Sudden Hearing Loss Might Be An Early Sign Of Vulnerability to Stroke

Sudden hearing loss could indicate future stroke
American Heart Association rapid access journal report

Preliminary research culled from a national medical insurance records database in Taiwan suggests that sudden loss of hearing might be an early sign of vulnerability to stroke, foreshadowing an actual cerebrovascular event by as much as two years, according to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Five-year follow-up data on 1,423 patients hospitalized for an acute episode of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) showed they were more than one-and-a-half times more likely to suffer a stroke than a control group of 5,692 patients who had been hospitalized for an appendectomy.

Because the insurance records may not have contained reliable information, such as correct diagnostic codes or confounding factors, the findings should be considered tentative, said lead investigator Herng-Ching Lin, Ph.D., a professor at Taipei Medical University School of Health Care Administration.

"To the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the incidence or risk of cerebrovascular diseases developing following the onset of sudden sensorineural hearing loss," Lin said. "But because this is the first time any association has been suggested, and because there were many limitations in the data, the results need to be interpreted cautiously until additional independent studies are performed."

The findings are limited because there is not a clear universal definition for SSNHL in the database that was reviewed. "Secondly, the database did not contain information regarding severity of hearing loss, extent of hearing recovery, tobacco use, body mass index and the medical history of cardiovascular disease and atrial fibrillation – all of which can contribute to stroke risk," Lin explained.

Nonetheless, the researchers recommend that all SSNHL patients undergo a comprehensive neurological exam and blood testing to gauge their risk profile for stroke.

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Co-authors are Pin-Zhir Chao, M.D. and Hsin-Chien Lee, M.D. Individual author disclosures can be found on the manuscript.

Editor's note: For more information on stroke, visit the American Stroke Association Web site: strokeassociation.org.

Statements and conclusions of study authors that are published in the American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position. The American Heart Association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.

NR08– 1077 (Stroke/Lin)

Contact: Bridgette McNeill
bridgette.mcneill@heart.org
214-706-1135
American Heart Association

Tags: cerebrovascular, stroke, sensorineural hearing loss, hearing loss, American Stroke Association, American Heart Association

New antimicrobial wash rapidly kills Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on food

New UGA invention effectively kills foodborne pathogens in minutes

University of Georgia researchers have developed an effective technology for reducing contamination of dangerous bacteria on food. The new antimicrobial wash rapidly kills Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on foods ranging from fragile lettuce to tomatoes, fruits, poultry products and meats. It is made from inexpensive and readily available ingredients that are recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The new technology, which has commercial application for the produce, poultry, meat and egg processing industries, is available for licensing from the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc., which has filed a patent application on the new technology.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that, in the U.S. alone, foodborne pathogens are responsible for 76 million illnesses every year. Of the people affected by those illnesses, 300,000 are hospitalized and more than 5,000 die. These widespread outbreaks of food-borne illnesses are attributed, in part, to the fast-paced distribution of foods across the nation. Recently, raw tomatoes caused an outbreak of salmonellosis that sickened more than 300 people in at least 28 states and Canada.

Currently, a chlorine wash is frequently used in a variety of ways to reduce harmful bacteria levels on vegetables, fruits and poultry, but because of chlorine's sensitivity to food components and extraneous materials released in chlorinated water treatments, many bacteria survive. Chlorine is toxic at high concentrations, may produce off-flavors and undesirable appearance of certain food products, and it can only be used in conjunction with specialized equipment and trained personnel. In addition, chlorine may be harmful to the environment.

"We can't rely on chlorine to eliminate pathogens on foods," said Michael Doyle, one of the new technology's inventors and director of UGA's Center for Food Safety. "This new technology is effective, safe for consumers and food processing plant workers, and does not affect the appearance or quality of the product. It may actually extend the shelf-life of some types of produce."

