Certain chronic pain may raise suicide risk

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Back pain, migraine and other types of chronic pain without a known physical cause - and therefore little prospect for relief - were associated with an increased risk of suicide in a new study of U.S. veterans.

But the researchers, who analyzed data on about five million patients in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, found no link between suicide and arthritis, neuropathies or non-migraine headaches.

Dr. Mark Ilgen, the study's lead author, said the findings jibe with what he and his colleagues expected to see based on their own experiences and past research.

"I think we had the expectation that certain conditions - such as migraine and back pain - would be especially problematic when it came to suicide risk," Ilgen, from the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System in Michigan, told Reuters Health.

That's because of differences in the origins, intensity and treatability of various chronic pain conditions, he said.

For example, there are treatments available for chronic pain brought on by arthritis, which is caused by joint inflammation. But fewer options are available for psychogenic pain - a diagnosis that literally means "originating in the mind" with no known physical cause.

"My sense is that the level of pain that they're seeing in arthritis is not as severe and debilitating as what people are seeing in the back pain group and psychogenic pain," said Dr. David Marks, a psychiatrist and pain medicine physician at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

Past research has focused mainly on links between chronic pain and so-called suicidal behaviors, such as suicidal thoughts and attempts, according to the researchers.

For their study, Ilgen and his colleagues write in JAMA Psychiatry that they wanted to look at possible links between specific pain conditions and completed suicides.

They used data on 4,863,036 patients receiving care in the VA health system between October 2004 and September 2005 and then looked to see how many with a chronic pain condition killed themselves between October 2005 and September 2008.

Over two million people were diagnosed with arthritis and about 1.1 million people were diagnosed with back pain, which made those conditions the most common. Only about 18,000 people had psychogenic pain, which made it the least common condition.

About 5,000 people committed suicide over the next three years.

After taking into account the patients' ages, sex and other physical and psychiatric conditions, the researchers found that back pain, migraine and psychogenic pain were the only chronic pain conditions linked to suicide.

Back pain was linked to a 13 percent increased risk of committing suicide, compared to people without chronic pain. Migraines were linked to a 34 percent higher suicide risk and psychogenic pain was linked to a 58 percent increase in risk.

As far as how important these conditions are as risk factors for suicide, Ilgen said they "wouldn't be at the top of the list, but they still matter."

The findings also cannot prove these conditions are what caused the patients to commit suicide.

And Ilgen noted that the findings may not apply outside this specific population.

"I think the results probably generalize reasonably well to middle-aged males in the general population. If you want to apply the results to women, that's a little bit more challenging," he said.

Marks, who was not involved in the new research, said that despite the fact that only a minority of the people with chronic pain actually killed themselves, the study benefits doctors.

"It points out to pain providers that pain is a significant risk factor for suicide that needs to be screened for and taken into account," he said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/11fDWOF JAMA Psychiatry, online May 22, 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/certain-chronic-pain-may-raise-suicide-risk-212811632.html

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Renan Barao, John Cholish and Cain Velasquez: See where they fell on Cagewriter?s Hot or Not list

As another week of MMA comes to a close, let's take a look at what was hot and what was not so hot.

Hot -- Bryan Pedersen: Many legislators have talked about the economic benefits of MMA when the sport is legalized. Few have gone the extra mile to find out what it feels like to be in a cage to fight. Pedersen will do that in Cheyenne, Wyo., this weekend. No matter the result, it's admirable that he has even gone the distance to train and join the first fights to take place in Wyoming's capitol.

Not -- Renan Barao: The interim bantamweight men's champ was injured and had to pull out of his main event bout with Eddie Wineland at UFC 161. Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans' fight is now the main event, and Roy Nelson vs. Stipe Miocic was added.

Hot -- John Cholish: After losing to Gleison Tibau at UFC on FX 8, Cholish decided to hang up his fighting gloves. Before he left, he decided to give his fight purse to Oklahoma tornado survivors.

To update I just received my fight purse payment of $2,014 from Zuffa. I will be donating 100% of it to charity-Oklahoma Tornado Victims

? John Cholish (@JohnCholish) May 23, 2013

Kudos to Cholish.

