Alerts CC

Throughout the United Kingdom, more children’s teeth are rotting out than ever before — and it’s creating a crisis of near-unprecedented scale for the nation’s hospitals.

According to the UK Express, nearly 50,000 children across the country between the ages of five and nine are admitted to hospitals every year for problems created by rotten teeth.

About 26,000 of these children will receive general anesthetics to have their rotten teeth removed. All told, one in every three British five-year-olds now suffers from tooth decay.

All these dental extractions come at a price for the state. Between 2012 and 2013, the National Health Service spent £30 million on hospital-based dental extractions for children 18 and under, the BBC reported on July 12.

Nor are extractions of rotten teeth a good thing for these young patients, either. Childhood tooth decay — most commonly caused by consuming too many sugary foods and drinks — can lead to tooth infection, gum disease and eventual tooth loss. The average American over the age of 20 will have about 24 of their natural teeth remaining — but for this generation of British children, the average amount of teeth they’ll have by adulthood is on track to be much smaller.

The worst part? Childhood tooth decay could be prevented 90% of the time, signalling the need for renewed action against this problem on a wide scale.

In response to these figures, Britain’s top dental surgeon is now calling for cigarette-style warnings on sugary foods and drinks to be a requirement.

“We are reaching crisis. It’s unacceptable that one third of five-year-olds suffer from tooth decay in England,” said Prof. Nigel Hunt, dean of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons.

By labeling products like candy and soda with stark, ominous labeling, Hunt said he believes the UK’s child dental health crisis can be averted.

“In the same way as we have with smoking, that smoking can cause lung cancer and so on, we should be saying high levels of sugar will lead to not only poor oral health and decay but the impact on general health.”

According to a July 10th report from the Health Care Cost Institute, the annual average of money spent, covered by employer insurance, on health care for children ages 0-18 grew by 5.7% every year between 2010-2013. In comparison, the amount spent in that time for ages 0 to 64 only increased by 3.9% each year. This report is based on the almost half of U.S. children covered by ESI in 2013, or around 10.2 million children ages 0 to 18.

The report details that despite a decrease in prescription drug use and pediatric emergency room visits, per capita spending on children totaled $2,574 in 2013, showing a $391 increase from 2010. It also reports an increase in spending on children’s inpatient services, which saw a $744 increase in one year, reaching a total cost of $14,685 in 2013. Additionally, 40% of inpatient admission costs were for children under the age of four.

In accordance with a continuing shift from branded prescription drugs to generics, the HCCI reported a decline in overall prescription use by children in 2013. From 2011 to 2013, the use of generic prescriptions, mostly for asthma and allergies, saw a 300% increase for infants, a 700% increase for kids ages four to eight, an 800% increase for kids ages nine to 13, and a 500% increase for kids 14 to 18. The use of the branded version of these drugs dropped to almost zero in the same time window.

Though the Urgent Care Association of America sees an average of three million people every week, the report also showed a decline in ER visits in 2013 among kids ages 0 to 18. The biggest decrease was in males ages 14 to 18 and teen labor/delivery admissions, while mental health and substance abuse admissions for females ages 14 to 18 increased.

“We hope this report gives researchers, policymakers and consumers a clearer picture of health care spending trends for children,” said HCCI Senior Researcher Amanda Frost in the news release. “While we know that prices have fueled much of the spending growth, future research should examine whether these expenditures are yielding valuable health outcomes and what the implications are for the future of children’s healthcare.”

A crash during a pursuit in Hockessin, DE left two people in the hospital and caused hours of traffic delays. This comes after police were chasing a Newark woman and a teen boy who were suspects in the assault of a 91-year-old in her home.

The suspects, an unnamed teen and Divedra Morris, 30, crashed at the intersection of Limestone and Little Baltimore Roads after being chased by police. Earlier that morning, police had been called to Springers Lane in Milltown to investigate a burglary of a 91-year-old. The victim told police that a woman grabbed her from behind by another woman, and she noticed the young boy during the struggle. The elderly woman was bruised but otherwise unharmed.

Two intruders were also found at a Romunno Circle home. The homeowner believed it was his wife making noise in the garage as she was coming home, but he found intruders as he went to meet her at the door. The intruders threatened him and demanded cash, but he fled and ran to call 911 at a neighbor’s home.

