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Study identifies changes that could explain stability of malaria elimination

Many nations battling malaria face an economic dilemma: spend money indefinitely to control malaria transmission or commit additional resources to eliminate transmission completely. A review of malaria elimination conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and other institutions suggests stopping malaria transmission completely has longlasting benefits for many countries and that once eliminated, the disease is unlikely to reemerge over time.

24 Feb 2013

Rocket attacks in Sderot, Israel significantly increase likelihood of miscarriages

Rocket attacks in Sderot, Israel significantly increase the likelihood of miscarriages, according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers.

24 Feb 2013

Schistosome stem cells could explain how the worms survive for so many years

The parasites that cause schistosomiasis, one of the most common parasitic infections in the world, are notoriously long-lived. Researchers have now found stem cells inside the parasite that can regenerate worn-down organs, which may help explain how they can live for years or even decades inside their host.

24 Feb 2013

Stopping malaria transmission has long-lasting benefits, review shows

"A review of malaria elimination conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and other institutions and published in Science suggests stopping malaria transmission completely has long-lasting benefits for many countries and that once eliminated, the disease is unlikely to reemerge over time," a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health press release reports.

24 Feb 2013

HHS funds projects in 25 states to try to lower Medicaid costs, improve care

The Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday that it would provide 25 of the 50 states with funding to test new ways to lower costs and improve care within the national Medicaid program for the poor.

23 Feb 2013

Washington University creates new type of air-cleaning technology

Washington University engineering researchers have created a new type of air-cleaning technology that could better protect human lungs from allergens, airborne viruses and ultrafine particles in the air.

23 Feb 2013

WHO must play 'assertive central role' in fighting distribution of substandard, fake medicines

This Lancet editorial notes the release of an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that gathers information on "the global threat of falsified or substandard drugs" and provides recommendations "to mitigate this public health problem."

23 Feb 2013

Evolution of PEPFAR necessary for continued success

PEPFAR has "met or even surpassed most" of its "bold goals," including "saving the lives of millions of people; supporting the scale-up of HIV prevention, care, and treatment; and strengthening systems and policies for the HIV response," Robert Black of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health writes in a Lancet opinion piece, noting the release of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) "Evaluation of PEPFAR" on Wednesday.

22 Feb 2013

Cyclists at risk of injury due to lack of infrastructure in large urban centres

Using your bicycle to commute to work has numerous health and environmental benefits. Yet, the largest Canadian study on cycling injuries led by Ryerson University suggests cyclists are at risk of injury due to the lack of cycling infrastructure in large urban centres.

22 Feb 2013

North Dakota, Kansas join list of states considering further abortion restrictions

An abortion clinic fights to stay open amid new proposed restrictions in North Dakota while Kansas lawmakers spar over new proposed restrictions on using state money for the procedure in that state.

22 Feb 2013

New leprosy test, experimental vaccine might hasten disease elimination, Slate reports

Slate examines a new rapid diagnostic test and an experimental vaccine for leprosy, both developed by the Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle, writing, "The two tools together could finally free humans from the vicious cycle of a disease that has afflicted the population for at least 4,000 years."

22 Feb 2013

Majority of businesses are not adequately prepared for many types of disasters

A recent study by Saint Louis University researchers found that majority of businesses are not adequately prepared for many types of disasters, especially biological events such as a pandemic.

22 Feb 2013

Pre-war vulnerability important in predicting persistence of veterans' PTSD over the long run

Pre-war vulnerability is just as important as combat-related trauma in predicting whether veterans' symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be long-lasting, according to new research published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

22 Feb 2013

Vanderbilt investigators report new insights into workings of calprotectin

On the front lines of our defenses against bacteria is the protein calprotectin, which "starves" invading pathogens of metal nutrients. Vanderbilt investigators now report new insights to the workings of calprotectin - including a detailed structural view of how it binds the metal manganese.

22 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: Holtz-Eakin and Roy offer prescription to fix health law; Iowa lawmakers opposed to Medicaid expansion should give up their coverage

Over nearly a century, progressives have pressed for a national, single-payer healthcare system. When it comes to health reform, what have conservatives stood for? For far too long, conservatives have failed to coalesce around a long-term vision of what a free-market healthcare system should look like. ... Obamacare is the logical byproduct of this conservative policy neglect.

22 Feb 2013

Bariatric surgery does not lower overall health care costs linked with obesity

Bariatric surgery is a well-documented treatment for obesity that leads to considerable weight loss and health improvement, but is the surgery successful in the long run in reducing costs associated with medical care for obesity? A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine recently undertook a multi-year analysis of health insurance claims data to examine this question and found that although the procedure's success rate is well documented, it does not have a similar impact on health care costs.

21 Feb 2013

Antipsychotic drug dispensing on the rise among older people

A study by Queen's University Belfast has found that the dispensing of psychotropic drugs to older people in Northern Ireland increases on entry to care homes.

21 Feb 2013

USP evaluates Raman device's potential to detect counterfeit and substandard medicines

With substandard and counterfeit medicines a dangerous and growing problem in the developing world and elsewhere, identifying new technologies to detect such drugs is an urgent matter. In a new study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, scientists from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) evaluated a handheld Raman device's potential to detect counterfeit and substandard medicines.

21 Feb 2013

Blog examines potential impact of sequestration on global health

Noting "several federal agencies released new details about the impact of sequestration on their budgets and programs," the Global Health Technologies Coalition's Communications Officer Kim Lufkin writes in the group's "Breakthroughs" blog.

21 Feb 2013

Selenium supplements and heart disease risk: an interview with Dr Saverio Stranges, University of Warwick

Selenium is a micronutrient which has antioxidant properties by means of selenoproteins which play many important functions in the body. They actually are contained in many different foods. The amount of selenium we get from diet is closely linked to the amount of selenium in the soil.

21 Feb 2013

Public Health News and Research

Study identifies changes that could explain stability of malaria elimination

Rocket attacks in Sderot, Israel significantly increase likelihood of miscarriages

Schistosome stem cells could explain how the worms survive for so many years

Stopping malaria transmission has long-lasting benefits, review shows

HHS funds projects in 25 states to try to lower Medicaid costs, improve care

Washington University creates new type of air-cleaning technology

WHO must play 'assertive central role' in fighting distribution of substandard, fake medicines

Evolution of PEPFAR necessary for continued success

Cyclists at risk of injury due to lack of infrastructure in large urban centres

North Dakota, Kansas join list of states considering further abortion restrictions

New leprosy test, experimental vaccine might hasten disease elimination, Slate reports

Majority of businesses are not adequately prepared for many types of disasters

Pre-war vulnerability important in predicting persistence of veterans' PTSD over the long run

Vanderbilt investigators report new insights into workings of calprotectin

Viewpoints: Holtz-Eakin and Roy offer prescription to fix health law; Iowa lawmakers opposed to Medicaid expansion should give up their coverage

Bariatric surgery does not lower overall health care costs linked with obesity

Antipsychotic drug dispensing on the rise among older people

USP evaluates Raman device's potential to detect counterfeit and substandard medicines

Blog examines potential impact of sequestration on global health

Selenium supplements and heart disease risk: an interview with Dr Saverio Stranges, University of Warwick

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