suggests the process of normal brain development has been disturbed in some way."

The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' Early Edition.

In 2001, the U.S. EPA banned the residential use of chlorpyrifos. It still allows it on crops. It can also be sprayed in public places such as golf courses.

Some environmental advocates have petitioned the EPA to ban agricultural use.

Prenatal Exposure to Pesticides: Study Details

Rauh's team selected 40 children from a larger group of 369 children, followed from birth.

All had been born between 1998 and 2001, before the household-use ban. Rauh had sent their umbilical cord blood samples to the CDC to analyze pesticide levels.

For this study, she selected 20 children with high prenatal exposure and 20 with low prenatal exposure. She took MRIs of their brains when they were about 6 to 11 years old.

Overall brain size did not differ much between the two groups. However, the high-exposure group had enlargements in many areas and reduced volumes in other areas.

The findings reflect those from animal studies, Rauh says.

In other studies, Rauh has found higher exposure to the pesticide is linked with lower IQs and a decline in working memory in children.

The pesticide works by blocking an enzyme needed by pests -- and people -- for proper nerve functioning. It belongs to a class known as organophosphates.

Chlorpyrifos and the Food Supply

In 2007, the Natural Resources Defense Council petitioned the EPA to cancel all agricultural registrations for the pesticide.The EPA is reviewing the role of chlorpyrifos in agriculture.

Symptoms of poisoning from the pesticide include nausea, dizziness, confusion, and sometimes loss of respiratory muscle control and death, according to the NRDC.

Type 2 Diabetes in Kids a Challenge to Control

Type 2 Diabetes in Kids a Challenge to Control

Type 2 Diabetes in Kids a Challenge to Control

April 29, 2012 -- The obesity epidemic has created a generation of children and teens who have type 2 diabetes, and a new study hints that the solution to this problem is not going to come easily.

Because type 2 diabetes among children is a relatively recent development, many treatment decisions have relied on what is known about adults with type 2 diabetes. Now, in the first major trial to compare treatments for the disease in young people, researchers have learned that two drugs are better than one for maintaining blood sugar control in these children.

Combined treatment with the diabetes drugs metformin and Avandia proved more effective than metformin alone or metformin plus lifestyle changes for keeping blood sugar at normal levels. Still, the combination failed to help more than a third of patients who took it.

The findings suggest that aggressive and early drug therapy may help children and teens with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and nerve damage.

They also confirm that for many children with the disease, standard treatment with metformin alone is not enough, says Barbara Linder, MD, PhD, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Metformin is the only oral diabetes drug that has been approved by the FDA for use in children.

"These kids did not do as well on metformin as anticipated based on our experience in adults," she tells WebMD. "The assumption has been that kids will do fine on metformin, but clearly that is not the case."

Slideshow: Type 2 Diabetes Overview

Avandia Use Restricted During Trial

Closely linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes was almost unheard of in children just a few decades ago.

The obesity epidemic has changed this, however, and doctors have made troubling discoveries about early-onset type 2 diabetes, says pediatric endocrinologist and researcher Philip Zeitler, MD, PhD, of the Children's Hospital Colorado.

"We are learning that type 2 diabetes is a more aggressive disease in youth than in adults and progresses more rapidly, which could be why metformin alone has a higher than expected failure rate," Zeitler says.

The finding that adding Avandia to metformin resulted in better outcomes raises more questions than it answers, since Avandia is no longer a treatment option for children and teens, says University of Wisconsin professor of pediatrics David B. Allen, MD.

In September of 2010, while the trial was under way, the FDA placed broad restrictions on Avandia's use following reports of heart attacks and strokes in adults taking the drug.

Participants in the Avandia part of the study continued taking the drug following a safety review, and no serious side effects were reported.

One Baby per Hour Born Drug Dependent

One Baby per Hour Born Drug Dependent

One Baby per Hour Born Drug Dependent

April 30, 2012 -- The number of U.S. babies born dependent on drugs nearly tripled between 2000 and 2009, researchers reported today.

