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Oral cancer screening saves lives

Oral cancer is the 8th most common cancer in men and ranks 14th among women worldwide. There were 274,300 new cases and 145,500 deaths worldwide in 2002. Two-thirds of this burden are borne by developing countries, and over 30% by India alone. A high rate of oral cancer has been recorded in the Indian subcontinent, central and eastern Europe, parts of France, southern Europe, South America, and Oceania.

3 Jun 2005

Childhood cancer and distance from high-voltage power lines

UK Health Protection Agency response to British Medical Journal paper examining the incidence of childhood cancer in England and Wales and how it relates to distance from major high-voltage overhead power lines has been published.

3 Jun 2005

Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines - results may be entirely due to chance

Cancer Research UK comments on the BMJ paper "Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines in England and Wales: a case control study."

3 Jun 2005

U.S. Army looks at how some soldiers are trying to lose weight

While many Americans are concerned about weight control for health or appearance, some U.S. Army personnel have an added motivation to shed excess pounds.

3 Jun 2005

Aerobic exercise yields greater fitness, but is harder to maintain

Moderate intensity physical activity such as walking may be helpful in maintaining weight loss for some, according to research presented at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

3 Jun 2005

Two-year study shows lifestyle-related chronic illness begins early

As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases among American children, signs of risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases - previously thought of as adult disorders - are on the rise among youth.

3 Jun 2005

Small steps may be best path to fitness

Small, achievable goals may be more effective in helping sedentary adults maintain fitness programs than more challenging goals. Results of a study of sedentary adults who set varying levels of fitness goals for an eight-week period were presented at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

3 Jun 2005

Medication errors dramatically reduced in patients with kidney disease

A first of its kind study has shown a dramatic reduction in medication errors in patients with chronic kidney disease when Kaiser Permanente Colorado researchers teamed with pharmacists to use a computerized system to electronically screen prescriptions for unsafe medication orders.

3 Jun 2005

New understanding of jet lag

A new study demonstrates that the brain’s central timekeeper - the biological clock that regulates waking and sleeping cycles - has two parts that fall out of synchrony during light schedule shifts of six hours, the time it takes to fly across the Atlantic.

3 Jun 2005

Exposure to aflatoxins that contaminate crops in developing countries can be reduced by a simple, cost-effective intervention

Exposure to a cancer-causing toxin that contaminates crops in developing countries can be reduced by a simple, cost-effective intervention on post-harvest storage, concludes a study in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

3 Jun 2005

Diabetes knowledge has little effect on improving outcomes

A new study by Duke Clinical Research Institute researchers finds little relationship between what a diabetic patient knows about the disease and control of its associated cardiovascular risk factors or how well the patient ultimately fares.

3 Jun 2005

New vaccine against whooping cough is effective in teens and adults

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has announced that a study to be published in the June 22/29 issue found that a new vaccine against whooping cough is effective in teens and adults, carriers of the contagious respiratory disease so dangerous to infants.

3 Jun 2005

Vaccine targets tumors where they live

Vaccine strategies are being designed to battle cancer, but their use for metastatic melanoma is a challenge.

3 Jun 2005

Prescribing methadone plus heroin to chronic, treatment resistant addicts is less costly than methadone alone

Prescribing methadone plus heroin to chronic, treatment resistant addicts is less costly than methadone alone because it reduces criminal behaviour, finds a study in this week's BMJ.

3 Jun 2005

Loneliness and hopelessness increase risk of self-harm among older people

The aims of this study, published in the June issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, were to determine clinical factors that might help to identify those older adults with depression who are most at risk of self-harm and suicide.

2 Jun 2005

Psychiatric casualties from Iraq war - majority due to adjustment difficulties rather than combat stress

In the Iraq war, psychiatric illness among troops took the form mainly of adjustment reactions, rather than combat stress reactions, a new study has found. These adjustment reactions may have been exacerbated by heightened fear associated with non-conventional warfare.

2 Jun 2005

Life events lead to more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder than traumatic events

Life events (e.g. divorce, unemployment) can generate more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than traumatic events (e.g. a road accident, war), according to a new study.

2 Jun 2005

War is not necessarily bad for psychological health

The study, published in the June issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, was a brief longitudinal mental health screen of members of the UK's Air Assault Brigade before and after deployment in Iraq during 2004.

2 Jun 2005

Depression is more common than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among UK ex-service personnel

The war in Iraq has heightened recognition that active military service can have an adverse effect on the mental health of some military service personnel. Despite this, little is known about the psychological health or treatment experiences of those who have left the British armed forces.

2 Jun 2005