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UNC receives $32 million federal grant to eradicate HIV infection

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been awarded a $32 million, five-year federal grant to develop ways to cure people with HIV by purging the virus hiding in the immune systems of patients taking antiretroviral therapy.

12 Jul 2011

Obesity epidemic in teens and young adults began to rise in late 1990s

A new study that looks at weight change over decades finds that the obesity epidemic in teens and young adults has its roots in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when body weights began to rise. But not everyone was affected equally.

12 Jul 2011

Study confirms link between phthalates and thyroid hormone levels in humans

A link between chemicals called phthalates and thyroid hormone levels was confirmed by the University of Michigan in the first large-scale and nationally representative study of phthalates and BPA in relation to thyroid function in humans.

12 Jul 2011

Study: 82% of Georgia hospitals do not offer palliative care services

Hospitals across the nation are increasingly implementing palliative care programs to help patients manage the physical and emotional burdens of serious illnesses, but a new University of Georgia study finds that 82 percent of the state's hospitals do not offer palliative care services.

12 Jul 2011

Secondhand smoke linked to ADHD, learning and behavioral disorders in kids

The latest study shows that secondhand (passive) smoke can contribute to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other learning disabilities in children. The study from the Harvard School of Public Health, shows kids exposed to smoking were 50 percent more likely to develop neurobiological diseases compared to kids not around smoke.

12 Jul 2011

Drug resistant gonorrhea discovered

Japanese scientists have found a superbug strain of gonorrhea that’s resistant to all available antibiotics. This can pose a threat to public health worldwide, infectious disease experts say.

11 Jul 2011

Potential causes for drops in children's immunization rate

Childhood immunizations - long proven invaluable in preventing contagious diseases - have become increasingly controversial. Despite numerous studies supporting safety and efficacy, a growing number of parents refuse to vaccinate their children. A study conducted by second-year University of Vermont (UVM) medical students identified several potential causes for drops in Vermont children's immunization rate, which ranks as one of the lowest nationally.

11 Jul 2011

Researchers measure environmental allergen linked with hypoallergenic dogs

Contrary to popular belief, so-called hypoallergenic dogs do not have lower household allergen levels than other dogs.

11 Jul 2011

Researchers identify new antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea strain

An international research team has discovered a strain of gonorrhea resistant to all currently available antibiotics. This new strain is likely to transform a common and once easily treatable infection into a global threat to public health.

11 Jul 2011

Insights into why doctors are reluctant to disclose patient information

Family doctors are reluctant to disclose identifiable patient information, even in the context of an influenza pandemic, mostly in an effort to protect patient privacy.

11 Jul 2011

LSUHSC to study mid, long-term health consequences of oil exposure

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health is launching the first study ever done of the mid- and long-term health consequences of exposure to oil.

11 Jul 2011

Global variation in relative burden of stroke and heart disease

An analysis of heart disease and stroke statistics collected in 192 countries by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that the relative burden of the two diseases varies widely from country to country and is closely linked to national income, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

11 Jul 2011

Circumcision subjected to vote this November in San Francisco

The debate over whether routine circumcision of baby boys being either hygienic, safe or brutal and medically unnecessary continues in San Francisco. This November, residents will vote if the procedure shall be continued.

10 Jul 2011

Unvented cooking indoors causes small-particle air pollution and raises blood pressure in women

An estimated two billion people in the developing world heat and cook with a biomass fuel such as wood, but the practice exposes people - especially women - to large doses of small-particle air pollution, which can cause premature death and lung disease.

8 Jul 2011

Scientists track public health trends through Twitter

Twitter allows millions of social media fans to comment in 140 characters or less on just about anything: an actor's outlandish behavior, an earthquake's tragic toll or the great taste of a grilled cheese sandwich.

8 Jul 2011

Corporates profit from pinkwashing

Companies that try to increase sales of their products by adopting the color pink and pink ribbons to imply that they support breast cancer research-a practice called pinkwashing-but at the same time permit the use of chemicals shown to cause cancer are committing a form of social injustice against women, according to a thought-provoking article in Environmental Justice.

8 Jul 2011

Computer scientists use Twitter to identify public health trends

Two Johns Hopkins University computer scientists have found a way to use Twitter to track public health trends, according to a Johns Hopkins University press release.

8 Jul 2011

SNE's nutrition educator receives 2011 Helen Denning Ullrich Award of Excellence

The Society for Nutrition Education (SNE) announces that Margo Wootan, DSc, has been awarded the 2011 Helen Denning Ullrich Award of Excellence.

8 Jul 2011

Tulane University receives NIH grant to examine oil spill effects on women's health

The NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine $6.5 million for a five-year study exploring the potential health impacts of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on pregnant women and women of reproductive age living in Louisiana's coastal parishes.

8 Jul 2011

Salt intake study causes confusion

A new review of studies refutes earlier knowledge and says salt may not be as bad for the heart as commonly believed. Researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in Exeter, U.K. reviewed data for the Cochrane Library from seven studies with nearly 6,500 participants who reduced their salt intake and found that while eating less salt did lower blood pressure, it did not reduce the risk of dying or of having heart disease.

7 Jul 2011