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SDB may increase risk of cancer mortality

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurocognitive disorders. New studies show that it also implies a greater risk of developing tumors, and even dying from cancer.

22 May 2012

USPSTF issues final recommendation statement against PSA testing

The Prostate Cancer Roundtable expressed deep disappointment today as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued its final recommendation statement against the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in the detection of prostate cancer.

22 May 2012

Airway inflammation linked with asthma-related mortality rates in older adults

Higher mortality rates among older adult asthma patients compared to their younger counterparts may be due, at least in part, to an increase in airway inflammation, according to a study conducted by researchers in Canada, who note that their results imply that elderly patients are either less likely to follow asthma medication dosing instructions, or that the underlying airway inflammation in elderly patients is relatively resistant to current anti-inflammatory therapies.

22 May 2012

'Discharge bias' disproportionally hurts large and academic hospitals

In-hospital mortality for ICU patients is often used as a quality measure, but discharge practices may bias results in a way that disadvantages large academic hospitals, according to a recently conducted study.

22 May 2012

Nighttime intensivists not associated with reduced mortality

Nighttime intensivist physician staffing in intensive care units (ICUs) with a low-intensity daytime staffing model is associated with reduced mortality, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Francisco.

21 May 2012

Tuberculosis independently predicts death from lung cancer in the elderly

Tuberculosis independently predicts death from lung cancer in the elderly, according to a new study from researchers in Hong Kong.

21 May 2012

SERVE-HF study on effect of CSA treatment for stable heart failure enrolls 1,000th participant

SERVE-HF, the largest study to investigate if treatment of predominant central sleep apnea (CSA) improves survival and outcomes of patients with stable heart failure, has enrolled its 1,000th participant. The study, sponsored by ResMed Ltd., is the largest of its kind. This milestone brings the SERVE-HF study, which began in 2008, one step closer to its target of approximately 1,250 participants.

From ResMed Corp 21 May 2012

HS6ST2 enzyme an important regulator of breast cancer cell-bone interactions

Researchers from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have in collaboration with the University of Turku, Indiana University and two Finnish companies, Biotie Therapies Corp. and Pharmatest Services Ltd, discovered a novel mechanism regulating the development of breast cancer bone metastases and showed that heparin-like compounds can potentially be used to inhibit breast cancer metastasis to bone.

21 May 2012

Experimental bariatric surgery can lower blood sugar levels in rats with type 1 diabetes

For the first time, scientists at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute have shown that an experimental bariatric surgery can lower blood sugar levels in rats with type 1 diabetes.

21 May 2012

Exposure to parental smoking increases risk of respiratory symptoms in children

For more than three decades, researchers have warned of the potential health risks associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), especially among children whose parents smoke. Now a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona reports that those health risks persist well beyond childhood, independent of whether or not those individuals end up becoming smokers later in life.

21 May 2012

Review examines benefits and harms of LDCT screening for lung cancer

Peter B. Bach, M.D., of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the evidence regarding the benefits and harms of low-dose computerized tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death. "Most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, resulting in a very low 5-year survival rate," the authors write.

21 May 2012

Specific risk factors linked with exacerbation-prone phenotype of severe asthma

A number of specific risk factors are associated with an exacerbation-prone phenotype of severe asthma, according to a new study from researchers in Sweden.

21 May 2012

Sleep-disordered breathing may increase risk of cancer mortality

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), commonly known as sleep apnea, is associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality, according to a new study.

21 May 2012

Blogs address food security, African agriculture in anticipation of high-level meetings in Washington

Several blogs recently have published posts in anticipation of a symposium on food security taking place in Washington on Friday, at which President Barack Obama is expected to speak, and the G8 summit at Camp David in Maryland on Friday and Saturday, both of which will focus on food security and agriculture in Africa.

19 May 2012

Loss of U.S. funding for UNFPA 'would be devastating' to family planning services in developing countries

"By voting to ban any U.S. contribution to UNFPA" in the FY 2013 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday "made a judgment call that saving the lives of women and girls around the world is simply not a U.S. priority," Valerie DeFillipo, president of Friends of UNFPA, writes in a Huffington Post "Global Motherhood" opinion piece.

19 May 2012

Specialized high volume centers linked with lower rates of death and disability from aSAH

People with bleeding brain aneurysms have the best chance of survival and full recovery if they receive aggressive emergency treatment from a specialized team at a hospital that treats a large number of patients like them every year, according to new guidelines just published by the American Stroke Association.

19 May 2012

The Millennium Village Project: a correction

Paul Pronyk, lead author of the Millennium Village paper, releases the following statement about the paper, Pronyk PM, Muniz M, Nemser B, et al, for the Millennium Villages Study Group. The effect of an integrated multisector model for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and improving child survival in rural sub-Saharan Africa: a non-randomised controlled assessment. Lancet 2012; published online May 8. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60207-4.

18 May 2012

Promising updates in quest for early detection and treatments for lung cancer

LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's largest lung cancer-focused nonprofit, is pleased to note promising updates in researchers' quest for early detection and treatments for lung cancer during May, Lung Cancer Hope Month.

18 May 2012

Surgical community kicksoff Strong for Surgery initiative

Washington State's surgical community announces today the kickoff of the Strong for Surgery initiative. Strong for Surgery's goal is to educate the healthcare community on effective steps that can be taken to better prepare patients for surgery and provide the best outcomes possible. The initiative is led by the University of Washington's CERTAIN program and is working in partnership with the Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program (SCOAP).

18 May 2012

PLoS blog responds to U.N.'s newly released maternal mortality estimates

Newly released "estimates of maternal mortality from the United Nations' Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG) are good news – but not good enough," Peter Byass, professor of global health at Umea University in Sweden and director of the Umea Centre for Global Health Research, writes in this post in the PLoS "Speaking of Medicine" blog.

18 May 2012