One germy doorknob can infect half your office within hours

Many people worry about catching a virus from a sick coworker, but perhaps they should also start worrying about other sources of possible infection. New research shows that contamination of just a single doorknob can help spread germsthroughout office buildings, hotels or health care facilities within hours.

Researchers applied samples of a virus to surfaces such as doorknobs and tabletops and found that, within two to four hours, the virus had been picked up by 40 to 60 percent of workers and visitors in the facilities and could be detected on many commonly touched objects.  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/one-germy-doorknob-can-infect-half-your-office-within-hours/

ER Visits Up for High Blood Pressure

Emergency room visits for high blood pressure jumped 25 percent in the United States in recent years, according to a new study.

The finding -- based on nearly 4 million U.S. emergency room visits from 2006 to 2011 -- points to a need for people to better control their blood pressure by going to their primary care doctor, said Dr. Sourabh Aggarwal, the study's lead researcher.

"That's quite a big increase in the number of visits to the ER," said Aggarwal, chief resident in internal medicine at the Western Michigan University School of Medicine in Kalamazoo.

However, while ER visits jumped, hospital admissions for high blood pressure, or hypertension, fell by 15 percent, the researchers said.

And deaths among those admitted to the hospital because of blood pressure spikes fell 36 percent, the investigators found.  http://consumer.healthday.com/general-health-information-16/emergencies-and-first-aid-news-227/er-visits-for-high-blood-pressure-up-in-u-s-study-says-691554.html

‘Fat shaming’ doesn’t work, a new study says

If, somehow, you think shaming overweight or obese people helps them lose weight, here's a news flash: It doesn't.

A new study from University College London evaluated the question: Are people who experience discrimination or negative interactions based on their weight actually encouraged to lose the extra pounds?

The answer, according to their findings, is a clear no.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/09/11/fat-shaming-doesnt-work-a-new-study-says/

Belly Up: American Waistlines Are Still Expanding, Study Finds

American adult waistlines are still spreading, a new study finds. While body mass index, a key measure for obesity, has stabilized, our bellies have increased an inch over the last decade — to a circumference of almost 39 inches. That's bad news, researchers say.  

“[Waist circumference] has kind of been picking up year after year [while] BMI flat-lined a little bit,” says Dr. Earl Ford, a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control, and an author of the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Tuesday.  http://www.nbcnews.com/health/diet-fitness/belly-american-waistlines-are-still-expanding-study-finds-n204746

Artificial sweeteners could cause spikes in blood sugar

Artificial sweeteners might be triggering higher blood-sugar levels in some people and contributing to the problems they were designed to combat, such as diabetes and obesity, according to new findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Although the precise reasons behind the blood-sugar changes remain uncertain, researchers suspect that artificial sweeteners could be disrupting the microbiome, a vast and enigmatic ecosystem of bacteria in our guts.

In a series of experiments, researchers found that several of the most widely used types of non-calorie sweeteners in food and drinks — saccharin, sucra­lose and aspartame — caused mice to experience increased risk of glucose intolerance, a condition that can lead to diabetes.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/study-suggests-sweeteners-could-contribute-to-obesity-and-diabetes/2014/09/17/c3c04ea6-3dc2-11e4-b03f-de718edeb92f_story.html

Common Painkillers Tied to Blood Clot Risk, Study Suggests

People who use painkillers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- which include aspirin, naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) -- may be at increased risk for potentially deadly blood clots, a new study suggests.

But the study only showed an association between use of the painkillers and higher clotting risk; it did not prove cause-and-effect.

The researchers analyzed the results of six studies involving more than 21,000 cases of a type of blood clot called a venous thromboembolism (VTE).

These clots include deep vein thrombosis (a clot in the leg) and pulmonary embolism (a clot in the lungs).

Reporting online Sept. 24 in Rheumatology, the analysis found that people who used NSAIDs had an 80 percent higher risk for venous clots.  http://consumer.healthday.com/bone-and-joint-information-4/pain-health-news-520/common-painkillers-tied-to-higher-blood-clot-risk-study-finds-692029.html

Cancer-Screening Program For Women Attempts to Fill Gaps Left by Health Reform

Dr. Milcah Larks is all too familiar with the cost of delaying preventative cancer screenings for women.