Drug dependence occurs when a person develops a physical dependence on a drug, leading to withdrawal symptoms if the drug is abruptly stopped. Newborns can be drug dependent, but do not have the harmful behavior typically seen with addiction. By 2009, an estimated 13,539 babies -- an average of one an hour -- were diagnosed with a drug withdrawal syndrome, which most commonly occurs because their mothers were taking opiate drugs, or narcotics, while pregnant, according to the new study.

"We were surprised by the magnitude of the increase," says researcher Stephen Patrick, MD, MPH, a Robert Wood Johnson clinical scholar at the University of Michigan.

Patrick and his collaborators used national inpatient databases to find the number of women who were taking opiates when they gave birth and the number of babies born with drug dependency.

"These babies, compared to other babies, are more likely to be irritable and inconsolable," says Patrick, a neonatologist. "They'll likely be born low birth weight. Feeding issues are common."

The use of prescription opiate painkillers such as Oxycontin and Vicodin has increased four-fold over the last decade, according to a recent report from the CDC. Patrick's study found a five-fold increase in opiate use among pregnant women.

Baby Milestones Slideshow: Your Child's First Year of Development

'Overprescribed'

"These medications provide superior pain control for cancer and chronic pain, but have been overprescribed, diverted, and sold illegally, creating a new opiate addiction pathway and a public health burden for maternal and child health," Marie J. Hayes, PhD, a University of Maine psychologist, and Mark Brown, MD, a Bangor, Maine, pediatrician, write in an editorial accompanying Patrick's study.

A 2010 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that 16.2% of pregnant teens and 7.4% of pregnant women 18 to 25 years old used illicit drugs, including opiates such as heroin and illegally obtained prescription painkillers.

Although the new study did not have information about which opiates women took during pregnancy and why, Patrick says: "It's probably all comers. Some women were using opiates appropriately for chronic pain or in methadone clinics." Methadone is often used to treat heroin addiction.

Not all babies exposed to opiates in the womb will be born dependent on drugs, Patrick says, which probably explains why the percentage of pregnant women who used the drugs increased more than that of babies born with drug dependence.

About 60% to 80% of babies who were exposed to heroin or methadone in the womb will experience withdrawal after birth, he says. But women who have an opiate dependence shouldn't try to quit taking opiates abruptly while pregnant, he says, because withdrawal in the womb "can be dangerous for both mom and baby."

Studies Point to Reasons for Mammograms in 40s

Studies Point to Reasons for Mammograms in 40s

Studies Point to Reasons for Mammograms in 40s

April 30, 2012 -- A pair of new studies aims to clear up some of the confusion over what age women should start getting routine mammograms to screen for breast cancer.

The studies, which are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, show that a woman in her 40s who has extremely dense breasts, or who has a mother or sister with breast cancer, reaps the same benefits and drawbacks from getting regular mammograms as a woman in her 50s.

Researchers say that meets a "threshold of risk" that may help guide women and their doctors to start regular mammograms at age 40 instead of age 50, as some current guidelines suggest.

"They're really taking a better look and saying if you have risk factors, you should be screening at age 40 because then the benefit is there," says Stephanie Bernik, MD, chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Bernik says she was relieved to see the new studies because she felt guidelines issued in 2009 that recommended that most women wait until age 50 to start getting regular mammograms were premature and might discourage some younger women who could benefit from the tests.

"This is better than what they said before," says Bernick, who was not involved in the research.

But for some researchers, it's still not enough. Since the research is preliminary and is meant more for policy makers than for individuals, one researcher called it "ivory tower" information that still isn't intended to help a younger woman make a decision.

A Visual Guide to Breast Cancer

Refining Recommendations on Mammograms

In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said that most women should get routine mammograms every two years starting at age 50 instead of age 40.

That recommendation conflicts with guidelines from the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the American College of Radiology, which all recommend screening starting at age 40. And it has drawn mixed reactions from patients and doctors.

Some groups applauded the conservative approach, saying that it would reduce the harms of over-testing and overtreatment, which are greatest for women in their 40s.

Others said it would unnecessarily put women's lives at risk, since cancers found in younger women can be aggressive and early detection of an aggressive cancer may be a woman's best hope for survival.

Ultimately, the USPSTF said the decision to start breast cancer screening before age 50 should be left up to individual women and their doctors.

