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Folic acid supplements reduce risk of giving birth to children with autism

Women who took folic acid supplements in early pregnancy almost halved the risk of having a child with autism. Beginning to take folic acid supplements later in pregnancy did not reduce the risk.

13 Feb 2013

Excess weight gain, obesity during pregnancy may increase risk of macrosomia

Epidemiologists at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have found that pre-pregnancy obesity and excess weight gain during pregnancy in African-American women are associated with an increased risk of giving birth to an abnormally large baby.

13 Feb 2013

Researchers call for increased regulation of food, drink companies for improvement of global public health

"Multinational food, drink and alcohol companies are using strategies similar to those employed by the tobacco industry to undermine public health policies, health experts said on Tuesday," Reuters reports.

13 Feb 2013

Pac-fico Salud and Johns Hopkins sign landmark affiliation agreement

World-class standards for clinical outcomes and patient safety are at the core of a landmark affiliation agreement signed today between Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) and Pac-fico S.A. Entidad Prestadora de Salud (Pac-fico Salud), a Lima, Peru-based subsidiary of Credicorp Ltd.

13 Feb 2013

LASAG trial for severe influenza initiated

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12 Feb 2013

UV prevention measures may influence rheumatoid arthritis incidence

Increased ultraviolet-B exposure reduces the risk for rheumatoid arthritis in women, US researchers suggest, but the drive to protect against skin cancer in recent years may have negated this benefit.

12 Feb 2013

Study finds reduced insulin effectiveness, high blood pressure in first-born children

Long a source of sibling rivalry, birth order may raise the risk of first-born children developing diabetes or high blood pressure, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

12 Feb 2013

Community health workers can help individuals better manage their diabetes

Newly published results from a randomized controlled clinical trial in the Pacific U.S. territory of American Samoa add clear evidence for the emerging idea that community health workers can meaningfully improve type 2 diabetes care in medically underserved communities.

12 Feb 2013

FDA hears concerns on new narcotic pain pill rules

Survivors of those who died from opioid overdoses urge changes in the drugs' labels, but some patients express concerns that they might have trouble getting the drugs.

11 Feb 2013

Wichita State associate professor writes two books about flu

The flu: It's a popular topic of conversation lately, as most people probably know someone who has gotten sick this winter. But for Wichita State associate professor George Dehner, the flu is a year-round focus. Dehner, who teaches world and environmental history, recently wrote two books about the flu.

11 Feb 2013

HHS turns down Miss. Insurance Commissioner's bid for exchange

Commissioner Mike Chaney wanted to set up a state-based marketplace for insurance to open next year as part of the health overhaul, but federal officials said the Mississippi governor's opposition made it impossible for the exchange to function as required by law.

10 Feb 2013

Global response to possible H5N1 flu outbreak could affect epidemic's course

"It's been a rough flu season this winter in the United States and Europe, but it could be worse. A lot worse," science writer Carl Zimmer states in National Geographic's "Phenomena: The Loom" blog.

10 Feb 2013

Roundup: Assisted suicide legalization urged; Abortion bill tensions in Wash., Ore.; Budget squeezes in Ga., Conn.

A push for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide is under way in a half-dozen states where proponents say they see strong support for allowing doctors to prescribe mentally competent, dying individuals with the medications needed to end their own lives. ... Groups such as Compassion & Choices, a national end-of-life advocacy organization, have been working to advance the cause.

10 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: Brewer's stance on Medicaid expansion may signal important shift in GOP; A shrinking government--except for health care

Jan Brewer, Arizona's feisty Republican governor, is better known for wagging her finger at President Obama than for linking arms with him. That's why Brewer's recent announcement that her state intends to join the expansion of Medicaid central to Obama's health care law may represent an important shift. If even Brewer, who has battled repeatedly with Obama, finds the case for expansion compelling, other Republican governors now resisting may also reconsider.

10 Feb 2013

Health care action at state capitols: Hospital fees, abortion, nurses' power to write prescriptions

Lawmakers around the country consider a bevy of bills related to health policy.

10 Feb 2013

Social networking sites could effectively help prevent HIV infection among at-risk groups

Facebook and other social networking technologies could serve as effective tools for preventing HIV infection among at-risk groups, new UCLA research suggests.

9 Feb 2013

New technique can detect mercury contamination in water

Chemists at the University of Burgos (Spain) have manufactured a sheet that changes colour in the presence of water contaminated with mercury. The results can be seen with the naked eye but when photographing the membrane with a mobile phone the concentration of this extremely toxic metal can be quantified.

9 Feb 2013

High prevalence of total knee replacement revealed

Research highlights the growing use of total knee replacement in the USA among patients with osteoarthritis and the associated healthcare burden.

8 Feb 2013

Education and response programs reduce opioid overdose deaths

Results from a US study suggest that a state-supported program of overdose education and nasal naloxone distribution for potential bystanders can help reduce opioid-related overdose deaths.

8 Feb 2013

Conference attendees express concern over growing burden of NCDs

Inter Press Service reports on "a conference organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) on World Cancer Day [February 4] in Geneva," during which experts warned about the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) -- "cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, among others" -- especially in low- and middle-income countries.

7 Feb 2013