'Thousands' of Infections from 1 Poultry Hatchery

'Thousands' of Infections from 1 Poultry Hatchery

'Thousands' of Infections From 1 Poultry Hatchery

May 30, 2012 -- A single mail-order poultry hatchery is responsible for an eight-year salmonella outbreak with 316 confirmed human cases in 43 states and thousands of likely infections.

Half of the cases were in children 5 years of age or younger.

The hatchery is identified only as "Hatchery C" in "the western United States" by CDC researcher Nicholas H. Gaffga, MD, MPH, and colleagues in their report in the New England Journal of Medicine. Previous CDC reports indicate that it's a large hatchery in New Mexico.

"During the 8-year period from 2004 through 2011, we identified 316 cases in 43 states as part of the outbreak," Gaffga and colleagues report. "Because only a portion of salmonella infections are laboratory confirmed, it is likely that thousands of additional unreported infections occurred in association with this outbreak."

Salmonella and Mail-Order Poultry

How could just one hatchery spread so much illness?

"Hatchery C" produces 4 million birds a year. It ships them to all 50 states. Many of the infected chicks and ducklings are given to children as Easter gifts. They are sold in feed stores and by direct mail. In states where it's not illegal, some of the baby birds are dyed to make them more attractive to children.

"During the spring, which is the peak shipping season, Hatchery C ships an estimated 25,000 birds in one week," Gaffga and colleagues note.

It's a big business. Some 20 U.S. mail-order hatcheries ship about 50 million live chickens, ducklings, and other poultry each year. In the first half of 2009, the U.S. Postal Service shipped about 1.2 million pounds of packages containing live poultry. These cardboard boxes carry up to 100 birds.

Other U.S. hatcheries have been linked to salmonella outbreaks. Even the CDC and the USDA can't always tell where shipped chicks and ducklings came from. That's because when one hatchery can't fill an order, another hatchery "drop ships" the order under the original label and invoice.

Salmonella infection is common in poultry. Infected birds don't always have symptoms and don't always shed salmonella bacteria. This makes it impossible to check individual birds for signs of infection. And poultry vaccines do not eliminate salmonella from a hatchery.

The USDA can ask hatcheries to clean up their acts, but they can't make them do it. Hatcheries are asked to follow the USDA's "National Poultry Improvement Program," as egg farms are required to do. For hatcheries, compliance is voluntary.

According to Gaffga and colleagues, Hatchery C has tried to clean up its act. They did this by "replacing, updating, and sealing old equipment and floors; changing airflow within the facility; implementing a quaternary ammonium egg-cleaning procedure; improving biosecurity; conducting routine biologic surveillance for salmonella on the hatchery premises; and contracting with a private company to develop [a poultry vaccine]."

But between 2008 and 2009, 14 of 200 environmental samples from the hatchery still tested positive for the outbreak strain of salmonella.

Once-Obese Women Still Face Stigma

Once-Obese Women Still Face Stigma

Overweight people walking

WEDNESDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) -- Even after they shed their excess pounds, formerly obese women still have to contend with "anti-fat prejudice," according to a new study.

Spanish ID: 665227

Researchers asked young women and men to read about women who had either lost 70 pounds of excess weight or had stayed the same weight (weight-stable), and who were either currently obese or currently thin.

The participants were then asked about some of the women's attributes, including their attractiveness.

[Read: Junk Food Tax Must Be Fat, or Don't Bother. British Study Says.]

"We were surprised to find that currently thin women were viewed differently depending on their weight history," study leader Janet Latner, of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said in a news release from the University of Manchester, in England. "Those who had been obese in the past were perceived as less attractive than those who had always been thin, despite having identical height and weight."

The participants also showed greater bias against obese people after they had read about women who had lost weight, compared to after reading about weight-stable women -- regardless of whether the weight-stable women were thin or obese.

The findings, published May 29 in the journal Obesity, suggest that the stigma of obesity is so powerful that it can continue even after an obese person has lost weight.

