Men whose prostate cancer comes back after surgery are more likely to survive if, along with the usual radiation, they also take drugs to block male hormones. The finding, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, will help clarify treatment for many patients, experts say. After surgery to remove the prostate, more than 30 percent of men have a recurrence, and until now there has not been clear evidence about the best way to stop the disease from killing them. The study showed that among men who received radiation and hormonal treatment, 76.3 percent were still alive after 12 years, compared to 71.3 percent who had radiation alone.

A swig of hydrogen peroxide can kill you

Hundreds of people have become severely ill and at least five have died after consuming high-concentration hydrogen peroxide that some people take as an additive to their diets, according to a new study. The colorless, caustic liquid quickly releases a bubble of oxygen that can find its way into a blood vessel, blocking blood flow to the heart, the brain, the lungs or other parts of the body, according to the research, in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Alternative health sites promote consumption of a few drops of high-concentration hydrogen peroxide heavily diluted in water or another liquid as a treatment for a wide variety of ailments.

Preterm birth may warn of heart disease risk

A preterm birth appears to be an early warning signal of a woman's risk for heart disease, a new study shows. The study, published online in the journal Circulation, found that compared with women who delivered full-term babies, women who gave birth earlier than 37 weeks had a 42 percent increased risk of stroke or heart attack later in life. Among women who gave birth at 32 weeks or sooner, the risk was more than doubled. The higher risk of heart disease was independent of the mother's pre-pregnancy lifestyle and other heart risk factors.

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