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Study: Ebola outbreak could infect more people unless rigorous control measures are implemented

Unless Ebola control measures in West Africa are enhanced quickly, experts from the World Health Organization and Imperial College, London, predict numbers will continue to climb exponentially, and more than 20,000 people will have been infected by early November, according to a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine released six months after WHO was first notified of the outbreak in West Africa.

23 Sep 2014

UTHealth study examines effects of smoking policy change at homeless shelter

Instituting a partial smoking ban at a homeless shelter can lead to a reduction in expired carbon monoxide levels, an indicator of exposure to cigarette smoke, and may have positive effects on shelter residents' health, according to new research. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston released the study results last week in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

23 Sep 2014

Experts to study how improved support for dementia carers can enhance quality of life

Experts will explore how improved support and powers for people caring for loved-ones with dementia can improve quality of life for both patients and carers around the UK.

23 Sep 2014

Caltech researcher explores link between variable heart rate, health and fitness

Although the heart beats out a very familiar "lub-dub" pattern that speeds up or slows down as our activity increases or decreases, the pattern itself isn't as regular as you might think. In fact, the amount of time between heartbeats can vary even at a "constant" heart rate-and that variability, doctors have found, is a good thing.

23 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: CHIP funding needed; GOP's flawed plan to make 'the pill' OTC; millennials' health issues

Federal financing for a beneficial health insurance program for low-income children, known as the Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP, will run out next year unless Congress agrees to extend it. Bills are pending in both the House and the Senate to extend financing for four years, to 2019. Congress should approve the extension in the lame-duck session after the midterm elections so that families and state officials will know what the future holds. The program needs to be maintained amid uncertainty as to whether other good coverage will be available for these children (9/21).

23 Sep 2014

Study examines relationship between maternal iron intake and offspring autism risk

Mothers of children with autism are significantly less likely to report taking iron supplements before and during their pregnancies than the mothers of children who are developing normally, a study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute has found.

23 Sep 2014

Leidos awarded NMLC contract to provide services in support of HIV/AIDS prevention programs

Leidos, a national security, health, and engineering solutions company, was awarded a prime contract by the Naval Medical Logistics Command to provide services in support of the Naval Health Research Center's, Department of Defense, HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP).

23 Sep 2014

Food allergies in inner-city children: an interview with Dr. Robert Wood

The general interest is in trying to better define the true prevalence of food allergy; not just how common it is, but whether it's becoming more common over time.

22 Sep 2014

Improvements in NICU nursing care could boost health outcomes for underweight black infants

The health outcomes and quality of care for underweight black infants could greatly improve with more nurses on staff at hospitals with higher concentrations of black patients, according to a new study co-led by a Rutgers researcher.

22 Sep 2014

C-Path renews grant to advance more effective drug treatments for TB

The Critical Path Institute, an independent, non-profit organization that works to accelerate the speed of drug and medical product development, today announced it has received a three-year grant renewal from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

22 Sep 2014

ITM wins grant to develop new model to combat sleeping sickness

The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation provides the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp with a 3-year project grant worth nearly 5 million dollars to develop a new model to fight sleeping sickness.

22 Sep 2014

State policies fail to provide sufficient two-generation supports to families with young children

Recent two-generation approaches to reducing poverty that help children and their parents are receiving increasing attention from researchers, advocates, and foundations.

22 Sep 2014

New Ebola cases could reach 6,800 in West Africa by September end

New research published today in the online journal PLoS Outbreaks predicts new Ebola cases could reach 6,800 in West Africa by the end of the month if new control measures are not enacted.

22 Sep 2014

Innovative study looks at how children define play

While public health authorities focus on the physical activity benefits of active play, a new study from the University of Montreal reveals that for children, playing has no goal - it is an end in itself, an activity that is fun, done alone or with friends, and it represents "an opportunity to experience excitement or pleasure, but also to combat boredom, sadness, fear, or loneliness."

22 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: Ezekiel Emanuel's choice of an age to die; new enrollment numbers still confusing

Seventy-five. That's how long I want to live: 75 years. This preference drives my daughters crazy. It drives my brothers crazy. My loving friends think I am crazy. They think that I can't mean what I say; that I haven't thought clearly about this, because there is so much in the world to see and do. To convince me of my errors, they enumerate the myriad people I know who are over 75 and doing quite well. They are certain that as I get closer to 75, I will push the desired age back to 80, then 85, maybe even 90. I am sure of my position.

22 Sep 2014

Private efforts to address mental health needs of veterans could aid VA health system reform

A unique partnership to support private efforts to provide mental health services to veterans and their families could provide a model for similar efforts should federal officials decide to expand privately provided health care as part of reform of the VA health system, according to a new RAND Corporation report.

22 Sep 2014

UN approves resolutions to create UNMEER to contain ongoing Ebola outbreak

Nearly six months after the first case of Ebola in West Africa was reported to the World Health Organization, the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council have approved resolutions creating the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response to contain the ongoing outbreak which has sickened more than 5,500 people and killed over 2,500.

21 Sep 2014

Sustained international efforts can help reduce premature deaths by 40% over next 20 years

New research published today [Friday 19 September] in The Lancet suggests that, with sustained international efforts, the number of premature deaths could be reduced by 40% over the next two decades (2010-2030), halving under–50 mortality and preventing a third of the deaths at ages 50–69 years.

19 Sep 2014

CDC urges all adults to get flu vaccination

Influenza vaccination coverage estimates show an encouraging upward trend overall, but coverage among healthy 18 to 64 year-olds has yet to top 40 percent, according to new data announced at a news conference held today by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

19 Sep 2014

Longer looks: Lithium in the water; controlling cancer; recovering from brain injury

There are many kinds of cancer, but treatments have typically combatted them in one way only: by attempting to destroy the cancerous cells. Surgery aims to remove the entire growth from the body; chemotherapy drugs are toxic to the cancer cells; radiation generates toxic molecules that break up the cancer cells' DNA and proteins, causing their demise.

19 Sep 2014

Public Health News and Research

Study: Ebola outbreak could infect more people unless rigorous control measures are implemented

UTHealth study examines effects of smoking policy change at homeless shelter

Experts to study how improved support for dementia carers can enhance quality of life

Caltech researcher explores link between variable heart rate, health and fitness

Viewpoints: CHIP funding needed; GOP's flawed plan to make 'the pill' OTC; millennials' health issues

Study examines relationship between maternal iron intake and offspring autism risk

Leidos awarded NMLC contract to provide services in support of HIV/AIDS prevention programs

Food allergies in inner-city children: an interview with Dr. Robert Wood

Improvements in NICU nursing care could boost health outcomes for underweight black infants

C-Path renews grant to advance more effective drug treatments for TB

ITM wins grant to develop new model to combat sleeping sickness

State policies fail to provide sufficient two-generation supports to families with young children

New Ebola cases could reach 6,800 in West Africa by September end

Innovative study looks at how children define play

Viewpoints: Ezekiel Emanuel's choice of an age to die; new enrollment numbers still confusing

Private efforts to address mental health needs of veterans could aid VA health system reform

UN approves resolutions to create UNMEER to contain ongoing Ebola outbreak

Sustained international efforts can help reduce premature deaths by 40% over next 20 years

CDC urges all adults to get flu vaccination

Longer looks: Lithium in the water; controlling cancer; recovering from brain injury

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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