Health News

Mortality Appears To Be Higher For Patients With Thicker Single Primary Melanomas Than For Thicker Multiple Primary Melanomas

Date: Jun-19-2013
JAMA Dermatology Study Highlights Although overall mortality rates due to single primary melanomas (SPMs) and multiple primary melanomas (MPMs) appear to be similar, relative mortality for thicker SPM appears to be greater than that for thicker MPM, according to a study by Anne Kricker, Ph.D., of the University of Sydney, Australia and colleagues. (Online First) A total of 2,372 patients with SPM and 1,206 patients with MPM participated in the study...

Screening Colonoscopy Associated With Increased Survival Duration And Rates For Patients With Colon Cancer

Date: Jun-19-2013
Patients with colon cancer identified on screening colonoscopy appear to have lower-stage disease on presentation and better outcomes independent of their staging, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Surgery, a JAMA Network publication. Since their introduction in 2000, National Institutes of Health-recommended screening colonoscopy guidelines seemingly have consistently decreased overall rates of colorectal cancer in the United States. Ramzi Amri, M.Sc...

Smoking Cessation Associated With Reduced Postoperative Complications After Major Surgery

Date: Jun-19-2013
JAMA Surgery Study Highlights Smoking cessation at least one year before major surgery eliminates the increased risk of postoperative mortality and decreases the risk of arterial and respiratory events evident in current smokers, according to a study by Khaled M. Musallam, M.D., Ph.D., of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon and colleagues. (Online First) A total of 125,192 current and 78,763 past smokers from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who underwent a major surgery were included in the study sample...

Pesticides Tied To Reduced Biodiversity In Streams And Rivers

Date: Jun-19-2013
A new study of water habitats in Europe and Australia, that for the first time examines the effect of pesticides on regional biodiversity, concludes pesticide use significantly reduces regional biodiversity of invertebrates in streams and rivers, in some areas by as much as 42%. The researchers say it is time to find new ways to look at how pesticide use affects the natural environment...

New Technology Reduces, Controls CT Radiation Exposure In Children

Date: Jun-19-2013
Patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are being exposed to significantly less radiation during CT scans because of new technology that allows doctors to more tightly control radiation doses. The first-of-its-kind imaging software reduced overall radiation exposure from CT scans by 37 percent, according to two new studies published online today in the journal Radiology...

Obesity Is Now A Disease, American Medical Association Decides

Date: Jun-19-2013
Obesity has been officially recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association, an action that could put more emphasis on the health condition by doctors and insurance companies in order to minimize its effects. The new decision was made at the AMA's annual meeting on Tuesday by delegates in Chicago, and went against a recommendation by a committee that had studied the subject. Dr...

Many U.S. Adults May Not Be Protected Against Whooping Cough

Date: Jun-19-2013
Many U.S. adults are not up to date on their whooping cough vaccinations, putting vulnerable babies at risk of the potentially deadly disease, according to a new survey. The number of whooping cough (Pertussis) cases is increasing in the United States. In 2012, over 41,000 kids and adults were affected by the disease, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rates are at their highest level in 50 years...

Guantanamo Hunger Strikers Must Receive Independent Medical Advice, Doctors Urge Obama

Date: Jun-19-2013
Hunger strikers currently detained in Guantánamo Bay should receive independent medical advice, 153 doctors told President Barack Obama in an open letter published today in The Lancet. An increasing number of doctors and healthcare professionals are expressing concern and alarm that the hunger strikers are not receiving a proper or humane standard of medical care by military doctors. There are estimated to be over 100 hunger strikers in Guantánamo Bay. A letter signed by thirteen hunger strikers to their military doctor was published in The Guardian on May 31st, 2013...

Final Design Of Consistent Nutritional Labelling System Given Green Light

Date: Jun-19-2013
People will now find it easier to make healthier choices about the food they eat with the new consistent front of pack nutritional label launched today by Public Health Minister Anna Soubry. This comes after research shows that people can end up bewildered by the different nutrition labels on food. The new label aims to make it easier for people to make healthier choices. The consistent system will combine both traffic light colour-coding and nutritional information to show how much fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar, and calories are in food products...

Getting Nutrition In LTC Facilities Right - Interview In Advance Of The Long-Term Care CXO Summit, 25-26 July, 2013, Florida

Date: Jun-19-2013
Staci Vetrovsky of Nutrition Care Systems, Inc., a solution provider company at the marcus evans Long-Term Care CXO Summit Fall 2013, on why LTC facilities need to focus more on nutrition. "In order to maintain their competitive edge, long-term care (LTC) facilities must be on the cutting-edge of nutrition," says Staci Vetrovsky, Vice President, Nutrition Care Systems, Inc. "The younger population coming into LTC facilities expects upscale dining options and is more health-conscious than the previous generation," she adds...