About 48 percent of black women are infected with genital herpes. The increased rate of infection in blacks is not due to increased risky behavior but likely due to biological factors that make women more susceptible. There is a higher rate of infection within black communities. The CDC estimates that more than 80 percent of people with genital herpes do not know they are infected.

The statistics make genital herpes the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD)There is no cure for genital herpes, or herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which can cause recurrent and painful genital sores and also increases the likelihood of acquiring and transmitting the AIDS virus. It is related to herpes simplex virus 1, or oral herpes, which causes cold sores.

Several drugs are available to treat herpes symptoms and outbreaks. Acyclovir, which is available generically or under the Zovirax brand name, and valacyclovir, known generically as Valtrex, are both made by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Ganciclovir, sold as Zirgan, is made by privately-held Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL — CDC.GOV

Bacteria that helps digest food can cause obesity if the bacteria becomes unregulated and certain bacteria overpopulate and cause a low-leval inflammation that leads to a pre-diabetic condition and elevated appetite.

Scientist discovered that mice genetically deficient in Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5), a component of the innate immune system that is expressed in the gut mucosa and that helps defend against infection, exhibit hyperphagia (excessive appetite) and develop hallmark features of metabolic syndrome, including hyperlipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and increased adiposity.

The metabolic changes correlated with changes in the composition of the bacteria present in the gut. Also transfer of the gut bacteria from TLR5-deficient mice to wild-type germ-free mice caused many features of metabolic syndrome to the germ-free mice.

Food restriction prevented obesity, but not insulin resistance, in the TLR5-deficient mice.

The scientists concluded that the results support the emerging view that the gut microbiota (composition of bacteria in the intestines) contributes to metabolic disease and suggest that malfunction of the innate immune system may promote the development of metabolic syndrome.

SOURCE: Vijay-Kumar M, Aitken JD, Carvalho FA, Cullender TC, Mwangi S, Srinivasan S, Sitaraman SV, Knight R, Ley RE, Gewirtz AT. Metabolic Syndrome and Altered Gut Microbiota in Mice Lacking Toll-Like Receptor 5. Science. 2010 Mar 4.

See also …
Wikipedia: Metabolic Syndrome

On a Sunday night, August 16, 2009 in Berlin, with a tailwind of 1 mile per hour, the 6′ 4″ 168-pound Jamaican put his 100-meters world record to an amazing level.

International Association of Athletics Federations — iaaf.org

13th FINA World Championships Men’s 4x 200 meter Freestyle — WR
Name R.T. 50m 100m 150m 200m Time
PHELPS Michael 0.73 24.73 51.26 1:17.97 1:44.49 (2) 1:44.49
BERENS Ricky 0.26 24.30 50.84 1:17.80 1:44.13 (1) 3:28.62
WALTERS David 0.28 23.35 49.22 1:16.65 1:45.47 (1) 5:14.09
LOCHTE Ryan 0.32 24.15 50.65 1:18.00 1:44.46 (1) 6:58.55

R.T. = Reaction Time

Reaction time was 0.69 seconds.

Minor league baseball stadium in Michigan to sell major league hamburger: 4-pound, 4800 calories »»» Excess salt hurting Americans (1500 or 2000 mg) »»» Scalding tea may increase risk of esophageal cancer »»» Pets cause falls and injuries of thousand of people »»» Urine test of potassium may identify unhealthy diets »»» Increased rates of kidney stones among children »»» Doctors Matthew Golden and Judith Wasserheit: Besides AIDS, circumcision helps prevent HPV (lowers risk 35%) & herpes (lowers risk 28%) »»» MSNBC: Gyms hold costs to keep memberships »»» FOXNews Across America reports gyms take a hit in hard economy: 3 Coyotes Athletic Centers and three Bally Clubs closed in Arizona »»»

Beta (archive below is 4/21/2009 instead of 3/27/2009)

