Non-school related sports organizations, such as AYSO, for children and adults are advised to cancel outdoor practices in areas where there is visible smoke, soot, or ash, or where there is an odor of smoke. This also applies to other recreational outdoor activity, such as hikes or picnics,  in these areas.

The following recommendations will help protect you and your family from harm effects of bad air quality:

• If outdoor air is bad, try to keep indoor air as clean as possible by keeping doors and windows closed. Air conditions that recirculate air within the home can help filter out harmful particles. Avoid using air conditioning units that only draw in air from the outside or that do not have a recirculating option.
• People can participate in indoor sports or other strenuous activity with visible smoke, soot or ash, provided the indoor location has air conditioning that does not draw air from the outside, and it has closed windows and doors to protect the cleanliness of indoor air.
• If you have symptoms· of lung or heart disease that may be related to smoke exposure, including severe coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, nausea or unusual fatigue or lightheadedness, contact your  doctor immediately or go to an urgent care center.

The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. To learn more about Public Health and the work we do,  please visit http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov, visit our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/lapublichealth, or follow us on Twitter: LAPublicHealth.

(From Science Daily)

Imai explains that the mice with increased brain SIRT1 have internal mechanisms that make them use energy more efficiently, which helps them move around in search of food even after a long fast. This increased energy-efficiency could help delay aging and extend lifespan.

The research findings are published in the July 28 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Imai’s past research demonstrated that SIRT1 is at the center of a network that connects metabolism and aging. A form of the gene is found in every organism on earth. The gene coordinates metabolic reactions throughout the body and manages the body’s response to nutrition. SIRT1 is activated under low-calorie conditions, which have been shown to extend the life spans of laboratory animals.

Read more here: Aging and Longevity Tied to Specific Brain Region in Mice

Psychologists have known for a while that context is important to remembering. If you leave the place where a memory was made — its context — it will be harder for you to recall the memory. Previous studies had also found that thinking about something else — daydreaming or mind-wandering — blocks access to memories of the recent past. Psychological scientists Peter F. Delaney and Lili Sahakyan of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Colleen M. Kelley and Carissa A. Zimmerman of Florida State University wanted to know if the content of your daydreams affects your ability to access a recently-acquired memory.

Read more here: Remembering to Forget: The Amnesic Effect of Daydreaming

(From the latimes.com)

The average life expectancy in the county was 80.3 years,according to a Department of Public Health analysis of county mortality data for 2006, the most recent year available. Since 1991, the first year such information was available, the average life expectancy has steadily increased from 75.8 years.

Professor E. Richard Brown, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, said the county’s wealthier, healthier residents probably skewed the average life expectancy higher.

“We have a lot of affluence in Los Angeles County,” he said. “It may not always seem that way; certainly when the economy is down, everybody feels the pinch. The reality is we live very well here.”

Women in L.A. County live an average of 82.9 years, men 77.6. Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of premature death for both sexes, followed by homicide for men and breast cancer for women.

Read more here: L.A. County residents living longer, but old disparities persist

(From the wsj.com)

So the 67-year-old substitute teacher started buying one of Nature’s Own wheat breads, which has a score of 81, partly because it contains more fiber and protein than her former brand. Ms. Vanderpool said her husband complains at times that he misses his old bread, but she tells him: “This is healthier for you.”

Kroger’s scoring system is part of a nationwide move by grocery retailers to get pushier about offering nutritional advice. Other chains, such as Hy-Vee Inc. in the Midwest, are hiring dietitians to advise shoppers on how to select healthier food and, in some stores, walk the aisles offering personalized recommendations for a fee. Some grocers, like Safeway Inc., are mining data gleaned from loyalty cards on their customers’ purchasing habits to recommend healthier alternatives to the foods they buy. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the country’s biggest food retailer, plans to announce details of its own “nutrition program” later this summer, said a spokeswoman, who declined to elaborate.

Supermarkets are hoping to increase their shoppers’ loyalty, and perhaps win back some customers who have turned for at least some of their purchases to specialty stores such as Whole Foods Market Inc. and big-box retailers like Wal-Mart. Sales of natural and organic foods jumped 72% to $31.9 billion in the five years ended 2009, while functional, or fortified, foods rose 44% to $37.3 billion in the same period, according to Nutrition Business Journal. And big food makers have been rolling out more options that are lower in salt and saturated fat and higher in fiber and whole grains.

Read more here: The New Nutritionist: Your Grocer

(From Science Daily)

The authors use the example of studying for an exam. The experience of difficulty can lead to a feeling of high confidence, if the difficulty is interpreted as effort put forth to ensure a good grade. This aligns with conventional wisdom such as “no pain, no gain.” On the other hand, the same experience can lead to feeling of low confidence if processing the material is interpreted as inability to process the study materials (“Since I had to work so hard, I am probably not very good at this subject.”)

Read more here: No Pain, No Gain? Concrete Thinking Increases Consumer Confidence

“Los Angeles County is committed to preventing this virus from growing to epidemic proportions,” said Supervisor Antonovich. 

According to the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, the best defense against disease transmission is being proactive and taking precautions to protect from mosquito bites. 

