11/28/2007 web-based article Marilynn Marchione apnews.myway.com Millions of Americans, especially children, are needlessly getting dangerous radiation from "super X-rays" that raise the risk of cancer and are increasingly used to diagnose medical problems, a new report warns. In a few decades, as many as 2 percent of all cancers in the United States might be due to radiation from CT scans given now, according to the authors of the report. Some experts say that estimate is overly alarming. But they agree with the need to curb these tests particularly in children, who are more susceptible to radiation and more likely to develop cancer from it. "There are some serious concerns about the methodology used," but the authors "have brought to attention some real serious potential public health issues," said Dr. Arl Van Moore, head of the American College of Radiology's board of chancellors. The risk from a single CT, or computed tomography, scan to an individual is small. But "we are very concerned about the built-up public health risk over a long period of time," said Eric J. Hall, who wrote the report with fellow Columbia University medical physicist David J. Brenner. It was published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine and paid for by federal grants. The average American's total radiation exposure has nearly doubled since 1980, largely because of CT scans. Medical radiation now accounts for more than half of the population's total exposure; it used to be just one-sixth, and the top source was the normal [...]

11/28/2007 Los Angeles, CA staff ScienceDaily (www.sciencedaily.com) Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center are reporting, for the first time, that smoking marijuana may increase the risk of head and neck cancers. Previous laboratory and clinical studies have indicated that marijuana use may be related to molecular alterations in the respiratory tract, changes that may lead to cancer. This is the first study to examine whether smoking marijuana increases risk of head and neck cancers, said Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang of UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology in the UCLA School of Public Health and director of the cancer epidemiology training program at UCLA. "Most people don't think about marijuana in relationship to cancer," said Zhang, lead author of the journal article. "The carcinogens in marijuana are much stronger than those in tobacco. The big message here is that marijuana, like tobacco, can cause cancer." Zhang studied the relationship between marijuana use and head and neck cancers in 173 patients diagnosed with those diseases. He compared those findings to 176 cancer-free control patients, and found that those who habitually smoked marijuana were at higher risk for head and neck cancers. The epidemiological data was collected using a structured questionnaire, which queried patients about their histories of tobacco smoking, marijuana smoking and alcohol use. Zhang said researchers were able to evaluate the data on marijuana smoking independently from data on tobacco smoking and alcohol use, which also increase the risk of certain cancers. The results of the study [...]

11/28/2007 web-based article staff ScienceDaily (www.sciencedaily.com) Heavy smoking and drinking are known to cause head and neck cancer. Infection with human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV16), a common strain of the sexually-transmitted HPV virus, is another known risk factor for head and neck cancer, which affects about 500,000 people each year worldwide. New Brown University research, however, shows that alcohol and tobacco use doesn’t further increase the risk of contracting head and neck cancers for people infected with HPV16. This finding, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is the strongest evidence to date that these major cancers have two distinct causes — and may represent two distinct classes of cancer — and would require different prevention and treatment strategies. Karl Kelsey, M.D., a Brown professor of community health and pathology and laboratory medicine and the director of the Center for Environmental Health and Technology, said the research has public health policy implications. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that girls and young women receive the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer — HPV16 causes about half of all cervical cancer cases — boys and men cannot get the vaccine. An estimated 20 million Americans are currently infected with genital HPV and 50 to 75 percent of sexually active men and women are infected with HPV at some point in their lives, according to the National Institutes of Health. “Our current HPV vaccine recommendations should change,” Kelsey said. “Head and neck cancers, regardless of their [...]

11/28/2007 web-based article Jennifer Lenhart www.soapopoeradigest.com Long running TV show As the World Turn's Colleen Zenk Pinter (character Barbara Ryan) spoke about her battle with tongue cancer in Digest's 11/27 issue, but her main goal is to encourage everyone to get screened. It's a quick, completely painless procedure. "You should demand a cancer screening from your denist," she advises. "They'll look in your mouth and feel down inside your jaw bone, outside and inside, upper and lower, they'll look at your tongue and throat." Here, she talks more about her initial diagnosis, and when she first decided to share her story. Soap Opera Digest: How did this all begin? Colleen Zenk Pinter: I first noticed it last summer, so it's been over a year now. [I constantly had] canker sores coming and going last summer into last fall. They finally stopped going away and started getting larger — you know how painful one is, these were multiplying. I said, "This isn't right," and that's when I called my physician to get my yearly, thinking I could get in right away, forgetting that it takes a while to book something like that. I called the second week of November and he couldn't get me in until the first week of January. I had actually talked to Eldo [Ray Estes, ATWT's key makeup artist] at work about it. I had shown him and said, 'I'm dealing with this nasty thing that won't go away.' So I went in and saw my doctor, [...]

11/27/2007 Napa Valley, CA Betty Rhodes Napa Valley Register (www.napavalleyregister.com) I have a fascinating article within an article for you today, but before we go there, let’s stop for a moment and give thanks for our many blessings especially at this time of the year. Carrying that thought a step further; we have wonderful opportunities to help give others a bit of our time to help make their lives a little better. Thanksgiving and Christmas just bring home to all of us the fact that, if possible, we really should step in and help make someone else’s life a little happier. Check the Register’s Sunday Community Bulletin Board for many volunteer opportunities. Recently, my dentist, Dr. Quinn, was telling me some of the serious consequences that can happen if you exercise careless dental hygiene. I asked him if he would be willing to write down a few things for our column and he graciously agreed to do so. So, here is Dr. Quinn’s article within an article. “Dentists often hear the comment, ‘If I had known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of my teeth.’ Even though tooth loss has declined in recent years, still, in the U.S., 26 percent of people 65-69 have lost all of their teeth. Furthermore, 47 percent of the over 65 group have only 20 or fewer teeth remaining. The value of a healthy mouth goes far beyond a nice smile. The condition of the teeth, gums and bone [...]

