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Impact of Personal Genomics Study to launch data collection phase

As genetic risk information plays an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, private companies have made personal genomic testing for these risk factors widely available to the public. However, very little data has been gathered to understand the motivations and expectations of consumers of personal genomic services, the psychological and behavioral impact of these services, and the associated ethical, legal and social issues—until now.

4 Apr 2012

Study examines alcohol and drugs use patterns in adolescents

A survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. teenagers suggests that most cases of alcohol and drug abuse have their initial onset at this important period of development, according to a report published in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, a JAMA Network publication.

4 Apr 2012

Norway study raises new U.S. mammogram overdiagnosis questions

An analysis showing significant mammogram overdiagnosis in Norway has raised new questions about mammograms in the U.S., where some say the overdiagnosis problem could be more rampant because of how early most women begin getting them.

4 Apr 2012

New County Health Rankings released

Researchers found distinct regional patterns: They reported that excessive drinking rates were highest in the Northern states, while rates of teen births, sexually transmitted infections and children in poverty were highest in the South.

4 Apr 2012

Scientists discover new anti-HCV antibodies

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has found antibodies that can prevent infection from widely differing strains of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in cell culture and animal models.

4 Apr 2012

Brains of people with anorexia and obesity are wired differently

The brains of people with anorexia and obesity are wired differently, according to new research. Neuroscientists for the first time have found that how our brains respond to food differs across a spectrum of eating behaviors - from extreme overeating to food deprivation.

4 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Shouldering the health costs of the 'irresponsible'; Learning from the parallels between Obamacare and the 'war on terror'

The central idea of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -; the formal name of the Obamacare law -; emphasized in the hearings is to spread the cost of health care to ever-larger pools of Americans. In particular, to those who pay low health insurance premiums, the young who choose to have no insurance and the healthy.

4 Apr 2012

IOM releases new report on public health dimensions of epilepsies

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) on March 30th released its new report on the public health dimensions of the epilepsies, the first authoritative independent appraisal of epilepsy and its management in the United States.

3 Apr 2012

InstantLabs receives PTM certification for Salmonella Species Food Safety Kit

InstantLabs Medical Diagnostics Corporation, developer of the portable Hunter Accelerated Real-Time PCR system, today announced that its Salmonella Species Food Safety Kit has been certified as Performance-Tested Methods (PTM) No. 031202 by the AOAC Research Institute.

3 Apr 2012

NSABB recommends full publication of controversial bird flu studies

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) on Friday recommended that revised versions of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu be published in scientific journals, reversing its previous recommendation that the studies only be published if certain details were withheld, the New York Times reports.

3 Apr 2012

PRI's 'The World' examines role of churches in fight against HIV in Swaziland

PRI's "The World" examines the role of churches in the fight against HIV in Swaziland. The news service highlights several church-run HIV programs, writing, "Churches have long played an important role in caring for the sick, but in terms of HIV prevention they've been at odds with the public health community. It has often come down to one issue: until recently, Swazi church leaders publicly rejected the use of condoms by their congregants. But now you hear many comments that suggest a change in thinking."

3 Apr 2012

April issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The April issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial on the WHO research agenda for influenza; a public health round-up; an article on influenza in Ghana; a research paper on population-based burden of influenza-associated hospitalization in rural western Kenya; and a policy paper on the integration of pneumonia prevention and treatment interventions with immunization services in resource-poor countries.

3 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: 'Outrageously high fee' for emergency services; Mysterious rise in autism cases

The calculus for medical charges in general is beyond comprehension, with outrageously high fees used as a starting point in a bizarre game of bargaining. Glenn Melnick, who teaches hospital finance at USC, told me it's as crazy as if he asked to buy the TV in my living room, and I gave him a price of $1 million to start the conversation.

3 Apr 2012

ACOEM joins AHA, ALA and other organizations to formally oppose S.J. Res. 37

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) has joined the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and other leading organizations to formally oppose S.J. Res. 37, a resolution by Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla) that employs the Congressional Review Act to reverse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants.

3 Apr 2012

Report addresses link between energy density and body weight

A new report published online today in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics systematically reviews and updates the evidence underlying the recommendation in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 to consume a diet low in energy density.

3 Apr 2012

Researchers discover multiple genes associated with meconium ileus

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a devastating disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene. In Canada, one in every 3,600 children born has the disease. Researchers have long been puzzled as to how individuals who carry the same CFTR mutations can experience such different courses of disease. Patients with CF are affected in multiple organs such as the lungs, pancreas and liver, to varying degrees.

3 Apr 2012

Controversial study on lethal bird flu virus strain to be published

The controversial study on lethal flu virus strain is likely to be published in full. Last December the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity - NSABB recommended the two papers not be published in full by the journals - Nature and Science. The panel was concerned that details of the studies, which induced mutations in the H5N1 avian flu virus that made it transmissible among mammals by air rather than by close physical contact, could be used for bioterrorism. Critics of the recommendation raised fears that important science was being censored.

2 Apr 2012

Exclusive breastfeeding policy implemented in South Africa amidst criticism

On Sunday, South Africa's nine provinces began promoting the Tshwane Declaration, which "states unequivocal support for [exclusive breastfeeding (EBF)] for all infants up to six months, including HIV-exposed infants, who should receive antiretrovirals (ARVs) to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), as recommended in the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines," Inter Press Service reports.

2 Apr 2012

Metformin prevents primary liver cancer in animal models

Metformin, a drug widely used to treat Type II diabetes, may help to prevent primary liver cancer, researchers at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center report in the April 2012 issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

2 Apr 2012

ERS, ECDC publish European Union Standards for Tuberculosis Care

Today, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) publish their jointly developed European Union Standards for Tuberculosis Care.

2 Apr 2012