Not -- Brett Atchley: The manager who specializes in female fighters has been accused of bad behavior by several fighters separately. His alleged improprieties include accosting fighters, telling them he would "blackball them" from Invicta though president Shannon Knapp has denied anyone has the power to do this, and sharing the confidential details of a client's contract. His response?

"It's really easy for women to play the victim, especially when they make their mind up that they're going to do it. Because everyone will believe them," Atchley said to MMA Junkie.

Stereotyping women is not a smart thing to do, particularly by someone who makes his living off of them.

Still taking temperature -- Cain Velasquez: He lost the UFC heavyweight championship belt once, and managed to get it back. Will he defend it on Saturday night against Antonio Silva at UFC 160?

Thanks for reading Cagewriter this week. Check us out on Twitter and Facebook for bonus UFC 160 coverage.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/renan-barao-john-cholish-cain-velasquez-see-where-190725524.html

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Amanda Bynes freed; says bong was 'a vase'

Celebs

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper TODAY

6 hours ago

AKM-GSI

Amanda Bynes' mug shot from her Thursday arrest.

Actress Amanda Bynes appeared in court briefly Friday morning after a wild Thursday night confrontation with police at her New York apartment. Bynes was released from police custody until a July 9 court date.

According to NBC New York, Bynes' lawyer told the judge she had never been in any trouble before, and the actress was warned that another arrest or failure to appear would lead to "significant bail." Prosecutors had asked for $1,000 bail on this case but the request was denied, E! Online reports.

In a photo obtained by NBC New York, Bynes , 27, wore a mussed long blond wig for her court appearance. A mug shot revealed close-cropped hair without the wig. Bynes showed off a half-shaved head in photos she shared on Twitter in April.

A doorman in Bynes' Manhattan high-rise reportedly called police Thursday night and said she was smoking marijuana in the building's lobby. When police went to Bynes' 36th floor apartment, they reportedly smelled marijuana and saw the actress throw a bong out the window.

She was taken into custody and charged with tampering with physical evidence, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of marijuana.

Bynes' lawyer denied in court that she threw the bong and said police entered her apartment illegally. Bynes told the police that the glass pipe was "just a vase," The New York Daily News reports. It was not recovered by police.

Bynes is on probation for three years for driving with a suspended license and also has a DUI case pending in southern California.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/amanda-bynes-released-jail-reportedly-says-bong-was-vase-6C10066658

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Attack casts spotlight on radical preachers

LONDON (AP) ? The slaying of a British solider in east London cast a spotlight on radical preachers that influenced Michael Adebolajo, the attacker seen in videos with bloody hands holding a butcher knife. It also raised questions about the reach of the terrorist group al-Shabab, after a British government official said one of the two men tried to go to Somalia to train or fight with the group. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the police investigation.

Here's a look at the preachers and al-Shabab.

OMAR BAKRI MUHAMMED

Spiritual leader and founder of the group al-Muhajiroun. The group catapulted to notoriety after the Sept. 11 attacks by organizing an event to celebrate the airplane hijackers. Bakri, who now lives in Lebanon, had been one of the most aggressive voices of radical Islam in Britain. Members of the cell behind the July 7, 2005, London transit bombings also had links to the group.

The government banned al-Muhajiroun after the July 7 attacks in which four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters, but it has re-formed under new names ? such as the Saved Sect or al-Gurabaa, which have also been banned. He is barred from returning to Britain. Bakri says the man depicted in the startling video that emerged after the death of British serviceman Lee Rigby was named Michael Adebolajo, a Christian who converted to Islam. Bakri recalled Adebolajo was a shy person eager to learn about Islam.

ANJEM CHOUDARY

The former head of the radical group al-Muhajiroun, an Islamist group notorious for glorifying al-Qaida and tied to terror plots at home and abroad. Choudary has in the past described the 9/11 hijackers on the United States as the "Magnificent 19." He also featured prominently in fiery protests against the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. He is the manager of the Sharia Court in Britain. Sharia is Muslim law as derived from the Quran. Choudary says Adebolajo took part in several demonstrations by the group in London.

AL-SHABAB

Al-Qaida linked terrorist group in Somalia. Al-Shabab boasts several hundred foreign fighters, including those from the Middle East with experience in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. It has also recruited fighters from Somali communities in the United States and Europe. Al-Shabab once controlled almost all of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, but African Union and Somali forces pushed the militants out of the city in 2011.

