News to Live By - Spring 2005

Canadian Forest Fires Foul Baltimore Air

Fine airborne particles produced by Quebec forest fires in July 2002 wafted 700 miles south to Baltimore where they could seep into homes and people’s lungs, writes Timothy J. Buckley, PhD, MHS ’86, associate professor, Environmental Health Sciences, in the December online issue of Environmental Science & Technology.

Gene Found that Defends Against Emphysema

Pollutants like cigarette smoke activate a “master gene” in mice that orchestrates 50 other genes to protect the lungs from cigarette-smoke-induced emphysema, reports Shyam Biswal, PhD, assistant professor, Environmental Health Sciences, in The Journal of Clinical Investigation in November.

Medicine in Black and White

Doctors converse less with black patients than white patients, and this lack of active engagement may contribute to racial disparities in health, writes Lisa A. Cooper, MD, MPH ’93, associate professor, Health Policy and Management, in the December American Journal of Public Health.

Few Americans Aware They Have Chronic Kidney Disease

Ten million to 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease, and yet most of them don’t know it, according to a report in the January Journal of the American Society of Nephrology by Josef Coresh, MD, PhD ’92, MHS ’92, professor, Epidemiology.

Neighborhoods Can Increase One’s Risk of HIV 

Stressors like crime and unemployment in disadvantaged neighborhoods can lead to greater depression and increased injection drug use, upping one’s risk of contracting HIV, according to a January Health Psychology article by Carl A. Latkin, PhD, associate professor, Health Policy and Management.

High Blood-Sugar Levels Linked to Cancer, Higher Mortality 

A 10-year study of 1.3 million Koreans found that high blood sugar levels and diabetes increase one’s risk of developing cancer and dying from cancer, reports Sun Ha Jee, PhD, MHS, adjunct assistant professor, Epidemiology, in the January 12 issue of JAMA.

Drinkers: Watch Your Step 

Regular drinkers of alcohol are up to three times as likely to die from injuries as those who don’t drink, writes Li-Hui Chen, PhD ’99, assistant scientist, Health Policy and Management, in the March 2005 issue of Accident Analysis and Prevention.

Secondhand Smoke Can Lead to Cervical Cancer

Women who live with smokers have an increased risk of developing cervical tumors, according to an article in the January issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology by Anthony J. Alberg, PhD ’94, MPH, assistant professor, Epidemiology.