More Accurately Estimating Breast Cancer Risk
NCI investigators have helped produce a new model for calculating invasive breast cancer risk that has been found to give better estimates of the number of breast cancers that would develop
in African-American women ages 50 to 79 than an earlier model that was based primarily on data from white women. The earlier Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool, also developed by NCI, allows for projections based on certain
assumptions, in particular that the relative risk of breast cancer associated with having a specific profile of risk factors for white women
applies to African-American women and to women from other racial and ethnic groups. Because the new method, called the CARE model,
has a higher accuracy for African-American women, the authors of the study, published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute,
are now recommending the model’s use for counseling these women regarding their risk of breast cancer.
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| A study funded in part by NIMH has found that premenopausal women with even mild depression have less bone mass than their non-depressed peers. |
Bone-Thinning and Depression
A study funded in part by NIMH has found that premenopausal women with even mild depression have less bone mass than their non-depressed peers. According to a report published
in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the level of bone loss in these women is at least as high as levels associated with recognized risk factors for osteoporosis
such as smoking, low calcium intake and lack of physical activity. Therefore, researchers say, depression should also be considered a risk factor for the disease. Symptoms of osteoporosis can be hard to detect; this study shows that depression can now serve as a red flag to doctors
for women at a higher risk of bone loss.
Satisfaction in Care for Family Members of ICU Patients
In a recent study, family members of loved ones who died in the intensive care unit (ICU) reported greater satisfaction with the care they and the patient received than families of ICU survivors. The study, funded in part by NINR, was published in the journal Chest. Researchers
found that though family members of all ICU patients tended to rate the physical care of the patient highly, family members of those who died in ICUs tended to be more pleased than family members of survivors with their involvement in decision-making and communication,
as well as with the emotional support, respect, compassion and consideration they and the patient received. Up to 20 percent of all deaths in the U.S. occur in or shortly after an ICU stay. Researchers said the new findings do not necessarily indicate that dying patients in the ICU receive better care, but they suggest
that ICU clinicians may devote extra attention
to the needs of patients and their families
when death is imminent. This information could point to ways to improve the ICU experience
and decrease stress for all ICU patients and their families.
The Relationship of Ozone to BMI
People with higher body mass index (BMI) can have a greater response to ozone than leaner
people, according to a new study by NIEHS researchers and others. Scientists have long known that short-term exposure to atmospheric
ozone can cause a temporary drop in lung function in many people. This is the first study in humans to look at whether body weight influenced how much lung function falls after acute ozone exposure. Analyzing data on healthy, non-smoking men and women ages 18 to 35, researchers found that in general, the higher the BMI—a measure of the amount of fat a person has—the greater the ozone response. The findings, published in Inhalation Toxicology, provide one more reason why maintaining
a healthy body weight is important to health.— compiled by Sarah Schmelling
