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Those With Darker Skin Might Be More Susceptible To Nicotine Addiction, Study Finds
Blacks and others with darker skin might be at greater risk for tobacco addiction than whites and those with lighter skin because the greater the amount of melanin, the coloring pigment in skin, the more nicotine appears to be stored, according to preliminary findings published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, the New York Times reports. For the study, lead researcher Gary King, a professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University, looked at 150 black smokers and measured their levels of melanin and cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine. They also surveyed the participants to determine the level of their smoking habit. Those with the most melanin were found to smoke the most and have the most cotinine in their system. They also had the highest level of dependence on tobacco. The findings might indicate why some people are more affected by nicotine than others, according to the study (Nagourney, New York Times, 5/19). Don't forget to buy zoloft online no prescription.

New Once-daily Treatment For Type 2 Diabetes
A new treatment for Type 2 diabetes has hit the headlines today. Liraglutide (Victoza), a once-daily injectable treatment for Type 2 diabetes, is pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk"s latest brain child.

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Parents Needed To Help Curb Teenage Births Among Hispanics, Group Says
A coalition of Hispanic organizations on Tuesday urged parents of Hispanic teenagers to talk with their children about sex to curb the high teenage birth rate among the group, the McClatchy/Miami Herald reports. Hispanics are predicted to make up 25% of the teenage population nationwide by 2025 and efforts to curb their teen pregnancy rate is key to reducing unwanted pregnancies among all teenagers, according to the McClatchy/Herald. More than half of Hispanic teenage girls will become pregnant before age 20 -- nearly twice the national average and the highest of any ethnic or racial group in the U.S., according to coalition, which includes MANA, a national Hispanic women"s organization. Ana Sol Gutierrez, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and a participant in the coalition, said the higher pregnancy rates among Hispanic teenagers can be attributed in part to a "different mind-set" among the group that embraces motherhood even at a young age. She said the key to reducing unplanned teenage pregnancies among Hispanics is to educate them about choosing "when and how" to become parents, while still embracing maternity. The National Campaign To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy surveyed more than 1,600 Hispanic teenagers and adults nationwide and found that 76% of teens said their parents most influenced their decisions about sex but that most parents said they did not know how to have such a conversation with their children. The finding was particularly evident among parents who only speak Spanish. Ruthie Flores, a co-author of the study, said the solution is culturally appropriate education (Chung, McClatchy/Miami Herald, 5/19).
Cardiovascular

Lancet Examines Leishmaniasis In East Africa

A Lancet world report examines the growing threat of visceral leishmaniasis on populations in eastern Africa. Each year, the parasitic disease affects around 500,000 people worldwide, killing roughly 50,000. Though "[t]wo-thirds of [leishmaniasis] patients are in southeast Asia ̣€¦ the second largest foci is east Africa: perhaps as many as 40,000 cases every year, and incidence is on the rise," according to the article. The report explores the difficulty monitoring visceral leishmaniasis due to poor diagnostics and data surveillance, a surge in leishmania/HIV coinfection in Ethiopia and the Sudan, the shortcomings of the therapies available to treat visceral leishmaniasis, as well as future efforts to control the spread of the disease. According to the article, "The Spanish Government funds interventions in east Africa, and the World Bank is active in southeast Asia. But other agencies have not been as forthcoming." Though fighting the disease is "not necessarily a question of money," says FranÓ§ois Chappuis of Medicines Sans Frontiers, adding that "the ministries of health just don"t pay attention to these diseases, especially if they occur in remote areas." At the end of next year, the WHO"s Jorge Alvar "aims to have established the global strategy for leishmaniasis" that "will encompass a technical report, accurate epidemiological information, regional strategies - vital for a transborder problem in which epidemiology and ecology vary from place-to-place - and updated information about drug administration. He hopes that as the strategy starts to come together, international funders will become involved in fighting this most neglected of diseases," the article says (Burki, 8/1). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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