Dispatchers reported the break-ins, and descriptions of the suspects, over police radio. Police spotted an African-American woman and a teeanger matching those descriptions in a vehicle, and pursued them. The vehicle sped off, beginning a chase down Limestone Road. The driver ran a red light and struck another car.

Both suspects are in stable condition. Morris will be charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree burglary, second-degree conspiracy, aggravated menacing, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony, theft under $1,500, criminal mischief, first-degree reckless endangering, disregarding a police officer’s signal and numerous other traffic violations. She is currently awaiting trial.

The teen is charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree burglary, second-degree conspiracy, aggravated menacing, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony, theft under $1,500 and criminal mischief. He was sent to the New Castle County Detention Center in lieu of posting $147,500 cash bail.

The story serves as a cautionary tale for drivers to be on the lookout. About 133,000 people were injured and 683 killed by crashes in which a driver ran a red light in 2012. Be sure to pay attention, as it may not be you who runs that red.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded the Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) in Tampa, Florida a $3.6 million grant in order to evaluate the effects of electronic cigarettes, commonly known as “e-cigarettes” or “e-cigs” for short, during the next five years.

Outbreak News Today reports that the MCC will study the effects of e-cigs, considering their rise in popularity over the past decade. Millions of Americans claim to use e-cigs, which “vaporize” a nicotine-laden liquid rather than burn regular tobacco. In 2013, the e-cig industry was valued at a whopping $1.7 billion.

Conventional wisdom deems e-cigs safer than regular cigarettes, although there is scant scientific evidence to say that for certain. Many e-cig users claim to use them in order to quit or curtail their smoking habits. However, little research indicates that e-cigs can combat cigarette addiction in any noticeable way.

The objective of the NIH grant is for researchers at MCC to study how e-cigs are used over long periods of time. Specifically, the researchers want to find out if they can actual help users quit smoking regular cigarettes. The first year of the study will involve interviewing e-cig users and collecting information about their experiences: when they use it, how often they smoke, why they took it up, and their general perceptions of e-cigs. The study group will include tobacco smokers as well (some of whom may smoke e-cigs on top of tobacco cigarettes).

Dr. Thomas Brandon, PhD, the director of the Tobacco Research and Intervention Program at MCC, said that “public health researchers are really playing catch-up with the explosion of e-cigarettes onto the marketplace.”

“Millions of smokers are using e-cigarettes to try to quit smoking, yet because there is a lack of data, we are not able to advise them whether that is an effective smoking cessation strategy,” he continued. “This study should provide some answers that will be very useful to smokers as they consider ways to quit.”

Sunscreen, cosmetics and frying pans are all items that we use on an everyday basis.

But could they secretly be reducing fertility among men?

That’s what Niels Jorgensen, a Danish researcher, recently asserted after studying more than 70 years’ worth of male fertility data.

These products all have one thing in common: high levels of phthalates, chemicals found in everything from car dashboards to shower curtains. Thanks to the stunning amount of chemicals to which we are exposed on a daily basis, just one in four men has good-quality sperm ideal for reproducing, Jorgensen said at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology’s conference in Lisbon last month.

These phthalates “can be breathed in, consumed or absorbed through the skin of pregnant women, inhibiting testosterone production in male fetuses, leading to sons with low sperm counts,” Jorgensen said.

It’s not surprising, then, that the average couple between the ages of 29 to 33 with normally-functioning reproductive systems will ultimately only have a 20-25% chance of successfully conceiving. Although infertility is typically thought to be a female problem, Jorgensen’s findings show that the man can be just as likely to have fertility troubles as his partner.

And when more women are waiting until their 30s and 40s to have children — by which time their own fertility is waning — having a partner with a low sperm count can exacerbate the problem.

However, according to those in the cosmetics industry, it’s never advisable for one to skip out on sunscreen for the sake of improving one’s chances at conception. Dr. Chris Flower, an official from the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, called Jorgensen’s advice regarding sunscreen “outrageous,” the New Zealand Herald reported.

“We know the risks of sun damage, and to suggest that not using sun protection products is a good idea is a terrible thing to do,” he said. “To frighten pregnant women about non-existent dangers of cosmetics is equally irresponsible.”

Dogs typically only need to go the vet once a year, but if they chow down on 62 hair bands, four rubber bands, eight pairs of underwear, and a bandage, as Tiki the Labrador did, they’ll have to go back a few times.

Sara Weiss, Tiki’s owner, told Pittsburgh TV station WTAE that she knew her lab had a taste for non-food items. She’d apparently swallowed a NERF dart before, but the toy had passed through her digestive system just fine.

