Category: Quality Control (Page 10 of 74)

A New Chemical Discovery May Eliminate Cavities

July 11, 2012 / Staff

A new compound might be able to prevent cavities.

Keep 32 was discovered by researchers Jose Cordova from Yale University and Erich Astudillo from the Universidad de Santiago in Chile, who discovered the chemical and said it is able to eliminate the cavity-producing bacteria Streptococcus mutans which causes decay.

Although not everyone in the dental community is optimistic, the uses of Keep 32 as additives to mouthwash, toothpaste, chewing gum and candies, may work to reduce bacteria enough to make the battle with tooth decay a little easier.

To effectively prevent tooth decay, Curatola recommended avoiding harsh detergent toothpastes and alcohol-based mouthwashes, which disturb the balance of the oral biofilm, eating a healthy diet high in ‘alkalizing’ green foods and low in acidic foods such as refined carbohydrates, sugar and soda, and eating anti-inflammatory foods because inflammation causes profound effects on all organ systems in the body and can relate to gum disease and tooth decay.

Quality Control, Research, Wellness

cavities dental health dentistry public health teeth tooth decay tooth health

Over The Counter HIV Test Approved By The FDA

July 3, 2012 / Staff

The FDA has approved a rapid at home HIV test.

OraSure Technologies Inc. of Bethlehem PA. has produced OraQuick for over-the-counter sales.

The hope is that the at-home test will reach the 20 percent of HIV infected people who do not know that they are infected.

Taking the test will not eliminate the need to follow up with further testing.

The test has the potential to identify large numbers of previously undiagnosed HIV infections. An estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV infection. About one of every five don’t know they’re infected. About 50,000 new HIV infections are diagnosed every year.
percent accurate in correctly identifying positive results, a measure known as sensitivity, clinical trials showed. That means that one false negative test result could be expected out of every 12 tests.
It was also about 99.98 percent accurate at correctly identifying negative results, a measure known as specificity. That means one false positive would be expected out of every 5,000 test results in uninfected individuals.

OraSure expects the at-home HIV test to be available starting in October at more than 30,000 retail outlets across the U.S. and online.

Quality Control, Resources, Wellness

AIDS HIV HIV testing infectious disease OraQuick OraQuick at home HIV test OraSure over the counter HIV test public health sexually transmitted disease

Panal Suggests Screening Patients For Obesity

June 30, 2012 / Staff

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has suggested that patients be screened for obesity by physicians.

The panel has suggested measuring the BMI ( Body Mass Index ) of adult patients.

A BMI of 30 or more would indicate that a patient is obese while a BMI of 25 or less is normal.

For patients whose BMI is 30 or higher, the task force advises physicians to refer them to weight-loss programs that use multicomponent behavioral interventions — in other words, those that combine nutritional counseling with exercise and support groups. In reviewing current studies on such programs, the government panel found that on average, they helped participants lose up to 11 lbs. over a year, or 4% of their starting weight. Even such seemingly modest reductions in initial weight can significantly improve health for obese people.
Overall, the task force found that the best weight-loss programs include 12 to 26 sessions of behavioral counseling during the first year; help patients self-monitor their eating and exercise, using food diaries or a pedometer, for instance; focus on setting realistic weight-loss goals; and help patients understand what may be preventing them from meeting those goals.

While it is projected that by 2030 forty percent of American adults will be overweight or obese, doctors are not trained to counsel patients on matters of nutrition or weight management.

Doctors who are struggling with weight issues of their own have even greater difficulty addressing weight with their patients.

Doctors, Health Care Policy, Nutrition, Quality Control, Wellness

BMI Doctors obesity obesity epidemic weight loss weight management

Americans Are Eating Less Red Meat For Many Different Reasons

June 28, 2012 / Staff

Health concerns top the list of reasons many gave for consuming less red meat.

With more evidence pointing to environmental factors for the rise in heart disease and many cancers, red meat has been at the center of the debate for quite some time.

“American culture has been a meat-and-potatoes culture for a very long time,” Fabius tells The Salt. “Now we’re in a period of believing that intake of meat should be reduced in this country; we’re talking about a generational transition.”
Among those who are eating less meat, 66 percent said they’re worried about the health effects; 47 percent said cost is a factor, while 30 percent were concerned about animal welfare, and 29 percent have limited their meat intake out of a concern for the environment.
Robert Lawrence, professor of environmental health sciences and director of the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, says this is consistent with what he found when he asked people in 2002 why they might eat less meat. “Health concerns still remain the No. 1 reason people might consider cutting back on meat,” says Lawrence, who helped launch the Meatless Monday initiative.

Nutrition, Quality Control, Research, Wellness

cancer environment heart disease red meat red meat consumption

Added Sugar Found In Infant Formulas

June 27, 2012 / Staff

Sugars found in infant formulas are not listed as an ingredient on packaging.

This is disturbing news for parents, pediatricians and anyone concerned about childhood obesity.

While “breast is best”, babies who do receive formula are at risk for developing a super sweet tooth.

Added sugars, of the wrong kind, contribute to creating fat cells in the body which never go away.

The more fat cells developed the tougher it is to maintain healthy weight.

Among the results, Enfamil Premium and Parent’s Choice Premium Infant formulas had the highest sugar content at 13.5 and 12.4 grams of lactose per serving. Lactose is what scientists call the best type of sugar and it’s the kind found in breast milk.
Three formulas tested low for any sugar: Gerber Good Start, Similac Advance Complete, and Enfamil Pro-Sobee.
But two, both made by Similac, did contain other added sugars. Similac Advance Organic Complete Nutrition contained one of the sweetest kind of sugars, sucrose, measuring in at 3.5 grams per serving. That’s roughly the equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar for every five ounces.
In Europe, concern over childhood obesity led to a ban on sucrose in baby formula. Dozens of countries do not allow the kind of sugar that was found in those two brands.