Health Research:Federal grand jury subpoenas Chipotle records♦ High blood sugar levels could lead to heart attack complications ♦ Reliably detecting dengue fever

Federal grand jury subpoenas Chipotle records Officials with Chipotle Mexican Grill say they will “fully cooperate” after receiving a subpoena from a federal grand jury seeking documents related to a norovirus outbreak at a restaurant in Simi Valley, Calif.

Broken bone may lead to widespread body pain, not just at the site of the fracture Breaking a major bone may increase risk of widespread chronic body pain in later life, a new study has found. Researchers found that men and women who had a spine fracture and women who had a hip fracture were more than twice as likely to experience long term widespread pain as those who had not had a fracture.

High blood sugar levels could lead to heart attack complications Direct evidence of blood vessel contraction due to glucose (sugar) has now been demonstrated for the first time, researchers report. These effects were observed even at glucose levels that could be reached after a large meal. This research provides a potential therapeutic target for improving outcomes following a heart attack or stroke

Reliably detecting dengue fever Tiger mosquitoes are indigenous to Africa and Asia. However, they are increasingly being found around the Mediterranean and are bringing the dengue virus with them. Up to now, there’s been no sure-fire antibody test for detecting this virus. Researchers have now developed such a test, creating a cost-effective and fail-safe way to diagnose dengue.

Health Research: Dengue Fever cases in Hawaii spiked over the holiday ♦ Food safety myths busted ♦ Childhood asthma may increase risks of shingles

Dengue Fever cases in Hawaii spiked over the holiday. The Hawaii Department of Health reported that as of December 24 the number of Dengue fever cases in the island State reached 180. Authorities believe that the outbreak could last months and urged residents and tourists to use repellant and seek medical attention if they feel ill.

Food safety myths busted This time of year,  most fridges are stocked up with food and drinks to share with family and friends. Let’s not make ourselves and our guests sick by getting things wrong when preparing and serving food. As the weather warms up, so does the environment for microorganisms in foods, potentially allowing them to multiply faster to hazardous levels. So, put the drinks on ice and

Being anxious could be good for you in a crisis New findings could help explain the apparent 'sixth sense' we have for danger in social situations, with the direction of a person's gaze being a crucial cue. People with non-clinical anxiety are particularly well poised for action

Childhood asthma may increase risks of shingles Nearly 1 million incidents of herpes zoster, which is also known as shingles, occur every year in the US, with an estimated one-third of all adults affected by age 80. Despite its prevalence, particularly between ages 50 and 59, it is still unclear why some individuals will develop shingles, and others will not

Health News :FDA posts Blue Bell inspection reports ♦ Salmonella linked sushi now totals 53 cases in 9 states ♦ Control of robotic arm using thoughts alone

FDA posts Blue Bell inspection reports 2007-2014 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday posted four additional inspection reports of Blue Bell Creameries facilities from 2007-2012. The four join recent FDA inspection reports of three Blue Bell plants performed before and after the company’s total product recall.

Salmonella cases linked to raw tuna sushi now totals 53 cases in 9 states According to updates posted Thursday by both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are now 53 people in 9 states infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L Ten of those sickened have been hospitalized.

Control of robotic arm using thoughts alone Through a clinical collaboration between Caltech, Keck Medicine of USC and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, a 34-year-old paralyzed man is the first person in the world to have a neural prosthetic device implanted in a region of the brain where intentions are made, giving him the ability to perform a fluid hand-shaking gesture, drink a beverage, and even play 'rock, paper, scissors,' using a robotic arm

Mosquito sex-determining gene could help fight dengue fever A gene responsible for sex determination in mosquitoes that can transmit yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya viruses has been identified. Only female mosquitoes bite because they need blood for developing eggs, and researchers believe that a higher ratio of males could reduce disease transmission.

