In a Dispatch article Monday, ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom excoriated a study that tried (and failed miserably) to link exposure to BPA with childhood asthma. Apparently, he has a bit more to say on this matter. You can read his typically mild-mannered and non-judgemental op-ed, Maybe the Worst Paper Ever? here.
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A new study suggests that the life expectancy for some American women seems to be on the decline, specifically in rural areas in the south and the west.
The study, based on mortality rates in U.S. counties from 1992-1996 and 2002-2006, found that women age 75 and younger are dying at higher rates than previous years in nearly half of the nation's counties - many of them rural and in the South and West. For men however, life expectancy has held steady or improved in nearly all counties.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Dr. Thomas Frieden calls them nightmare bacteria and they are showing up in more and more U.S. hospitals.
Women planning to become pregnant, or even possibly becoming pregnant without planning, have long been advised to take a daily folic acid supplement because folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects spina bifida, among other conditions in their newborns.
Those individuals with hearing loss may want to pay attention to this. Dr. Frank Lin, an otolaryngologist and epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has found a strong association between hearing loss and dementia. His first study, published in The Archives of Neurology in 2011, looked at 639 subjects, ages 36 to 90 who were followed for 18 years.
Deaths from lung cancer are set to surpass deaths from breast cancer in European women, and will become the leading cause of cancer deaths among women there, according to a recent study published in the journal Annals of Oncology.
In some countries, such as the U.K. and Poland, lung cancer has already become the main cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Lung cancer killed more women than breast cancer in the U.S. for decades.
Low-dose aspirin did not reduce overall incidence of stroke or improve outcomes following a stroke, an analysis of the Women s Health Study showed.
Researchers analyzed data from about 40,000 participants from the Women s Health Study, 460 of whom had been diagnosed with a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in the preceding year. There was a mean follow-up of 10 years. Ultimately, researchers compared stroke patients against study participants who had not reported a stroke.
After launching campaigns against soda, salt and fast food, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is at it again with a new target ear buds. But unlike some of his pervasive and ill-advised forays into dictating our health behaviors, this time the Mayor has promulgated a productive campaign to save our youngsters hearing.
In a consensus statement, seven major professional societies have endorsed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as the best treatment for menopause symptoms, with certain caveats. They note that this treatment is safest for women younger than 60 or within 10 years after menopause in terms of risk-benefit balance, adding that the risk of breast cancer attributable to HRT is small and the risk decreases after treatment is stopped.
Paul Howard and Josh Bloom, Medical Progress Today Spotlight Feature "Is Big Pharma Hiding Data?"
Josh Bloom, US News and World Report 2/4/13, "Mandate the Flu Vaccine for Healthcare Workers"
A significant number of folks over age 70 may be getting unnecessary colonoscopies, according to a study published in JAMA. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends colorectal cancer (CRC) screening begin at age 50 for those at average CRC risk, and follow-up studies every 10 years until age 75. The rationale behind these guidelines is that colon cancer commonly progresses very slowly; therefore, early detection is unlikely to benefit older adults.
It's that time of year, the season when "reform" of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) rises from the ashes, and stroller brigades and anti-technology "environmental" groups remind us that without a new chemical law, the sky will fall again.
Just a few days ago there were multiple news reports about a study in Nature Medicine by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic that suggested that there was supposedly one more reason not to eat red meat it contains high levels of the amino acid L-carnitine, which is metabolized by bacteria in the gut to give trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a substance that could play a part in atherosclerosis.
In a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found no association between receiving too many vaccines too soon, and autism. Despite the evidence, one third of parents are still concerned that vaccines may play a role in causing autism, and one in ten parents delay vaccinations or refuse to vaccinate their children.
Although Mayor Bloomberg s ban on large-sized sugary drinks was thrown out by a state court judge last month, he intends to continue the government war on obesity. There remains a lively debate about how best to accomplish reducing obesity s toll, and to what extent government measures can influence personal behavior.
Is organic food really better than the conventional variety? Apparently many people think so at least that s what a recent study from Cornell University demonstrates.
Researchers asked 115 volunteers to taste and rate 3 pairs of foods yogurt, cookies, and chips. Each member of a pair was labeled either organic or conventional . After the tasting, the participants rated the taste and calorie content of each food, and how much they d be willing to pay for them.
A third of all American children are overweight or obese, and this proportion is even greater among children from low-income households and minority ethnic groups. For example, 40 percent of Mexican-American children living in poverty are overweight or obese. But new research indicates that consuming ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC) can help fight this tendency.
Physical activity is not only important in preventing obesity in children. A new study is now suggesting that it may have a role in keeping bones strong as well.
If you need another reminder about the importance of vaccinations, just look to the events of this past weekend. A Wisconsin college student and a Los Angeles man died of meningitis, and the New York City Department of Health issued an alert stating that five measles cases occurred in Borough Park, Brooklyn this past month in children who had not been vaccinated.
Sure, we could be doing better, but still: the undeniable fact is that the infant mortality rate in America fell by 12 percent between 2005 and 2011, after years of stagnation at an embarrassingly higher rate. This gratifying information was released this week by the CDC . The most impressive declines were noted in those [...]
The post Declining U.S. infant mortality trend continues appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
The current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contains two commentaries examining the recent judicial rejection of New York Mayor Bloomberg's proposed partial ban on sugar-sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces. The Bloomberg proposal was purportedly presented as a means of combating obesity among City residents.
Today marks the 7th annual celebration… no, that’s not exactly the best word…the 7th annual official recognition, via World Malaria Day, of the horrendous toll taken by the mosquito-borne infection: Malaria. Historically, malaria has been so severe and widespread as to determine the fates of entire civilizations. A little-known fact is that malaria remained a [...]
The post On World Malaria Day, recognizing its grim toll appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Fans of irony will be hard-pressed to suppress a smile here. Researchers at The University of Guelph in Ontario are developing a novel vaccine which may help control the gastrointestinal symptoms that are commonly seen in children with autism. The vaccine will have no direct effect on the behavioral aspects of the disease, nor will it in any [...]
The post Irony anyone? A vaccine to help autistic children. appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
The regulators in Europe continue to ban chemicals at the drop of a rat. In the latest instance, the head of the European Commission has decided to take it upon himself to ban a class of pesticide called “neonicotinoids,” on the slimmest evidence that this class of chemicals might have contributed to the loss of [...]
The post More chemophobia from the EU: banning pesticide to save bees? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
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