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Researchers find link between social behaviors among children and exposure to flame retardants

Some chemicals added to furniture, electronics and numerous other goods to prevent fires may have unintended developmental consequences for young children, according to a pilot study released today.

10 Mar 2017

Researchers urge health agencies to develop clear guidelines for disclosing foodborne illness outbreaks

There's an ongoing debate among public health officials about how quickly they should notify the public about foodborne illness outbreaks, and how much information should be shared.

9 Mar 2017

Medicare's prescription drug benefit program reduced elderly mortality by 2.2%, study shows

A new paper co-written by a University of Illinois expert in health care economics provides the first evidence that the increase in drug utilization attributable to Medicare Part D saved lives.

9 Mar 2017

New diagnostic test aims to accurately track progression of symptoms in MS patients

With a recent two-year, $833,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, kinesiology professor Richard van Emmerik and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst hope to eventually help an estimated 1 million people worldwide living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) by creating an improved diagnostic test for this form of the disease, which is characterized by a steady decrease in nervous system function.

9 Mar 2017

Researchers reveal hereditary nature of bilateral tinnitus

Researchers have been able to demonstrate the hereditary nature of certain forms of tinnitus. Bilateral tinnitus - that is, tinnitus in both ears - has been shown to depend on genetic factors, particularly in men.

9 Mar 2017

Daily consumption of dairy products during pregnancy reduces risk of having low birth weight babies

A study led by the University of Granada has linked the consumption of dairy products (milk, fresh cheese, yogurt or cottage cheese) during pregnancy with a lower risk of having a low birth weight newborn.

9 Mar 2017

Study finds decrease in sexual violence perpetration and victimization among high school students

University of Kentucky researchers have observed a significant reduction in sexual violence perpetration and victimization among Kentucky high school students, according to a recently published study on the "Green Dot" bystander intervention program.

9 Mar 2017

Greater time spent in physical activities linked to lower presence of cardiometabolic risk factors

Greater time spent in physical activities with moderate-high intensity and less time devoted to sedentary activities, such as watching television, are associated with a lower presence of cardiometabolic risk factors including obesity, diabetes and certain individual components of metabolic syndrome, according to the first results published from the multicentric study PREDIMED-PLUS.

9 Mar 2017

Direct communication could increase rate of women returning for breast cancer screening with MRI

A study published in the journal Health Communications shows that women at high risk for breast cancer who received a letter informing them of their options for additional imaging with contrast-enhanced MRI of the breast (in addition to a letter sent to their primary care physician) were more likely to return to the center for additional screening with MRI.

9 Mar 2017

Researcher explores how neighborhood influences residents' physical activity and overall well-being

How physically active are you? It might depend, in part, on what type of neighborhood you live in, says Adriana Zuniga-Teran, a postdoctoral research associate in the University of Arizona's Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy.

9 Mar 2017

Increase in minimum wage would reduce births by adolescent parents

A $1 increase in the minimum wage would likely reduce the U.S. adolescent birth rate by about 2 percent, according to new Indiana University research.

9 Mar 2017

WHO report: 1.7 million children die every year due to unhealthy environments

More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years are attributable to unhealthy environments. Every year, environmental risks – such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation and inadequate hygiene – take the lives of 1.7 million children under 5 years, say two new World Health Organization reports.

9 Mar 2017

New paper pump technology opens door to range of biomedical tools, microfluidic devices

Biomedical engineering researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed inexpensive paper pumps that use capillary action to power portable microfluidic devices, opening the door to a range of biomedical tools.

9 Mar 2017

Chinese famine studies show no increase in chronic diseases except for schizophrenia

A new systematic re-analysis of all previous studies of long-term health effects of prenatal exposure to the Chinese Famine of 1959-61 by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health shows no increases in diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions among famine births except for schizophrenia.

9 Mar 2017

Hormone secreted by bone cells can suppress appetite, mice study reveals

A hormone secreted by bone cells can suppress appetite, according to mouse studies conducted by Columbia University Medical Center researchers.

8 Mar 2017

Improving women's health can lead to sharp reduction in domestic violence, study shows

Chronically ill low-income women who thought they were dying experienced a sharp reduction in domestic violence after getting access to a life-saving treatment, a Johns Hopkins University-led study found.

8 Mar 2017

Decreasing antibiotic use can lead to reductions in spread of deadly bacteria

Reducing antibiotic use in intensive care units by even small amounts can significantly decrease transmission of dangerous multidrug-resistant organisms, according to new research published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

8 Mar 2017

High levels of folate during pregnancy may decrease hypertension risk in children

A new article published in the American Journal of Hypertension finds that babies born to mothers with cardiometabolic risk factors were less likely to develop high blood pressure if their mothers had higher levels of folate during pregnancy.

8 Mar 2017

Parental concerns about safety, side effects may negatively influence uptake of child flu vaccine

The first study investigating parental attitudes towards the UK's child flu vaccine has found concerns about safety and side effects may negatively influence uptake, and recommends that public health messages need to be reinforced.

8 Mar 2017

Nearly half of all deaths caused by diabetes, stroke and heart disease linked to poor dietary habits

Nearly half of all deaths in the United States in 2012 that were caused by cardiometabolic diseases, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, have been linked to substandard eating habits, according to a study published in the March 7 issue of JAMA and funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

8 Mar 2017

Public Health News and Research

Researchers find link between social behaviors among children and exposure to flame retardants

Researchers urge health agencies to develop clear guidelines for disclosing foodborne illness outbreaks

Medicare's prescription drug benefit program reduced elderly mortality by 2.2%, study shows

New diagnostic test aims to accurately track progression of symptoms in MS patients

Researchers reveal hereditary nature of bilateral tinnitus

Daily consumption of dairy products during pregnancy reduces risk of having low birth weight babies

Study finds decrease in sexual violence perpetration and victimization among high school students

Greater time spent in physical activities linked to lower presence of cardiometabolic risk factors

Direct communication could increase rate of women returning for breast cancer screening with MRI

Researcher explores how neighborhood influences residents' physical activity and overall well-being

Increase in minimum wage would reduce births by adolescent parents

WHO report: 1.7 million children die every year due to unhealthy environments

New paper pump technology opens door to range of biomedical tools, microfluidic devices

Chinese famine studies show no increase in chronic diseases except for schizophrenia

Hormone secreted by bone cells can suppress appetite, mice study reveals

Improving women's health can lead to sharp reduction in domestic violence, study shows

Decreasing antibiotic use can lead to reductions in spread of deadly bacteria

High levels of folate during pregnancy may decrease hypertension risk in children

Parental concerns about safety, side effects may negatively influence uptake of child flu vaccine

Nearly half of all deaths caused by diabetes, stroke and heart disease linked to poor dietary habits

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