STATES CHRONICLE – Obesity rates are on the rise all over the world, causing around 4 million deaths. This condition is closely associated with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, which are the leading causes of mortality. One way to prevent them is to know who is exposed to a higher risk, and measuring the BMI of a person might not be the best indicator.

People don’t need a high BMI to suffer from metabolic problems

You might notice that a layer of fat has accumulated around your waist, but your BMI is still among normal lines. However, this doesn’t mean you are perfectly healthy, or you are free from all risks. Keep in mind that a normal body mass index does not account for all problems you might experience, so a more effective method of monitoring should be found.

So far, people see obesity in terms of a high BMI, and it’s hard to think otherwise, since most studies rely on it to characterize obese people. However, this indicator is related only to weight, and does not account for other possible health problems. Indeed, they can arise from being overweight, but certain issues can appear even when the indicator is lower.

BMI does not account for the distribution of body fat

What is at fault about BMI is that it correlates weight and height, and doesn’t take into account body fat in general. Therefore, it would be more advisable to look at waist size when determining possible future problems. This is important, since a person with a normal index but more fat concentrated in the abdominal area has twice the risk of an obese person.

Moreover, many obese people are metabolically healthy, while others are not, even though they have a normal weight. Therefore, instead of using BMI as a shortcut to identify risk factors, we should divert our attention to other indicators.

May Clinic proposed a new indicator, BVI (body volume indicator). This should be more effective, since it uses a software which scans your body and determines the fat distribution across your body. However, it is quite difficult to implement, but at least some medical experts have realized BMI is not enough to account for all health risks.
Image Source: Pixabay

STATES CHRONICLE – On June 3^rd, a four-year-old boy from Texas died several days after going for a swim. His parents watched him helplessly how he experienced vomiting and diarrhea, and then suddenly took his last breath. Doctors are not sure of the cause of death, but they suspect dry drowning.

The boy died several days after going swimming

In the Memorial Day weekend, Frankie Delgado III went with their parents at the Texas City Dike to play in the water. It was only knee deep, so his parents found it safe to let the child splash in it and have fun. However, shortly after this, the boy started vomiting.

On June 3^rd, Frankie complained that his shoulder hurt. Then, he fell asleep and, after some time, suddenly woke up and took his last breath. His parents called 911 and the boy was immediately rushed to the emergency room, but the doctors could not save him.

They performed an autopsy on the boy and are currently waiting for the results, but doctors have already made some suppositions. They suspect that Frankie was the victim of dry drowning. This happens when liquid remains trapped in a person’s respiratory system even after he got out of the water.

What is dry drowning?

Dry drowning can occur several hours after the person got out of the water, and sometimes even days. Since water remains trapped in the respiratory system, the larynx tries to prevent it from reaching the lungs. This stops the oxygen as well, which reaches neither the lungs and the rest of the body.

Doctors discovered water the lungs and heart of Frankie, which indicates either dry drowning or secondary drowning. In secondary drowning, water enters the respiratory system, and causes spasms in the lungs, which makes it difficult for the person to breathe.

Frankie’s parents agreed to make their story public to raise awareness of dry drowning, and warn other parents about it. Even when you think your child seems perfectly safe, he might still be the victim of this mysterious condition.
Image Source: Pexels

STATES CHRONICLE – The teen pregnancy rate in the US has been on a general decline lately, but the situation is not the same in all states. In Texas, this rate has not been declining to rapidly as it has in other parts of the country. To blame is the sex education in the area or, more precisely, the lack of it.

Texas still has high teen pregnancy rates

In 2014, the pregnancy rate among teenage girls reached its lowest point, with only 24 births per 1,000 girls. At the time, there was a decrease of 9 percent among girls who had babies between the ages of 15 and 19. However, the situation is not so bright in all states.

Reports show that teen pregnancy rates in Texas are between 40 and 50 percent higher than they are in the rest of the country. Gwen Daverth from the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy explained the cause of this situation. Teenagers in the area do not receive proper sex education.

The state needs better sex education and access to contraceptives

The state promotes a type of education which encourages teens to practice abstinence, and opts for not informing them on everything they need to know about sex. The association supports proper sex education and the enforcement of mirror policies, just like in California.

This type of education is not always medically accurate, and it fails to inform teenagers on contraception. Therefore, the association, together with the CDC, want to promote birth control methods among youngsters, and teach them how to take care of themselves. This will contribute to lower dropout rates among girls due to pregnancies, and an overall better health situation.

Also, they want to make birth control more accessible to teenagers. The law of Texas does not allow underage purchase of contraception without a parent’s permission. This is applicable even if the teenager in question is already a parent. These regulations are not practical and they need to be changed.
Image Source: Pexels

A new study conducted by scientists at Stanford University shows that fitness trackers can be good at measuring heart rate, but don’t measure burned calories accurately. Since this trend became more and more popular among people who work out, researchers warn them not to rely on these devices to to settle for a diet.