But until now, there's been little information to help guide that decision.

Family History or Dense Breast Tissue Doubles Risk

The new studies, which were conducted by the same group of researchers that compiled the evidence for the 2009 USPSTF recommendations, are meant to help clarify when mammograms might be useful for younger women.

Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

Featured Article
Academic Journal
Main Category: Pancreatic Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 30 Apr 2012 - 10:00 PDT

email to a friend Â printer friendly Â opinions Â <!-- rate article

Patient / Public: 3 stars

3 (2 votes)

Healthcare Prof: 4 stars

4 (1 votes)

A new class of cancer drug which targets a faulty gene might be effective in treating some aggressive pancreatic cancers, researchers from Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute reported in the journal Nature.

Pancreatic cancer kills approximately 37,000 people in the USA and 8,000 in the UK every year. Even though survival rates have been steadily getting better, fewer than 20% of patients survive for at least 12 months after diagnosis, the authors explained.

In this study, the researchers demonstrated that in human cancer cells and mice, USP9x - a gene - switches off through chemical tags located on the surface of DNA.

Professor David Tuveson believes that 15% of all patients with pancreatic cancer may have this faulty gene, and that medications might be created which strip away the chemical tags. Put simply, it might be possible to create drugs to treat 15% of pancreatic cancer cases.

The gene has not been identified in traditional gene-hunting approaches, Tuveson explains, which only look at DNA sequence changes.

Prof. Tuveson said:

"The genetics of pancreatic cancer has already been studied in some detail, so we were surprised to find that this gene hadn't been picked up before. We suspected that the fault wasn't in the genetic code at all, but in the chemical tags on the surface of the DNA that switch genes on and off, and by running more lab tests we were able to confirm this.
Drugs which strip away these tags are already showing promise in lung cancer and this study suggests they could also be effective in treating up to 15 per cent of pancreatic cancers."

In this study, scientists used a technique known as "sleeping beauty transposon system" to screen for genes that accelerate the growth of pancreatic tumors.

A transposable element (TE) is a piece of DNA (DNA sequence) that can self-transpose (change its relative position) within the genome of a single cell - i.e. it can hop about the cell's DNA from one location to another, sometimes landing in the middle of the gene. If it lands in the middle, the gene can stop working.

They were able to screen for tumor suppressor genes that would usually protect against cancer, by introducing the sleeping beauty transposon into mice with cancer of the pancreas.

When the genes are working properly, they act as brakes, when they are faulty they start multiplying out of control.

The scientists have already discovered several genes association with pancreatic cancer with this approach. Surprisingly, the most common genetic fault was one with no prior association to any type of cancer.

Co-lead author Dr David Adams, said:

"The human genome sequence has delivered many new promising leads and transformed our understanding of cancer. Without it, we would have only a small, shattered glimpse into the causes of this disease. This study strengthens our emerging understanding that we must also look into the biology of cells to identify all the genes that play a role in cancer."

Senior Science Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, Dr Julie Sharp, said:

"These results raise the posility that a class of promising new cancer drugs may be effective at treating some pancreatic cancers.
Fewer than 20 per cent of people survive pancreatic cancer for a year after diagnosis - a situation that has improved little in the last 20 years. Studies like this one are part of Cancer Research UK's commitment to invest more in hard-to-treat cancers like pancreatic cancer, hopefully improving treatment to save more lives in the future."

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional

References

Citations

"The deubiquitinase USP9X suppresses pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma"
Pedro A. PÃ©rez-Mancera, Alistair G. Rust, Louise van der Weyden, Glen Kristiansen, Allen Li, Aaron L. Sarver, Kevin A. T. Silverstein, Robert GrÃ¼tzmann, Daniela Aust, Petra RÃ¼mmele, Thomas KnÃ¶sel, Colin Herd, Derek L. Stemple, Ross Kettleborough, Jacqueline A. Brosnan, Ang Li, Richard Morgan, Spencer Knight, Jun Yu, Shane Stegeman, Lara S. Collier, Jelle J. ten Hoeve, Jeroen de Ridder, Alison P. Klein, Michael Goggins et al.
Nature April (2012) doi:10.1038/nature11114 Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Pancreatic Cancer - Drug May Target Faulty Gene In 15% Of Patients'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

MediLexicon International Ltd
Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
MediLexicon International Ltd Â© 2004-2012 All rights reserved.

