Public Health News and Research

RSS

Strength training lowers odds of death in older adults

Older adults who met twice-weekly strength training guidelines had lower odds of dying in a new analysis by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Columbia University. The study is the first to demonstrate the association in a large, nationally representative sample over an extended time period, particularly in an older population.

20 Apr 2016

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine have developed one of the first mouse models for the study of Zika virus. The model will allow researchers to better understand how the virus causes disease and aid in the development of antiviral compounds and vaccines.

20 Apr 2016

Researchers reveal that numerous health websites mislead public on risks of nicotine products

Millions of people visit the websites of the Mayo Clinic, American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others, seeking authoritative health information. But are they receiving it?

20 Apr 2016

FDA expands campaign to educate rural, white male teens about dangers of smokeless tobacco use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today it is expanding its award-winning "The Real Cost" campaign to educate rural, white male teenagers about the negative health consequences associated with smokeless tobacco use. For the first time, messages on the dangers of smokeless tobacco use – including nicotine addiction, gum disease, tooth loss, and multiple kinds of cancer – are being highlighted through the placement of advertisements in 35 U.S. markets specifically selected to reach the campaign's target audience.

20 Apr 2016

Duke-NUS study highlights Zika virus structure and behaviour

An important breakthrough in understanding the Zika virus structure and its behaviour has been highlighted in a study by Duke-NUS Medical School scientists.

20 Apr 2016

Novel strategy for obesity prevention in young children

A novel approach to preventing overweight/obesity in young children by replacing traditional, individual well-child care with a series of group visits that emphasize nutrition-focused interventions during the first 18 months of life was associated with a significantly reduced obesity rate at 2 years of age.

20 Apr 2016

Health systems rely on design thinking for management and innovation

Current health system practices are not sufficient to address growing rates of obesity and diabetes, health and economic disparities and cost control. "A Design Thinking Framework for Healthcare Management and Innovation" argues that addressing these complex challenges will require leaders that can think, and act, more like designers.

19 Apr 2016

Researchers identify biological pathway that explains why current asthma therapies fail in many cases

Asthma is an enormous public health problem that continues to grow larger, in part because scientists don't fully understand how it is caused. Existing therapies don't cure the disease and often don't even significantly alleviate the symptoms. Now, scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University have identified a biological pathway that potentially explains why current asthma therapies don't work well in many cases—and might be targeted to help those patients.

19 Apr 2016

High dietary saturated fat intake may lead to prostate cancer aggressiveness

Eating a diet higher in saturated fat, a type of fat found commonly in foods such as fatty beef and cheese, was linked to more aggressive prostate cancer, a study by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and collaborators has found. The preliminary results were presented Monday, April 18 at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

19 Apr 2016

Researchers reveal how relatively unknown pathogen led to current Zika outbreak

An analysis comparing the individual differences between over 40 strains of Zika virus (30 isolated from humans, 10 from mosquitoes, and 1 from monkeys) has identified significant changes in both amino acid and nucleotide sequences during the past half-century.

18 Apr 2016

More than half of U.S. adults believe today's kids have diminished emotional and mental health

More than half of adults believe children today are more stressed, experience less quality family time and have worse mental and emotional health than children in past generations, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

18 Apr 2016

Reclaimed wastewater irrigated crops expose consumers to minute quantities of anti-epileptic drug

A new study by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Medical Center shows that eating vegetables and fruits grown in soils irrigated with reclaimed wastewater exposes consumers to minute quantities of carbamazepine, an anti-epileptic drug commonly detected in wastewater effluents.

18 Apr 2016

Green vegetation near homes plays important role in reducing mortality

Women live longer in areas with more green vegetation, according to new research funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. Women with the highest levels of vegetation, or greenness, near their homes had a 12 percent lower death rate compared to women with the lowest levels of vegetation near their homes. The results were published Apr. 14, 2016 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

18 Apr 2016

Report highlights parlous state of British children's teeth

The Local Government Association has today published a report that states that around 100 children and teenagers a day are being admitted to hospital for surgery to remove rotten teeth.

18 Apr 2016

Study shows Americans live longer, but in poor health

Americans are living longer but in poorer health, according to a new study. The USC-led study examined life expectancy trends and disability rates in a 40-year period, from 1970 to 2010. The analysis of U.S. vital statistics found that the average total lifespan increased for men and women in those 40 years, but so did the proportion of time spent living with a disability.

18 Apr 2016

Older men receiving testosterone therapy less likely to return to hospital

A new large-scale population-based study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston showed for the first time that older men using testosterone therapy were less likely to have complications that require them to go back to the hospital within a month of being discharged than men not using this therapy. The study is currently available in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

16 Apr 2016

MicroRNAs circulating in blood could lead to first diagnostic test for asthma

People with asthma have telltale molecules circulating in their blood, say researchers at Penn State College of Medicine. The discovery could lead to the first diagnostic blood test for asthma, as well as more targeted treatments for the condition.

16 Apr 2016

Adolescent obesity linked to elevated risk of cardiovascular mortality in midlife

A nationwide study of 2.3 million Israeli adolescents, examined from 1967 through 2010, finds an association between elevated body-mass index in late adolescence, and subsequent cardiovascular mortality in midlife.

16 Apr 2016

Heavy marijuana use may lead to lower dopamine release in the brain

In a recent study, researchers found evidence of a compromised dopamine system in heavy users of marijuana. Lower dopamine release was found in the striatum - a region of the brain that is involved in working memory, impulsive behavior, and attention. Previous studies have shown that addiction to other drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin, have similar effects on dopamine release, but such evidence for cannabis was missing until now.

16 Apr 2016

New study links high-volume lung transplant centers with lower costs, readmissions

High-volume lung transplant centers have lower transplantation costs and their patients are less likely to be readmitted within 30 days of leaving the hospital following surgery, according to a new study of more than 3,000 Medicare patients who received lung transplants.

16 Apr 2016

Public Health News and Research

Strength training lowers odds of death in older adults

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

Researchers reveal that numerous health websites mislead public on risks of nicotine products

FDA expands campaign to educate rural, white male teens about dangers of smokeless tobacco use

Duke-NUS study highlights Zika virus structure and behaviour

Novel strategy for obesity prevention in young children

Health systems rely on design thinking for management and innovation

Researchers identify biological pathway that explains why current asthma therapies fail in many cases

High dietary saturated fat intake may lead to prostate cancer aggressiveness

Researchers reveal how relatively unknown pathogen led to current Zika outbreak

More than half of U.S. adults believe today's kids have diminished emotional and mental health

Reclaimed wastewater irrigated crops expose consumers to minute quantities of anti-epileptic drug

Green vegetation near homes plays important role in reducing mortality

Report highlights parlous state of British children's teeth

Study shows Americans live longer, but in poor health

Older men receiving testosterone therapy less likely to return to hospital

MicroRNAs circulating in blood could lead to first diagnostic test for asthma

Adolescent obesity linked to elevated risk of cardiovascular mortality in midlife

Heavy marijuana use may lead to lower dopamine release in the brain

New study links high-volume lung transplant centers with lower costs, readmissions

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News