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Smoking may increase risk of death from prostate cancer

Men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer and who are also smokers have an associated increased risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and prostate cancer-specific death, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Jun 2011

International representatives discuss whether to add chrysotile asbestos to hazardous chemical treaty

On Monday, representatives from 143 countries met in Geneva to discuss whether chrysotile asbestos "should be added to an international treaty regulating the trade in hazardous chemicals," CBC Radio reports.

22 Jun 2011

Study finds high prevalence of diabetic kidney disease in the U.S.

Over the past 2 decades the prevalence of diabetic kidney disease in the U.S. increased in direct proportion to the prevalence of diabetes itself, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Jun 2011

African-Americans more likely to die from thyroid cancer than whites

African-Americans have fewer incidences of thyroid cancer but have a more advanced form of the disease once they receive a diagnosis — and are more likely to die from it, according to a new study.

21 Jun 2011

Study finds improvement in quality of health care for minority stroke patients

After years of research have shown that minorities do not receive the same quality of health care as whites do, a new study suggests there has been some improvement in reducing the gap, at least for stroke patients.

21 Jun 2011

Strengthen monitoring and surveillance of malaria in pregnancy interventions

"The time of neglecting malaria in pregnancy (MIP) should be over," Bill Brieger, senior malaria specialist at JHPIEGO, writes in a Malaria Matters blog post summarizing a session on malaria and maternal health at the recently concluded Global Health Council annual conference.

21 Jun 2011

Study: Hospital-wide program holds promise against venous thromboembolic events

Implementation and early results of a hospital-wide program hopes to reduce the incidence of venous thromboembolic events (VTE), according to a study presented today at the 65th Vascular Annual Meeting presented by the Society for Vascular Surgery.

20 Jun 2011

Medtronic Valiant stent graft safe and effective for patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm

An innovative medical device used in the minimally invasive treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms, the Valiant Thoracic Stent Graft System from Medtronic, Inc., delivered excellent clinical results through one year of patient follow-up in the company's U.S. pivotal study, VALOR II, according to data presented today at a meeting for vascular surgeons.

From Medtronic 20 Jun 2011

Study: Abdominal debrancing with aortic stent grafts linked to high early mortality

The clinical data from 167 patients who underwent abdominal debrancing combined with aortic stent grafts (ADSG) at 12 centers in North America from1999-2010 were released today at the 65th Vascular Annual Meeting® presented by the Society for Vascular Surgery.

20 Jun 2011

Teenage soda consumption survey

According to a latest report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), one fourth or 24% of students drank soda, down from 29% in 2009. The study was a part of the survey termed Analysis of the National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (NYPANS) conducted by CDC.

19 Jun 2011

Cancer Statistics 2011 report finds progress has not benefitted all segments of the population equally

A steady reduction in overall cancer death rates translates to the avoidance of about 898,000 deaths from cancer between 1990 and 2007, according to the latest statistics from the American Cancer Society.

18 Jun 2011

Low levels of education, poverty and other social factors contribute to many U.S. deaths

How researchers classify and quantify causes of death across a population has evolved in recent decades. In addition to long-recognized physiological causes such as heart attack and cancer, the role of behavioral factors-including smoking, dietary patterns and inactivity-began to be quantified in the 1990s. More recent research has begun to look at the contribution of social factors to U.S. mortality.

18 Jun 2011

Civil unrest creates serious health implications in South Sudan

BMJ reports on the health affects of civil unrest in South Sudan, which will become the world's newest country on July 9.

17 Jun 2011

First artificial lung transplantation in toddler performed at St. Louis Children's Hospital

Two-year-old Owen Stark came to St. Louis Children's Hospital in the summer of 2010 near death from heart failure and dangerously high blood pressure in his lungs.

17 Jun 2011

Scientists uncover how immune system responds to invading anthrax bacteria

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have uncovered how the body's immune system launches its survival response to the notorious and deadly bacterium anthrax.

17 Jun 2011

UCSF study seeks to discover true causes of sudden cardiac death

A new study by the University of California, San Francisco's Cardiac Electrophysiology Service seeks to discover for the first time the true causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD), why it is more prevalent in some demographic populations, and whether it is too often inaccurately cited as a cause of death.

16 Jun 2011

Study finds no link between anxiety, depression and weight loss after bariatric surgery

Depression and anxiety do not seem to interfere with the amount of weight loss or the improvement of obesity-related conditions after bariatric surgery, according to a new study of more than 25,000 patients presented here at the 28th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.

16 Jun 2011

UC Irvine researchers discover top six risk factors for weight loss surgery

University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine) researchers reviewed data from more than 100,000 bariatric surgery patients and discovered the top six risk factors that could help doctors and patients predict, evaluate, reduce or avoid in-hospital mortality after weight loss surgery.

16 Jun 2011

Cholesterol-lowering statins reduce rate of mortality and cardiovascular events

Over the long term, treatment with cholesterol-lowering statins reduces the rate of mortality and cardiovascular events such as heart attack, for people with and without heart disease. Still, it is unclear whether these drugs take effect rapidly when the risk of these dire events is highest.

15 Jun 2011

Bariatric surgery reduces incidence and severity of migraines

Bariatric surgery can lead to total or partial alleviation of migraines in nearly 90 percent of morbidly obese patients diagnosed with migraine headaches, according to a new study presented here at the 28th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

15 Jun 2011