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Researchers evaluate accuracy of neurocognitive testing in cheerleaders with concussion

Concussions have become a major public health issue, with both short- and long-term side effects. In sports, cheerleading has the highest rate of catastrophic injury, with some studies reporting approximately 6% of total injuries as concussions. Return-to-play guidelines have relied on athletes' self-reports; however, this has led to concerns about the ability of athletes to truly recognize their own symptoms and recovery.

9 Aug 2013

Drug-related emergency department visits increase among younger adults

A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that some drug-related emergency department visits increased by 300 percent -- from 5,605 visits in 2005 to 22,949 visits in 2011. These visits, made by adults aged 18 to 34, were related to the nonmedical use of central nervous system stimulants. On average, about 30 percent of these visits also involved alcohol.

9 Aug 2013

State highlights: Battle over Brooklyn hospital's fate widens in court

Justice Johnny L. Baynes in Brooklyn, who has issued three temporary restraining orders in the case since March, all forbidding SUNY to take steps to close [Long Island College Hospital], asked a lawyer representing Bill de Blasio, the public advocate and a Democratic candidate for mayor, whether he had reported allegations of criminal interference with emergency room services to the Brooklyn district attorney. Murmurs of approval rose from the room, packed with longtime patients, doctors, nurses and residents of northern Brooklyn where the fate of the 150-year-old hospital has become a rallying cry (Bernstein, 8/7).

9 Aug 2013

Mother's perceived social status predicts child's brain development, stress indicators

A mother's perceived social status predicts her child's brain development and stress indicators, finds a study at Boston Children's Hospital. While previous studies going back to the 1950s have linked objective socioeconomic factors—such as parental income or education—to child health, achievement and brain function, the new study is the first to link brain function to maternal self-perception.

9 Aug 2013

KU researchers receives grant to create new program to help American Indian students stop smoking

The University of Kansas Cancer Center's Cancer Control and Population Health program got a boost in April when Won Choi, Ph.D., and his colleagues were awarded a $2.7 million, five-year NCI grant to create an Internet-based program to help American Indian tribal college students stop smoking.

8 Aug 2013

Mostashari steps down from top federal health IT post

Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the national coordinator for health information technology, announced Tuesday he will step down this fall.

8 Aug 2013

CDC: Some states report decreasing rates of childhood obesity

Small but significant declines in obesity among low-income preschoolers were found in 18 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands from 2008 to 2011.

8 Aug 2013

People who experience sudden cardiac arrest at exercise facilities have better chance of survival

People experiencing sudden cardiac arrest at exercise facilities have a higher chance of survival than at other indoor locations, likely due to early CPR and access to an automated external defibrillator, among other factors, according to a study published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

8 Aug 2013

Chronic exposure biomass fuel smoke can cause cardiovascular problems

Rural households in developing countries often rely on burning biomass, such as wood, animal dung and waste from agricultural crops, to cook and heat their homes. The practice is long known to cause lung disease, but a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine links the resulting smoke to cardiovascular problems, including an increase in artery-clogging plaques, artery thickness and higher blood pressure.

8 Aug 2013

DNA mutation 'signature' identified in urinary tract cancers linked to birthwort herb

Genomic sequencing experts at Johns Hopkins partnered with pharmacologists at Stony Brook University to reveal a striking mutational signature of upper urinary tract cancers caused by aristolochic acid, a plant compound contained in herbal remedies used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments such as arthritis, gout and inflammation.

8 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Health law's marketing challenge; GOP not to blame for implementation challenges

More than half of working-class whites say [the federal health law] is a bad idea. Perhaps most stunningly, so do 48% of those currently without health insurance - the very people who stand to gain the most, in the form of help finding and paying for coverage. Meanwhile, by a 30-point margin, political independents think they will be worse off under the law.

