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Agricultural pesticides raise risk of autism in unborn children

Pregnant women who lived in close proximity to fields and farms where chemical pesticides were applied experienced a two-thirds increased risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delay, a study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute has found. The associations were stronger when the exposures occurred during the second and third trimesters of the women's pregnancies.

23 Jun 2014

Long-term care for soaring numbers of people with dementia need to be improved, says new RAND study

As millions of Americans struggle to help loved ones with dementia, policymakers should consider more ways to improve long-term services and supports for the soaring numbers of people with the debilitating condition and their caregivers, a new RAND Corporation study says -- and it offers possible ways to do so.

23 Jun 2014

Bisexual men are vulnerable to STIs and other health problems

Bisexual men have many unmet public health needs, which leave them vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other health problems. This new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) illuminates the behavioral, interpersonal, and social realities of men who have sex with men and women (MSMW), and it explores possible interventions to better serve their needs.

23 Jun 2014

Research roundup: Improving colon cancer screening; disparities in heart care; Medicaid expansion's effect on cities

This report estimated the effect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on 14 large and diverse cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Columbus, Charlotte, Detroit, Memphis, Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, and Miami.

21 Jun 2014

Cubist Pharmaceuticals' SIVEXTRO receives FDA approval for treatment of ABSSSI

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved SIVEXTRO (tedizolid phosphate) for the treatment of adult acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI).

21 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 20, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new poll of showing a majority of those signing up for marketplace plans had been uninsured before and the Obama administration's decision to extend marriage benefits, including family leave, to same-sex couples.

20 Jun 2014

Researchers adapt mathematical tool to help control malaria and other infectious diseases

A mathematical tool used by the Metropolitan Police and FBI has been adapted by researchers at Queen Mary University of London to help control outbreaks of malaria, and has the potential to target other infectious diseases.

20 Jun 2014

HIV infection emerges among PWID in the Middle East and North Africa

HIV epidemics are emerging among people who inject drugs in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Though HIV infection levels were historically very low in the Middle East and North Africa, substantial levels of HIV transmission and emerging HIV epidemics have been documented among people who inject drugs in at least one-third of the countries of this region, according to findings published today in PLOS Medicine.

20 Jun 2014

Lack of federal funding and Medicaid expansions can impact community health centers

A special federal fund to support community health centers expires after September 2015, creating a funding cliff for primary care clinics located in medically underserved areas.

20 Jun 2014

Clinical trial shows that selumetinib drug can delay progression of metastatic uveal melanoma

For the first time, a therapy has been found that can delay progression of metastatic uveal melanoma, a rare and deadly form of melanoma of the eye.

20 Jun 2014

Citizens urged to sign online petition for improved mental health services in Africa

This week Global Health Action has published "A Declaration on Mental Health in Africa: moving to implementation". The 25 original signatories, all leaders within global and mental health from Africa and other nations, call upon citizens and the mental health care community to add their names to an online petition to show support for the actions outlined.

19 Jun 2014

NICHD urged to enhance scientific expertise of National Children's Study program

A study that would track the health of 100,000 babies to age 21 has been put on hold following the release of an assessment report issued June 16 by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (IOM).

19 Jun 2014

Detective work maps special gene variant among Greenlanders which plays role in type 2 diabetes

A spectacular piece of detective work has mapped a special gene variant among Greenlanders which plays a particularly important role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

19 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: Working for benefits; fears for a pill to prevent HIV; possible Medicaid strategy for Virginia

[Economist Robert] Moffitt noted in an email that "the work incentives in the government safety net have greatly increased over the last 20 years: less welfare payments if you don't work, and much greater government payments if you do."

19 Jun 2014

State highlights: Illinois Medicaid digital shift delayed; N.C. hospitals fight cuts; heroin in New England

Alexian Brothers Health System is suspending its effort to launch a new Medicaid program, blaming the difficulty of connecting physicians using different electronic records systems. The Arlington Heights, Ill.-based health system was spearheading a so-called accountable care entity (ACE) to coordinate the care of about 46,000 patients on Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled. The ACEs are a form of managed care, one of Gov. Pat Quinn's initiatives to focus on preventative treatment to keep patients healthy and reduce health care costs (Schorsch, 6/17).

19 Jun 2014

Expanding coverage to under-26-year-olds made them healthier, saved money

Researchers found that one of the keystone provisions of the health law had a significant impact. Expanding the number of young adults with health insurance appears to have improved their health and saved them money, ...

19 Jun 2014

Parents who have child with ASD are 1/3 third less likely to have more children

Parents who have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are about one third less likely to have more children than families without an affected child, according to a study led by a UC San Francisco researcher.

19 Jun 2014

U of MD researchers to use $3.7 million NIH grant to develop novel method to treat monogenic diabetes

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a four-year, $3.7 million grant to researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine to develop a personalized medicine program to help doctors diagnose and treat monogenic diabetes - a form of diabetes caused by a mutation in a single gene.

19 Jun 2014

Janssen signs license agreement with Vertex to develop, commercialize VX-787 for influenza A treatment

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.announced today that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals for the worldwide development, manufacturing and commercialization of VX-787, a novel medicine in Phase II development for the treatment of influenza A.

18 Jun 2014

New poll finds that majority of Massachusetts residents support state's health insurance legislation

A new poll by The Boston Globe and Harvard School of Public Health finds, eight years into the state's universal health insurance legislation enacted in 2006, 63% of Massachusetts residents support the law and 18% oppose it, while 7% are not sure, and 12% have not heard or read about the law.

18 Jun 2014

Public Health News and Research

Agricultural pesticides raise risk of autism in unborn children

Long-term care for soaring numbers of people with dementia need to be improved, says new RAND study

Bisexual men are vulnerable to STIs and other health problems

Research roundup: Improving colon cancer screening; disparities in heart care; Medicaid expansion's effect on cities

Cubist Pharmaceuticals' SIVEXTRO receives FDA approval for treatment of ABSSSI

First Edition: June 20, 2014

Researchers adapt mathematical tool to help control malaria and other infectious diseases

HIV infection emerges among PWID in the Middle East and North Africa

Lack of federal funding and Medicaid expansions can impact community health centers

Clinical trial shows that selumetinib drug can delay progression of metastatic uveal melanoma

Citizens urged to sign online petition for improved mental health services in Africa

NICHD urged to enhance scientific expertise of National Children's Study program

Detective work maps special gene variant among Greenlanders which plays role in type 2 diabetes

Viewpoints: Working for benefits; fears for a pill to prevent HIV; possible Medicaid strategy for Virginia

State highlights: Illinois Medicaid digital shift delayed; N.C. hospitals fight cuts; heroin in New England

Expanding coverage to under-26-year-olds made them healthier, saved money

Parents who have child with ASD are 1/3 third less likely to have more children

U of MD researchers to use $3.7 million NIH grant to develop novel method to treat monogenic diabetes

Janssen signs license agreement with Vertex to develop, commercialize VX-787 for influenza A treatment

New poll finds that majority of Massachusetts residents support state's health insurance legislation

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