We have already known that pregnant women are exposed to a lot of dangers. Moreover, most of the threats can affect their babies too. Doctors are advising pregnant women to pay attention because gestational diabetes can lead to complications and many consequences for the newborns.

Researchers wanted to find out how dangerous diabetes can be for a pregnant woman. According to them,  this disease is not the only factor that can cause problems for the babies. If the mother has a high level of glucose, this could be enough to cause complications during pregnancy. There are a lot of health issues the baby can have, including fetal macrosomia. This means that is very likely that the baby will be  overweight. This disease is making babies larger than average, no matter how old they are.

Gestational diabetes is a condition that develops during pregnancy. Even if you have no health problems before, you could discover that you suffer from this disease.  It affects the mother and the child. Doctors gave women treatment for high glucose level, but it does not seem to lower the risks.

If you want to prevent gestational diabetes, there are some studies who prove that this disease is most likely to strike during summer. Researchers used ten thousand of pregnant women and discovered that their glucose level was lower in spring months. Moreover, the level increased during summer, so there is a bigger chance to get the disease in that period of time.

Researchers are still trying to find a solution for gestational diabetes. The problem is not so easy to solve, having in mind that there are more lives in danger. Pregnant women should see a doctor every month to see if there is any problem.

The American Diabetes Association discovered that 9.2 percent of pregnant women can have gestational diabetes.  Women should pay attention to their sugar level no matter what season is or if they had health issues in the past.  Avoid too many sugary drinks during pregnancy,  eat as healthy as you can and be aware of the dangers that can happen during this period of time. Your child is vulnerable to many threats and gestational diabetes is just one of them. There will be more research in the future to discover if the this type of diabetes is a bigger problem during summer.

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New research shows that patients suffering from uveitis, also known as eye inflammation could keep their condition under control with Humira (adalimumab), the immune-suppressing medicine.

Dr. Glenn Jaffe, the lead author of the study and an ophthalmology professor at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, mentioned that the drug would not correct the uveitis, but would make the disease stagnate. Jaffe, who is also a specialist at Humira’s maker, AbbVie, hopes that when the disease is in the stagnant stage, it won’t come back.

The Food & Drug Administration also approved the usage of adalimumab for individuals suffering from noninfectious uveitis in June.

Research shows that 40 out of 100,000 people aged mostly 20 to 40 suffer from uveitis which is usually treated with corticosteroids. These have been allowed by FDA for a long time, being the only approved treatment for uveitis, although doctors have recommended Humira off-label.

Moreover, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the corticosteroids treatment comes with serious side-effects like fatigue, weight gain, acne, mood changes, and more.

Jaffe states that adalimumab blocks the proteins that produce inflammations, thus decreasing the inflammation. Before taking Humira, physicians must make sure that their patients do not have multiple sclerosis or tuberculosis because mixing the drug with these diseases the chance of infections is significantly increased.

Jaffe says that when the condition is stagnant, patients are regularly treated for about two years. If after this period, the disease still makes no signs, doctors take into consideration the attenuation of the treatment to see if the disease is still active. Jaffe mentioned being excited that this is the first time the FDA approved another medication other than steroids for the treatment of uveitis.

Jaffe and his colleagues chose at random more than 200 uveitis sufferers, and they were given either Humira or a placebo medicine. The individuals following the adalimumab treatment were administered an initial dose of 80 milligrams succeeded by 40 milligrams each two weeks. The sufferers also received a first treatment of the steroid prednisone.

The findings proved that individuals that received the placebo treatment were more likely to undergo flare-ups of uveitis than the ones taking Humira.

The average time to the outburst of the disease was 13 weeks for individuals receiving the placebo compared with 24 weeks for those taking adalimumab. However, more research into alternative therapy for the sight-threatening illness is needed before attempting to save their sight.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently forbade most of the body washes antibacterial soaps often found on store shelves, claiming that the products constitute potential health risks and are not different from the traditional old soap and water. FDA says that the ban includes body washes and soaps holding triclocarban and triclosan, two of the most common antibacterial components. 17 more ingredients are added in the refusal.

The director of the Division of Nonprescription Drug Products at the FDA’s Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Dr. Theresa Michele stated that most of the products containing on the label the term ‘antibacterial’ or ‘antimicrobial’ include at least one of the components that are banned by FDA. Michele also mentioned that there are approximately 2,100 antibacterial soaps marketed today, signifying about 40 percent of the total soap market.

More than 2 million people a year in the United States grow contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Moreover, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, at least 23,000 die from this infection.

The long-term usage of the now-banned active components could also imply other concerns. For instance, more recent investigations have proved that triclosan can attack the estrogen, thyroid and testosterone systems of mammals. The agency reported that the component could have implications for human health as well.

Nevertheless, FDA stated that companies couldn’t show how their antibacterial merchandises are any better than regular soap and water at limiting the spread of germs. To avoid getting ill and restrict the spread of germs, notably through the start of the school year, people should remain constant in washing their hands with regular soap and water.

CDC suggests that people utilize an alcohol-based hand sanitizer including at least 60 percent alcohol if water and soap are not available.

Despite the fact that FDA recorded that many companies have previously started phasing out triclocarban, triclosan, and other active components, corporations have been given a year to conform into the ban.

