If you think that your flu shot will protect you from catching flu, think again - because, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the latest flu shot offers no protection against 60% of flu viruses that are currently spreading and infecting people. To make matters worse, each week the flu shot protection seems to be becoming more and more insignificant. Only a couple of weeks ago it was stated that the vaccine protected against 50% of viruses, now it is 40%.

A new study published in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that patients with a large support network of family and friends report feeling less pain and anxiety prior to having a surgical procedure, which can have a substantially positive impact on their postoperative recovery.

UroToday.com - Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) decreases PCSM, but may be associated with greater risk of incident coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction and diabetes. Data from RTOG 85-31, a large trial of radiotherapy with or without ADT was used for this analysis. 945 men were randomized, and 50% of men were over age 70. Median duration of ADT was 4.2 years, and 64% of the radiotherapy patients ultimately received ADT at a mean time interval of 3 years.

UroToday.com - Emotional stress is associated with CV morbidity and mortality, such as reported during earthquakes, loss of a child and during world cup soccer matches. Emotional triggers result in physiological responses on the vascular, inflammatory and immune systems. These severe physiologic changes can then exacerbate existing comorbidities or initiate new ones.Several Swedish registries were used for this analysis. A cohort study was designed for men older than 30 years.

UroToday.com - A survey in 2002 reported that half of urologists in the US offer brachytherapy. The concept of radiation guidance can be either giving radiotherapy via beam or needles. He argued that prostate IG-HDR delivers high doses to the prostate and not the rectum or urethra. He presented a 5-week hyperfractionated protocol of EBRT and HDR boost. The 5-year outcomes of 267 patients treated with high doses revealed the biochemical control is 90%, compared to 68.7% for low dose.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and FEMA, levels of formaldehyde inside travel trailers and mobile homes used by emergency housing residents in the Gulf Coast Region are significantly higher than typical indoor levels. Dr. Julie Gerberding, CDC Director, said “These findings support FEMA’s continued focus on finding permanent housing for everyone who has been living in travel trailers and mobile homes since the hurricanes.

One day doctors may recommend using high efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters along with weight loss, smoking cessation, and exercise to improve cardiovascular health, according to researchers in Denmark. In a recent study, they found that using HEPA filters for just two days significantly improved a key measure of cardiovascular health in healthy, non-smoking elderly individuals.

Blacks with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were less likely to receive a lung transplant and more likely to die or be removed from the transplant list than whites, according to Columbia University Medical Center researchers.

Results of an analysis of multiple studies show diabetes control is more challenging for Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.The results revealed that Hispanic patients with diabetes have approximately 0.5 percent higher levels on a test that measures blood sugar control, called the A1C test, than non-Hispanic white patients.

At the University of Chicago, researchers have determined that severalof the genetic variations that have helped human populations survive incolder climates may also increase the tendency for metabolic syndrome,a set of associated conditions including obesity, high cholesterol,heart disease, and diabetes. Previously, scientists had often noted that humans in colder regionshad bulkier builds and relatively shorter arms and legs.