Could China new H7N9 bird flu reaches Boston?

You may have heard about the new bird flu, called H7N9, which has been simmering in eastern China has killed 36 people. Given that Beijing is the second busiest airport in the world, is a reasonable fear that the Chinese flu outbreak could quickly spread if an infected person traveling abroad. Can the flu come to the U.S. and turned into a global pandemic?

Can - but only if the virus spreads easily among humans.

Sometime in early February this year, a middle-aged man who lives in the city of Shanghai to visit live bird markets. He chose chicken vendor who apparently healthy slaughtered on the spot. He took home freshly killed animals, in which he washed, prepared, and cooked.

Within 2 weeks of eating this food, man  body temperature rises to 106 degrees Fahrenheit and he developed chills and coughing up mucus. On February 20, he was admitted to a local hospital, where his lungs failed. A week later, the man died at the hospital from a sudden illness.

But here's what is potentially worrisome. Men from Shanghai do not live alone. Father and sister live in the same house. In mid-February, the two men developed a cough and high fever. A week later, his father also died. His brother, thankfully, improved. Both were found to be infected by avian virus we now call H7N9.

Because all three men lived in the same house - can we assume that the virus can be passed between people? "The investigation by an international scientific team concluded that the evidence so far is not enough to say that the person-to-person transmission has occurred," said Marc Lipsitch, Director of Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard School of Public Health.

In short - do not - we can not assume they catch it from one another. Instead, three people may have taken it from a visit to a local poultry market. Buy fresh poultry from the market is not unusual in China, where the stack of flattened several blocks and cages containing birds, ducks, quail, and other animals at close range, providing ample opportunity for viruses to mix and produce new strains, in a process called reassortment. Humans may take new viruses after exposure to these birds, which greatly increased risk during the cutting process, prepare, and cook (but not eat) chicken.

As a result, the Chinese government has been pursuing alleged exposure by covering the poultry market. The result, so far, decent. The epidemic has started to fade - the last known case was reported on May 8. So far, humans do not seem to spread the infection to each other at a detectable level. Even if the infected person boards the plane to the U.S., he is not likely to pass the disease to fellow passengers.

But neither the U.S. nor China CDC has put the guard down. There are alternative ways viruses can leave China than people in on the plane. Because birds are not sick as H7N9 infected humans, they can quietly spread the disease across the country. Some poultry from China were transported to nearby Vietnam. And the virus may be secretly transported by other winged bird that can fly great distances outside of China.

And what of the three people who live in the same house that all fall ill? Even if they visit the bird market, not too likely they do not really capture each other?

It certainly is.

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Stress Can Increase Your Good Habits Too

Under stress, we all tend to seek comfort - sometimes in ways that are not-so-healthy - but a new study suggests that the experience is challenging as possible to promote good habits as they are to support the poor.

In a different experiment, researchers led by Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California, found that under various types of stress, all kinds of habits become stronger - not just the people who caused the problem.

"When you lower the willingness and motivation you have less energy, you may fall back into old, bad habits of eating too much and do not exercise - but only if they are, in fact, your habits," said Wood. "Our novel finding is that people fall back into good habits in just the same way." The study was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Stress depletes the will, indeed, the brain is wired so that extreme stress is actually closed higher regions involved in long-term planning and thoughtful consideration. That's because these functions are redundant when lives are at stake. When threatened, the brain relies on fast, more primitive regions whose behavior is largely automated in such circumstances. Automatic built-in does not mean, however: much of our behavior automatically, such as riding a bike or eating french fries when feeling anxious, become automatic through repetition.

"People can not make decisions easily when stressed, low willingness or feel overwhelmed," said Wood. "This pressure limit our ability to make decisions." Default in those cases is to engage in habitual behavior, so, he said, "When you are too tired to make a decision, you tend to just repeat what you normally do." And no matter what the habit.

New research involving various kinds of habits and stress. In one experiment, 65 UCLA students followed for 10 weeks and asked about breakfast and the news-reading habits. During the first few weeks, they recorded how often they eat the food they are considered healthy, such as cold cereal, hot cereal and health bars. They also reported intake of what they labeled as healthy breakfast options, including pastries, pancakes and french toast. In addition, they detail whether they regularly read the news section of education such as local and national news, or lighter fare such as advice columns and comics.

The scientists collect data for a few weeks, students measure how strong breakfast and news habits are times when they do not face the stress of exams such as midterms and finals. Then, they compare it with the options that are made during the test period.

