Graphic warnings snuff out cigarettes’ appeal to kids
New research from Cornell University suggests graphic warning labels on cigarette ads have the same anti-smoking effect as similar warning labels on cigarette packs.
Sleep Length May Affect Risk of Falls and Fractures
Compared with women in a recent study who slept seven to eight hours each night, women who slept for =5 hours or =10 hours had about a 25 percent increased odds of experiencing recurrent falls (falling at least twice in a year). In the Journal…
Trial Examines How Mindfulness Meditation May Improve Mood
In a randomized controlled trial of 134 mildly stressed, middle-aged to older adults, participants who were assigned to a six-week mindfulness-meditation training program experienced significantly reduced negative affect variability—which refers to subjective distress and includes a range of mood states such as worry, anxiety, anger,…
Anabolic Steroids Linked to Higher Rates of Premature Death in Men
Men who use androgenic anabolic steroids—such as testosterone—may face a higher risk of early death and of experiencing more hospital admissions, according to a new Journal of Internal Medicine study.
Sperm count 50% lower in sons of fathers who smoke
Studies have repeatedly linked maternal smoking during pregnancy with reduced sperm counts in male offspring. Now a research team at Lund University in Sweden has discovered that, independently of nicotine exposure from the mother, men whose fathers smoked at the time of pregnancy had half…
Gene Testing Doesn’t Add Much Information for Antidepressant or Antipsychotic Prescribing
Pharmacogenetic tests are marketed as an aid to psychiatrists in selecting the antidepressant or antipsychotic medication that will work best in individual patients, based on their genetic makeup. But for most patients, these pharmacogenetic tests don’t provide much useful information, beyond a basic understanding of…
Vaping no boost to quit rates in smokers, study suggests – ‘Dual users’ no more likely to kick habit
People who vape and smoke cigarettes are no more likely to drop the nicotine habit than those who just smoke, a new study suggests. Researchers at The Ohio State University studied 617 tobacco users and found no differences in quit rates for “dual users” of…
Orange Juice, Leafy Greens and Berries May Be Tied to Decreased Memory Loss in Men
Eating leafy greens, dark orange and red vegetables and berry fruits, and drinking orange juice may be associated with a lower risk of memory loss over time in men, according to a study published in the November 21, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical…
Screening for colorectal cancer spares male patients from intense treatments
While screening for colorectal cancer did not, so far, reduce mortality, it did reduce the need for chemotherapy and emergency surgeries among male patients, shows a recent Finnish study.
Keep Slapping on That Sunscreen and Ignore Toxic Claims
It’s safe to slap on the sunscreen this coming summer – in repeated doses – despite what you have read about the potential toxicity of sunscreens.
Treating Spinal Pain with Replacement Discs Made of “Engineered Living Tissue” Moves Closer to Reality
For the first time, bioengineered spinal discs were successfully implanted and provided long-term function in the largest animal model ever evaluated for tissue-engineered disc replacement. A new Penn Medicine study published in Science Translational Medicine provides compelling translational evidence that the cells of patients suffering…
Time for Young Men to Get Smart About Testicular Cancer
In November, some men grow mustaches to bring attention to men’s health issues. It’s also a good time for young men to learn about testicular cancer, the cancer that is most likely to strike them in the prime of life. Although relatively rare, testicular cancer…