Jean Alexandre helps Real Salt Lake blank slumping Vancouver
Sandy, UT, United States (AHN Sports) – Real Salt Lake, coming off a rare home loss last week, bounced back into the winners’ column behind the sterling effort of Jean Alexandre in a 2-0 rout of the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Alexandre, switched from midfielder to forward due to a number of injuries and international call-ups, opened up the scoring in the 32nd and set up the other RSL goal in the second half for his first career MLS goal and assist.
The 24-year-old Alexandre, who gradually adapted to his current position, collected a nifty Kyle Beckerman feed and maneuvered through traffic into the penalty area before slotting the ball home past Vancouver goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
In the 79th, Alexandre set up Fabian Espindola for the insurance goal.
It marked the first win in the past four league fixtures for RSL, which saw its 29-match home unbeaten streak halted by Seattle Sounders FC in its previous match.
Real Salt Lake, determined to get back into its winning ways after that rare home loss last week at Rio Tinto, outplayed the hapless Whitecaps on both ends of the field by compiling a total of 24 shots while putting eight of those on goal.
Vancouver tallied just seven shots overall. The expansion Whitecaps have not won in 13 matches since taking their first MLS game against Toronto FC.
RSL (6-2-2) is expected to ride on the momentum when it meets Columbus Wednesday. Vancouver (1-6-6) will attempt to snap its losing streak next Saturday when it plays Seattle in its MLS tilt.
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Quality Prescription For Primary Care Doctors: Do Less
Washington, DC, United States (KaiserHealth) – Everybody loves a list. And lists, let’s face, make it easier to set priorities, even for doctors.
So a group of docs who want to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of primary care tinkered with some Top 5 lists for of dos and don’ts for pediatricians, family doctors and internists.
After testing them a bit, they published online by the Archives of Internal Medicine. Most of the advice falls in the category of less is more.
So what should family doctors not be doing? The Top 5 list for them goes like this:
- No MRI or other imaging tests for low back pain, unless it has persisted longer than six weks or there are red flags, such as neurological problems.
- No antibiotics for mild to moderate sinusitis, unless it has lasted a week or longer. Or the condition worsens after first getting better.
- No annual electrocardiograms for low-risk patients without cardiac symptoms.
- No Pap tests in patients under 21, or women who’ve had hysterectomies for non-malignant disease.
- No bone scans for women under 65 or men under 70, unless they have specific risk factors.
Some of the advice for internists is the same (No. 1, 3 & 5). But they’re supposed to prescribe only generic statins (simvastatin instead of Crestor) at the start of cholesterol treatment and lay off ordering a battery of lab tests to screen for trouble in otherwise healthy patients.
To help the lists get traction, the doctors who worked on them are going to seek endorsements from consumer and patient safety groups.
The work, organized by the National Physicians Alliance, was funded by a grant from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation.
– Provided by Kaiser Health News.
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Feds Cutting Fees, Requirements For High-Risk Health Insurance Pools
Washington, DC, United States (KaiserHealth) – Trying to spur enrollment in a key new benefit of the 2010 health law, the Obama administration announced today it is slashing premiums for new high-risk insurance plans and no longer requiring applicants to submit a rejection letter from private insurers.
Since the plans were introduced in most states last summer, enrollment has fallen far short of expectations; only about 18,000 people have signed up. The Congressional Budget Office had estimated that as many as 4 million uninsured Americans would be eligible and that 200,000 would be enrolled by 2013. The government set aside $5 billion to fund the plans.
Citing the low enrollment, some Republicans including Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich, have criticized the administration’s handling of the program. Twenty-seven states run their own plans; the federal government operates them in 23 states and the District of Columbia. The changes, which occur July 1, affect only federally run plans. The plans are intended to serve as a bridge to help people with medical conditions until insurance market reforms required by the law are implemented in 2014. At that time, insurers will no longer be able to deny coverage or charge higher rates for people with pre-existing conditions, a major benefit of the law.
