Melanoma of the head continues to rise

While melanoma rates overall are levelling off, the incidence of melanoma occurring on the head continues to rise, a new Finnish study shows. Researchers from the Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research in Helsinki report that melanoma rates rose sharply from the early 1950s through the late 1980s. After this increase in the rates of this deadly skin cancer levelled off for all sites on the body except head, in all age groups. They suggest in the International Journal of Cancer that melanoma of the head area may have a different cause from melanoma occurring at other sites. They also found that for men, melanoma on the trunk of the body was the most common, while for women melanoma occurred most commonly on the legs and hips.

Sleep well to fight obesity

A researcher at the University of Warwick has found that sleep deprivation is associated with an almost two-fold increased risk of being obese for both children and adults. Early results of the study were presented at the International AC21 Research Festival hosted by the University of Warwick. The research also suggests that those who sleep less have a greater body mass index and waist circumference and a greater chance of becoming obese over time. The researcher points out that short sleep duration may lead to obesity through an increase of appetite via hormonal changes caused by sleep deprivation.

Keeping off the bottle

A few hours of extra training can dramatically improve doctors’ ability to treat alcohol-dependent patients. A study published in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy reveals that alcoholics treated by doctors who received regular extra training were twice as likely to abstain from drinking alcohol as patients treated by doctors who had only received the basic training given at medical school. These results were only observed in the short-term and none of the patients in the study could abstain from alcohol for a period longer than two months. The study was conducted by researchers from various French hospitals and institutions.

Cool down before warming up

Cooling down before warming up may help exercisers keep going during the dog days of summer, according to a Dutch study. Researchers reported in the International Journal of Sports Medicine that when they outfitted cyclists with special “precooling” garments before a workout in the heat, they showed cooler body temperatures, lower heart rates and less sweating.