Vets With Gulf War Syndrome Show Brain Changes, Study Finds

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A new study shows changes in the brains of Gulf War soldiers who are believed to have been sickened by exposure to chemical weapons and may provide insight into why they often report memory problems.

The study appeared online Oct. 15 in the journal Clinical Psychological Science.

"More than 250,000 troops, or approximately 25 percent of those deployed during the first Persian Gulf War, have been diagnosed with Gulf War Illness," study co-author Bart Rypma, principal investigator at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas, said in a journal news release.

"Although medical professionals have recognized the chronic and often disabling illness for almost two decades, brain changes that uniquely identify Gulf War Illness have been elusive until now," he said. The condition is also known as Gulf War Syndrome.

The brain changes revealed by the study are linked to "working memory," which allows people to store memories in the short term. Compared to healthy veterans, people with Gulf War Illness were slower on tests of working memory that examined accuracy, speed and efficiency. Efficiency declined as the test became tougher.

"Difficulty remembering has been the most common, unexplained impairment resulting from service in the 1991 Persian Gulf War," study co-author Robert Haley, chief of epidemiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, said in the news release. "This functional MRI study provides the first objective evidence showing the exact malfunctions in the brain's memory circuits that underlie these chemically induced memory problems."

Rypma said the findings "support an empirical link between exposure to neurotoxic chemicals, specifically sarin nerve gas, and [thinking ability] deficits and neurobiological changes in the brain."

"Implementing interventions that improve working memory could have positive effects on many aspects of daily life, from the ability to complete a shopping list to [matching] names with faces, all the way to elevating mood," he said.

-- Randy Dotinga
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Clinical Psychological Science, news release, Oct. 15, 2013

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Smartphones May Help Nursing Home Docs Spot Drug Mishaps

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors who use their mobile device to look up drug information while prescribing medications for patients in nursing homes can help prevent adverse drug events, a new study says.

Researchers found that almost 90 percent of doctors said they avoided at least one potentially harmful drug reaction in the previous month. They said additional drug events could be avoided if more doctors took advantage of the drug-reference software that is available on the devices.

"Most U.S. nursing homes do not have electronic medical record systems and, as a result, physicians frequently do not have access to current medication information at the point of prescribing," lead investigator Dr. Steven Handler, an assistant professor of biomedical informatics, geriatric medicine and clinical and translational sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

"The lack of accurate and timely medication information can lead to adverse drug events and drug-drug interactions," Handler said. "Our hypothesis was that if physicians could look up drug information first, many of these mistakes could be avoided."

In conducting the study, the researchers surveyed more than 550 nursing home doctors about whether they owned a mobile device. If they did, they were asked how and when they used it, as well as what type of drug reference software they used and how often. The researchers also asked how the information obtained from drug reference software affected adverse drug events and drug interactions.

The study, published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, revealed that 42 percent of the doctors said they used a mobile device to check drug information. The researchers found that this behavior was more common among the doctors who had been in practice for fewer than 15 years.

Of the doctors who used a mobile device, the study also showed that 98 percent reported using drug-reference software on a daily basis for the past four weeks. Meanwhile, 75 percent said they referenced current drug information through their device an average of three or more times each day.

The researchers also found that 88 percent of these doctors said using their mobile device to look up drug information had prevented at least one adverse drug reaction in the past four weeks.

"Those who did look up medication information on their mobile devices clearly felt that this was helpful and improved medication safety," Handler said. "However, we found that fewer than half of the nursing home doctors were doing this, which suggests that there is a lot of potential to reduce adverse event rates further if more of them took advantage of these tools."

Drug events are linked to roughly 93,000 deaths in nursing homes every year, about half of which are thought to be preventable, according to the study. These drug events also are responsible for $4 billion in extra health care costs every year.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, news release, Oct. 16, 2013.

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Health Tip: When Athletes Smoke

(HealthDay News) -- Among the many reasons for kids to stay away from tobacco: it can significantly affect performance if you're an athlete.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains how:

Tobacco can cause extra strain on your heart from narrowed blood vessels caused by nicotine.Tobacco can damage lungs, decreasing oxygen that muscles need to function well.Tobacco can increase shortness of breath.Tobacco can slow running speed and hinder your ability to run longer distances.

-- Diana Kohnle
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Just 12 Percent of Women Over 50 Are 'Satisfied' With Their Bodies

By Brenda Goodman
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Be it muffin tops, saddlebags, chicken wings or thunder thighs, there's a lot that most women can find to dislike about their bodies.

A recent survey of 1,700 women over age 50 found that a paltry 12 percent said they were satisfied with their size and shape. So researchers wondered what these rare women who actually feel OK with their bodies might have in common. The new study was published online recently in the Journal of Women & Aging.

For starters, most of them, 88 percent, were in the normal weight range. Their average body-mass index (BMI) was 21.4, compared with a BMI of 28.3 for women who reported dissatisfaction. (BMI is a measurement of body fat that takes height and weight into account.) And they were more likely to have been slender over the course of their lives than women who said they didn't like how they looked.

The survey also found that satisfied women work hard to stay slim. They exercised an average of about five hours a week, about two more hours than women who said they disliked their figures. They also weighed themselves often, at least a couple of times a week.

"This is an active, effortful process for them," said study co-author Cristin Runfola, a postdoctoral research fellow at the UNC Center for Excellence for Eating Disorders, at the University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill.

But there were some things that satisfied women generally didn't worry about. Only 10 percent reported frequent dieting in the last five years, compared with 39 percent of dissatisfied women. They were also less likely to have symptoms of an eating disorder than those who were frustrated with their weight.

But the peace they'd come to about their bodies seemed to be a fragile one.

"Even the women who were satisfied said their weight and shape played a pretty prominent role in how they felt about themselves," Runfola said.

About 40 percent of satisfied women admitted that a 5-pound weight gain would make them moderately to extremely upset. And more than 50 percent of satisfied women confessed that they still didn't like their stomach or face. More than 70 percent said they didn't like their skin.

None of this surprised Joan Chrisler, a professor of psychology at Connecticut College, in New London. Chrisler has spent her career researching and thinking about the psychology of weight and eating disorders in women.

"Studies have shown that kindergarteners already know that they shouldn't like fat children or want to be friends with them. They know in first grade already what it means to be on a diet. So why should we be surprised that women in their 50s are not satisfied with their bodies?" she asked.

When Chrisler lectures to women's groups about how to feel better in their own skin, she offers the following tips.

Focus on health, not on weight. Eat a variety of foods, exercise and get enough sleep. Have a massage from time to time. Moisturize your skin. Wear clothes that fit. "A lot of women are not nice to themselves because they're disappointed in their bodies," she said.

Watch more foreign movies. "If you watch films from France and Japan, you'll see many more older women than you see in U.S. movies, and they're not all skinny as rails," she said.

Avoid fashion magazines. "They're full of young women and they're wearing clothes that don't look good on older women. They're not made for us," Chrisler said.

