C-sections linked to child obesity

ShareHealthNews - More Babies born via Caesarean section grow into children and teens weight than those delivered vaginally, according to a new study of more than 10,000 British babies.

Eleven-year-olds delivered by C-section, for example, were 83 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers born vaginally after other relevant factors - such as their mother's weight and how long they were breastfed - brought to account.

This finding is in line with a recent review of nine previous studies that also found an association between C-sections and obesity.

By C-section, "there may be long-term consequences to the children that we do not know about," said Dr Jan Blustein, who led the new study at New York University School of Medicine.

C-section rate in the U.S. has increased, causing concern about the possibility of complications for both mother and baby. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C-sections accounted for nearly 1 in 3 births in 2010 - up from 1 in 5 in 1996.

For women, the procedure increases the likelihood of bowel or bladder injury and subsequent pregnancy complications.

Blustein said the size of the risk of obesity for children is "not great," and do not have to come into play for women who require C-section for medical reasons.

But, "a woman considering an elective C-section may need to know about these risks," he told Reuters Health.

The researchers analyzed data from children born in Avon, England in 1991 and 1992 were followed until the age of 15. Just over 9 percent of babies born via C-section.

On average, the children delivered by C-section birth is slightly smaller - less than two ounces - than those who go through vaginal birth.

Ranging from six weeks of age, however, C-section babies are consistently heavier than babies born vaginally-in almost all check-in. Very strong link between children born to overweight mothers, Blustein and his colleagues report in the International Journal of Obesity. 

In the entire study group of children, the rate of overweight and obesity ranged from 31 percent at the age of three to 17 percent by the age of seven and 15.

Blustein said the study can not prove whether the C-section, itself, is the reason some babies tend to gain weight.

If so, he speculated, might be something to do with the C-section babies lose significant exposure to friendly bacteria during passage through the birth canal.

"Generally, the beginning and the establishment of intestinal colonization with bacteria seems to be very important. However, more work is needed before we can explain the mechanism of early bacterial colonization," Teresa Ajslev, from the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen, Denmark, Told Reuters Health in an email.

For example, there may be certain types of protective bacteria, said Ajslev, a PhD student and researcher who has studied the impact of pregnancy on the weight associated with childhood but was not involved in the new report.

Or more commonly a bacterial imbalance can disrupt bowel function in a way that promotes obesity. 

Either way, if the exact cause can be identified, it is possible to give a C-section babies are missing doses to restore the balance of intestinal bug.

But it's also the bacteria that may have nothing to do with obesity link to the C-section birth.

"Another possibility is (that) it is the children who will be heavier too," Blustein said.

"Being a woman's weight as a risk factor for the C-section, so that's the problem with trying to figure out if it's real or if it's just a matter of choice," because parents are overweight are more likely to have overweight children.

His studies were able to take into account the mother's weight, and did not find an association between C-section birth and childhood obesity is a "weak" among children born to mothers with normal weight.

But there may be other unmeasured factors that help explain the relationship between delivery method and the overall weight children.

"It is certainly not the last word," Blustein said.

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Diners badly underestimated the calories in fast food

Many visitors who ingest far more calories in fast foods than they realize them, a new study suggests.

Teens underestimate the calories in fast foods by 34%, the parents of school-age children by 23%, adults 20%, says lead researcher Jason Block of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.

Block and colleagues surveyed about 3,400 adults, teens and parents of school-age children who visited 89 fast food restaurants, including McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Dunkin 'Donuts and Wendy. People were asked to estimate the calories in their diet, the researchers collected their receipts and know how many calories the food actually contains. The research was conducted in 2010 and 2011.

Among the findings, published in the BMJ, a journal of the British Medical Association:
• One-fourth of participants underestimated the calories in the food they are at least 500 calories.

• Adolescents' orders fast food contains about 756 calories, but they underestimate their orders with an average of 259 calories.

• Adult book average meal contains 836 calories, but they are underestimated by 175 calories.

• School-age children who have food gets an average of 733 calories, but their parents are guestimates 175 calories too low.

• Diners at Subway underestimate calories in their orders with a greater number of visitors than at McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's and Dunkin 'Donuts.

"It's too low suggests that the visitors do not really know what they eat in terms of calories, and they need this information to help guide their choice," Block said.

"They can get it from the company website or in other forms in the restaurant, such as wall posters, napkins or cups, but soon they will directly deal with it when they see it on a restaurant menu boards before they order their Customers eat can already do this at McDonald - and in some cities, "he said.

The study was funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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Experts consider the findings of H7N9 bird market, assess the rapid test

Chinese officials are wrapping birds sampled part of an investigation into the novel H7N9 bird flu virus, as international experts to consider the effect of live-bird market closure assessing diagnostic tests, and explores candidate vaccine virus.

Meanwhile, no human cases have been reported since May 8, keeping the number of cases at 131. No new deaths have been reported since May 15, holding the number to 36.

