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Mist inhalers increase risk of death in patients with COPD

People who use a mist inhaler to deliver a drug widely prescribed in more than 55 countries to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be 52 percent more likely to die, new Johns Hopkins-led research suggests.

16 Jun 2011

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to relaunch online smoking-cessation study

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center announced today that it is relaunching an online study to help people quit smoking. The study, called WebQuit, is enrolling adult smokers nationwide. Participation is free to eligible individuals.

16 Jun 2011

Potential new drug therapies targeting genetic mutations benefit lung-cancer patients

Some lung-cancer patients at UT Southwestern Medical Center are responding well to potential new drug therapies targeting genetic mutations. Their participation in a national study is helping to forge new avenues to attack the disease.

16 Jun 2011

ESC publishes position paper to raise the profile of vulnerable plaques

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology has published a position paper to raise the profile of vulnerable plaques and the need for greater use of therapies to promote plaque stabilisation.

15 Jun 2011

Prolonged TV viewing associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and all-cause mortality

In an analysis of data from several studies, watching television for 2-3 hours per day or more was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease and all-cause death, according to a study in the June 15 issue of JAMA.

15 Jun 2011

Gates Foundation, Chinese search engine company launch initiative to reduce smoking in China

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Robin Li, CEO of the Chinese search engine company Baidu Inc., on Saturday announced the formation of a global alliance for public health with its first initiative focused on smoking cessation, Bloomberg reports.

14 Jun 2011

Exposure to cigarettes fosters tween smoking: New study

Exposure to secondhand smoke can create symptoms of nicotine dependence in non-smoking preteens, according to a new study from Concordia University and the University of Montreal.

14 Jun 2011

Australian men unhealthy and unwilling to seek help: Report

According to a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, most Australian males are overweight, only 5 per cent eat enough fruit and vegetables and less than a third aged over 15 years participate in organized sport.

13 Jun 2011

Formaldehyde & other chemicals declared carcinogenic: Report

The government, last Friday added formaldehyde, a substance found in plastics and other commonly used products, to a list of known carcinogens and warned that the chemical styrene might cause cancer.

13 Jun 2011

Smoking ban in NSW prison

In a new directive, prisoners at the Lithgow jail in central western New South Wales will be banned from smoking in their cells as part of a six-month trial to begin next year.

13 Jun 2011

Survey reveals increase in drinking, cannabis use and psychological distress

The latest survey of Ontario adults from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows increasing rates of daily drinking and cannabis use and high levels of psychological distress. The results of the 2009 CAMH Monitor survey, the longest running survey tracking mental health and addiction indicators among adults in Ontario, were published today.

13 Jun 2011

Proactive telephone counseling helps increase long-term smoking cessation

Proactive telephone counseling helps smokers quit regardless of how they are recruited to a telephone quitline, according to a study published online June 10th in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

13 Jun 2011

HHS adds eight substances to 12th Report on Carcinogens

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services added eight substances to its Report on Carcinogens, a science-based document that identifies chemicals and biological agents that may put people at increased risk for cancer.

13 Jun 2011

Smoking keeps weight off: Study finds out how

The researchers have found that nicotine activates a pathway in the brain that suppresses appetite. The study was published in the journal Science. The authors believe this discovery should lead to better diet drugs.

9 Jun 2011

Being a young man is risky business for health

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is highlighting that young Australian men have higher rates of risky behaviours than young women and that this can put their health at immediate and long term risk. This warning comes as International Men’s Health Week takes place from 13 – 19 June 2011.

9 Jun 2011

National survey finds women more likely to see doctor on regular basis than men

A national survey found that women were three times more likely to see a doctor on a regular basis than men. Even though men on average die younger than women and have higher mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, stroke and AIDS, trying to get a man to a doctor can be harder than pulling teeth. So, why do men hate it so?.

9 Jun 2011

Cancer professionals urge world leaders to attend U.N. meeting on NCDs

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on Monday sent a letter signed by major U.S. medical societies representing about 300,000 health care professionals to the White House urging President Barack Obama to participate in the U.N. High Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases that is scheduled for September, Agence France-Presse reports.

9 Jun 2011

Older people who engage in moderate to intense exercise less likely to have silent strokes

Older people who regularly exercise at a moderate to intense level may be less likely to develop the small brain lesions, sometimes referred to as "silent strokes," that are the first sign of cerebrovascular disease, according to a new study published in the June 8, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Jun 2011

More women than men are unnecessarily referred for nuclear stress tests

New research from cardiologists at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals suggests a possible gender disparity in how patients are referred for nuclear stress tests, an imaging technique that measures blood flow to the heart muscle both at rest and during periods of stress, such as exercise.

9 Jun 2011

New research finds 74% drop in myocardial infarction over 20-year period

Better control of cholesterol levels and blood pressure and a decline in smoking have contributed to a 74% drop in the risk of heart attack among nearly 10,000 civil servants working in London over a 20-year period, according to new research.

9 Jun 2011