Don't consider it a personal failure if the jeans you wore in high school don't fit you in your 50s. "Women do gain weight at each reproductive milestone," she said. "We gain weight at menarche, with the birth of each child and we gain weight at menopause, so we're not going to have the same body size and shape at 50 as we had at 20. And if we don't expect that, that would be a help."

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Cristin Runfola, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow, UNC Center for Excellence for Eating Disorders, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Joan Chrisler, Ph.D., professor, psychology, Connecticut College, New London; October-December 2013 Journal of Women & Aging

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FDA Probes Dog Illnesses Tied to Jerky Treats

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Meat or plant-based "jerky" pet treats have been tied to mysterious illnesses in thousands of dogs, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is asking the public for help in getting to the bottom of the issue.

"This is one of the most elusive and mysterious outbreaks we've encountered," Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement on the agency's website. "Our beloved four-legged companions deserve our best effort, and we are giving it."

In some cases, pets have become severely ill after eating the treats, which are sold as jerky tenders or strips made of chicken, duck, sweet potatoes or dried fruit. Since 2007, about 580 pets have died as a result of illnesses related to the products, the FDA said.

The agency said it remains unclear why these pets are getting sick. With the outbreak under investigation, the FDA is calling on pet owners to come forward if they have a pet that became sick after eating jerky treats.

Most of the treats involved in these incidents were made in China. The FDA said pet-food manufacturers are not required by law to reveal the country of origin for each ingredient in their products.

The agency said it has begun conducting DNA tests on jerky treats, as well as additional screenings for a variety of chemical and microbiological contaminants, including antibiotics, metals, pesticides and Salmonella.

After performing more than 1,200 tests, visiting manufacturers in China, and consulting with researchers and officials here and abroad, the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine still does not know the exact cause of the illnesses among pets that have consumed jerky treats.

In order to gather more information, the agency is asking veterinarians and pet owners across the United States for information that it hopes will provide insight into the deaths and illnesses linked to these treats.

Veterinarians are being asked for blood and urine samples from pets that are affected. Pet owners are being asked to cover the costs of these tests as well as the shipping fees involved.

As the investigation continues, the FDA said it will alert consumers about the issue through a fact sheet distributed with a letter to veterinarians. The agency also advised pet owners to remember that treats are not necessary and are not an essential part of a well-balanced diet. Pet owners are encouraged to report any illnesses that may be tied to jerky treats by calling the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for their state.

The FDA advised pet owners to remain cautious about providing jerky treats to their pets and to be aware of potential symptoms of gastrointestinal or urinary problems, since about 60 percent of cases involved gastrointestinal conditions and about 30 percent involved kidney and urinary function.

To help pet owners recognize possible signs of trouble, the FDA provided information on symptoms that pets may develop within hours of eating jerky treats, including:

Decreased appetiteVomitingDecreased activityDiarrhea (sometimes with blood or mucus)Increased water intake or urination

In more extreme cases, pets have experienced kidney failure, bleeding in the GI tract and a rare kidney disorder. In some cases, the animals experienced other symptoms, including collapse, convulsions or skin issues.

In January, a number of jerky pet treat products were removed from the market after a New York State lab found evidence of up to six drugs in certain jerky pet treats made in China. The FDA pointed out, however, that the levels of these drugs were very low and it's not likely they caused the illnesses.

Although the number of reported cases has declined since these products were removed from store shelves, the FDA said that was probably because fewer jerky treats were available to consumers.

Pet owners who notice that their pet has become ill after eating jerky treats should stop offering these treats immediately. They also should consider taking the pet to the vet and saving the remaining jerky treats for possible testing, the FDA said.

The focus of the investigation into the cause of these illnesses may turn to the supply chain for certain ingredients in the treats, since the FDA has found that one firm used falsified receiving documents for glycerin, a jerky ingredient. Chinese authorities said they had seized products at the firm and halted its exports.

The FDA said it also plans to reach out to Chinese scientists at its veterinary research facility and U.S. pet food firms to increase scientific cooperation.

"Our fervent hope as animal lovers is that we will soon find the cause of and put a stop to these illnesses," Dunham said.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, Oct. 22, 2013

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Low Vitamin D Tied to Anemia Risk in Kids

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Children with low levels of vitamin D may be at increased risk for anemia, according to a large new study.

Researchers analyzed blood samples from more than 10,400 children and found that vitamin D levels were consistently lower in youngsters with anemia, a condition involving lower-than-normal levels of red blood cells.

Kids with vitamin D levels below 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) were nearly twice as likely to have anemia as those with normal vitamin D levels.

Children with vitamin D levels below 30 ng/ml have mild vitamin D deficiency while those with levels at or below 20 ng/ml have severe deficiency, according to the study. Both require treatment with vitamin D supplements.

The researchers also found that 14 percent of black children had anemia, much higher than the 2 percent rate among white children. Black children also had lower vitamin D levels overall, but their anemia risk did not rise until their vitamin D levels were far lower than those of white children.

These racial differences suggest that current targets for preventing or treating these conditions may require further research, according to the authors of the study, which was published online recently in the Journal of Pediatrics.

"The clear racial variance we saw in our study should serve as a reminder that what we may consider a pathologically low level in some may be perfectly adequate in others, which raises some interesting questions about our current one-size-fits-all approach to treatment and supplementation," study lead investigator Dr. Meredith Atkinson, a pediatric kidney specialist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, said in center news release.

The study does not, however, prove a direct cause-and-effect link between vitamin D levels and anemia risk, the researchers said.

Added senior study investigator Dr. Jeffrey Fadrowski, also a pediatric kidney specialist at Johns Hopkins: "If our findings are confirmed through further research, low vitamin D levels may turn out to be a readily modifiable risk factor for anemia that we can easily tackle with supplements."

The researchers explained that several mechanisms could account for this association, including vitamin D's effects on red blood cell production in the bone marrow or its ability to regulate immune inflammation, a known trigger of anemia.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Johns Hopkins Medicine, news release, Oct. 21, 2013

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Many Kids With Autism on Multiple Medications, Study Finds

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Children with autism in the United States routinely take one or more prescription medications, even though little evidence exists regarding the drugs' safety or effectiveness for treating the neurodevelopmental condition, a new study finds.

The study of almost 34,000 children with an autism spectrum disorder found nearly two-thirds were prescribed at least one medication. Within that group, more than one-third were given two medications, and one in seven took three drugs.

"There are a lot of children who are being treated with psychotropic medications with unknown effects for benefits and harms," said the study's senior author, Dr. Anjali Jain, a managing consultant with the Falls Church, Va.-based Lewin Group, a health care consulting firm.

"I hope everyone -- parents and providers -- will consider these medications with caution," she added.

Children with autism have impaired communication and social skills, and often exhibit repetitive behaviors. In the United States, about one in 88 children has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, which can range from mild, as in Asperger syndrome, to severe autism.

The study, released online Oct. 21 in Pediatrics, looked at the use of psychotropic medications, which includes seizure medications, antidepressants, antipsychotics, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, lithium (a drug that treats manic behavior), and Parkinson's drugs for kids and young adults with autism. The more commonly prescribed medications were antidepressants, antipsychotics and ADHD drugs, or combinations of them, Jain said.

