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New technique accurately determines infants at risk for malaria

A new technique that accurately determines the risk of infants in endemic countries developing clinical malaria could provide a valuable tool for evaluating new malaria prevention strategies and vaccines.

6 Jun 2012

Now is the time for new global health framework, experts say

In this opinion piece in Stanford University's "Policy Review," Mark Dybul, a distinguished scholar and the inaugural global health fellow at the George W. Bush Institute; Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and Julio Frenk, dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, discuss the need for "a structural and philosophical shift" in the global health field, writing, "As we approach the post-[Millennium Development Goal] era, now is the time for a new framework to establish an accelerated trajectory to achieve a healthy world."

6 Jun 2012

Iron and micronutrient-enriched foodstuffs can fight against anaemia

Iron deficiency and the anaemia it can cause are a major public health problem, affecting 2 billion people worldwide: mostly young children and pregnant women in developing countries. Despite decades of research into prevention and treatment, the situation is not improving, and is even deteriorating in some countries. Africa and India have the highest levels of anaemia, with more than 50% of women affected. In India, the illness is thought to cause up to 40% of maternal deaths.

6 Jun 2012

Growing obesity in developing countries a sign of historic global tipping point

In this Bloomberg Businessweek opinion piece, Charles Kenny, a fellow at the Center for Global Development and the New America Foundation, examines the global obesity epidemic, writing, "It may seem strange to be worried about too much food when the United Nations suggests that, as the planet's population continues to expand, about one billion people may still be undernourished," but "growing obesity in poorer countries is a sign of a historic global tipping point."

6 Jun 2012

Half of New Yorkers say soda ban proposal goes too far, but legal challenges could be hard to win

Half of New Yorkers say the proposal by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to limit the size of sugary drinks goes too far, but analysts say legal challenges to the limits might not be able to stop the policy.

6 Jun 2012

Research examines why we consume so much water

Our bodies need about two litres of fluids per day, not two litres of water specifically. In an Editorial in the June issue of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Spero Tsindos from La Trobe University, examined why we consume so much water.

6 Jun 2012

High pollution increases risk of repeated heart attacks by over 40%

Air pollution, a serious danger to the environment, is also a major health risk, associated with respiratory infections, lung cancer and heart disease. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher has concluded that not only does air pollution impact cardiac events such as heart attack and stroke, but it also causes repeated episodes over the long term.

6 Jun 2012

Dental profession needs to build a stronger connection between oral and general health

The dental profession needs to build a stronger connection between oral health and general health—not only for individual patients, but also at the community level, according to the special June issue of The Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice (JEBDP), the foremost publication of information about evidence-based dental practice, published by Elsevier.

5 Jun 2012

Joint UNAIDS/UNDP briefing highlights potential impacts of free trade agreements on public health

"A new UNAIDS/UNDP joint issues brief highlights the potential impacts of free trade agreements on public health," UNAIDS reports in a feature story on its website. "The brief concludes that 'to retain the benefits of [flexibilities in the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)], countries at a minimum should avoid entering into free trade agreements that contain obligations that can impact on pharmaceutical price or availability,'" the article states.

5 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 4, 2012

Today's headlines include the latest news on implementation of the health law, on the pending Capitol Hill effort to repeal the medical device tax and reports from the states.

4 Jun 2012

Prisoners need education on the appropriate use of topical antibiotic products

Prisoners need education on the appropriate use of topical antibiotic products, according to a study released today at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

4 Jun 2012

Study reveals why GBM is highly resistant to current chemotherapies

New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains why the incurable brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is highly resistant to current chemotherapies.

2 Jun 2012

Study finds natural ruminant trans fats not harmful

Canadian scientists are joining with international colleagues to lead new insights into the health implications of different types of trans fat.

2 Jun 2012

Engineered proteins demonstrate flu-fighting potency

Computer-designed proteins are under construction to fight the flu. Researchers are demonstrating that proteins found in nature, but that do not normally bind the flu, can be engineered to act as broad-spectrum antiviral agents against a variety of flu virus strains, including H1N1 pandemic influenza.

2 Jun 2012

America's biopharmaceutical researchers work on many new approaches to fight cancer

America's biopharmaceutical research companies are testing 981 medicines and vaccines to fight the many types of cancer affecting millions of patients worldwide, according to a report released today by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

2 Jun 2012

MCAN executive director supports federal action plan to reduce asthma disparities

During an event with leaders from three U.S. federal agencies and the White House, the executive director of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN), Dr. Floyd Malveaux, expressed strong support for the government's new coordinated action plan to reduce racial and ethnic asthma disparities. The release of the new report came on the last day of National Asthma Awareness Month.

2 Jun 2012

Painkillers may reduce skin cancer risk

Commonly used painkillers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, may reduce the risk for skin cancer, study results suggest.

1 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 1, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about the latest health policy developments on Capitol Hill and news on the health insurance marketplace.

1 Jun 2012

WHO hopes to host second meeting on issues related to 'dual-use' research

"The World Health Organization (WHO) hopes to hold a meeting late this fall to discuss 'dual-use' research issues raised in the controversy over publication of two studies involving lab-modified H5N1 viruses with increased transmissibility, a WHO official said," CIDRAP News reports.

1 Jun 2012

Zinc supplementation in young children with serious infections significantly lowers risk of treatment failure

Treating young children with suspected serious bacterial infection with zinc in addition to standard antibiotics significantly reduces the likelihood of treatment failure, according to new research published Online First in The Lancet. In 2010, worldwide, infections were responsible for nearly two-thirds of deaths in children under 5, with around two-fifths of deaths occurring within the first month of life.

1 Jun 2012