New Clues to How HIV Infects Body's Cells

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Fibroid embolization "fails" more in young women

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Workers With Paid Sick Days Healthier, More Productive: Study

HealthDay – 1 min 41 secs ago WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Employees with paid sick leave are healthier than other workers who do not have this benefit, new study findings suggest.

According to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workers with paid sick leave are 28 percent less likely to suffer nonfatal work-related injuries.

In addition, the researchers noted that those with jobs in high-risk industries, such as construction, manufacturing and health care, who often suffer from pain, sprains, fractures and chronic injuries, gain the most from this benefit.

"This study highlights how our work lives and our personal health are intertwined," the institute's director, Dr. John Howard, said in a CDC news release. "This concept of total worker health, which involves creating an environment of well-being both at home and at work, is an important aspect of the American economy, as we depend on able and productive workers."

In conducting the study, the researchers examined national survey data collected between 2005 and 2008 on 38,000 workers in the private sector. The investigators found that health care workers and technicians who did not have paid sick leave were 18 percent more likely to suffer a nonfatal work-related injury than their peers with similar jobs who did have access to paid sick leave.

The study also found that construction workers without paid sick leave were 21 percent more likely to sustain a nonfatal work-related injury than construction workers who did have this benefit.

If sick or stressed workers are not able to take time off from work, they may be at greater risk for injuries, the study authors warned. Previous studies have reported that sleep deprivation, fatigue and certain medications may contribute to nonfatal workplace injuries, they added.

"Many workers may feel pressured to work while they are sick, out of fear of losing their income," the study's lead researcher, Abay Asfaw, said in the news release. "If fewer people work while they are sick, this could lead to safer operations and fewer injuries in the workplace."

The study authors also pointed out that their findings support previous research that found that access to paid sick leave is associated with shorter recovery times and fewer complications from minor health problems. In addition, paid sick leave for workers could reduce the risk of spreading illnesses, particularly in day-care facilities and schools, the researchers noted.

In the United States, employers have the option to provide their workers with paid sick leave, but it's not required. The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act mandates public- and private-sector companies to provide up to 12 weeks of leave to eligible workers, but it doesn't have to be paid leave, the authors explained in the release. In 2010, only 40 million private-sector employees in the United States had access to paid sick leave.

More research is needed to better understand how paid sick leave could benefit communities and prevent the spread of disease, the study authors concluded.

The study was released online in advance of print publication in the American Journal of Public Health.

More information

The U.S. Department of Labor has more about sick leave.

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Poor Sleep Hampers Vaccine Effectiveness: Study

HealthDay – 1 min 39 secs ago WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Lack of sleep can reduce the effectiveness of vaccinations, according to a new study.

Researchers measured the sleep patterns of 125 adults who received the three-shot course of the vaccine to protect against hepatitis B. The immune systems of participants who slept less produced fewer antibodies in response to the vaccine and blood tests showed that they did not meet the standard of protection from the virus.

People who slept less than six hours per night were nearly 12 times more likely to be left unprotected by the vaccine than those who slept more than seven hours per night.

Only the amount of sleep, not the quality of sleep, affected the amount of antibodies produced in response to the vaccine.

"Given that more and more Americans are grappling with chronic sleep deprivation, these findings should be a wake-up call to the public health community about the clear connection between sleep and health," study author Aric Prather, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar at the University of California, both at Berkeley and San Francisco, said in a foundation news release.

The study, published in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Sleep, is the first outside a sleep laboratory to confirm that the amount of sleep people get affects how they respond to vaccinations, according to Prather.

"Based on our findings and laboratory evidence, physicians and other health professionals who are administering vaccines may want to consider asking their patients about their sleep patterns first, since a lack of sleep may affect the efficacy of the vaccine," Prather said.

Adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep per night, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

While the study found an association between sleep and vaccine effectiveness, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about adults and vaccinations.

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Even Mild Depression, Anxiety Hurts the Heart: Study

HealthDay – 2 mins 35 secs ago TUESDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- Even mild depression or anxiety may raise your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and other causes, according to British researchers.

And the greater the level of psychological distress, the higher the odds of death from heart disease, the researchers say.

"The fact that an increased risk of mortality was evident, even at low levels of psychological distress, should prompt research into whether treatment of these very common, minor symptoms can reduce this increased risk of death," said lead researcher Tom Russ, a clinical research fellow at the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Center of the University of Edinburgh.

For the study, published online July 31 in BMJ, Russ and colleagues analyzed 10 studies of men and women enrolled in the Health Survey for England from 1994 to 2004. Data on more than 68,000 adults aged 35 and older was included overall.

Each study looked for connections between chronic psychological distress and the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes, including cancer.

Pooling data in this way is called a meta-analysis. In such a study, researchers look for common patterns across several studies.

Over eight years' follow-up, the researchers found even very mild depression or anxiety -- subclinical levels -- raised the risk of all-cause death, including cardiovascular disease, by 20 percent. Looking specifically at death from heart disease, mild psychological distress raised this risk 29 percent, the study found.

For the highest level of depression or anxiety, the risk of all-cause death rose 94 percent, the researchers found.