To conduct this study, scientists monitored 60 participants who tested 7 fitness trackers. The fitness trackers that were tested included Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Apple Watch, MIP Alpha 2, Basis Peak, PulseOn, and Samsung Gear S2. The volunteers were asked to perform several types of exercise, including running, cycling, and walking.

Measuring Burned Calories

Researchers noticed that 6 out of 7 fitness trackers were great at measuring heart rate, showing an error rate smaller than 5 percent. Samsung Gear S2 was the only one with a rate of almost 7 percent. When it came to measuring burned calories, the devices showed a high error rate. The rate exceeded 20 percent, which is extremely inaccurate. PulseOn displayed the highest inaccuracy.

This is problematic, especially for those who use fitness trackers to lose weight. These people can be misled by the high number of burned calories and eat more than they should. Therefore, people are advised to consider the limitations of fitness trackers.

Don’t Base your Diet on Consumed Calories

People also need to be aware of the fact that everybody burn calories differently. For instance, walking 10,000 steps can burn from 400 to 800 calories. The number of burned calories depends on the weight and height of the person who performs the exercises. Therefore, don’t base your diet on the results from your fitness tracker.

Fitness tracker producers should be more transparent when it comes to their algorithms, and be aware that not all bodies work the same. However, such devices still have a positive effect on people. They are motivated by these fitness devices to do more and more physical activity.

Image source: Pixabay

 

STATES CHRONICLE – A recent report published in the journal Pediatrics revises the guidelines concerning fruit juice consumption in infants and children. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that babies younger than 1 should keep away from juice. Instead, they should drink more water and milk, and eat whole fruits rather than drink their juice.

Fruit juice might lead to teeth problems and childhood obesity

Until now, the guidelines advised parents to start giving fruit juice to their babies starting with six months of age. However, researchers discovered that introducing the children so quickly with the juice puts them at risk of developing childhood obesity and tooth decay.

Pediatricians say that, one children get to taste fruit juice, they get used to the sugar and refuse to drink water. Also, parents should not offer their kids juice in sippy cups. Most of them tend to keep the cups in their mouths all day, thus consuming more calories than it is advisable. Also, this is not good for the teeth either.

New guidelines concerning juice consumption

Therefore, pediatricians revised the fruit juice guidelines for the first time since 2001. This beverage is a good source of vitamin C, calcium, and an additional source of water. The drink has always been regarded as healthy, but it might come with some harmful effects as well.

Fruit juice is rich in calories, but it lacks fiber and protein. Since these substances are absent, children might gain either too much weight, or not enough. Also, their teeth might have to suffer. Therefore, juice consumed in inappropriate quantities is bad.

Children have always been the top juice drinkers, but parents need to know how much they should be allowed to consume. The most recent guidelines are the following. Children younger than 1 should not drink fruit juice at all. Between 1 and 3 years, 4 ounces are recommended.

Children aged between 4 and 6 should drink between 4 and 6 ounces, while children older than 7 should only drink 1 cup, or 8 ounces of juice. This is less than the previous guidelines indicated. Fruit juice does not necessarily lead to further problems, but it is a risk factor and it should not be consumed excessively.
Image Source: Max Pixel

STATES CHRONICLE – A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry analyzed the behavior of ADHD patients in traffic. It discovered that those patients who take medication are less likely to be involved in car crashes that any other person.

It is quite common among ADHD patients to be victims of fatal car crashes. However, there might be a way to avoid such incidents. The study looked at car accidents which involved people with ADHD and discovered that they could have been avoided if the victim had taken the special medication for the disease.

ADHD might turn car crashes into fatal events

ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder) affects around 5 and 7 percent of children and teenagers. Most of the time, the disorder persists even through adulthood. Previous studies discovered that patients tend to be involved in car crashes more often, and they prove fatal most of the time.

“Core symptoms of ADHD may interfere with the competencies necessary to drive safely, predisposing those with the disorder to greater risk for accidents and injuries.”

Medication could minimize the risk of accidents

There is medication for ADHD, but patients do not always take the recommended dosage. Therefore, researchers decided to see if not taking the medicine does have any major effect on the patients. They took inspiration from a Swedish study which argued that ADHD drugs reduced consistently the number of car crashes for male patients. However, the results were unclear for female patients.

Researchers collected data from insurance companies and health care institutions to look at the incidence of car crashes among ADHD patients. They also looked at who received proper medication between 2005 and 2014.

From the 22,319,450 patients with ADHD, 11,224 of them ended up hospitalized after a car crash. Besides confirming that these people are more likely to be involved in car accidents, the research shows that they are more vulnerable when they are off their medication.
Image Source: Pixabay

Researchers might be one step closer to finding the cure for HIV. A team of scientists used a gene editing technique to eliminate HIV from mice. CRISPR, the gene editing method, allowed researchers to cut different parts of DNA that were infected with HIV. This is the first time this method was used to eliminate HIV from mice.

CRISPR works just like a microscope that can cut parts of DNA that are unwanted. Gene engineering still raises controversy. For this research, scientists used 3 animal models. One of the models was “humanized”. In order to make the humanized model, the scientists injected HIV-infected human immune cells into the mice.

