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Early life exposure to lead can alter gut microbiota, contribute to increased body weight in adulthood

Exposure to lead during early development can alter the the gut microbiota, increasing the chances for obesity in adulthood, researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health have found.

11 Mar 2016

Birth of a sibling potentially associated with healthier BMIs for children by first grade

Becoming a big brother or big sister before first grade may lower a child's risk of becoming obese, a new study led by the University of Michigan suggests.

11 Mar 2016

Scientists identify novel gene variants associated with childhood BMI

An international team of scientists has identified novel gene locations associated with childhood body mass index (BMI)--an important measurement related to childhood obesity. The meta-analysis, covering over 47,000 children, is the largest genetic study to date of childhood BMI.

11 Mar 2016

Popular kidney cancer drugs do not reduce incidence of recurrence

Two widely used targeted therapy drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of metastatic kidney cancer—sorafenib and sunitinib—are no more effective than a placebo in preventing return of the disease to increase life spans of patients suffering from advanced kidney cancer after surgery, according to a new multi-institutional study in the Lancet led by a researcher at the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

10 Mar 2016

Newly released Dietary Guidelines ignore environmental provisions, sustainable agriculture practices

A national survey of 800 Americans shows that 74 percent of adults believe the newly released Dietary Guidelines should include environmental provisions and support sustainable agriculture practices.

10 Mar 2016

World Kidney Day 2016 focuses on children

On Thursday March 10th we are celebrating the 11th edition of World Kidney Day (WKD), a joint initiative organized by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF).

10 Mar 2016

Is the global diet getting sweeter? An interview with Professor Barry Popkin

In the past, caloric sweeteners simply referred to cane sugar or beet sugar. However, over time we've created hundreds of different sugars that are all providing calories of the same amount, about four calories for every gram of the sugar. Some examples include corn syrups and more processed sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup.

10 Mar 2016

Hot weather affects health of migratory farmworkers, finds UTHealth study

Hot weather is significantly associated with clinical visits among migratory farmworkers compared to other patients, according to a study by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) published recently in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

10 Mar 2016

Victims of sexual abuse stop breastfeeding early, study finds

More than two out of ten women who have been victims of sexual abuse as children are likely to stop breastfeeding before their babies reach four months, according to a new study.

10 Mar 2016

IUPUI researcher awarded $1.1 million grant to develop tools to improve care for chronic pain patients

An Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis researcher has been awarded $1.1 million to develop information-based tools to help primary care providers improve care for patients with chronic pain, a condition that affects 100 million Americans at a cost of $630 billion annually in health care costs and lost worker productivity.

10 Mar 2016

Adding ultrasound or tomosynthesis to standard mammograms can detect missed cancers in dense breasts

Adding either tomosynthesis (a form of 3D mammography) or ultrasound scans to standard mammograms can detect breast cancers that would have been missed in women with dense breasts, according to an interim analysis of a trial comparing these two additional screening technologies.

10 Mar 2016

Overprescribing of opioids leads to serious public health problems

Overprescribing of opioids and opioid addiction are serious and growing public health problems in the U.S., and are the focus of a new report by an expert panel, entitled The American Opioid Epidemic: Population Health Implications and Potential Solutions," from the National Stakeholder Panel, Jefferson College of Population Health, which is published in a special supplement to Population Health Management, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The supplement is available open access on the Population Health Managementwebsite

10 Mar 2016

Early childhood presents short-lived window for intervention to ensure future cardio-metabolic health

Research conducted at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health has found that exposure to poverty does not produce metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers in young, healthy children. It identifies early childhood as an opportunity to prevent a known association in adults between poverty and the metabolic syndrome. The study is one of the first to characterize the timing of exposure to such stress and the emergence of the physiologic changes leading to cardio-metabolic disease and to document these relationships during this critical developmental period.