FDA considers that the ban will limit Americans’ vulnerability to these active components by 2.2 million pounds per year.

Michel mentioned that triclocarban is seen in bar soaps while triclosan is most frequently included in liquid soap.

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A new research showed that as perceptions of marijuana change, more American grown-ups are utilizing the drug than ever before, and they are consuming it more frequently. So, the growth of marijuana consumption is influenced by the fact that people see the drug as less harmful than they did before.

Based on a research of over 500,000 US grown-ups between 2002 and 2014, the investigation determined that the use of marijuana increased from 10.4 percent of the population in 2002 to 13.3 percent in 2014. It could also be translated as a growth from 21.9 million to 31.9 million.

In 2014, it was estimated that the number of regular or near-daily users was around 8.4 million. In 2002, the number was around 3.9 million.

The number of individuals that declared they worry about the risks of smoking marijuana decreased from 50.4% to 33.3% over the equivalent period. However, the study did not find an increase in addiction or abuse of the drug. The use among teenagers or children was not analyzed in the research.

Dr. Wilson Compton, the study author and deputy director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, said that he is not surprised by the findings and believes that the growth was influenced by the social and legal acceptance of marijuana. He also highlighted that more than 25 stated legalized the medical use of the drug over the last 20 years.

An essential aspect is an education about the dangers of pot and making sure that people are not at risk of becoming addicted and other problems correlated with the drug. Other issues could include the inability to think clearly which can lead to complications with their work performance.

Higher marijuana use was linked to a drop in the percentage of individuals who correlate smoking pot with harm. According to the research, where just one-third of the American population once viewed marijuana as safe, now half of them do.

Notwithstanding higher usage, rates of marijuana addiction or abuse maintained steady in the overall population from 2002 to 2014 at around 1.5 percent. The research found that among marijuana users only, the rate of addiction or abuse dropped from 15 % to 11 %. The reason could be that older individuals are returning to occasional use, and there are fewer users between young adults who are at higher risk of developing problems with the use.

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According to a new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School the prescription drugs in the U.S cost too much because of the drug monopolies and restrictions on price negotiations.

Researchers wanted to understand why U.S. drug prices are so similar to other industrialized countries. To discover the reason, the authors of the study had to review medical and health policy literature from January 2005 to July 2016 and analyze articles approaching the source. Moreover, the justification and outcomes of drug prices in the U.S. were examined.

The U.S. surpassed 19 other industrialized nations when it comes to spending per capita on prescription drugs. In 2013,  an average of $858 was paid for prescription medicines in the U.S which is more than twice what other industrialized countries spend.

They determined the most relevant factor that led to the high drug pricing is drug monopolies related to market exclusivity. It could indicate that a new medication will not be threatened on the marketplace by a generic drug for an established amount of time.

Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, research author and associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School explained that because this is a very complex issue, it is a problem that cannot be solved quickly.

New competitors must be introduced in the marketplace to make the prices drop. However, this is a difficult approach as certain common forms of new drugs are promised a period of five to seven years before a generic competitor can be sold.

Moreover, drug manufacturers can also obtain patents lasting more than 20 years for extraordinary inventions.

Common drugs such as a steroid inhaler for asthma costs about $35 in France in comparison to over $300 a month in the U.S. Also, insulin, a life-saving medication for diabetics, is about eight times more expensive here.

The different prices from the U.S and other countries are the effect of price controls which usually result in restricted access to medicines and fewer alternatives for patients.

In many countries, a delegate negotiates drug costs and will not cover stocks if cost-to-benefit calculations are irrational. However, in the U.S the bargaining power of the payer is constrained for various reasons.

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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is responding to a number of swine flu cases in West Michigan. After participating in county fairs, two children have been reported with a form of swine flu which allegedly was contracted from infected pigs.

Across the state, three people have contracted swine flu from coming into direct contact with pigs and people are now wondering what measures are being taken to avoid spreading the virus.

Recently, twenty pigs out of the 350 exhibited two weeks ago at the Cass County Fair tested positive last week for a strain of influenza H3N2 known as swine flu.

Doctors confirm that the H3N2 strain is harmless in comparison to other types of influenza, like H1N1. Dr. David Davenport, an infectious disease expert with Borgess Medical Center, stated that nine times of ten this is an almost harmless disease, and it is due to direct contact with contaminated pigs.

Swine flu is a respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the respiratory tract of pigs and result in a decreased appetite, barking cough, nasal secretions, and lethargic behavior; the virus can be easily transmitted to humans.

The 2009 swine flu outbreak (pandemic) was due to infection with the H1N1 virus and was first observed in Mexico. The incubation period for the disease is about one to four days. The disease perseveres for about three to seven days. More severe infections could persist up to 10 days. The best-known way to prevent the swine flu is vaccination. It reduces the chances of becoming infected with influenza viruses.

Officials have been carefully monitoring the fair organizers all over the state and believe that these are isolated cases that pose no threat to humanity.

People attending the county fairs are advised to avoid contact with sick people to stop spreading the disease. Moreover, they must avoid touching their mouth, eyes or nose to prevent spraying the microbes.

The limited availability of vaccines makes it harder for pigs to get vaccinated ahead of time. More than 30 percent of exhibition pigs are likely to catch the virus.

Fortunately, both people that contracted swine flu during the Muskegon County Fair have recovered.

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