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Viewpoints: AIDS spread in U.S. South; Abortion opponents battle in Ariz.; GOP's costly effort to kill health law

More than 30 years into the AIDS epidemic, a combination of safe-sex education and a new generation of pharmaceuticals has left many Americans convinced that HIV/AIDS is a problem that has been, if not solved, at least addressed. But that's certainly not true in the American South, which accounts for nearly 50% of all new HIV infections in the United States.

27 Jul 2012

Chevron announces PMTCT partnership to combat mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa

Chevron announced today at the 2012 International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) a partnership initiative with Pact, the Business Leadership Council (BLC), mothers2mothers and the Global Fund to aggressively combat crisis-level mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria, Angola and South Africa.

27 Jul 2012

Study shows potential for histone deacetylase inhibitors to eradicate latent HIV infection

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today the publication of a study in the July 26 issue of the leading scientific journal Nature that provided early evidence for the use of a drug to dislodge reservoirs of hidden virus in patients receiving treatment for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

26 Jul 2012

NIDA announces 2012 recipient of Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development

Dr. Gary R. Matyas has been selected the 2012 recipient of the NIDA Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development. Matyas proposes to develop an effective, safe and easily manufactured combination anti-heroin/HIV vaccine that could treat heroin addiction while at the same time prevent HIV infection in those receiving the vaccine.

26 Jul 2012

Roundup: La. lawmakers angry they didn't get to decide on health cuts; New Jersey judges protect selves from health benefit cuts; Detailing Calif. health care budget struggles

Louisiana lawmakers bristled Monday about getting few details and no ability to decide the $523 million in budget cuts Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has made to health care programs, largely to LSU's safety net health care facilities. Several complained the governor's top leaders weren't explaining the gravity of the slashing and the implications on the LSU network of public hospitals and clinics that care for the poor and uninsured in a state where one in five residents don't have health insurance.

26 Jul 2012

Excess maternal iodine supplementation can lead to congenital hypothyroidism in infants

Congenital hypothyroidism is thyroid hormone deficiency at birth that, if left untreated, can lead to neurocognitive impairments in infants and children. Although the World Health Organization recommends 200-300 -g of iodine daily during pregnancy for normal fetal thyroid hormone production and neurocognitive development, the US Institute of Medicine considers 1,100 -g to be the safe upper limit for daily ingestion.

26 Jul 2012

HemoGlobe device can identify women with anemia

Could a low-cost screening device connected to a cell phone save thousands of women and children from anemia-related deaths and disabilities? That's the goal of Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering undergraduates who've developed a noninvasive way to identify women with this dangerous blood disorder in developing nations. The device, HemoGlobe, is designed to convert the existing cell phones of health workers into a "prick-free" system for detecting and reporting anemia at the community level.

25 Jul 2012

Pennsylvania Hospital to participate in Best Fed Beginnings

Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) has been selected to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a first-of-its-kind national effort to significantly improve breastfeeding rates in states where rates are currently the lowest.

25 Jul 2012

Malaria misdiagnosis in parts of Asia

Substantial overdiagnosis and mistreatment of malaria is evident in south and central Asia, warns a study published on bmj.com today.

25 Jul 2012

Little evidence exists for potential HPV type competition in cross-sectional study

Vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) are now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for both teenage boys and girls. The vaccine protects against the two most common types of the virus that cause cervical cancer: HPV 16 and 18. Is there a chance that the increased number of people vaccinated might result in an increase of other types of HPV that cause cancer?

25 Jul 2012

Bill Gates stresses importance of investment in both HIV treatment and research for vaccines, microbicides

In a symposium session on Monday at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., politicians and public health experts joined Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-Chair Bill Gates for a discussion about improving effectiveness and efficiency in the HIV/AIDS response, the Washington Post reports.

25 Jul 2012

Mercyhurst expert addresses FDA's recent ban on Bisphenol-A

The FDA says baby bottles and sippy cups can no longer contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen. But what about the hundreds of other plastic items, from water bottles to dental sealants, containing BPA?

