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RV5 vaccination does not increase risk of intussusception in infants

Although some data have suggested a possible increased risk of intussusception (when a portion of the small or large intestine slides forward into itself, like a telescope) after administration of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in infants, an analysis that included almost 800,000 doses administered to U.S. infants found no increased risk of this condition following vaccination, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Feb 2012

Debate continues over needle/syringe exchange programs

Matt Fisher, a research assistant at the Center for Strategic & International Studies' Global Health Policy Center, summarizes the ongoing debate in Congress over needle and syringe exchange programs (NSEPs) in this post on the SmartGlobalHealth.org blog.

8 Feb 2012

ACR, AdMeTech and ESUR to expedite development of standards for MR PI-RADS

To improve early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, ACR, AdMeTech Foundation and ESUR have formed a joint effort to expedite development of standards for the Magnetic Resonance Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (MR PI-RADS) modeled after a successful effort in breast cancer care

8 Feb 2012

Communities with small, locally-owned businesses have healthier populations

Counties and parishes with a greater concentration of small, locally-owned businesses have healthier populations - with lower rates of mortality, obesity and diabetes - than do those that rely on large companies with "absentee" owners, according to a national study by sociologists at LSU and Baylor University.

8 Feb 2012

Ten innovative public health demonstration projects to receive SAHM grants

The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) will award grants to fund ten innovative public health demonstration projects addressing barriers to vaccination among adolescents. The funding for the projects is supported by a grant to SAHM from Merck & Co. Inc.

8 Feb 2012

Southern Medical Journal now available for the iPad

In keeping with its mission of helping physicians to provide the best possible care to patients in an era of rapidly changing medical practice, the Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is now available for the iPad.

8 Feb 2012

Umbilical cord cleaning with chlorhexidine reduces infant's risk of infection

Cleansing a newborn's umbilical cord with chlorhexidine can reduce an infant's risk of infection and death during the first weeks of life by as much as 20 percent, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

8 Feb 2012

Smoking leads to early cognitive decline: Study

There is growing evidence that using cigarettes can also affect the brain: the latest study shows that smoking is associated with cognitive decline as early as age 45, and that male smokers may be more vulnerable to these mental effects than women.

7 Feb 2012

WHO publishes new standards for human participant research

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published “Standards and Operational Guidance for Ethics Review of Health-Related Research with Human Participants,” a compilation of 10 standards for ethics review of health related research with human participants.

7 Feb 2012

Asthmatic mothers encouraged to breastfeed without fear as it boosts baby’s lung power: Study

In their study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine they looked at nearly 1,500 children from birth to ages eight to 14. Parents provided information on breastfeeding history when their children were 12 months old, and the children had a series of tests to assess lung function between the ages of 8 and 14.

7 Feb 2012

Proactive test-and-treat case-detection strategy can combat malaria

As researchers work to eliminate malaria worldwide, new strategies are needed to find and treat individuals who have malaria, but show no signs of the disease. The prevalence of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic malaria can be as high as 35 percent in populations with malaria and these asymptomatic individuals can serve as a reservoir for spreading malaria even in areas where disease transmission has declined.

7 Feb 2012

State roundup: Legislatures, govs juggling costs and health programs

Medicaid spending is a matter of urgency almost everywhere in the country right now, but in few places is the urgency as palpable as it is here, where the governor refers to the federal-state health insurance program for the poor as "welfare," says it's necessary to eliminate coverage for 65,000 adults, and wants to stop paying room and board for some 2,000 elders who live in group homes. All these ideas are part of Republican Governor Paul LePage's plan to close a $220 million hole in the state's biennial Medicaid budget.

7 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Religious freedom and insurance coverage for contraception

In an election-year hothouse, the issue has quickly become caricatured as the Obama administration's "war on Catholics" versus the Republicans' "war on contraception." It is neither. The administration tried to strike a balance and simply failed. The First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom deserves more weight than the administration allowed.

7 Feb 2012

Supporting scientific evidence under PEPFAR to end AIDS

On Wednesday, several HIV experts spoke at a Capitol Hill briefing "supporting the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program's reliance on scientific evidence to drive its work to end AIDS," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

7 Feb 2012

Novel stem-cell technique to enhance bone growth

A research team led by UC Davis Health System scientists has developed a novel technique to enhance bone growth by using a molecule which, when injected into the bloodstream, directs the body's stem cells to travel to the surface of bones.

7 Feb 2012

Whole-genome sequencing helps trace the path of European E. coli outbreak

Using whole-genome sequencing, a team led by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Broad Institute has traced the path of the E. coli outbreak that sickened thousands and killed over 50 people in Germany in summer 2011 and also caused a smaller outbreak in France.

7 Feb 2012

Tanning beds in NSW to be banned by 2014

Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) government announced radical laws that ban commercial tanning beds in the state. NSW will be the only place in the world besides Brazil to institute a total ban on ultraviolet solariums tanning units when the laws come into place from December 31, 2014, and cancer groups hope other states and countries will follow.

6 Feb 2012

Even minimal regular alcohol could harm health say experts

Television adverts are introduced to carry home the message that drinking just a little over the daily recommended alcohol limit can lead to serious health problems. Current medical advice states that men should drink a maximum of four units a day, with women advised to consume no more than three.

6 Feb 2012

Emergency time reduced by 4 hours could save 80 lives a year: Study

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6 Feb 2012

Environmental aspects rather than genes play a major role in MCI in non-demented elderly

Both subjective and objective cognitive impairment are highly common among non-demented elderly Swedes, with an overall prevalence of 39 percent and 25 percent respectively, according to a nationwide twin study by researchers at the Aging Research Center of Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.

6 Feb 2012