Public Health News and Research

RSS

Clean Cookstoves Alliance launches initiative in Nigeria to help prevent deaths

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves "launched a campaign in Nigeria on Tuesday aimed at preventing deaths due to toxic smoke from rudimentary cookstoves, one of the developing world's worst public health threats," Agence France-Presse reports.

22 Mar 2012

New genotype may be responsible for sharp rise in whooping cough

Australia's prolonged whooping cough epidemic has entered a disturbing new phase, with a study showing a new strain or genotype may be responsible for the sharp rise in the number of cases.

22 Mar 2012

Study shows how to defeat chemotherapy barrier in pancreatic cancer

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have discovered a literal 'break through' in pancreatic cancer.

21 Mar 2012

State-level resources may contribute to risk of heart disease in women

According to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), a state's level of wealth or poverty is linked with levels of cardiovascular inflammation in women.

21 Mar 2012

Colorectal cancer screening rates higher in population with multiple morbidities

A study by University of Kentucky researchers showed that in Appalachia, colorectal cancer screening rates were higher in the population with multiple morbidities or diseases compared to those who had no morbidities at all.

21 Mar 2012

Drexel University to establish nation's first autism center

Drexel University has received a gift of $1.5 million from the Charles and Barbara Close Foundation, founded by Drexel alumnus Charles Close ('36), to help establish the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute.

21 Mar 2012

Babies fed on demand associated with higher IQ scores

A new study suggests that babies who are breast-fed or bottle-fed to a schedule do not perform academically as well at school as their demand-fed peers. The finding is based on the results of IQ tests and school-based SATs tests carried out between the ages of five and 14, which show that demand-feeding was associated with higher IQ scores.

21 Mar 2012

Sharp rise recorded in cases of new strain of whooping cough: New genotype may be evading vaccine’s protective effects

Australia’s prolonged whooping cough epidemic has entered a disturbing new phase, with a study showing a new strain or genotype may be responsible for the sharp rise in the number of cases.

20 Mar 2012

Feeding babies on demand improves their IQ: Study

A new study shows that who are fed when they are hungry – with breast milk or formula – achieve higher scores in Sats tests at ages five, seven, 11 and 14, and that by the age of eight they have an IQ four to five points higher. However, mothers who keep to scheduled feeding times score better on wellbeing measures, and report feeling more confident and less tearful.

20 Mar 2012

“Meth” babies more at risk of behavioral problems: Study

A new study shows methamphetamine's potential lasting behavioral effects on kids of mothers who used meth during pregnancy. The behavior differences — anxiety, depression, moodiness — weren't huge, but lead researcher Linda LaGasse called them “very worrisome.”

20 Mar 2012

Court rules in favor of graphic labels on cigarette packages

An appeals court ruled on Monday that the government’s planned graphic warnings on cigarette packages was legal and didn’t violate the free speech rights of tobacco companies.

20 Mar 2012

Pediatricians' unconscious racial bias may affect pain medication decisions

Pediatricians who show an unconscious preference for European Americans tend to prescribe better pain-management for white patients than they do for African-American patients, new University of Washington research shows.

20 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: The argument for the health law; No one wins contraception battle

It's said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies. If the same principle applies to legislation, the Affordable Care Act - which was signed into law two years ago, but for the most part has yet to take effect - sits in a place of high honor.

20 Mar 2012

UAB to present at annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has a number of presentations and experts available to comment on news being presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions that begin Saturday, March 23, 2012, in Chicago.

20 Mar 2012

Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement honors two experts on air pollution

Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement honors two experts on air pollution with the 2012 Tyler Prize for their work to advance the scientific understanding of air pollution, and develop solutions to reduce the danger to human health and the impact on climate change.

20 Mar 2012

FHCRC research represents potential breakthrough in treatment of pancreas cancer

Pancreas cancer tumors spread quickly and are notoriously resistant to treatment, making them among the deadliest of malignancies. Their resistance to chemotherapy stems in part from a unique biological barrier the tumor builds around itself. Now scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found a way to break through that defense, and their research represents a potential breakthrough in the treatment of pancreas cancer.

20 Mar 2012

Health must be taken into account in climate change mitigation strategies

Health must be taken into account in climate change mitigation strategies. It is not widely appreciated that there are many benefits to health that are likely to accrue from a low carbon economy, say experts in a special supplement published on bmj.com today.

20 Mar 2012

ADHD diagnosis on the rise among American children

The number of American children leaving doctors' offices with an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis has risen 66 percent in 10 years, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Over this same timeframe, specialists, instead of primary care physicians, have begun treating an increasing number of these young patients, the study found.

20 Mar 2012

Americans not adhering to the 7 healthy heart recommendations

A new study of nearly 45,000 adults showed that participants who met more of seven recommended cardiovascular health behaviors or factors (such as not smoking, having normal cholesterol levels, eating a healthy diet), had a lower risk of death compared to participants who met fewer factors. The study was published in Journal of American Medical Association. The study is being published early online to coincide with its presentation at a specialty meeting of the American Heart Association.

19 Mar 2012

Low literacy equals high death risk among elderly

A new study that appeared last Friday in British Medical Journal showed that one in three adults aged over 65 in England have difficulty understanding basic health-related information. They are more than twice as likely to die within five years as adults with no literacy problems, it was found.

19 Mar 2012