Focus: Hidden - Illinois

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In an analysis that included more than 70,000 participants from 13 studies, subclinical hyperthyroidism was associated with an increased risk for hip and other fractures including spine, according to a study in the May 26 issue of JAMA. Subclinical hyperthyroidism is a low serum thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration in a person without clinical symptoms and normal thyroid hormone concentrations on blood tests.

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Although some data have suggested that supplementation with soy isoflavone may be an effective treatment for patients with poor asthma control, a randomized trial that included nearly 400 children and adults found that use of the supplement did not result in improved lung function or clinical outcomes, including asthma symptoms and episodes of poor asthma control, according to a study in the May 26 issue of JAMA. Soy isoflavones are plant (soybean) derived chemicals that have anti-oxidant effects.

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Individually rare but collectively common intermediate-size copy number variations may be negatively associated with educational attainment, according to a study in the May 26 issue of JAMA. Copy number variations (CNVs) are regions of the genome that differ in the number of segments of DNA.

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In a small study in Chile that included patients with gallbladder cancer, exposure to aflatoxin (a toxin produced by mold) was associated with an increased risk of gallbladder cancer, according to a study in the May 26 issue of JAMA.

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Tips for handling summer allergies

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Though many think e-cigarettes are helping to reduce the number of smokers in the US, research is showing the opposite is true when it comes to teens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released data showing that in just one year the number of middle and high school students using e-cigarettes has tripled.

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The Recovery Room, a podcast produced by the American College of Surgeons, has released a new episode addressing how bariatric operations effectively treat obesity in pediatric and adolescent patients.

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For Hispanics/Latinos living in the United States, growing up in a home with a regular smoker nearly doubled their chances of becoming an adult smoker. The findings are based on data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), the largest ongoing study of this ethno-culturally diverse population in the U.S.

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The latest interview series from FutureFood 2050 highlights innovative new research that will shape healthy eating guidelines in the next few decades.

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Board-certified dermatologist Henry W. Lim, MD, FAAD, has been elected president of the American Academy of Dermatology.

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The American Academy of Dermatology has announced the results of its annual election.

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In four studies, documented in their paper "In Search of an Association Between Conception Risk and Prejudice," Carlee Beth Hawkins, a University of Chicago Booth School of Business doctoral student, and her co-authors were unable to find any evidence that there is an increase in racial bias related to conception risk.

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More than 500,000 people in the United States die each year of cancer-related causes. Now, emerging research has identified the mechanism behind one of the most common mutations that help cancer cells replicate limitlessly.

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More than 500,000 people in the United States die each year of cancer-related causes. Now, emerging research has identified the mechanism behind one of the most common mutations that help cancer cells replicate limitlessly.

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“The growing diversity of American households is causing parents to debate on the benefits and detriments of raising their children to be bilingual” says Megan Riordan, speech-language pathologist at Loyola University Health System. “Many respectable medical professionals often suggest that parents refrain from speaking their native language to avoid confusing their child.” Common questions asked by bilingual parents and expert answers.

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It will be an especially emotional moment when double lung transplant recipient Rachel Sweet walks across the stage during her June 2 high school graduation. Through extraordinary discipline and determination, Rachel has managed to graduate on time, despite repeated hospitalizations for cystic fibrosis.

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“Noise-induced hearing loss can be permanent. The damage to the ear cannot be repaired, but there are options to improve the hearing,” says Candace Blank, AuD, audiologist chief, Loyola University Health System. Here are sample decibels of common sounds and tips to save hearing.

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“During the preschool period, children see and interact with a variety of print at home, in the community and at daycare or school,” says Kaitlin Vogtner Trainor, speech language-pathologist at Loyola University Health System. “This exposure to print builds phonological awareness skills, the recognition that words are made up of separate speech sounds, which leads to stronger reading and writing skills later in life.”

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“Being aware of the benchmarks of development can help caregivers and parents make sure children in their care are progressing appropriately,” says Kaitlyn Vogtner Trainor, speech-language pathologist at Loyola University Health System. "Lapses in development can also help identify medical conditions.”

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“Challenges with speech and language are likely to have an impact on the child’s overall development including in the areas of socials skills, academia and even can impact a child’s behavior,” says Kathleen Czuba, speech-language therapist, Loyola University Health System. “The earlier a child's speech and language problems are identified and treated, the less likely it is that problems will persist or get worse.”

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“Sometimes baby talk is associated with nonsense words and sounds and even distorts sounds of words, providing inaccurate models of the infants and developing child, this is not encouraged,” says Kathleen Czuba, speech language therapist, Loyola University Health System. “Research in the field of child development and speech and language acquisition instead recommends the use of ‘parentese.’ This type of speech has been shown to positively support the development of speech and language.”

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Pauline Camacho, MD, FACE, was elected president elect of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) at its 24th Annual Scientific and Clinical Congress in Nashville on Saturday, May 16.

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The Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing celebrated several special events for graduate and undergraduate Nursing, Health Systems Management, Exercise Science and Dietetics students recently.

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Infants undergoing some types of surgery could have better recovery if they receive regional anesthesia rather than general anesthesia, according to two studies published in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists® (ASA®).