When the dog wasn’t feeling well, Weiss took her to the vet, who prescribed her medicine. When the medicine didn’t help Tiki’s condition, they X-rayed her, and found a mass in her stomach.

Dr. Hisham Ibrahim, known as “Doctor I,” of Good Shepherd Veterinary Hospital then performed a two-hour surgery at the end of June, WTAE reported.

“‘Doctor I’ started pulling handfuls of different items out,” Emily Cottle, the head technician at Good Shepherd Veterinary Hospital, told WTAE. “It was quite an experience to see.”

“I found this hair band attached to another hair band to another one to another one and to other things again,” said Ibrahim.

This sort of thing isn’t totally unheard of. Last year, a Great Dane made national headlines when it ate 43 and a half socks. The clinic that removed the Great Dane’s footwear blockage submitted his X-rays to the annual “They Ate WHAT?” contest, and won the $500 third prize. The Great Dane lost to a frog who’d eaten 30 rocks from the bottom of its cage, and a German shorthaired pointer who swallowed a metal shish kabob skewer.

In fact, Ibrahim also removed 15 pacifiers from the stomach of another dog prior to Tiki’s “really amazing” case.

Fortunately, Tiki recovered, despite her appetite for all things elastic.

“It was just amazing, and it’s not easy,” said Ibrahim. “But, thank God, we were able to pull through, and Tiki has recovered very well.”

For the first time in nearly a century, the travertine walls of the Duluth City Hall building in Minnesota will be properly cleaned and restored to their former glory.

The Duluth News Tribune reports that the City of Duluth architect Tari Rayala is leading a major restoration project in cleaning the building’s walls. Since the city hall opened in 1928, the walls, once vibrant and pristine white, have slowly decayed after decades of indoor smoking, indoor heating, and skin oils from people touching the walls. The walls now look worn, dingy, and jaundiced.

The travertine cleaning work began last month after the Duluth City Council approved of $107,000 in funding in April. The cleaning is expected to wrap up by the end of the month.

The contractor responsible for the project, Premium Plant Services, works at night using an innovative technique invented by Sponge Jet, a company based in New Hampshire. Representative from both companies were in Duluth last week observing the work.

“I’m very pleased,” said Ted Valoria, Sponge Jet’s Vice President for North America.

The process involves delivering aluminum oxide particles wrapped in small dry sponges to the travertine walls via an air hose that projects air at 40 pounds per square inch.

“In historical preservation, it’s called ‘micro-abrasion,'” Valoria said, who pointed out that since the technique was invented 27 years ago it has been used in more than 100 countries, in buildings as illustrious as the White House and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

“The workmanship is truly professional,” she continued, complimenting the project crew. “They’ve got an appreciation for the finesse that’s required.”

The city hall is part of a prominent city district that houses the Federal Building and the St. Louis County Courthouse. Rayala hopes that the restoration work on City Hall will motivate the other buildings to follow suit.

“Once they see what we’ve done,” Rayala said, “they’ll be copying us.”

With a demand in the United States at about 0.85 million tons every year, travertine is one of the most popular natural stone building materials in the country.

Sweepstakes scams destroyed the life of Terry Liddell’s father. For the past three years, the man’s life has been unbearable. Not only has he lost all of his savings, but the stress of such a situation nearly destroyed his relationship with Terry.

“It’s about losing my father to a bunch of scammers,” Liddell said. “Somebody that I love and care about [being] taken advantage of like that, and mentally destroyed over money. They just took him to the cleaners every way they could.”

The terrible saga began when Oscar Liddell received a mailer telling him he’d won $3 million and a new BMW. Sometimes, sweepstakes ask that participants submit a photo, video or essay about the brand, products or services to increase the number of people interacting with the brand, thereby deepening the connection. This sweepstakes, though, said he had to pay fees and insurance to receive his grand prize. The thing is, legitimate sweepstakes never ask for money.

Liddell bought in. Then, he bought in again. And again. Over and over he continued to send money, hoping for the payout.

At the time, Liddell lived alone, and the widower’s son lived a distance away. The con artists starting mining his information, and right off the bat, found that he was lonely and vulnerable. They asked for a little bit of his family background, and within a week, they began calling up to six times a day and sending bags of mail, hoping to wring him out for literally all he was worth.