British officials have not said which of the two suspects attempted to link up with the group.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/attack-casts-spotlight-radical-preachers-103821379.html

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Arellano Felix drug cartel leader pleads guilty

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? The last of the brothers accused of creating an infamous Mexican drug cartel pleaded guilty Friday to helping send hundreds of millions of dollars in proceeds from the United States, marking one of the final milestones in an investigation that began nearly two decades ago.

Eduardo Arellano Felix, 56, reached an agreement with prosecutors that will send him to federal prison for 15 years for conspiracy to launder money and invest funds gained from violating drug laws. He will be deported to Mexico when he completes his sentence.

Prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges including racketeering and conspiracy to traffic drugs, said Joseph Green, an assistant U.S. attorney.

Arellano Felix, a doctor, acknowledged he helped oversee finances of the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix cartel from 1986 to 2002, the year his brother Benjamin was arrested by Mexican authorities and brother Ramon was killed in Mexico. Benjamin Arellano Felix was sentenced to 25 years in U.S. prison last year after being extradited from Mexico.

Another brother, Francisco Javier, was sentenced in 2007 to life in U.S. prison after the U.S. Coast Guard captured him in a fishing boat in international waters off Mexico's Baja California coast.

The plea agreement briefly appeared in doubt when Eduardo Arellano Felix hesitated to acknowledge his role in the cartel as described by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns. Arellano Felix admitted having employees but said their job was to build homes.

Burns asked if he participated in major decisions of the cartel, which, according to U.S. authorities, brought hundreds of tons of cocaine and marijuana into the U.S. starting in the 1980s.

"Well, no, I would just talk to my brother (Benjamin)," Eduardo Arellano Felix said.

The judge accepted the plea after Arellano Felix acknowledged a major role in the family's finances, including payments for weapons, property and bribes. He scheduled sentencing for Aug. 19.

Eduardo Arellano Felix was extradited from Mexico in August to face charges in San Diego. He was arrested in October 2008 in a shootout with Mexican authorities at his Tijuana home that was witnessed by his 11-year-old daughter.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arellano-felix-drug-cartel-leader-pleads-guilty-193851506.html

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Judge rules against Arizona sheriff in racial profiling suit

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday found hardline Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio had violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers in his crackdown on illegal immigration, and ordered him to stop using race as a factor in law enforcement decisions.

The ruling against the Maricopa County sheriff came in response to a class-action lawsuit brought by Hispanic drivers that tested whether police can target illegal immigrants without racially profiling Hispanic citizens and legal residents.

U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow ruled that the sheriff's policies violated the drivers' constitutional rights and ordered his office to cease using race or ancestry as a grounds to stop, detain or hold occupants of vehicles - some of them in crime sweeps dubbed "saturation patrols."

"The great weight of the evidence is that all types of saturation patrols at issue in this case incorporated race as a consideration into their operations," Snow said in a written ruling.

He added that race had factored into which vehicles the deputies decided to stop, and into who they decided to investigate for immigration violations.

The suit contended that Arpaio, who styles himself "America's toughest sheriff," and his officers violated the constitutional rights of both U.S. citizens and legal immigrants alike in their zeal to crack down on people they believe to be in the country illegally.

In testimony during the non-jury trial last year, Arpaio said he was against racial profiling and denied his office arrested people because of the color of their skin.

The sheriff, who won re-election to a sixth term in office in November, has been a lightning rod for controversy over his aggressive enforcement of immigration laws in the state, which borders Mexico, as well as an investigation into the validity of President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate.

The suit was brought against Arpaio and his office on behalf of five Hispanic drivers who say they were stopped by deputies because of their ethnicity, which Arpaio denied.

The plaintiffs, which include the Somos America immigrants' rights coalition and all Latino drivers stopped by the sheriff's office since 2007, were seeking corrective action but not monetary damages.

(Reporting by Tim Gaynor and David Schwartz; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-rules-against-arizona-sheriff-joe-arpaio-racial-225635767.html

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Power Rankings: May 25, 2013

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/power-rankings/wwe-power-rankings-may-25-2012

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