Why you need one vaccine for measles and many for the flu While the influenza virus mutates constantly and requires a yearly shot that offers a certain percentage of protection, old reliable measles needs only a two-dose vaccine during childhood for lifelong immunity. A new study has an explanation: The surface proteins that the measles virus uses to enter cells are ineffective if they suffer any mutation, meaning that any changes to the virus come at a major cost.

Deadly Mosquitoes Threaten United Kingdom

Forget Scottish independence, the biggest threat to the UK may be an invasion of potentially lethal mosquitoes that is already marching on Britain after arriving in the South East.

The deadly Asian tiger mosquito is a vector for dengue fever and chikungunya, a virus that can cause fevers of up to 40 C and joint pains that can last for several years.

The current wave of invaders is said to be carrying the West Nile virus, which causes symptoms similar to influenza. According to the Mirror, severe cases cause swelling of the brain and the spinal cord.

The mosquitos have spread across Europe in recent years, and have now been recorded in several locations in Kent.

Public Health England's Medical Entomology team programme leader Dr Jolyon Medlock said: "One of the things we are looking at is the incursion of invasive mosquitoes which act as vectors for diseases such as dengue fever and chikungunya. The number of cases is fairly low in Europe at the moment, but with climate change and increased globalisation there is the potential for that to change."

The finding the Aedes albopictus mosquito in southern England is not surprising. It is already established in countries in the Mediterranean Basin, and predictive models forecast the extension of the range of this mosquito northward as climate change progresses.

Dengue and chikungunya viruses have occasionally been transmitted by Ae. albopictus in southeastern Europe, so concern about introduction of these and other mosquito-transmitted viruses into the United Kingdom is a valid concern.

Ae. albopictus "has managed to survive and spread in some [warmer] Mediterranean countries, especially in Italy where it has spread to many regions and provinces. There are various biological strains of Ae. albopictus and if the strain is a temperate one then it could survive in other European countries or areas where the mean summer temperature is at least 20 degrees C, and winter mean temperatures zero degrees C; in these conditions it would likely survive the cold months in the egg state." Once established, eradication can be difficult.

Source ProMED-mail

10/18/2013 Daily Health News, Rabies Kills 24,000, Dengue Fever in Houston, Flu, New Hookworm Vaccine, Legionnaires' Disease

Rabies Kills 24,000 a Year in Africa Because Vaccine Costly

Rabies kills 24,000 people a year in Africa, most of them children, because many on the world's poorest continent cannot afford the cost of the vaccine, experts said. Africa is home to nearly half the 55,000 people around the world who die each year from rabies, caused mainly by bites from dogs.continue reading

Dengue Virus Identified in Houston

Dengue fever, a virulent tropical disease thought to be eradicated from the United States in the 1950s, has re-emerged in Houston, according to a new study. Baylor College of Medicine scientists are reporting the mosquito-borne virus has recently been transmitted in Houston, the first evidence the disease so prevalent in the developing world has spread to a major U.S. city in large numbers. http://www.chron.com/

High-Dose Flu Vaccine Better for Frail Elderly

Among the frail elderly in long-term care, a high-dose influenza vaccine improved antibody responses compared with standard vaccines, a researcher said. In a randomized, single-blind trial over two flu seasons, the higher dose gave superior responses to four out of five strains contained in the vaccines, http://www.medpagetoday.com/

Hookworm Vaccine Will Be Tried in Africa

Dr. Peter J. Hotez, director of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, explained that the vaccine creates antibodies not against the parasites themselves but against two enzymes found in the worm’s own gut — one that detoxifies the iron in its blood diet, and another that digests blood proteins. Without those enzymes the worm slowly dies. The trial will start on a few adults in Gabon, and children will eventually be enrolled.”continue reading

Legionnaires' illnesses seen in Ala nursing home

ATLANTA — An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease appears to be centered at a northwest Alabama nursing home.However, the source of the outbreak is still under investigation, a state health official said Wednesday.

Eleven lab-confirmed cases have been seen in the Florence area since the outbreak was detected this month. Another eight pneumonia illnesses are being investigated as possibly also Legionnaires'.Continue Reading