Health Notes: Large cancer study seeks participants

The American Cancer Society is inviting Twin Ports residents to take part in a huge study to help researchers learn more about cancer causes and prevention.

Cancer Prevention Study-3 will enroll a diverse population of up to 300,000 people from across the U.S., the cancer society said in a news release.

The long-term study follows three previous studies, the earliest of which began in the 1950s. They’ve collectively involved millions of volunteer participants. Among other things, those studies confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, and demonstrated the link between a larger waist size and increased death rates from cancer and other causes.

People between the ages of 30 and 65 who have never been diagnosed with cancer (not including basal or squamous-cell skin cancer) are eligible.

To enroll, individuals will go to an enrollment location and will be asked to read and sign a consent form, complete a brief survey, have their waist circumference measured and give a small blood sample. The process takes between 20 and 30 minutes.

At home, they’ll complete a comprehensive survey packet with information on lifestyle, behavior and other factors influencing health. They’ll receive periodic follow-up surveys.

Appointments will take place April 2-6 at US Bank, First Covenant Church, Peace in Christ Lutheran Church. St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Asbury United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church, the Superior Public Library and the Mariner Mall.

Appointments can be scheduled online at www.cps3TwinPorts.org.

Docs to talk blood pressure

High blood pressure will be the topic of “Doctors on Call” at 7 p.m. today on PBS North Channels 8.1 and 31.1.

Dr. Ray Christensen will host the half-hour call-in program with a panel of physicians to answer questions.

That will be followed at 7:30 by the “Speak Your Mind” program on mental health issues. This week’s topic is “Getting help and getting better.”

Doulas bring savings, study says

Taxpayers could save money if state Medicaid programs covered birth doulas, University of Minnesota researchers say.

The study by the U’s School of Public Health found that Medicaid beneficiaries with access to a birth doula were less likely to have cesarean birth than those who didn’t have a doula’s help. Because cesarean birth is more expensive than vaginal birth, the overall cost to Medicaid was less when doulas were covered, the study said.

Doulas are not medical professionals but are trained to provide information, physical assistance and support to a woman during childbirth, a U of M news release explained.

Taxpayers pay for nearly half of all U.S. births through state Medicaid programs, according to the university.

The study appeared online last week in the American Journal of Public Health.

Rehab center joins nonprofit’s initiative

St. Francis in the Park Health and Rehabilitation of Superior is joining an effort to reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions.

The Improving Transitions of Care initiative led by Stratis Health, a nonprofit agency, seeks to improve care for patients during the transition from one health-care setting to another, a St. Francis in the Park news release said.

In September, Chris Jensen Health & Rehabilitation in Duluth announced it had joined the initiative along with Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center.

Why you can’t get ‘Call Me Maybe’ out of your head

Song stuck in your head?

It’s a common enough phenomenon that psychology researchers decided to try to find out what’s going on in our brains when it happens.

The study, led by Ira Hyman Jr. of Western Washington University, had a catchy title of its own: “Going Gaga: Investigating, Creating and Manipulating the Song Stuck in My Head.”

Among other things, the researchers found that it’s the songs people know and like that frequently become intrusive. Also, if a song keeps playing in your mind after it’s over, it’s likely to return within the next 24 hours.

And here’s a creepy sentence from the study’s summary: “Throughout the study, we easily created and manipulated intrusive song experiences.”

The study first appeared online Dec. 13 in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.

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