Health News

American College Of Physicians Releases New Prostate Cancer Screening Guidance Statement

Date: Apr-08-2013
Shared-decision making, clear patient preference recommended before PSA testing Men between the ages of 50 and 69 should discuss the limited benefits and substantial harms of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test with their doctor before undergoing screening for prostate cancer, according to new recommendations issued today by the American College of Physicians (ACP). "Screening for Prostate Cancer: A Guidance Statement from the American College of Physicians" appears in the April 9 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, published by ACP...

Research Letter, Viewpoint, Invited Commentary Examine Cervical Cancer Screening Intervals

Date: Apr-08-2013
JAMA Internal Medicine Study Highlights A research letter by Zahava Berkowitz, M.S.P.H., M.Sc., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleagues found that most of the 2,087 primary care clinicians surveyed recommended Papanicolaou (pap) tests sooner than recommended by guidelines after co-testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV)...

Study Suggests Elder Abuse Associated With Increased Rates Of Hospitalization

Date: Apr-08-2013
JAMA Internal Medicine Study Highlights A study by XinQi Dong, M.D., M.P.H., of Rush University Medical Center, and Melissa A. Simon, M.D., M.P.H., of Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, suggests elder abuse is associated with increased rates of hospitalization. (Online First) Of the 6674 community-dwelling older adults who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, 106 were identified by social services agencies for elder abuse from 1993 to 2010...

Systematic Review Examines Electronic Media-Based Behavior Change In Youth

Date: Apr-08-2013
JAMA Pediatrics Study Highlights A systematic review by Kimberly Hieftje, Ph.D., Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, and colleagues examines the type and quality of studies evaluating the effects of electronic media-based interventions that focused on promoting health and safety behavior change in youth. (Online First) Studies were reviewed from searches in MEDLINE (1950 through September 2010) and PsycINFO (1967 through September 2010)...

Study Suggests Strict School Meal Standards Associated With Improved Weight Status Among Students

Date: Apr-08-2013
A study suggests that states with stricter school meal nutrition standards were associated with better weight status among students who received free or reduced-price lunches compared with students who did not eat school lunches, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was started in 1946 to improve student nutrition by providing school lunches according to standards sets by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...

Study Suggests Interventions Are Needed To Sustain Tobacco Abstinence After Release From Prison

Date: Apr-08-2013
JAMA Internal Medicine Study Highlights A study by Jennifer G. Clarke, M.D., M.P.H., of Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Pawtucket, and colleagues suggests that behavioral intervention provided prior to release from prison improves tobacco abstinence in the community. (Online First) A total of 262 inmates (35 percent female) were recruited approximately 8 weeks prior to their release from a smoke-free prison and were randomized to 6 weekly sessions of either education videos (control) or the WISE intervention (Working Inside for Smoking Elimination)...

Personalized Ovarian Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise In Trial

Date: Apr-08-2013
Delegates at a conference in the US this week are hearing about early results of a trial of a new personalized ovarian cancer vaccine that offers new hope for the large number of patients who relapse after treatment. Three-quarters of trial patients who received the new two-step immunotherapy appeared to respond to the treatment, including one patient who achieved completed remission, say researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania...

Common Heart Drug Associated With Increased Cancer Risk

Date: Apr-08-2013
A drug known as amiodarone, used to treat heartbeat irregularities, could raise a person's cancer risk, according to new research published in the journal Cancer. The study reveals that the risk, which the investigators described as "borderline significantly increased", is more prevalent in men and people who take greater doses of amiodarone. Amiodarone was approved for use in 1985 for the treatment of arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats. The medication is fat-soluble and breaks down slowly, leaving large amounts to build up in soft tissues after a long-term treatment period...

Kids Who Use Smaller Plates Are Less Likely To Become Obese

Date: Apr-08-2013
Kids who use smaller plates to serve themselves food are less likely to become obese. The finding came from a new study conducted by researchers from Temple University and was published in the journal Pediatrics. Obesity has been a serious problem in the United States. A previous report published in JAMA indicated that 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children and teens is obese, according to 2009-2010 data, and the prevalence of the condition has not significantly changed. Therefore, it is important to find out what we can do to prevent it...

Researchers Identify Two Bacterial Communities Associated With Trichomonas Infection

Date: Apr-08-2013
A parasite that commonly causes sexually transmitted infections among women "cultivates" specific bacteria, according to new research carried out by David H. Martin, MD, Professor and Chief of Infectious Diseases at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and his team. The parasite, called Trichomonas vaginalis is a fairly common sexually transmitted infection (STI) of the urogenital tract among women, affecting more than 160 million females around the world...