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Pediatricians frequently asked to provide alternative childhood vaccine schedules

Seventy-seven percent of Washington state pediatricians report that they are sometimes or frequently asked to provide alternative childhood vaccine schedules for their patients, according to a new study from Seattle Children's Research Institute.

29 Nov 2011

Improving patient adherence to medications for chronic diseases can reduce overall treatment costs

Avi Dor, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Policy, GW School of Public Health and Health Services, was a co-author of a study, in collaboration with Teva Pharmaceuticals, that found that higher patient adherence to disease modifying therapies, like glatiramer acetate (GA), an immunomodulator drug currently used to treat multiple sclerosis, reduced inpatient costs, outpatient costs, and other medical expenses in a national sample of multiple sclerosis patients.

29 Nov 2011

Treatment for acute urinary retention due to BPH varies among countries

Men who experience a sudden inability to pass urine because of a non-cancerous enlarged prostate are hospitalised and treated differently depending on where they live, according to an international study published online by the urology journal BJUI.

28 Nov 2011

First time mothers may put themselves and baby at risk by choosing home-birth: Report

A new report suggests that first time mothers who opt for a home birth are almost three times more likely to have a baby who dies or suffers brain damage. It also found that traditional maternity units in hospital are the safest place for women to have their first child.

28 Nov 2011

Obese boy’s mother loses custody

An eight year old boy in third grade from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, has been removed from his home after he grew to 218 pounds, weighing nearly as much as four times the usual. The average weight for an eight-year-old boy is 57 pounds - about one quarter of what the Ohio boy weighs.

28 Nov 2011

New swine flu virus alarms health officials

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), three cases of a new flu virus have been confirmed. These originated in pigs but apparently spread from person to person, in three Iowa children.

28 Nov 2011

Office Ally selected as approved EHR vendor for Arizona REC

Office Ally announced today that it has been selected as an approved electronic health record (EHR) vendor for the Arizona Regional Extension Center (REC).

28 Nov 2011

Healthy snacks can aid weight-loss efforts

Women dieters who grab a snack between breakfast and lunch lose less weight compared to those who abstain from a mid-morning snack, according to a study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

28 Nov 2011

Mass immunization with cervical cancer vaccine switched to a more effective variety

Cervarix is currently offered to girls aged 12 and 13 years to protect against strains of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cancer of the cervix, the neck of the womb. Cervarix was picked by the Labour government for the first four-year phase of the NHS programme in 2008 because it offered ‘best overall value’ and more than five million doses have been given.

27 Nov 2011

Harmful BPA found in canned foods

According to a new study canned foods may contain harmful chemical Bisphenol A or BPA. BPA is a common chemical used in plastic products and in the lining of cans. BPA keeps them from corroding, but it may also be creeping into the food.

24 Nov 2011

Study finds patient satisfaction with outpatient medical treatment in the U.S.

Patients overall in the United States are very satisfied with their physicians and with treatment they receive in outpatient settings, according to new information which challenges common public perceptions about outpatient medical treatment.

24 Nov 2011

Novel genetic sequencing methods identify various bacteria on public restrooms

Everyone wonders what bugs might be lurking in public bathrooms. Now researchers are using novel genetic sequencing methods to answer this question, revealing a plethora of bacteria all around, from the doors and the floors to the faucet handles and toilet seats, with potential public health implications, as reported Nov. 23 in the online journal PLoS ONE.

24 Nov 2011

Examining the effects of trade rules on public health, access to medicines

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, Tido von Schoen-Angerer, executive director of the Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Access to Essential Medicines Campaign, examines the interface between trade rules and public health, discussing the implications of the Doha Declaration on public health since its inception 10 years ago, and addresses the question of how "countries balance the need to protect public health against patent rights that lead to high medicine prices and limited access for people in need."