The researchers are very happy with the result. They were not expecting to see such great results. This new study is actually based on another research made by this team of scientists. The Temple University School team conducted a research last year where they managed to introduce HIV-1 infected DNA into rats. They used the same gene editing method to eliminate the tissue. This new research is special because it was performed on 3 different animal models.

Despite the fact that this study can lead to a cure for HIV, the medical community is skeptical. Health experts mentioned that it could take years of study and work before a safe and effective cure for HIV might be made. Now, there are only some drug treatments for HIV that can make the virus undetectable. This helps patients live healthier and longer lives.

A lot of researchers and scientists have dedicated their life to finding a cure for HIV. Until now, there was little progress. Maybe, with the help of gene editing, scientists can figure a way to cure this deadly disease. The problem is that not everybody agrees with CRISPR. Some people believe that gene editing is not ethical and that it can be used with bad intentions.

A cure for HIV could save the lives of thousands of people. A recent WHO report shows that more than 36.7 million people were living with HIV in 2015. Since the start of the HIV epidemic, more than 35 million people died. Let’s hope that these scientists continue their work and that they find the cure for HIV.

Image source: Pixabay

 

STATES CHRONICLE – Scientists succeeded in developing a better technology which helps them spot cancer earlier through a revolutionary blood test technique. This will be very useful in developing lung cancer treatments. Through these blood tests, researchers follow tumors’ genetic alterations while they progress. The experimental blood test is meant to trace DNA bits shed in the blood by the tumor.

Liquid biopsies help doctors track cancer a year before the diseases can be spotted through screening

Specialists were able to determine signs of cancers even a year before imaging scans could trace such a disease, given patients the chance to try new treatments sooner, before the illness settles in and takes over the body. This blood test is called liquid biopsies and was designed to examine cancer by implementing the use of blood rather than samples of tissue.

Some doctors use such tests to help and offer guidance for patients who are in advanced stages of cancer. This is the first time when scientists used this method to trace the evolution of tumors inside the body. They detected lung cancer a year before the diseases settled in, thus, offering patients the chance to benefit from a better treatment.

This special type of blood test could help develop new cure for lung cancer

Approximately one-third of all lung cancer cases in the US are discovered during their early stage and even a more decreased number of cases in other countries of the world. Nevertheless, as technology and medicine advance, in the future, probably many people will be able to detect the disease earlier when screening longtime smokers who present a high risk of developing lung cancer.

Usually, specialists argue that early-stage cancer cases are treated by undergoing surgery. Afterward, many patients undergo chemotherapy, but this was proved to help only a few of them. Dr. Charles Swatone of the Francis Crick Institute in London stated that they needed to treat about 20 patients out of which only one was cured. Along the way, many side effects can appear, and the treatment becomes even tougher.

Swanton’s new study reveals that liquid biopsies might help establish which patients would or wouldn’t benefit from chemotherapy. Thus, they may be able to warn specialists about the treatment, saying whether it is working or not. The new study was published online on April 26 by the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature magazine. The study was funded by Cancer Research UK charity organization.

Image source: free stock

STATES CHRONICLE – A new study shows that regular exercises are bound to keep the brain sharp, even after the age of 50. Once the process of aging speeds up, memory skills become affected. If people do moderate, regular exercise, their memory ability and thinking will boost. Researchers developed a review of about 39 studies, and they found out that exercises which pump the muscles and the heart on a regular basis improved the activity of the brain.

A new study indicated that regular exercises after the age of 50 improve the skills of human brain

Those who indicated experiencing some cognitive decline also showed some improvements after following a schedule for physical exercises. The study developed by Australian researchers points out that taking up exercise was helpful irrespective of the age people started their routines. It proved to be worthwhile for both body and mind.

The research released in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that specialists recommended physical exercising, like T’ai Chi, for people over the age of 50 who were not able to manage other forms of exercising which may have been considered too tough. Regular exercises are prone to reduce the risk of several types of illnesses, like some types of cancers and type-2 diabetes.

Through physical activities, people could present dangerous diseases

Physical exercises are believed to play a significant part in delaying the natural decline of the brain while people reach the middle age. Through regular physical activity, the brain gets a massive blood supply, nutrients, and oxygen which are all meant to improve its health, triggering a growth hormone which helps the development of new neurons and synapses.

When analyzing previous studies, scientists from the University of Canberra investigated the effects of four weeks of regular physical activity on the brain skills of middle-aged adults. After performing several types of brain tests, researchers unveiled that aerobic exercises tend to boost cognitive abilities, like reasoning, learning, reading and thinking.

When people used muscle training, like lifting weights, researchers observed a major impact on memory and the brain’s skill to organize and plan, namely executive functions. Joe Northey, the study author and also a researcher from the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise at Canberra, argued that the new results were so convincing that enabled specialists to recommend them to patients over the age of 50 to boost the health of their brain.

The NHS guidelines recommend adults to do 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercises every week, working major muscles on at least two days. Do you exercise? What type of physical exercises do you do?

Image source: vimeo