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Among patients with acute radiculopathy (sciatica) due to a herniated lumbar disk, a short course of oral steroids, compared with placebo, resulted in modest improvement in function and no significant improvement in pain, according to a study in the May 19 issue of JAMA.

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Nearly 35 percent of all U.S. adults and 50 percent of those 60 years of age or older were estimated to have the metabolic syndrome in 2011-2012, according to a study in the May 19 issue of JAMA.

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Two studies in the May 19 issue of JAMA analyze the prevalence of the plaque amyloid among adults of varying ages, with and without dementia, and its association with cognitive impairment.

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Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is the most preventable risk factor for all types of skin cancer. But according to new research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the majority of Americans are not regularly using sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

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Loyola University Medical Center and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital have earned top ratings in standards for nursing, according to a report released this week by nonprofit hospital watchdog The Leapfrog Group.

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An irregular heartbeat following surgery known as post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) often is dismissed as a transient phenomenon. But a study has found that POAF can significantly increase the risk of heart attack or stroke during the first 12 months after surgery.

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In light of China’s pressing environmental challenges, the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and the Paulson Institute will host a May 19 conference on climate change that will feature current and former senior government officials and renowned scholars in China and the United States.

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A relatively new, easier to implement, and better-tolerated method to provide supplemental oxygen to patients at risk of respiratory failure after surgery did not result in a worse rate of treatment failure compared to a more commonly used method, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American Thoracic Society 2015 International Conference.

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Fibromyalgia is the second most common rheumatic disorder behind osteoarthritis and, though still widely misunderstood, is now considered to be a lifelong central nervous system disorder, which is responsible for amplified pain that shoots through the body in those who suffer from it. Daniel Clauw, M.D., professor of anesthesiology, University of Michigan, analyzed the neurological basis for fibromyalgia in a plenary session address today at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.amercianpainsociety.org.

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Chronic pain is known to cause brain anatomy changes and impairments, but yoga can be an important tool for preventing or even reversing the effects of chronic pain on the brain, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) official speaking at the American Pain Society’s annual meeting today, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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With increasing numbers of chronic pain patients experimenting with marijuana to get relief, physicians need to learn more about the plant and its constituents to counsel patients appropriately about its safety and possible analgesic benefits, according to a leading medical marijuana researcher speaking today in a plenary session at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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More than half of all cancer patients experience pain, most often associated with the malignancy type, body location and disease progression. Pain researchers participating in a symposium at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.americanpainsociety.org, today reported that the relationship between tumors and nerves drives persistent and breakthrough pain and tumor progression in certain types of cancers.

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The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is committed to fostering student innovation and scientific exploration of global food science issues. Food science students faced these issues head on as competitors and now three finalists have been announced and will move on in the IFT Global Student Innovation Challenge sponsored by Tate & Lyle.

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As part of its ongoing efforts aimed at improving traceability in the worldwide food system, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) today announced that it has received a $1.3 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The new grant will support efforts to design a common technology architecture for seafood traceability and related communications, education, and training efforts.

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egetarians used to be considered a very small percentage of the consumer market, but according to a survey by the Nutrition Business Journal as much as 26 percent of consumers now fall into the category of “flexitarians,” who prefer a more plant-based diet. In the May issue of Food Technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), IFT member and freelance writer David Despain writes how food companies are responding to the growing demand for vegetarian food offerings.

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Olive oil is known for its health-promoting properties and is very popular amongst consumers for both cooking and adding flavor to foods. In the May issue of Food Technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), Contributing Editor Tarar McHugh, PhD writes about the history of olive oil as well as the how it’s produced today.

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With the increasing demand for food with health benefits, high nutritional value food materials are attracting more attention from both consumers and food manufacturers. A new study by researchers at Wilmar (Shanghai) Biotechnology Research and Development Center Co., Ltd. in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), found that germinated buckwheat, an important raw material for food and functional food production, had better nutritional value than ungerminated buckwheat.

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Mark A. Roberts, MD, PHD, MPH, FACOEM, is the new President of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). Dr. Roberts was among eight physicians who took office May 6 during ACOEM’s 100th annual membership meeting.

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What exactly are the differences between fish that is wild caught versus fish that is farm raised? A Q&A with Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) President Mary Ellen Camire, PhD, CFS sheds some light on this topic.

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It’s tornado season, so there’s a chance the power could go out at any time during a storm. Bob Gravani, PhD, CFS, a Professor of Food Science at Cornell University and a spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), provides several tips to keep food safe during a power outage.

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The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, commends the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for drafting a strong, evidence-based Scientific Report outlining recommendations and rational for the forthcoming 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Academy supports these recommendations that will improve how and what Americans eat.

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People suffering chronic pain have valuable information to share about their condition and overall health that can help pain researchers and physicians in treatment planning, according to the head of the Patient Centered Outcomes Institute (PCORI) speaking at the American Pain Society annual scientific meeting.

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The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) recently submitted written comments on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report. IFT commends the work of the DGAC and underscores the importance of ensuring that the recommendations regarding food and nutrient intake are supported by the preponderance of sound scientific evidence.

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Wearing scrubs and using real surgical tools, high school girls will perform mock orthopaedic surgeries on anatomical models during an educational program at Loyola University Medical Center.The program, sponsored by the Perry Initiative, is intended to help attract women to orthopaedics and engineering.