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Teens Need To Hear About 'More Than Abstinence,' Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Says
Although it is "important for other young people to hear" Bristol Palin"s message "about how hard it is to be a teenage mother," her "lesson falls short by suggesting that any teen can successfully avoid premarital sex," a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial says. Palin, who gave birth in December 2008 after an unintended pregnancy and is the daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), has "changed her tune" since she said in a February interview that teen abstinence is ""not realistic at all,"" the editorial states. It adds that Bristol Palin -- now an "abstinence ambassador" for the Candie"s Foundation -- recently said that abstinence is "realistic" and that it is the "harder choice, but it"s the safer choice."The editorial continues that Palin is correct that "[a]bstinence is the only foolproof way to avoid pregnancy" and sexually transmitted infections. However, "any viable lesson about avoiding teen pregnancy should include methods besides avoiding sex, including the use of condoms," the editorial says. Recent studies have shown that abstinence-only sex education programs have had "no measurable impact on delaying teens from having sex for the first time," according to the editorial, which adds that teen pregnancy rates rose 5% between 2005 and 2007 after years of declines. Additionally, three out of 10 U.S. girls will get pregnant by age 20, a figure that increases to more than 50% for Hispanics and blacks. The editorial concludes that teens "need frank talk about premarital sex that includes all of the viable options to avoid pregnancy" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/15).
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People With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities Particularly Vulnerable To Effects Of Tobacco Use And Dependence
While tobacco use is an ongoing health hazard for the entire population, its consequences for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities can be especially severe. And the medical community often tends to overlook the tobacco-related burdens these people face. An extensive review of published research on this topic appears in the June edition of the journal Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
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The Site For Alcohol's Action In The Brain
Alcohol"s inebriating effects are familiar to everyone. But the molecular details of alcohol"s impact on brain activity remain a mystery. A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies brings us closer to understanding how alcohol alters the way brain cells work.
Nutrition

Racial Differences In Risk Of Prostate Cancer Associated With Metabolic Syndrome

UroToday.com - The metabolic syndrome is estimated to occur in 25-35% of U.S. adults and is defined by having >3 of the following 5 features; abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertension, and high fasting blood glucose. Studies suggest that the men with the metabolic syndrome are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer (CaP). This report by Jennifer Beebe-Dimmer and colleagues in the online version of Urology examined the association between the metabolic syndrome, its specific features, and CaP in a hospital-based, case-control study of white and African-American (AA) men residing in Detroit, Michigan. A total of 637 men diagnosed with CaP from 2001 to 2004, and 244 controls, were included for study. They all completed a 2-part interviewer-administered questionnaire and donated a blood sample for DNA analysis and PSA testing. The survey collected sociodemographic data, family history of CaP, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, height, weight, occupational history, diet, and vitamin use. Patients were more likely than controls to report a family history of CaP (21 vs.13%). Smoking habits, vitamin intake and PSA screening history were similar between the CaP and control men. Significant racial differences were found in the presence of specific features of the metabolic syndrome. AA men had more hypertension and diabetes, but triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels were significantly greater for white men. Obesity did not differ by race. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (>3 features) did not differ by race. For all men, no significant differences were found between men with CaP and controls for the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome or any of its features. However, among white men, those with CaP were 50% less likely to be obese compared to controls, with no overall association among AA men. No other single syndrome feature was associated with CaP risk in either race group. Data stratification by race found metabolic syndrome to be marginally associated with an increased risk of CaP among AA men, but not among white men. Beebe-Dimmer JL, Nock NL, Neslund-Dudas C, Rundle A, Bock CH, Tang D, Jankowski M, Rybicki BA Urology. 2009 May 9. Epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2009.03.013 Written by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Christopher P. Evans, MD, FACS UroToday - the only urology website with original content written by global urology key opinion leaders actively engaged in clinical practice. To access the latest urology news releases from UroToday, go to: www.urotoday.com Copyright © 2009 - UroToday


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