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Better access to fresh, local food urged for underprivileged families

Initiatives that improve the ability of socially disadvantaged families to obtain local produce are sorely needed, say US researchers.

1 Nov 2012

Psychotic symptoms increase suicidality risk in adolescents

The presence of psychotic symptoms is associated with a significantly increased risk for suicidal behavior in adolescents, research shows.

1 Nov 2012

Study finds link between severe sepsis and chronic diseases

It's a major cause of death, yet few of us have ever heard of it. Sepsis occurs when a patient's immune system overreacts to an infection, triggering a potentially fatal, system-wide inflammation. Severe sepsis strikes about 750,000 Americans each year, most of them older and often ill, with as many as half of these patients dying as septic shock shuts down their organs. Furthermore, patients in many Southern states are about twice as likely to develop sepsis for reasons unknown.

1 Nov 2012

First Edition: November 1, 2012

Today's headlines include highlights from the campaign trail, from the top of the ticket to some of the attention-grabbing Senate races across the country, as well as a report that the Obama administration will not oppose efforts to reopen the religious challenge to the health law.

1 Nov 2012

Ischemic stroke: an interview with Dr Gregory Ford

A stroke is a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain which deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients. Approximately two millions brain cells die each minute during a stroke. This can lead to brain damage, physical and mental disability and death.

1 Nov 2012

Polio eradication efforts helping to improve other health indicators

"The world is on the verge of a great success story: the eradication of polio," John Hewko, CEO and general secretary of Rotary International, and Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and special adviser to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, write in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

1 Nov 2012

Few U.S. medical schools provide effective training on how to address weight issues in obese patients

It's no secret that obesity is a major problem in America. More than one-third of adults and one-sixth of children are obese and it is one of the leading causes of preventable death. The costs associated with obesity are estimated at $99 million annually, comparable to the economic toll of cigarette smoking.

1 Nov 2012

Low literacy strongly predicts childbearing among US teens

New research released today at the American Public Health Association's 140th Annual Meeting in San Francisco builds on previous knowledge about the link between teen pregnancy and social inequities internationally and suggests that, independent of other factors, low literacy in pre-teen girls strongly predicts childbearing among US teens.

1 Nov 2012

Study finds how effective healthcare can reduce toll from major diseases like stroke, cancer

Wide differences in death rates from disease still persist throughout England - but effective healthcare can help to reduce these inequalities, a new study has discovered.

1 Nov 2012

Novartis resumes distribution of two seasonal influenza vaccines in Canada

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. has announced it is resuming distribution of two seasonal influenza vaccines in Canada, Fluad and Agriflu, following the announcement by Health Canada earlier today that it has completed its review of safety information for Agriflu and Fluad and is releasing the two vaccines for immediate use.

1 Nov 2012

New index can help clinicians assess patients' prosthetic arm progress

Amputees with a new prosthetic arm must learn how to use their device to perform everyday tasks that were once second nature. Taking off a shirt becomes a conscious, multistep effort: grasp the shirt, lift the shirt over the head, pull arms through the sleeves, place the shirt on the table, let go of the shirt.

1 Nov 2012

Chronic kidney disease associated with increased risk of death regardless of age

A new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium found that chronic kidney disease and its complications were associated with a higher risk of death regardless of age.

1 Nov 2012

Study examines impact of school-based obesity intervention program

Soda consumption, TV and video/computer games, and the frequency of meals heavily influenced students' weight in an Indiana University study that examined the impact of a school-based obesity intervention program over an 18-month period.

1 Nov 2012

Regular exercise does not impact amount of time women spend sitting

Women who exercise regularly spend as much time sitting as women who don't, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

1 Nov 2012

Medicare news: Health spending on seniors grew faster in U.S. than Canada; Plan to cut costs on dual eligibles raises questions

A new study finds that U.S. spending grew nearly three times faster since 1980 than Canada's spending on a similar population group.

1 Nov 2012

Affordable Medicines Facility improves access to anti-malarials

The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria has resulted in significant improvements in the availability and price of quality-assured artemisinin-based combination therapies in seven African countries after 1 year, show study findings published in The Lancet.

31 Oct 2012

Access to malaria drugs transformed by new global subsidy

A new international scheme providing lifesaving antimalarial drugs at cheap subsidised prices has rapidly transformed access to effective artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) in seven African countries accounting for a quarter of the world’s malaria cases, and could save millions of lives.

31 Oct 2012

Cost of searching for fountain of youth exceeds cost for medications to treat chronic disease

The cost of searching for the fountain of youth has become increasingly expensive and now exceeds the cost for medications used to treat chronic disease, according to new research released today at the American Public Health Association's 140th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

31 Oct 2012

Development of children with ASD much like that of children without ASD at 6 months of age

The development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is much like that of children without ASD at 6 months of age, but differs afterwards. That's the main finding of the largest prospective, longitudinal study to date comparing children with early and later diagnosis of ASD with children without ASD. The study appears in the journal Child Development and has implications for clinical work, public health, and policy.

31 Oct 2012

High vitamin D levels associated with protection against bladder cancer

High levels of vitamin D are associated with protection against bladder cancer, according to a multidisciplinary study coordinated by molecular biologists and epidemiologists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), the conclusions of which are being published today in the Journal of National Cancer Institute (JNCI) .

31 Oct 2012