Senior Health: Moderate drinking linked to reduced risk of death in early stage Alzheimer's disease ♦ Why the flu vaccine is less effective in the elderly

Home-delivered meals reduce loneliness Seniors who receive meal deliveries at home report significantly less loneliness than those who do not, show results of a randomized, controlled trial.

Stereotypes around aging can negatively impact memory and hearing When older adults feel negatively about aging, they may lack confidence in their abilities to hear and remember things, and perform poorly at both.

Moderate drinking linked to reduced risk of death in early stage Alzheimer's disease Drinking two to three units of alcohol every day is linked to a reduced risk of death among people with early stage Alzheimer's disease.

Why the flu vaccine is less effective in the elderly A new study now explains why the flu vaccine is less effective at protecting older individuals. More broadly, the findings reveal novel molecular signatures that could be used to predict which individuals are most likely to respond positively to vaccination.

Health Research:Biodegradable implant could help heal broken bones ♦ Driving with glaucoma? ♦ Multi-tasking flu vaccine could provide better protection against outbreaks

New studies show Nobel Prize-winning drug that knocks out parasitic worms could have second act fighting malaria A workhorse of a drug that a few weeks ago earned its developers a Nobel prize for its success in treating multiple tropical diseases is showing early promise as a novel and desperately needed tool for interrupting malaria transmission.

Biodegradable implant could help heal broken bones A plastic created from cornstarch combined with a volcanic ash compound could help heal broken bones, say scientists, adding that using a synthetic material will likely lead to a reduction in the surgery complication rate. The patient will only need to heal from one surgery because harvesting bone would not be necessary

Driving with glaucoma? Some patients increase scanning to adapt for impaired vision Some people with glaucoma-related binocular (both eyes) vision loss can pass a standard driving test by adopting increased visual scanning behavior..

Multi-tasking flu vaccine could provide better protection against outbreaks Researchers have found a way to boost the effectiveness and cross-protective capabilities of an influenza A vaccine by adding a simple component. The research in mice could lead to better seasonal flu vaccines for humans, and also vaccines that could provide community protection in the early stages of an outbreak of a novel flu virus strain.    

Health Research: Lower sperm motility in men exposed to common chemical ♦ Diabetes medication could be used to treat alcohol dependence ♦ Flu vaccine expected to be a 'good match

This year's flu vaccine expected to be a 'good match' Every year at this time, we hear it's time to get the flu shot. After last year's vaccine missed the mark, how does the Center for Disease Control regain the public's confidence that their predictions will hold up this year? With the facts.

Lower sperm motility in men exposed to common chemical Men with higher exposure to the substance DEHP, a so-called phthalate, have lower sperm motility and may therefore experience more difficulties conceiving children, according to a new study.

Diabetes medication could be used to treat alcohol dependence A medication used for diabetes and obesity also could be a valuable tool for the treatment of alcohol dependence, a new study on mice and rats shows.

Chip-based technology enables reliable direct detection of Ebola virus Chip-based technology has been enhanced to provide reliable detection of Ebola virus and other viral pathogens. The system uses direct optical detection of viral molecules and can be integrated into a simple, portable instrument for use in field situations where rapid, accurate detection of Ebola infections is needed to control outbreaks.

Rapidly assessing the next influenza pandemic Influenza pandemics are potentially the most serious natural catastrophes that affect the human population. New findings suggest that with both timely and accurate data and sophisticated numerical models, the likely impact of a new pandemic can be assessed quickly, and key decisions made about potential mitigation strategies.

Health Research:Developing a better flu vaccine ♦ Sleep-related treatment targets for fibromyalgia ♦ Keep up your guard for West Nile virus

Places with more marijuana dispensaries have more marijuana-related hospitalizations People who live in areas of California with a higher density of marijuana dispensaries experience a greater number of hospitalizations involving marijuana abuse and dependence.

Developing a better flu vaccine Researchers say they have developed a method that could make a nasal spray flu vaccine effective for those under two and over 49 -- two groups for which the vaccine is not approved.

