Some chronic health conditions are linked to an increased risk of suicide, according to new published research. Behavioral health scientists looked at medical data for more than 2,600 persons who died by suicide, comparing those findings to 267,000 control individuals. They found more than a dozen conditions associated with a higher risk of suicide, such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, sleep disorders and stroke. At the highest risk were those who had suffered traumatic brain injury; they were nine times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.

Edgy Veggie

A cauliflower by any other name may taste the same, but some names sell better. In a new study, published in JAMA Medicine, researchers labeled vegetables in a university cafeteria four different ways: a basic label, two different healthy labels and an indulgent label, such as "sweet sizzling green beans and crispy shallots." All four differently labeled vegetables were, in fact, prepared the same way.

They found that the indulgent labels resulted in 25 percent more people choosing them over, say, plain "green beans" and 41 percent more than labels that emphasized healthfulness.

Body of Knowledge

By age 60, 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women snore. The average snore hovers around 60 decibels — about the level of normal speech — but can exceed 80. That's roughly equivalent to the sound of a pneumatic drill breaking concrete. Noise levels above 85 decibels are considered hazardous to the human ear.

Get Me That, Stat!

According to Atlantic magazine, the top 5 percent of Americans who spend the most on health care account for $752 billion, or 50.3 percent, of all health care expenditures in the country. Put another way, if you had 20 Americans paying for health care, 19 would be paying for the costs of one.

Number Cruncher

A toasted, large plain bagel (123 grams) contains 354 calories, 19 from fat. It has 2.1 grams of total fat or 3 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet.

It also contains 0 milligrams of cholesterol; 590 mg of sodium (25 percent); 70.2 grams of total carbohydrates (23 percent); 3.2 g of dietary fiber (13 percent); 7.2 g of sugar and 13.7 g of protein.

Doc Talk

Horrendoma: A particularly bad or complex medical condition that combined horrendous with -oma, the suffix for tumors

Phobia of the Week

Bathmophobia: fear of stairs or steep slopes

Never Say Diet

The Major League Eating record for pork ribs is 71 in five minutes, held by Matt Stonie. No jokes about Matt making a pig of himself. He probably wouldn't appreciate the ribbing. He would remain Stonie-faced.

Best Medicine

Hospital patient #1: Did you hear about the guy whose entire left side was cut off?

Hospital patient #2: That's horrible.

Hospital patient #1: Oh, he's all right now.

Observation

"I learned a long time ago that minor surgery is when they do the operation on someone else, not you."

—Former professional basketball player Bill Walton who, by his own count, has undergone at least 36 orthopedic surgeries

Medical History

This week in 2002, the world's largest dental caps were fitted when a 20-year-old Asian elephant named Spike at the Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada received two 19-inch-long, 5-inch-wide stainless steel caps over his tusks. The 3 1/2-hour operation occurred after Spike broke off one-third of his left tusk and a crack appeared in the other. The 28-pound prostheses were designed to protect the tusks from further damage and infection.

Self Exam

Q: How much does the average person's skin weigh?

A: Between eight and 11 pounds, with a surface area of 18 to 22 square feet, or about the size of the floor of a one-person tent.

Last Words

"Now why did I do that?"

—British Major-General Sir William Erskine (1770 - 1813) after jumping from a window in Lisbon, Portugal. Erskine was a successful commander during the Napoleonic Wars under the Duke of Wellington, but his later career was clouded by increasing evidence of mental instability.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.