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Eight To 14 Weekly Units Of Booze Boosts Overall Tally Of Days Spent In Hospital
Downing between eight and 14 units of alcohol a week boosts the total number of days spent in hospital, finds research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

'Past Time' To Denounce Tiller Murder, Violence Perpetrated By Some Antiabortion Advocates, Opinion Piece Says
In the wake of the shooting death of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, columnist Ellen Goodman writes in the Boston Globe that she "can"t help wondering whether rhetoric can justify a crime in the mind of a fanatic." She continues, "Can"t words provide the sort of perverse moral platform that jihadists stand on and the alternate universe in which a "lone nut" can find a home?" Goodman writes that she does not blame Tiller"s death on "everyone who checks a pro-life box on the pollster"s chart," but it is "well past time for the antiabortion movement to denounce those who are in the profession of inflaming passions."Tiller "was a doctor of last resort for many women, especially those women for whom the sonogram did not bring joy but tragic tidings," Goodman writes, adding, "He refused to be cowed. At the very least, he should be buried with truth." In his recent commencement address at the University of Notre Dame, President Obama asked, "As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?" Goodman writes, "One way is for those who truly "denounce the murder" to take on the chorus, the back-up singers, who still provide the doo-wop for the next deranged soloist." She concludes, "You see, this suspect was not such a lone gunman. And no, I am afraid, this was not an isolated incident" (Goodman, Boston Globe, 6/5).
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Prostate Cancer Patient Receives First RapidArc Radiotherapy Treatment At Major Danish Hospital
A leading Danish cancer hospital has treated its first patient using RapidArc(R) radiotherapy after installing eight advanced radiotherapy treatment machines from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) of Palo Alto, California. Herlev Hospital, to the north-west of Copenhagen, delivered the fast and efficient RapidArc treatment to a prostate cancer patient using a Clinac(R) iX linear accelerator.
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Eight To 14 Weekly Units Of Booze Boosts Overall Tally Of Days Spent In Hospital

Downing between eight and 14 units of alcohol a week boosts the total number of days spent in hospital, finds research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Twenty one weekly units is the government"s recommended maximum weekly tally of alcohol for men. The study included almost 6,000 working men, aged 35 to 64 during the early 1970s, from West and Central Scotland. Participants underwent a comprehensive health screen to check for underlying and potential health problems and were quizzed about their weekly alcohol consumption. This was categorised as none; 1 to 7 units; 8 to 14; 15 to 21; 22 to 34; and 35 or more. Their health was then tracked for an average of 28 years, using national hospital activity data, focusing on heart and respiratory diseases, stroke and alcohol related illness/conditions. The results showed that men drinking over 22 units a week had a 20% higher rate of admissions into acute care hospitals than non-drinkers. But relatively low levels of alcohol consumption gave rise to a higher number of bed days. Drinkers of eight or more weekly units spent longer in hospital than non-drinkers, with length of stay progressively increasing the higher the weekly consumption. Those drinking the most chalked up a 58% higher use of beds. The number of admissions for stroke, and more time spent in hospital as a result, started with a weekly tally of 15 units, and progressively increased the more weekly units were consumed. Those downing 22 or more weekly units had more admissions for respiratory illness, but they had the lowest rates of admission for coronary heart disease. Non-drinkers had the highest rates of admission for this. Men drinking 22 or more units a week had more admissions for mental health problems. But non-drinkers had a higher rate of admissions for mental ill health than those who drank between 1 and 14 units a week. The authors conclude that alcohol has a "notable effect" on health service use and therefore overall costs to the NHS. Journal Of Epidemiology And Community Health


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