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Merck, NewLink Genetics sign exclusive worldwide license agreement for Ebola vaccine candidate

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and NewLink Genetics Corporation, announced today that they have entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement to research, develop, manufacture, and distribute NewLink's investigational rVSV-EBOV (Ebola) vaccine candidate.

24 Nov 2014

Repeat suicide attempts and deaths by suicide drop after talk therapy

Repeat suicide attempts and deaths by suicide were roughly 25 percent lower among a group of Danish people who underwent voluntary short-term psychosocial counseling after a suicide attempt, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests.

24 Nov 2014

Study highlights potential benefit of follow-up screening for woman with early breast cancer

Public health researchers from the University of Adelaide have evaluated international breast cancer guidelines, finding that there is potential to improve surveillance of breast cancer survivors from both a patient and health system perspective.

23 Nov 2014

First issue of GSA's new publication series explores pain as public health problem

The first issue of a new publication series from The Gerontological Society of America called From Policy to Practice explores pain as a public health problem and takes a look at how various policies impact the care provided to patients in a range of practice settings.

23 Nov 2014

Study provides estimates of obesity-attributable costs of absenteeism among U.S. workers

A study conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health shows that obesity costs the U.S. $8.65 billion per year as a result of absenteeism in the workplace --more than 9% of all absenteeism costs.

23 Nov 2014

Actions needed to prevent violence against women and girls

Current efforts to prevent violence against women and girls are inadequate, according to a new Series published in The Lancet. Estimates suggest that globally, 1 in 3 women has experienced either physical or sexual violence from their partner, and that 7% of women will experience sexual assault by a non-partner at some point in their lives.

23 Nov 2014

Hydroxyurea therapy offers safe, effective disease management of SCA

Conclusive data show that hydroxyurea therapy offers safe and effective disease management of sickle cell anemia (SCA) and reduces the risk of stroke, prompting early termination by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of a key clinical trial studying the drug's efficacy.

23 Nov 2014

Study explores ethnic group differences in overweight children living in Canada

South Asian boys are three times as likely to be overweight compared to their peers, according to a new Women's College Hospital study.

21 Nov 2014

Obese people experience silent cardiac damage that fuels risk for heart failure

Using an ultrasensitive blood test to detect the presence of a protein that heralds heart muscle injury, researchers from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have found that obese people without overt heart disease experience silent cardiac damage that fuels their risk for heart failure down the road.

21 Nov 2014

Snus consumption in Norway is highest among young people

The increase in Scandinavian snus consumption in Norway is highest among young people, according to a new report from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

21 Nov 2014

Researchers discover a new way to combat influenza virus infection

The influenza virus, like all viruses, is a hijacker. It quietly slips its way inside cells, steals the machinery inside to make more copies of itself, and then -- having multiplied -- bursts out of the cell to find others to infect.

21 Nov 2014

FIRS mobilizes members to raise awareness on COPD

On World COPD Day (19 November 2014), the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is mobilizing its members to raise awareness of the disease and help prevent the risk factors that cause it.

21 Nov 2014

BIDMC informatrician receives Morris F. Collen Award for achievements in medical informatics

Charles Safran, MD, FACMI, Chief of the Division of Clinical Informatics at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), has received the American College of Medical Informatics' 2014 Morris F. Collen Award in recognition of his commitment to and achievements in medical informatics.

21 Nov 2014

Study warns that trans fats may be bad for the memory

A high intake of dietary trans fatty acids may have an adverse effect on memory, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2014.

20 Nov 2014

Electronic cigarettes reduce smoking habits

Electronic cigarettes offer smokers a realistic way to kick their tobacco smoking addiction. In a new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, scientists at KU Leuven report that e-cigarettes successfully reduced cravings for tobacco cigarettes, with only minimal side effects.

20 Nov 2014

Alcohol taxes may lead to more number of jobs, improve health

Alcohol tax increases reduce the harms resulting from excessive alcohol consumption, and may lead to a small net increase in the number of jobs, according to new research released today at the American Public Health Association's 142nd Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

20 Nov 2014

A new method for determining onset of elevated influenza activity at community level

Predicting the beginning of influenza outbreaks is notoriously difficult, and can affect prevention and control efforts.

20 Nov 2014

New nutrition standards do not limit added sugar in school meals

New federal regulations requiring school meals to contain more whole grains, less saturated fat and more fruits and vegetables, while perhaps improving some aspects of the food being served at schools across the United States, may also be perpetuating eating habits linked to obesity, diabetes and other diet-related diseases, an analysis by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers has found.

20 Nov 2014

Flusurvey to offer self-administered nasal swab to all participants

People taking part in this year’s Flusurvey, the UK’s biggest crowd-sourced study of influenza will for the first time be offered a swab to confirm if their symptoms are caused by a flu virus or not as part of a new collaboration with i-sense. Data from social media and internet searches will also be combined with Flusurvey, allowing flu trends to be monitored across the UK more accurately and earlier than ever before.

20 Nov 2014

Minimum legal drinking age legislation can have major impact on young drivers in Canada

Minimum legal drinking age legislation in Canada can have a major impact on young drivers, according to a new study from the Northern Medical Program at the University of Northern British Columbia. Drivers just older than the legal age had a significant increase in motor vehicle crashes compared to those immediately under the restriction.

20 Nov 2014