Many of these medications are prescribed for other, co-existing disorders, such as depression or ADHD. The problem is that in people with autism, "it can be really hard to disentangle which behavior goes with which disorder," said Jain.

Dr. Paul Wang, senior vice president of medical research for Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy organization, agreed. "It's challenging to diagnose someone within the context of an autism spectrum disorder," he said. "They can't necessarily tell you if they're anxious or depressed. And if they're not paying attention, is that a sign of ADD or are they fixated on something else due to the autism spectrum disorder?"

It's also possible that something entirely unrelated is aggravating symptoms, Wang added. "Some of these kids may not have been thoroughly evaluated for a physical condition. You may have a child with an earache who can't express what's going on, and that might manifest as irritable or aggressive behavior," he noted.

Behaviorally based treatments, perhaps including parent training, are generally the first line of therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders. But because children with autism are such a varied group, "it's hard to come up with a treatment that covers every child," Jain said.

The only medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat autism spectrum disorders are risperidone (Risperdal) and aripiprazole (Abilify), antipsychotics that are prescribed for treating irritability and aggression. Other medications can be prescribed in what's known as an "off-label" use. However, that means there is likely little information on how they might affect someone with autism or on possible side effects.

The current study points to a need for more research into the effects these drugs have on children with autism, Jain and Wang said.

The researchers examined data on 33,565 children and young adults -- age 20 and under -- diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and insured through a large commercial insurer in the United States.

The investigators found that 64 percent of the children had at least one prescription filled for a psychotropic medication. From this group, 35 percent had prescriptions filled for two or more psychotropic medications, and 15 percent had prescriptions for three or more psychotropic drugs concurrently.

Among the youngsters who took more than one medication, they did so for 346 days on average, according to the study.

Older children, kids who had seen a psychiatrist and those diagnosed with an additional condition, such as depression or seizures, were more likely to have been prescribed one or more psychotropic medications, the study found.

"The study couldn't tell why older children were more likely to receive psychotropic medication, but one reason could be that the doctor's comfort level with medication in older children is greater," Jain said.

"Another potential reason is that doctors may have started a younger child on behavioral therapy that hasn't worked for every symptom, and now they want to try medications for the remaining symptoms," she added.

Also, behaviors in an older, larger child might become harder to manage, these experts suggested. "A challenging behavior in a big teenage boy with an autism spectrum disorder will make a parent and a doctor more willing to try medication than the same behavior in a smaller 4-year-old," said Wang.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Anjali Jain, M.D., managing consultant, The Lewin Group, Falls Church, Va.; Paul Wang, M.D., senior vice president, medical research, Autism Speaks; November 2013, Pediatrics

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Flavored Cigars Gaining in Popularity With U.S. Kids: CDC

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- More than two of every five teen smokers use flavored little cigars or cigarettes, according to a new report from U.S. health officials.

Regulators are concerned that these flavors, which mask the harshness of tobacco with tastes of candy or fruit, obscure the health risks of smoking and help draw young people into lifelong tobacco addiction.

Although the sale of most flavored cigarettes is banned in the United States, tobacco manufacturers have worked around the ban by producing these little cigars, which weigh slightly more than cigarettes and so avoid regulation.

Young smokers who use flavored little cigars are less likely to consider quitting tobacco use, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found. Nearly 60 percent of those smoking flavored cigars are not thinking about quitting, compared with about 49 percent of all other cigar smokers.

"Flavored or not, cigars cause cancer, heart disease, lung disease and many other health problems. Flavored little cigars appeal to youth and the use of these tobacco products may lead to disfigurement, disability and premature death," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in an agency news release. "We need to take comprehensive steps to reduce all tobacco use for all of our youth."

The study, based on data from a 2011 national survey on tobacco use, is the first to measure how many American youth are using flavored little cigars and cigarettes. The findings were published online Oct. 22 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Congress in 2009 prohibited the use of flavors, except menthol, in cigarettes with the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

However, flavored little cigars are still manufactured and sold with candy and fruit flavorings. They've also come to closely resemble cigarettes in their sizes, shapes, filters and packaging. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently does not regulate cigars.

"Many little cigars bear a remarkable resemblance to cigarettes. In fact, some youth who are smoking cigarettes may be smoking flavored little cigars that they've mistaken for cigarettes," said Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "The concern it raises for us is because little cigars are so similar to cigarettes, this represents a loophole in the FDA's ban on flavored cigarettes."

Little cigars have become more popular in recent years, the CDC reported. Sales increased 240 percent from 1997 to 2007, with flavored brands making up almost 80 percent of the market share.

In response to the CDC findings, the American Lung Association released a statement denouncing fruit- and candy-flavored tobacco products as "a mainstay in the Big Tobacco playbook to addict kids and create lifelong tobacco users."

"This study shows that the tobacco industry will not quit its efforts to addict kids. I can't emphasize enough the importance of robust regulatory oversight of cigars and all tobacco products by FDA," Paul Billings, senior vice president of advocacy and education for the American Lung Association, said in the statement. "We need the Obama administration to take common-sense steps to eliminate the sale and marketing of flavored cigars and little cigars, as well as other flavored tobacco products."

The national tobacco survey involved nearly 19,000 students in grades six through 12 from 178 schools.

"The findings indicate that a considerable proportion of U.S. middle and high school students who smoke tobacco report using flavored little cigars or flavored cigarettes," the researchers wrote.

Overall, about 8 percent of the young people in the survey admitted to smoking cigars, while nearly 11 percent said they smoke cigarettes.

About 36 percent of young cigar smokers reported using flavored little cigars, while 35 percent of young cigarette smokers reported using flavored cigarettes.

About 42 percent of all young smokers reported use of either flavored little cigars or cigarettes. Whites, boys and high school students in particular were more likely to use flavored little cigars or cigarettes.

Flavored little cigars have other traits that can make them more appealing to young people, McAfee said.

Many states tax cigars at a lower rate than cigarettes, and in many jurisdictions they aren't required to be sold in packs and can be sold in singles or doubles. "This makes it more accessible financially for kids," he said.

Little cigars aren't the only way that the tobacco industry is using flavors to entice young smokers, the American Lung Association noted.

The CDC in September published a report that e-cigarette (electronic cigarette) use among young smokers has doubled, due in part to brands that come in flavors such as bubble gum, gummy bear, orange cream soda and cotton candy.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Tim McAfee, M.D., director, Office on Smoking and Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Oct. 22, 2013, news release, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Oct. 22, 2013, news release, American Lung Association; Oct. 22, 2013, Journal of Adolescent Health, online

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Weight-Loss Surgery Seems to Beat Diet and Exercise

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- For people who have a lot of weight to lose, weight-loss surgery appears more effective than diet and exercise, a new review suggests.

The one caveat to this study, however, is that the results only include two years of data, so the long-term outcomes are still unknown. This type of study, called a meta-analysis, attempts to uncover a common thread in a number of previous studies.