And indeed, those who have a strong habit - either healthy or unhealthy - engage in these behaviors more when they feel stressed by exam period. Whether it is eating french bread or regular health bar or read the news that they feel is important or a guilty pleasure, habitual behavior increases under pressure.

The second experiment involved 72 college students at Duke University. This time, they were asked to set a goal they hope to achieve, such as increasing the value or fitness. They also detailed the specific behavior they engage in on a regular basis to achieve their goals, as well as behavior that might get in the way.

For two of the four days of the study, they were randomly assigned to try to do as much of their daily behavior as reasonably possible using their non dominant hand. This task tends to deplete self-control because it requires a strong inhibiting habits. Once again, this experience increased stress habitual behavior - whether it's working towards or against the goals of students.

Another experiment, this one including 164 UCLA students tracked their learning ability, found that those with the lowest levels of self-control are the most likely to have a strong habit, but it is not clear whether the lack of self-control has caused people to get involved the more habitual behavior in the first place or whether to rely more on self-control behavior diminish.

"Our data suggest that stress and low willingness improved performance good and bad habits," said Wood.
"And this was after all kinds of activities that deplete willpower - taking exams, completing mental tasks are difficult, try to perform daily activities in an unusual way. Even people with chronic low levels of willpower and self-control rely more on habit. "

So why does it seem that only the bad habits arise when we face stress arena? Wood said it's a matter of attention. "We do not see so much as we fall back into good habits - these are the people who work for us to meet our goal, and so they are not problematic. It's a bad habit we focus on, so people are more aware of falling back into bad habits when they are low willpower. "Bad habits more prominent, in other words, because they tend to derail us from achieving our goals.

The findings may be useful to reinforce good habits that we cultivate to help our health. But it requires taking the time to establish healthy behaviors before the strike challenging situations. If you want the default to exercise when you're stressed - rather than grabbing a donut - you have to hit the gym again and again.

"Getting enough exercise, eating right, getting enough sleep, do not smoke - all of these must be a blind, automatic part of your day," said Wood. "If they are, then you will continue to do them even when your willpower is low and you can not muster the energy to 'do the right thing' for your health." The fact that habits are hard to break can work for you or against you.

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See young children to delay motor: Pediatricians

In the clinical report, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says panel diagnose and treat problems early can ultimately improve the prospects of children and help families get additional support.

"Identifying children with motor delays and, theoretically or hopefully will set them on a better path," said Meghann Lloyd, who studies motor development at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada.

Lloyd, who was not involved in the new report, calling it "a huge step forward for the field."

Dr. Garey Noritz and colleagues in neuromotor screening AAP expert panel lay out skills that a child must be developed by an office visit at the age of 9, 18, 30 and 48 months.

For example, a baby 9-month-old should be able to roll on both sides, sits well without support and grasp objects. At 18 months, the child should be able to walk, sit and stand on its own.

Pediatricians should also ask parents open-ended questions about their child's progress and watch the games children for signs of delay or loss of motor skills at well-child visits, the panel said.

On general examination, the doctor recommended that measures the size of the child's head and see the muscles, reflexes and eye movements.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-backed expert panel, said in 2006 there was not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening instrument designed to detect voice and language delay in young children. The task force did not have to delay motor screening recommendations in general.

"The AAP ... recognized that we as a profession do not always do a good job screening for motor problems," Noritz, of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told Reuters Health.

Cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy are two of the most common diseases associated motors and both can be picked up and treated earlier than they usually are now, according to Noritz.

He said the family often refer to "diagnostic odyssey" involved in getting a definitive diagnosis for a sick child.

"We hope that people get to a specialist more quickly and thus can be diagnosed more quickly, but that the primary care physician at the same time when they were looking for a diagnosis, will refer to (the child) to therapy," he said

PROMOTE MOVEMENT

There are normal variations in how children develop, Lloyd said - so if a child is a few months late running, for example, parents should not be too worried.

But the longer the delay, or a combination of some motor problems, is a good reason for visits to the pediatrician, she told Reuters Health.

"Another type of movement does not seem right, such as tremor or rigidity or some sort of repetitive motor movements will be another red flag for me," added Lloyd.

Typical motor delay was not the result of a more serious condition is treated with physical therapy or occupational.

Parents can bring their children to the early movements like Kindergym program to promote the development of motor skills, Lloyd said, regardless of other treatments and whether or not they are delayed.

Have poor motor skills in general "set you on the path of the low level of physical activity, which of course is related to obesity," he said.

"Prevention is the delay or the promotion of motor skills can really affect your health for your life."

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