Study shows teen suicide rate up in U.S. For more than a decade, the suicide rate among kids in this country had steadily and consistently declined. However, that trend ended abruptly. “Suddenly in 2004 we see the sharpest increase in the past 15 years and it appears that it’s persisting in 2005,” says Jeff Bridges, Ph.D. at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Bridge co-authored the study with Carnegie Mellon statistics Professor Joel Greenhouse. Researchers say while the numbers dipped slightly between 2004 and 2005, they’re still up significantly. Now that researchers have identified what may be an emerging crisis, the next step is to figure out the cause. Dr. John Campo says one reason might be the number of kids taking prescribed anti-depressants has dropped by as much as 20 percent. “The vast majority of young people who complete suicide have some sort of psychiatric disorder. Most commonly depression or some mood disorder,” said Campo. Campo says there’s no proven link between the drop in prescriptions and the rise in suicides, but the simultaneous happening is worth looking into. The study looks at young people aged 10 to 19 between 1996 and 2005. Researchers say they also want to look into the role the Internet may play in the number of kids committing suicide.

Radial disparities persist in breast cancer treatment. Black breast cancer patients are not being prescribed radiation therapy as often as Whites, finds a study – the largest of its kind – which was presented Wednesday in advance of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Symposium. “Although there have been smaller studies of racial disparities in breast cancer care, no prior research has examined the differences across the nation in the rates of radiation therapy after lumpectomy between Whites and Blacks,” said Grace Li Smith, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in M. D. Anderson’s Department of Radiation Oncology. “The national Medicare database, because it’s so comprehensive, allowed us to determine the extent to which racial disparities in radiation therapy affected patients across the country.” The researchers reviewed the Medicare records of more than 37,000 patients diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 2003. They used Medicare claims to examine the treatment history of women aged 66 and older diagnosed in 2003 with early stage, newly diagnosed breast cancer. Of the 37,305 women who underwent a lumpectomy for their breast cancer, 34,024 were White and 2,305 were Black. Overall, 74 percent of the White women received radiation therapy after their lumpectomy; in contrast, 65 percent of the Black breast cancer patients received the same treatment. “The use of radiation after lumpectomy is considered to be the standard of care for women with invasive breast cancer, as clinical trials have demonstrated that it both reduces the chance of recurrence and improves the chance of survival,” said Thomas Buchholz, M.D., professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and the study’s senior author. Perhaps the most unexpected aspect of the study, Smith said, was the magnitude of the disparity in specific areas of the country: the Pacific West, 72 percent (Whites) vs. 55 percent (Blacks); East South Central, 72 percent (Whites) vs. 57 percent (Blacks), and the Northeast, 70 percent (Whites) vs. 58 percent (Blacks). “Until further research is conducted, we may only speculate about the underlying reasons why Black and White women are not receiving radiation at the same rate,” Smith said. “We don’t know if fewer Black women are receiving radiation simply because it is not offered to them, because they decline the treatment, or perhaps because they are unable to complete a whole course of treatment due to other health problems. These questions will be important subjects of future study.”

The rap super star denies rumors that he’s planning to get therapy

So he’s known for throwing a fit every once in a while. What grown man doesn’t? Rap star Kanye West has put to rest rumors that he has any plans of seeking anger management. The man who recently filled his blog with profanity after he was criticized for taking the stage late at a Tennessee music festival has posted the following kinder, gentler clarification on his official site: “Now the media is saying I’m going to anger management something or ‘nother. I have never had any conversations about anger management. If anything, I need anger enhancement! lol! I get off the plane in Hawaii today and the world is saying my management team said blah blah blah… Oh and a sidebar – I don’t know if everyone has realized this yet, but I don’t do interviews; if there’s anything I wanna say, I’ll say [it] right here on my own blog.”

“Boss Lady” won’t face drunken driving charges.
Maybe she was only doing her mug shot impression of a person who’d been driving drunk. A Cali court has thrown out charges against rapper Snoop Dogg’s wife Shanté Broadus, following her arrest for alleged DUI. Citing a lack of evidence – apparently including her booking photo – a judge dismissed the count against “Boss Lady,” as she’s known on Snoop’s reality series. Guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover, if “Boss Lady’s” best drunk woman pose is any indication.

Nelly joins singer Sheryl Crow on Olympics CD

The rap world is making its contribution to the U.S. Olympics through Nelly’s contribution on a forthcoming, exclusive CD. The St. Louis rapper joins pop singer Sheryl Crow and other artists to lay tracks that will be used to help motivate athletes bound for the Games in Beijing. “I know this soundtrack is something we will all be able to enjoy while we’re in Beijing and will help motivate us to compete at our very best,” says swimmer Michael Phelps. The Olympics begin Aug. 8.