Risk of death from cancer was increased 9 percent in cases of very severe depression or anxiety, the investigators found. Lower levels of psychological distress were not associated with increased risk of cancer death.

An individual's actual risk of death remains small, however, and people shouldn't assume they are doomed to an early death if they suffer from a psychological disorder.

Dr. Glyn Lewis, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at the University of Bristol in England and author of an accompanying journal editorial, said evidence linking stress to heart disease continues to mount.

"If we can reduce the psychological impact, then this should reduce the biological response," he said. But how to accomplish that remains a puzzle.

A type of psychological treatment called cognitive behavioral therapy is designed to help people change the way they respond to potentially stressful events, Lewis said. Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches patients to change their thinking about situations and to react less emotionally.

"This might help people with

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Health Highlights: Aug. 1, 2012

HealthDay – 2 hrs 40 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Free Contraception, Well-Woman Visits Tied to Health Care Reform Begin

Starting Wednesday, up to 47 million American women can now gain free access to contraception, well-woman visits, STD screening and other benefits linked to the Affordable Care Act, CBS News reported.

"Women deserve to have control over their health care," Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote on a blog posted on Healthcare.gov. "Too often, they have gone without preventive services, worrying about what even a $20 insurance co-pay would mean to their families' budgets and choosing to pay for groceries or rent instead. But now, thanks to the health care law, many women won't have to make that choice."

Starting Aug. 1, women will not have provide a co-pay for well-woman visits (including annual check-ups or more if doctors deem necessary); contraceptives and contraception counseling; HPV testing every three years for women aged 30 or over; annual sexually transmitted disease counseling, including HIV screening/counseling; domestic violence screening and counseling; screening for gestational diabetes and breast-feeding support, supplies and counseling.

The new benefits currently only apply to women who are enrolled in a health insurance plan, CBS News notes, although more uninsured women are expected to be included as health care reform is fully implemented.

The free services that kick in Wednesday join other no-fee, preventive health measures, such as mammography screening, cervical cancer screenings (via the Pap smear) and prenatal services, that are already covered by the Affordable Care Act.

Not everyone supports the changes, however. According to CBS News, Catholic groups have filed 12 lawsuits in 43 courts across the country to block the provision to supply contraception free of charge.

"The implementation of this policy marks the beginning of the end of religious freedom in our nation," Christen Varley, executive director of Conscience Cause, said in a statement.

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U.S. Blood Supply Critically Low, Red Cross Warns

The level of U.S. blood donations is at its lowest point in 15 years and the shortfall is such that some patients may have to have elective surgeries canceled, the American Red Cross reports.

"People will put off having knee replacements, hip replacements and other elective surgery," Danny Cervantes, a donor recruitment director for United Blood Services in Las Vegas, told NBC News.

The shortfall appears due to a number of factors. Kim Talkington, regional director of donor recruitment for the Red Cross in Wichita, Kan., told NBC News that there's a high demand for blood in summer because it's high season for travel and road accidents.

On the donor side, the supply from college students -- who typically make up about one-fifth of donations -- falls by about half in the summer months, according to Quincy, Ill., donor recruitment representative Beth Forbes.

This summer has been especially tough for the blood supply because storms have upped demand in the East and Midwest, even as they helped dry up the supply, according to Rodney Wilson, another Red Cross representative based in Ohio.

"The power outages and storms we experienced earlier in the month caused dozens of blood drives to be canceled," Wilson told NBC News. "We normally try to keep a three-day supply on hand locally, and we are down to a one-day supply."

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Too Much Bottled Water Might Harm Kids' Teeth

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Wider Waistlines Put Damper on Men's Sex Lives: Study

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Watch: Spinal Cord Therapy Approved by FDA

NYPD Officer Talks Man Out of Bridge...More Popular VideoUK's All-Male Synchronized Swim Team Left Out...U.S. Bridges, Roads Being Built by Chinese...Mitt Romney: Fallout Continues in PolandOlympic Games 2012: French Beat Michael...James Holmes Charged With 24 Counts of MurderIn The NewsU.S.PoliticsEntertainmentWeird and WackySpinal Cord Therapy Approved by FDAResearch using Schwann cells can now be used to treats patients with paralysis.01:42

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In Mice, Alzheimer's-Linked Protein Shows Promise Against MS

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Many Americans in Denial Over Weight Gain: Study

HealthDay – 2 mins 13 secs ago WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- If you've ever stepped on the scales and been shocked at the number you see, you're not alone: A large new study finds that Americans routinely underestimate the amount of extra pounds they pack on.

The finding, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, could have real implications for the U.S. obesity epidemic, the researchers said.

"If people aren't in touch with their weight and changes in their weight over time, they might not be motivated to lose weight," the study's lead author, Catherine Wetmore, said in an institute news release. The study was based on national survey data involving 775,000 American adults from 2008 and 2009

Wetmore's team note that many adults thought they had actually lost weight when they hadn't. That's important to note, Wetmore said, because data that underestimate the growing obesity epidemic could have serious public health consequences.

For example, she said, "if we had relied on the reported data about weight change between 2008 and 2009, we would have undercounted approximately 4.4 million obese adults in the U.S."

