Health
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
As of July 31, CDC reports that there are 127 cases of human infection tied to exposure to pig ear pet treats with Salmonella enterica serotypes I 4,[5],12:i:-, Infantis, London, and Newport in 33 states. CDC reports that many of these cases are multidrug-resistant. Twenty-six people have been hospitalized.
The FDA has traced back some of the pig ear treats associated with cases of illness to sources in Argentina and Brazil. Two firms have recalled. Some of these treats have tested positive for Salmonella, and further testing is ongoing to identify the Salmonella strain(s).
As of July 31, based on information gathered from cases and the traceback data gathered from FDA, the FDA and CDC are recommending that people avoid purchasing or feeding any pig ear pet treats at this time. If you have pig ear pet treats, safely discard them and thoroughly clean the areas where the treats have been.
FDA is working with impacted firms to remove pig ear pet treats from the marketplace and identify places where they may have been distributed.
Salmonella can affect both human and animal health. People with symptoms of Salmonella infection should consult their healthcare providers. Consult a veterinarian if your pet has symptoms of Salmonella infection.
This is an ongoing investigation and FDA will provide the public with new information as it becomes available.
Please visit the FDA Web site for more information.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – About one in every eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime.
This staggering statistic is one of the reasons why Adventist Health has added a breast nurse navigator to its cancer care team.
Laurie Schirling, RN, OCN, CN-BC, is a board-certified breast nurse navigator and oncology certified nurse with a long career or serving women and families facing breast cancer.
“My passion is helping those with breast cancer through the transformative process from fear, to fighter, to empowered advocate,” she said.
Schirling began her nursing career nearly three decades ago working in an oncology setting at Duke University Medical Center.
After working across the country as a nursing unit director, oncology outpatient nurse, hospice nurse and house supervisor, she became a breast nurse navigator at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center’s Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer center in Reno, Nevada.
She then moved to California’s Central Valley, where she served patients as director of breast care centers, sleep labs and lung care centers for Adventist Health.
“My role is to break down barriers to the continuum of care,” Schirling said. “I educate patients about their individual cancer journey, to empower them as advocates for their care and support them and their families through survivorship.”
As a breast nurse navigator serving Napa and Lake County residents, Schirling works to streamline patient care, facilitates cancer peer groups and connects with the community to encourage preventative care.
Schirling serves as a support for patients that have abnormal breast imaging studies, such as women who have 3D mammograms at Adventist Health Clear Lake’s outpatient medical imaging center on Lakeshore Boulevard in Clearlake.
After spending a number of years serving patients in Adventist Health’s Central Valley Network, she was ready for a change. When not helping patients, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, being in the outdoors and spending time with her goldendoodle.
To schedule a mammogram in Clearlake, patients may call 707-995-5638. Schirling may be contacted by calling 707-967-7585.
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- Written by: Kara Manke
The University of California, Berkeley announced Monday that it has received a five-year grant expected to total $47 million from the U.S. National Institute on Aging, or NIA, to incorporate advanced brain imaging into the Alzheimer’s Association’s groundbreaking clinical trial, the U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk, or U.S. POINTER, to determine whether lifestyle changes can protect memory in people at risk of developing dementia.
The expanded study will be the first large-scale investigation of how lifestyle interventions, including exercise, diet, cognitive stimulation and health coaching, affect well-known biological markers of Alzheimer’s and dementia in the brain.
U.S. POINTER is a $35 million Alzheimer’s Association-led two-year clinical study to test whether lifestyle interventions focused on combining healthy nutrition, physical activity, social and intellectual challenge, and increased medical monitoring of vascular and metabolic conditions can protect cognitive function in older adults (60-79 years old) who are at increased risk for cognitive decline later in life. U.S. POINTER is the first study to examine these combined multidimensional interventions in a large-scale U.S.-based population.
The new award of $47 million from the NIA, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, (NIH grant number R01AG062689) will support the U.S. POINTER Neuroimaging Ancillary Study, which will use advanced brain imaging techniques (amyloid positron emission tomography, or PET, tau PET and magnetic resonance image, or MRI, scans) to assess the biological effects of these lifestyle interventions on brain health, including overall and regional brain shape, size and blood flow, and on indicators of heart health risk and small vessel disease.
Susan Landau, Ph.D., a research neuroscientist at UC Berkeley’s Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, is principal investigator of the add-on study.
“A healthy diet and lifestyle are generally recognized as good for health, but U.S. POINTER is the first large randomized controlled trial to look at whether lifestyle changes actually influence Alzheimer's disease-related brain changes,” said Landau. “Lifestyle modification is a non-drug option that is accessible to people and may reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's.”
