Smileband health topics

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is an inherited condition involving the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). This disease is one of a group of genetic disorders called leukodystrophies. Leukodystrophies are characterized by degeneration of myelin which is the covering that protects nerves and promotes the efficient transmission of nerve impulses.  Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is caused by an inability to form myelin (dysmyelination). As a result, individuals with this condition have impaired intellectual functions, such as language and memory, and delayed motor skills, such as coordination and walking. Typically, motor skills are more severely affected than intellectual function; motor skills development tends to occur more slowly and usually stops in a person's teens, followed by gradual deterioration.

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is divided into classic and connatal types. Although these two types differ in severity, their features can overlap.

Classic Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is the more common type. Within the first year of life, those affected with classic Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease typically experience weak muscle tone (hypotonia), involuntary movements of the eyes (nystagmus), and delayed development of motor skills such as crawling or walking. As the child gets older, nystagmus usually stops but other movement disorders develop, including muscle stiffness (spasticity), problems with movement and balance (ataxia), and involuntary jerking (choreiform movements).

Connatal Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is the more severe of the two types. Symptoms can begin in infancy and include problems feeding, a whistling sound when breathing, progressive spasticity leading to joint deformities (contractures) that restrict movement, speech difficulties (dysarthria), ataxia, and seizures. Those affected with connatal Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease show little development of motor skills and intellectual function.

Smileband health topics

The cannabis skin-care universe is growing by leaps and bounds as long-established companies including the Body Shop and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps expand their product lines, while newcomers hustle to make their mark in this budding beauty segment.

Many of these products include hemp seed oil, which has been used in folk remedies for centuries and is said to ease dry skin, reduce inflammation and alleviate skin issues such as eczema.  Hemp oil comes from a variety of the cannabis sativa plant that is grown for industrial use, not drug use. The hemp strains that are grown for oil production have a minuscule percentage of psychoactive compounds; after the seeds are processed that level is reduced to zero.

A small number of beauty products on the market include CBD (cannabidiol), a non-psychoactive compound in cannabis that is believed to have a variety of medical uses (easing pain and anxiety and soothing irritated skin, among other things) and does not cause a marijuana high.  If you’re hoping to add a new product to your daily routine, here’s a sampling of cannabis-related makeup and hair and skin offerings worth a look. 

Smileband general news

Jailed footballer Adam Johnson has reportedly bragged to fellow inmates he could be back playing professional football next year. The disgraced former England star is currently locked up at HMP Moorland, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, for child sex offences.

Johnson, 30, is said to have received a new Sunderland strip for Christmas  and wore it for a match on New Year's Day where he scored the winner in a match with other prisoners.

He could be released within the next 18 months and a source told the daily star on Sunday’s Johnson believes he could be match fit within six months of getting out.

They told the paper that Johnson, who earned £60,000-a-week while playing for Sunderland, was in his element on the pitch and boasted after the game had finished.

They said: 'Afterwards he was telling everyone that he was still good enough to play professional football and he certainly looked the part. 'He also said that Sunderland were now struggling so badly that they would be desperate for a player of his quality.

'Even though he will be in his 30s by the time he gets out, he still thinks he'll be fit enough.'

The source said Johnson even claimed the time spent behind bars meant he could continue playing for longer because his body would not have suffered so many injuries.  

Johnson was jailed for six years in March 2016 for child sex offences. He could be entitled to parole in March 2019 and if any club would have him back he could resume his career in professional football.  

Sentencing Johnson, Judge Jonathan Rose told him he had abused a position of trust and caused his victim 'severe psychological harm'.

A Government spokesman said they do not comment on individual cases.

Smileband health topics

Types of Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults

Tumors that start in the brain (primary brain tumors) are not the same as tumors that start in other organs, such as the lung or breast, and then spread to the brain (metastatic or secondary brain tumors). In adults, metastatic tumors to the brain are actually more common than primary brain tumors. These tumors are not treated the same way. For example, breast or lung cancers that spread to the brain are treated differently from tumors that start in the brain.