Follow these simple steps to protect yourself and your family:

• Avoid outdoor activities between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants when engaging in outdoor activities during these hours.
• Apply approved insect repellents containing active ingredients such as DEET, Picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Keep tight-fitting screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
• Eliminate all sources of standing water around your home and property and properly maintain ornamental ponds, pools, and spas.
• Request FREE mosquitofish from your local vector control district for placement in out-of-order swimming pools, spas, and ponds to control mosquito breeding.
• Contact the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District at (562) 944-9656 or online at http://glacvcd.org/ to report any significant mosquito problems in your neighborhood. The District strongly encourages you to report any mosquito activity near vacant or foreclosed homes and abandoned swimming pools in your neighborhood.

The public is encouraged to report dead birds to help with West Nile virus surveillance and control efforts, as birds play an important role in maintaining and spreading the virus.

In addition to the usual series of childhood pertussis vaccinations, the California Department of Public Health now recommends an adolescent-adult pertussis booster vaccine (Tdap) for:

• anyone 7 years and older who is not fully immunized, including those who are more than 64 years old,
• women of childbearing age, before, during, or immediately after pregnancy

“This expanded set of recommendations is an appropriate response to the epidemic in Los Angeles County and statewide,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. “Vaccination is our best defense against pertussis. This is a disease that is especially dangerous for infants under six months of age, who are not old enough to have received the number of vaccine doses needed to be protected against whooping cough.”

This year, 289 possible cases have been reported in LA County, of which 184 are laboratory confirmed, probable, or suspected. For all of 2009, the corresponding number of cases was 156.

It has claimed three lives, all of whom were infants, in LA County. In an average year, LA County has 0 – 1 deaths attributable to pertussis.

“Infants are most likely to be infected by parents, grandparents, older siblings, day care workers, and other caregivers who have whooping cough but often don’t know that this disease is the reason for their symptoms,” said Dr. Fielding. “People suffering from a cough illness who have contact with infants should seek medical care immediately. Anyone who lives with or has frequent contact with an infant should ensure that their vaccinations are up-to-date.”

According to one recent study, when the source of the infant’s infection could be identified, 41 percent of infants infected with pertussis contracted the disease from a sibling, 38 percent from their mother, and 17 percent from their father. As such, anyone who has frequent contact with an infant is urged to make sure that their vaccinations are up-to-date. In addition, anyone with a cough-illness of any kind should avoid contact with infants.

Pertussis is spread by the coughing of an infected individual. Typical symptoms in young children include intense coughing accompanied by a whooping sound, and post-cough vomiting. However, some infants infected with pertussis may not show typical symptoms, but can still suffer life-threatening complications, which can include pneumonia and seizures. Among older children and adults, the primary symptom may be a cough that often lasts for several weeks or longer. If you suspect that you or a loved one may have pertussis, contact your doctor right away.

Children should receive three primary vaccinations containing the pertussis vaccine and two boosters by age four to six, followed by a Tdap booster (which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) during their preteen years. Any teen or adult who has not received a Tdap booster yet should do so, particularly if they are in contact with an infant. Los Angeles County residents are encouraged to contact their regular healthcare provider to arrange for recommended vaccinations.

Everyone should also practice standard hygiene habits in order to help prevent the spread of any illness. These healthy habits include washing your hands often with soap and water, staying home from work or school when sick, avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth, and covering coughs and sneezes appropriately with a tissue.

Those who do not have a regular healthcare provider or insurance coverage for vaccines may dial 2-1-1 or visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/ip for referrals to providers and community sites offering immunizations free or at a reduced-charge.

For more information on preventing the spread of whooping cough or other illnesses, visit the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. To learn more about Public Health and the work we do, please visit http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov, visit our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/lapublichealth, or follow us on Twitter: LAPublicHealth.

(From the latimes.com)

Babies under 6 months old are the most vulnerable because even those vaccinated have yet to develop immunity, Chavez said.

Five infants have died of whooping cough so far this year, all under 3 months old. Two of the deaths were in Los Angeles County. A sixth possible infant death was still being investigated Monday in L.A. County, Chavez said.

Read more here: California declares whooping cough epidemic

(From Science Daily)

In experiments with mice, ferrets and monkeys, the investigators used a two-step immunization approach to elicit infection-fighting antibodies that attacked a diverse array of influenza virus strains. Current flu vaccines do not generate such broadly neutralizing antibodies, so they must be re-formulated annually to match the predominant virus strains circulating each year.

The research, led by NIAID scientist Gary J. Nabel, M.D., Ph.D., appears online ahead of print July 15 issue of Science Express.

“Generating broadly neutralizing antibodies to multiple strains of influenza in animals through vaccination is an important milestone in the quest for a universal influenza vaccine,” says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “This significant advance lays the groundwork for the development of a vaccine to provide long-lasting protection against any strain of influenza. A durable and effective universal influenza vaccine would have enormous ramifications for the control of influenza, a disease that claims an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 lives annually, including an average of 36,000 in the United States.”

In parallel experiments with mice, ferrets and monkeys, Dr. Nabel and his colleagues first primed the animals’ immune systems with a vaccine made from DNA encoding the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) surface protein. After being primed with DNA vaccine, the mice and ferrets received a booster dose of the 2006-2007 seasonal influenza vaccine or a vaccine made from a weakened cold virus (an adenovirus) containing HA flu protein. Monkeys were boosted with the seasonal flu vaccine only.

Read more here: Universal Flu Vaccine Moving Closer