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Typically, when a pregnant woman s water breaks prematurely, doctors will induce labor in order to avoid the increased risk of a uterine infection that could harm the fetus. Yet because there are also risks to delivering a baby pre-term, Dutch researchers have more closely investigated this practice.

ACSH would like to applaud Dr. John Pierce and his colleagues from the University of California San Diego Cancer Center for their latest article, featured in the Annual Review of Public Health. The review article points out the discrepancy between science and public policy as it relates to smoking cessation strategies.

A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health reports that eating canned soup significantly raises the concentration of the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in urine. BPA has been under constant attack from environmental groups alleging that despite its five-decade long history of widespread, safe use it is an endocrine disruptor.

We re always eager to hear the results of smoking cessation trials, hoping for some rare good news on this subject. But the latest trial of nicotine therapy has us baffled. In this nationwide randomized clinical trial just reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers studied the effect of nicotine lozenges on smokers who were in a practice quit attempt trial. The smokers were not committed to quitting and were not advised to do so.

It s not widely known, but acetaminophen (Tylenol and others) is a significant cause of liver damage when the recommended dosage is exceeded. And just because you re spreading your dosage of acetaminophen over the course of a day doesn t mean you re not at risk for an overdose. In fact, you may be at greater risk of a serious or even fatal overdose than someone who swallows the same amount all at once.

A research team led by ACSH advisor Dr. Geoffrey Kabat, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, has found that high blood sugar in post-menopausal women is associated with a roughly two-fold increased risk of colorectal cancer. While diabetes has already been linked with colorectal cancer, it hasn t been established whether that association is the result of circulating insulin or glucose.

Josh Bloom, The American Spectator 3/16/12
When Is a Drug a Drug?

Bariatric surgery is gaining prevalence in the U.S., as more severely obese patients choose to go under the knife to improve their chances of losing excess weight.

A commonly used class of antibiotics called fluroquinolones may raise a patient s risk of retinal detachment, suggests a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. These drugs, which include ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and levofloxacin (Levaquin), have previously been known to cause damage to connective tissue and to cartilage.

Antibiotics are routinely given to farm animals in order to increase their growth rate and protect their health in crowded conditions, but some scientists worry that such practices are abetting the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While it s still unclear whether these harder-to-treat bacteria are actually being passed on to humans, one thing is certain the FDA isn t taking any chances.

Parents are often reassured when a trip to the pediatrician results in an antibiotic prescription for their sick child.

New research shows promise for the use of the heart s own stem cells in treating heart failure. Like other stem cells, cardiac stem cells (CSCs) are self-renewing and multipotent so CSCs can differentiate into all three major cardiac tissue types. Thus, in a new small pilot study, these CSCs were used to treat the damage caused by coronary heart disease.

Intentional drugging is not often talked about, yet the results of a new Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report reminds all of us especially women of the dangers associated with leaving your drink unattended.

New guidelines from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) make a surprising recommendation: There should be general one-time screening of children ages nine to 11 for high cholesterol.

When more people are screened for skin cancer, more malignant tumors are found, according to results from a recent German study. What s more, a related study found that, following the introduction of a state-wide screening program, deaths from skin cancer fell by about 50 percent.

For early-stage breast cancer patients, a simple blood test may one day lead to better diagnosis, prognostic capabilities, and targeted treatment. According to a recent study published in The Lancet Oncology, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detected in the patient s blood accurately predicted both progression-free and overall survival in a group of early-stage breast cancer patients.

This year's World No Tobacco Day found Dr. Ross chatting with two different radio personalities about the topic that's never far from his mind: tobacco harm reduction.
You can hear Dr. Ross on WOR Radio's Joan Hamburg Show, where he headed after talking to Mike Murillo on FM News New York.

Want to know if your kids have been exposed to cigarette smoke? Well, there s a test for that. In a study just published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers analyzed nearly 500 blood samples from children ages one to four for cotinine, a chemical present in the body after exposure to nicotine. Study author Dr.

Josh Bloom, Medical Progress Today 5/17/12
Why I Don't Write About Pottery from the Ming Dynasty

In Pesticides and Health: Myths vs. Realities, environmental toxologist Allan S. Felsot explains the real benefits both health-related and economical of an informed use of pesticides. And in Pesticides in Perspective, William Kucewicz explains Dr. Felsot's main ideas in a shorter, consumer-friendly format.

Newer doesn t always mean better. At least that s the conclusion of a review published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, which finds that newer hip and knee replacement designs (such as metal-on-metal hips) introduced from 2003 through 2007 are not any more durable than older models (largely comprised of metal and plastic).

They won t give up, no matter the science or the votes. Anti-technology activists opposed to genetically-engineered food were defeated at the ballot box in California last year, but they re not giving up.

Health care professionals and researchers are scrambling to understand why there is a sharp increase in the number of cases reported of children with type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes, previously known as juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes, typically strikes those whose immune systems have killed off insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The disease tends to start in adolescence, but in light of the rising number of cases in very young children, experts have stated that parents need to be aware that toddlers and preschoolers are also at risk.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg can now add reducing the salt content of foods to the long list of regulations he s espoused during his time in office, including reducing trans fats and imposing a ban on large sized sodas. His efforts to regulate salt began in 2010, when under his direction, 30 companies committed to reducing salt content in their products by 25 percent over a period of five years in an effort to lower consumers blood pressure and reduce incidence of heart attack and stroke.

More than 400,000 Americans have full or partial hip replacements each year, and the majority of them are women. Now, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women were also 30 percent more likely than men to need a repeat procedure within the three years following the initial surgery. However, this news is not nearly as dire as it appears.