Cancer Prevention

Want to give to the Maryland Cancer Fund? Officials have made it easy this year. You just have to check a Line 37 on your state tax form and fill in the amount. The money will get deducted from your refund or added to you bill. The contribution is also t ax deductible. The fund provides cancer prevention, detection and treatment programs. "Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Maryland," said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene , in a statement. "Giving to the Maryland Cancer Fund is a great way to help your community.

Two new government studies show young people are still putting themselves at risk for skin cancer by getting sunburned and going to indoor tanning beds. One study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that half of those aged 18 to 29 had at least one sunburn it the past year, though they were increasingly using sunscreen, seeking shade and wearing protective clothing. The other study by the National Cancer Institute found 32 percent of those 18 to 21 were going to indoor tanning salons and 30 percent of those 22 to 25 were.

Carroll County will tap a local group of health care providers to administer cancer prevention programs, funded by $427,147 the county will receive this year from the state's cigarette restitution fund. "We are really fortunate in Carroll County that we have already formed a partnership and have identified the issues," said Patricia A. Supik, executive director of the Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County. "A lot of people in the community are ready to go on this." Like other health departments throughout the state, Carroll will receive money from the tobacco settlement to pay for cancer prevention and screening.

ANNAPOLIS -- The state's top health official has vowed to find the money for an anti-smoking media campaign this year, despite attempts by legislators and the tobacco industry to restrict spending on the project."

ANNAPOLIS -- The state's top health official has vowed to find the money for an anti-smoking media campaign this year, despite attempts by legislators and the tobacco industry to restrict spending on the project."

Man plunges 25 feet into construction trench A man was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center yesterday afternoon after he fell about 25 feet into a trench at a construction site in Rosedale, a Baltimore County Fire Department spokeswoman said. The 48-year-old man had been repairing a pipe, near Chesaco and Severn avenues, that leads to the Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant. Shortly before 1 p.m., he fell from scaffolding into a trench that contained about 3 feet of water, said Fire Department spokeswoman Elise Armacost.

"We're all customers for cancer -- no one has an advantage," according to Michael Simic, an oncology researcher from the University Pennsylvania School of Medicine.Dr. Simic was the moderator of a Roundtable Discussion on Nutritional Strategies to Prevent Cancer, part of a weeklong international seminar on cancer prevention held here in late April.The roundtable was designed to help figure out how each of us can use research information to reduce our cancer risks.Clearly, improved eating habits would be a big step.

These events are scheduled at the Baltimore Convention Center, Howard and Pratt streets: Oct. 16: One World Fitness -- trade show. Estimated attendance: 1,500+. Contact number: 609-397-2139. Oct. 17-23: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation -- meeting. Estimated attendance: 3,000+. Contact number: 301-907- 2545. Oct. 18: Governor's Conference on Housing -- meeting. Estimated attendance: 850. Contact number: 410-514-7143. Oct. 24-27: PowerSystems World -- power electronics and quality convention.

Here's a question to ponder: Why is acne common in the Western, industrialized world, while the pimples that trouble American kids are rare in developing countries? It's a puzzler -- and one that prompted Australian researchers to ask whether changing the diet of teenagers would have any effect on acne. The results could change the way dermatologists think about diet. To test their theory, the Australian researchers recruited 50 young men between ages 15 and 25 with mild-to-moderate acne.