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Weight Watchers more effective alternative to primary care for obese adults

A new, one-year global study published today in The Lancet indicates that overweight and obese adults referred to Weight Watchers, a community based provider of weight-loss services, lost more than twice as much weight when compared with those who received standard care.

9 Sep 2011

Positive results from Sanaria PfSPZ Vaccine initial Phase 1 trial on malaria

Positive results from the initial Phase 1 clinical trial in 80 healthy volunteers and complementary pre-clinical studies of the Sanaria PfSPZ Vaccine are published today in the online issue of Science.

9 Sep 2011

Curbing unhealthy eating to reduce obesity

The Obesity Policy Coalition suggests a new mobile app called Traffic Light Food Tracker that will enable users to work around the food industry's hesitation in supporting traffic light labeling. Traffic light labeling marks foods high in fat, sugar and salt with red warnings, while green labels are for healthy options. Users only have to key in their food item's fat, sugar and sodium quantities and save each item in their “pantry” within the phone app.

8 Sep 2011

World Cancer Research Fund urges action to stop preventable cancers

According to the WCRF this Wednesday healthier lifestyles and better diets could prevent up to 2.8 million cases of cancer each year. The WCRF called upon governments to “avoid a public health disaster”.

8 Sep 2011

Moderate alcohol intake linked to longer life in women

According to a study published in the journal PLoS Medicine, women may benefit from alcohol consumption. The study showed that middle-age women who indulge in one drink a day or less on a regular basis may have a better chance of being healthier when they’re older.

8 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 8, 2011

In today's headlines, reports from last night's GOP presidential debate, as well as explorations of what the future might hold for the 'Super Committee' and news developments related to physician payment issues.

8 Sep 2011

Nexera to submit amended claims for FDA 510(k) clearance of SpectraShield 9500 Surgical N95 Respirator

Nexera Medical, Inc., today announced plans to submit to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended antimicrobial claims for its current 510(k) clearance for the SpectraShield 9500 Surgical N95 Respirator with embedded antimicrobial technology. The expanded antimicrobial claims will be supported by test data on the inactivation performance of certain strains of viruses.

8 Sep 2011

CDC chooses PHI's CHLP for new national leadership development program

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected the Center for Health Leadership and Practice (CHLP) at the Public Health Institute (PHI) to run a new national program focused on improving community health by developing collaborative, multi-sectoral leadership teams across the country.

8 Sep 2011

CDC reports slight drop in smoking; tick worries blood experts

Fewer American adults are smoking cigarettes, and those who do are smoking less, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday. The CDC's latest data from 2010 show that an estimated 19.3 percent of American adults, or 45.3 million people, smoke. This is a slight decline from 20.9 percent in 2005. Of those adults who smoke, the new data show, 78.2 percent -- or 35.4 million -- do so every day.

8 Sep 2011

HSPH receives Gates Foundation grant to improve maternal health in developing countries

A new three-year, $12 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will support a Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) effort to significantly improve maternal health in developing countries.

8 Sep 2011

UM educator named RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar

Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Ph.D., R.N., an assistant professor at the University of Miami, School of Nursing & Health Studies, has won a competitive grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to develop, manualize, and test an intervention for preventing teen dating violence among Hispanics. Gonzalez-Guarda is one of just 12 nurse educators from around the country to receive the three-year $350,000 Nurse Faculty Scholar award this year.

8 Sep 2011

Apply lessons from the AIDS response to NCD control and prevention in developing countries

In anticipation of the September 2011 U.N. High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), low- and middle-income countries "should not only look at the lessons learned in the control of NCDs in developed countries, but also those from other areas of public health, especially AIDS, which can inform the design of an effective and sustainable response to NCDs in developing countries," Rebecca Dirks from FHI 360 and colleagues write in this PLoS Medicine Policy Forum editorial piece.

8 Sep 2011

HHS Secretary tours Alaska health care facilities; judge halts rollback of Ariz. same-sex benefits

Alaska has a message for HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius: Don't assume that health care delivery reform can work the same way in every state. That's the lesson Sen. Mark Begich says he tried to impart to Sebelius as he toured some of the state's health and early child care centers with her last week. Sebelius went to learn first-hand about the state's health services, the Indian Health Service, and how the health law is being implemented.

8 Sep 2011

Daily moderate drinking may decrease atherosclerosis

For the first time, new research shows that patterns of alcohol consumption - a drink or two every night, or several cocktails on Friday and Saturday nights only - may be more important in determining alcohol's influence on heart health than the total amount consumed.

8 Sep 2011

Mass. Eye and Ear receives NIAID grant to coordinate Harvard-wide Project on Antibiotic Resistance

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary has received an $11 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the largest National Institutes of Health grant in this hospital's187-year history, to coordinate the Harvard-wide Project on Antibiotic Resistance.

8 Sep 2011

Better communication needed with at-risk communities for HIV vaccine trials

Better communication is needed around HIV vaccine trials to ensure those in at-risk communities understand the process and continue to participate, according to a new University of Toronto study.

8 Sep 2011

Simple pain relievers a better alternative to antipsychotic medications for dementia patients

Many dementia patients are being treated with antipsychotic medications, but a new study shows that simple pain relievers may be a better alternative.

8 Sep 2011

Innovative approach improves feeding outcomes among infants

An innovative approach to treating neonatal feeding problems at Nationwide Children's Hospital has allowed infants who were struggling to feed orally to be discharged earlier and without feeding tubes, subsequently saving millions of annual healthcare charges.

8 Sep 2011

Access to health insurance top indicator for better outcomes among undocumented children

Undocumented children who have access to health insurance are healthier and more engaged in school than those without insurance, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

8 Sep 2011

New guidelines for treatment of melanoma

Based on an extensive review of scientific literature and the recommendations of recognized melanoma experts, the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) has released updated evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

8 Sep 2011

Public Health News and Research

Weight Watchers more effective alternative to primary care for obese adults

Positive results from Sanaria PfSPZ Vaccine initial Phase 1 trial on malaria

Curbing unhealthy eating to reduce obesity

World Cancer Research Fund urges action to stop preventable cancers

Moderate alcohol intake linked to longer life in women

First Edition: September 8, 2011

Nexera to submit amended claims for FDA 510(k) clearance of SpectraShield 9500 Surgical N95 Respirator

CDC chooses PHI's CHLP for new national leadership development program

CDC reports slight drop in smoking; tick worries blood experts

HSPH receives Gates Foundation grant to improve maternal health in developing countries

UM educator named RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar

Apply lessons from the AIDS response to NCD control and prevention in developing countries

HHS Secretary tours Alaska health care facilities; judge halts rollback of Ariz. same-sex benefits

Daily moderate drinking may decrease atherosclerosis

Mass. Eye and Ear receives NIAID grant to coordinate Harvard-wide Project on Antibiotic Resistance

Better communication needed with at-risk communities for HIV vaccine trials

Simple pain relievers a better alternative to antipsychotic medications for dementia patients

Innovative approach improves feeding outcomes among infants

Access to health insurance top indicator for better outcomes among undocumented children

New guidelines for treatment of melanoma

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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