2012 Review: Biggest Stories Shared

Here’s the second of our 2012 review posts; this one features a few of the big stories we’ve shared on our Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ over the last year.

January:

• “Many Young HIV-Positive Women May Benefit From Cervical Cancer Vaccine”: “Many HIV-positive women averaging 21 years of age are negative for the human papillomavirus (HPV) types typically associated with tumors.”
• “Scientists Identify Inherited Prostate Cancer Gene”: “The first major gene mutation associated with an increased risk for hereditary prostate cancer has been identified by scientists.”
• “Researcher Hopes To Develop a Test to Detect Lung Cancer Early”: “Dr Yendamuri is trying to develop a blood test to help diagnose the cancer in patients before they undergo a biopsy.”
• “Psoriasis patients at increased risk for hospitalization with infectious diseases”: “Twice as many psoriasis patients were hospitalized due to an infectious disease as were the individuals in the general population.”
• “Scientists show brain vulnerable to Hepatitis C virus”: “Human brain cells can become infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).”
• “Researchers Identify Pivotal Immune Cell In Type 1 Diabetes In Humans”: “The finding is an important advance that verifies in humans several important disease characteristics shown in mouse studies and provides a key focal point for interrupting the disease process.”

February:

• “What should breast cancer survivors be aware of regarding risk of ovarian cancer? What screening should be done?”: “In patients with the BRCA gene, ovarian cancer can occur in addition to breast cancer. The risk depends on which BRCA gene mutation they inherited.”
• “WHO Affirms Use Of Birth Control Injections After Weighing HIV Risks”: “The advice stressed that couples should use an additional protective method, like condoms, to prevent HIV transmission between partners.”
• “[Rheumatoid]Arthritis can cause depression and loneliness, study shows”: “Seven out of ten people with rheumatoid arthritis avoid parties because they are in too much pain.”

March:

• “Eating Out in Public with Crohn’s”: “For some Crohn’s patients, eating out in public may seem like a daunting task. Get useful tips on eating out with Crohn’s & the importance of good nutrition.”
• “Long-Term IBD Increases Risks for Colon Cancer”: “Risks for developing this disease increase considerably with duration of IBD.”
• “Mars Kisses King Sized Candy Bars Goodbye”: “Mars Inc., the maker of Snickers, M&M’s, and many other popular chocolate candies, announced it will stop selling products that contain more than 250 calories.”
• “Regular Pap Smear Boosts Cervical Cancer Survival: Study”: “Women who have regular Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer are more likely to survive if they are ever diagnosed with the disease.”

April:

• “Fast food and bakery foods linked to depression”: “Eating commercial bakery goods (fairy cakes, croissants, doughnuts, etc.) and fast food (hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza) is linked to a greater risk of suffering from depression.”
• “Chemotherapy-Related Fatigue Persists Over Time”: “Patients who undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer may develop fatigue that remains problematic long after they complete treatment.”
• “Diabetes Drug Metformin May Help To Prevent Primary Liver Cancer”: “Primary liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma… Patients with Type II diabetes have a two- to three-fold increased relative risk of developing primary liver cancer.”
• “Preparing for the challenges of an HIV-infected ageing population”: “The challenge in coming years will be how to care for these individuals as they grow older.”
• “Preventing Physical Decline In Middle Age Helps Preserve Good Health Later in Life”: “They found that an hour to two-and-a-half hours of jogging per week was linked to an increase in life expectancy among men by 6.2 years, and among women by 5.6 years.”

