DR KEVWE'S BLOG

Twins live longer than other people, and their close social connection may be a major reason why, a new study says.

Researchers reviewed data from more than 2,900 same-sex twins. They were born in Denmark between 1870 and 1900. The study only included data from twins who lived past age 10. The researchers compared the twins to the general Danish population.

At every age, identical twins had higher survival rates than fraternal twins. And, fraternal twins had higher survival rates than people in the general population.

For men, the peak survival benefit of being a twin was at age 45. Male twins' survival rate at that age was 90 percent, compared with 84 percent in the general population. For women, the peak survival benefit of being a twin occurred in their early 60s. About 10 percent more female twins made it to their early 60s than in the general population.

The findings, published recently in the journal PLoS One, reflect the health benefits of the close social ties between twins.

"There is benefit to having someone who is socially close to you who is looking out for you. They may provide material or emotional support that lead to better longevity outcomes," study author David Sharrow, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, said in a university news release.

For example, a close companion can discourage bad habits and encourage healthy behaviors, act as a caregiver during an illness, and provide emotional support.

If the findings are confirmed in other sets of data, they would have implications beyond twins.

"Research shows that these kinds of social interactions, or social bonds, are important in lots of settings," Sharrow said. "Most people may not have a twin, but as a society we may choose to invest in social bonds as a way to promote health and longevity."

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about twins.

Senator John McCain's long battle with brain cancer ended on Saturday, with his office announcing he passed away at 4:28 pm at his home in Arizona.

His family had announced Friday that McCain was no longer receiving treatment for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive of brain tumors.

The 81-year-old Republican Arizona senator and hero of the Vietnam War had been undergoing treatment for the glioblastoma since July of 2017, The New York Times reported.

"Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: He had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious," his family said in a statement on Friday. "In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment."

One brain cancer expert who's not involved in McCain's care outlined the senator's likely condition in his last days.

"If there is any silver lining in this cloud, it is that patients who die from [glioblastoma] rarely have severe pain," said Dr. Michael Schulder, who helps direct neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. "They gradually become less alert and most often die from pneumonia or sometimes from the direct effect of increased pressure on the brain. Palliative care can alleviate any discomfort that patients do feel."

McCain had been largely absent from Congress and Washington, D.C., since December, and sources told the Times that his family had gathered in Arizona, anticipating that death might be near.

His illness had't stopped McCain from being a political force, however. Earlier this year he criticized President Donald Trump after a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, for example.

McCain is the son and grandson of four-star Navy admirals and as a soldier spent five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Over the past few decades he charted a swift rise in politics, both as Arizona senator and as the 2008 Republican nominee for the Presidency against Barack Obama.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), glioblastomas "are the fastest growing" of a subcategory of brain tumor known as gliomas. "These tumors make up more than half of all gliomas and are the most common malignant brain tumors in adults."

Each year, almost 24,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord tumor, and nearly 17,000 die from these tumors each year, the ACS said.

Schulder explained that "the course of glioblastoma progression is very different from patient to patient. Based on the tumor biology, some patients succumb to the disease within months, most live between one and two years, and some live for many years in good condition after diagnosis and treatment."

More information

There's more on brain tumors at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

A 71-year-old man died after eating what many consider a delicacy: raw oysters. The man, whose name has not been released, ate an oyster at a restaurant in Sarasota, Florida that turned out to be contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. Said to have been dealing with underlying medical conditions, the man died two days later, USA Today reported.


Vibrio bacteria usually cause gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. But people with medicals issues such as liver disease, diabetes, stomach disorders, or other conditions that weaken the body’s typical immune response are at a higher risk of more serious complications or even death, according to the FDA. Anyone with one of these conditions showing symptoms of a Vibrio infection should get to a doctor ASAP.

Earlier this year, a Texas woman died after eating raw oysters as well. While on vacation in Louisiana, Jeannette LeBlanc, along with friends and family, picked up some shellfish, shucked and ate them, and soon after developed extreme side effects. Over the next couple of days, she had trouble breathing and developed severe sores and rashes. Once at the hospital, she was diagnosed with vibriosis, the name for an infection caused by Vibrio bacteria. LeBlanc fought the illness for three weeks, according to her wife Vicki Bergquist, and then died from the infection.

Due to the nature of the sores caused by Vibrio infections, the bacteria are often dubbed flesh-eating. Vibriosis is separate, however, from necrotizing fasciitis, commonly called a flesh-eating infection, which is caused by bacteria like group A strep, E. coli, and staph, according to the CDC. Still, around 80,000 people get sick with vibriosis every year and around 100 of them die, the CDC says. It’s estimated that around 52,000 of those cases are caused by eating contaminated food, mostly raw or undercooked shellfish.