Doyle is an internationally recognized authority on food safety whose research focuses on developing methods to detect and control food-borne bacterial pathogens at all levels of the food continuum, from the farm to the table. He has served as a scientific advisor to many groups, including the World Health Organization, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The new antimicrobial technology, developed by Doyle and Center for Food Safety researcher Tong Zhao, uses a combination of ingredients that kills bacteria within one to five minutes from application. It can be used as a spray and immersion solution, and its concentration can be adjusted for treatment of fragile foods such as leafy produce, more robust foods such as poultry, or food preparation equipment and food transportation vehicles.

"The effectiveness, easy storage and application, and low cost of this novel antibacterial make it applicable not only at food processing facilities, but also at points-of-sale and at home, restaurants and military bases. The development of this technology is timely, given the recent, sequential outbreaks of foodborne pathogens," said Gennaro Gama, UGARF technology manager in charge of licensing this technology.

Contact: Kim Osborne
kosborne@uga.edu
706-583-0913
University of Georgia

Tags: Health Research, antimicrobial, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, University of Georgia, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foodborne pathogens, World Health Organization, USDA, FDA, antimicrobial technology

Elderly Population Could Avoid Memory Loss With Active Social Life, Party Time!!

Active Social Life May Delay Memory Loss Among U.S. Elderly Population

Boston, MA -- One of the features of aging is memory loss, which can have devastating effects on the quality of life among older people. In a new study, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found evidence that elderly people in the U.S. who have an active social life may have a slower rate of memory decline. The study appears in the July 2008 issue of the American Journal of Public Health and appears in an advance online edition on May 29, 2008.

"We hope this study adds to and advances our growing understanding of the important role that social forces play in shaping health," said Karen Ertel, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at HSPH.

Previous studies have suggested that an active social life may reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline among the elderly. Memory loss is a strong risk factor for dementia, a syndrome estimated to affect up to 10% of the U.S. population 65 years and older. The researchers wanted to test whether memory loss might also be associated with social connectedness.

Ertel and her HSPH colleagues, senior author Lisa Berkman, chair of the Department of Society, Human Development and Health, and Maria Glymour, assistant professor, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, used data gathered from 1998 to 2004 from the Health and Retirement Study, a large, nationally representative population of U.S. adults 50 years and older. (Previous studies were conducted outside of the U.S. or using smaller, non-representative population samples.) Memory was assessed in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004 by reading a list of ten common nouns to survey respondents, then asking them to recall as many words as possible immediately and after a five-minute delay. Social integration was assessed by marital status, volunteer activities, and contact with parents, children and neighbors.

The results showed that individuals with the highest social integration had the slowest rate of memory decline from 1998 to 2004. In fact, memory decline among the most integrated was less than half the rate among the least integrated. These findings were independent of sociodemographic factors (such as age, gender, and race) and health status in 1998. The researchers found that the protective effect of social integration was largest among individuals with fewer than 12 years of education.

The researchers found no evidence that the results could be due to reverse causation, that is, poor memory or memory decline causing social withdrawal.

"Social participation and integration have profound effects on health and well being of people during their lifetimes," said Berkman. "We know from previous studies that people with many social ties have lower mortality rates. We now have mounting evidence that strong social networks can help to prevent declines in memory. As our society ages and has more and more older people, it will be important to promote their engagement in social and community life to maintain their well being."

Memory loss and dementia pose a major public health burden among the elderly U.S. population. The results suggest that increasing social integration may help slow memory decline among older Americans and could help alleviate the public health burden, particularly because the aging population in the U.S. is expected to increase substantially. "We need to understand more about how social integration reduces the risk of memory decline in order to target interventions that can help slow the decline," said Ertel. "Future research should focus on identifying the specific aspects of social integration most important for preserving memory."

Support for the study was provided by the National Institute of Aging.

"Effects of Social Integration on Preserving Memory Function in a Nationally Representative U.S. Elderly Population," Karen A. Ertel, M. Maria Glymour, Lisa F. Berkman, American Journal of Public Health, July 2008, Vol. 98, No. 7.

For more information, contact:

Todd Datz

617-432-3952

tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu

Tags: Health Research, Public Health, Memory Loss, HSPH, social life, dementia, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, social integration, American Journal of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health