MedicineNet Daily News Outgoing Nature Could Get You to 100 4/21/2009 Title: Outgoing Nature Could Get You to 100 Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Doctor-Patient Talks Key to Blacks Getting Cancer Screens 4/21/2009 Title: Doctor-Patient Talks Key to Blacks Getting Cancer Screens Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Study Rates Breast Cancer Risks Among Races 4/21/2009 Title: Study Rates Breast Cancer Risks Among Races Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Health Tip: Foods To Avoid if You Have IBS 4/21/2009 Title: Health Tip: Foods To Avoid if You Have IBS Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review:… Health Tip: Keep Allergy Symptoms Under Control 4/21/2009 Title: Health Tip: Keep Allergy Symptoms Under Control Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Health Highlights: April 20, 2009 4/21/2009 Title: Health Highlights: April 20, 2009 Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Estrogen May Combat Marijuana’s Effect on Cognition 4/21/2009 Title: Estrogen May Combat Marijuana’s Effect on Cognition Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Almost 1 in 10 Young Video Game Users ‘Addicted’ 4/21/2009 Title: Almost 1 in 10 Young Video Game Users ‘Addicted’ Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review:… Kids and Veggies: Offer Them and They Will Eat 4/21/2009 Title: Kids and Veggies: Offer Them and They Will Eat Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review:… Radiation Exposure Linked to Aggressive Thyroid Cancers 4/21/2009 Title: Radiation Exposure Linked to Aggressive Thyroid Cancers Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Robotic Surgery Practical for Some Head, Neck Tumors 4/21/2009 Title: Robotic Surgery Practical for Some Head, Neck Tumors Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 ‘Silent’ Heart Attacks More Common Than Thought 4/21/2009 Title: ‘Silent’ Heart Attacks More Common Than Thought Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Fructose-Sweetened Drinks Up Metabolic Syndrome Risk 4/21/2009 Title: Fructose-Sweetened Drinks Up Metabolic Syndrome Risk Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Grapefruit Juice Boosts Anti-Cancer Drug’s Effects 4/21/2009 Title: Grapefruit Juice Boosts Anti-Cancer Drug’s Effects Category: Health News Created: 4/21/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/21/2009 Subscribe to this Feed

MedicineNet Exercise and Fitness Exercise During Pregnancy May Help Baby 4/20/2009 Title: Exercise During Pregnancy May Help Baby Category: Health News Created: 4/18/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/20/2009 The Pill May Limit Muscle Gains in Women 4/20/2009 Title: The Pill May Limit Muscle Gains in Women Category: Health News Created: 4/18/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/20/2009 Group Urges Public to Take Free Asthma Tests in May 4/20/2009 Title: Group Urges Public to Take Free Asthma Tests in May Category: Health News Created: 4/19/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial… Exercise Prescription Coming Your Way? 4/20/2009 Title: Exercise Prescription Coming Your Way? Category: Health News Created: 4/20/2009 Last Editorial Review: 4/20/2009 Deployment Takes Toll on Military Moms and Teens 4/16/2009 Title: Deployment Takes Toll on Military Moms and Teens Category: Health News Created: 4/16/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/16/2009 Health Tip: Drive Safely With Arthritis 4/16/2009 Title: Health Tip: Drive Safely With Arthritis Category: Health News Created: 4/16/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/16/2009 Soothing Songs Please the Heart 4/16/2009 Title: Soothing Songs Please the Heart Category: Health News Created: 4/16/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/16/2009 Sports Drinks May Give Brain a Workout 4/16/2009 Title: Sports Drinks May Give Brain a Workout Category: Health News Created: 4/16/2009 Last Editorial Review: 4/16/2009 Marathoners Go the Distance on Heart Health 4/13/2009 Title: Marathoners Go the Distance on Heart Health Category: Health News Created: 4/11/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/13/2009 A Winning Strategy to Beat Spring Sporting Injuries 4/13/2009 Title: A Winning Strategy to Beat Spring Sporting Injuries Category: Health News Created: 4/13/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/13/2009 Extra Pounds in Mid-Life Affect Later Mobility 4/10/2009 Title: Extra Pounds in Mid-Life Affect Later Mobility Category: Health News Created: 4/10/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/10/2009 Health Tip: Aerobic Exercise 4/9/2009 Title: Health Tip: Aerobic Exercise Category: Health News Created: 4/9/2009 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 4/9/2009 Subscribe to this Feed

