To Your Health: NLM update Transcript

NIH MedlinePlus magazine Summer 2016: 08/22/2016

Cover of NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine Summer 2016 Issue

NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine: Health, Medical & Wellness Articles

Regards to all our listeners!

I'm Rob Logan, Ph.D., senior staff, U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Here is what's new this week in To Your Health, a consumer health oriented podcast from NLM, that helps you use MedlinePlus to follow up on weekly topics.

The new edition of NIH MedlinePlus magazine covers the Zika virus, oral health, as well asendometriosis.

The cover features Padma Lakshmi (the producer, chef, and host of Top Chef) who explains she suffered for years before she was diagnosed with endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition that occurs when tissue that normally lines the inside of a women's uterus grows outside of it. The condition is associated with severe monthly cramps, shooting pain, and some numbness.

Lakshmi tells NIH MedlinePlus magazine and we quote: '...it took me well into my mid-30s to get a good diagnosis. I lost time, but I resolved that no girl should have to suffer like I did. That's why I started the Endometriosis Foundation of America with my surgeon.... to increase recognition of endometriosis, provide advocacy, facilitate expert surgical training, and fund landmark research' (end of quote).

NIH MedlinePlus magazine explains women are at a higher risk of endometriosis: if their mother, sister, or daughter are similarly afflicted; if periods start before age 11; if monthly cycles are shorter than 27 days; and if menstrual cycles are heavy and last more than seven days.

NIH MedlinePlus magazine notes MedlinePlus.gov has a comprehensive health topic page devoted to endometriosis, which is accessible by typing 'endometriosis' (that's E...N...D...O...M...E...T...R...I...O...S...I...S' in the search box on MedlinePlus.gov's home page and then clicking on 'Endometriosis (National Library of Medicine).

In a separate section, NIH MedlinePlus magazine provides four interesting facts about adult oral health. NIH MedlinePlus magazine reports: tooth decay can develop at any age; gum disease can be prevented regardless of age; dry mouth is not related to age; and there are other risks associated with oral cancer in addition to smokeless tobacco. NIH MedlinePlus magazine notes some other oral cancer risks include: smoking; heavy alcohol use; and the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus virus (HPV).

The director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research tells NIH MedlinePlus magazine (and we quote): 'We're currently funding basic research on the biology of the aging mouth, which will help us understand how diseases and their treatments impact oral health' (end of quote).

NIH MedlinePlus magazine also provides a question and answer interview about the Zika virus with Anthony Fauci, M.D., the director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dr. Fauci is a de facto national spokesperson about the U.S.' Zika response.

Dr. Fauci tells NIH MedlinePlus magazine the Zika virus first was found in mosquitos within the Zika forest of Uganda in 1947, or about 69 years ago.

As of this writing, the Zika virus has spread for the first time to adults who did not travel internationally within the Miami, Fl. area.

Dr. Fauci notes NIAID hopes to begin a Phase 1 vaccine trial to prevent Zika in September 2016. Dr. Fauci explains (and we quote): 'The trial will likely enroll about 80 people and take about four months for preliminary results. By the first quarter of 2017 NIAID could begin a much larger safety and efficacy trial to see if the vaccine can prevent disease' (end of quote).

Other articles in the current NIH MedlinePlus magazine include: alcohol, medicines and aging; new eye treatments; and an interview with Eric Dishman, the innovative director of NIH's new Precision Medicine Initiative. The current NIH MedlinePlus magazine also has a section about colorectal cancer.

As always, NIH MedlinePlus magazine provides a helpful list of phone numbers (many of them a free call) to contact NIH's array of institutes and centers.

NIH MedlinePlus magazine is distributed to physicians' offices nationwide by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Friends of the National Library of Medicine. You can subscribe or find the latest edition online by clicking on 'Magazine,' which is on the bottom right side of MedlinePlus.gov's home page.

Previous editions of NIH MedlinePlus magazine are available at the same site. A link to NIH MedlinePlus Salud, which provides other health information and resources in Spanish, is available there as well (see the top right of the page). The web version of NIH MedlinePlus magazine includes links that visually supplement the information in some articles.

Before I go, this reminder... MedlinePlus.gov is authoritative. It's free. We do not accept advertising .... and is written to help you.

To find MedlinePlus.gov, just type 'MedlinePlus.gov' in any web browser, such as Firefox, Safari, Chrome, or Explorer on any platform.

We encourage you to use MedlinePlus and please recommend it to your friends. MedlinePlus is available in English and Spanish. Some medical information is available in 48 other languages.

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Please email the podcast staff anytime at: NLMDirector@nlm.nih.gov

A written transcript of recent podcasts is available by typing 'To your health' in the search box on MedlinePlus.gov's home page.

The National Library of Medicine is one of 27 institutes and centers within the National Institutes of Health. The National Institutes of Health is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A disclaimer — the information presented in this program should not replace the medical advice of your physician. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any disease without first consulting with your physician or other health care provider.

It was nice to be with you. Please join us here next week and here's to your health!