7 Aug 2013

Community-based pharmacies can be effective locations for offering rapid HIV testing, find researchers

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that community-based pharmacies can be effective locations for offering rapid HIV testing, diagnosing HIV, and connecting those who test positive with medical care quickly. The study is in the August issue of the journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs.

7 Aug 2013

Johns Hopkins University receives $5.8M grant to research on causes of frailty in older adults

The federal government has awarded investigators at The Johns Hopkins University's schools of medicine and public health a multimillion-dollar, five-year grant to continue research designed to identify the causes of frailty in older adults, and speed the development of interventions to slow or stop it.

7 Aug 2013

UCSF study finds smoke-free casinos result in fewer emergency calls for ambulances

Commercial casinos throughout the country are often exempt from smoke-free workplace laws. Now a new study led by UC San Francisco has found that when smoking is banned in casinos, it results in considerably fewer emergency calls for ambulances.

7 Aug 2013

CSL Biotherapies starts shipment of seasonal influenza vaccine for 2013-2014 season

CSL Biotherapies, Inc. announced today that shipment of its seasonal influenza vaccine for the 2013-2014 season has started.

7 Aug 2013

Updated United States Public Health Service guidelines for management of occupational exposure to HIV

New guidelines from the United States Public Health Service update the recommendations for the management of healthcare personnel with occupational exposure to HIV and use of postexposure prophylaxis.

7 Aug 2013

NCI awards LTR $1.3M to continue its work in SEER cancer registry

The Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTR) at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health has been awarded a $1.3 million contract by the National Cancer Institute to continue its work as a SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) Program-designated cancer registry.

7 Aug 2013

Health benefits of sufficient sleep: an interview with Dr Monique Verschuren, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands

We used 6 hours or less per 24 hours as the definition of insufficient sleep, with 7 hours or more as sufficient sleep. In general, this is considered the amount of sleep that is sufficient for adults, although there can be differences between persons with respect to the amount of sleep needed.

6 Aug 2013

New studies in mice support toxic role of aluminum in neurodegenerative conditions

Investigators have linked aluminum accumulation in the brain as a possible contributing factor to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. A new study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience sheds light on the mechanism underlying aluminum-induced neuronal cell death and identifies necrostatin-1 as a substance which counteracts several of aluminum's neurotoxic effects.

6 Aug 2013

Electronic communication unlikely to be widely adopted by physician practices

Patients like it and so do health organizations, but electronic communications in clinical care will likely not be widely adopted by primary care physicians unless patient workloads are reduced or they are paid for the time they spend phoning and emailing patients, both during and after office hours.

6 Aug 2013

Public Health News and Research

Researchers evaluate accuracy of neurocognitive testing in cheerleaders with concussion

Drug-related emergency department visits increase among younger adults

State highlights: Battle over Brooklyn hospital's fate widens in court

Mother's perceived social status predicts child's brain development, stress indicators

KU researchers receives grant to create new program to help American Indian students stop smoking

Mostashari steps down from top federal health IT post

CDC: Some states report decreasing rates of childhood obesity

People who experience sudden cardiac arrest at exercise facilities have better chance of survival

Chronic exposure biomass fuel smoke can cause cardiovascular problems

DNA mutation 'signature' identified in urinary tract cancers linked to birthwort herb

Viewpoints: Health law's marketing challenge; GOP not to blame for implementation challenges

Community-based pharmacies can be effective locations for offering rapid HIV testing, find researchers

Johns Hopkins University receives $5.8M grant to research on causes of frailty in older adults

UCSF study finds smoke-free casinos result in fewer emergency calls for ambulances

CSL Biotherapies starts shipment of seasonal influenza vaccine for 2013-2014 season

Updated United States Public Health Service guidelines for management of occupational exposure to HIV

NCI awards LTR $1.3M to continue its work in SEER cancer registry

Health benefits of sufficient sleep: an interview with Dr Monique Verschuren, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands

New studies in mice support toxic role of aluminum in neurodegenerative conditions

Electronic communication unlikely to be widely adopted by physician practices

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