The researchers said they were particularly troubled by the finding that participants' negative attitudes towards obese people increased when they were falsely told that body weight is easily controlled.

[Health Buzz: Obesity Not Always Tied to Heart Risk.]

"The message we often hear from society is that weight is highly controllable, but the best science in the obesity field at the moment suggests that one's physiology and genetics, as well as the food environment, are the really big players in one's weight status and weight loss," study co-author Kerry O'Brien, from the University of Manchester School of Psychological Sciences and Monash University in Melbourne, in Australia, noted in the news release.

"Weight status actually appears rather uncontrollable, regardless of one's willpower, knowledge and dedication. Yet many people who are perceived as 'fat' are struggling in vain to lose weight in order to escape this painful social stigma. We need to rethink our approaches to, and views of, weight and obesity," O'Brien noted.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases offers advice about choosing a safe and effective weight-loss program.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Could Bloodletting Ease Heart Risks for the Obese?

Could Bloodletting Ease Heart Risks for the Obese?

Belly fat

WEDNESDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) -- The ancient medical practice of bloodletting may benefit obese people with metabolic syndrome, a small new study suggests.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions -- including abdominal obesity, high triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood), high fasting blood sugar levels and high blood pressure -- that increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Bloodletting was common throughout history but was abandoned in the 19th century when it was determined that it had little or no effect on most diseases. But this study by German researchers found that two sessions of blood donation improved blood pressure and markers of cardiovascular disease in obese patients with metabolic syndrome.

[Read: As Obesity Rates Rise, Cases of Kidney Stones Double.]

In the study, 64 patients were divided into two groups. One group donated 300 milliliters (ml) of blood at the start of the study and between 250 and 500 ml four weeks later. One group didn't donate blood.

Six weeks after the second blood donation -- which allowed sufficient time for the body to generate new blood and return blood volume to normal -- systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) among those who donated fell from an average of 148 mmHg to 130 mmHg.

They also had reductions in blood sugar levels and heart rate, and an improvement in cholesterol levels.

The study is in the May 30 issue of the journal BMC Medicine.

Blood donation is known to reduce levels of iron stores in the body. Prior research has found that an accumulation of iron in the body is associated with high blood pressure and diabetes, according to researchers.

"Blood donation may prevent not just diabetes but also cardiovascular disease for the obese," study leader Professor Andreas Michalsen from the Charit-University Medical Centre, in Berlin, said in a journal news release.

[Read: Obese UK Woman Cut Out of House.]

But another expert isn't convinced the findings support a bloodletting Renaissance. It's true that excessive iron can worsen high blood pressure and diabetes, so it's a good idea for anyone with those conditions to make sure they're not unnecessarily boosting their levels by taking an iron supplement or multivitamin containing iron, said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

"With the advent of diet and exercise and medications, we should probably leave this practice of bloodletting to the 19th century, at which time the practice was abandoned," Steinbaum said. "Clearly there are alternative ways to manage these issues."

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about metabolic syndrome.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

FDA Warns of Fake Version of ADHD Drug Adderall

FDA Warns of Fake Version of ADHD Drug Adderall

white generic pills with blue light

WEDNESDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) -- A counterfeit version of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug Adderall, sold online, contains the wrong active ingredients, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Adderall is also used to treat narcolepsy. The drug, made by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, is currently in short supply in the United States.

The counterfeit versions of Adderall are ineffective and potentially harmful, the FDA warned Tuesday.

Authentic Adderall contains four active ingredients: dextroamphetamine saccharate, amphetamine aspartate, dextroamphetamine sulfate, and amphetamine sulfate. Preliminary laboratory tests by the FDA found that the counterfeit version being sold as Adderall 30-milligram (mg) tablets contains tramadol and acetaminophen, ingredients in medicines used to treat acute pain.

[Read: Tenn Impulsiveness Has Different Sources in ADHD, Substance Use.]

