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Antibiotic prescribing rates can be reduced using internet-based training for clinicians

Antibiotic prescribing rates for acute respiratory tract infections could be significantly lowered using internet-based training for clinicians, new research has shown.

31 Jul 2013

Researchers create computational model to track VRE spread among hospitals

A moderate increase in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at one hospital can lead to a nearly 3 percent increase in VRE in every other hospital in that county, according to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

31 Jul 2013

WHO aims to increase global rate of breastfeeding for six months to 50% by 2025

Only 37 countries, or 19% of those reporting, have passed laws reflecting all the recommendations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report published during World Breastfeeding Week. The week is celebrated in more than 170 countries from 1 to 7 August.

30 Jul 2013

Joints of children with chronic inflammatory arthritis contain premature aging of immune cells

The joints of children with the most common form of chronic inflammatory arthritis contain immune cells that resemble those of 90-year-olds, according to a new study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

30 Jul 2013

Saudi and UK scientists provide detailed picture of MERS coronavirus

Saudi and UK scientists provide the most detailed picture yet of the clinical and laboratory characteristics of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, revealing a wide range of clinical symptoms and an extremely high death rate among patients with co-existing medical conditions.

29 Jul 2013

CHMP gives positive opinion for approval of once-daily QVA149 for treatment of COPD

Sosei Group Corporation confirms the information released by Novartis that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for approval of once-daily Ultibro® Breezhaler®, as a maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

29 Jul 2013

Study explores whether reducing smoke toxicant exposure affects biomarkers of biological effect

British American Tobacco has published the protocol for a clinical study designed to determine whether using reduced-toxicant prototype cigarettes that reduce smokers' exposure to smoke toxicants impacts biological effect (ISRCTN81286286).

29 Jul 2013

Incidence of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release benzene

The incidence of a particular type of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release the chemical benzene into the environment. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. This and other studies like it will be critical to identifying and enacting public health policies to decrease or prevent cancer.

29 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

Reporters Peter Whoriskey and Dan Keating have opened Post readers' eyes to the fact that Medicare pays for physician services - a $69.6 billion item in 2012 - according to an arcane and little-known price list, over which doctors themselves exercise considerable and less-than-totally-transparent influence (7/24).

26 Jul 2013

State highlights: D.C. to use cash reserves to pay Medicaid providers off; Texas, Planned Parenthood reach overbilling settlement; Veteran health centers at colleges

How do you spend $48 million in unbudgeted taxpayer money without getting an OK from elected lawmakers? In the District of Columbia, there's pretty much only one way, and that's the way Mayor Vincent C. Gray is proposing to settle a high-stakes dispute with D.C. Chartered Health Plan. Gray spokesman Pedro Ribeiro confirmed Wednesday that the plan is to pay the District's share of the settlement -- a little over $35 million, with federal Medicaid dollars accounting for the rest -- out of the city's contingency cash reserve (DeBonis, 7/24).

26 Jul 2013

Gout, uric acid levels and risk of death: an interview with Professor Austin Stack, Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick

Gout is a relatively common arthritic disease that affects about 4% (I in 25) of the population. It results from the deposition of uric acid in joints due to elevated blood levels and a resulting inflammation ensues which is very painful.

26 Jul 2013

Professor to receive Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by Woman in Statistical Sciences

Carnegie Mellon University's Kathryn Roeder has been chosen to receive the Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Statistical Sciences.

26 Jul 2013

New species of adenovirus can spread from monkey to human, say researchers

Adenoviruses commonly infect humans, causing colds, flu-like symptoms and sometimes even death, but now UC San Francisco researchers have discovered that a new species of adenovirus can spread from primate to primate, and potentially from monkey to human.

26 Jul 2013

Princeton University researcher explores seriousness of peanut allergy

The path of the peanut from a snack staple to the object of bans at schools, day care centers and beyond offers important insights into how and why a rare, life-threatening food allergy can prompt far-reaching societal change, according to a Princeton University researcher.

26 Jul 2013

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities to address crucial healthcare problem in US

Springer has entered into an agreement with the W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association (NMA) Health Institute to publish the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Starting in 2014 the new society journal will be published quarterly, electronically on link.springer.com and in print.

26 Jul 2013

FDA allows marketing of Xpert MTB/RIF Assay for treatment of TB

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay, the first FDA-reviewed test that can simultaneously detect bacteria that cause tuberculosis and determine if the bacteria contain genetic markers that makes them resistant to rifampin, an important antibiotic for the treatment of TB.

26 Jul 2013

Contrasting perspectives on e-cigarettes from smoking cessation experts

The increasing popularity and availability of e-cigarettes (otherwise known as Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, or ENDS) in many countries has prompted fierce debate among public health professionals, with some expressing concerns that lack of safety information for the devices could result in unforeseen damage to public health if they are not appropriately regulated.

25 Jul 2013

Psychiatry professor selected for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow 2013-2014

For millions of people across the United States, health and well-being depends on policy decisions made at the federal level. With mental health at the center of today's health policy discussion, Amir Afkhami, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and global health at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), will bring his "boots on the ground" experience in mental health policy to the government as a 2013-2014 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow.

25 Jul 2013

Study shows 90% of dementia cases in China go undetected; high level in rural areas

An international team of researchers has found that over 90 percent of dementia cases in China go undetected, with a high level of undiagnosed dementia in rural areas. The team of public health experts led by Dr Ruoling Chen at King's College London argues that more mental health education targeting high-risk populations is now needed to improve diagnosis rates, and increase support for sufferers and their families.

25 Jul 2013

Combination treatment can reduce hepatitis C infection in people who inject drugs

The burden of liver disease could be dramatically reduced by scaling up the combination of interventions for hepatitis C infection among people who inject drugs according to University of Bristol researchers. The findings, published today [24 July], form part of new global recommendations on treating the virus.

25 Jul 2013

Public Health News and Research

Antibiotic prescribing rates can be reduced using internet-based training for clinicians

Researchers create computational model to track VRE spread among hospitals

WHO aims to increase global rate of breastfeeding for six months to 50% by 2025

Joints of children with chronic inflammatory arthritis contain premature aging of immune cells

Saudi and UK scientists provide detailed picture of MERS coronavirus

CHMP gives positive opinion for approval of once-daily QVA149 for treatment of COPD

Study explores whether reducing smoke toxicant exposure affects biomarkers of biological effect

Incidence of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release benzene

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

State highlights: D.C. to use cash reserves to pay Medicaid providers off; Texas, Planned Parenthood reach overbilling settlement; Veteran health centers at colleges

Gout, uric acid levels and risk of death: an interview with Professor Austin Stack, Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick

Professor to receive Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by Woman in Statistical Sciences

New species of adenovirus can spread from monkey to human, say researchers

Princeton University researcher explores seriousness of peanut allergy

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities to address crucial healthcare problem in US

FDA allows marketing of Xpert MTB/RIF Assay for treatment of TB

Contrasting perspectives on e-cigarettes from smoking cessation experts

Psychiatry professor selected for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow 2013-2014

Study shows 90% of dementia cases in China go undetected; high level in rural areas

Combination treatment can reduce hepatitis C infection in people who inject drugs

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