Conventional Wisdom on Salt Questioned

Conventional Wisdom on Salt Questioned A JAMA study calls into question the current dogma on limiting the population’s salt intake and on salt’s health effects. Initial reaction to the study, as reported in the New York Times, is skeptical. Researchers...

Finally, Evidence That Sunscreen Delivers

Primary melanomas developed less often with daily, rather than discretionary, sunscreen use. Routine sunscreen for melanoma prevention is a recommendation almost written in stone. Sunburns are associated with melanoma risk, and sunscreens were designed to minimize...

Which Patients Are Fit to Drive After a Stroke?

The pertinent issue may be not which patients are likely to fail a road test, but rather who should take the test in the first place. What are the best clinical predictors of passing a road test after a stroke? To find out, investigators conducted a literature search...

Updated Guidelines on Secondary Stroke Prevention

An update of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines incorporates several lines of new evidence. About one in four strokes that occur annually are recurrent events. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has now...

Hepatitis B in the U.S., 1999–2008

The rates of HBV exposure and chronic infection were significantly lower in 1999–2008 than in 1988–1994; 2-year-olds had higher immunity rates than adults. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most common cause of liver disease worldwide. HBV-associated morbidity and...

Cell Phones Seen Affecting Brain Biochemistry

You may be getting calls about a preliminary study showing that cell phone usage for about an hour can affect glucose metabolism in the area of the brain closest to the phone’s antenna. The study appears in JAMA. Some 50 healthy participants had cell phones...