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A new study has identified the key risk factors for osteoporosis in older men. (Source: Arthritis Research Campaign)

Physician-scientists believe that a heightened level a certain growth factor in the blood may explain why blacks have a greater prevalence of hypertension and kidney disease compared to whites. Results from a new study are the first to show that an elevated level of a protein, called transforming growth factor B1, raises the risk of hypertension and renal disease in humans.

Lung Cancer Attacks at The Age of 70, Does it give You More Freedom to Smoke? >> Posted By WikiMap 3 hours, 3 minutes ago in News Various factors have been associated with the development of lung cancer including tobacco, which is the most responsible for one of every six deaths in the United States.

An international team of researchers from several countries, including Australia, Canada and the United States, identified two genes that dictate the number of moles an individual will get, raising the risk of skin cancer. As Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London, explains: 'The number of moles you have is one of the strongest risk factors for melanoma - stronger than sunshine. This paper shows that we found two important genes that control the number of moles you have. Those genes also give you an extra risk of melanoma.' As a result of their findings, the researchers believe that the warnings about the risk of sunbathing are overstated, emphasizing that that only a small percentage of melanoma cases are caused by sunlight. Says Dr. Veronique Bataille, a ...MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

American Journal of Epidemiology

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has announced that an interdisciplinary team of four research institutions will carry out the largest study of suicide and mental health among military personnel ever undertaken, with $50 million in funding from the U.S. Army. Study investigators aim to move quickly to identify risk and protective factors for suicide among soldiers and provide a science base for effective and practical interventions to reduce suicide rates and address associated mental health problems.

Memory lapses that occur with normal aging are a source of worry for many who fear Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: To examine whether personality traits are related to all-cause mortality in a general adult population in Scotland. Methods: The Edinburgh Artery Study began in 1987 to 1988 by recruiting 1592 men and women aged 55 to 74 years to be followed-up for atherosclerotic diseases. The NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) was completed by 1035 surviving participants in 1995 to 1996. Deaths from all causes were examined in relation to personality traits and social and physical risk factors for mortality. Results: During follow-up, 242 (37.1%) men and 165 (24.6%) women died. For the whole sample, there was a 28% lower rate of all-cause mortality for each 1 SD increase in NEO-FFI openness (95% CI, 0.61–0.84) and a 18% lower rate of all-cause mortality for each 1 SD increase in NEO-FFI conscientiousness (95% CI, 0.70–0.97). In men, the risk of all-cause mortality was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.5–10.78) for a 1 SD increase in openness and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.61–0.91) for a 1

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping in young adult African Americans (AAs). PTSD is associated with physical illnesses including cardiovascular conditions. Sleep disturbances related to heightened arousal likely contribute to physical health risk; however, this possibility has not been studied. The studies that have found a relationship between PTSD and hypertension (HTN) have substantial representation of AAs. AAs have elevated rates of HTN and are more likely to exhibit an absence of the normal 'dip' of BP at night. Nocturnal BP 'nondipping' is an established risk factor for HTN and its cardiovascular complications. Nocturnal BP nondipping and sleep disturbances of PTSD have both been linked to sympathetic nervous system function. Methods: Thirty healthy young adult AAs (60% female; mean age = 20.0 years; 17 with lifetime full or subthreshold PTSD, 4 with current symptoms) received 24-hour B

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 July 2009, 21:53 CDT Cigarette smokers are at higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis and the disease appears to progress more rapidly in smokers, U.S. researchers say...