Thought for Today – 08.08.10

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Sauna endurance finalist collapses and dies in 110C – Telegraph

Ossi Arvela, the head of the sauna-sitting competition, said in a statement: “The Russian competitor has died in the sauna world championships.”

Hopefully this “sport” will not develop a large following.

By the way, 110 C = 230 F.

HT to Yves Smith at http://www.nakedcapitalism.com

Chronic HBV and Lymphoma Risk

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Medical News: Chronic HBV Raises Lymphoma Risk – in Infectious Disease, Hepatitis from MedPage Today

Among individuals who were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), the adjusted hazard ratio for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was 1.74 (95% CI 1.45 to 2.09, P<0.0001), compared with those who tested negative, according to Eric A. Engels, MD, of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md., and colleagues.

Calcium Supplements and MI Risk

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Medical News: Risk of MI May Go Up With Calcium Supplements – in Cardiovascular, Myocardial Infarction from MedPage Today

Calcium supplementation appears to increase the risk of myocardial infarction, a meta-analysis showed.

Among studies of patients with or at risk for osteoporosis, those who took calcium supplements were about 30% more likely to have an MI than those who did not, Ian Reid, MD, of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and colleagues reported online in BMJ.

Among randomized controlled trials with patient-level data, the hazard ratio for MI with supplementation was 1.31 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.67). Among those with trial-level data, the relative risk was 1.27 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.59).

Strong Social Relationships and Mortality

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Medical News: Social Ties May Enhance Survival – in Psychiatry, General Psychiatry from MedPage Today

Maintaining strong social relationships may help slow the approach of death, a meta-analysis showed.

In a pooled analysis of 148 studies, having strong social relationships was associated with a 50% greater likelihood of surviving through follow-up (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.59), according to Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and colleagues.

The magnitude of the association puts social relationships on a par with quitting smoking and beyond obesity and physical inactivity in terms of relationship with mortality, the researchers reported in the July issue of PLoS Medicine.