No one could get through to Liddell. His son tried to convince him that he was being conned, and when that didn’t work, his pastor, the sheriffs, and his accountant all tried, and failed.

Ultimately, the scammers took more than $100,000 from Liddell, and even isolated him from the outside world.

“They were then able to call his telephone carrier and change the passwords to his account, and they blocked all calls that were NOT coming from them, so he couldn’t contact his family,” U.S. Postal Inspector R. Ronald Mayhew Jr. said.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, any indication that a participant has to do anything with money is a sign of a scam, be it in the form of a money wire, or the deposit of a check sent by the scammers. Another indicator that a sweepstakes is really a scam is a lack of entry. People can’t win sweepstakes if they don’t enter. If a con artist claims a person has won a contest that they didn’t enter, it’s a scam.

“If anyone gets anything out of this interview, convince your elderly NOT to fall for the contest,” said Terry Liddell. “There is no prize. It’s a scam. They just want your money.”

According to a new study, the prescription of antipsychotic drugs among adolescents is on the rise, but the diagnosis of mental disorders is not. In other words, more adolescents are taking antipsychotic drugs without having been diagnosed with a mental disorder warranting such medication.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, analyzed trends between 2006 and 2010 using data from thousands of prescriptions. It found that the percentage of teens using medications increased over time, with the highest rates of usage being amongst teens ages 13 to 18. In 2006, about 1.1% of the group used drugs, while 1.19% used them in 2010.

The study also found that about 60% of those between the ages of one and six, 56.7% of those between the ages of seven and 12, 62% of those between the ages of 13 and 18, and 67.1% of those between ages 19 and 24, who were all taking the drugs, had no inpatient nor outpatient claim indicating a mental disorder diagnosis.

“There’s a general consensus that great caution should be exercised with antipsychotic drugs,” said lead author Mark Olfson. “This raises concerns about whether the right caution is taken.”

The reason medical professionals aren’t using the right amount of caution before prescribing antipsychotic drugs could possibly be because rates of mental disorders are quite high amongst children. According to federal statistics, one in five children either currently has, or has had, a seriously debilitating mental disorder.

However, researchers feel that in cases where there are diagnosed mental disorders, the antipsychotic drugs are being used to treat unapproved conditions, such as depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which doctors are known to prescribe antipsychotics for.

Olfson said that doctors do this because the drugs provide “fast relief” for behaviors in children that are often tough to manage. When in tough spots, both doctors and parents are willing to use the drugs in ways that haven’t been approved.

“There’s been concern that these medications have been overused, particularly in young children,” said Olfson. “Guidelines and clinical wisdom suggest that you really should be using a high degree of caution and only using them when other treatments have failed, as a last resort.”

Researchers from the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience have just developed a new method for analyzing proteins found in animal venom, and the results have been shocking: while a small drop of venom from a predatory cone snail could easily kill a person within minutes, the toxins within the venom hold proteins, called peptides, which could provide the foundations for drugs that would treat a variety of medical conditions.

The snail in question is one of 700 cone snails in Australia and is called the Conus episcopatus, Tech Times reports. This mollusk uses its venom to “immobilize its prey, which includes other snails, fish, and worms” and the venom itself contains “an extraordinary cocktail of compounds with medicinal properties.”

One researcher stated that scientists have long been aware of the powerful chemicals contained in the venom of cone snails, but up until this new analysis method was implemented, Business Insider states that it has been impossible to see the peptide molecules so closely.

The Conus episcopatus uses its venom to anesthetize its victims before killing them, so it isn’t surprising that the peptides inside the venom are expected to be used in drugs to treat pain and cancer.

But the Conus episcopatus isn’t the only cone snail with healing powers…

Live Mint recently reported that two scientists in another research group discovered a possible cure for insomnia in the venom of the Conus araneaosus. This cone snail is found on the coastline of southeast India and Sri Lanka, and the predatory snail uses its venom to sedate its prey before killing it.

After researchers isolated and purified a handful of peptides, these chemicals were injected into mice. Within minutes of the injection, one peptide called “ar3J” put the mice to sleep for about two hours; a double dosage resulted in a five-hour nap.

By treating the serious problem of sleep deprivation, which results from sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea, a variety of other medical problems will likely decrease. Sleep apnea sufferers, for example, are three times as likely to develop heart disease if they’re unable to find an effective treatment.

It could be a while before any snail venom peptides are used in drugs for humans, but it definitely seems like Mother Nature has plenty of good surprises up her sleeve.