Keep up your guard for West Nile virus Researchers continue to study ways to nip the West Nile virus in the bud and monitor its spread by tracking rainfall, groundwater levels, mosquito abundance, wild bird populations and virus transmission to animals including horses and sentinel chickens. Researchers use these data to track the virus transmission between mosquitoes and wild birds, noting when mosquito infection rates reach the levels that can infect humans

Researchers identify potential sleep-related treatment targets for fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic pain from no clear source. Patients with fibromyalgia frequently have sleep problems: Their deep sleep brainwave patterns are often disrupted by brain waves that correspond to wakefulness. A new study uses a novel approach to identify potential drug targets for treating fibromyalgia.

Contrary to previous studies, diabetes affects diaphragm, smooth muscle cells differently Previous studies have shown that diabetes adversely affects breathing and respiratory function. However, in the past, researchers have not differentiated diaphragm muscle cells and the muscle cells of limb skeletal muscle in their studies. Now, researchers have found that diaphragm muscle cells and other skeletal muscle cells behave differently -- a finding that could influence future research on respiratory ailments associated with diabetes.

NIAID Research Could Aid Development of Universal Flu Vaccine

​A vaccine that protects against a wide variety of influenza viruses (a so-called universal flu vaccine) is a critical public health goal given the significant rates of illness and death caused by seasonal influenza and the potentially devastating effects of a pandemic influenza strain. Now, researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have devised a way to induce protective immunity in mice against a wide array of influenza viruses.

Instead of trying to predict which influenza virus strains are likely to cause human disease and then make a vaccine to match those specific strains, Jeffery Taubenberger, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues created a vaccine cocktail incorporating four of the 16 different subtypes of an influenza virus protein called hemagglutinin (H). Two, H1 and H3, are typically found in human seasonal influenza viruses, and two, H5 and H7, are from avian influenza viruses that can also infect people. The experimental vaccine is made from noninfectious virus-like particles (VLPs) that stimulate an immune response, but that cannot replicate or cause disease. VLP vaccines already approved for use in people include those to protect against hepatitis B and human papillomavirus.

In the new study, the NIAID scientists vaccinated mice with the VLP cocktail, then exposed them to lethal doses of several different influenza viruses. Importantly, in some of the experiments, mice were exposed to viruses from H subtypes not included in the cocktail vaccine. Vaccinated mice showed significant protection following challenge with influenza viruses expressing 1918 H1, 1957 H2, and avian H5, H6, H7, H10, and H11 H subtypes. For example, 30 out of 30 vaccinated mice exposed to the human 1957 H2 virus or avian H10 or H11 viruses survived, and 20 out of 24 vaccinated mice exposed to H6 virus survived and experienced less weight loss than unvaccinated mice, all of which died when exposed to virus. Vaccinated mice also showed significant protection against avian H5N1 and H7N9 viruses, two virus strains that have caused many human cases and deaths in recent years.

The investigators are now testing the VLP cocktail in ferrets. If the results are similar to those seen in mice, they will advance the vaccine into early-stage human clinical trials.

Health News: 113 sick from cyclospora outbreak ♦ Killer sea snail a target for new drugs ♦ Discovery points to a new path toward a universal flu vaccine

Elastic gel to heal wounds A team of bioengineers has developed a new protein-based gel that, when exposed to light, mimics many of the properties of elastic tissue, such as skin and blood vessels. They now report on the new material's key properties, many of which can be finely tuned, and on the results of using the material in preclinical models of wound healing.

Discovery points to a new path toward a universal flu vaccine The conventional flu vaccine protects only against a few specific strains of flu. However, experiments show that by including modified antibodies within the vaccine it may be possible to elicit broad protection against many

113  sick in Texas cyclospora outbreak no food id'd yet A recent surge in reports of illnesses due to the parasite Cyclospora  has prompted the Texas Department of State Health Services to investigate the infections in hopes of determining a common source.

How dengue virus adapts as it travels, increasing chances for outbreaks A research group is the first to explain the mechanisms that the Dengue virus has developed to optimize its ability to cause outbreaks as it travels across the globe to new places and revisits old ones.