Altering Attitude To An Ailment May Result In Less Day-To-Day Pain

Altering Attitude To An Ailment May Result In Less Day-To-Day Pain

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Pain / Anesthetics
Also Included In: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Article Date: 30 Apr 2012 - 10:00 PDT

email to a friend Â printer friendly Â opinions Â <!-- rate article

Patient / Public: not yet rated

Healthcare Prof: not yet rated

Evidence of a study published in the journal Pain reveals that people with chronic pain who learn to divert the focus away from their ailments may sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain.

Research leader, Luis F. Buenaver, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says:

"We have found that people who ruminate about their pain and have more negative thoughts about their pain don't sleep as well, and the result is they feel more pain. If cognitive behavioral therapy can help people change the way they think about their pain, they might end that vicious cycle and feel better without sleeping pills or pain medicine."

Buenaver, and his team point out that the function of a major neurological pathway is to associate negative thoughts of pain with higher pain through disturbed sleep. Around 80% of people suffering from chronic pain experience sleep disturbances. Earlier studies have demonstrated that people whose sleep patterns are changed have a higher pain sensitivity, says Buenaver.

He continues saying that it is also known that those who frequently focus and think negatively of their pain report they experience more debilitating pain, a phenomenon known as "pain catastrophizing". It has been discovered that pain catastrophizing is a more reliable predictor of worse pain and pain-related disability in comparison with depression, neuroticism or anxiety.

Buenaver and his team enrolled 214 people who were, on average, 34 years old with TMD or myofascial temporomandibular disorder, a serious facial and jaw pain, which is often thought to be stress-related. Most participants were white and female. All participants first had a dental exam to confirm TMD before they were asked to fill out questionnaires, which included questions about their quality of sleep, depression, pain levels and emotional responses to pain, as well as whether they ponder on their pain or tend to exaggerate it.

The findings revealed TMD patients had a direct link between negative thoughts about pain, poor sleep and worse pain. Even though sleeping pills and painkillers may be effective, according to Buenaver, these patients could achieve the same benefits or even succeed them by having cognitive behavioral therapy. He continues saying that the same may apply to people suffering from other stress-related ailments that have no clear underlying pathology, for instance fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, as well as neck and back pain and some forms of headaches, and states:

"It may sound simple, but you can change the way you feel by changing the way you think."

Buenaver and his team are currently investigating whether older adults with arthritis and insomnia can benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.

Written By Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional

References

Citations

"Evidence for indirect effects of pain catastrophizing on clinical pain among myofascial temporomandibular disorder participants: The mediating role of sleep disturbance"
Luis F. Buenavera, , , Phillip J. Quartanab, Edward G. Gracec, Eleni Sarlanid, Mpepera Simangoa, Robert R. Edwardse, Jennifer A. Haythornthwaitea and Michael T. Smitha
Pain, April 2012, doi:10.1016/j.pain.2012.01.023 Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Altering Attitude To An Ailment May Result In Less Day-To-Day Pain'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

MediLexicon International Ltd
Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
MediLexicon International Ltd Â© 2004-2012 All rights reserved.

Childhood Dental Problems Linked To General Health Problems Later On? Australian Researchers Investigate

Childhood Dental Problems Linked To General Health Problems Later On? Australian Researchers Investigate

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 30 Apr 2012 - 10:00 PDT

email to a friend Â printer friendly Â opinions Â <!-- rate article

Patient / Public: not yet rated

Healthcare Prof: not yet rated

The University of Queensland Children's Nutrition Research Center at the School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry are looking for volunteers aged two, six and ten years for a new study, which aims to establish whether children may be changing their diets to eat unhealthy food because of dental problems and therefore submitting themselves to a higher risk of obesity and chronic disease in later life.

The researchers are particularly interested in recruiting children that were born prematurely, given that research has provided evidence that pre-term children are more likely to experience feeding and dental problems compared with children born at full term. Pre-term children also tend to have a higher risk of chronic diseases, like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in later life.

