The majority of teens say they have never heard of acetaminophen -- or what the appropriate dosing of it is even with access to the label instructions -- despite having taken the medication recently, according to a new University of Rochester Medical Center Study assessing teens' health literacy. More than 60 percent of the teens in the study had never before heard of acetaminophen despite 21 percent of them having taken it within the previous month.
When presented with a mock scenario in which they might choose to take acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol), nearly 85 percent of teens in the study would have put themselves at risk of overdosing on the medication that can cause liver damage. Among those teens with limited health literacy, the percentage of potential overdosing rises to 94 percent.
"Teens are starting to medicate themselves without parental input, so these numbers are incredibly concerning. Acetaminophen may be an over-the-counter medication, but that doesn't mean it is completely safe. In severe cases, misuse of it can cause liver failure," said Laura Shone, M.S.W., Dr.P.H., associate professor of Pediatrics at URMC's Golisano Children's Hospital and author of the abstract presented at the Pediatric Academic Society meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
Health & Wellness
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Pulmonary inflammation can occur throughout lung tissue. Aboe is an image comparing normal bronchiole to an inflammed bronchiole.
Pulmonary inflammation can occur throughout lung tissue. Aboe is an image comparing normal bronchiole to an inflammed bronchiole.
Emerging research suggests that violence and stress may influence the severity of a child's asthma. To explore this association further, researchers conducted a study of 561 children ages 8-14 years in Chicago who had been diagnosed with asthma by a physician.
Investigators interviewed caregivers to determine their stress level and exposure to violence. They also reviewed data from the Chicago Police Department detailing the incidence of violent crime in the communities where the children lived.
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In the 1950s and '60s, people were concerned that vitamin D could cause birth defects, according to Carol L. Wagner, MD, lead author of the study and a pediatric researcher at Medical University of South Carolina. It now is known that vitamin D is important for maternal and infant health, including bone health and immune function.
Recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a serious public health issue.
"Diet doesn't provide enough vitamin D, and we don't go in the sun as much as we need," Dr. Wagner said
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Brown rice is already well known as a healthy food choice because it's a good source of fiber, B vitamins and other nutrients. But new research just presented by Temple University researcher Satoru Eguchi at the American Physiological Society's Experimental Biology conference held in Anaheim, California, reveals another powerful health benefit. A specific natural compound found in a layer of tissue surrounding grains of brown rice inhibits an endocrine protein known as angiotensin II. In excess, angiotensin II can trigger serious cardiovascular problems.
This is enormously significant news because angiotensin II is a well documented culprit in the development of hypertension and atherosclerosis. Angiotensin II constricts arteries, increases blood pressure and forces the heart to work harder. It also thickens and stiffens the walls of the heart and blood vessels.
In a recent feature, Mother Jones Magazine calls attention to the fact that many "green" or "socially responsible" claims made on product labels are meaningless or deceptive, even when accompanied by a certification seal.
Meaningless claims are those that allude to weak or nonexistent standards. For example, there is no process for certifying a product as "cruelty free," "hormone free," "no additives," "hypoallergenic," "green," "earth smart" or "nature's friend." This means that a piece of steak prominently labeled as "hormone free," "additive free," and "cruelty free" could contain food coloring and come from a cow that was only allowed to move when it was time for its hormone injection.
Other deceptive claims include "natural" -- which only means that a food does not contain artificial flavors, preservatives or other synthetic ingredients -- and "biodegradable," which only means that a product must be made from ingredients that "return to nature." "Nontoxic" products are certified to not cause poisoning if ingested, but may still be carcinogenic or cause other long-term health effects. "Fragrance free" products are those with no noticeable smell but may contain any number of chemicals, while "free range" poultry came from birds that had "access" to the outdoors for the majority of their lives. This does not mean that the animals ever saw the outside, and has no meaning at all if applied to eggs or meat from a mammal.
Meaningless claims are those that allude to weak or nonexistent standards. For example, there is no process for certifying a product as "cruelty free," "hormone free," "no additives," "hypoallergenic," "green," "earth smart" or "nature's friend." This means that a piece of steak prominently labeled as "hormone free," "additive free," and "cruelty free" could contain food coloring and come from a cow that was only allowed to move when it was time for its hormone injection.