"Individuals allocated to bariatric surgery lost more body weight -- on average 26 kilograms [57.3 pounds] -- compared with nonsurgical treatment, and had higher remission rates of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome," said study author Viktoria Gloy, a scientist at the Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University Hospital Basel in Switzerland. Metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms that increase the risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

"After surgery, patients also reported greater improvements in quality-of-life measures, and had greater reduction in medication use than nonsurgical patients," Gloy added.

Gloy and colleagues published the findings online Oct. 22 in the BMJ.

Obesity is a significant public health risk, according to background information in the report. The incidence of obesity has more than doubled over the past 25 years in the United States, the United Kingdom and in Australia. More than two-thirds of the U.S. population is currently overweight or obese. Many European countries aren't far behind, with overweight and obesity rates of around 40 percent to 50 percent, according to researchers.

Obesity increases the risk of many serious ailments, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer and musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoarthritis, according to the analysis.

Treatments for obesity include weight-loss surgery and nonsurgical options, such as changes in diet, medications, and increasing physical activity.

To see what treatments help people lose weight and improve their health the most, Gloy and her colleagues reviewed previously completed studies on weight loss, and found 11 studies with nearly 800 people who'd undergone weight-loss surgery or nonsurgical weight-loss treatments.

In addition to losing more weight, those who had weight-loss surgery had a rate of remission of type 2 diabetes that was 22 times higher than in the group that did not get surgery. Rates of metabolic syndrome also dropped more for those who had surgery, according to the analysis.

Triglycerides, a type of blood fat, dropped more, and levels of the good cholesterol (HDL) increased more for those who had surgery.

There were no significant differences in blood pressure levels and bad cholesterol (LDL) levels between the two groups, the investigators found.

"The evidence beyond two years of follow-up, in particular adverse events, cardiovascular diseases and mortality, remains unclear and calls for further research on the topic," noted Gloy.

Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the clinical diabetes center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, said: "Weight gain is very easy, but to lose weight is very difficult. This was a careful meta-analysis, and I agree with what they've found. We don't yet understand exactly how bariatric surgeries cause remission of type 2 diabetes," he pointed out.

Another expert said weight-loss surgery should be happening more often.

"Bariatric surgery is underutilized. If we were talking about any other treatment with such a striking effect on diabetes, it would be offered to patients sooner," said Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Of course, like any surgery, weight-loss surgeries don't come without risk. The most common complications reported in the current analysis were iron deficiency anemia and the need for re-operation. The surgery is also expensive. The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that weight-loss surgery averages as much as $25,000.

Roslin and Zonszein both said that people undergoing weight-loss surgery need to be carefully chosen. Current recommendations recommend the surgery for anyone with a body mass index (BMI) above 40, or a BMI of 35 or higher if they have other conditions related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. BMI is a measurement based on height and weight.

But, both experts felt that more people should be included in those recommendations. Zonszein said people with BMIs as low as 30, if they had evidence of other metabolic abnormalities, should be counseled on the surgery. Roslin also said that if people with type 2 diabetes can't maintain control on oral medications that they should be offered a surgical option.

Roslin said that people with type 2 diabetes should try to lose weight and exercise more first. "Give yourself a chance to make lifestyle changes. But, it's very hard to lose 5 percent of your body weight. If you don't think you'll be able to do it, then you owe it to yourself to learn about surgical options," he suggested.

"There are real risks with surgery that shouldn't be underestimated, but there are real risks from diabetes, too," Roslin noted. "Let's say we were talking about colon cancer instead of diabetes, and I said, 'There's a treatment that could reduce your risk by 22 times, but it's invasive, would you consider it?'"

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Viktoria Gloy, Ph.D., scientist, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Mitchell Roslin, M.D., chief, obesity surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Joel Zonszein, M.D., director, clinical diabetes center, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City; Oct. 22, 2013, BMJ, online

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First Windpipe Transplant Holding Up Over Time: Report

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Five years ago, researchers performed the first successful transplant of a tissue-engineered airway on a 30-year-old Colombian woman. Today, she's still doing well, according to a new follow-up report on the surgery.

The woman who received the engineered section of windpipe has not experienced a rejection of the implanted airway, the researchers said.

The mother of two received the transplant after part of her own windpipe had collapsed due to complications from tuberculosis. An international team of researchers led by Dr. Paolo Macchiarini implanted a tissue-engineered trachea.

Along with his team, Macchiarini, who was at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, in Spain, at the time, created the airway using cells from a human donor trachea combined with the products of the patient's own stem cells, as well as epithelial cells taken from a healthy part of the woman's windpipe.

After receiving the transplant, the woman had no complications and was discharged from the hospital 10 days after surgery. Four months later, she still had no antidonor antibodies and did not need to take drugs to suppress her immune system to prevent her from rejecting the new airway. At that time, researchers cautioned that a longer follow-up would be needed to measure the success of the transplant.

Six months after surgery, the patient began to experience persistent coughing, according to the report. Scarring in the area of the transplant had caused a narrowing of her airway. A stent placed to hold her airway open was effective and she no longer experiences any symptoms, the researchers reported, although the stent requires regular monitoring.

Now, five years later, the woman who underwent the pioneering procedure is enjoying a normal social and working life. The follow-up findings, published Oct. 23 in the journal The Lancet, noted that regular tests of her lung function and other key indicators show that she has good lung function and has not had any complications involving her immune system.

"These results confirm what we and many patients hoped at the time of the original operation: that tissue-engineered transplants are safe and effective in the long term," Macchiarini said in a journal news release. "However, the scarring that occurred in this patient shows that long-term biomechanical stability can be improved -- something which is currently under active preclinical investigation."

"The results of a first-in-man active clinical trial will soon provide the definitive evidence that is needed before this stem-cell-based tissue-engineering technology can be translated into routine clinical practice," said Macchiarini, who currently is with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Alan Russell, of the Disruptive Health Technology Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and the Allegheny Health Network, in Pittsburgh, wrote in an accompanying journal editorial that this is "the end of the beginning for tissue engineering; the groundwork has been laid for clinical implementation in other specialties."

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: The Lancet, news release, Oct. 22, 2013

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Flu Season Off to Slow Start...

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The 16-day federal government shutdown earlier this month hindered the ability of U.S. health officials to monitor flu activity around the country.

Turns out, there wasn't much to monitor because there haven't been many outbreaks of the infectious disease so far this fall, officials said.

But that could change at a moment's notice, noted the health officials, who are fond of saying that the only thing predictable about the flu is its unpredictability.

So far, there have been isolated cases of flu in Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The flu has been pretty quiet right now," said Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch in the CDC's Influenza Division. "But flu is coming, it's right around the corner and we expect an increase to come in the next few weeks."

And now's a perfect time to get vaccinated, he said, adding, "it's never too late to get vaccinated."

Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent the flu, and there's plenty of vaccine to go around, Bresee pointed out.

