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The U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday that a federal ban on menthol cigarettes would be one of the most effective ways to slash tobacco-related illnesses and deaths among Black people — even as the clock winds down on the Biden administration’s ability to do anything about it. The long-standing promise of a ban on menthol cigarettes, which has been years in the making, is unlikely to move forward before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. (Edwards and Alba, 11/19)

As vaping’s popularity endures, a report issued by the surgeon general’s office Tuesday shows that LGBTQ Americans are among those helping to keep smoke shops in business. The surgeon general’s 837-page report on tobacco use found that 37.8% of gay, lesbian and bisexual U.S. adults have tried electronic cigarettes, compared with just 16.5% of their straight counterparts. Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, include e-cigars, e-pipes, e-hookahs, vaping pens and hookah pens. (Lavietes, 11/19)

The survival rate for people with lung cancer is improving, according to the new State of Lung Cancer report. The American Lung Association report says there have been important advances in early detection and treatments but lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths. ... The new report shows the lung cancer survival rate has improved 26% in the last five years. Temple lung surgeon Dr. Jamie Garfield, who's also a spokesperson for the lung association, says fewer people are smoking — the leading cause of lung cancer. (Stahl and Nau, 11/19)

It’s no secret that air pollution is tied to lung disease and cancer, but a new study sheds light on the significant role of pollution when it comes to head and neck cancer. Mass General Brigham researchers have found that air pollution is linked to higher rates of head and neck aerodigestive cancer. “While there has been substantial research investigating the effects of air pollutants on lung disease, few studies have focused on air pollution exposure as a risk factor for the upper airway, including the development of head and neck cancer,” said study senior author Stella Lee. (Sobey, 11/19)

Doing more aerobic exercise in middle age and old age may reduce the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, a new study found. “Our study underscores the critical role of cardiovascular fitness in reducing dementia risk, even for those genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease,” said Weili Xu, a professor in the Aging Research Center at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. (LaMotte, 11/19)

Derek Pfaff remembers being under a lot of stress throughout college. He remembers coming home from school during spring break in March 2014. But he does not remember the night that forever changed his life. (Howard, 11/19)

A stroke, a traumatic brain injury — at any moment, any one of us could leave behind our normal state of consciousness and start to require ’round-the-clock care. Sometimes, a patient displays regular cycles of wakefulness and sleep without regaining the capacity for normal voluntary action. This is a tragic situation for the patient’s family — but what, if anything, might the patient themselves be experiencing? (Jonathan Birch, 11/20)