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Rural Americans more likely to be obese than city dwellers

A new study finds that Americans living in rural areas are more likely to be obese than city dwellers. Published in the National Rural Health Association's Fall 2012 Journal of Rural Health, the study indicates that residential location may play an important role in the obesity epidemic.

14 Sep 2012

Longer looks: The smells to treat PTSD; Nudging healthy choices; When a disabled daughter was shunned

On an Orlando college campus, veterans and active duty soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder inhale the unmistakable smell of burning tires, rotting garbage and Middle Eastern spices as part of a virtual reality treatment for the psychological wounds of war. Participants sit in a chair wearing a head-mounted display and video goggles connected to a computer system and a scent machine that puffs out the odors, recreating their memories of war.

14 Sep 2012

Researchers clone T-cell receptor that binds to antigens associated with prostate and breast cancer

Researchers at Uppsala University have cloned a T-cell receptor that binds to an antigen associated with prostate cancer and breast cancer. T cells that have been genetically equipped with this T-cell receptor have the ability to specifically kill prostate and breast cancer cells.

14 Sep 2012

SAMHSA announces STOP ACT grant program to prevent underage drinking

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Pamela S. Hyde today announced the award and anticipated future funding of 81 new grants, totaling up to $15.1 million over four years, to prevent underage drinking through the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP ACT) grant program.

14 Sep 2012

Moderate exercise may help people cope with future anxiety and stress

Moderate exercise may help people cope with anxiety and stress for an extended period of time post-workout, according to a study by kinesiology researchers in the University of Maryland School of Public Health published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

14 Sep 2012

Message delivery vital to successful obesity prevention

The way that an anti-obesity message is delivered to people who are overweight or obese impacts dramatically on how successful campaigns are at motivating people to lose weight, say researchers.

13 Sep 2012

Dabigatran increasingly being used off-label

Dabigatran has increasingly been used for off-label indications, including venous thromboembolism, in the USA between 2007 and 2011, a study suggests.

13 Sep 2012

People with family history of certain diseases often underestimate their risk

People with a family history of certain diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, often underestimate their risk for developing them, even after completing a risk assessment and receiving personalized prevention messages, finds a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

13 Sep 2012

New statistical model retrospectively estimates air pollution exposure for previous time periods

In a study that analyzed relationships between air quality and unemployment levels, a Tufts University researcher has developed a new statistical model that retrospectively estimates air pollution exposure for previous time periods where such information is not available.

13 Sep 2012

WHO says Nigeria not on track to turn back polio despite having tools, capacity

"The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said Nigeria was not on track in the effort to eradicate wild polio virus before the end of December this year," Leadership/AllAfrica.com reports.

13 Sep 2012

Pathogens and Global Health highlights current debate on counterfeit medicine

The latest issue of Pathogens and Global Health highlights the current debate surrounding the under-investigated, and politically sensitive, issue of counterfeit medicine. Issue 106.2 includes an interview with Dr Paul Newton, Head of the Laos arm of the Wellcome Trust's Major Overseas Programmes, and a number of articles highlighting the technological innovations and field initiatives that are challenging this threat to global health.

13 Sep 2012

Case Western Reserve researcher discovers new antivirulence drugs against MRSA and strep

Menachem Shoham, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has discovered novel antivirulence drugs that, without killing the bacteria, render Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and Streptococcus pyogenes, commonly referred to as strep, harmless by preventing the production of toxins that cause disease.

13 Sep 2012

Public health symposium targets smokers most in need

Australia has one of the lowest smoking rates in the world at 15 per cent of the population but there remains a need to further cut rates in prisons, among the mentally ill and ethnic communities, researchers will argue at a public health symposium in Sydney.

13 Sep 2012

Pending cases against India's patent laws threaten public health, misinterpret international IP agreements, report says

"Pending cases against India's patent laws threaten public health and misinterpret international intellectual property (IP) agreements," researchers from Queen Mary, University of London argue in a special report published online in the Lancet on Monday, PharmaTimes reports.

13 Sep 2012

Positive data from Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals’ eravacycline Phase 2 trial on cIAI

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage life science company developing novel antibiotics effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, presented new, positive Phase 2 clinical data on its lead drug candidate, eravacycline (TP-434), on September 11, 2012, at the 52nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Francisco, CA.

13 Sep 2012

SUDs common in youth at high risk for bipolar disorder

Around a quarter of young people at high risk for mood disorders have a substance use disorder, results from a Canadian study suggest.

12 Sep 2012

Exposure to road traffic noise may increase risk of annoyance or sleep disturbance

The World Health Organization recently recognized environmental noise as harmful pollution, with adverse psychosocial and physiological effects on public health. A new study of noise pollution in Fulton County, Georgia, suggests that many residents are exposed to high noise levels that put them at risk of annoyance or sleep disturbance, which can have serious health consequences.

12 Sep 2012

VOA news examines AIDS among marginalized groups in Burma

VOA News examines AIDS among high-risk groups in Burma, also known as Myanmar. "Burma's AIDS epidemic mostly affects marginalized groups, such as the gay community," the news service writes, adding, "About one percent of Burma's population is HIV-positive," but "among high-risk groups, such as men who have sex with men, health workers estimate as many as 11 percent have HIV."

12 Sep 2012

Exercise and health: An interview with Professor Karim Khan

I’ll quote from the ‘7 investments’ document (see below) as I don’t believe we need to reinvent the wheel to argue for the benefits of exercise. I am very keen to move to the issue of ‘how can we help people exercise’. But for the record:

12 Sep 2012

Book shows how vitamin A deficiency affected millions of people throughout history

Lifting the shadow of death - Intriguing reading for specialists and the interested public alike. This book shows how vitamin A deficiency - before the vitamin was known to scientists - affected millions of people throughout history. It is a story of sailors and soldiers, penniless mothers, orphaned infants, and young children left susceptible to blindness and fatal infections. We also glimpse the fortunate ones who, with ample vitamin A-rich food, escaped this elusive stalker.

12 Sep 2012

Public Health News and Research

Rural Americans more likely to be obese than city dwellers

Longer looks: The smells to treat PTSD; Nudging healthy choices; When a disabled daughter was shunned

Researchers clone T-cell receptor that binds to antigens associated with prostate and breast cancer

SAMHSA announces STOP ACT grant program to prevent underage drinking

Moderate exercise may help people cope with future anxiety and stress

Message delivery vital to successful obesity prevention

Dabigatran increasingly being used off-label

People with family history of certain diseases often underestimate their risk

New statistical model retrospectively estimates air pollution exposure for previous time periods

WHO says Nigeria not on track to turn back polio despite having tools, capacity

Pathogens and Global Health highlights current debate on counterfeit medicine

Case Western Reserve researcher discovers new antivirulence drugs against MRSA and strep

Public health symposium targets smokers most in need

Pending cases against India's patent laws threaten public health, misinterpret international IP agreements, report says

Positive data from Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals’ eravacycline Phase 2 trial on cIAI

SUDs common in youth at high risk for bipolar disorder

Exposure to road traffic noise may increase risk of annoyance or sleep disturbance

VOA news examines AIDS among marginalized groups in Burma

Exercise and health: An interview with Professor Karim Khan

Book shows how vitamin A deficiency affected millions of people throughout history

Exploring the G:Box and for high-quality imaging

Shaping the Future of Neuroscience: A Conversation with Atlas Antibodies on the MolBoolean™ and the Impact of SfN 2024

How the Arts Reshape Brain Function: Susan Magsamen on the Future of Neuroaesthetics

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