"We expect to have 135 to 139 million doses available, so there should be plenty of vaccine to vaccinate anybody who wants to be vaccinated," he said.

The number of Americans getting vaccinated has risen since the H1N1 pandemic flu in 2009, according to Bresee.

"It's edging up in most groups, which is really gratifying, especially in some of the high-risk groups like pregnant women and kids. We are seeing good gains over the last four or five years," he noted.

"But we have a long way to go," he added. "Still only half of Americans get vaccinated. Vaccine is still the single best thing folks can do to prevent flu."

It's too early to tell, however, whether this year's vaccine will be a good match for the flu strains that are circulating.

"As with most things with flu, we always hedge a little bit. We do know the vaccine is a good match for the strains that have circulated around the world and the U.S. over the summertime and that's a good sign. But we won't know really until we get into the season, but we think it will be pretty good," Bresee said.

Flu season typically starts in the fall and peaks in January and February.

Even if this season's vaccine isn't a perfect match, it can still be beneficial. Antibodies triggered in response to a vaccination with one flu virus can sometimes protect against different but related viruses, according to the CDC.

There are three kinds of flu viruses that are most common today: influenza A (H1N1) viruses, influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and influenza B viruses. According to the CDC, the 2013-2014 vaccine consists of the following three viruses:

an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus; an A(H3N2) virus antigenically like the cell-propagated prototype virus A/Victoria/361/2011; a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like virus.

Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that, in addition to getting vaccinated, hand-washing and staying away from people with the flu are other ways of avoiding the disease.

For Horovitz, however, the take-home message is: "vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate."

Bresee said getting a flu shot not only prevents flu, which is bad enough, it can also head off complications from underlying chronic diseases.

For example, a study published Oct. 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with heart disease who get a flu shot significantly reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke.

"In flu season a lot of the deaths or hospitalizations attributable to flu were probably triggered by a worsening of an underlying disease like a chronic lung disease or heart disease or diabetes," Bresee explained. "The idea is that if you prevent the flu, you also prevent the complications of those underlying diseases."

Horovitz said the flu vaccine doesn't prevent heart attacks or strokes. "But influenza is a severe viral illness that strains the body, so it wouldn't be surprising that preventing the flu can help ward off a further strain on the body," he said.

For the CDC, the recent government shutdown was a mixed bag, Bresee said. It didn't affect the flu vaccine program because the machinery to get the vaccine out and into clinics and pharmacies was already under way, he stated.

"Where the shutdown did affect us a bit was in our ability to do surveillance early in the season, which is a critical time to know what's happening with flu," Bresee said. "We kept up with surveillance to some extent, but we weren't able to look at all the data. We're catching up now and we're about up to date."

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Joe Bresee, M.D., chief, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, Influenza Division, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Len Horovitz, M.D., pulmonary specialist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City

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Being Web-Savvy Tied to Better Health in Seniors: Study

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Older men and women who use the Internet frequently are more likely to have a lifestyle that includes many cancer-preventive behaviors, according to a new study.

Compared to their peers who don't use the Internet, online aficionados were screened for colorectal cancer more often and were more likely to be physically active, eat a healthy diet and smoke less. Researchers also found that the more time older adults spent on the Internet, the more likely they were to engage in these healthy behaviors.

The study appeared Oct. 22 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

The findings held even after researchers accounted for people's socioeconomic status, physical abilities and mental function, study author Christian von Wagner, a senior lecturer in behavioral research in early diagnosis of cancer at the University College London, said in a journal news release.

"The interesting aspect here is a dose-response relationship between Internet use and cancer-preventive behaviors," von Wagner said. "Intermittent users were more likely to have cancer-preventive behaviors than [nonusers], and consistent users were more likely to have cancer-preventive behaviors than intermittent users."

The study involved nearly 6,000 men and women aged 50 and older who completed surveys every two years between 2002 and 2011, on their demographics, mental abilities, physical activity and diet. They also were asked about their Internet and email usage and colorectal and breast cancer screenings.

The researchers found that 41 percent of those surveyed said they did not use the Internet, 38 percent reported using the Internet sporadically and 20 percent were online regularly.

Although Internet use didn't affect women's decisions to be screened for breast cancer, those who regularly used the Internet were twice as likely to be screened for colorectal cancer, the study revealed.

Both male and female regular Internet users were 50 percent more likely to exercise and 24 percent more likely to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, according to the study. People who used the Internet consistently also were 44 percent less likely to smoke.

The study also revealed that demographics play a role in how much people use the Internet. Use was more prevalent among those who were younger, white and had more money and education. Men also were online more than women. Meanwhile, Internet use was much less prevalent among the disabled and those who were older, less wealthy and nonwhite.

"It is important that policymakers recognize the role Internet use plays in influencing inequalities in cancer outcomes, and help increase access to the Internet among this demographic," von Wagner said.

Although the study showed an association between Internet usage and cancer-preventive behaviors, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, news release, Oct. 22, 2013

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Health Tip: Avoid Weight Gain at College

(HealthDay News) -- It's common for college students to pack on a few pounds while they're away at school.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers these suggestions to help prevent weight gain while you're at college:

Never skip meals. Be especially sure to start the day with a healthy breakfast to kick start your metabolism.Make healthy food choices, and pay attention to portion sizes.Choose high-fiber foods (such as fruits and veggies, beans and whole grains) to help you feel more full for longer periods.Include a lean protein in each meal. Good choices include lean turkey, chicken, pork, fish or beef; beans, nut butters and reduced-fat cheese.Eat healthier fats from nuts, seeds, avocados and canola or olive oils. Avoid desserts and fried foods.Drink water, fat-free or low-fat milk, unsweetened coffee or tea. Avoid sugary drinks, and limit alcohol to one drink per day.

-- Diana Kohnle
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Learning Challenging Skills Tied to Better Memory in Seniors

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Learning mentally challenging new skills such as digital photography may help keep older adults' minds sharp, a new study suggests.

But less-challenging activities -- such as doing word puzzles or listening to classical music -- aren't likely to provide any mental benefits, according to the report scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science.

"It seems it is not enough just to get out and do something -- it is important to get out and do something that is unfamiliar and mentally challenging, and that provides broad stimulation mentally and socially," lead researcher Denise Park, a psychological scientist at the University of Texas at Dallas, said in a news release from the Association for Psychological Science.

"When you are inside your comfort zone you may be outside of the enhancement zone," Park explained.

The study included 221 adults, aged 60 to 90, who were randomly assigned to take part in a particular type of activity for 15 hours a week for three months. Some of the participants were assigned to learn a new skill -- digital photography, quilting, or both -- that required a high degree of mental effort.

Other participants did more familiar activities at home, such as listening to classical music and completing word puzzles, or took part in a group that did social activities such as field trips and entertainment.

After three months, only the participants who learned a new skill showed improvements in memory.

"The findings suggest that engagement alone is not enough," Park said. "The three learning groups were pushed very hard to keep learning more and mastering more tasks and skills. Only the groups that were confronted with continuous and prolonged mental challenge improved."

