Lab Notes: Airport Noise Linked to Midriff Spread; FDA Warns on Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attacks

1. Airport Noise Linked to Midriff Spread

To the seemingly endless list of things that can contribute to weight gain, you can now add: living near an airport, which Swedish researchers have concluded can, over time, add 2.5 inches to a person’s waistline all by itself.

2. FDA Warns on Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attacks

If you’re taking aspirin to ward off heart attacks, the FDA is warning you to consult with your doctor because of possible side effects.

3. Coke, Pepsi to Drop Controversial Chemical

Coca-Cola will remove BVO, a chemical used as a flame retardant, from its drinks by the end of the year.

4. Electronic Media Causing Myopia Epidemic?

Are computers, social media and video games making us all nearsighted? That’s what some experts suggest, given recent studies that show that since the early 1970s, myopia among Americans aged 12 to 54 has risen by fully 2/3, up from 25% to 41%.

5. Death Rate Is Down in Massachusetts

The death rate has declined significantly in the years after Massachusetts adopted the Affordable Care Act.

6. Diabetes Linked to Loss of Brain Matter

Type 2 diabetes is linked to loss of brain volume which may lead to lower cognitive function, say researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

7. Young Blood May Hold Anti-Aging Key

Two new studies have scientists speculating that aging bodies could be rejuvenated simply by receiving key elements present in young blood, and some longevity experts are optimistic that an anti-aging drug based on these findings can be developed.

8. Just Imagining Food Aroma Makes Us Hungry

Food aromas are known to whet the appetite and motivate people to overeat, but Temple University researchers now report that just thinking about an attractive food smell while viewing a photo of the food can make us as hungry as the actual aroma.

(By CalorieLab editors)

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Uncommon Skin Infection Linked to Tattoos

Researchers Report Cases of Mycobacterium haemophilum in Tattoo Parlor Customers

Aug. 11, 2011 -- Practices at some tattoo parlors may increase the risk for developing a type of skin infection that more typically occurs in people with compromised immune systems, a study shows.

Two reported cases of Mycobacterium haemophilum skin infections in tattoo parlor customers mark the first time this type of skin infection has been linked to tattoos and tattooing.

The findings are published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Researchers say two people may have developed Mycobacterium haemophilum skin infections after getting a tattoo at the same parlor.

The researchers suspect the infections developed because the tattoo parlor operator used tap water, not sterilized water, in a rinsing solution to dilute the ink for shading.

"Although infections attributable to water appear uncommon, we advise against using tap water for tattoo procedures," conclude study authors who were led by Meagan K. Kay of the CDC in King County, Wash.

In August 2009, a healthy 44-year old man developed a painless rash where he received a tattoo. A doctor eventually identified the cause of the infection as Mycobacterium haemophilum, and the man was successfully treated with antibiotics. Another healthy 35-year-old man developed a similar infection after receiving a tattoo at the same tattoo parlor. The infection source was suspected but not confirmed in the second patient.

The researchers were unable to pinpoint the bacterial source in the municipal water supply because such testing is difficult and time consuming, but they believe it is the likely source. The tattoo parlor is now instructed to use sterile water for rinsing solutions.

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