To be eligible for the plans, applicants have to be uninsured for at least six months and have a pre-existing condition.
In the states where the plans are run by the federal government, applicants will no longer have to prove they were denied coverage by an insurance company. Instead, they can provide a doctor’s letter stating that they have a medical condition. At least a dozen state-run plans do not ask for a denial letter from an insurer. The premiums will drop as much as 40 percent in 17 states plus the District where the federally administered plans operates, the administration estimates. These decreases will help bring premiums closer to the rates in each state’s individual insurance market. In the six states where high-risk plan premiums were already similar to what healthy people pay for individual plans, premiums will remain the same. States that will see a 40 percent drop in premiums are Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky and Virginia. In other states, premium reductions range from 2.1 percent in Mississippi to 38.3 percent in Minnesota.
In Florida, where 770 people have enrolled, a person 55 and over who subscribes to the so-called standard plan will see his or her monthly premium for the standard plan fall by $150 to $376.
To further generate interest in the plans, HHS this fall will begin paying insurance agents and brokers for signing up people.
“These changes will decrease costs and help insure more Americans,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The administration released a chart showing changes to premiums in states with federally administered plans.
pgalewitz@kff.org
– Provided by Kaiser Health News.
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Oxfam warns about rising global food prices as one-sixth of all people go hungry
Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – Oxfam warns that as global food prices continue to increase the resultant hardship caused to people who were already struggling to obtain adequate amounts of food is increasing demands for a major reform in global food prices.
When world food prices reached a new historic peak in January, it left over a billion people, or one-sixth of the world’s population, hungry and millions of people under threat of starvation, with the situation expected to worsen, Oxfam officials say.
Oxfam is calling on world leaders to act to improve the regulation of food markets. In addition, it is asking for investment in a global climate fund.
World food prices have more than doubled since 1990, but the incomes of the poor have not.
“Poor people in developing countries spend between 50-80% of their income on food, making higher prices, as well as unpredictable prices, a serious threat to their ability to eat – let alone continue spending on other basic needs such as health, or education,” Oxfam officials say in a statement posted on the website.
The key drivers of rising food prices are reduced production caused by bad weather that might be linked to climate change; export restrictions and panic buying mostly caused by weather related problems; increased demand for food and for biofuels, which removes land from food production; financial disruptions, including low interest rates, depreciation of the dollar and speculation in commodity markets; and increased oil prices that increased the costs of fertilizer for crops and transportation to get food to market or stores.
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One in five Americans are unfit drivers
Winston-Salem, NC, United States (AHN) – An assessment of American drivers finds one in five drivers on the road today cannot meet the basic requirements to get a driver’s license. That means nearly 40 million American drivers – roughly 18 percent – would not fail the written drivers test if taken today.
The average score of all drivers in the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test increased from 76.2 percent in 2010 to 77.9 percent this year, however results seem to show that a great number of people on the road still lack basic driving knowledge, which can lead to dangerous driving habits.
Eighty-five percent could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light, and only a quarter were aware of safe following distances.
Without critical driving comprehension, many drivers run the risk of increased accidents or near accidents, where they often come to the realization of their lack of knowledge on rules of the road.
Specifically the Northeast was found to be the worst driving region with average scoring at 74.9 percent. The Midwest was deemed best driving region in the test with an average scoring of 77.5 percent.
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Study: Too much hand sanitizer use can give a test positive for alcohol consumption
Gainesville, FL, United States (AHN) – Using alcohol-containing hand sanitizer may result in testing positive in a urine test for alcohol consumption, according to a recent University of Florida study,
In the study, 11 volunteers who had not consumed alcohol in five days repeatedly applied a popular brand of hand sanitizer, Purell, to their hands. According to the manufacturer, 62 percent of Purell consists of ethyl alcohol.
They sanitized every five minutes, for 10 hours a day, three days in a row, approximating how much sanitizer a nurse would do during typical days on the job.
