Heavy alcohol consumption appears to moderately increase the risk of cancer in the colon and rectum, researchers report in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Although previous studies have linked alcohol use with colon cancer, findings regarding personal factors, types of beverage, and anatomic sites in the colon have been inconsistent, Dr. Eunyoung Cho at Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues note.
To evaluate the effect of acetaminophen (Tylenol and other similar products) on asthma risk, Dr. R. Graham Barr, from the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, and colleagues analyzed data from the Nurses Health Study, which has been following more than 120,000 women.
A small study of women suggested that a diet low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables caused an increase in the plasma levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol.
Intolerance to food additives might also be responsible for stuffy nose. Italian researchers found that of 226 people with persistent nasal congestion not caused by allergies, 20 had reactions to monosodium benzoate, a preservative widely used in processed foods. When these men and women followed an additive-free diet, their nasal woes waned, according to findings published in the journal Allergy.
Pregnant women who are vegetarians have increased levels of a hormone called free beta-hCG, which may lead to an incorrect diagnosis of Down’s syndrome in their developing baby, Taiwanese researchers report. This suggests that higher beta-hCG test values need to be established for such women.
UK scientists have developed a computer program to calculate the risk of developing breast cancer in individual women.
Psychotherapy may help hypochondriacs deal with their fears but the treatment has its limits. Some of the patients quit after being told the problems were actually in their heads.
Depression is one of the common problems in clinical practice, which causes social, occupational, financial, and interpersonal difficulties. It also causes increased medical morbidity and mortality through suicide. Most of the subjects suffering from depression first go to their general physicians or family physicians. However, most physicians are very busy and preoccupied with general medical problems. Moreover, the general physician is not well acquainted with psychiatric problems. The difficulty is further compounded since a number of medical illnesses may cause either secondary or reactive depression.
The most beautiful part of womanhood, it is said, is the ability to bring forth a new life. But this can prove to be a curse if the new life is unwanted. Unprecedented advances in modern science have, however, empowered a woman to decide whether she wants to give birth or not. Though the word abortion has come out of wraps over the years, it is still being used unscrupulously by many a doctor and patient.
Foods which could prevent teenagers from developing cancer are being highlighted by a unique website created by a University of St Andrews scientist. Dr Margaret Ritchie from the School of Biology has devised the world?s first fully-tested alphabetical database, aimed at protecting youngsters from developing breast and prostate cancers in later life.