UF Health Podcasts

If you know that Christmas pound cake might result in some extra weight, it might be a good idea to lug out the scale this holiday season.

New research suggests weighing yourself daily could help prevent holiday weight gain. Holiday weight gain is a worry because many adults add weight each year, meaning many become overweight or even obese.

A study from the University of Georgia separated 111 adults between the ages of 18 and 65 into two groups. One group was asked to weigh themselves every day for 14 weeks beginning in November 2018 until after holiday festivities concluded.

Participants in the first group used scales provided by the university that gave researchers insights on weight fluctuations and targets. They were asked to do their best not to gain weight but were given no instruction on how to avoid doing so.

The second group acted as the control and were not asked to weigh themselves every day.

The researchers found that all the participants who completed a daily weight check avoided gaining weight during the holiday season. Some even lost weight. Those who did not weigh themselves every day gained weight.

Researchers think this simple trick to avoiding weight gain worked because constant weight reminders and daily weight targets incentivize people to stick to their diets or work harder to keep extra weight off. They said better weight awareness can lead to behavioral change since many of us are sensitive about the number on the scale.

In short: If you want to emerge this January no heavier than you were in November, it might be time to make friends with that scale. Or ask Santa to bring you one.

People often put on a brave face when they’re feeling blue. Your smartphone, however, isn’t easily fooled.

A researcher at a New Jersey university is working on a pair of phone apps that he hopes will be able to identify signs of depression. The programs take and analyze photos of the eyes and face while someone uses the smartphone for other purposes.

While the apps are in the early stage of development, it’s hoped they are a first step toward an inexpensive diagnostic tool to detect early signs of depression.

The apps are trained to detect patterns in eye and facial movement indicative of depression. It isn’t foolproof, of course. More research is needed.

The eye app looks at the differences between the sizes of the pupil and iris that have been correlated with depressive episodes. The program takes 10-second photo bursts of the eyes when a user first opens the phone.

After analyzing 16,000 interactions by 25 volunteers, a small pilot study found that the app was on the mark in identifying depressive feelings 76% of the time.

Research on the smartphone app indicates that smiling more frequently might signal depression. A team member suggests this could indicate someone putting on a brave face despite feeling blue.

Another movement that might point to depression is a side-to-side yawing of the head in the morning.

If the researchers can fine-tune the apps, perhaps our phones will be able to tell us how we’re feeling in the not-too-distant future.

But in the meantime, always check with a mental health provider if you’re feeling depressed. That same smartphone can be used to call one.

Two new types of ringworm that have made their way to the U.S. aren’t the type you might be familiar with.

Generally, ringworm — which for the record, is caused by a fungus, rather than a worm — has plagued school showers and other areas athletes gather. Typically, one would realize they had “jock itch,” be treated and then be done with it.

But the two new versions of ringworm that have made their way to the U.S. this year are more contagious, spread through sexual contact, resist treatment, and are trickier to diagnose.

That’s why doctors are being asked to watch out for them, even if it means asking patients some pointed, personal questions.

One of the versions being studied can look more like eczema lesions rather than the neat circles people more often associated with ringworm. That mistaken identity can mean the fungus goes without proper treatment for longer than it ordinarily would.

The other skin condition doctors are being asked to look for is widespread in India and is now being seen globally. First confirmed in the United States last year, the infection causes itchy and contagious rashes, but often resists terbinafine [tur-been-ah-fin], the antifungal most often used as treatment.

The infection can be cured, but not quickly. Patients may need to take oral antifungal therapy medicine for up to three months or until the lesions have fully resolved.

And while the rash is present, those infected must avoid skin-to-skin contact with others to avoid spreading the infection.

Scientists are working in the U.S. and internationally, hoping to expand research efforts and track emerging cases.

For now, rates in the U.S. remain low.

It’s officially flu season, so be sure to wash your hands, cover your mouths, and take extra care of yourself this winter. Especially since you may not be able to stroll easily past walking pneumonia.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a significant surge in walking pneumonia cases this year, specifically among young children. There are a total of about 2 million cases in the U.S. each year.

Over a six-month period, the percentage of cases among children between 2 and 4 years old increased by 6 percentage points, as the share of emergency room cases that resulted in a walking pneumonia diagnosis went from 1% to more than 7%.

Caused by bacteria, walking pneumonia feels quite like the common cold. It commonly spreads through respiratory droplets spread through the air. Symptoms often include a sore throat, sneezing, coughing, headaches, and fever.