However, by the end of the first day the urine in eight of the subjects contained levels of an alcohol-breakdown product that would indicate they had recently consumed alcohol.
Doctor Gary Reisfield of the University of Florida College of Medicine conducted the study. He said, “The levels of one of the biomarkers we found was consistent with the use of moderate amounts of alcohol consumed over the past couple hours to the past couple days.”
Resfield says humans break down ethyl alcohol in hand sanitizers the same way they break down alcoholic drinks.
“Anyone out there who needs to abstain from alcohol needs to be cognizant about alcohol that may be hidden in products in hand washing gels, hair sprays, food stuffs, and cosmetic products,” he said.
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Dairy intake doesn’t lead to heart attacks, researchers say
Providence, RI, United States (AHN) – Although dairy products can be high in saturated fat, dairy consumption likely does not lead to heart disease, according to a new study.
Brown University researchers studied the health records of thousands of adults in Costa Rica and found that their levels of dairy consumption had nothing to do with their risk of heart attack.
The researchers hypothesize that the saturated fat in dairy products is still harmful, but other nutrients found in them may be protective against heart disease.
These potentially-beneficial nutrients include calcium, vitamin D, potassium, magnesium and conjugated linoleic acid.
The researchers point to eggs as an example of the changing attitudes toward dairy. Doctors used to warn against eating eggs on a regular basis because they are high in cholesterol, but more studies have emerged touting their health benefits because they are high in other nutrients.
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FDA Warns Not to Feed SimplyThick to Premature Infants
Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Do not feed the thickening product called SimplyThick to infants born before 37 weeks because it may cause a life-threatening condition.
This advice to parents, caregivers, and health care providers from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is based on reports of infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in which tissue in the intestines becomes inflamed and die
SimplyThick is a brand of thickening agent—available to consumers and medical centers—to help manage swallowing difficulties. It is sold in packets of individual servings and in 64-ounce dispenser bottles. The product can be purchased from distributors and local pharmacies throughout the United States.
Benson M. Silverman, M.D., director of FDA’s Infant Formula and Medical Foods Staff—himself a neonatologist—explains that the thickening agent is added to infants’ formula to help the premature babies swallow their food and keep it down, without spitting up. The product is also used in older children and adults with swallowing problems caused by trauma to the throat, he notes.
The Problem
FDA first learned of bad side effects possibly linked to SimplyThick on May 13, 2011. Silverman says he was alerted by two reports in FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting system. He followed up with the physicians who filed those reports and subsequently with a network of other neonatologists.
Karl Klontz, M.D., a medical officer in FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, says the severity and scope of the problem soon became apparent. To date, the agency is aware of 15 cases of NEC, including two deaths, involving premature infants who were fed SimplyThick mixed with mothers’ breast milk or infant formula products. The mixture was fed to infants for varying amounts of time.
At least four different medical centers around the U.S. have reported the illness in infants who became sick over the past six months.
This situation is unusual because NEC most often occurs in babies while they are in the hospital early in their premature course. But some of the ill babies that FDA is aware of got sick after they had been discharged from the hospital and sent home on a feeding regimen that included SimplyThick.
At this time it is not known what about SimplyThick is making babies sick. FDA is actively investigating the link between SimplyThick and these illnesses and deaths.
In the meantime, adds Klontz, parents should stop using the product even if their babies don’t appear to be sick. “Why take the risk?” he asks.
Symptoms to Watch for
- bloated stomach
- greenish-tinged vomiting
- bloody stools
Do not feed SimplyThick to premature infants, including those in the hospital and those sent home from the hospital within the past 30 days.
Contact your health care professional if your baby has any of the symptoms listed above or if you have other concerns related to using SimplyThick.
You or your health care professional may report side effects related to using SimplyThick to FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program by:
Completing and submitting the report online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm;
Downloading the pre-addressed, postage-paid FDA Form 3500 (or calling 1-800-332-1088 to request the form), completing it and faxing it to 1-800-FDA-0178; or Mailing the completed form to MedWatch 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.
