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UCSF study: Smoking takes $18.1 billion toll in California

Smoking took an $18.1 billion toll in California – $487 for each resident – and was responsible for more than one in seven deaths in the state, more than from AIDS, influenza, diabetes or many other causes, according to the first comprehensive analysis in more than a decade on the financial and health impacts of tobacco.

16 Oct 2014

Views on Ebola: Try to keep 'an even keel'; who's in charge of fighting a pandemic?

Understandably, the specter of such a dangerous disease in the United States has bred fear. But it is remarkable how some public figures are inflaming that fear. Commentator Rush Limbaugh took flight on Tuesday, saying on the radio that "I don't think anybody involved with Ebola knows what they're doing. I don't care if it's the WHO or the Centers for Disease Control, I don't think anybody knows what they're doing." This was an unfounded rant that can only deepen public disquiet.

16 Oct 2014

Columbia University professor recommends vaccination for people travelling abroad

Planning to travel outside the U.S. this holiday season? Check with your primary care provider or travel clinic when you book your flight.

16 Oct 2014

Second Dallas health worker has Ebola; CDC announces 'more robust' response

Seventy-six health-care workers who helped treat Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan are now being monitored for potential Ebola exposure. Forty-eight others are being watched because they had contact with Duncan.

16 Oct 2014

Caregivers more aware of SUDEP than patients

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is concerning and many—even those with seizure disorders—may not be aware of this condition. New research published in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), reports that 76% of caregivers are more likely to have heard of SUDEP compared with 65% of patients with epilepsy.

16 Oct 2014

Risk factors for sexual assault need to be addressed when considering preventative measures: Study

Risk factors for sexual assault, including young age and alcohol consumption, must be addressed when considering preventative strategies, suggests a new study, published today (15 October) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG).

16 Oct 2014

New study shows homebound status of older victims of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

A new study, published online in the journal Age and Ageing today, shows that the homebound status of adults over the age of 65 in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake is still a serious public health concern. Of 2,327 older adults surveyed, approximately 20% were found to be homebound.

15 Oct 2014

State highlights: Supreme Court to hear N.C. scope-of-practice case; states weigh costs of new hepatitis C drugs

The Supreme Court on Tuesday will consider who can whiten teeth in North Carolina, a seemingly small decision that could have major implications for scope-of-practice throughout the country. In North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission, the justices will weigh whether the state dental board's decisions - in this case, a decision to not allow anyone but a dentist to whiten teeth - are immune from antitrust protections typically granted to state agencies (Haberkorn, 10/13).

15 Oct 2014

Early childhood neglect associated with changes in brain structure

Under the rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, thousands of Romanian children were placed in overcrowded orphanages with bleak conditions and minimal human contact. Even after the 1989 revolution, the legacy of institutionalization continued. Only recently has research and public concern over early childhood environments caused changes in policies.

14 Oct 2014

UCLA's new collaborative research effort aims to support adolescents, young adults with autism

UCLA, renowned for its leadership in research and treatment for individuals with autism, is launching a first-of-its-kind collaborative research effort to address the health, family and social needs of adolescents and young adults with autism, a group typically overlooked by health care and social services systems.

14 Oct 2014

TSRI scientists awarded $6.6 million NIH grant to study Lassa fever virus

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have been awarded $6.6 million from the National Institutes of Health to lead an investigation of Lassa fever virus, the most prevalent virus-induced hemorrhagic fever disease in Africa.

14 Oct 2014

PhRMA launches new website to educate consumers about ABCs of health coverage

Today, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) launched Access Better Coverage.org, a new website designed to educate consumers about the ABCs of health coverage and access to prescription medicines.

14 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Ebola myths; Sen. McCain's 'opportunistic alarmism'; Gov. Jindal on CDC's misspent resources

Hubris is the greatest danger in wealthy countries - a sort of smug assumption that advanced technologies and emergency-preparedness plans guarantee that Ebola and other germs will not spread. It was hubris that left Toronto's top hospitals battling SARS in 2003, long after the virus was conquered in poorer Vietnam. It was hubris that led the World Health Assembly in 2013 to cut the WHO's outbreak-response budget in favor of more programs to treat cancer and heart disease.

14 Oct 2014

Research opens door to potential new treatments for peripheral artery disease

Researchers have developed a technique to jump-start the body's systems for creating blood vessels, opening the door for potential new treatments for diseases whose impacts include amputation and blindness.

14 Oct 2014

Childhood obesity rates still high in Ireland and may begin to fall, say researchers

Childhood overweight and obesity rates have plateaued in primary school aged children in the Republic of Ireland, reveals research published today in the open access journal BMC Public Health. The study found that although obesity rates remain high, there is evidence that they have stabilised and may be beginning to fall.

14 Oct 2014

Preventing cancer: an interview with Dr Fiona Reddington

It’s estimated that more than four in 10 cancer cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes, such as not smoking, keeping a healthy body weight, cutting back on alcohol, eating a healthy diet, keeping active and staying safe in the sun.

13 Oct 2014

Texas health worker contracts Ebola, fueling questions about training and preparedness

The case, the first in which the disease was transmitted in the U.S., raises questions about whether regular hospitals around the country are ready to safely deal with the virus.

13 Oct 2014

Web-based system could help improve detection of disease outbreaks, say researchers

A web-based system that allows preschools and child care centers to report illnesses to local public health departments could improve the detection of disease outbreaks and allow resources to be mobilized more quickly, according to University of Michigan research to be presented Saturday, Oct. 11 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in San Diego.

13 Oct 2014

Study: Gender stereotypes prevail when Austrian daily newspapers report on suicide

Men angry and rejected, women sociable and mentally ill - a current study by the MedUni Vienna demonstrates that these gender stereotypes prevail when Austrian daily newspapers report on suicide.

13 Oct 2014

Researchers develop low-cost methods to tap arsenic-safe drinking water

Arsenic poisoning is widespread in Bangladesh, where ground water is contaminated by runoff from the Himalayas.

13 Oct 2014

Public Health News and Research

UCSF study: Smoking takes $18.1 billion toll in California

Views on Ebola: Try to keep 'an even keel'; who's in charge of fighting a pandemic?

Columbia University professor recommends vaccination for people travelling abroad

Second Dallas health worker has Ebola; CDC announces 'more robust' response

Caregivers more aware of SUDEP than patients

Risk factors for sexual assault need to be addressed when considering preventative measures: Study

New study shows homebound status of older victims of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

State highlights: Supreme Court to hear N.C. scope-of-practice case; states weigh costs of new hepatitis C drugs

Early childhood neglect associated with changes in brain structure

UCLA's new collaborative research effort aims to support adolescents, young adults with autism

TSRI scientists awarded $6.6 million NIH grant to study Lassa fever virus

PhRMA launches new website to educate consumers about ABCs of health coverage

Viewpoints: Ebola myths; Sen. McCain's 'opportunistic alarmism'; Gov. Jindal on CDC's misspent resources

Research opens door to potential new treatments for peripheral artery disease

Childhood obesity rates still high in Ireland and may begin to fall, say researchers

Preventing cancer: an interview with Dr Fiona Reddington

Texas health worker contracts Ebola, fueling questions about training and preparedness

Web-based system could help improve detection of disease outbreaks, say researchers

Study: Gender stereotypes prevail when Austrian daily newspapers report on suicide

Researchers develop low-cost methods to tap arsenic-safe drinking water

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