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Studies examine cardiac arrest-information exchange on social media site

Discussion about cardiac arrest on Twitter is common and represents a new opportunity to provide lifesaving information to the public, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The Penn investigators will present two studies examining cardiac arrest-information exchange on the social media site today at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions.

14 Nov 2011

NIDDK-funded study to develop approaches for chronic kidney disease management

Cleveland Clinic nephrologist Joseph Nally Jr., M.D., has been awarded a three-year, $720,000 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to study and develop approaches for disease management for patients with chronic kidney disease.

14 Nov 2011

Latest advances in cardiovascular medicine, science and education to be presented at AHA 2011

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania faculty will be involved in presenting research findings on the latest advances in cardiovascular medicine, science, and education at the 2011 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, in Orlando, FL, November 12 - 16, 2011.

14 Nov 2011

Depression linked to heart disease mortality among young people

The negative effects of depression in young people on the health of their hearts may be stronger than previously recognized. Depression or a history of suicide attempts in people younger than 40, especially young women, markedly increases their risk for dying from heart disease, results from a nationwide study have revealed.

14 Nov 2011

UM to host Summit on Childhood Obesity at Hilton Baltimore

Science and medical reporters are invited to sample a wide diversity of new research and policy initiatives at a Summit on Childhood Obesity on Tues., Nov. 15 and Wed., Nov. 16 at the Hilton Baltimore.

13 Nov 2011

IVI receives WHO prequalification for new oral cholera vaccine

Shanchol-, a new oral cholera vaccine developed through the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), an international organization established by the United Nations and based in Seoul, recently received prequalification from the World Health Organization.

13 Nov 2011

Rapid expansion of global vaccine campaign against pneumonia 'unprecedented'

"A global push to bring a vaccine against the bacterial cause of pneumonia to communities that need it most is ramping up quickly, expanding to nearly 60 countries in the next five years," PBS NewsHour's "The Rundown" reports.

11 Nov 2011

Super committee stalled as Nov. 23 deadline approaches

The panel's top Republican said Thursday the main obstacle to a deal is Democratic insistence that tax increases be coupled with reforming health care programs.

11 Nov 2011

Annual European CDC report says infectious diseases, drug resistance are concerns

"Europe's health is suffering, with around 80,000 cases of tuberculosis infection a year and serious problems with measles, HIV and threats from 'superbug' infections, an annual health report" from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said Thursday, Reuters reports.

11 Nov 2011

Greek health system suffers amid growing economic crisis

Reuters examines how a worsening economic crisis in Greece is affecting the country's health system, highlighting a 36 percent decrease in health spending by Greeks this year, according to the National School of Public Health, and an increase of more than 50 percent in new cases of HIV from the first five months of 2010 to the same period this year.

11 Nov 2011

Research roundup: Cutting speciality care by raising co-payments; Asthma diagnosis and insurance coverage; GAO on early retirees

Mayo Clinic Employees Responded To New Requirements For Cost Sharing By Reducing Possibly Unneeded Health Services Use -- Researchers at the Mayo Clinic examined the effects of changes in the clinic's self-funded health plan "to decrease the use of potentially inappropriate health care services and foster a deliver system centered on primary care."

11 Nov 2011

Kenya launches 5-year strategic plan to fight NTDs

"The Kenyan government launched a five-year national master-plan on Thursday to address neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that have become a public health challenge in remote parts of the country," making Kenya "the first country in Africa to launch a broad-based strategic plan on combating neglected tropical ailments that include bilharzia, trachoma, kalaazar, intestinal worms, elephantiasis and Hydatid disease," Africa Science News reports.

11 Nov 2011

U-M receives NIH grant for Risk Evaluation and Education for Alzheimer's Disease study

In a first-of-its kind study, University of Michigan researchers will provide genetic testing and Alzheimer's risk estimates for people who are already experiencing mild cognitive impairment.

11 Nov 2011

Johns Hopkins to establish new global center for childhood obesity

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has been awarded a $16 million U54 cooperative agreement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a global center of excellence to address the childhood obesity epidemic.

11 Nov 2011

U of I to help researchers learn about physical activity in preschool-aged children

University of Illinois researchers have received funding from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for a series of workshops that will help researchers learn about physical activity in preschool-aged children.

11 Nov 2011

Wood stoves with chimneys linked to reduced childhood pneumonia

Cooking stoves with chimneys can lower exposure to indoor wood smoke and reduce the rate of severe pneumonia by 30 percent in children less than 18 months of age, according to a new air pollution study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health.

11 Nov 2011

State roundup: Storms' huge impact on health care; Brooklyn's hospital quest; Calif. election results

Only a few private hospitals have survived in neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville and Bushwick to serve poor patients like them. Now all are in such dire financial shape that a small group of veteran health care planners appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is debating last-ditch measures to save them.

10 Nov 2011