Health News

Measures Need To Be Taken To Prevent A Billion Deaths From Tobacco By End Of Century

Date: Mar-06-2013
If the world's nations are going to prevent tobacco smoking from causing one projected billion deaths by the end of this century, they must: Make tobacco control part of the agendas of United Nation's and other development agencies worldwide; Assure every sector of a nation including health, trade and finance officials work collectively to protect not only health but the harm tobacco places on their economy by passing laws to reduce use; Place health as the centerpiece of any decision on a trade treaty that includes tobacco; Diligently work toward a goal of reducing the pre...

United Kingdom The Sick Man Of Europe, Despite Free Medical Care

Date: Mar-06-2013
After sixty years of free universal health care, considerable increases in health care spending, and the introduction of several nationwide health initiatives, the United Kingdom has fared badly when compared to its Western European neighbours and Australia, researchers reported in The Lancet...

Colonoscopy May Reduce Advanced Cancer Risk By 70%

Date: Mar-06-2013
Colonoscopy screening reduces the risk of advanced colorectal cancer by about 70% in average-risk adults. The finding came from a new study led by a researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The research provides proof to current medical suggestions that people of average-risk can reduce their probability of being diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) in either the right or left side of the colon after receiving a screening colonoscopy...

Hospital C-Section Rates Vary Greatly

Date: Mar-06-2013
The most common surgery in the United States is cesarean delivery (c-section), and it is performed on 1.67 million women every year. Surprisingly, hospital cesarean rates now vary widely across the U.S. according to a new study by the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. The findings are published in the journal Health Affairs, and reveal that cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold throughout the country - from 7.1 percent to 69.9 percent. The investigators analyzed hospital discharge data from a sample of 593 hospital patients with at least 100 births in the year 2009...

Health Secretary Plans To Tackle UK's High Cardiovascular Disease Death Rate

Date: Mar-06-2013
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has just announced that the UK is developing a new plan to tackle cardiovascular disease (CVD) which could save up to 30,000 lives over the next several years. The UK is behind a lot of other Western countries in managing cardiovascular diseases. Jeremy Hunt said that he hopes to change that, as he is striving to make life expectancy in England one of the top in Europe. Currently, close to 30% of all deaths in England are due to CVDs, 150,000 people die every year in England from cancer, heart, stroke, respiratory or liver disease...

People With Mental Illness At Highly Increased Risk Of Being Murder Victims

Date: Mar-06-2013
Risk highest among those with substance use disorders People with mental disorders have a highly increased risk of being victims of homicide, a large study published today on bmj.com suggests. The perpetration of homicide by people with mental disorders has received much attention, but their risk of being victims of homicide has rarely been examined. Yet such information may help develop more effective strategies for improving the safety and health of people with mental illness...

Visceral Fat Causally Linked To Intestinal Cancer

Date: Mar-06-2013
Loss of fat by surgical removal or a calorierestricted diet reduced likelihood of developing intestinal tumors. Differences were found between male and female mice. Study emphasizes the need for strategies to reduce visceral fat. Visceral fat, or fat stored deep in the abdominal cavity, is directly linked to an increased risk for colon cancer, according to data from a mouse study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research...

Newly Identified Biomarkers May Help Predict Progression Of Barrett's Esophagus To Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Date: Mar-06-2013
Expression of most microRNAs was similar between the two conditions. A small number were differentially expressed. These microRNAs could be biomarkers for early diagnosis of progression. A series of microRNA expression signatures that may help to define progression of the precancerous condition Barrett's esophagus into esophageal adenocarcinoma was reported recently in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research...

Regular Exercise May Be Key To Good Sleep

Date: Mar-06-2013
Exercise can affect your sleep. The results of the National Sleep Foundation's 2013 Sleep in America® poll show a compelling association between exercise and better sleep. "Exercise is great for sleep. For the millions of people who want better sleep, exercise may help," says David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Exercisers say they sleep better Self-described exercisers report better sleep than self-described non-exercisers even though they say they sleep the same amount each night (6 hours and 51 minutes, average on weeknights)...

Findings Of 2 Important Studies Published In AIDS Journal

Date: Mar-06-2013
The results of two important studies have been published in the March issue of AIDS, the official journal of the International AIDS Society. One study notes that screening for HIV should be performed more frequently - up to every three months for the highest-risk patients, while low-risk groups to be tested every three years. A second study demonstrates a link between heavy drinking and risky behaviors for men who have sex with men (MSM). AIDS is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health...