The results provide new insights into how everyday activities can help keep people's minds sharp as they age, according to Park.

"We need, as a society, to learn how to maintain a healthy mind, just like we know how to maintain vascular health with diet and exercise. We know so little right now," she said.

The researchers plan to assess the participants at one year and five years down the road to see if the beneficial effects of learning a new skill continue over the long term.

"This is speculation, but what if challenging mental activity slows the rate at which the brain ages? Every year that you save could be an added year of high-quality life and independence," Park said.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Association for Psychological Science, news release, Oct. 21, 2013

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'Love Hormone' Might Heighten the Placebo Effect

By Brenda Goodman
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Oxytocin, a hormone that fosters bonding and feelings of trust, may enhance the placebo effect, a new study suggests.

For almost as long as researchers have known about the placebo effect -- a phenomenon in which patients say they get benefits from sham therapies they believe to be real -- doctors have wondered what causes it and whether it could be exploited to help people.

The new study is one of the first experiments to show that the placebo effect can be chemically boosted, perhaps enough to turn feelings of trust and belief into reliable treatments.

"The susceptibility to develop placebo effects is very different from one person to another," said lead researcher Dr. Ulrike Bingel, a neurologist at University Duisburg-Essen, in Essen, Germany.

"Some people have very large placebo effects and others don't, and it would be very nice to have a pharmaceutical option to help people who are not so good at producing placebo analgesia on their own to compliment the standard medical treatment," Bingel said.

For the study, German researchers recruited 80 healthy men in their 20s. Half were given a whiff of oxytocin nasal spray, while the other half snorted a look-alike saline solution.

The researchers then sat the men down and applied a cream to each patient's forearms. Then they laid it on thick, so to speak.

The researchers said the first cream contained a powerful pain-reliever and the second cream was a control. They explained to the men that they also needed to test an inert version to account for any properties of the cream itself that might blunt pain.

In reality, neither cream contained any active ingredient.

After 45 minutes, researchers touched a hot probe to the spots where they had applied the cream and they measured the differences in how the men rated their pain between the two sites.

On a scale from zero to 100, the men who had sniffed the oxytocin rated their pain on the arm with the "active" cream around 47 points, on average. The arm with the control cream rated an average score of 59, a difference of 12 points.

Men who got the saline spray also experienced a placebo effect, but theirs was smaller. They felt only about seven points of difference between the two arms.

The findings are published as a research letter in the Oct. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

How does it work? Larry Young, director of the Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition at Emory University in Atlanta, explains.

"What oxytocin seems to have done is to make people trust the clinician and to believe what they are saying is true," Young said.

Young has studied the role of oxytocin in social bonding and monogamy, but he was not involved in the research.

Oxytocin is a hormone produced by a gland at the base of the brain. In childbirth, it helps to stimulate uterine contractions that bring on labor and get milk flowing to the breasts. Studies have also shown that it plays a big role in social bonding, helping to forge closeness between friends, lovers, spouses, and new parents and their babies.

"Oxytocin helps create a connection between one individual and another," Young said. "When you're looking another person in the eyes and you're really caring about the other person there, you're releasing oxytocin." And that's what good, empathetic doctors have always done to gain their patients' trust, he said.

"I happen to believe that is one of the mechanisms creating the placebo effect in the first place," Young said.

"It makes sense that if you give a person a bigger boost of oxytocin than they would be getting in the first place, that you would enhance this effect," he said.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Ulrike Bingel, M.D., neurologist, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; Larry Young, Ph.D., chief, division of behavioral neuroscience and psychiatric disorders, Yerkes Research Center, and director, Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta; Oct. 23/30, 2013, Journal of the American Medical Association

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Counseling With HIV Testing May Not Help Prevent Future STDs

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to what experts have believed, briefly counseling people who take a rapid HIV test on how to reduce their risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is not effective, a new study shows.

Counseling for these at-risk patients did not reduce the incidence of STDs up to six months after patients were tested for HIV, the study found. A more focused approach to providing information at the time of testing may be needed, the authors said, since counseling requires valuable resources of time, money and personnel.

"Overall, these study findings lend support for reconsidering the role of counseling as an essential adjunct to HIV testing," study author Lisa Metsch, at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote in the Oct. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"This inference is further buttressed by the additional costs associated with counseling at the time of testing: Without evidence of effectiveness, counseling cannot be considered an efficient use of resources," they added.

In the United States alone, about 50,000 new HIV infections occur every year, according to a journal news release. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended that all people aged between 15 and 65 be screened for HIV (which causes AIDS).

The researchers randomly assigned about 5,000 patients treated at nine STI clinics in the United States to receive either brief patient-centered HIV risk-reduction counseling along with a rapid HIV test, or the rapid HIV test with information only and no risk-reduction counseling.

Patients who were counseled received advice on their specific high-risk behaviors and concrete steps they could take to reduce their risk for STDs. The researchers assessed STDs among the patients when the study began and again six months after they had their HIV test.

Both men and women were tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, genital herpes and HIV, along with Trichomonas testing for women.

During the study, the STD incidence was 12.3 percent in the counseling group and 11.1 percent in the information-only group. The researchers noted that their findings were consistent at all nine STI clinics and after taking into account the patients' age, sex, race and ethnicity.

However, counseling is vital for patients who are indeed found to have HIV, the researchers emphasized.

"Post-test counseling for persons testing HIV-positive remains essential, both for addressing psychological needs and for providing and ensuring follow-through with medical care and support," they wrote. "A more focused approach to providing information at the time of testing may allow clinics to use resources more efficiently to conduct universal testing, potentially detecting more HIV cases earlier and linking and engaging HIV-infected people in care."

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, news release, Oct. 22, 2013

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Your Flu Shot May Also Help Your Heart

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- If avoiding an achy, feverish week or so laid up with the flu doesn't motivate you to get a flu shot, a new study linking flu shots to a lower incidence of heart disease might persuade you to roll up your sleeve.

People in the study who got flu shots were one-third less likely to have heart issues, such as heart failure or a heart attack, compared to those who opted against vaccination. The flu shot was associated with an even greater reduction of heart problems if someone had heart disease to start with, according to the study.

"This is one further piece of evidence to convince patients to go out and get their flu shot," said the study's lead author, Dr. Jacob Udell, a cardiology and clinician scientist, at Women's College Hospital at the University of Toronto.

Results of the study are published in the Oct. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Past research has suggested a link between the influenza virus -- the virus that causes the flu -- and an increased risk of heart events. And, conversely, previous research done on the influenza vaccine has suggested an association between the vaccine and a reduced risk of heart issues. But, most of these studies were small and none looked specifically for a heart-protective effect from the influenza vaccine.

The flu vaccine is currently recommended for everyone over 6 months of age in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine is highly recommended for certain groups, including people with heart disease.

To get an idea of how well the vaccine might protect against heart events, the researchers reviewed all of the clinical trials done on the influenza vaccine from 1947 through mid-2013.

The investigators included six randomized clinical trials comprising nearly 7,000 people in their analysis. The average age of the study participants was 67, and about half were women. Just over 36 percent had a history of cardiac disease.

