Public Health News and Research

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Cancer vaccine shows promise

In the latest research news, a cervical cancer vaccine programme has produced the first evidence of disease prevention among treated women. This vaccine targets human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus believed to trigger cervical cancer in women.

17 Jun 2011

Women, young people more worried about EHEC bacteria outbreak in Europe

The news coverage of the deadly EHEC bacteria outbreak in Europe came as a bombshell. Ghent University (Belgium) examined 6132 reactions of Belgian newspaper readers after reading the first news reports.

17 Jun 2011

ECCHC, Kool Smiles open new dental office in East Chicago

East Chicago residents will soon have something new to smile about. Kool Smiles, a leading dental health provider dedicated to expanding access to quality dental care for children and families in underserved communities, is opening a new office in East Chicago in partnership with the East Chicago Community Health Center.

17 Jun 2011

Most US counties are falling behind in life expectancy

While people in Japan, Canada, and other nations are enjoying significant gains in life expectancy every year, most counties within the United States are falling behind, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

17 Jun 2011

Obese, overweight and still healthy

It's become an axiom of health that overweight and obese people are not as healthy as their normal weight counterparts. In fact, obesity has been targeted as one of the country's most serious public health problems, with predictions of widespread heart disease, diabetes and cancer among the growing number of Americans who are overweight.

17 Jun 2011

Snack-based diet can increase risk of obesity

A high-fat diet can be bad for your health. However, a snack-based "cafeteria"-style diet of highly palatable, energy-dense foods is even worse, according to new research.

17 Jun 2011

UTHealth receives $1M FEMA grant to examine link between Ad-36 infection, obesity

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have been awarded nearly $1 million to investigate Adenovirus-36 (Ad-36) infection as a novel risk factor for obesity.

17 Jun 2011

HHS announces funding opportunity for national networks of community-based organizations

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced a funding opportunity for national networks of community-based organizations to apply for more than $4 million in cooperative agreements.

17 Jun 2011

Public Health Grid technology could address specific surveillance needs for pandemic disease control

An evaluation of the Public Health Grid (PHGrid) technology during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic could enhance the capabilities of epidemiologists and disease-control agencies when the next emergent disease appears, according to a study published in the International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing.

17 Jun 2011

Physicians with low ratings in offline surveys less likely to be rated online

Patients posting their opinions about doctors on online ratings websites are much less likely to discuss physicians with low perceived quality and are more prone than offline populations to exaggerate their opinions, according to a paper being presented at a healthcare conference sponsored by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

16 Jun 2011

UCSF study seeks to discover true causes of sudden cardiac death

A new study by the University of California, San Francisco's Cardiac Electrophysiology Service seeks to discover for the first time the true causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD), why it is more prevalent in some demographic populations, and whether it is too often inaccurately cited as a cause of death.

16 Jun 2011

Children use self-induced vomiting as weight-loss strategy: Study

Children as young as ten are making themselves vomit in order to lose weight and the problem is more common in boys than girls, according to a study of nearly 16,000 school pupils published online early, ahead of print publication, by the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

16 Jun 2011

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to relaunch online smoking-cessation study

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center announced today that it is relaunching an online study to help people quit smoking. The study, called WebQuit, is enrolling adult smokers nationwide. Participation is free to eligible individuals.

16 Jun 2011

Inviragen commences INV21 Phase 1 trial against Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Inviragen announced today the initiation of the first clinical trial of the Company's proprietary Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) investigational vaccine, INV21, a highly purified virus particle preparation designed to protect against HFMD caused by enterovirus 71.

16 Jun 2011

Simple and cheap Syphilis test could save the lives of millions of babies

Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease that has been a taboo for decades, kills an estimated one million newborn and stillborn babies every year. However a simple test for every pregnant woman followed by antibiotics for those infected would stop the deaths.

16 Jun 2011

High number of adverse patient safety events occur in doctors' offices

However, a high number of adverse events, including major injury and even death, occur in private physician offices and outpatient clinics as well. In a new study -- the first of its kind -- researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College found that the number and magnitude of events resulting from medical errors is surprisingly similar inside and outside hospital walls.

15 Jun 2011

FDA issues final rulemaking on testing and labeling of sunscreen products

"FDA's recognition today of the important role sunscreens play in protecting the public not only from sunburn but also from skin cancer and premature aging due to the sun is a very significant victory for public health. The role of UV rays in causing skin damage and the role of sunscreens in protecting against this sun damage are widely acknowledged within the medical and scientific communities, and we're very pleased the agency has taken this critical step.

15 Jun 2011

GlycoVaxyn's Second Annual Science Day to highlight challenges of vaccine industry

GlycoVaxyn AG, a leader in the development of conjugate vaccines, today announced that it will host its Second Annual Science Day to discuss challenges and opportunities in vaccine development on June 16-17, 2011, in Cannes, France.

15 Jun 2011

Improve water access to avoid serious public health crisis in Pakistan

Haider Warraich, a research fellow at Harvard Medical School, examines how a "lack of access to water in Pakistan only exacerbates the country's already dire public health situation" in this post on Foreign Policy's "AfPak Channel" blog.

15 Jun 2011

Family socioeconomic situation linked to sedentary behaviours in children

It is not strange to expect that families with better living conditions enjoy better health and a longer life expectancy. Now, a new study has also confirmed the relationship between a family's socioeconomic situation and certain sedentary behaviours, such as watching television and playing videogames, during the first years of life.

15 Jun 2011