A multistate outbreak of Campylobacter infections has been linked to puppies sold at a nationwide pet store chain. According to The Washington Post, federal officials are investigating the outbreak from puppies sold at Petland, which has sickened at least 39 individuals in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Campylobacter is a common cause of diarrheal illness that can be transmitted through contact with dog feces. Nine individuals have been hospitalized since September 2016, but no deaths have occurred, the CDC reported.
New study findings show prolonged sedentary time increases an individual’s risk of early death. Scientists tracked the movements of nearly 8000 Americans older than 45 years via an accelerometer worn on the participants’ hips, according to the Los Angeles Times. Over a 10-day period, sitting or lounging behavior accounted for the equivalent of 12.3 hours over a 16-hour waking day, an average of approximately 77%. After measuring the “bout length” of the participants’ sitting increments, the investigators found that 52% lasted less than a half hour, 22% lasted between a half hour and just under an hour, 14% lasted 60 to 89 minutes, and 14% went on for more than 90 minutes, the LA Times reported. The investigators followed the participants for 4 years and found that individuals who had the most sitting time were most likely to have died during the study period and those who spent the least amount of time sitting were least likely to have died. Upon further investigation of the death rates, the study authors found participants whose sitting bouts were lengthier were more likely to have died than those whose sitting spells were shorter. The findings remained even after adjusting for factors such as time spent exercising.