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Oregon's First Confirmed Death From Novel H1N1 (swine) Influenza Reported In Marion County, USA
A Marion County woman with confirmed novel H1N1 (swine) influenza died on Sunday. "We are saddened by this death, and our hearts go out to the family," said Dr. Karen Landers, health officer for Marion County. "It"s an unfortunate reminder of the seriousness of flu."

Florida Newspaper Examines Impact Of HIV/AIDS On Black Community
Polk County, Fla., health officials have made educating the black community a top priority in addressing HIV/AIDS in the state, where blacks are disproportionately affected by the virus, the Lakeland Ledger reports. The Polk County Health Department has expanded its community outreach and testing efforts to different types of settings such as beauty salons, community centers and churches. County outreach workers hope that offering education and screening in such settings will encourage residents to get informed and tested for HIV (Williams Adams [1], Lakeland Ledger, 6/24). In addition, the Ledger examined the complex issues the black community faces with regard to HIV/AIDS and the barriers that need be addressed to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on minorities (Williams Adams, Lakeland Ledger, 6/25). The Ledger also profiled Bonnie Munson, a local resident who performs volunteer outreach efforts in her community, including distributing condoms and informational material to other residents (Williams Adams [2], Lakeland Ledger, 6/24).
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GOP House Members Send Obama Letter Asking Him To Reinstate 'Conscience' Rule
House GOP members on Tuesday sent a letter to President Obama praising him for saying that he wants to "honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion" during his commencement address at the University of Notre Dame last weekend, The Hill reports. The Republican lawmakers -- Reps. James Sensenbrenner (Wis.), Chris Smith (N.J.) and John Fleming (La.) -- said Obama"s speech indicated to them that he would reinstate the HHS provider "conscience" rule, which expanded the ability of health workers to refuse to provide services or information they objected to on moral or religious grounds and prohibited federal funding for health entities that do not comply.In March, Obama began the process for rescinding the Bush-era rule, and it is currently undergoing a White House review. In the letter, the representatives said that they "agree with [Obama] that pro-life health care providers should have the right to refuse to participate in procedures that they find morally reprehensible." Smith said he has "renewed hope, hopefully not false" that Obama will "completely forgo the rescinding of this rule" after his remarks during Sunday"s speech (Hooper, The Hill, 5/19).
Mental Health

Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors Have Increased Risk Of Stroke And Transient Ischemic Attack

Patients treated for Hodgkin lymphoma with radiation therapy have a substantially higher risk of stroke, according to a new study published June 17 online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study was undertaken because information on clinically verified stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), or a "mini stroke," following Hodgkin lymphoma is limited. In order to quantify the long-term risks, Flora E. van Leeuwen, Ph.D., of the Department of Epidemiology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, and colleagues performed a retrospective cohort study among 2,201 Hodgkin lymphoma survivors. The patients, who had survived at least 5 years from the time of diagnosis, had been treated between 1965 and 1995 before age 51. The researchers compared incidence rates of clinically verified stroke and TIA in this cohort with rates in the general population. After a median follow-up of almost 18 years, 96 patients developed cerebrovascular disease. The incidence rate for stroke was 2.2 times the incidence in the general population. For TIA, it was 3.1. Risks also remained elevated, compared to those in the general population, after prolonged follow-up. Radiation to the neck and mediastinum was associated with increased risk, whereas chemotherapy was not. "For young survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma, who are at especially increased risk of stroke and TIA, physicians should consider appropriate risk-reducing strategies, such as treatment of hypertension and lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of stroke and TIA," the authors write. In an accompanying editorial, Dan L. Longo, M.D., of the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., discusses the study"s contribution to the "already overwhelming evidence that radiation therapy in Hodgkin"s disease is short-sightedò€¦" He applauds the detailed medical documentation and nearly complete follow-up of the patients in the study, but notes a weakness, in that the relationship of stroke to radiation doses was not examined. According to Longo, results of this study should affect a physician"s choice of primary treatment. "Unfortunately, given the life-long increased risks of late effects that have been documented from the use of radiation therapy, we simply cannot keep exposing patients to risk without clear benefit while we wait for safety data to be produced," he writes. "With an alternative therapy at hand that is just as effectiveò€¦, it is simply unjustified to keep using a toxic modality for the next 10-20 yearsò€¦" Citations: Article: De Bruin et al. Increase Risk of Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack in 5-Year Survivors of Hodgkin Lymphoma. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009, 101: 928-937. Editorial: Longo D. Late Effects from Radiation Therapy: The Hits Just Keep on Coming. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009, 101: 904-905. Author: Danielle Cardozo Steve Graff Journal of the National Cancer Institute


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