Genuine Adderall 30-mg tablets are round, orange/peach in color, and have "dp" embossed on one side and "30" on the other side. The tablets are packaged only in a 100-count bottle with the National Drug Code (NDC) 0555-0768-02, the agency said.

In contrast, the counterfeit tablets are round, white and do not have any type of letters or numbers, the FDA said. Fake tablets may also come in blister packages and have spelling mistakes on the packaging, such as:

• "NDS" instead of "NDC"
• "Aspartrte" instead of "Aspartate"
• "Singel" instead of "Single."

Consumers who believe they have the counterfeit version of 30-mg Adderall tablets should not use them and should talk to their health care professional about their treatment options, the FDA said.

Adderall is currently in short supply because Teva is having difficulty obtaining all of the active ingredients used in the drug. Consumers need to be extra cautious when buying medicines online and remember that drugs in short supply are often targets for counterfeiting, the FDA said.

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers a consumer safety guide for buying prescription medicines online.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Scientists Map the Tomato's Genome

Scientists Map the Tomato's Genome

At the University of Californiaâ€"Davis, organic tomatoes grown for research at the school’s Russell Ranch are later used for tomato sauce in the dining halls.

WEDNESDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists who were the first to fully sequence the tomato genome say their achievement is a critical step toward improving its yield, nutrition, disease resistance, taste and color.

The international group of researchers focused on a "Heinz 1706" tomato and found that it has about 35,000 genes arranged on 12 chromosomes.

"For any characteristic of the tomato -- whether it's taste, natural pest resistance or nutritional content -- we've captured virtually all those genes," James Giovannoni, the leader of the U.S. sequencing team and a scientist at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said in university news release.

The full genome sequence, as well as the sequence of a wild relative, will appear May 31 in the journal Nature.

[Read: Fruits, Veggies Can Be Beauty Tools.]

"Tomato genetics underlies the potential for improved taste every home gardener knows and every supermarket shopper desires," Giovannoni said. "The genome sequence will help solve this and many other issues in tomato production and quality."

This genome sequence will make it easier and less costly for seed companies and plant breeders to sequence other tomato varieties for research and development, he noted.

The sequencing of the tomato genome also has implications for other plant species. Fleshy fruits such as strawberries, apples, melons and bananas share some characteristics with tomatoes. Information about tomato genes could potentially be applied to these species, helping to improve food quality and security and reduce costs, Giovannoni said.

On average, each American consumes more than 72 pounds of tomato products a year, according to the USDA. Tomatoes are a $2 billion market in the United States.

More information

Visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to learn about fresh produce safety.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Do We Smell Our Age?

Do We Smell Our Age?

Do We Smell Our Age?

May 30, 2012 -- If one of your concerns about getting older is that you'll have that so-called ''old people's smell" that is the butt of jokes and bad birthday greeting cards, here's some new, reassuring research.

Older people "do have a characteristic odor, but it's not a negative odor," says Johan Lundstrom, PhD, a sensory neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a research institute in Philadelphia.

"The negative association with old people's body odor seems to come from our negative association with old age," he tells WebMD.

In his new research, middle-aged men actually were evaluated as most stinky of three adult age groups. Middle-aged women smelled best.

The study is published in PLoS ONE.

Smell of Age: Research

In previous animal studies, Lundstrom tells WebMD, researchers have found that body odors carry age-related information. Animals can detect and process that information.

Doing so helps them with such tasks as picking suitable mates for reproducing.

In people, a unique "old person's smell" has long been talked about. In Japan, they have a special word for it -- kareishu.

As a child, Lundstrom says he sometimes visited his mother at her job as head nurse at a retirement community. Years later, he gave a talk at a retirement home.

"The odor hit me," he says. It was the same odor he had smelled as a young boy in Sweden, he says.

Lundstrom wanted to see if the animal odor findings might also hold true with people.

Sniffing Out Age: Study Details

For the study, Lundstrom first collected body odor from three age groups: 20 to 30, 45 to 55, and 75 to 95. Each group had 12 to 16 men and women.

