Gum disease, tooth loss or periodontal disease, inflammation of the gums caused by bacterial infection that leads to tooth loss, was shown to be associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer in two studies. In one study, all subjects were smokers, and in the other, no adjustment was made for smoking, a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found consistent evidence that smoking is associated with an increased risk of TB. They also found that passive smoking (secondhand smoke) and the burning of biomass fuels was associated with an increased TB risk.
Smokers have an increased risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection, TB disease and of dying from TB compared to people who do not smoke.
In a large, randomized, placebo-controlled study of 22,071 healthy male physicians, taking a low-dose of aspirin every other day lowered the risk of receiving an initial asthma diagnosis by 22 percent.
For patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), combining a long-acting bronchodilator with an inhaled corticosteroid reduced the number of exacerbations by 35 percent.
General adult psychiatrists should diagnose and treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults appropriately with stimulant drugs. So recommends Professor Philip Asherson and other colleagues in an editorial in the January 2007 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Gonorrhea, a common sexually transmitted infection, can double the risk of bladder cancer in men, researchers said. Earlier studies had already suggested a link and scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health in Massachusetts who monitored the health of 51,529 American men found 286 cases of bladder cancer in men who had had the infection.
Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the United States. Although some risk factors, such as age and heredity, cannot be controlled, many factors, including smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity and inactivity can be modified, thus, lowering the risk. This lifestyle concern is thoroughly explored in the headline article of the debut issue of the new American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (AJLM) published by SAGE.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi banned smoking from the Speaker’s Lobby outside the entrance to the House floor. Pelosi said she was banning smoking from the area to protect the health of the staff, reporters and public who spend time in the lobby.
Results of a large US study suggest that taking low-dose aspirin on a regular basis may not only protect against heart attacks, but also the development of asthma in adulthood.