24 Nov 2011

Anesthesia drug shortages can have devastating impact on patient care

The United States is facing ongoing shortages of several critical anesthesia medications—shortages with potentially serious effects on patient care and safety, according to a special article in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

24 Nov 2011

Two-drug combination may alleviate radiation sickness in people

A combination of two drugs may alleviate radiation sickness in people who have been exposed to high levels of radiation, even when the therapy is given a day after the exposure occurred, according to a study led by scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston.

24 Nov 2011

'Fresh efforts' needed to understand, deliver family planning in order to curb birth rates in developing countries

In this Financial Times opinion piece, journalist Andrew Jack examines the challenges of family planning in some poorer countries, where public health programs "risk adding to population pressures and inadvertently setting back development," writing, "In a number of countries, notably in central and western Africa, health programs have contributed to cutting infant mortality rates, but birth rates have continued to remain stubbornly high. The unintended consequence is a fast-growing population that adds further pressure on poor families and fragile environments."

24 Nov 2011

FDA takes legal action against dietary supplement manufacturer in Pennsylvania

The FDA today took legal action against a dietary supplement maker and owner for substituting ingredients and products without noting the changes on the final product labels. The permanent injunction, filed on behalf of the FDA by the U.S. Department of Justice, would stop the defendants from making and distributing more than 400 products for being in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

24 Nov 2011

Former President questions whether legal regulation and control of drugs would better protect children

"Would legal regulation and control of drugs better protect children?" is a question posed by former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso in an editorial to be published in the January issue of Elsevier's International Journal of Drug Policy (IJDP).

23 Nov 2011

Link between loss of wildlife access and micronutrient deficiencies in children

For the first time, researchers have uncovered a powerful connection between loss of access to wildlife and micronutrient deficiencies in children, according to a recently published study by the University of California-Berkeley, Harvard Center for the Environment and Harvard School of Public Health, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and others.

23 Nov 2011

Partnerships, additional funding allow for expansion of PEPFAR to combat cervical cancer

In this post in the Public Health Institute's "Dialogue4Health" blog, Jeffrey Meer, director of PHI's Washington-based advocacy on global health, writes that "a significant expansion of PEPFAR's existing work to combat cervical cancer" through a partnership with the George W. Bush Institute known as Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (PRRR); a 50 percent increase in the U.S. government's "commitment to screen and treat for this type of cancer from $20 million over five years to $30 million"; and additional funding from Susan G. Komen for the Cure "to expand breast cancer awareness and prevention among the same target population of women receiving care at PEPFAR-funded HIV service sites" has allowed "the wonderfully robust PEPFAR prevention and treatment platform, considered one of the great global health achievements in recent times, to be made available to a whole new type of prevention -- in this case for a non-communicable disease (NCD)."

23 Nov 2011

Public Health News and Research

Pediatricians frequently asked to provide alternative childhood vaccine schedules

Improving patient adherence to medications for chronic diseases can reduce overall treatment costs

Treatment for acute urinary retention due to BPH varies among countries

First time mothers may put themselves and baby at risk by choosing home-birth: Report

Obese boy’s mother loses custody

New swine flu virus alarms health officials

Office Ally selected as approved EHR vendor for Arizona REC

Healthy snacks can aid weight-loss efforts

Mass immunization with cervical cancer vaccine switched to a more effective variety

Harmful BPA found in canned foods

Study finds patient satisfaction with outpatient medical treatment in the U.S.

Novel genetic sequencing methods identify various bacteria on public restrooms

Examining the effects of trade rules on public health, access to medicines

Anesthesia drug shortages can have devastating impact on patient care

Two-drug combination may alleviate radiation sickness in people

'Fresh efforts' needed to understand, deliver family planning in order to curb birth rates in developing countries

FDA takes legal action against dietary supplement manufacturer in Pennsylvania

Former President questions whether legal regulation and control of drugs would better protect children

Link between loss of wildlife access and micronutrient deficiencies in children

Partnerships, additional funding allow for expansion of PEPFAR to combat cervical cancer

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