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Young children need to be supervised while in showers and bathtubs: American Academy of Pediatrics

Bathtubs and showers are frequently associated with injuries to children. Although interventions have been initiated to prevent injuries due to submersions and hot water scalds, little attention has been paid to slips, trips and falls, which account for more than 80 percent of bathtub- and shower-related injuries.

2 Sep 2009

Union leaders hope to restore relevance in push for health reform

"The man expected to become the AFL-CIO's next president said Monday that lawmakers would pay a political price if they abandon a government-run option in any health care overhaul. 'We need to be a labor movement that stands by our friends, punishes its enemies and challenges those who, well, can't seem to decide which side they're on,' said Richard Trumka, currently the AFL-CIO's secretary-treasurer."

2 Sep 2009

Michigan newborn blood spot data to help understand causes of celebral palsy

A statewide team of researchers led by a Michigan State University epidemiologist are hoping Michigan's archive of newborn blood spots will help them uncover the causes of cerebral palsy, the most common disabling motor disorder in children with annual health costs of $12 billion.

2 Sep 2009

Study: Retail clinics offer quality care

Retail walk-in medical clinics offer quality care, according to a new study. U.S. News & World Report reports: "Writing in the Sept. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, study author Dr. Ateev Mehrotra said that retail clinics — which are typically staffed by nurse practitioners and found in drug stores and other retail chain stores such as Target and Wal-Mart — provide a good standard of care for sore throat, ear infections and urinary tract infections. Mehrotra is an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a policy analyst at Rand Health."

2 Sep 2009

Single-dose H1N1 vaccine wins approval in China

The Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. on Monday announced its H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine won the approval of a panel of experts from China's State Food and Drug Administration, the Associated Press/Forbes reports. The company expects to obtain a production license later this week. According to the company, clinical trials of the H1N1 vaccine showed a single shot produced an immune response capable of protecting against H1N1 (8/31).

2 Sep 2009

White House: Key GOP senator has 'walked away' from negotiations

The Obama administration struck back at Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi's Saturday remarks that proposed health reforms "will actually make our nation's finances sicker without saving you money," Bloomberg/The Washington Post reports. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the remarks "tremendously unfortunate but in some ways illuminating."

2 Sep 2009

Population growth in cities exacerbates transmission of dengue

"The rapid growth of crowded cities has helped spread and increase the transmission of dengue around the world, health experts said on Tuesday, warning up to 3 billion people were already at risk," Reuters reports.

2 Sep 2009

Playing Tetris may increase brain efficiency

Brain imaging shows playing Tetris leads to a thicker cortex and may also increase brain efficiency, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Research Notes. A research team based in New Mexico is one of the first to investigate the effects of practice in the brain using two image techniques.

2 Sep 2009

Republicans keeping August heat on in September

Republicans hoping to continue their efforts to win public support against a public plan in health care reform pledge to keep their steam in September while Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley's position on the public option is assailed by liberals.

2 Sep 2009

Lab results shows H1N1 virus does not change into virulent superbug

A laboratory study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that some of the worst fears about a virulent H1N1 pandemic flu season may not be realized this year, but does demonstrate the heightened communicability of the virus.

2 Sep 2009

World Climate Conference calls for global weather surveillance system, says could help predict disease outbreaks

The U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Monday opened the World Climate Conference - a week of talks in Geneva aimed at establishing a better global weather surveillance system to provide countries with "earlier, more accurate warnings about hurricanes, droughts and floods," the Associated Press reports.

2 Sep 2009

New research on post-traumatic stress disorder to be presented at MHRF

New research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is being presented this week at the Military Health Research Forum (MHRF), a scientific conference hosted by the Department of Defense (DOD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Depending on the conflict in which they served, 10 to 30 percent of soldiers who have spent time in war zones experience the debilitating and life-altering symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

2 Sep 2009

Las Vegas man's experience with health system shows best and worst of care

The New York Times reports on one man's struggle with the health care system: "In the debate about health care overhaul, there are countless stories of families saddled with hospital bills and unemployed workers who have lost their insurance.

2 Sep 2009

Hexokinase 2 gene highly expressed in brain metastasis in breast cancer patients

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have identified a gene that may play a role in breast cancer metastasis to the brain, according to a report in Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Sep 2009

The Leverhulme Trust funds researchers for understanding the relationship between agricultural production and population health

Pioneering researchers coordinated by the London International Development Centre (LIDC) have won approximately £3.5m to address the global food security crisis by investigating the neglected links between agriculture and health. Their programme, funded by The Leverhulme Trust, bridges traditional disciplines and aims to create a new holistic paradigm for understanding the relationship between agricultural production and population health.

2 Sep 2009

Condoms reduce risk of herpes simplex virus 2

Condom use is associated with a reduced risk of contracting herpes simplex virus 2, according to a report based on pooled analysis of data from previous studies in the July 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

2 Sep 2009

NF-kappa B inhibitors protect against toxicity during radiation treatment

Directly inhibiting the activity of a key protein mediator of inflammation reduced radiation toxicity in zebrafish embryos, and may ultimately be of help to patients receiving radiation therapy, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.

2 Sep 2009