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Some insurance plans of Affordable Care Act have no in-network physicians in key specialties

In a study of federal marketplace insurance plans, nearly 15 percent completely lacked in-network physicians for at least 1 specialty, a practice found among multiple states and issuers, raising concerns regarding patient access to specialty care, according to a study in the October 27 issue of JAMA.

28 Oct 2015

Watching too much TV increases risk of death

On average, 80% of American adults watch 3.5 hours of television per day and multiple observational studies have demonstrated a link between TV viewing and poorer health. In this new study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, investigators reported an association between increasing hours of television viewing per day and increasing risk of death from most of the major causes of death in the United States.

28 Oct 2015

Snakebite claims thousands of lives every year but remains a 'forgotten killer'

Snakebite claims thousands of lives in the world's poorest communities every year but remains a 'forgotten killer,' according to a new editorial published in the British Medical Journal.

28 Oct 2015

Testing amniotic fluid could guide doctors to make delivery planning decisions for preterm births

Analyzing gene expression of an expectant mother's amniotic fluid could give doctors an important tool for deciding when it is safe to deliver premature babies.

28 Oct 2015

Praziquantel treatment safe for pregnant women after first trimester

A study by Rhode Island Hospital researchers confirmed that a drug used to treat a disease afflicting millions of people in developing countries is safe to give pregnant women following their first trimester. The finding could prove critical to the care of pregnant women and lactating women with schistosomiasis, a disease caused by a parasitic worm, who were denied the drug out of concern for their health and the health of their fetuses.

28 Oct 2015

Diabetic patients at increased risk for developing surgical site infections

Diabetic patients are at considerably increased risk for developing surgical site infections (SSIs) while undergoing most types of surgeries, compared to non-diabetic patients, according to a new study published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

28 Oct 2015

Imlygic approved for treatment of melanoma lesions in the skin and lymph nodes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Imlygic (talimogene laherparepvec), the first FDA-approved oncolytic virus therapy, for the treatment of melanoma lesions in the skin and lymph nodes.

28 Oct 2015

Infections with Lone star ticks appear to be surging but deaths are not, new study reveals

A mild disease spread by the aggressive Lone star tick that is now colonizing large swaths of the United States is being mistaken for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, according to a new study from scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

28 Oct 2015

Reducing sugar intake reverses chronic metabolic diseases in children

Reducing consumption of added sugar, even without reducing calories or losing weight, has the power to reverse a cluster of chronic metabolic diseases, including high cholesterol and blood pressure, in children in as little as 10 days, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco and Touro University California.

27 Oct 2015

Lower doses of chemicals found in personal care products may contribute to breast cancer risk

Estrogen-mimicking chemicals called parabens, which are commonly found in an array of personal care products, may be more dangerous at lower doses than previously thought, according to a new study.

27 Oct 2015

New computer model predicts levels of HIV care engagement

A computer model developed by Johns Hopkins health care delivery specialists predicts that strengthening a handful of efforts to keep people with HIV in lifetime care, along with more rigorous testing, would potentially avert a projected 752,000 new HIV infections and 276,000 AIDS deaths in the United States alone over the next 20 years.

27 Oct 2015

Study: Green office environments influence cognitive function performance of workers

People who work in well-ventilated offices with below-average levels of indoor pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) have significantly higher cognitive functioning scores--in crucial areas such as responding to a crisis or developing strategy--than those who work in offices with typical levels, according to a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Center for Health and the Global Environment, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and Syracuse University.

27 Oct 2015

Many young women not receiving adequate counseling on heart disease

Only half of younger heart attack patients believed that they were at risk before the onset of an attack, and even fewer discussed health risks with their doctors, according to Yale School of Public Health researchers. The findings were more pronounced among women than men.

27 Oct 2015

Open-heart patients may have been exposed to infection-causing bacteria during surgery, York Hospital warns

In an effort to ensure the safety of patients, WellSpan York Hospital recently began notifying approximately 1,300 open-heart surgery patients of possible exposure to bacteria during open-heart surgery procedures performed between Oct. 1, 2011 and July 24, 2015.

27 Oct 2015

Taking steps to prevent, protect against flu

With flu season approaching, parents may be bracing for an outbreak at their children's schools, but adults are also highly susceptible at work and in other public places. Now is the time for families and businesses to take steps to prevent and protect against the flu.

27 Oct 2015

Researchers find that pregnant women in Brooklyn have highest level of methyl paraben, propyl paraben

Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Arizona State University have published the first study of levels of parabens - antibacterial substances commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics and other products - in human cord blood samples. The researchers found that a cohort of pregnant women in Brooklyn predominantly of Caribbean- and African-American descent had the highest level worldwide of methyl paraben and propyl paraben.

26 Oct 2015

Major shift needed in global fight against tuberculosis, say researchers

Unless there is a major shift in the way the world fights tuberculosis--from a reliance on biomedical solutions to an approach that combines biomedical interventions with social actions--the epidemic and drug resistance will worsen, say researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

26 Oct 2015

Localisation of policies crucial to China's health reforms, new studies suggest

Two new studies, published in The Lancet, reveal for the first time how health in different regions of China has changed in recent decades. The articles analyse life expectancy, causes of death, and child mortality for 31 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions of China, and Hongkong and Macao special administrative regions, finding that in the last two decades, life expectancy has risen, and deaths in children under 5 years have fallen, in every province.

26 Oct 2015

Incidences of preeclampsia dramatically increase in the U.S.

A study published recently in the American Journal of Perinatology reports a dramatic increase in the incidence of preeclampsia in the United States. Preeclampsia and early onset preeclampsia have grown 67 percent and 140 percent respectively over the past two decades.

26 Oct 2015

Inhibiting JAK family of enzymes promotes rapid hair growth, new study finds

Inhibiting a family of enzymes inside hair follicles that are suspended in a resting state restores hair growth, a new study from researchers at Columbia University Medical Center has found.

26 Oct 2015

Public Health News and Research

Some insurance plans of Affordable Care Act have no in-network physicians in key specialties

Watching too much TV increases risk of death

Snakebite claims thousands of lives every year but remains a 'forgotten killer'

Testing amniotic fluid could guide doctors to make delivery planning decisions for preterm births

Praziquantel treatment safe for pregnant women after first trimester

Diabetic patients at increased risk for developing surgical site infections

Imlygic approved for treatment of melanoma lesions in the skin and lymph nodes

Infections with Lone star ticks appear to be surging but deaths are not, new study reveals

Reducing sugar intake reverses chronic metabolic diseases in children

Lower doses of chemicals found in personal care products may contribute to breast cancer risk

New computer model predicts levels of HIV care engagement

Study: Green office environments influence cognitive function performance of workers

Many young women not receiving adequate counseling on heart disease

Open-heart patients may have been exposed to infection-causing bacteria during surgery, York Hospital warns

Taking steps to prevent, protect against flu

Researchers find that pregnant women in Brooklyn have highest level of methyl paraben, propyl paraben

Major shift needed in global fight against tuberculosis, say researchers

Localisation of policies crucial to China's health reforms, new studies suggest

Incidences of preeclampsia dramatically increase in the U.S.

Inhibiting JAK family of enzymes promotes rapid hair growth, new study finds

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