Killer sea snail a target for new drugs Pain treatment researchers have discovered thousands of new peptide toxins hidden deep within the venom of just one type of Queensland cone snail. Researchers hope the new molecules will be promising leads for new drugs to treat pain and cancer.

Childrens Health:Medical marijuana helps children with severe epilepsy ♦ Children with neurological disorders need flu vaccine ♦ Brain activity in infants predicts language outcomes in autism

Likely genetic source of muscle weakness found in six previously undiagnosed children Using state-of-the-art genetic technology, researchers have discovered the likely cause of a child's rare type of severe muscle weakness. The child was one of six cases in which investigators decoded the genes of patients with Neuromuscular Disease and was then able to identify the genetic source,of each child's symptoms.

Children with neurological disorders need flu vaccine but don't always get it Children with neurologic or neurodevelopmental disorders (NNDDs) are at increased risk of complications from influenza. Although experts have recognized NNDDs as high-risk conditions for influenza complications since 2005, little is known about influenza vaccination practices in this population.

Brain activity in infants predicts language outcomes in autism spectrum disorder Autism spectrum disorder can produce different clinical outcomes in young children, with some having strong conversation abilities and others not talking at all. A new study reveals at the first signs of possible autism in infants and toddlers, neural activity in language-sensitive brain regions is already similar to normal in those autism spectrum disorder toddlers who eventually go on to develop good language ability but nearly absent in those who later have a poor language outcome.

Medical marijuana liquid extract may bring hope for children with severe epilepsy A medicinal liquid form of marijuana may show promise as a treatment for children with severe epilepsy that is not responding to other treatments.

1/21/14 Health News: Neurotoxic Pesticides Should Be Reduced - FDA Warns seafood Processor & A Dairy Farm - Narcolepsy Linked to Flu Vaccine - Heavy Drinkers

Human Exposure to Possibly Neurotoxic Pesticides Should Be Reduced, E.U. Safety Agency Recommends

Europe should slash the acceptable human exposure limits on two neonicotinoids — a class of insecticide previously linked to bee declines — says a key European Union safety agency.

In a report released today, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), based in Parma, Italy, says that recent research suggests that acetamiprid and imidacloprid “may affect the developing human nervous system”.Continue Reading

FDA ISSUES FIRST WARNING LETTERS OF 2014 TO SEAFOOD PROCESSOR, DAIRY OPERATOR

he first warning letters of the year issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were delivered to a seafood processing facility in Hawaii and a dairy operator in Pennsylvania. A warning letter is FDA’s principal means of notifying members of a regulated industry of violations.  The agency issues these letters to achieve prompt voluntary... Continue Reading

Scientists Start to Unpick Narcolepsy Link to Flu Vaccine

Results from U.S. researchers showed that narcolepsy, characterized by sudden sleepiness and muscle weakness, can be set off by an immune response to a portion of a protein from the H1N1 virus that is very similar to a portion of the wake-promoting neuropeptide hypocretin, which is a key player in narcolepsy.

Emmanuel Mignot, a narcolepsy researcher and director of the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine who has been funded by GSK to look deeper into the link, said the relationship between H1N1 infection, vaccination and narcolepsy gave his team "some very interesting insight into possible causes of the condition." continue reading

CDC Warns Doctors to Look Out for 38 Million Heavy Drinking Americans

America may have an alcohol problem, according to a new government report that calls on doctors to talk to their patients more about heavy drinking. “Drinking too much alcohol has many more health risks than most people realize,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. “Alcohol screening and brief counseling can help people set realistic goals for themselves and achieve those goals.” Alcohol screening and counseling can be covered by most health insurance plans free of charge under the Affordable Care Act, Frieden added. Studies have shown such care can reduce alcohol intake by 25 percent among heavy drinkers. That might bring public health benefits, considering high alcohol intake is linked to about 88,000 U.S. deaths each year. It can also save cash: The CDC estimates heavy drinking costs the American economy about $224 billion when taking into account health care costs, property damage and lost work productivity..Continue Reading