China's agriculture ministry said today he has "basically" finished collecting and testing samples of 899 758 across the country, Xinhua, China's state news agency, reported today. Of that number 53 were positive for H7N9 virus, all but two of them from 18 different markets in the city of live-poultry Shanghai and eight provinces: Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian.

Positive samples from the remaining two pigeons. One is the wild pigeons of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, one domestic and the other is from another city in the same province.

None of the positive samples came from farms or pig.

Agriculture ministry statement said the exposure of poultry markets pose the most danger to humans and that the farms must increase efforts to guard against viruses, according to the Xinhua report.

Findings bird market
Meanwhile, a team of Chinese and World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) surveyed the impact of the closure of live-poultry markets in the wake of the outbreak of H7N9 human cases and concluded that the officials declined sharply after the market closed. Their findings appear in the current issue of the Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal.

The researchers focused their sights on the closing market in Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces plus. For example, Shanghai officials unveiled steps on Apr 6, which also includes culling poultry at wholesale markets and environmental disinfection of poultry. The researchers noted that the incidence of the disease from infected patients from the city last April 13.

They found a similar pattern when they look at the market close in three cities in four provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. The last case was reported from the cities that have a market closure is 17 April, according to the report.

Drop-off in the case of humans support the hypothesis that the live-bird markets are a major source of virus in the region, but the group's surveillance data in the coming days will show if the control measures are very helpful in other provinces.

The researchers also noted that further studies are needed to measure whether a certain behavior at the poultry market workers or visitors put them at greater risk of H7N9 infection.

Health officials should consider the benefits and drawbacks to extend or make permanent closure of live-poultry market, with decisions tailored to the local situation and needs, the team concludes.

Rapid tests for H7N9 overdrawn
In another development, researchers from Australia and the Netherlands tested six influenza rapid tests are widely available to see how they would be useful for the detection of H7N9 infection in a clinical setting and found that they probably will not detect most cases, especially at the end of the course the disease.

The team reported its findings yesterday in Eurosurveillance.

When real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for the detection of a new virus, but tests for H7N9 may not be available in settings where infection occurs. They also require a fairly high level of laboratory expertise.

The researchers, therefore, eager to see if the rapid test would be a useful addition to identifying infections, especially in resource-limited areas.

The group tested the ability of a test to detect the H7N9 virus and compared the performance in detecting some other flu viruses, including three low-pathogenic H7 strain of avian another, two seasonal human H3N2 virus, and two 2009 H1N1 virus.

Testing found that four of the six test sensitivity is lower for H7N9 than seasonal flu virus and other strains of H7 bird flu. For all viruses tested, test point-of-care Sofia, which uses automated reader, has the highest sensitivity. The Clearview and SD Bioline test had a sensitivity of the poorest.

They concluded that RT-PCR is still the best method for testing suspected H7N9 patients.

Virus vaccine candidate
In front of preparedness, WHO said yesterday that the two candidate H7N9 vaccine viruses are now available, increasing the total to four. Candidate vaccine viruses developed for routine flu viruses that have pandemic potential.

Although no decision has been made to produce a vaccine against the new virus, scientists can use the virus candidate to start the first step in making the vaccine, which can speed up the process in case one is needed.

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The mystery of why we itch revealed by scientists

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research says the answer is a mixture of commonly held beliefs along with some exciting new research.

While it is true that the irritation of the skin, such as rashes or insect landing on us, can trigger itching through nerve cells, the process of how we are made aware of sensations, clinically known as "pruritus," take part in the different parts of the body.

Tests on mice, scientists found that molecules released in the spinal dorsal horn began to biological processes. Molecule, neuropeptide natriuretic polypeptide b (Nppb), then travels to the brain, creating a sense of itching.

In their study, the scientists were able to isolate the mice without Nppb. "When we Nppb-deficient mice exposed some itch-inducing substances, it was amazing to watch," said Santosh Mishra, lead author of the study. "Nothing happened. Rats will not scratch."

"The receptor was exactly in the right place in the dorsal horn," added study co-author Mark Hoon. "We go a step further and removed the NPRA neurons of the spinal cord. We want to see if their removal would short-circuit the itch, and it was."

Through their research, the scientists learned some other interesting facts about Nppb too.

"It is released by the heart," said Hoon Time, "to control blood sodium and blood pressure.'s Biological foundation that many neurotransmitters are used in various parts of the body for different purposes."

So, does that mean it's time to take a celebratory dive into poison ivy? Are humans no longer have to worry about disturbing itch?

Not exactly. Hoon said doctors now will be faced with two undesirable options: Influence of blood pressure control or Nppb injected directly into the spinal cord, which, he noted dryly, "is not a trivial thing to do."

Meanwhile, the authors of the study hope to solve the other end of the equation, to find out why the itching stops.

"Now the challenge is to find a similar biocircuitry on people, evaluates what is, and identify unique molecules that can be targeted for lethal chronic itching without causing undesirable side effects," Hoon said in a release accompanying the study. "So, this is the beginning, not the end."

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