La Jolla News Nuggets, November 24

San Diego rowers place in national regatta

Two San Diego Rowing Club teams placed in the top 10 nationally for their divisions, during the Oct. 22-23 Head of Charles River regatta in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Women’s Youth Fours, comprised of Shelby Meksto, 18, Madison Nutting, 17, Tamara Gelfman, 17, and Amira Parker, 17 placed third in their division. The Men’s Youths Eights placed 10th, but because the race was tight, the team’s time was just seconds away from fifth. The Men’s team consists of: Cooper Ball, 18, Matthew Piegza, 17, Jonathan Engle, 16, Grant Devermann, 18, George Riffle, 17, Erik Aasted, 18, Jordi Lanatta, 17, Calahan Aiken, 16.

Race reports state: “Mother Nature in particular was a fickle mistress over the two days where rowers saw record-setting conditions on Saturday morning for the early races, monsoon-like conditions on Saturday afternoon, and sustained winds on Sunday in the 20 mph range with gusts north of 40 mph that ultimately forced the officials to shorten the course.” sandiegorowing.org

Who makes the best chili in town?

The winning chili recipes from the So Fine on Kline chili cook-off on Nov. 13 include: People’s Choice — First place Eddie V’s, Second place The Cottage, Third Place Hyatt. In the Judges Choice category, it went: First place Hyatt, Second place Eddie V’s and Third Place Goldfish Point Café.

Caregiver confab coming to Solana Beach

Are you providing care for a family member or friend? Are you concerned for the well-being of a parent? A free conference for caregivers is set for 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30 at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, 120 Stevens Ave. Educational programs, community resources, refreshments and more will be available. Topics include strategies to reduce holiday stress, home safety, communication and legal issues. Free respite care is available to those who need someone to look after their loved one during the conference. To register, call (858) 268-4432.

Cox has holiday tips for tech etiquette

If you have plans to be a houseguest over the next few weeks, it might be time to brush up on your tech etiquette. Here are five top ways you can be a gracious guest, courtesy of Cox Communications:

1. Be self-sufficient. Don’t assume your host has accessories compatible with your device. Bring your own power cords, chargers, ear buds and any other accessories you can’t live without.

2. Don’t hog power outlets. Never, ever charge a device in your host’s kitchen — or any other place where outlets and space are at a premium. Choose an out-of-the-way location, and make sure your device is password protected so it’s off-limits to curious young guests.

3. Protect your host’s WiFi network like it’s your own. Hosts often offer their guests access to their home WiFi network during their stay. If your hosts write down their WiFi password, destroy or delete it after entering it on your device.

4. Be appropriate. Sharing funny memes and videos can make spending time together more fun, but remember who’s present. If any content could be deemed inappropriate for children (or offensive to anyone else in the room) save it for later.

5. Know when to put tech away. If duty calls and you need to answer a few e-mails, excuse yourself and try to consolidate your work into one sitting. And never use personal technology at the dinner table.

Study finds arthritis drug effective with Crohn’s disease

Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine have shown that ustekinumab, a human antibody used to treat arthritis, significantly induces response and remission in patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease. Results of the clinical trial appeared in the Nov. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

“A high percentage of the patients in the study who had not responded to conventional therapies were in clinical remission after only a single dose of intravenous ustekinumab,” said William J. Sandborn, M.D., professor of medicine at UCSD School of Medicine and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at UC San Diego Health. “Finding effective new treatment options for this patient population is critical because Crohn’s disease can dramatically impact a person’s quality of life. Patients suffering from this disease may go to the bathroom up to 20 times a day and experience abdominal pain, ulcers and a reduced appetite.”

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract that affects approximately 700,000 people in the United States. Crohn’s disease is usually treated with glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists or integrin inhibitors.

“The drawbacks of these therapies include an increased risk of infection and cancer, and limited efficacy,” said Sandborn. “Ustekinumab has not been associated with an increased risk of serious adverse events.”