10 Mar 2016

Nearly half of African-American adults at risk of developing hypertension

The stats are too familiar: Nearly half of African-American adults are at risk of developing hypertension, a rate significantly higher than that of any other group in the United States. Hypertension-related ailments, such as strokes and end-stage renal disease, account for 20 percent of all deaths among African-Americans.

10 Mar 2016

Use of OTC medication not always a smart decision for yeast infection

Itching, burning, redness—a yeast infection can be a total pain. While they aren't life-threatening, yeast infections are irritating—both physically and mentally. So, when undesirable symptoms appear 'down there,' should you consult your physician or self diagnose and treat with over-the-counter medications?

9 Mar 2016

Startling lack of resistance genes discovered in intensively-farmed beef

In the first study to track antibiotic resistance in intensively-farmed beef, scientists discovered a "startling" lack of resistance genes in meat.Meanwhile, in soil and faeces samples from cattle pens they found genes resistant to a powerful "last resort" class of antibiotics called carpabemens that aren't used in the livestock industry. These genes may have jumped from humans or companion animals to livestock, or could even be present at low levels in the wider environment.

9 Mar 2016

Columbia University researchers find link between firearm-related laws and firearm homicides

A study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health looked at the associations between firearm-related laws and firearm homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries and deaths. The paper is the first to explore the evidence from around the world on gun laws and gun violence to determine whether gun restrictions help reduce gun deaths. While the research did not conclusively prove that restrictions, or relaxation of laws, reduce gun deaths, the results indicate that gun violence tended to decline after countries passed new restrictions on gun purchasing and ownership

9 Mar 2016

Alcohol worst of all drugs that affect fetal health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set off a firestorm of controversy this month when they suggested that women stop drinking alcohol if they are trying to get pregnant, or could get pregnant. Some people took this advice as the CDC prioritizing hypothetical, yet-to-be-conceived children over real women, which has brought up a number of issues from female autonomy to access to birth control—but how clear is the science about what causes fetal alcohol syndrome and related fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

9 Mar 2016

Physicians miss opportunities for detection and management of people with prediabetes

Less than one-quarter of patients who met the criteria for prediabetes received drug or lifestyle modification treatment from their primary care physician, according to University of Florida researchers, who say the findings indicate physicians are missing opportunities for diabetes prevention.

9 Mar 2016

Study: 40% of U.S. infants from low-income families do not receive rotavirus vaccination

Rotavirus (RV) infection is the leading cause of diarrheal disease in young children worldwide, causing more than half a million deaths of children aged <5 years annually, according to the World Health Organization. There are two safe and effective RV vaccines, pentavalent Rotateq (Merck) and monovalent Rotarix (GSK), yet global coverage remains below 20% of children.

9 Mar 2016

Public Health News and Research

Early life exposure to lead can alter gut microbiota, contribute to increased body weight in adulthood

Birth of a sibling potentially associated with healthier BMIs for children by first grade

Scientists identify novel gene variants associated with childhood BMI

Popular kidney cancer drugs do not reduce incidence of recurrence

Newly released Dietary Guidelines ignore environmental provisions, sustainable agriculture practices

World Kidney Day 2016 focuses on children

Is the global diet getting sweeter? An interview with Professor Barry Popkin

Hot weather affects health of migratory farmworkers, finds UTHealth study

Victims of sexual abuse stop breastfeeding early, study finds

IUPUI researcher awarded $1.1 million grant to develop tools to improve care for chronic pain patients

Adding ultrasound or tomosynthesis to standard mammograms can detect missed cancers in dense breasts

Overprescribing of opioids leads to serious public health problems

Early childhood presents short-lived window for intervention to ensure future cardio-metabolic health

Nearly half of African-American adults at risk of developing hypertension

Use of OTC medication not always a smart decision for yeast infection

Startling lack of resistance genes discovered in intensively-farmed beef

Columbia University researchers find link between firearm-related laws and firearm homicides

Alcohol worst of all drugs that affect fetal health

Physicians miss opportunities for detection and management of people with prediabetes

Study: 40% of U.S. infants from low-income families do not receive rotavirus vaccination

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