Research leader, Sarah Officer explained that a recent study on oral health in Australia demonstrated that 17% of adults do not eat certain foods because of dental problems.

Ms Officer said:

"The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report on oral health and dental care suggests that dental problems do affect diet - but this question has never been addressed in studies of children born pre-term, and never in conjunction with another measure of chronic disease risk such as body composition. We are keen to find out if children with dental problems such as decay and teeth misalignment are choosing foods that are easier to chew, how this modified diet is affecting their body composition, and whether these dietary choices raise their risk of chronic disease. Easy-to-chew foods tend to be highly processed, while healthier choices, such as fresh fruit, grains, lean meat, and vegetables are much harder for children with dental problems to manage. If the study demonstrates that dental problems do lead to poor diet and high body fat in children, this could lead to the development of health screening and prevention programs to protect those children at highest risk."

The Children's Nutrition Research Center wants to recruit children aged two, six and ten years old for the study in order to measure the children's growth, body fat percentage, diet and dental characteristics. Volunteers must live in South East Queensland and be willing to answer some brief questionnaires, as well as traveling to Brisbane for a dental check and body composition testing.

Written By Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional

References

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Childhood Dental Problems Linked To General Health Problems Later On? Australian Researchers Investigate'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Schoolchildren On Free School Meals More Likely To Abuse Alcohol Or Drugs

Schoolchildren On Free School Meals More Likely To Abuse Alcohol Or Drugs

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 30 Apr 2012 - 10:00 PDT

email to a friend Â printer friendly Â opinions Â <!-- rate article

Patient / Public: not yet rated

Healthcare Prof: not yet rated

Although the short and long-term health risks of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug use is well known, they still remain a public health concern in the UK amongst young people, with risks ranging from accidental injuries, to violence, sexual ill-health and elevated rates of chronic conditions as well as premature death.

Regardless of directing various policies at reducing substance use amongst children in the UK, the number of those who take substances is still considerable. For instance, in 2009 in the UK, 180,000 children between the ages of 11 to 15 years regularly smoked tobacco, whilst 540,000 had consumed alcohol in the previous week, and 250,000 had taken drugs in the previous month.

A new study in the Journal of Public Health reveals that receiving free school meals and a feeling of wellbeing is linked to substance use in children and young people. Youngsters who report being happy or are able to communicate with their family instead of their friends are less likely to use substances, whilst children of older age and those who receive free school meals are linked to a higher chance of substance use.

Siobhan Farmer and Dr. Barbara Hanratty from the University of Liverpool, examined the association between substance use, subjective wellbeing and socioeconomic status in schoolchildren aged from 10 to 15 years, who attended schools in two local authorities in the North West of England. The study was entitled 'The relationship between subjective wellbeing, low income and substance use among schoolchildren in the north west of England: a cross-sectional study'.

The researchers analyzed the Tellus4 dataset, which is a national, anonymous, school-based cross sectional survey for children in year 6, 8 and 10, i.e. children aged between 10 and 15 years, which included responses of 3,903 children from two local authorities, representing 1.2% of the national sample, with about equal distribution across all year groups.

One of the study's key findings was that age was the most important predictor of substance use, with children aged 12 and 13 years being between two and six times more likely to misuse substances compared with 10 to 11 year olds and 14 to 15 year olds being eleven and twenty-nine times more likely. They found that smoking was linked to using other substances. They also observed that the number of children who smoked more than one cigarette per week was much higher amongst those who regularly used drugs and alcohol, as compared with those who had no experience of either. Smoking more than one cigarette was, furthermore, negatively related to the children's level of happiness and being able to communicate with their parents. Children who reported feeling unhappy had a 18.4% higher chance of having tried cigarettes, 44.8% higher chance of having drunk alcohol and 6.4% more likely to have tried drugs, compared with those who felt happy.

Whilst three-quarters of happy students reported they communicated with their parents, only half of those who said they felt unhappy could do so. The researchers highlighted the fact that children who reported having a better relationship with their friends had a 40% higher risk of using substances compared with those who reported poor relationships.

