Public Health News and Research

RSS

Beta-carotene: An important and safe precursor for vitamin A

A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine study in the November 22 issue of Journal of Biological Chemistry, explains how vitamin A is generated from beta carotene, its dietary precursors. The discovery sheds new light into how beta carotene’s enzymes are utilized differently contributing to the vitamin’s production. This insight will help guide solutions for vitamin A deficiency, a global public health problem affecting more than half of all countries, according to the World Health Organization.

11 Dec 2013

New review calls for action to reduce illness and death from silica exposure at work

A new review highlights new developments in understanding the health effects of silica, and calls for action to reduce illness and death from silica exposure at work, including stronger regulations, heightened awareness and prevention, and increased attention to early detection of silicosis and lung cancer using low dose CT scanning.

11 Dec 2013

Study finds large degree of genetic variation amongst M. tuberculosis in humans in Zambia

In Zambia, the incidence of all forms of human tuberculosis is estimated to be 444 per 100,000. There is also a high incidence of HIV and AIDS in the country. In the Kafue area, a high incidence of Mycobacterium bovis in both cattle and the Kafue lechwe antilope has been detected. This bacterium can infect humans and has been found in humans in the studied region of Namwala. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is the main cause of human tuberculosis, has also been detected in cattle in this region.

10 Dec 2013

Preparing for better management of Tamiflu-resistant influenza viruses

Researchers in Umeå and Uppsala have found that residues of the influenza drug Tamiflu in our environment can make the influenza virus in birds resistant. This can have serious consequences in the event of an influenza pandemic. With more than 14 million SEK from the Swedish Research Councils Formas and VR, the research team will now continue their studies with a focus on alternative antiviral drugs.

10 Dec 2013

Article outlines new approach for reviewing potential downsides of screening recommendation

Screening to detect medical conditions has become standard practice for many diseases, but insufficient attention has been paid to the potential for harm, according to research conducted at the University of North Carolina.

10 Dec 2013

Population Council partners with USAID to introduce new line of contraceptive rings

The Population Council was awarded a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Population and Reproductive Health, "Delivering a Family of Contraceptive Vaginal Rings." Included in this agreement is support for two innovative, Population Council-developed contraceptive vaginal rings: a one-year contraceptive vaginal ring that can be used by women to plan their pregnancies and a three-month vaginal ring that can be used by breastfeeding women.

10 Dec 2013

Research: Individual alcohol policies can reduce risky drinking

According to a new study, a novel composite measure consisting of 29 alcohol policies demonstrates that a strong alcohol policy environment is a protective factor against binge drinking in the U.S.

10 Dec 2013

Athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions

A new study shows that high school athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions than those closer to sea-level, a phenomenon attributed to physiological changes in the brain causing it to fit more tightly in the skull.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers evaluate effect of zinc supplementation on aluminum-induced neurotoxicity

Studies have shown that aluminum neurotoxicity can likely affect learning and memory function, and a diet containing 100-200 mg/kg zinc is adequate for maintaining learning and memory function in rats.

9 Dec 2013

ART safe and effective for treating combat-related symptoms of PTSD among veterans

Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or ART, is a brief, safe, and effective treatment for combat-related symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans and U.S. service members, researchers at University of South Florida College of Nursing report in a new study. They found this newer treatment -- a combination of evidence-based psychotherapies and use of eye movements -- was shorter and more likely to be completed, than conventional therapies formally endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration.

9 Dec 2013

Largest-ever immunization campaign under way in the Middle East

The largest-ever immunization response in the Middle East is under way this week, aiming to vaccinate more than 23 million children against polio in Syria and neighbouring countries over the coming weeks.

9 Dec 2013

Research roundup: 'Substantial' Medicare savings from avoiding ERs; new ways for primary care; trends in kids' fast food consumption

Some Medicare beneficiaries who place 911 calls to request an ambulance might safely be cared for in settings other than the emergency department at lower cost. Using 2005–09 Medicare claims data and a validated algorithm, we estimated that 12.9–16.2 percent of Medicare-covered 911 emergency medical services transports involved conditions that were probably nonemergent or primary care treatable.

9 Dec 2013

NIH scientists film early concussion damage and describe brain's response to injury

There is more than meets the eye following even a mild traumatic brain injury. While the brain may appear to be intact, new findings reported in Nature suggest that the brain's protective coverings may feel the brunt of the impact.

9 Dec 2013

Study: Ethnic groups with high prevalence of diabetes have high hepatocellular carcinoma rates

Diabetes was associated with an increased risk for developing a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma, and this association was highest for Latinos, followed by Hawaiians, African-Americans, and Japanese-Americans, according to results presented here at the Sixth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held Dec. 6-9.

9 Dec 2013

ATS Labs offers testing of antimicrobial products for efficacy against H7N9 virus

ATS Labs announced today that they are pleased to offer testing of antimicrobial products for efficacy against avian influenza A (H7N9) virus. Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus, called H7N9 for short, has infected humans in China causing severe respiratory illness.

6 Dec 2013

Maternal weight issues spell wheezing trouble for children

High maternal weight and gestational weight gain are independently associated with an increased risk for wheezing in preschool age children, a Dutch study has found.

6 Dec 2013

Imported measles poses a threat to health security

Experts report that measles still poses a threat to public health in the U.S, despite vaccination having successfully eliminated the endemic since the 1960s.

6 Dec 2013

New research finds that H7N9 still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans

Avian influenza virus H7N9, which killed several dozen people in China earlier this year, has not yet acquired the changes needed to infect humans easily, according to a new study by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute. In contrast to some initial studies that had suggested that H7N9 poses an imminent risk of a global pandemic, the new research found, based on analyses of virus samples from the Chinese outbreak, that H7N9 is still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans.

6 Dec 2013

Women with moderate to severe menstrual cramps may find relief in erectile dysfunction drugs

Women with moderate to severe menstrual cramps may find relief in a class of erectile dysfunction drugs, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State College of Medicines Richard Legro.

6 Dec 2013

Powder, crack cocaine use varies and overlaps among high school seniors

The use of crack and powder cocaine both varies and overlaps among high school seniors, researchers at New York University and NYU Langone Medical Center have found. Their findings, which appear in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, point to the need to take into account both common and different at-risk factors in developing programming and messaging to stem cocaine use.

6 Dec 2013

Public Health News and Research

Beta-carotene: An important and safe precursor for vitamin A

New review calls for action to reduce illness and death from silica exposure at work

Study finds large degree of genetic variation amongst M. tuberculosis in humans in Zambia

Preparing for better management of Tamiflu-resistant influenza viruses

Article outlines new approach for reviewing potential downsides of screening recommendation

Population Council partners with USAID to introduce new line of contraceptive rings

Research: Individual alcohol policies can reduce risky drinking

Athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions

Researchers evaluate effect of zinc supplementation on aluminum-induced neurotoxicity

ART safe and effective for treating combat-related symptoms of PTSD among veterans

Largest-ever immunization campaign under way in the Middle East

Research roundup: 'Substantial' Medicare savings from avoiding ERs; new ways for primary care; trends in kids' fast food consumption

NIH scientists film early concussion damage and describe brain's response to injury

Study: Ethnic groups with high prevalence of diabetes have high hepatocellular carcinoma rates

ATS Labs offers testing of antimicrobial products for efficacy against H7N9 virus

Maternal weight issues spell wheezing trouble for children

Imported measles poses a threat to health security

New research finds that H7N9 still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans

Women with moderate to severe menstrual cramps may find relief in erectile dysfunction drugs

Powder, crack cocaine use varies and overlaps among high school seniors

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News