11/26/2007 web-based article Rosanne Skirble Voice of America (www.voanews.com) Exercise and a well-balanced diet far outweigh any health advantage from vitamin supplements. Writing in the November issue of the Harvard University Men's Health Watch, Harvard Professor Harvey Simon argues against taking pills or powders to promote better health. "There have been careful studies done of many of these supplements, particularly of the antioxidant vitamins and B vitamins which have shown no benefit." While it was once hoped that supplements of folic acid could help reduce colon cancer, new research has shown that taking more than the minimum daily requirement would be harmful. Simon says other studies underscore the downside to dietary supplements, which are unregulated in the United States. "The most striking example is beta carotene which we used to be very hopeful about, but actually increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Vitamin E increases the risk of second head-neck cancers in people who have been successfully treated for a first malignancy." Simon says that in the quest for a shortcut to better health, the natural function of the body is too often overlooked. Regular exercise can reduce the incidence of breast cancer by 20-30 percent and colon cancer in women by 30-40 percent. Simon notes that the risk of heart disease also dramatically declines with exercise. "There are hundreds of studies that show that people who exercise regularly reduce their risk of coronary artery disease by about 40 percent, (and) also reduce the risk of stroke, hypertension [...]

11/26/2007 web-based article K Nelson, S Heberer, and C Glatzer J Prosthet Dent, November 1, 2007; 98(5): 405-10 Statement of Problem: Dental implants have been increasingly used for prosthodontic rehabilitation of patients following oral tumor resection and postsurgical radiotherapy. However, only a few long-term studies have examined the implant survival rate and other factors related to prosthodontic treatment in oral tumor resection patients. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term survival of dental implants and implant-retained prostheses in oral cancer resection patients. Material and Methods: Ninety-three patients (63 men, 30 women) with a mean age of 59 years (range of 26-89 years) received 435 implants after the resection of a head and neck tumor. Twenty-nine patients received postsurgical radiotherapy prior to implant placement. The factors related to implant survival or failure were monitored over a mean observation period of 10.3 years (range of 5 to 161 months). Prosthodontic rehabilitation was evaluated with respect to the rates of technical failures and complications. Data were analyzed using a Kaplan-Meier curve and comparisons were made with the log-rank test or the Wilcoxon test (a=.05). Results: Of the 435 implants, 43 implants were lost; the cumulative survival rate was 92%, 84%, and 69% after 3.5, 8.5, and 13 years, respectively. Twenty-eight implants in 6 patients were counted as lost since the patients had died. Twenty-nine irradiated patients received 124 implants, of which 6 implants were lost prior to prosthodontic rehabilitation. In 68 patients with 78 rigid bar-retained dentures, only minor [...]

11/26/2007 web-based article Lachlan M Carter and Graham R Ogden BMC Med Educ, November 15, 2007; 7(1): 44 Background: The incidence of oral cancer is increasing in the United Kingdom. Early detection of oral cancers makes them more amenable to treatment and allows the greatest chance of cure. Delay in presentation and/or referral has a significant effect on the associated morbidity and mortality. Lack of general medical practitioner and general dental practitioner oral cancer knowledge has been shown to contribute to delays in referral and treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the oral cancer awareness of future general medical and general dental practitioners by assessing undergraduate medical and dental students' knowledge of prevention and early detection of oral cancer. Method: Questionnaires were delivered to undergraduate medical and dental students at the University of Dundee, assessing oral examination habits, delivery of advice on oral cancer risk factors, knowledge of oral cancer risk factors and clinical appearance, preferred point of referral and requests for further information. Reswults: Undergraduate medical students were less likely to examine patients' oral mucosa routinely and less likely to advise patients about risk factors for oral cancer. Medical students identified fewer oral cancer risk factors. In particular alcohol use was identified poorly. Medical students also identified fewer oral changes associated with oral cancer. Erythroplakia and erythroleukoplakia were identified poorly. Medical students felt less well informed regarding oral cancer. 86% and 92% of undergraduate medical and dental students respectively requested further information about oral cancer. Conclusion: [...]

11/25/2007 web-based article Samuel J. Hooper et al. J Med Microbiol 56 (2007), 1651-1659 In order to characterize the bacterial microbiota present within oral cancerous lesions, tumorous and non-tumorous mucosal tissue specimens (approx. 1 cm3) were harvested from ten oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients at the time of surgery. Any microbial contamination on the surface of the specimens was eliminated by immersion in Betadine and washing with PBS. Bacteria were visualized within sections of the OSCC by performing fluorescent in situ hybridization with the universal oligonucleotide probe, EUB338. DNA was extracted from each aseptically macerated tissue specimen using a commercial kit. This was then used as template for PCR with three sets of primers, targeting the 16S rRNA genes of Spirochaetes, Bacteroidetes and the domain Bacteria. PCR products were differentiated by TA cloning and bacterial species were identified by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene fragments. A total of 70 distinct taxa was detected: 52 different phylotypes isolated from the tumorous tissues, and 37 taxa from within the non-tumorous specimens. Differences between the composition of the microbiotas within the tumorous and non-tumorous mucosae were apparent, possibly indicating selective growth of bacteria within carcinoma tissue. Most taxa isolated from within the tumour tissue represented saccharolytic and aciduric species. Whether the presence of these bacteria within the mucosa has any bearing on the carcinogenic process is a concept worthy of further investigation. Authors: Samuel J. Hooper1, St-John Crean1, Michael J. Fardy1, Michael A. O. Lewis1, David A. Spratt2, William G. [...]