About one in five children, or 18.2% were eligible for free school meals in the study. Those eligible had a higher likelihood of reporting they were unhappy, as compared with those who were not eligible. They also felt less able to talk to their friends or parents, and had a lower chance of stating to have one or more good friends. About 31.6% or one-third of children eligible for free school meals reported to smoke at least once, compared with one-fifth of non-eligible children. Slightly more than one in four or 25.9% who reported to consume alcohol admitted they were drunk once or more often within the last 4 weeks, compared to one in five or 19.5% who was not eligible for school meals. The findings furthermore revealed that children between the ages of 12 to 15 years who were eligible for free school meals tended to have a more than two-times higher likelihood of having tried drugs than those who did not.

The gender variation in substance use was 23.5% of girls who reporting trying a cigarette as compared with 20.5% of boys, with no considerable difference noted in those smoking more than one cigarette per week.

Considerably more boys than girls reported to have tried both alcohol and drugs, with 4% stating they had an alcoholic beverage and almost double the amount of boys stating they had experimented with drugs. This trend was observed to be consistent across all age groups with the exception of alcohol use in year 10, where girls were 3% more likely than boys to have tried alcohol. Girls also had a higher tendency of having been drunk in the previous four weeks, with almost twice as many girls in year 10, i.e. 19.5% compared to 11.5% having reported that they were drunk at least three times. 3% of girls felt less able to communicate with their parents and 7% stated they felt unhappy as compared with boys.

Siobhan Farmer concludes:

"Our findings show that a sense of wellbeing and the use of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes are associated with each other. The connection between substance use and free school meals also suggests that policies need to address income inequality and environmental factors that affect children's use of drugs. Our research suggests that addressing income inequality and environmental factors may be an essential adjunct to intervention in children to reduce inequalities associated with substance use and enhance the health and wellbeing of young people in the UK."

Written By Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional

References

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Schoolchildren On Free School Meals More Likely To Abuse Alcohol Or Drugs'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Arthritis

Arthritis

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Also Included In: Anxiety / Stress;Â Â Depression
Article Date: 30 Apr 2012 - 12:00 PDT

email to a friend Â printer friendly Â opinions Â <!-- rate article

Patient / Public: 3 and a half stars

3.5 (4 votes)

Healthcare Prof: 3 and a half stars

3.5 (2 votes)

Approximately one third of adults with arthritis in the USA aged 45+ years suffer from anxiety or depression, researchers from the CDC reported in the journal Arthritis Care Research. The authors added that the prevalence of anxiety in adults with arthritis is almost twice as high as depression, in spite of more studies focusing on the arthritis-depression link.

27 million patients aged 25+ years have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, and another 1.3 million with rheumatoid arthritis, according to data US health authorities. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that approximately 50 million people are affected by arthritis in the USA. The illness is the leading cause of disability in the country.

According to prior research, depression is common among patients with arthritis and other chronic illnesses and conditions. However, researchers and health care professionals have long been saying that anxiety among people with arthritis is common, under-treated and under-recognized. Until recently, anxiety was not taken into consideration as a depression risk-factor.

Team leader, Dr. Louise Murphy, who works at the Arthritis Program at the CDC, Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues gathered data on participants of the CDC's Arthritis Conditions and Health Effects Survey. The researchers say the sample is representative of people around the USA with arthritis symptoms who are aged at least 45 years. They identified 1,793 patients who had been diagnosed with arthritis or some other rheumatic condition.

They used the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales to assess anxiety and depression in the participants.

They found that:

31% of arthritis patients suffered from anxiety

18% of arthritis patients suffered from depression

One third of the participants suffered from at least one of the two conditions - anxiety and/or depression

84% of arthritis patients who had depression said they also had anxiety

Only half of those with depression or anxiety got medical help for their anxiety or depression during the previous twelve months.

Dr. Murphy said:

"Given their high prevalence and the effective treatment options that are available, we suggest that all people with arthritis be screened for anxiety and depression. With so many arthritis patients not seeking mental health treatment, health care providers are missing an intervention opportunity that could improve the quality of life for those with arthritis."

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional

References

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Arthritis - Anxiety Twice As Common As Depression'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to: