A CDC study of 126 smokers found that butts from US brands, and the smokers' urine, carried more of one tobacco carcinogen than those from Canadian, British and Australian brands. Researchers blame the US curing process and tobacco blend.
Rachel Stockton
Lifestyle
Breast Cancer: Lifestyle Determines Risk
An Oxford study of 7,160 women with breast cancer and 10,196 without found common genetic risk variants explain only about 8 percent of risk and add to rather than multiply it. Ruth Travis says weight, alcohol and HRT choices still matter whatever genes a woman inherits.
Nutrition
Can You Become Immune to Caffeine?
In a study of 379 volunteers given 100 mg of espresso or a placebo, heavy coffee drinkers on placebo reported headaches and lower alertness. Caffeinated heavy drinkers were no more alert than low consumers on placebo, suggesting the morning cup mainly offsets withdrawal.
Autoimmune Diseases
Lady Gaga Discusses Lupus
On Larry King Live, Lady Gaga said she had tested borderline positive for lupus but shows no signs or symptoms. The piece reviews the disease: fatigue and joint pain are common early signs, nine in ten patients are women, and drugs control symptoms but do not cure it.
Lifestyle
Antidepressants Linked to Cataract Risk
Comparing 19,000 antidepressant users over 65 with 190,000 non-users, Vancouver researchers put the added cataract risk at 15%, with Luvox at 39%, Effexor at 32% and Paxil at 23%. Lead author Mahyar Etminan notes the eye's lens carries serotonin receptors.
Miscellaneous
Covidien Announces Purchase of ev3
Covidien agreed to buy endovascular device maker ev3 for $2.6 billion, or $22.50 a share, a 19% premium, funding it with cash and financing and cutting earnings per share 5-8% this year. The deal is expected to close by July 31, and analysts note little overlap between the two device lines.
Cancer
Breast Cancer Vaccine Promising
Cleveland Clinic researchers vaccinated mice bred to develop breast cancer against a protein found in most breast cancer cells, and none developed the disease, while all the placebo mice grew tumors. Lead researcher Vincent Tuohy stresses the human result is still unknown.
Lifestyle
Study: SSRIs Associated with Miscarriage Risk
A University of Montreal analysis of more than 5,000 Quebec women with verified miscarriages before 20 weeks found a 68 percent higher risk among those taking Paxil or Effexor. The researchers caution the link may not be causal and that depression itself may contribute.
Miscellaneous
Anthony Koppel Found Dead
Ted Koppel's 40-year-old son spent hours drinking at a bar, then was found not breathing at a friend's apartment and pronounced dead at 1:30 a.m. on June 1. Investigators have not named a cause of death; toxicology and tissue analysis are pending.
Miscellaneous
FHA's Seller Concession Reduced
The Federal Housing Administration is cutting the seller concession on FHA loans from 6% to 3% of the sale price. Officials say sellers' closing-cost contributions often get added to the price, inflating appraisals and the loans FHA ends up insuring.
Miscellaneous
Sack Tapping Becoming a Problem
A Minnesota boy needed emergency surgery to remove a testicle after another boy punched him in a schoolyard practice called “sack tapping.” Urologist Scott Wheeler told Fox News he performs three or four such surgeries a year and urges parents to warn their children about it.
Miscellaneous
Basic Tax Tips for Real Estate Investors
A rundown of deductions for accidental landlords: mortgage interest and insurance, depreciation including cost segregation to break out appliances and improvements, repairs versus capitalized improvements, credit card interest on a business-only card, and home office expenses.
Miscellaneous
Investing in the Real Estate Market
Falling land and property prices during a downturn favor buy-low investors, and foreclosures are concentrated in Florida, California and Arizona, states thick with vacation homes and rental demand. A list of questions follows for anyone weighing whether to become a landlord.
Miscellaneous
Tips for Avoiding an Audit
A tax column for would-be small-business owners: the IRS says person-to-person audit rates are at their lowest since 1934 and most disputes now come as letter audits, but claiming a home office draws attention, and deducting all utilities and rent as business expenses invites trouble.
Cancer
Cigarette Ads Target Women Worldwide
WHO surveyed 151 countries and found half reported as many young girls smoking as boys. The agency warns that tobacco marketing increasingly targets women and girls in developing countries, and is especially concerned about China.
Lifestyle
Gary Coleman Died at 42
The actor died at a Utah hospital two days after an intracranial hemorrhage, once his wife decided to end life support. His brother said he had been injured in a fall. Coleman had congenital kidney disease, two transplants, and recent pneumonia and seizures.
Lifestyle
Today's College Kids Less Empathetic
Sara Konrath's team at the University of Michigan reviewed 72 standardized personality tests given to college students between 1979 and 2009 and concluded today's students are 40 percent less empathetic, less inclined to take another person's perspective.
Avoiding Illness
FDA Approves Egrifta
An FDA advisory committee voted unanimously in favor of tesamorelin acetate, marketed as Egrifta, for abdominal lipodystrophy in HIV patients. In the trial it reviewed, 57 percent of those given the drug lost 8 percent or more abdominal fat against 29 percent on placebo.
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