Children’s exposure to alcohol advertising during early adolescence appears to influence both beer drinking and their intentions to drink a year later, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today. [click link for full article]

Fatigue is one of the most common and distressing symptoms cancer patients experience during chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but it’s difficult for health care professionals to accurately assess its severity.Nurse researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are studying fatigue in cancer patients undergoing stem cell transplants using a method successfully used to monitor behaviors such as smoking cessation and alcohol use. [click link for full article]

“The release last week of the annual report of the Medicare trustees underscores an unavoidable fact that too many politicians have nonetheless been avoiding for too long: Of all the entitlement programs, Medicare is on the most dangerously unsustainable financial course, squeezed simultaneously by rising health care costs and an aging population,” a [click link for full article]

Women in Pakistan are at increased risk of contracting HIV because of socioeconomic and biological factors, Minister of Health Muhammad Nasir Khan said recently at a workshop at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan, The International News reports. [click link for full article]

Circadian rhythm is the basic 24-hour cycle that involves various behaviors, including sleeping and eating, in all living organisms. In mammals, the circadian clock is organized hierarchically in a series of multiple oscillators. At the top of this hierarchy, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a region of the brain that is the body”s main rhythmic regulator, integrates light information from the eyes and coordinates peripheral oscillators throughout the body. [click link for full article]

A naturally occurring molecule in the body appears to control whether certain medications, such as beta adrenergic receptor agonists used in acute heart failure or in inhalers for asthma, lose their effectiveness over time.Nitric oxide is a molecule produced by the body that controls many functions, including the contraction or dilation of blood vessels. [click link for full article]

The old adage “use it or lose it” is truer than ever. People who maintain a vigorously active lifestyle as they age gain less weight than people who exercise at more moderate levels, according to a first-of-its-kind study that tracked a large group of runners who kept the same exercise regimen as they grew older. [click link for full article]

Citing a need to foster better health care for seniors, U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) Wednesday introduced legislation that would link eligible seniors suffering from chronic illnesses with a qualified health professional to coordinate their care. Lincoln called this measure a necessary step in order to improve the quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of care for chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries. [click link for full article]

To officially launch National Mental Health Week, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Desjardins Financial Security today released a study that shows that mental health continues to be a taboo issue in the workplace. The study found that only 34% of employees report having readily access to services and tools at work to help with mental health issues. [click link for full article]

Breathing air containing coarse particulate matter such as road or construction dust may cause heart problems for asthma sufferers and other vulnerable populations, according to a new study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. [click link for full article]