More Thoughts on Prostate-Cancer Screening

Now that they’ve had a chance to digest the United States Preventive Task Force’s draft recommendations for prostate-cancer screening — which in effect say we should ditch the PSA test — some doctors and policy folks are weighing in.

As the WSJ reported, the task force recommends against screening in men with no symptoms of prostate cancer. It says there is “convincing” evidence screening doesn’t help men 70 years and older live longer, and that for men between 50 and 69, the “reduction in prostate cancer mortality 10 years after screening is small to none …

A.M. Vitals: Annual Chest X-Rays Don’t Reduce Lung-Cancer Deaths

No Benefit: A large study published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association finds annual chest X-rays don’t reduce lung-cancer deaths, the WSJ reports. By contrast, a separate study published last year found that screening current and former heavy smokers with low-dose CT scans did cut the death rate from the disease …

Keep a Leash On Your Halloween Licorice Sweet Tooth, FDA Says

Black licorice, like anchovies and Marmite, is a polarizing food — people either love it or hate it.

For those in the former category, the FDA has a word of warning: don’t eat too much of …

Flu Shot Could Be Better, But For Now It’s The Best We’ve Got

When you roll up your sleeve for an annual flu shot, have you ever stopped to consider how well vaccination against the disease actually works?

The answer, according to a review of previous research published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, is pretty well –  but with plenty of room for improvement …

A.M. Vitals: HPV Vaccine Now Recommended for Boys, Too

Recommending Wider Vaccination: The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended yesterday that boys be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, a measure previously recommended only for females, the WSJ reports. The group recommends boys ages 11 and 12 receive Gardasil, Merck’s HPV vaccine. HPV can cause cancers of the cervix and throat, among other health problems …

Health Blog Video: Is It True Smiling Improves Your Mood?

Is it true smiling improves your mood?

We tackled that question as part of our “Is It True?” video series here at the Health Blog — you can see the video below.  (And look here and here for our previous videos, on the freshman 15 and melatonin’s effects on sleep.)

We found a wealth of information on smiling and how it can boost positive emotions …

Public Citizen Calls for Investigation Into Patient Deaths

Public Citizen is calling for federal inspectors general to investigate the deaths of two patients who were transfused with contaminated blood this summer that came from the Bethesda National Naval Medical Center …

Informed Patient: A New Push to Prevent Infections in Cancer Patients

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stepping up efforts to improve infection control at outpatient oncology clinics, where lax safety standards at some facilities have raised the risk of problems, today’s Informed Patient Column reports.

An infection-control guide issued today is targeted specifically at oncology clinics.

It follows a CDC guide issued last summer more broadly intended for use in outpatient settings such as endoscopy labs, surgery centers and physician’s offices. The campaign comes amid growing reports over the last decade of outbreaks including hepatitis B and C linked to poor infection control at clinics …

A.M. Vitals: Yoga, Stretching Both Help Low Back Pain

Yoga for Back Pain: A 228-person study finds yoga and stretching to be equally effective for relieving low back pain, the WSJ reports. The research, funded by the NIH, suggests yoga’s pain-relief benefits come from its physical component rather than any deep breathing or other mental relaxation elements, the study’s lead author tells the paper …

Want an Estimate of Medical Treatment Costs? Good Luck, GAO Says.

Consumers are usually unable to get accurate information about how much medical treatment will cost them before they receive it, a new government study has found.

Investigators from the Government Accountability Office, a watchdog agency which works for Congress, tried to get upfront estimates from a variety of hospitals in Denver for the price of a full knee-replacement surgery. They also approached several doctors for estimates for a diabetes screening …

Study Shows Link Between Heart Problems, HPV

Might infection by the human papillomavirus — now linked to cervical and throat cancers, among other ailments — also be tied to heart disease?

A new study appearing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests an association …

Scientists Say XMRV Poses No Risk To Blood Supply

A team of scientists led by the American Red Cross found no evidence of XMRV or related retroviruses in the blood of either donors or recipients — but the organization still says that people with a medical history of chronic fatigue syndrome should not donate blood …

Informed Patient: Advance Directives Cut Unwanted Hospitalizations

Frail elderly patients who have advance directives through a program to communicate treatment preferences have fewer unwanted hospitalizations, according to a new study published online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The program uses a form known as POLST — Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment — which allows patients to document their preferences …

A.M. Vitals: It’s Open Enrollment Season; Look for High Deductibles

Open Enrollment: Employees enrolling in health coverage for 2012 should expect to shoulder more of the responsibility for their health costs, with higher out-of-pocket expenses, particularly higher deductibles, and at least small increases in premiums, the WSJ reports. Employers are also making less noticeable changes including requiring workers to pay more to go outside an insurer’s network of physicians and other providers. But 2012 plans won’t see many changes related to the health-care overhaul, the paper reports …

Study: No Link Between Cell-Phone Use and Cancer

A large Danish study found no link between owning a phone and brain or central-nervous system tumors, even after more than a decade of use.

The study, published in BMJ, covers more than 358,000 cellphone users. It’s an update — with five more years of follow-up –  of a study published in 2006 …

Is the Housing Crisis Making People Sick?

By S. Mitra Kalita

The foreclosure crisis may be making Americans sick.

A study published online yesterday in the American Journal of Public Health surveyed nearly 2,500 homeowners over the age of 50 who were asked if they had fallen more than two months behind on their mortgage payments since 2006.

Of those who had, 22% developed depressive symptoms …

A.M. Vitals: Accountable-Care Organization Rules Are Relaxed

Looser Rules: The Obama administration relaxed rules for so-called accountable care organizations, the centerpiece of a program designed to reduce health-care costs by better coordinating prevention and treatment of Medicare patients, the WSJ reports. Medical groups had called draft guidelines released earlier this year too tough and indicated they wouldn’t likely participate in the program. But the president of America’s Health Insurance Plans tells the paper that the elimination of a mandatory antitrust review before participating in the program may actually drive up health costs …

Institute of Medicine Recommends ‘Energy Star’ for Food Labels

The Energy Star program makes it easier for consumers to pick appliances. Now the Institute of Medicine is recommending the government create a similar system for foods and drinks sold in the grocery store.

In a new report, the IOM — an independent group that advises the government on health policy — recommends …

Not Just a Cheerleader: Foundation Helped Drive Cystic-Fibrosis Research

The WSJ reports today on the two-decade quest to develop drugs for cystic fibrosis following the discovery of the gene responsible for the respiratory disease.

In addition to the scientific hurdles, a big challenge facing those seeking treatments was finding a company willing to make the investment. “Very few …

Reader Consult: What Should Abbott’s Drug Company Be Named?

Abbott Laboratories is going to split into two separate publicly-traded companies — one for medical products like Similac infant formula, one for drugs like blockbuster rheumatoid-arthritis therapy Humira, as the WSJ reports.

The medical-products company will keep the Abbott name, while the pharma unit is in search of a new one …