Epidemiology News and Research

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Quantitative look at the whole experience of patients with pancreatic cancer

Every year, nearly 45,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The odds against those stricken by the disease are truly dismal; pancreatic cancer almost always kills within two years after diagnosis, no matter how it is treated. Even aggressive intervention with chemotherapy, radiation or surgery rarely yields more than an extra month to a year of survival, depending on the stage of the disease.

24 Aug 2012

Study highlights importance of using appropriately treated water for sinus irrigation

When water containing the Naegleria fowleri ameba, a single-celled organism, enters the nose, the organisms may migrate to the brain, causing primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a very rare-but usually fatal-disease. A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases describes the first reported cases in the United States implicating nasal irrigation using disinfected tap water in these infections.

24 Aug 2012

McGill University experts to present at World Cancer Congress

The following list includes some of the McGill University experts who will be attending or presenting at the World Cancer Congress (WCC), the largest gathering of international leaders in the field of cancer, taking place in Montreal from August 27 to 30, 2012.

24 Aug 2012

Cocoa and blood pressure: an interview with Dr Karin Ried

The compounds in cocoa responsible for blood pressure reduction are called flavanols or polyphenols. Flavanols are also found in green tea, dark berries or red wine.

24 Aug 2012

Study shows how cancer survival rates developed in West Germany

Data from the 1970s and 1980s show that people affected by cancer survived significantly longer in West Germany than cancer patients behind the Iron Curtain.

24 Aug 2012

Diabetes risk may be higher in childhood cancer survivors who received radiotherapy

Childhood cancer survivors who underwent radiotherapy treatment that exposed their pancreas to radiation may be at higher risk of developing diabetes in later life, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet Oncology.

23 Aug 2012

Blog examines strategies for obtaining epidemiological data during an emergency

In this post in the PLoS "Speaking of Medicine" blog, Ruby Siddiqui, an epidemiologist with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) based in London, highlights a recent news story in which the organization reports "mortality rates in a refugee camp in South Sudan are nearly double the threshold for an emergency" and examines how such data are obtained in an emergency situation.

23 Aug 2012

Six common myths about prostate cancer

When it comes to prostate cancer, there's a lot of confusion about how to prevent it, find it early and the best way - or even whether - to treat it. Below are six common prostate cancer myths along with research-based information from scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to help men separate fact from fiction.

23 Aug 2012

Emotional health and education level of mothers influence teen’s oral health

A mother's emotional health and education level during her child's earliest years influence oral health at age 14, according to a new study from Case Western Reserve University's School of Dental Medicine.

23 Aug 2012

Research explores impact of radiotherapy in older women with low risk of breast cancer recurrence

A Rhode Island Hospital radiation oncologist says in a new editorial that research exploring the impact of radiotherapy in older women with low risk of breast cancer recurrence has little effect on actual clinical decisions.

22 Aug 2012

Higher mammographic density not linked to reduced survival in breast cancer patients

The risk of dying from breast cancer was not related to high mammographic breast density in breast cancer patients, according to a study published August 20 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

21 Aug 2012

Declining rates of circumcision in US infant males could add billions to health care costs

A team of disease experts and health economists at Johns Hopkins warns that steadily declining rates of U.S. infant male circumcision could add more than $4.4 billion in avoidable health care costs if rates over the next decade drop to levels now seen in Europe.

21 Aug 2012

Infectious disease rates are high among homeless people

Rates of the infectious diseases HIV, Hepatitis C and tuberculosis among the world’s homeless people are many times higher than in the general population, according to a new systematic review of existing data published Online First in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

20 Aug 2012

Tobacco use survey demonstrates urgent need for policy change in low and middle-income countries

An international survey of tobacco use in three billion individuals, published in the current issue of The Lancet, demonstrates an urgent need for policy change in low- and middle-income countries, according to the University at Buffalo professor who led the research.

17 Aug 2012

Pan-fried red meat associated with increased risk of advanced prostate cancer

Research from the University of Southern California (USC) and Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) found that cooking red meats at high temperatures, especially pan-fried red meats, may increase the risk of advanced prostate cancer by as much as 40 percent.

17 Aug 2012

Montelukast improves respiratory disturbance and adenoid size in children with OSA

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers revealed that a majority of children suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) treated with montelukast, a drug approved for asthma or hay fever, showed significant improvement in respiratory disturbance and adenoid size, according to a new study published in Pediatrics Journal.

17 Aug 2012

Springer publishes Principles of Research Methodology: A Guide for Clinical Investigators

How do you teach medical research? How do you design a good study or develop a workable hypothesis? How do you shape research to improve patient care? These and many more questions are addressed in an authoritative textbook detailing the clinical research process, written by researchers and clinicians at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and other institutions.

17 Aug 2012

Couple therapy decreases PTSD symptoms and improves relationship

A North American study led by a researcher at Ryerson University has discovered that treating a person with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their partner using a specific couple therapy greatly decreases the severity of their symptoms -- and improves their relationship.

15 Aug 2012

Researchers identify key element in the development of Burkitt lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma is a malignant, fast-growing tumor that originates from a subtype of white blood cells called B lymphocytes of the immune system and often affects internal organs and the central nervous system. Now Dr. Sandrine Sander and Professor Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have identified a key element that transforms the immune cells into malignant lymphoma cells.

14 Aug 2012

ALS risk markedly lower among alcohol consumers

A population-based case-control study of the rare but devastating neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has shown that the risk of such disease is increased among smokers, as has been shown previously. However, surprisingly, the risk of ALS was found to be markedly lower among consumers of alcohol than among abstainers.

13 Aug 2012

Epidemiology News and Research

Quantitative look at the whole experience of patients with pancreatic cancer

Study highlights importance of using appropriately treated water for sinus irrigation

McGill University experts to present at World Cancer Congress

Cocoa and blood pressure: an interview with Dr Karin Ried

Study shows how cancer survival rates developed in West Germany

Diabetes risk may be higher in childhood cancer survivors who received radiotherapy

Blog examines strategies for obtaining epidemiological data during an emergency

Six common myths about prostate cancer

Emotional health and education level of mothers influence teen’s oral health

Research explores impact of radiotherapy in older women with low risk of breast cancer recurrence

Higher mammographic density not linked to reduced survival in breast cancer patients

Declining rates of circumcision in US infant males could add billions to health care costs

Infectious disease rates are high among homeless people

Tobacco use survey demonstrates urgent need for policy change in low and middle-income countries

Pan-fried red meat associated with increased risk of advanced prostate cancer

Montelukast improves respiratory disturbance and adenoid size in children with OSA

Springer publishes Principles of Research Methodology: A Guide for Clinical Investigators

Couple therapy decreases PTSD symptoms and improves relationship

Researchers identify key element in the development of Burkitt lymphoma

ALS risk markedly lower among alcohol consumers

Industry Focus: Infectious Diseases eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

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