So why all the finger-pointing at oysters? They feed by filtering water. If the water is contaminated with bad-guy bacteria, oysters can become contaminated too. There are some 12 different species of Vibrio living in salt or brackish water that oysters might come into contact with.

Swimmers are also at risk, but only if contaminated water gets into an open cut or wound. (Last year, a man died from vibriosis after swimming with a new tattoo.) "The words flesh-eating might make you think that if you touch it, it will degrade your skin on contact, and that’s not true," Gabby Barbarite, PhD, a Vibrio researcher at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, told Health in a previous interview. "You have to have a pre-existing cut—or you have to eat raw, contaminated seafood or chug a whole lot of contaminated water—for it to get into your bloodstream; it can’t break down healthy, intact skin."

While that's certainly a relief, it doesn't bode well for the raw bar: There’s little you can do to protect yourself other than eat your oysters cooked. Just because you're dining at a fancy establishment, eating your raw oysters with hot sauce, or chasing them with chardonnay, you're not safe from bacteria, according to the FDA. Heat is the only thing that will fully destroy those buggers, so order oysters fully cooked. (Cook them at home following a few easy FDA-approved safety tips, and make sure to always wash your hands with soap and water after touching raw shellfish.)

Wild deer may be a tourist attraction in Kerry but they also carry a potential public health risk.

The Killarney area’s large Red and Sika deer populations of up to 1,500 could harbour a disease-carrying tick.

Lyme disease, warned Kerry-based Labour senator Marie Moloney, is very contractible. She raised the issue in the Seanad and said the high rate of the disease often went undetected, especially in Killarney.

Between 50 and 100 cases of the disease are reported in Ireland annually, according to the HSE, while studies show Kerry, Wicklow and Galway as disease hotspots.

Calling for greater awareness of the disease, Ms Moloney said many people did not realise Lyme disease could be contracted here.

It is transmitted by a bite from a tick. The disease is named after the town in Connecticut in the US, where the first cases of the condition were identified.

“Ticks need large mammals for hosts, as they feed off their blood, and deer are one such host. Some ticks carry Lyme disease. Ticks are very tiny and they have an anaesthetic in their jaws so you may not even know you have been bitten,” said Ms Moloney.

Some infected people show no symptoms, but the most common evidence of infection is a rash that is seen in about three quarters of victims.
The red, raised, skin rash can last up to a month and can be several inches in diameter.

People can also complain of flu-like symptoms such as headache, sore throat, neck stiffness, fever, muscle aches, and general fatigue.

“What we should be doing is highlighting awareness and encourage quick diagnosis and treatment of this debilitating disease,” the senator urged.

“Occasionally, the patient may carry Lyme disease but have no outwardly obvious symptoms. Ill-health may crop up years later following an illness, or period of stress. This leads to late Lyme disease, where symptoms are similar to multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, or Parkinson’s disease.”

Most dog owners welcome a happy lick from their pups now and then. But two cases have made headlines recently after a lick or a bite from dogs had life-threatening consequences.

On June 23, a South Milwaukee woman Sharon Larson, age 58, died a few days after her dog nipped her. Wisconsin man Greg Manteufel started feeling ill on June 27, according to a GoFundMe page raising money for his recovery. Initially, he and his wife Dawn thought he must have the flu, she told ABC7. But hours later, he was starting to go into septic shock and was rushed to the hospital.

Both Larson and Manteufel were found to have contracted the bacteria capnocytophaga. Manteufel ultimately had both legs amputated up through his kneecaps and had surgery to remove parts of both of his hands. He will also need surgery on his nose, according to the GoFundMe page.



The dog lover had been around eight pups when he became ill, People reported. Capnocytophaga is normal in dogs and cats and doesn't cause symptoms in animals. But when transmitted to humans through animal saliva–usually via a bite–the bacteria can cause fever, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, and progress to a blood infection in humans.

“It’s not very common, but when it occurs, it [can be] really bad,” Bruno Chomel, DVM, PhD, professor of zoonosis at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, told Health in a prior interview.

While these two experiences are certainly upsetting, don’t panic over every lick or nip from your favorite furry friend. Most people who come in contact with capnocytophaga bacteria don’t get sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You’re more likely to become infected if you have an underlying medical condition like cancer, diabetes, or HIV that impairs your immune system. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor if you have one of these conditions about how to make sure you’re handling your pet safely, and of course, if you’ve been bitten by your pet, seek medical attention. (Capnocytophaga infections can be treated with antibiotics.)

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Because capnocytophaga infections in humans are so rare, the U.S. doesn’t keep track of the number of cases, but one survey from the Netherlands estimated there is less than one case of capnocytophaga per 1 million people. However, about 30% of people who do get infected with capnocytophaga die.

Manteufel told doctors to do whatever surgeries they needed in order to keep him alive, his wife told ABC 11. “We can’t wrap our heads around it,” she said.