As an oncologist in the Immunology Clinic at Ventura County Medical Center, a hospital in Ventura focused on underserved populations, she prescribes treatment for patients with breast and cervical cancer. Often, patients come to her at late stages of the disease, requiring drastic interventions such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. These are treatments that could have been avoided, or at least made more effective, if the patients had been diagnosed sooner through routine mammograms and Pap smears.

“It’s frustrating,” said Dr. Larks, as she relaxed recently in the hospital’s cafeteria after a long workday. “I’m saddened when I have to tell a young person with young children that they may not be there to see their grandkids, to see their kids graduate form high school.”  http://www.healthycal.org/archives/16615

Get a flu shot even if you’re a healthy adult, CDC says

Think the flu’s only a big threat to kids and seniors? Influenza hospitalized a surprisingly high number of young and middle-aged adults last winter — and this time   around the government wants more of them vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says just a third of healthy adults ages 18 to 64 got vaccinated last year. In contrast, 70 percent of children younger than 5 got a flu vaccine, and 65 percent of seniors.

Flu vaccine is recommended for nearly everyone age 6 months or older. There are multiple types to choose from. CDC says the nasal spray is the preferred choice for certain healthy children — those ages 2 to 8 — but if none’s available, they should go ahead and get the regular flu shot.  http://www.dailynews.com/health/20140918/get-a-flu-shot-even-if-youre-a-healthy-adult-cdc-says

San Gabriel becomes first city to approve regional bicycle plan

The City Council Tuesday unanimously approved 32.5 miles of new bikeways in the city and became the first to adopt the San Gabriel Valley Regional Bike Plan proposing 32.5 miles of bikeways in the city.

The plan, prepared by nonprofits Day One and Bike SGV, proposes interconnected bike routes and lanes in the cities of San Gabriel, Monterey Park, South El Monte, El Monte and Baldwin Park. The plan was designed by ALTA Planning, funded through a grant from the Healthy Eating and Active Living initiative at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“It’s going to facilitate connections specifically for alternative modes of transportation,” said Javier Hernandez, program director for Bike SGV. “The other thing is that as residents of the San Gabriel Valley we all know traffic is pretty much a given anywhere you go. We are really hoping to change the landscape so that it is really conducive to bicycling so people .., start swapping out those short distance car trips to either biking or walking.”  http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20140917/san-gabriel-becomes-first-city-to-approve-regional-bicycle-plan

U.S. nutrition program for mothers, infants sees falling demand

A government nutrition program for pregnant mothers and small children has not kept pace with technology and U.S. poverty experts say its paper voucher system is driving low-income women away from the program when they need it most.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, has seen a sharp drop in participation since 2010, unlike food stamps and other anti-poverty programs that ballooned during the 2007-9 recession and the economic recovery that followed, government figures show.

"WIC providers are tearing their hair, beating their chests, 'what are they doing wrong?'" said Laurie True, California WIC Association director.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/19/us-usa-poverty-nutrition-idUSKBN0HE1AF20140919

Seattle to fine residents and businesses for wasting food

The Seattle city council has voted to fine businesses and residents that waste too much food.

Under the new rules, households will be fined $1 (£0.61) if their rubbish bins contain more than 10% food waste, and businesses and apartment buildings $50.

The city already recycles 56% of its waste but is aiming for 60% by 2015.

Seattle, in Washington State, is the second US city after San Francisco to make composting mandatory in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Composting is the processing of breaking down food and lawn refuse into useable soil through decomposition.

Up to 40% of food in the US is wasted, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Only 5% of food scraps are composted, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The city will begin issuing warning tickets on 1 January 2015 and fining customers on 1 July, according to the ordinance, which passed unanimously on Monday.  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29336968

Breath test for TB developed

Researchers have developed the first breath test for TB in the laboratory.

It provides rapid information on drug resistance that takes up to six weeks using standard methods, US scientists report in the journal, Nature Communications.

The bacteria emit a unique gas signature within 10 minutes of exposure to an inhaled antibiotic in rabbits.

TB infects 8.6m people each year worldwide and kills 1.3m, second only to HIV.

Early diagnosis and treatment are a priority in the global fight against TB, according to the World Health Organization.  http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29342006