The researchers found that those who received an influenza vaccine were 36 percent less likely to have a heart event than those who hadn't had a vaccine.

When the researchers looked at just the three trials that included people with recent heart disease, they found an even greater potential protective effect. People with recent heart problems who got the flu vaccine were 55 percent less likely to have another event compared to those who didn't get the vaccine.

The risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was nearly 20 percent lower for those who received the flu vaccine versus those who hadn't, according to the study.

Udell said this study wasn't designed to prove that influenza vaccine can lower heart disease risk, but he said that the researchers believe they've come close to proving cause and effect without conducting a clinical trial specifically designed to look for a protective effect from the flu vaccine.

"We would like to do a randomized clinical trial so that a skeptical public can put the issue to rest," Udell said.

The researchers believe that the vaccine protects against heart disease by preventing influenza and its accompanying inflammation. "When you get the flu, the body mounts an inflammatory response. Those aches and pains you feel with the flu are part of the immune response. That inflammation may trigger plaques in the arteries to erupt," Udell explained.

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City, agreed that preventing the inflammation associated with the flu is the likely reason that getting a flu vaccine reduces the risk of heart problems.

"People always ask me what they can do for themselves. I say get a flu shot; it will protect your heart, too. This study provides a compelling argument for getting the shot," Steinbaum said.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Jacob Udell, M.D., cardiologist and clinician scientist, Women's College Research Institute and Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto; Suzanne Steinbaum, M.D., preventive cardiologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Oct. 23/30, 2013, Journal of the American Medical Association

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After Baby Monitors Hacked, FTC Penalizes TRENDnet

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After Baby Monitors Hacked, FTC Penalizes TRENDnet

According to The New York Times, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is penalizing a company for selling baby monitors that were vulnerable to hacking. TRENDnet had apparently told their customers, mainly families, that their home security cameras and baby monitors were "secure." However, their unfortunately unsecure devices were compromised, evidenced by a hacker who exploited a security flaw in the monitors last year.

This hacker not only broke into the SecurView camera software, but the security thwarter also posted links to live feeds taken directly from the cameras. These feeds displayed adults, in their homes, going about their daily routines, babies sleeping in their rooms, and children playing.

TRENDnet's Future

The FTC states, in their complaint, that TRENDnet transmitted its customers' login information in readable text, as opposed to using a proper way to encrypt the data. TRENDnet's mobile app also allegedly did not properly protect their users' information.

TRENDnet's punishment includes a 20-year security compliance auditing program. Additionally, the company has promised not to misrepresent the security of their cameras, break the confidentiality of the content that the devices transmit, or compromise TRENDnet consumers' ability to control the security of the cameras and their recordings.

While the FTC doesn't have any legal authority to impose fines in this case, TRENDnet has agreed to a consent order prohibiting similar practices. reports The New York Times. This means that the agency's commissioners will have the ability to seek penalties in the future, in case of more violations.

Protect Yourself and Your Little One(s)

While baby monitor hacking may be rare, you still want to ensure that it doesn't happen in your home, period. This is especially true if you have an infant or a toddler, whose privacy and even safety could be at risk. If you own any type of security camera, baby monitor, or general monitoring device, make sure you take the proper steps to protect yourself, such as:

Ensuring you have a password set. Remember, without a password, anyone can use your wireless network and crack into your networked data and personal information.Use WPA2. In other words, use Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, which has strong encryption standards.Make sure your password is unique. Remember, the more complicated and difficult a password is to predict, the better.Change your password often. This is not only a standard practice, but it will help to ensure that you stay protected in the long term.

If you or your child happen to run into any trouble with your baby monitor or security camera at home, you should definitely alert the police and/or meet with an experienced attorney.

Related Resources:

U.S. says security camera maker settles over hacking incidents (Reuters)Online Safety Resources (FindLaw)Baby Monitor Recall: 2 Deaths Linked to Summer Infant Monitors (FindLaw's CommonLaw)Are 'Nanny Cams' Legal? (FindLaw's Blotter) September 09, 2013 in Legal Topic: Consumer Protection, Web/Tech | Permalink

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10 States With the Highest Car Theft Rates

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10 States With the Highest Car Theft Rates

Which states have the highest car theft rates? According to a recent Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) report, the FBI collected data from all 50 states (and Puerto Rico) through the Uniform Crime Reporting Program to determine specific crime statistics by state.

Those statistics were calculated for the 2012 year, and include the rate of car theft in each state.

Based on this new data, what are the 10 states with the highest car theft rates?

2012 Car Theft Rates

The car theft rates among all 50 states and Puerto Rico, measuring the number of auto thefts per 100,000 inhabitants, are ranked as follows:

Washington D.C. at 579.0 thefts/100,000 residentsCalifornia at 443.2 thefts/100,000 residentsWashington at 382.8 thefts/100,000 residentsNevada at 363.1 thefts/100,000 residentsOklahoma at 303.1 thefts/100,000 residentsArizona at 292.3 thefts/100,000 residentsGeorgia at 287.7 thefts/100,000 residentsSouth Carolina at 279.5 thefts/100,000 residentsMissouri at 270.8 thefts/100,000 residentsNew Mexico at 261.9 thefts/100,000 residents

Protect Your Car

Even if you don't live in the top 10 worst auto theft states, car theft may be running rampant in your area. Do what you can to protect your car. Here are some precautionary measures you should take to help prevent your car from being stolen:

Don't leave valuables out in the open. Leaving things like cash, brand-name sunglasses, an expensive gadget like a smart phone, or expensive purses and clothes is like an open invitation for a thief to attempt to break into your car and then steal it.Make sure it's locked. Make sure, every time you get out of your car, that your car is properly locked. Check all doors -- not just the driver's side -- and make a habit of doing this.Park in a well-lit area. Make sure you park in a well-lit area when you can, or a spot that sees a lot of foot traffic. The more visible a thief may be when attempting to steal your car, the less promising your car will be to the potential auto thief.Be careful if you lend. If you lend your car to anyone, make sure it's trusted family member or friend. Some borrowers may be tempted to never return it. On top of that, you should also be wary of lending your car to a reckless driver; you could be liable if the driver causes an accident.

