Health (373)
CHAPEL HILL (NNPA) - A new study seeking to improve scientists’ understanding of breast cancer, including why the disease’s fatality rate is higher in African-American women, is underway in 44 counties in North Carolina.
The project, named after the late Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, a North Carolina state senator who died of breast cancer last year, is being run by the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The research is an extension of the Carolina Breast Cancer Study, one of the largest breast cancer databases in the United States.
Potential participants will be identified from among women living in the 44 North Carolina counties as participating hospitals report newly diagnosed breast cancer cases to the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry.
A first of its kind study conducted in Dorchester, Mass. shows that Blacks born in America are three times more likely to have asthma than Blacks born in other countries. But medical authorities are not sure why such a large difference exists. The study was published in the November edition of the Journal of Asthma. The study was presided over by researchers at Tufts University’s medical school beginning in 2005.
Head researcher Doug Brugge said he was surprised by the study results saying, “We were used to thinking that people coming from developing countries have worse health.†U.S.-born Blacks also tend to have higher asthma rates than America-born Whites. Theories regarding the disparity range from foreign-born Blacks having greater exposure to sunlight while U.S.-born Blacks, especially those in the inner city, spend more time cooped up inside homes and apartments where substances including mold and cockroach droppings may trigger asthma.
Lung cancer continues to be a most deadly enemy for African Americans and other minorities. Despite recent improvements in diagnosis and treatment, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths among African Americans.
While for many patients the promise of a cure is still in the future, researchers are hopeful as they look to treating this difficult disease with a novel approach: an anti-cancer vaccine.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., is currently in the middle stages of a clinical study for the effectiveness of a new vaccine, the HyperAcute® Lung Cancer Vaccine (HAL). The vaccine is being studied as a potential treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a disease that affects over 173,000 people a year in the U.S.
Written by Courtesy of the National Cancer Institute - NNPA Special Commentary
"People need to plan ahead for prescription refills, doctor's appointments and medical visits," said Dr. Pierre Vigilance, director for the District's department of health. "Emergency Rooms are expected to be busier than normal, non-emergent care patients should obtain care through their primary care provider before Jan. 19 or make arrangements after Jan. 20.â€
Living in the North has taught residents how to dress warmly, but extra caution must be paid to staying warm while outside for extended periods of time. For example, a rain poncho is an excellent choice for high winds. Here are a few other tips on how to prepare to walk to the Inaugural Swearing-In, Parades and the Balls.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of brain disorders that interferes with a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. In AD, areas of the brain change and deteriorate, which causes a decline in cognition and memory functioning. In some patients, the deficits are large enough to get in the way of performing normal, everyday tasks. There is evidence that AD affects women differently than men.
Written by By Jennifer Wider, M.D. - Society for Women's Health Research
Written by By Robyn H. Jimenez - Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner
"Maintaining a safe water supply is essential to protecting the health and well being of Prince George's County residents," said Dr. Donald Shell, health officer. "All residents and food service establishments in the impacted areas are encouraged to take the precautions to prevent water and subsequent food related illnesses."
The report, Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2007, shows persistent racial disparities across these and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD), and a particularly heavy burden of disease among women. The report also finds continued increases in syphilis. This disease, while once on the verge of elimination, began re-emerging as a threat in 2001 and increased 15.2 percent between 2006 and 2007.
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