Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Women's Health - 5 Things You Can Do to Prevent Cancer
Adult Survivors Of Childhood Cancer Have Lower Bone Mineral Density
Men who survived childhood leukemia treatment into adulthood were more likely to have low bone mineral density than other adults their age, putting them at risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, according to a new study.
Cancer Mortality Rate Declines Are Promising
The latest annual report on cancer trends shows "that a long-term decline in death rates has continued for both sexes," and there "seems little doubt that the decline in cancer death rates since the early 1990s is real," a New York Times editorial states.
"If the decline means that fewer people are contracting cancer, then that is great news," the editorial continues, adding, "But if it simply means that fewer cases are being diagnosed because fewer people are getting screened for breast and prostate cancer or can afford to visit a doctor, then that is bad news."
Secreted Protein Sends Signal That Fat Is On The Way
After you eat a burger and fries or other fat-filled meal, a protein produced by the liver may send a signal that fat is on the way, suggests a report in the December issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. Researchers have found in mice that the liver produces a protein called adropin, which rises in response to high-fat foods and falls after fasting.
Ten Percent Of Children Sleep In School
Up to 10% of children starting school suffer from sleep disturbances and these may lead to poor performance or behavioral difficulties. In the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2007; 105[47]: 809-14), the child and adolescent psychiatrist Gerd Lehmkuhl and his colleagues present the results of a study from Cologne, Germany.
Absence Of Frank Talk About HIV/AIDS Hurts Black Women
"If ever there was a case for unvarnished sex education in public schools, the ongoing AIDS epidemic in black America ought to be it," columnist Courtland Milloy writes in a Washington Post opinion piece, adding, "[H]ow can we teach [HIV prevention] if we can't talk frankly?"
New tool helps target bone treatment
New method will help doctors better identify patients at high risk of bone fracture.
Better targeted, more cost-effective osteoporosis treatment could soon be a reality worldwide. A new method (1) for determining more accurately at which point someone needs further diagnostic tests, or when immediate treatment is warranted, has been developed by The National Osteoporosis Guideline Group in the UK.
Researchers Reveal What Makes The Heart 'Tick-Tock'
Researchers have new evidence to show that the heart beats to its own drummer, according to a report in the December issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. They've uncovered some of the molecular circuitry within the cardiovascular system itself that controls the daily rise and fall of blood pressure and heart rate. The findings might also explain why commonly used diabetes drugs come with cardiovascular benefits, according to the researchers.
Examining Male Circumcision For HIV Prevention
The Los Angeles Times and the Journal of the American Medical Association recently published opinion pieces about male circumcision as a method of HIV prevention. Summaries appear below.