A nutritionist familiar with the findings said she wasn't surprised.

"I see this in clinic every single day; people think they are a certain weight, and they are totally wrong. There is a disconnect between perception and reality when it comes to weight," said Karen Congro, nutritionist and director of the Wellness for Life Program at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York City.

"When it comes to weight, there is a lot of magical thinking going on," she said.

In the surveys used in the study, participants were asked about their weight at the time of the survey, as well as how much they weighed one year ago.

The researchers report that, on average, American adults gained weight in 2008. However, even though the average reported weights rose between the two surveys, Americans polled typically thought they had lost weight in the past year.

Since the prevalence of obesity actually increased slightly between 2008 and 2009 (from 26 to 26.5 percent) and the average weight increased by about 1 pound, the researchers concluded that those surveyed were unclear about the change in their weight over the course of the year.

"We all know on some level that people can be dishonest about their weight," IHME professor Ali Mokdad said in the news release. "But now we know that they can be misreporting annual changes in their weight, to the extent of more than 2 pounds per year among adults over the age of 50, or more than 4 pounds per year among those with diabetes. On average, American adults were off by about a pound, which, over time, can really add up and have a significant health impact."

The researchers noted that women seemed more aware of fluctuations in their weight than men. Younger people were also better at judging fluctuations in their weight compared to older Americans.

The study's authors pointed out that not all participants thought they lost weight. They added that certain groups were more likely to report unintentional weight gain, including people under 40 years of age, smokers, minorities, and people with sedentary lifestyles and/or less-than-ideal diets.

Another nutritionist said Americans underestimate the amount of calories they take in, as well.

"We live in a toxic environment with a plethora of food choices that are high in simple sugars and carbohydrates," said Sharon Zarabi, nutritionist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City."The average person usually underestimates their caloric intake due to the fact that our super size portions have become acceptable. Want to grab a 32-ounce soda at the movie theater with you medium-sized popcorn? Right there you just added almost 900 empty calories."

She added that, "many people are in denial about their weight and as obesity rates rise, larger body frames are becoming more socially acceptable. Citizens are taking less personal responsibility and use the excuse of work hours, stress, and food availability as obstacles to managing their health."

Wetmore agreed that Americans have to get more in tune with what they actually weigh.

"It's very popular right now to talk about the underlying environmental causes of obesity, whether it's too much fast food or not enough parks," said Wetmore, who is a former postgraduate fellow at IHME and now a biostatistician at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. "While we know that the environment definitely plays a role, these results show that we need to do a better job helping people to be aware of what's going on with their own bodies."

The study was published in the August issue of Preventive Medicine.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides statistics on adult obesity.

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Breast Cancer Drug Duo Wins Out in Study

HealthDay – 2 hrs 40 mins ago WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of two cancer drugs works better than one alone to improve survival in older women with a type of breast cancer that has spread, new research suggests.

The drugs -- anastrozole (Arimidex) and fulvestrant (Faslodex) -- are currently used individually to treat breast cancer, said researcher Dr. Rita Mehta, an associate professor of health sciences at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine.

For the study, published Aug. 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine, about 700 postmenopausal women were assigned to Arimidex alone or to both drugs. Mehta looked at whether the combination improved their survival, and whether the cancer spread or not, which is termed progression-free survival.

"With the combination, there is a 20 percent improvement in progression-free survival and a 19 percent improvement in overall survival," Mehta said.

Put another way, those getting the combined treatment gained six months. They lived a median of 47.7 months (half lived longer, half less) while the solo-drug patients lived a median of 41.3 months.

The disease took 15 months to progress in the patients on both drugs, but just 13.5 on the solo drugs. Forty-one percent of the women taking Arimidex whose disease progressed later switched to Faslodex, which led the researchers to conclude that simultaneous treatment rather than sequential treatment brought about the benefits.

While other serious side effects were similar in both groups, three women in the combination-drug group died, which was possibly associated with the treatment.

The five-year study was supported by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, which makes both drugs.

All the women had hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, which requires estrogen to grow and accounts for more than 50 percent of all cases of breast cancer.

Arimidex, which is given orally, works by reducing the amount of estrogen the body makes. Faslodex -- an injectable drug -- blocks the action of estrogen on cancer cells.

Previous studies of combination hormonal therapy have been unsuccessful, Mehta said. But she decided to look at this pair because of the complementary way in which these two drugs work.

The findings are solid, said Dr. Joanne Mortimer, director of the Women's Cancer Program at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, in Duarte, Calif.

Although the study had drug company support, the company did not have input in conducting the study, she noted.

While the improvement in progression-free survival, 1.5 months, may not seem notable, the difference in overall survival is impressive, she said.

"Much more important to the patients is if they live longer," she said. ''Survival is the gold standard."

Adding Faslodex to Arimidex treatment would tack on about $700 a month, experts said. However, as both drugs are FDA-approved, insurance plans may cover the regimen. The dose of Faslodex used in this trial was less than the standard dose.

Several other regimens to help women with this form of breast cancer are under study, too, Mortimer said. "We are not sure how this

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