25 Jul 2012

Vanderbilt researchers receives new $2.1M grant to develop microbrain bioreactor

Take a millionth of a human brain and squeeze it into a special chamber the size of a mustard seed. Link it to a second chamber filled with cerebral spinal fluid and thread both of them with artificial blood vessels in order to create a microenvironment that makes the neurons and other brain cells behave as if they were in a living brain. Then surround the chambers with a battery of sensors that monitor how the cells respond when exposed to minute quantities of dietary toxins, disease organisms or new drugs under development.

25 Jul 2012

Views on AIDS: The benefits of male circumcision; A more optimistic battle; The need to focus on high-impact prevention strategies

A selection of editorials and op-eds from around the country that focus on the campaign to eradicate HIV.

25 Jul 2012

First results from community HIV testing campaign in Uganda

A clinical study in a remote region of southwest Uganda has demonstrated the feasibility of using a health campaign to rapidly test a community for HIV and simultaneously offer prevention and diagnosis for a variety of other diseases in rural and resource-poor settings of sub-Saharan Africa.

24 Jul 2012

UCSD Health System's hospitals and facilities ranked among 'Health Care's Most Wired'

University of California, San Diego Health System's hospitals and facilities are among "Health Care's Most Wired," according to the 14th annual survey conducted by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

24 Jul 2012

Weekend events discuss AIDS issues ahead of international conference in Washington

Noting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for an AIDS-free generation last November in a speech at the National Institutes of Health, GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog reports on a discussion held Saturday at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), during which "several AIDS experts and U.S. officials gave their views on what it meant to reach an AIDS-free generation -- and when it would happen."

24 Jul 2012

U.S. legislators appeal to U.N. to take greater role in addressing Haiti's cholera outbreak

"U.S. legislators are appealing to the United Nations to take a greater role in addressing Haiti's cholera outbreak, now in its third year and which has left thousands dead," Inter Press Service reports. "In a letter addressed to U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan Rice, 104 U.S. members of Congress urged Rice to help step up U.N. concern over the outbreak," the news service writes.

24 Jul 2012

U.S. Census Bureau introduces interactive global resource on prevalence of HIV/AIDS

The U.S. Census Bureau today launched an interactive global resource on the prevalence of HIV infection and AIDS cases and deaths. The database was developed in 1987 and now holds 149,000 statistics, an increase of approximately 10,800 new estimates in the last year, making it the most complete of its kind in the world.

24 Jul 2012

Third-party groups to target health law with new wave of attack ads

Also in the news, the Supreme Court -- especially after the recent health law decision -- is an effective tool to rally fundraising among both Democrats and Republicans. Meanwhile, a defense policy expert suggests presidential candidates focus on long-term military mental health issues. Finally, The Wall Street Journal examines how health care is playing in the Montana Senate race, where candidates are sparring over who is soft on cancer.

23 Jul 2012

Public Health News and Research

Viewpoints: AIDS spread in U.S. South; Abortion opponents battle in Ariz.; GOP's costly effort to kill health law

Chevron announces PMTCT partnership to combat mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa

Study shows potential for histone deacetylase inhibitors to eradicate latent HIV infection

NIDA announces 2012 recipient of Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development

Roundup: La. lawmakers angry they didn't get to decide on health cuts; New Jersey judges protect selves from health benefit cuts; Detailing Calif. health care budget struggles

Excess maternal iodine supplementation can lead to congenital hypothyroidism in infants

HemoGlobe device can identify women with anemia

Pennsylvania Hospital to participate in Best Fed Beginnings

Malaria misdiagnosis in parts of Asia

Little evidence exists for potential HPV type competition in cross-sectional study

Bill Gates stresses importance of investment in both HIV treatment and research for vaccines, microbicides

Mercyhurst expert addresses FDA's recent ban on Bisphenol-A

Vanderbilt researchers receives new $2.1M grant to develop microbrain bioreactor

Views on AIDS: The benefits of male circumcision; A more optimistic battle; The need to focus on high-impact prevention strategies

First results from community HIV testing campaign in Uganda

UCSD Health System's hospitals and facilities ranked among 'Health Care's Most Wired'

Weekend events discuss AIDS issues ahead of international conference in Washington

U.S. legislators appeal to U.N. to take greater role in addressing Haiti's cholera outbreak

U.S. Census Bureau introduces interactive global resource on prevalence of HIV/AIDS

Third-party groups to target health law with new wave of attack ads

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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