External beam radiation increases risk of leukemia.
CHICAGO -- Men who receive external beam radiation therapy as part of their treatment for prostate cancer are at increased risk for developing acute myeloid leukemia, according to a large, prospective, population-based cohort study. After investigators controlled for age, race, and grade and stage of prostate cancer,...

One-hour glucose concentration may help predict type 2 diabetes.
A 1-hour plasma glucose concentration higher than 155 mg/dL measured during an oral glucose tolerance test, plus the presence of the metabolic syndrome, strongly predicts future risk for type 2 diabetes in subjects with normal glucose tolerance, according to the results of a large population-based epidemiologic study. ...

A comparative study of self-perceived public health competencies: practice teachers and qualifying SCPHNs.
Abstract There is evidence to suggest that population-focused public health nursing is more rhetoric than reality. This quantitative study compares the self-perceived public health competence of qualifying student specialist community public health nurses (SCPHNs) (n=35) with those of the practice teachers (PTs) facilitating their practice learning (n=31)....

Prevention measures drive drop in CHD deaths.
COLORADO SPRINGS -- An estimated 341,745 fewer deaths due to coronary heart disease occurred in 2000 than in 1980, with more than half of this benefit being attributable to nationwide reductions in the major risk factors achieved through behavioral and lifestyle changes, Dr. Simon Capewell said at a conference...

Sir Michael Marmot to keynote APHA Annual Meeting: access Annual Meeting online program now and plan ahead.
Sir Michael Marmot, an internationally recognized leader on health inequalities, will be the keynote speaker at APHA's 136th Annual Meeting in San Diego, the Association announced in June. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Marmot, PhD, MPH, MBBS, FRCP, FFPHM, FMedSci, will speak during this year's opening session, which...

The discover interview: Phil Brown: through activism, science, and public policy, a groundbreaking environmental crusader teaches communities how to look out for themselves.
As a child of parents who eked out a living in part by peeling potatoes and boiling borscht at resorts in New York State's Catskill Mountains, Phil Brown grew up with a natural empathy for people who didn't have much. He spent his childhood summers busing tables in the...

Microbes, inflammation, scaling and root planing, and the periodontal condition.
Abstract Biofilms are a complex community of microorganisms characterized by the excretion of an adhesive and protective extracellular matrix, microbe-to-microbe attachment, structural heterogeneity, genetic diversity, and complex community interactions. Bacteria growing in dental biofilms display an increased tolerance to antibiotics and antimicrobial agents, including those used in...

Vytorin fails CV benefits test as hint of cancer risk arises.
Combined simvastatin plus ezetimibe treatment not only failed to reduce major cardiovascular events, but also was linked to an increase in cancer deaths in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis, according to the first report of a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase III trial. The only positive outcome of the...

20th NAMC Speaker Biographies.
Mushrooms Canada presents the business program line up for the 20th North American Mushroom Conference in Niagara Falls, Canada, May 3-6, 2009. For more information, registration forms, sponsorship opportunities and room reservations, visit http://canadianmushroom.com/namc John Kelly, Ph.D. Topic: Linking Agri-Food Innovation to Health ...

Expert outlines why universal HPV vaccination is needed.
CALGARY, ALTA. -- As an epidemiologist whose research focuses on the prevention of cervical cancer, Dr. Eduardo L. Franco spends a lot of his time dispelling baseless arguments and protests from other health care professionals and patients that more research is needed before universal human papillomavirus vaccination can be...