An extra couple of minutes to double check your doors or find a better parking spot could easily save you weeks of grief if your car is stolen. Remember, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Related Resources:

Top 10 U.S. Cities for Car Thefts (FindLaw's Blotter)10 Cities with the Worst Car Theft Rates (FindLaw's Blotter)Alleged Car Thief Caught Playing Grand Theft Auto Video Game (FindLaw's Legally Weird)New Year's Day Is Top Car Theft Day (FindLaw's Blotter) September 19, 2013 in Legal Topic: Consumer Protection, Legal Topic: Criminal Law | Permalink

Technorati Tags:auto theft, car theft, car theft rates, crime rates, FBI data

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Common Law Vanguard PanelThe following firms have assisted the FindLaw editorial team in identifying emerging trends in consumer protection law and topics of importance to readers of this blog:

Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, LLP - San Jose, CAKnapp & Roberts - Phoenix-Mesa, AZMcKeen & Associates - Detroit, MICarter Law Offices - Kansas City, MO-KSDavid G. Smith - Oakland, CADollar, Burns & Becker, L.C. - Kansas City, MO-KSFoley, Griffin, Jacobson & Faria, LLP - Nassau-Suffolk, NYJames P. Ginzkey, Trial Attorney - Bloomington-Normal, IL
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Beware This PayPal Scam: Email Says Money Posted in Your Account

FindLaw's Common Law: Beware This PayPal Scam: Email Says Money Posted in Your AccountFindLaw's Common Law FindLaw | Find a Lawyer. Find Answers.Are you a legal Professional?Visit our professional site
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Beware This PayPal Scam: Email Says Money Posted in Your Account

A PayPal scam involving receipt of a fake notifications through email has been giving users trouble recently, reports San Antonio's WOAI-TV. PayPal is arguably the e-commerce giant when it comes to sending payments online. With more than 132 million accounts, its popularity not only supports a customer base who trusts them but also scammers who prey on those customers.

PayPal scams are not uncommon. Here is a rundown of this one and how you should protect yourself from it:

Fake "PayPal" Email Confirmation

WOAI-TV recounts a real-life example of this scam from 15-year-old Adam Perkins. Perkins first put his laptop on eBay and a received a buyer confirmation right away.

Then, he received an email from "PayPal" claiming that they had his funds. The buyer, in turn, then requested that Adam ship the laptop. A Friday deadline for overnight shipping turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as a second glance at the alleged PayPal email turned up several grammatical and spelling errors. The lack of professionalism from a legitimate business like PayPal seemed incredibly suspect, and lo and behold, the email was indeed not from PayPal.

This type of scam usually involves the suspect buying an item, sending out a fake email on behalf of PayPal confirming payment, and then receiving the goods without having ever paid.

Take Necessary Steps to Protect Yourself

Don't let this happen to you. Make sure that you take the precautionary steps necessary in order to protect yourself. PayPal suggests the following two guidelines to follow in spotting a fake email:

PayPal emails will always use your first and last name or your business's namePayPal emails will also never ask for any personal or account information (this includes credit or debit card numbers, driver's license number, bank account details, etc.)

Also, be on the lookout for other obvious red flags -- such as typos, no transaction reflected in your bank account when there should be, or anything else that just doesn't sit right with you. Be sure to alert PayPal if you come across a suspect or fake email by forwarding it to spoof@paypal.com, and then delete the email from your account.

Related Resources:

New scams hitting PayPal users and loan applicants (KNXV-TV)Online Safety Resources (FindLaw)Protect Yourself from Online Auction Fraud (FindLaw)How to Avoid 3 of the Most Common Consumer Scams (FindLaw's Common Law) September 12, 2013 in Legal Topic: Consumer Protection | Permalink

Technorati Tags:fake email, online safety, online scam, PayPal scam

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Common Law Vanguard PanelThe following firms have assisted the FindLaw editorial team in identifying emerging trends in consumer protection law and topics of importance to readers of this blog:

Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, LLP - San Jose, CAKnapp & Roberts - Phoenix-Mesa, AZMcKeen & Associates - Detroit, MICarter Law Offices - Kansas City, MO-KSDavid G. Smith - Oakland, CADollar, Burns & Becker, L.C. - Kansas City, MO-KSFoley, Griffin, Jacobson & Faria, LLP - Nassau-Suffolk, NYJames P. Ginzkey, Trial Attorney - Bloomington-Normal, IL
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TSA PreCheck Set to Take Off at 60 More Airports

FindLaw's Common Law: TSA PreCheck Set to Take Off at 60 More AirportsFindLaw's Common Law FindLaw | Find a Lawyer. Find Answers.Are you a legal Professional?Visit our professional site
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TSA PreCheck Set to Take Off at 60 More Airports

The TSA's PreCheck program is set to expand to 60 more airports this year, reports Reuters. So how can you take advantage of it?

The Transportation Security Administration's expedited screening program is already available at 40 airports, and with the upcoming expansion, it will soon operate at 100 airports in 40 states, along with Guam and Puerto Rico.

TSA also plans to increase the number of PreCheck lanes at participating airports in the coming weeks.

What Is TSA PreCheck?

TSA PreCheck is an expedited version of the agency's usual screening process. Eligible travelers who can use PreCheck can keep their shoes, light outerwear, and belt on as they go through security. They also do not need to take their laptop computers out of their cases, nor do they need to remove their appropriately-sized liquids from their carry-on bags.

In providing this option at more airports across the country, TSA hopes it will ensure a smoother, more effective, and more efficient security check.

Who's Eligible for TSA PreCheck?

There are a number of ways to determine eligibility for the TSA's PreCheck program. U.S. citizens of frequent flyer programs can be invited to apply by participating airlines. Also, U.S. citizens who are also members of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler Program, and Canadian citizens who are members of the NEXUS expedited travel program, can qualify for PreCheck as well.

In addition, any U.S. citizen can apply for PreCheck. The process includes an online application, fingerprints, and an $85 enrollment fee for a five-year term of eligibility. Once approved, the PreCheck status will be embedded into the bar code of the PreCheck traveler's boarding pass.

A Few Caveats

Of course, TSA can also revoke or suspend one's PreCheck status at any time for reasons including, but not limited to, security issues at the gate or for criminal convictions since their PreCheck status was granted. TSA also reserves the right to randomly ask PreCheck passengers to instead go through regular security.

However, keep in mind that not all airlines are participating in the program. PreCheck is currently only available for passengers on Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, United, US Airways, and Virgin America, according to the TSA.

Also, expedited TSA PreCheck lines are not open 24/7. Click on this list to see the hours of operation for PreCheck lines at participating airports.

Related Resources:

TSA's quicker Pre-Check coming to 60 more airports (USA Today)How to File a TSA Pat-Down Complaint (FindLaw's Injured)TSA to Allow Small Pocket Knives on Planes (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)Top 5 TSA, Airline Complaints Revealed (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life) September 05, 2013 in Travel | Permalink

Technorati Tags:airport security, travel, travel safety, TSA, TSA PreCheck

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Common Law Vanguard PanelThe following firms have assisted the FindLaw editorial team in identifying emerging trends in consumer protection law and topics of importance to readers of this blog:

Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, LLP - San Jose, CAKnapp & Roberts - Phoenix-Mesa, AZMcKeen & Associates - Detroit, MICarter Law Offices - Kansas City, MO-KSDavid G. Smith - Oakland, CADollar, Burns & Becker, L.C. - Kansas City, MO-KSFoley, Griffin, Jacobson & Faria, LLP - Nassau-Suffolk, NYJames P. Ginzkey, Trial Attorney - Bloomington-Normal, IL
Copyright 2008 FindLawdocument.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://commonlaw.findlaw.com/2013/09/tsa-precheck-set-to-take-off-at-60-more-airports.html", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});

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