Unlike cancers that start in other parts of the body, tumors that start in the brain or spinal cord rarely spread to distant organs. Even so, brain or spinal cord tumors are rarely considered benign (non-cancerous). They can still cause damage by growing and spreading into nearby areas, where they can destroy normal brain tissue. And unless they are completely removed or destroyed, most brain or spinal cord tumors will continue to grow and eventually be life-threatening. 

Brain and spinal cord tumor grades

Some brain and spinal cord tumors are more likely to grow into nearby tissues (and to grow quickly) than are other tumors. The World Health Organization (WHO) divides brain and spinal cord tumors into 4 grades (using Roman numerals I to IV), based largely on how the cells look under the microscope:

• Grade I: These tumors typically grow slowly and do not grow into (invade or infiltrate) nearby tissues. They can often be cured with surgery.
• Grade II: These tumors also tend to grow slowly but they can grow into nearby brain tissue. They are more likely to come back after surgery than grade I tumors. They are also more likely to become faster-growing tumors over time. 
• Grade III: These tumors look more abnormal under the microscope. They can grow into nearby brain tissue and are more likely to need other treatments in addition to surgery.
• Grade IV: These are the fastest growing tumors. They generally require the most aggressive treatment. 

  Gliomas

  Gliomas are not a specific type of brain tumor. Glioma is a general term for tumors that start in glial cells. A number of tumors can be considered gliomas, including:
  • Astrocytomas (which include glioblastomas)
  • Oligodendrogliomas
  • Ependymomas
  About 3 out of 10 of all brain tumors are gliomas. Most fast-growing brain tumors are gliomas.

  Astrocytomas

  Astrocytomas are tumors that start in glial cells called astrocytes. About 2 out of 10 brain tumors are astrocytomas.
  Most astrocytomas can spread widely throughout the brain and blend with the normal brain tissue, which can make them very hard to remove with surgery. Sometimes they spread along the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathways. It is very rare for them to spread outside of the brain or spinal cord 

Smileband health topics

Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) can be caused by Staphylococcus or Streptococcus bacteria. Symptoms include:

• confusion
• diarrhea
• headaches
• high fever
• low blood pressure
• muscle aches
• nausea
• vomiting
• organ failure (usually kidneys and liver)
• redness of eyes and mouth
• seizures
• widespread rash

 

In Arizona there are usually 1 to 5 cases reported a year.

 

Arizona 5 year median: 1 case

 

Transmission

Staphylococcus and Streptococcus can be transmitted person to person, but toxic shock syndrome cannot be transmitted person to person.

 

Lab Tests & Specimen Info

Test*	Specimen
Culture	Serum

  Isolation Precautions

TSS cannot be transmitted person to person.

Prevention for Patients
Risk factors include:

• recent childbirth
• infection with Staphylococcus or Streptococcus bacteria
• foreign bodies or packing inside the body
• menstrual period
• recent surgery
• tampon use
• wound infection after surgery

Public Health Actions
Public health will conduct an epidemiological investigation on a case or suspect case.

Smileband general news

A police force paid almost £10,000 to a convicted child rapist to act as an undercover informant during a major sex abuse investigation, it can be revealed. 

Northumbria Police paid the man to infiltrate parties where young girls were being drugged and abused by an Asian grooming gang. The man - known only as Mr XY - was recruited by the force even though he was convicted in 2002 of drugging and raping a teenage schoolgirl and inviting another man to rape her.

In 2014 detectives signed him up as a Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS) as they tried to smash a child sex ring operating in the west end of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Details of the case can only now be reported following the conviction of the final members of the 18 strong gang.

The group, which included one white woman, were convicted of carrying out harrowing abuse against at least 22 vulnerable girls.