“The U.S. POINTER trial gives us an opportunity to ask whether diet and exercise can actually change the brain, and ultimately the risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias,” Landau added.
The proposed study responds to the 2018 NIA Research Summit recommendations that encourage rigorous investigations of lifestyle change as a disease-modifying therapy to prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
“This groundbreaking project is an unparalleled examination of how lifestyle ‘therapies’ may change our brain in ways that are related to Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and overall brain health,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“U.S. POINTER is designed to determine what lifestyle interventions have a tangible impact on our brains. The addition of brain imaging is an important component that could provide the roadmap for brain health to reduce the risk of dementia before symptoms have a chance to appear,” Carrillo said.
Public health implications
According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2019 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, an estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, and Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. Barring the development of medical breakthroughs, the number may nearly triple to 13.8 million by 2050.
Previous results suggest that the benefits of lifestyle changes on brain health in older adults are potentially larger than pharmacological treatments tested to date. In addition, healthful lifestyle modification is an affordable and accessible approach with health benefits that extend beyond brain health.
The Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability, or FINGER, showed that in at-risk adults, lifestyle intervention improved cognitive function by 25 percent relative to adults randomized to health education.
The success of FINGER led to the initiation of U.S. POINTER and multiple additional national studies based on that model, now being coordinated through an interdisciplinary global network known as World Wide FINGERS.
A critical feature of the U.S. POINTER trial is its recruitment approach, which aims to include a geographically and racially/ethnically diverse population. This can help ensure the intervention will be applicable to a large proportion of older individuals.
Four sites – Winston-Salem, NC; Houston, TX; Davis, CA, and Chicago, IL – have been chosen for U.S. POINTER, with one more site planning to come online later this year.
Just over one-half of the U.S. POINTER Study participants (up to 1,250 out of 2,000) will be assessed with PET imaging at study start and at two years to measure the buildup of amyloid and tau, two proteins whose accumulation in the brain has been linked to Alzheimer’s dementia, and MRI at baseline, one year, and two years to measure the size of brain regions, identify lesions related to strokes or other vascular changes, and observe changes in brain blood flow.
Landau notes, “Brain markers of dementia, when measured at the beginning of the study, may predict who will respond best to the interventions, which could inform future precision medicine approaches to healthcare.”
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – MCHC Health Centers welcomes Charissa Barsos, a family nurse practitioner who loves to listen.
“When people tell me something’s wrong, they’re usually right. People may not know medicine, but they know their bodies and what they have to say is valid,” she explained.
As a child, Barsos experienced health problems and says she did not always feel her input was valued by medical personnel, so she decided to become a healthcare professional who paid attention and really listened to patients, be they young or old. “I became a nurse to help others. This is where I’m meant to be,” she said.
She grew up in Illinois and earned her nursing degree from Millikin University in Decatur. She then worked as a Cardiac Vascular Medical Surgical nurse at the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana for six years before earning her advanced degree and becoming a family nurse practitioner, or FNP.
As an FNP, she cared for patients of all ages at Carle Clinic in Champaign for several years. She especially enjoyed working with geriatric patients because she finds their wisdom and life experience interesting and she enjoys solving complex medical problems, which are more common as we age. The other age group she particularly enjoyed were young adults because they offer a fresh perspective.
After a few years at the clinic, it was time to make a change, “so when Kelly Kesey [MCHC recruiter] reached out and told me about the opportunity in California, I thought, ‘Why not?’” she said. She and her husband grew up in a rural area, so although they had never been to California, the rural nature of Lake County ended up being a great fit.
Barsos is now seeing patients at Lakeview Health Center in Lakeport. She enjoys interacting with patients, providing primary care, and working with the other healthcare teams at MCHC to provide whole-person care, including behavioral health, dentistry, and specialty care such as obstetrics/gynecology.
In Illinois, Barsos was active in her community, and she hopes to connect with community-minded individuals here, too. Her 12-year-old son is a Boy Scout from a long line of Eagle Scouts and Barsos has been a Scout leader for years. She is also interested in assisting with emergency responders in the event of a crisis, having been a member of the Medical Reserve Corps in Illinois.
For those interested in establishing care with Barsos, they can contact Lakeview Health Center online at www.lakeviewhealthcenter.org or by calling 707-263-7725.
MCHC Health Centers is a local, nonprofit, federally qualified health center offering medical, dental and behavioral health care to people in Lake and Mendocino counties.
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