Laugh A Little To Help Protect Heart, Lower Blood Pressure

Laughter is not only an effective stress-reliever, but can be heart-healthy, according to research presented at the American College of Sports Medicine’s 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle. Two separate studies examined the role of a good laugh as it relates to health.

One of the studies took an inverted approach to previous research on the harmful cardiovascular tolls of stress and negative mood. A small group of healthy adults were instructed to watch either a comedy or documentary film, and were monitored for carotid artery activity during the films.

Rite Aid And The Skin Cancer Foundation Help Customers Have Safe Fun In The Sun With Free Skin Care Guide, Online Info And Free Skin Cancer Screenings

To help customers have a safe and fun summer in the sun, Rite Aid and The Skin Cancer Foundation are partnering to raise awareness and offer free information on the importance of smart skin care practices. A free skin care guide aimed to encourage customers to protect their skin this summer will be available at nearly 4,900 Rite Aid stores nationwide and online at http://www.riteaid.com starting May 31.

The 12-page skin care guide contains information from The Skin Cancer Foundation on being proactive in preventing skin cancer, guidelines on how to use and choose sunscreen, and tips to avoid burning. There’s a section on how to protect the eyes with the proper sunglasses, as well as information on how different kinds of recreation call for different kinds of sun protection, such as sweat-resistant or water-resistant sunscreens and a lip balm of at least SPF 15.

Rite Aid And The Skin Cancer Foundation Help Customers Have Safe Fun In The Sun With Free Skin Care Guide, Online Info And Free Skin Cancer Screenings

To help customers have a safe and fun summer in the sun, Rite Aid and The Skin Cancer Foundation are partnering to raise awareness and offer free information on the importance of smart skin care practices. A free skin care guide aimed to encourage customers to protect their skin this summer will be available at nearly 4,900 Rite Aid stores nationwide and online at http://www.riteaid.com starting May 31.

The 12-page skin care guide contains information from The Skin Cancer Foundation on being proactive in preventing skin cancer, guidelines on how to use and choose sunscreen, and tips to avoid burning. There’s a section on how to protect the eyes with the proper sunglasses, as well as information on how different kinds of recreation call for different kinds of sun protection, such as sweat-resistant or water-resistant sunscreens and a lip balm of at least SPF 15.

Age Concern And Help The Aged On New Research On Dementia, UK

Commenting on the new research on Alzheimer’s by the the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director for Age Concern and Help the Aged said:

‘This research provides more scientific evidence that working is a crucial ingredient of that engaging and active lifestyle we know is key to healthy mental ageing.

‘Ensuring a more comfortable retirement is not the only reason why older workers want to work for longer. Keeping their brains active and their social relationships fresh are often equally important.

Inventors Develop Novel Technique To Help Customize, Enhance The Effectiveness Of Bladder Cancer Treatment

Researchers in the University of Virginia Department of Urology have developed a novel method that could help physicians determine the best course of treatment for patients suffering from bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is typically treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a treatment in which chemotherapy is administered to reduce the size of the cancer prior to surgery, with the two most commonly used chemotherapeutic regimens being M-VAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin) and GemCis (gemcitabine and cisplatin). While M-VAC has long been considered the more potent regimen and is often offered as the gold standard for treatment, it is quite toxic and known to successfully treat only about 25 percent of patients who receive it. Recent studies in metastatic cancer suggest that GemCis is equally potent and may be better tolerated among patients; thus, it is commonly used in the neoadjuvant setting.

Bone Disease Markers Help To Monitor Response And Adherence To Osteoporosis Treatments

Roche Diagnostics offers one of the most complete ranges of tests for osteoporosis that can be performed on a single serum work area platform. As concerns are raised about the limited use of more expensive treatments for osteoporosis1, this comprehensive range of Elecsys bone marker assays provides valuable information for the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of bone metabolism in patients with, or at risk of, osteoporosis and other bone diseases, in addition to providing an early indication of response and adherence to treatment.

Chrysler, UAW Nearing Deal On VEBA Payments To Help Chrysler Secure Remaining Federal Aid

Chrysler Group and United Auto Workers are close to a deal in which the automaker would use company stock to fund half of its obligation to a health care fund for retired workers, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, Chrysler owes $10.6 billion to a voluntary employees’ beneficiary association that funds health coverage for the company’s retired autoworkers. Chrysler is seeking the concession as it attempts to develop a restructuring plan before an April 30 deadline set by President Obama (Vlasic, New York Times, 4/17).

Genetic Variations In miRNA Processing Pathway And Binding Sites Help Predict Ovarian Cancer Risk

Genetic variations in the micro-RNA (miRNA) processing pathway genes and miRNA binding sites predict a woman’s risk for developing ovarian cancer and her prospects for survival, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported at the 100th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“We found a gene dosage effect, the more unfavorable variations a woman has, the greater her ovarian cancer risk and the shorter her survival time,” said senior author Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D., professor in M. D. Anderson’s Department of Epidemiology. Median survival, for example, ranged from 151 months for women with fewest unfavorable variations to 24 months for those with the most.

Gene Variation Found To Help Predict Surgical Outcomes Of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Patients

A study with far-reaching implications for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has identified human genetic variants that could help doctors predict the potential for certain patients to suffer poor heart function.

Amanda A. Fox, M.D., and her co-investigators from the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Division of Cardiovascular Anesthesiology at the Texas Heart Institute, identified variants in two sets of genes that, when added into a clinical model for predicting heart function, offer significant improvement in the ability to anticipate heart problems after surgery.

Pope’s Denunciation Of Condoms ‘No Help’ In Curbing Spread Of HIV, Washington Post Editorial Says

Although “[i]n a perfect world, people would abstain from having sex until they were married or would be monogamous in committed relationships, … the world isn’t perfect,” a Washington Post editorial states, adding that “neither is Pope Benedict’s pronouncement on the effectiveness of condoms in the battle against HIV/AIDS. The evidence says so.” The editorial asks, “Are condoms foolproof protection against infection by HIV, which causes AIDS? No.” However, even though condoms sometimes break or are used incorrectly, “doctors on the front lines of the fight against the AIDS epidemic established long ago that the use of condoms greatly diminishes the transmission of HIV,” according to the editorial. It says that it is “troubling” that Benedict “chose to question the value of condoms in fighting the nearly 28-year-old scourge while heading to the continent whose people are most affected by it.” Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 67% of people living with HIV in the world and 75% of all AIDS deaths, according to UNAIDS, the editorial states. It adds that “[h]eterosexual intercourse is the ‘driving force’ behind the epidemic.” According to the editorial, “To halt the march of HIV/AIDS, those who have the infection must be treated. Those who do not have it need all the information and tools possible to remain HIV-negative.” It concludes, “The pope’s denunciation of condoms is of no help” (Washington Post, 3/19).