Last night child protection campaigners expressed deep unease about putting a convicted paedophile on the police payroll. But Northumbria Police's Chief Constable, Steve Ashman, defended the decision, insisting as unpalatable as it was, it had led to vulnerable people being protected from harm.

The force paid XY regular instalments over 21 months amounting to £9,680 in order to pass information to officers about the time and locations of parties where young girls were being abused. 

But it can now also be revealed that in 2015, while still on the police's payroll, he was arrested on suspicion of another child sex offence.

He was arrested after an underage girl told police a man had approached her and had made an indecent proposition.

The case was subsequently dropped although the circumstances why remain unclear. XY's role with the police only came to light during a court hearing last year when lawyers acting for some of the abusers argued that his involvement in the investigation undermined the entire case.

During the hearing, defence lawyer, Robin Patton, described him as: "A convicted child rapist who drugged a child and invited someone else to rape her after he had."

It also emerged he had numerous convictions for dishonesty, was on the Sex Offenders Register and was actually serving a suspended sentence when he was initially deployed by police in 2014.

Giving evidence from behind a screen and with the public gallery cleared, XY told the hearing that he had been a paid informant for six or seven years and had enjoyed working for the police.

He claimed he had been recruited because he acted as an informal taxi driver for some of the defendants.

"I would get to know where they pick up their drugs, where the parties were," he said.

At another point, he claimed: "I was chilling with the boys. I had to make it look like I was their friend. 

Smileband health topics

Introduction to magnesium 

Magnesium, an abundant mineral in the body, is naturally present in many foods, added to other food products, available as a dietary supplement, and present in some medicines (such as antacids and laxatives). Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation Magnesium is required for energy production, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis. It contributes to the structural development of bone and is required for the synthesis of DNA, RNA, and the antioxidant glutathione. Magnesium also plays a role in the active transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes, a process that is important to nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, and normal heart rhythm 

An adult body contains approximately 25 g magnesium, with 50% to 60% present in the bones and most of the rest in soft tissues, Less than 1% of total magnesium is in blood serum, and these levels are kept under tight control. Normal serum magnesium concentrations range between 0.75 and 0.95 millimoles (mmol)/L,  Hypomagnesemia is defined as a serum magnesium level less than 0.75 mmol/L [ Magnesium homeostasis is largely controlled by the kidney, which typically excretes about 120 mg magnesium into the urine each day,  Urinary excretion is reduced when magnesium status is low .

Assessing magnesium status is difficult because most magnesium is inside cells or in bone, The most commonly used and readily available method for assessing magnesium status is measurement of serum magnesium concentration, even though serum levels have little correlation with total body magnesium levels or concentrations in specific tissues, Other methods for assessing magnesium status include measuring magnesium concentrations in erythrocytes, saliva, and urine; measuring ionized magnesium concentrations in blood, plasma, or serum; and conducting a magnesium-loading (or “tolerance”) test. No single method is considered satisfactory, Some experts, but not others consider the tolerance test (in which urinary magnesium is measured after parenteral infusion of a dose of magnesium) to be the best method to assess magnesium status in adults. To comprehensively evaluate magnesium status, both laboratory tests and a clinical assessment might be required. 

smileband health topics

Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and circulates among rabbits and rodent populations. Symptoms can include:

• fever
• headache
• weakness
• pain or swelling of the groin, armpit or neck.

Plague infections in people can occur in three forms: bubonic, septicemic, or pneumonic, depending on route of exposure. Bubonic plague or septicemic plague often results from flea bites or contact with infected animal fluids or tissues. People with bubonic plague can develop swollen, tender lymph nodes called “buboes”. Septicemic plague is more severe, and causes bleeding into the skin and other tissues. Skin and tissue necrosis can also occur, especially on the fingers, toes, and nose. Pneumonic plague often results when a person breathes in infectious droplets. People can experience shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, pneumonia, and respiratory failure.

