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Racial disparities increasing for cancers unrelated to smoking

A new American Cancer Society study finds that recent progress in closing the gap in overall cancer mortality between African Americans and whites may be due primarily to smoking-related cancers, and that cancer mortality differences related to screening and treatment may still be increasing.

6 Nov 2008

SWHR asks young women to be aware of smoking dangers in face of new marketing tactics

Society for Women’s Health Research President and CEO Phyllis Greenberger, M.S.W., issued the following statement in response to the decision of Philip Morris USA to introduce pink “Purse Packs” for some Virginia Slims cigarette brands by early 2009.

6 Nov 2008

Smoking when pregnant doubles risk of cleft palate or lip in babies

Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to have a cleft palate or lip as those whose mothers didn't, according to research results released today.

6 Nov 2008

Variations in gene pathway alter risk of esophageal cancer

Variations in a common gene pathway may affect esophageal cancer risk, a dangerous and rapidly increasing type of cancer, according to research by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

6 Nov 2008

Experts available to comment on risk of sudden cardiac death in 30 days following a heart attack

A new study in the November 5th 2008 issue of JAMA finds that during the first month after a heart attack, patients may have an increased risk for sudden cardiac death.

5 Nov 2008

Better educated women more likely to divorce

According to new research from the Australian National University (ANU), marriages where the woman is better educated than the man are more likely to end in divorce.

5 Nov 2008

Birth defects more common if pregnant mothers smoke

New research has revealed that women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have a baby with a birth defect - smoking during pregnancy apparently doubles the risk of the baby having a cleft lip or palate.

5 Nov 2008

New evidence strengthens link between cigarette smoke exposure and poor infant health

The damaging effects of smoking and smoke exposure can be seen at any age. Pediatricians have even noted these negative effects in various stages of infant development. The consequences of maternal smoke exposure during pregnancy can range from higher rates of prematurity to increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

5 Nov 2008

Smokers lose ability to smell common odors, increased risk for laryngitis

As Americans prepare for a day without cigarettes and tobacco products as part of the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout (November 20), new research gives them more reasons to extend that break to a lifetime, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF).

4 Nov 2008

Living with smokers may be associated with inadequate access to food

Children and adults living with adult smokers appear less likely to have daily access to enough healthy food compared with those living with non-smoking adults, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

4 Nov 2008

Bladder conditions - raising awareness

November is Bladder Health Month, and there's no better time to raise awareness of the bladder conditions that affect millions of patients, who often suffer in silence with common, treatable symptoms.

4 Nov 2008

Frequent urination protects against bladder cancer

A new study has analysed the effect of urinary frequency on the risk of bladder cancer. The conditions of this research which is published in the latest number of the International Journal of Cancer, show a direct association between the number of times people get up at night to urinate and protection against bladder cancer.

30 Oct 2008

32% of Americans nicotine dependent

Nicotine dependence has reached a 15-year high, with nearly 75 percent of people currently seeking tobacco-dependence treatment categorized as highly nicotine dependent. New research, presented at CHEST 2008, the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), reports that nicotine dependence severity has increased 12 percent between 1989 and 2006, while the proportion of people classified as highly nicotine dependent has increased 32 percent.

28 Oct 2008

'Meth' abuse and underage sex, smoking and drinking go hand in hand

Canadian scientists have found a link between methamphetamine abuse and underage sex, smoking and drinking - they say children and adolescents who abuse alcohol or are sexually active are more likely to take methamphetamines.

28 Oct 2008

Anxiety disorders latest worry in high blood pressure

Family doctors and psychiatrists should carefully monitor the heart health of patients with anxiety disorders, Dr. Simon Bacon told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2008, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "People with anxiety disorders are four times more likely to develop high blood pressure (hypertension) over one year than those of us who are anxiety free," says Dr. Bacon, a Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute. "Hypertension is a leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease."

27 Oct 2008

Statins show promise for deep vein thrombosis

Statins, the class of drugs commonly used for lowering cholesterol, are now showing promise at preventing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or blood clots, an affliction that occurs in nearly 2 million Americans each year.

27 Oct 2008

Healing process found to backfire in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients

A mechanism in the body which typically helps a person heal from an injury, may actually be causing patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to get worse, researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and their collaborators have found.

27 Oct 2008