Public Health News and Research

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Wistar Institute, Graham Cancer Center enter research collaboration

Christiana Care Health System's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and The Wistar Institute, an international leader in biomedical research, have entered into an historic partnership to collaborate on translational cancer research with the aim of bringing the latest discoveries in cancer research to cancer patients in the community.

20 Aug 2011

Research roundup: Majority of Docs face malpractice claims; colonoscopies in older adults; 'overwhelming' Medicare advantage choices

The authors "analyzed malpractice data from 1991 through 2005 for all physicians who were covered by a large professional liability insurer with a nationwide client base" and found that "by the age of 65 years, 75% of physicians in low-risk specialties had faced a malpractice claim, as compared with 99% of physicians in high-risk specialties." Most of those claims did not result in a pyament.

20 Aug 2011

IOM may miss deadline for essential benefits report

In other news related to the health law's implementation, policy analysts offer their views of the challenges ahead for the creation of accountable care organizations.

19 Aug 2011

Seven UC scientists receive 2011 NARSAD Grants for brain and behavior research

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation has awarded $1.5 million in NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants to fund highly esteemed scientists for research on brain and behavior disorders.

19 Aug 2011

Prior parasitic worm infections may complicate TB therapy

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major threat to global health, taking the lives of more than a million people worldwide each year. Its greatest impact is often in the most impoverished places on earth, where patients frequently suffer from multiple chronic illnesses at the same time. In such situations, the question of whether each individual illness might make concurrent illnesses more difficult to treat becomes a critical issue both for specific patients and for general public health.

19 Aug 2011

PrEP raises questions regarding 'risk disinhibition' and drug resistance

Nature News reports on "the possibility of unintended public-health consequences" of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV and pharmaceutical company Gilead's plan to ask the FDA to evaluate its combination antiretroviral (ARV) drug Truvada for use in healthy people.

18 Aug 2011

Multi-country study of severe pneumonia in hospitalized children

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health announced on Tuesday the launch of "a groundbreaking new study called the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) study … a large multi-country case-control study of severe pneumonia in hospitalized children under five years of age … being conducted in Bangladesh, The Gambia, Kenya, Mali, South Africa, Thailand, and Zambia," according to a JHSPH press release.

18 Aug 2011

World must invest equally in bird flu prevention and response

The "reports during the past two weeks of two recent infections and another death" from H5N1 (avian) influenza "raised little concern except among public health officials," Robert Gatter, co-director of the Center for Health Law Studies and professor of law at Saint Louis University, writes in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution opinion piece, adding that "the fact that bird flu in developing nations receives little public attention reveals that the world has become complacent about this threat."

18 Aug 2011

Conference to expand awareness about benefits of human tissue research

When you have blood taken for a test or have tissue removed for a biopsy, it may be used for medical research. While there are clear benefits to such research, medical and health care professionals need to be aware of cultural and confidentiality concerns on the part of patients.

18 Aug 2011

ADA releases papers that examine dental safety net programs

The American Dental Association today released the second in a series of papers that examine the challenges and solutions to bringing good oral health to millions of Americans, including the growing population whose only possible source of dental care is the so-called oral health safety net.

18 Aug 2011

Powder-free gloves linked to reduced latex allergy in health care workers

Researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin investigating latex allergy in health care workers have demonstrated the most effective public health strategy to prevent allergic sensitization is by stopping the use of powdered latex gloves.

18 Aug 2011

States move forward with creating health exchanges

In Minnesota, though, party-based challenges are emerging to Gov. Dayton's exchange plan. Also, Politico reports that, even though the health law allows for a federal exchange as a fallback plan if states don't develop their own, no funding exists for these federal activities. On the other hand, the law provides almost unlimited resources to support states' efforts.

18 Aug 2011

FDA, USP co-sponsors OTC drug products workshop

Updated public standards incorporating new tests for impurities as well as more modern technologies to help ensure the quality of over-the-counter (OTC) ingredients and products will be key areas of focus for a September 8-9, 2011, workshop co-sponsored by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention.

17 Aug 2011

Worries in Neb. about exchange deadlines; federal grant for Conn.

Nebraska officials raised concerns Monday about the state's ability to meet upcoming federal health care reform deadlines. At a briefing for state lawmakers, the officials said they face challenges with the amount of work to be done and the lack of answers on key matters.

17 Aug 2011

World's top genetic scientists to present latest research findings at ICHG/ASHG 2011 Meeting

The world's top scientists and clinicians in the human genetics field will gather to present their latest research findings at the 12th International Congress of Human Genetics (ICHG) / 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), which will be held on October 11-15, 2011, in Montreal (Quebec), Canada, at the Montreal Convention Center.

17 Aug 2011

High parity linked with increased risk of ER-/PR- breast cancer

Investigators from the Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have reported findings that may shed light on why African American women have a disproportionately higher risk of developing more aggressive and difficult-to-treat breast cancers, specifically estrogen and progesterone receptor negative (ER-/PR-) cancers.

17 Aug 2011

Study of Chicago neighborhoods tracks prevalence of five key public health issues

The south and southwest sides of Chicago suffer the most in terms of residents' health and access to basic health resources, according to a new study of 77 Chicago neighborhoods.

17 Aug 2011

PERCH study to look at current and likely future causes of childhood pneumonia

Pneumonia kills more children around the world than any other disease, but the last major effort to study the causes of childhood pneumonia across many countries was conducted in the 1980's. This week, a groundbreaking new study called the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) study gets off the ground.

17 Aug 2011

Researchers identify five SNPs linked with aggressive, lethal prostate cancer

An international team of researchers led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified five inherited genetic variants that are strongly associated with aggressive, lethal prostate cancer.

17 Aug 2011

Global AIDS funding in 2010 down nearly 10% from previous year, Kaiser/UNAIDS report says

"Spending on the global fight against AIDS fell significantly in 2010 for the first time since the U.S. and other governments began making major donations," according to an annual funding analysis released Monday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS, the Wall Street Journal reports. "All told, governments donated about $6.9 billion in 2010, down 9.7 percent from about $7.6 billion in the prior year, the report said," the newspaper writes.

17 Aug 2011