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Breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers change in HDL cholesterol

Breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers change in HDL cholesterol

Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries. [More]
Work conditions can predict development of diabetes over the long term, research finds

Work conditions can predict development of diabetes over the long term, research finds

Cases of type 2 diabetes continue to rise in the US. And while the development of the disease is more commonly associated with risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity, research has shown that stress can also have a significant impact. [More]

Subtle change to hospital data collection policies can prevent workplace injuries

A subtle change to hospital data collection policies could make a big difference in preventing occupational health and safety hazards, according to workplace safety researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health. [More]
Mutations in Ggamma13 gene may contribute to certain forms of smell disorders in humans

Mutations in Ggamma13 gene may contribute to certain forms of smell disorders in humans

Researchers at the Monell Center and collaborators have identified a protein that is critical to the ability of mammals to smell. Mice engineered to be lacking the Ggamma13 protein in their olfactory receptors were functionally anosmic - unable to smell. [More]
Experts launch new initiative to improve workers' health and wellness

Experts launch new initiative to improve workers' health and wellness

Leaders from 16 international occupational medical societies attending the 2013 annual meeting of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine have launched the International Occupational Medicine Society Collaborative -- a new initiative aimed at improving worker health and wellness globally through the exchange of ideas and information. [More]
ACOEM honors American Express with prestigious health and safety award

ACOEM honors American Express with prestigious health and safety award

American Express, the global financial services company headquartered in New York City, has been awarded the 2013 Corporate Health Achievement Award by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. [More]

Embracing Patient Centered Medical Home concept

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine opened its 98th annual meeting with a keynote speech by Paul Grundy, MD, Global Director of Healthcare Transformation at IBM, urging adoption of a new system of patient care in the United States that moves away from focusing on the management of health care "episodes" and more toward long-term management of population health and integrated delivery of health services. [More]

Study examines health issues of residents living nearby drilling operations

Residents living in areas near natural gas operations, also known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are concerned their illnesses may be a result of nearby drilling operations. [More]
Long-term exposure to air pollution linked to heart attacks, strokes

Long-term exposure to air pollution linked to heart attacks, strokes

Long-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to heart attacks and strokes by speeding up atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries," according to a University of Michigan public health researcher and colleagues from across the U.S. [More]
Circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, discovers TGen-led study

Circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, discovers TGen-led study

Male circumcision reduces the abundance of bacteria living on the penis and might help explain why circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, according to a study led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute. [More]
Monell Center molecular neurobiologist to receive Ajinomoto Award for Young Investigators in Gustation

Monell Center molecular neurobiologist to receive Ajinomoto Award for Young Investigators in Gustation

Monell Center molecular neurobiologist Peihua Jiang, PhD, is the 2013 recipient of the Ajinomoto Award for Young Investigators in Gustation, an annual award presented by the Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) to an exceptional junior scientist who is a rising leader in the field of gustation. [More]

Study shows more women develop chronic low back pain, sciatica than men

More women than men develop chronic low back pain and sciatica. The explanation may lie with a gene variant that plays into the body's pain regulation. [More]
UAB School of Nursing offers health care services in rural communities

UAB School of Nursing offers health care services in rural communities

"If individuals, families, and communities don't have access, then they don't have the opportunity for a better life," asserts University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Dean Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. [More]
UAB School of Nursing raising bar on service for veterans

UAB School of Nursing raising bar on service for veterans

Partnering with Birmingham's VA Medical Center and with colleagues across a wide range of health care professions, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing is raising the bar on service for veterans and their families. [More]
Researchers study how to reduce health risks in infants

Researchers study how to reduce health risks in infants

Some partnerships were meant to be, and it would be difficult to imagine a more perfect one than June Cho, PhD, RN, and Wally A. Carlo, MD. An assistant professor of nursing in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, Cho sought out Carlo when she first came to UAB in 2008. [More]
Peace Corps volunteer plans to change others' lives

Peace Corps volunteer plans to change others' lives

The two years Andrea Torre spent in Dimbwe Village in southern Zambia changed her life. Now she has come to the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing to learn the skills she needs to spend the rest of her career helping to change others' lives. [More]
UAB School of Nursing awarded HRSA grant to improve quality of care for underserved

UAB School of Nursing awarded HRSA grant to improve quality of care for underserved

The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing has received a three-year, $1.4-million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration to develop and implement an innovative interprofessional collaborative health-care practice model that improves quality of care and outcomes for underserved patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions. [More]
Ill health and retirement: an interview with Dr Sabrina Pit, University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney

Ill health and retirement: an interview with Dr Sabrina Pit, University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney

In our study population, which was drawn from NSW Australia only, the proportion of working aged men who were fully retired due to ill-health in cities is five percent, eight percent for inner regional areas and nine for outer regional areas. [More]
Combination of stem cell therapy and physical therapy can reverse effects of spinal cord injury

Combination of stem cell therapy and physical therapy can reverse effects of spinal cord injury

Walking is the obvious goal for individuals who have a chronic spinal cord injury, but it is not the only one. Regaining sensation and continence control also are important goals that can positively impact an individual's quality of life. [More]
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inflammatory subtypes: an interview with Dr Vanessa McDonald, University of Newcastle, Australia

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inflammatory subtypes: an interview with Dr Vanessa McDonald, University of Newcastle, Australia

COPD is defined as a preventable and treatable disease associated with significant extrapulmonary consequences that may contribute to severity. The pulmonary component of COPD is characterised by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually progressive with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles (GOLD Strategy Document). Airflow obstruction in COPD is not highly variable and largely irreversible. [More]