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Study: Financial incentives can increase amount of exercise people do

A review study published today finds that financial incentives -as modest as $5 per week - can increase the amount of exercise people do.

17 Sep 2013

Researchers examine effects of debt burden on Black, Hispanic medical students

The cost of a medical school education in the United States has been on the rise over the past 10 years. However, given racial and ethnic inequalities in access to financial resources, increases in the student debt burden may not be assumed equally.

17 Sep 2013

Childhood food allergies cost US nearly $25 billion a year

The overall cost of childhood food allergies was estimated at nearly $25 billion annually in a study of caregivers that quantified medical, out-of-pocket, lost work productivity and other expenses, according to a report published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.

17 Sep 2013

Extreme binge drinking common among high school seniors

Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a row is common among high school seniors, with some students engaging in extreme binge drinking of as many as 15 or more drinks, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.

17 Sep 2013

High exposure to swine manure in crop fields linked with increased risk of MRSA, soft-tissue infection

High exposure to swine manure spread in crop fields and proximity to high-density swine livestock operations appear to be associated with increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and skin and soft-tissue infection in humans, according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

17 Sep 2013

Patients who receive automated telephone calls are more likely to have controlled hypertension

Patients who received automated telephone calls inviting them to get their blood pressure checked at a walk-in clinic were more likely to have controlled hypertension than patients who did not receive calls, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.

17 Sep 2013

FDA issues import alert on drug products manufactured at Ranbaxy's facility in Mohali, India

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued an import alert under which U.S. officials may detain at the U.S. border drug products manufactured at Ranbaxy Laboratories, Ltd.'s facility in Mohali, India.

17 Sep 2013

First generic version of Xeloda gets FDA approval for breast and colorectal cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Xeloda (capecitabine), an oral chemotherapy pill used to treat cancer of the colon or rectum (colorectal cancer) that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic), and metastatic breast cancer.

17 Sep 2013

Researchers identify gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, has identified a gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over age 50.

17 Sep 2013

Smoking-cessation in HIV-positive individuals: an interview with Dr Ellen R. Gritz, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

In the general population, current smoking prevalence is 18%. Persons living with HIV/AIDS smoke at a rate 2 to 3 times higher, up to almost 70% in some studies.

16 Sep 2013

Study: Healthy diet may reduce risk of severe depression

A healthy diet may reduce the risk of severe depression, according to a prospective follow-up study of more than 2,000 men conducted at the University of Eastern Finland. In addition, weight loss in the context of a lifestyle intervention was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms.

16 Sep 2013

Climate change not likely to make malaria situation worse in West Africa, say researchers

As public-health officials continue to fight malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers are trying to predict how climate change will impact the disease, which infected an estimated 219 million people in 2010 and is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide among children under age 5.

16 Sep 2013

Study: Opioid prescribing for non-cancer pain increases

Prescribing of strong opioid medications for non-cancer pain in the United States has nearly doubled over the past decade, reports a study in the October issue of Medical Care, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Sep 2013

Study evaluates effectiveness of new meningitis serogroup A vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a mass vaccination campaign with a new meningitis serogroup A vaccine, PsA-TT, in sub-Saharan Africa found that it had a dramatic impact on cases of serogroup meningitis and on carriage of the disease-causing bacteria in the throat, according to new research published in The Lancet.

13 Sep 2013

Domestic animals less likely to be major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans

A new study has shown that, contrary to popular belief, local domestic animals are unlikely to be the major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans. The result comes from a detailed study of DNA from more than 370 Salmonella samples collected over a 22-year period.

13 Sep 2013

Health policy innovation is translational research directed at improving public's health

A researcher's voice of reason entered the national debate on "Obamacare" today when Springer Science+Business Media released The Affordable Care Act as a National Experiment: Health Policy Innovations and Lessons, edited by Harry P. Selker, MD, MSPH and June S. Wasser, MA. The book's fresh perspective asserts that health policy innovation is translational research directed at improving the public's health.

13 Sep 2013

Report: Rates of sexual abuse of children have declined, but reasons not fully understood

Rates of physical and sexual abuse of children have declined over the last 20 years, but for reasons not fully understood, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Yet, reports of psychological and emotional child abuse have risen in the same period, and data vary significantly as to whether child neglect is increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant.

13 Sep 2013

SPHHS releases resources on website that help understand issues related to health information laws

Health Information & the Law, a project at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), released new resources on a website that offers easy-to-understand content on key issues related to the use and exchange of health information and how it affects the transformation of the U.S. health care system to a patient-centered, value-based system.

13 Sep 2013

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care. This is according to a new research letter published online in the September 12 issue of JAMA which compares rates of bariatric (weight-loss) surgery for minority Medicare vs. non-Medicare patients before and after implementation of a Medicare coverage policy.

13 Sep 2013

Columbia University launched three-year Doctor of Medicine program for PhD biological scientists

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) has launched a three-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) program for PhD-trained biological scientists. The accelerated curriculum prepares graduates for physician-scientist careers that combine their knowledge of fundamental biomedical science with an understanding of how diseases and their treatments affect humans.

13 Sep 2013

Public Health News and Research

Study: Financial incentives can increase amount of exercise people do

Researchers examine effects of debt burden on Black, Hispanic medical students

Childhood food allergies cost US nearly $25 billion a year

Extreme binge drinking common among high school seniors

High exposure to swine manure in crop fields linked with increased risk of MRSA, soft-tissue infection

Patients who receive automated telephone calls are more likely to have controlled hypertension

FDA issues import alert on drug products manufactured at Ranbaxy's facility in Mohali, India

First generic version of Xeloda gets FDA approval for breast and colorectal cancers

Researchers identify gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration

Smoking-cessation in HIV-positive individuals: an interview with Dr Ellen R. Gritz, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Study: Healthy diet may reduce risk of severe depression

Climate change not likely to make malaria situation worse in West Africa, say researchers

Study: Opioid prescribing for non-cancer pain increases

Study evaluates effectiveness of new meningitis serogroup A vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa

Domestic animals less likely to be major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans

Health policy innovation is translational research directed at improving public's health

Report: Rates of sexual abuse of children have declined, but reasons not fully understood

SPHHS releases resources on website that help understand issues related to health information laws

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care

Columbia University launched three-year Doctor of Medicine program for PhD biological scientists

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