FIND PAST HEADLINES IN THE * FRONTPAGE * ARCHIVES …

Centers for Disease Control | cdc.gov/travel | CDC: Public Health Reports (wonder.cdc.gov)

ACE | ACSM | NASM | NSCA

CNN.COM/HEALTH | Paging Dr. Gupta | FOXNews | FOXNews.com Health | MSNBC Health/Fitness
JAMA | New England Journal of Medicine | PLoS Medicine | PubMed.gov | WebMD | Yahoo! Health

Club Industry’s FITNESS business pro … | Fitness & Exercise on Amazon …

BODYBUILDING.COM | bodyspace.bodybuilding.com | FLEX | Men’s Health | Muscle & Fitness | MUSCLEMAG.COM | Nutrition Action | Prevention Magazine | Quackwatch.com | Shape | Women’s Health
Time Magazine | Time.com/health | Newsweek | Newsweek Health | USAToday | chicagotribune.com/health

On Monday March 16, 2009 Natasha Richardson, 45, was taking a ski lesson without a helmet (she declined the offer to wear a helmet) on a beginner slope at the Mont Tremblant ski resort north of Montreal, with an instructor. Toward the end of the lesson, Richardson fell and struck her head and the ski instructor called the ski patrol for assistance. She was alert and conversational afterward, even joking about her fall, and did not complain of any ill effects. One hour later, in her hotel room, she developed a severe headache.

Ambulance dispatch records obtained by the New York Times show that Richardson was not hospitalized until almost four hours after suffering the brain injury that ultimately killed her — three hours after developing symptoms.

Yves Coderre, director of operations for Ambulances Radisson, which provided the emergency transport for Natasha Richardson, had told the Toronto Globe and Mail that when paramedics initially arrived 1 p.m. at the Mont Tremblant resort, they were told they were not needed. As they were turned away, paramedics did observe from a distance that Natasha Richardson was sitting on a stretcher at the resort.

The next request for the ambulance for Natasha Richardson, still conscious, came at about 3:00 p.m. followed by a reported “enroute hospital” time of 3:42 p.m. to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Ste. Agathe — a 25-mile trip from Mont Temblant.

At 4:20 p.m. Natasha Richardson was examined by a physician.

A transfer was ordered to a larger hospital in Montreal, the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal. Natasha Richardson arrived at the Montreal hospital at about 7:00 p.m. Monday.

Tuesday, Natasha Richardson was accompanied by husband Liam Neeson and flown to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City in critical condition, where she died on Wednesday after surgery.

Epidural or extradural hematoma (haematoma) is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in which a buildup of blood occurs between the dura mater (the tough outer membrane of the central nervous system) and the skull. The dura mater also covers the spine, so epidural bleeds may also occur in the spinal column. Often due to trauma, the condition is potentially deadly because the buildup of blood may increase pressure in the intracranial space and compress delicate brain tissue. Because the bleed come from an artery the pressure can build up quickly while there is an eye before the storm giving the condition the name ‘Talk and die syndrome.’ The condition is present in one to three percent of head injuries.Between 15 and 20% of patients with epidural hematomas die of the injury. Epidural hematoma is usually found on the same side of the brain as impact.

Skull fractures often accompany epidural hematomas.