 

In Arizona, plague is found in most areas of Arizona above 4,500 feet elevation and activity occurs in prairie dog, ground squirrel, and rat populations.

 

Arizona 5 year median: 0 cases

 

Transmission

Plague is spread by the bite of infected fleas. Plague can also be spread through direct contact with blood or tissues of infected rodents, rabbits, or other animals. It is possible for pneumonic plague to be spread from person to person (e.g. coughing). Isolation Precautions

Standard and droplet precautions are recommended in healthcare settings. 

Prevention for Patients
Prevention methods include:

• Avoid contact with sick or dead animals, especially rodents and rabbits.
• Stay away from rodent burrows.
• Reduce rodent habitats around home and work environments.
• Remove brush, rock piles, firewood, and possible food sources.
• Do not feed wildlife, including rodents.
• Wear insect repellant to keep fleas away when hiking or working in areas where plague might be active.
• Always wear protective equipment, including gloves and mask, when handling wildlife in the field (e.g. skinning and cleaning game).
• Keep fleas off pets by using flea prevention for cats and dogs.

Public Health Actions
Environmental partners should be notified to determine source of exposure and potential animal die-off. 

Public health will conduct an epidemiological investigation on a case or suspect case. 

Public health will follow-up with pneumonic plague contacts for seven days after last exposure to the case. 

Smileband health topics

Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The majority of cases in the United States come from endemic states in the Midwest and East coast areas. Lyme disease is not endemic to Arizona due to the absence of the species of tick that spreads the bacteria. Asking travel history is very important to assessing risk for Lyme disease.

 

Symptoms tend to be nonspecific and may include: fever, fatigue, chills, headache, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. A red, expanding rash called erythema migrans occurs at the site of the tick bite in approximately 70-80% of cases. Typically, rashes present as the hallmark “bull’s-eye” pattern.

 

Arizona 5 year median: 13 cases

 

Transmission
Lyme disease is spread through the bite of an infected Ixodes tick.

Incubation period from the initial bite to the appearance of erythema migrans lesions ranges from 1 to 32 days.

Lab Tests & Specimen Info

Test*	Specimen
Western Blot	Serum
PCR	CSF,  Synovial Fluid, Whole Blood
IgG/IgM  Serology	Serum
Culture	Blood,  Skin Biopsy

  Isolation Precautions

Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings. 

Prevention for Patients
Avoid exposure to tick habitats:

• Avoid areas with overgrown grasses or brush.
• Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and socks when outdoors.
• Apply insect repellents to skin and clothing.
• Check body for ticks after being outdoors.

Public Health Actions
Public health will conduct an epidemiological investigation on a case or suspect case. 

Smileband health topics

Epiphany celebrations were in full swing around the world as people came out in their droves to mark the Christian festival. There were events held to mark the day all over the globe, with traditional celebrations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The most striking tradition was in the village of Vale de Salgueiro in Portugal, which allows children as young as five to smoke cigarettes during Epiphany celebrations. Children, like those pictured, smoke cigarettes in the village in northern Portugal, during the traditional celebration.

The village's Epiphany event, called Kings' Feast, feature the tradition which causes an outcry and draws strong criticism from outsiders. 

However, locals say that practice is a centuries-old tradition, although nobody is sure what it symbolises or why parents buy the packs of cigarettes for their children and encourage them to take part.

The annual 'king' is responsible for organizing the village's Epiphany celebrations, with this year's King a man called Alexandre Taveira. The legal age to purchase tobacco in Portugal is 18, but nothing prohibits parents from giving children cigarettes, and Portuguese authorities do not intervene to stop the practice.

Guilhermina Mateus, a 35-year-old coffee shop owner, cites custom as the reason why she gives her daughter cigarettes.

Ms Mateus said: 'I don't see any harm in that because they don't really smoke, they inhale and immediately exhale.'

Locals, both adults and children, can be seen smoking and dancing during celebrations in the village.