Walking pneumonia attacks the lower respiratory system, often resulting in patients developing deep, persistent coughs, chest pains, and shortness of breath several days after infection. The common cold, on the other hand, targets the upper respiratory system.

The most common treatment for walking pneumonia is antibiotics. However, walking pneumonia outbreaks tend to last longer than other respiratory virus outbreaks because it has a longer incubation period and people tend to be contagious longer.

Because there’s no vaccine for walking pneumonia, there isn’t much parents can do once their child becomes sick. Patients are advised to remain at home while they are ill, going to the hospital only if they begin to have trouble breathing or become dehydrated.

Depending on your pet’s species, breed, age and overall health, your veterinarian can tailor your buddy’s schedule for wellness visits. The next time you get a reminder for one of these checkups, take a moment to reflect on what a wise investment it is.

One reason for wellness visits is disease prevention — like staying current on vaccinations and antiparasitic medications.

Another benefit is the physical exam, which gives your veterinarian a chance to detect abnormalities as soon as possible when they’re easiest to treat.

Either way, wellness exams can save expenses and distress down the line by preventing disease or catching it early on.

Or — to put a new spin on a cliché — an ounce of prevention may be worth much more than a pound of cure.

Many cats suffer from chronic pain, like that caused by osteoarthritis. In people, electroencephalography [electro-en-ceff-ah-LAH-grah-fee], or EEG, can be used to measure brain activity during bouts of osteoarthritis and to determine how sensory stimuli can alter the pain. The same may be true of cats, but up until now, cats wouldn’t tolerate EEGs unless asleep.

That’s because EEGs work via surface electrodes placed on a cat’s head, and unsedated cats tend to shake them off and chew the wires. But placing small custom-knit caps over the electrodes solves the problem.

Now, researchers can study cats’ brain activity resulting from touch and smell stimuli. It’s just the first step, but one day it may lead to a new form of therapy for chronic feline pain.

As of late September 2024, an outbreak of Listeria bacterial infections across 19 states had led to the hospitalization of at least 59 people and the deaths of 10. So, just how could this impact our pets?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still investigating the outbreak, which has been traced back to sliced deli meats. Listeria isn’t just dangerous to people — it can cause serious infections in dogs and sometimes cats, too. In general, bacterial infections tend to affect both animals and humans — especially those who are young, elderly, pregnant or otherwise immunocompromised.

So, it’s best not to give your pet deli meats. Even in the best of times, their high salt and preservative content makes them less-than-ideal pet treats.

There’s a tendency for some to think that antibiotics are a cure-all for virtually all diseases, but that’s not so. Worse yet, inappropriate antibiotic use is the main reason for growing antibiotic resistance.

With few new antibiotics in development, it’s crucial to maintain the effectiveness of those we have. That’s why veterinarians only use antibiotics when they’re indicated. As a pet parent, you can help too.

First, never give your pet antibiotics unless your veterinarian instructs you to. If an antibiotic is prescribed, follow the label instructions to a T by giving the right dose at correct intervals and for the full duration of treatment, even if your pet’s symptoms resolve.

With the health of both people and pets on the line, do your part to protect the power of antibiotics.

Pandora syndrome isn’t a new disease. The term just reflects a more comprehensive understanding of a long familiar feline condition.

Affected cats may periodically strain to urinate, pass small but frequent amounts of bloody urine, or urinate outside the litter box. Over the years, this condition has been variably called feline lower urinary tract disease or feline urological syndrome and was blamed on improperly formulated diets.

But that was wrong. Current research shows that these lower urinary tract signs are just a part of a chronic stress response that affects multiple organs in a cat’s body — that is, it creates a veritable “Pandora’s box” of complex problems.

If your feline friend shows these signs, work with your veterinarian to find a solution.

Over millennia, hoofed animals — or ungulates — have evolved to migrate long distances to reach food and other resources. From wildebeest and elephants in Africa to caribou in Alaska and Scandinavia, the survival of ungulate herds depends on these epic migrations. But increasingly, migrations are interrupted by large-scale human developments.

Until now, the technology did not exist to track ungulates globally. However, as of September 2024, the newly launched online Atlas of Ungulate Migration can detail migration routes around the world. Viewers can zoom in on specific herd migrations and even track individual animals.

Creators of the atlas hope it will provide much needed wildlife information to governments, companies and wildlife managers.