May:

• “Jog 15 Minutes a Day, Extend Your Life by 5 Years or More”
• “Questions Remain on the Link between Race and Breast Cancer Outcomes”: “African-American Women Face Worse Breast Cancer Outcomes than Women of Other Races but not Because of Disparities in Care.”
• “Is Obesity Causing a Rise in Rheumatoid Arthritis Among Women?”: “The researchers found that rheumatoid arthritis cases rose by 9.2 per 100,000 women from 1985 to 2007 and that obesity accounted for 52% of that increase.”
• “Socioeconomic factors associated with skin cancer screening”: “When it comes to getting screened for skin cancer, only one in 14 U.S. Hispanic adults is shown to have ever gone through the process, compared to one in four non-Hispanic white adults.”
• “Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis May Increase Lymphoma Risks”: “The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized a rise in lymphoma cases among patients treated with immunosuppressive agents for autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA).”
• “New guidelines help cancer survivors exercise and eat better”: “The guidelines define a survivor as “anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through the rest of their life.”

June:

• “A Patient’s Socioeconomic Status May Predict their Preference in Treatment Options”: “A patient’s socioeconomic status, more than any other characteristic — such as age or disease site — is predictive of whether he or she will favor high efficacy, low cost or low toxicity when choosing a treatment.”
• “Lung Cancer Drug Looks Promising in Clinical Trial”: “The drug’s progress through clinical trials is noted for its ability to “unleash the body’s T-cells” to fight against cancer cells.”
• “Physical Activity and the Risk of Psoriasis”: “Physical activity has been associated with a decreased risk of disorders characterized by systemic inflammation, including type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, coronary artery disease, and breast cancer… Results suggest that vigorous physical activity also may decrease the risk of developing psoriasis.”
• “Statement by the President on National HIV Testing Day”: “Two years into its implementation, the Strategy continues to focus Federal, State, and local efforts on improving the delivery of HIV/AIDS services, including expanding outreach, testing, linkage to care, and treatment. Testing remains a special priority – and thanks to quick and accurate tests, finding out your HIV status has never been easier.”
• “New To Caregiving? How Will The Doctors and Nurses Treat…You?”: “Unfortunately, most caregivers are ill-prepared for what comes next. Yes, you can anticipate that your life will change for an undetermined period of time. You will soon meet more doctors, nurses and medical staff than you had thus far in your lifetime.”
• “Supreme Court Health Care Decision: Individual Mandate Survives”: “The individual health insurance mandate is constitutional, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday, upholding the central provision of President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act.”
• “Psoriasis tied to higher risk for type 2 diabetes”: “Risk is highest with severe psoriasis; patients need to be screened for diabetes.”

July:

• “Two more men with HIV now virus-free. Is this a cure?”: “Two men unlucky enough to get both HIV and cancer have been seemingly cleared of the virus, raising hope that science may yet find a way to cure for the infection that causes AIDS, 30 years into the epidemic.”
• “Diabetes Care Critical in Heat, Emergencies”: “If you have diabetes, you know how important it is to have a care routine. Yet summer weather, with its high temperatures and extreme storms, can cause problems with that routine and make it more difficult to manage diabetes.”
• “Truvada: 5 Things to Know About the First Drug to Prevent HIV”: “The drug, called Truvada, which is already approved for the treatment of HIV in infected patients, works by lowering the amount of virus circulating in people’s blood. But clinical trials show that it can also protect uninfected high-risk people from acquiring the virus, if they take the drug daily before and after exposure.”
• “Crohn’s patients prove “flexitarian diet” is more than a fad”: “Currently, dieticians and people everywhere are praising the flexitarian diet, a diet which places emphasis on eating more plant-based foods and less meat. Now, a study shows evidence for how beneficial this diet can really be.”

August:

• “FDA approves use of electronic chips in medications [for adherence]”: “The Food and Drug Administration in the United States has approved a request by Proteus Digital Health to allow for the inclusion of tiny digestible microchips into medicines to assist health care workers in monitoring intake of medicines by patients.”
• “What to do if you or a loved one is diagnosed with a brain tumor”: “In your battle with a brain tumor, information is ammunition.”
• “FDA approves new drug to treat blood cancer [Myeloma]”: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday the intravenous drug was approved for treating multiple myeloma in people who have tried at least two other medicines.”
• “Atrial Fibrillation and What You Should Know About Blood Thinners”: “Only about half of physicians are familiar with the guidelines that address blood thinners and atrial fibrillation.”