Signs & Symptoms of Epidural Hematoma
Expanding hematoma causes headache, nausea, and vomiting. Shifting brain tissue causes local brain dysfunction such as weakness, numbness, or speech problems. If severe progression of the hematoma occurs, central areas of the brain and the brainstem become displaced, causing loss of conscious, abnormal positioning of the arms and legs (decerebrate posture). At this point irreversible brainstem damage can occur. Documentation exists of rapid deteriorating conditions from injury to decerebrate posture in as little as two hours.

Full symptom list in severe head injury:
A lasting headache which worsens, or is still present over six hours following the injury.
Extreme difficulty in staying awake, or still being sleepy several hours after the injury.
Two or more bouts of vomiting.
Unconsciousness, either for a short or extended period of time.
Unequal pupil size.
Straw colored or blood stained fluid coming from the nose or ears. This is cerebrospinal fluid which normally surrounds the brain.
Severe dizziness or loss of balance.
Confusion or strange behavior.
Problems with memory.
Bleeding from the scalp that cannot be quickly stopped.
Not being able to use part of the body, such as weakness in an arm or leg.
Difficulty seeing or double vision.
Slurred speech
Unusual breathing patterns.
Ringing or deafness in one or both ears.
Having a seizure or fit (when your body suddenly moves uncontrollably).

An autopsy revealed that a torn artery bled between the outer lining of the brain and the skull.

Natasha Richardson picture collage.

Sources:
Bor Seng Shu E, de Almeida Leme RJ, Aguiar PH, de Andrade AF, Teixeira MJ, Plese JP. Traumatic acute giant epidural hematoma in a hydrocephalic shunted child. Pediatr Neurosurg. 2000 Apr;32(4):176-9.

Gerlach R, Dittrich S, Schneider W, Ackermann H, Seifert V, Kieslich M. Traumatic epidural hematomas in children and adolescents: outcome analysis in 39 consecutive unselected cases. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2009 Mar;25(3):164-9.

Study: 75 percent of EMS candidates for fire and ambulance services in Massachusetts are either overweight or obese »»» Studies show obesity takes years off of life »»» ALDH2 deficiency: East Asians with red skin flush from alcohol ingestion may be at higher risk of esophageal cancer »»»

FIND PAST HEADLINES IN THE HEADLINES ARCHIVES …

Centers for Disease Control | cdc.gov/travel | CDC: Public Health Reports (wonder.cdc.gov)

ACE | ACSM | NASM | NSCA

CNN.COM/HEALTH | Paging Dr. Gupta | FOXNews | FOXNews.com Health
JAMA | New England Journal of Medicine | PLoS Medicine | PubMed.gov | WebMD | Yahoo! Health

Club Industry’s FITNESS business pro … | Fitness & Exercise on Amazon …

BODYBUILDING.COM | bodyspace.bodybuilding.com | FLEX | Men’s Health | Muscle & Fitness | MUSCLEMAG.COM | Nutrition Action | Prevention Magazine | Quackwatch.com | Shape | Women’s Health
Time Magazine | Time.com/health | Newsweek | Newsweek Health | USAToday | chicagotribune.com/health

“It is essential that recruits begin the academy with a minimum level of physical fitness to ensure safe and successful participation in training,” according to a statement of the Chicago Police Department released Friday, March 13, 2009.

Under the State of Illinois POWER test (Peace Officer Wellness Evaluation Report), a man in his 20’s must do a minimum of 37 sit-ups in a minute and run 1.5 miles in 13:46. A woman in her 20’s is required to do 31 sit-ups and run the same distance in 16:21. The test also includes a bench press and a sit-and-reach (flexibility) evaluation.

Several recruits typically fail in each class. New recruits are given the option of resigning or getting in shape for the next class. The POWER test is videotaped for legal documentation.

The City of Chicago is pushing for mandatory fitness tests for veteran officers. Failing officers would be assigned a trainer and be recommended special diets. Details and resolution are part of ongoing contract negotiations with the police union.

Currently, veteran officers may volunteer to take the POWER test and get a $250 award if they pass. There’s no remedial action if they flunk.