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Patients who receive automated telephone calls are more likely to have controlled hypertension

Patients who received automated telephone calls inviting them to get their blood pressure checked at a walk-in clinic were more likely to have controlled hypertension than patients who did not receive calls, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.

17 Sep 2013

Attention drawn to COPD in never smokers

Research from Denmark shows that, while never smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease typically experience milder disease than their smoking counterparts, they still have substantial morbidity due to COPD- and pneumonia-related hospital admissions.

16 Sep 2013

Smoking-cessation in HIV-positive individuals: an interview with Dr Ellen R. Gritz, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

In the general population, current smoking prevalence is 18%. Persons living with HIV/AIDS smoke at a rate 2 to 3 times higher, up to almost 70% in some studies.

16 Sep 2013

Data shows Americans are living longer, reporting fewer symptoms of disease

Thanks to medical advances, better treatments and new drugs not available a generation ago, the average American born today can expect to live 3.8 years longer than a person born two decades ago.

13 Sep 2013

Research shows smoking and obesity together may pose triple health threat

Millions of people who are obese and smoke tobacco may face additional health problems — including their responses to common prescription medicines — that extend beyond the well-known links with cancer, heart attacks and stroke, according to a report presented here today.

12 Sep 2013

UK and US policies risk conscription into unwanted 'war against dementia'

A political drive, led by the UK and US, to screen older people for minor memory changes (often called mild cognitive impairment or pre-dementia) is leading to unnecessary investigation and potentially harmful treatment for what is arguably an inevitable consequence of ageing, warn experts on bmj.com today.

11 Sep 2013

P4P incentives in EHR lead to improvements in CV care processes, outcomes

A pay-for-performance program in electronic-health-records-(EHR)-enabled small practices led to modest improvements in cardiovascular care processes and outcomes, according to a study in the September 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Sep 2013

Discovery points to clear, workable method to disrupt unwanted memories

The human brain is exquisitely adept at linking seemingly random details into a cohesive memory that can trigger myriad associations-some good, some not so good. For recovering addicts and individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, unwanted memories can be devastating. Former meth addicts, for instance, report intense drug cravings triggered by associations with cigarettes, money, even gum (used to relieve dry mouth), pushing them back into the addiction they so desperately want to leave.

11 Sep 2013

Not-So-Total Recall: Selectively Erasing Unwanted Memories

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10 Sep 2013

Screening older people for minor memory changes may lead to harmful treatment

10 Sep 2013

New study reveals evaluation results of national anti-smoking campaign in USA

A comprehensive evaluation of the first ever federally-funded national smoking cessation campaign in the USA has revealed that the campaign may have helped at least 100 000 people in the USA to give up smoking, according to new results published in The Lancet.

10 Sep 2013

Drug can be delivered safely to people with COPD in both "mist" and "dry powder" inhalers, say experts

An international study led by a Johns Hopkins pulmonary expert finds that the drug tiotropium (marketed as the Spiriva brand), can be delivered safely and effectively to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in both "mist" and traditional "dry powder" inhalers.

10 Sep 2013

Women veterans at risk for heart disease recruited for mindfulness-based stress reduction study

Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing researchers and Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital are recruiting women veterans at risk for heart disease for a mindfulness-based stress reduction study. MBSR is a form of complementary medicine that combines yoga and meditation.

10 Sep 2013

Trial to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches shows success in helping smokers to quit

First trial to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches shows comparable success in helping smokers to quit.

10 Sep 2013

Exposure to fumes released during firing of military small arms can lead to decline in lung function

Exposure to fumes released during the firing of military small arms can lead to a decline in lung function, according to a new study.

10 Sep 2013

Pemetrexed-erlotinib shows second-line efficacy in advanced NSCLC

Combination therapy with pemetrexed and erlotinib significantly improves progression-free survival as compared with either drug alone in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer, a phase II study has found.

9 Sep 2013

New book debunks popular myths on how to prevent cancer

Award-winning science journalist George Johnson debunks popular assumptions about how to prevent cancer.

7 Sep 2013

Combined screening could boost COPD detection

Researchers from Japan say that the detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease could be enhanced by incorporating screening into existing lung cancer screening programs.

6 Sep 2013

Education: A key factor in reducing negative impact on women's health

Research into the rise in obesity associated with the burgeoning industrial and service sectors in low- and middle-income countries found that education is a key factor in reducing the negative impact on women's health.

6 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Texas and Florida should concentrate on uninsured; health law's costs to young adults being overlooked; obscure case could impact abortion issues

A new Census Bureau report documents the alarming percentages of people in Texas and Florida without health insurance. Leaders of both states should hang their heads in shame because they have been among the most resistant in the nation to providing coverage for the uninsured under the Affordable Care Act, the law that Republicans deride as "Obamacare" (9/4).

6 Sep 2013