September:

• “Poor Pain Control for Cancer Patients”: This article discusses the limited chronic pain options that are made available to cancer patients.
• “Bonnie Addario Discusses the Stigma of Lung Cancer”: The stigma against lung cancer can play a significant role in funding for research as well as prevention and diagnosis.
• “Tissue around tumor holds key to fighting triple negative breast cancer”: “A natural substance found in the surrounding tissue of a tumor may be a promising weapon to stop triple negative breast cancer from metastasizing.”
• “Sugary drinks may magnify the genetic risk of obesity”: “For people who are genetically predisposed to obesity, drinking a lot of sugary beverages could make their weight problem worse by heightening the effects of their obesity genes.”
• “Psoriasis Patients Still Going Unscreened for Heart Disease”: “Despite the growing body of literature linking psoriasis to poor cardiovascular outcomes, most psoriasis patients are not being regularly screened for the major CV risk factors.”

October:

• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 101: “Learn more about the problem and the risk factors and take action to reduce the risk. Start by always placing babies on their backs to sleep.”
• “Breast-Feeding after Breast Cancer Is O.K.”: “New research indicates there’s no reason why survivors shouldn’t nurse a baby — even on the treated breast.”
• “Falling Risk of Medications”: “Studies show an increased risk of falling is associated with certain medications. Further, the more medicines you’re on, the greater the likelihood that there is a fall in your future.”
• “Emergency Planning for People with Cancer”: “People with cancer have specific medical needs, especially during active treatment and in the time after treatment. These needs may become serious in the event of a natural or man-made disaster, such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, outbreaks of disease (such as the flu or measles), and terrorist attacks.”
• “Aggressive brain tumors can originate from a range of nervous system cells”: “researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that the tumors can originate from other types of differentiated cells in the nervous system, including cortical neurons.”

November:

• New Test Could Predict Response to Chemotherapy in Lung Cancer Patients: “ChemoFx – a test produced by Precision Therapeutics – evaluates tissue samples to determine which, if any, chemotherapy drugs will cause a response.”
• “Stress Relief: Tips To De-Stress In A Minute Or Less”: Need some new ways to relax?
• “Genetic Link to Lung Cancer Risk in Asian Women”: “International researchers have linked 3 genetic regions to an increased risk for lung cancer among Asian women who have never smoked. The finding adds to growing evidence that lung cancer risk among nonsmokers may be associated with genetic factors that distinguish it from lung cancer in smokers.”
• “High Blood Pressure: A Highly Controllable Risk Factor That We Fail to Control”: “Modern medicine has made the control of blood pressure highly achievable. And yet far too many people have uncontrolled high blood pressure.”

December:

• “10 Years of Adjuvant Tamoxifen Offers More Benefit” for Breast Cancer Patients: “Ten years of adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen was significantly better than the standard 5 years in terms of reducing the risk for breast cancer recurrence and disease-specific death.”
• “A Question About Aspirin And Age-Related Vision Loss”: “taking aspirin might increase the risk of macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in old age, according to a study of nearly 5,000 people in Wisconsin. Nobody wants to go blind. So does this mean it’s time to give up on aspirin? Not at all, say ophthalmologists.”
• “Study Finds No Clear Indication 9/11 Debris Causes Cancer”: “Six months after the federal government added cancer to the list of sicknesses covered by the $4.3 billion World Trade Center fund, a New York City health department study has found no clear link between cancer and the dust, debris and fumes released by the burning wreckage of the twin towers.”
• “Grapefruit Is a Culprit in More Drug Reactions”: “For 43 of the 85 drugs now on the list, consumption with grapefruit can be life-threatening.”
• “We live ‘longer but sicker’ as chronic diseases rise”: “People around the world are living longer but with higher levels of sickness, according to the largest ever study of the global burden of disease.”
• “Scientists Find Early Immune Trigger Of MS”: “Using advanced imaging to observe the early stages of nerve damage in mice with MS, scientists in the US believe they have found an important early trigger for the disease.”