MERS! What you need to know (CNN)

Friends and Family, please take a minute to educate yourself about MERS. - Dr. Dale

---------

MERS: 5 things to know

By Ashley Hayes, CNN

updated 10:48 AM EDT, Wed May 14, 2014

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/02/health/mers-5-things/index.html?hpt=he_c2

(CNN) -- MERS-CoV, short for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, first surfaced in Saudi Arabia in spring 2012.

As of Wednesday, 571 cases of MERS have been confirmed in 18 countries, according to the World Health Organization. Two of those cases were in the United States. There have been 171 deaths worldwide.

Here are five things you should know about MERS:

It's a coronavirus

MERS is in the same family of viruses as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome -- coronavirus) as well as the common cold. However, unlike SARS, which sickened more than 8,000 people in 2003 and killed 773 worldwide, MERS does not spread easily between humans -- at least not yet.

The virus acts like a cold and attacks the respiratory system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. But symptoms, which include fever and a cough, are severe and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea have also been seen, according to the WHO.

The average age of MERS victims is 51, officials say, although the ages range from 2 to 94.

Researchers don't know how MERS spreads

Although all MERS cases have been linked to six countries on the Arabian Peninsula, limited human-to-human transmission has been seen among people in close contact with patients, including health care workers.

Although such transmission appears to be limited, health officials are concerned about MERS because of its virulence -- it can be fatal in up to one-third of cases, Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general for the U.S. Public Health Service and director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Friday.

"The virus has not shown to spread in a sustained way in communities," the CDC says on its website.

The WHO and CDC have not issued any travel warnings related to MERS, although the CDC suggests travelers to the Arabian Peninsula practice "enhanced precautions."

And "you are not considered to be at risk for MERS-CoV infection if you have not had close contact, such as caring for or living with someone who is being evaluated for MERS-CoV infection," according to the CDC website.

Camels appear to be a link in the MERS chain

Camels may be one clue. In a paper published earlier this week, researchers said they had isolated the live MERS virus from two single-humped camels, known as dromedaries. And in February, scientists published a finding that nearly three-quarters of camels in Saudi Arabia tested positive for past MERS exposure.

MERS was also found in a bat in Saudi Arabia, the CDC says.

"The way humans become infected from an animal and/or environmental source is still under investigation," the WHO said last month.

It may have a seasonal pattern

Officials have noted a surge in MERS cases this spring, and a similar increase was also seen last spring, Schuchat said on Friday. But they don't know whether the factors that lead to MERS may have a seasonal pattern, or whether the virus changes to become more easily transmissible.

There are no treatments and no vaccine

As of now, doctors can treat symptoms of MERS, such as fever or breathing difficulties, Schuchat said. However, there is no vaccine and no specific medicine, such as an antiviral drug, that targets MERS.

Constipated? Swallow thisSSss.

How amazing is this?! Live a healthy day!

-- Dr. Dale

------

Vibrating capsule may relieve chronic constipation

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/06/vibrating-capsule-may-relieve-chronic-constipation/

A vibrating capsule may provide relief for those who suffer from chronic constipation, according to a small study presented at Digestive Disease Week, an annual meeting of gastroenterologists, hepatologists, endoscopy specialists and GI surgeons.

Twenty-six study participants, who all suffer from chronic idiopathic constipation or constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), were asked to take a vibrating capsule twice a week and then complete a questionnaire, according to the study, presented Saturday.

More than half of the 26 patients experienced an increase in bowel movements, says Dr. Yishai Ron, lead study author and director of Neurogastroenterology and Motility at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. "The number of bowel movements rose from around two to nearly four bowel movements per week – this was an average figure.” Ron adds patients also saw a decrease in constipation symptoms.

In addition, patients reported minimal side effects. Before participating in the study, patients were asked to refrain from using laxatives for two weeks before ingesting the capsule.

"The vibrating of the capsule induces a motor activity of the large bowel which moves content forward and helps expel it out," says Ron.

The concept is based on the current technology where a patient swallows a video-chip capsule to allow doctors to capture pictures inside the bowels instead of undergoing a standard endoscopy, Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital gastroenterologist Dr. Tom McGahan said in an e-mail.

This new capsule doesn't take any pictures, but rather acts as a "small engine" which stimulates the bowel nerves, says McGahan, thus creating vibrations that help induces bowel peristalsis. "Peristalsis is the coordinated wave-like action of the intestine muscles that propels bowel contents along."

"This is a new concept - not yet proven true or effective, but novel at least," says McGahan. He adds this is just a pilot study to assess safety and it's not proof that this capsule is more effective than other treatments.

"No conclusion as to the benefit of the capsule can be made from this study because of the small number of people tested, that they all knew they took the Vibrant Capsule (it was not a blinded study), and they did not compare this group of 25 to a similar group who received no treatment (control group)," he says.

Ron admits more research needs to be done but says he is hopeful "this might be a revolutionary solution for constipation," especially since patients found relief after taking only two capsules per week. "It's a non-chemical medical device, no side effects, nothing is absorbed, there were minimal side effects with maximal effects."

Chronic constipation affects about 16% of people in the United States, according to a 2010 study in American Journal of Gastroenterology. Dr. Ron says, "this is a chronic syndrome and these people suffer daily from this inconvenience," and he adds, "most people are unsatisfied with their current laxative use."

McGahan agrees, saying many people do not find relief of their symptoms with their current treatment and admits there is no perfect regimen because of so many side effects.

The study was paid for by Vibrant Ltd. a medical device company which developed the capsule.

Hey, you. Laugh more!

Why Laughing Is Healthy

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/28/why-laughing-is-healthy/

Can watching a funny cat video at work actually improve your productivity?

Maybe!

A study presented at this year's annual Experimental Biology conference finds that when people laugh, their brains are activated in the same way as when people are mindfully meditating.

The study, from researchers at Loma Linda University, measured the brain activity of 31 people when they watched a funny video and again when they watched a stressful video. Researchers measured activity in nine parts of the brain. What they noted was that during the funny videos, the viewers actually activated their entire brains, with high gamma wave activity, as measured by electroencephalography, or EEG.

EEG measures electrical activity along the scalp. “The electrical activity translates to neuroactivity,” said the lead researcher, Dr. Lee Berk. Gamma wave activity is associated with increased dopamine levels and putting the brain’s cognitive state at its most alert level.

Berk explained, “What we know is that gamma is found in every part of the brain and that it helps generate recall and reorganization.” That’s why, he said, after people meditate, they feel refreshed and are better positioned to solve problems.

Not only can laughing help increase your awareness, Berk thinks it is likely to have the health benefits of meditation, like reducing stress, blood pressure and pain.

Berk acknowledges that more research is needed about how laughing can actually benefit our health, but he is optimistic about an area of science that shows real correlation between the mind and body. “We are looking at the keyhole in the door – and the light is bright on the other side," he said.

The bottom line, he says: "Humor is evidenced to have a therapeutic value.”

So next time your boss catches you watching a funny cat video, just tell her that you’re trying to be more productive.