Other deceptive claims include "natural" -- which only means that a food does not contain artificial flavors, preservatives or other synthetic ingredients -- and "biodegradable," which only means that a product must be made from ingredients that "return to nature." "Nontoxic" products are certified to not cause poisoning if ingested, but may still be carcinogenic or cause other long-term health effects. "Fragrance free" products are those with no noticeable smell but may contain any number of chemicals, while "free range" poultry came from birds that had "access" to the outdoors for the majority of their lives. This does not mean that the animals ever saw the outside, and has no meaning at all if applied to eggs or meat from a mammal.
Children normally experience flights of fancy, including imaginary friends and conversations with stuffed animals, but some of them are also having hallucinations and delusions which might be the early signs of psychosis.
A study of British 12-year-olds that asked whether they had ever seen things or heard voices that weren't really there, and then asked careful follow-up questions, has found that nearly 6 percent may be showing at least one definite symptom of psychosis.
The children who exhibited these symptoms had many of the same risk factors that are known to correlate with adult schizophrenia, including genetic, social, neurodevelopmental, home-rearing and behavioral risks.
"We don't want to be unduly alarmist, but this is also not something to dismiss," said co-author Terrie Moffitt, the Knut Schmidt Nielsen professor of psychology and neuroscience and psychiatry & behavioral sciences at Duke University. The study appears in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
A study of British 12-year-olds that asked whether they had ever seen things or heard voices that weren't really there, and then asked careful follow-up questions, has found that nearly 6 percent may be showing at least one definite symptom of psychosis.
The children who exhibited these symptoms had many of the same risk factors that are known to correlate with adult schizophrenia, including genetic, social, neurodevelopmental, home-rearing and behavioral risks.
"We don't want to be unduly alarmist, but this is also not something to dismiss," said co-author Terrie Moffitt, the Knut Schmidt Nielsen professor of psychology and neuroscience and psychiatry & behavioral sciences at Duke University. The study appears in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Depression
Depression
Children who live in "kinship care" often fly under the radar of child welfare agencies, and little research has been done on this group of children -- until now.
Sara B. Eleoff, MD, and her colleagues, used data from a 2007 national survey of more than 91,000 children to identify those living in kinship care and compare their health and family characteristics to children living with at least one birth parent. Dr. Eleoff presented their findings on May 2 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The researchers found that about 2.8 million children live with relatives, compared to about 800,000 in foster care. And like children in foster care, those in kinship care experience a multitude of health issues.
The Organic Consumers Association has long fought against what it calls "organic cheater brands" -- personal care products that use the name "organic" in the product name or brand, yet are not truly organic products at all. This year at the Expo West Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, California, the OCA staged a very visible public protest to expose what it calls "sham-poo products" that are "organic cheaters."
The protest was part of the OCA's Coming Clean Campaign which continues to expose dishonest or misleading products in the skin care industry. Due in large part to the OCA's efforts, Whole Foods now says it will enforce honest labeling by taking a closer look at the word "organic" on personal care products.
The protest was part of the OCA's Coming Clean Campaign which continues to expose dishonest or misleading products in the skin care industry. Due in large part to the OCA's efforts, Whole Foods now says it will enforce honest labeling by taking a closer look at the word "organic" on personal care products.
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A press release on the McNeil Consumer Healthcare web page explains the reason for recall:
"Some of the products included in the recall may contain a higher concentration of active ingredient than is specified; others may contain inactive ingredients that may not meet internal testing requirements; and others may contain tiny particles."Tiny particles of what? That's left unsaid, but it is likely to be tiny particles of paint or metal from the machinery used to manufacture the products.
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Presented today at the Digestive Disease Week conference in New Orleans, the findings show that people with a diet rich in oleic acid - which is present in olive oil -are far less likely to develop ulcerative colitis. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, peanut oil and grapeseed oil, as well as in butter and certain margarines.
The researchers, led by Dr Andrew Hart of UEA's School of Medicine, studied more than 25,000 people aged 40-65 living in Norfolk, UK. The volunteers were recruited to the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Diet and Cancer) between 1993 and 1997. The participants, none of whom had ulcerative colitis at the outset, completed detailed food diaries which were later analysed by specially trained nutritionists working in Cambridge.