Each person slept in an unscented T-shirt with underarm pads for five nights.

Next, they gave the pads to Lundstrom. He cut each pad into four pieces and put them in glass jars.

Next, 41 young evaluators, all aged 20 to 30, were given the jars with the pads. They were asked to identify which came from which age donor.

They also asked how intense they found the odor on the pads and how unpleasant.

Sniffing Out Age: Results

''The majority could categorize old body odor as old," Lundstrom tells WebMD. They were not as good at picking out the odor of younger people, he says.

"There is something with the body odor that is helping to associate age," he says.

Experts know that body odor changes with age.

However, the evaluators did not rate the old people's odor as unpleasant.

They did find the odor of middle-aged men particularly unpleasant. "The worst-smellers are middle-aged men," Lundstrom says. "The ones who smelled the most beautiful are middle-aged women."

Form best to worst smelling, here is how the people stacked up:

• Middle-aged women
• Old men
• Young women
• Old women
• Young men
• Middle-aged men -- who lagged way behind other categories, Lundstrom says.

Personality Secrets to a Long Life

Personality Secrets to a Long Life

Personality Secrets to a Long Life

May 30, 2012 -- A new study may offer some tips to help you stick around for your 100th birthday.

Try to be optimistic, easygoing, sociable, and conscientious. Don't bottle up your feelings. Suppress the urge to talk ill of others, the new research suggests.

That combination of personality factors seems to describe the secrets of living to 100, says researcher Nir Barzilai, PhD, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y.

Those findings are among the latest from Barzilai's ongoing Longevity Genes Project.

While Barzilai found that those personality factors offer more clues to longevity, he has a caveat: "Still the No. 1 predictor for being a centenarian is if you have parents who are centenarians."

Even so, he is trying to answer the question: "Are the genes that are longevity genes also personality genes?"

The new research is published in the journal Aging.

Longevity Personality Study

Living to 100 years old is still rare. About 53,000 people in the U.S., or 0.2% of the population, are 100-plus. However, the number of centenarians has been increasing about 8% a year, Barzilai says.

And that has captured his research interest and that of others around the country. "There are several groups doing studies on centenarians," Barzilai says.

Some research has already suggested that centenarians share particular personality traits.

Among them: being extroverted and agreeable.

Barzilai decided to look more closely at genetically based personality characteristics.

He recruited 243 centenarians. He gave them and their family members questionnaires that asked if they had characteristics such as optimism.

He gauged how easygoing they were, how outgoing, and how much they laughed. He looked at how freely they expressed emotions.

He looked at characteristics like conscientiousness, such as a tendency to be self-disciplined.

He looked at neuroticism, a tendency to express negatives emotions such as anxiety, anger, or guilt.

He compared their scores to averages found in the U.S. population.

He also did a validation study to reduce the impact of any mental impairment. Nineteen centenarians and 26 of their children participated in the validation study.

In general, he found those who live to 100:

• Are outgoing
• Are positive -- not the type to talk ill of others
• Laugh often
• Express emotions
• Are conscientious
• Are not neurotic

The link he found is just that, Barzilai says. "It doesn't mean there is a cause-and-effect relationship."

One problem, he says, is they don't have -- and can't have -- a comparison group. "Their friends died years ago, and younger people won't work [as a comparison group]," he says.

One surprise? Some of the 100-year-olds, he found out, were not always easygoing and agreeable, he says. He found that out while talking to some of the centenarians' children.

"There is some adaptation with age," he says. "You try to focus on the good things and not on the bad."

"If they are getting hit [with problems]," he says of his centenarians, "they roll with the punches and they smile. When they are healthy and they get to 100, they are very agreeable.''

The easygoing personalities didn't hold across the board. He tells of one woman's daughter who confided that her mother was mean.

Later, her siblings declined to even talk to Barzilai for the study because they had nothing to do with their mother.