What FDA Is Doing
FDA is actively investigating the link between SimplyThick and the illnesses and deaths. FDA will provide updates as information is made available.
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Netminder Tim Thomas blanks Lightning, Bruins take 2-1 lead in series
Tampa Bay, FL, United States (AHN Sports) – A quick goal and Tim Thomas added up to a huge win for the Boston Bruins.
David Krejci scored the all-important first goal and Thomas made 31 saves to lead the Bruins to a 2-0 victory Thursday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Boston lost Game 1 at home but has won two straight to grab a 2-1 advantage in the series. Game 4 is Saturday afternoon at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Krejci scored 1:09 into the game to give the Bruins the momentum and quiet the home crowd. Defenseman Andrew Ference added an insurance goal midway into the third period for the Bruins.
Krejci’s goal was his second in as many games and team-high seventh of the playoffs.
Patrice Bergeron returned to the ice for the first time in the series and gave Boston a lift, winning 18 of 28 faceoffs.
Thomas was the start as he made 10 saves in the first period, six in the middle session and 15 in the third to record his second career playoff shutout.
Dwayne Roloson finished with 23 saves for fifth-seeded Tampa Bay
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Health professionals challenge McDonald’s to stop marketing to kids
Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – More than 550 health professionals and activists from across the country have challenged McDonald’s to stop marketing junk food to kids.
Currently the fast food retailer uses a proven marketing campaign that makes parents virtually powerless over the allure of their products and brand images.
The group Corporate Accountability International also is seeking to retire the company’s iconic corporate symbol Ronald McDonald. The clown character who wears oversized red shoes and yellow rompers adorned with the restaurant chain’s “Golden Arches” logo — for decades has been used by McDonald’s as a kid-friendly corporate spokesman.
The open to letter to the company’s CEO found at lettertomcdonalds.org comes just weeks after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed sweeping new guidelines on junk food marketing to kids.
Wednesday’s move comes a day before McDonald’s annual shareholders’ meeting. During the meeting a resolution calling on the corporation to assess its impact on public health will be voted on.
“Today, our family practice offices, pediatric clinics, and emergency rooms are filled with children suffering from conditions related to the food they eat. These health problems will likely play out over their lifetime through early onset of diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.” said Dr. Steven K. Rothschild, Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine at Rush Medical College. “Through this initiative the public health community is rallying behind a simple message to McDonald’s: stop making the next generation sick – retire Ronald and the rest of your junk food marketing to kids.”
A range of leading health institutions from the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have endorsed the letter featured in today’s ads.
The full-page ads can be seen appearing in the Chicago Sun-Times, New York Metro, Boston Metro, San Francisco Examiner, Minneapolis City Pages and Baltimore City Paper urge still more individuals and institutions to sign the open letter and share it with their peers. The ads have sparked debates on morning talk shows and around water coolers.
“This initiative has struck a chord, particularly among health professionals who work in the communities most targeted and impacted by McDonald’s marketing,” said Esther Sciammarella, Executive Director of the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition. “Children in these communities are not as healthy. Access to healthy food is limited. There is less nutrition education. But we do have more of one thing: McDonald’s junk food and junk food marketing. It’s time that changed.”
In response to the letter McDonald issued a statement:
McDonald’s cares about kids. We are committed to responsible advertising and take our communications to children very seriously.
We understand the importance of children’s health and nutrition, and are committed to being part of the dialogue and solution.
We serve high quality food, and our Happy Meals offer choice and variety in portions just for kids. Parents tell us they appreciate our Happy Meal choices.
As the face of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Ronald is an ambassador for good and delivers important messages to kids on safety, literacy and balanced, active lifestyles.
Researchers say that an increasing amount of studies from the Institutes of Medicine to the National Bureau of Economic Research show that reducing junk food marketing to kids could spare the health of millions of children.
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