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Harvard study finds increase in medical bankruptcies in Massachusetts

The percentage of personal bankruptcies linked to medical bills or illness changed little, and the absolute number actually increased in Massachusetts after the implementation of its landmark 2006 law requiring people to buy health insurance, a Harvard study says.

8 Mar 2011

Stakeholders address questions related to HIT impact on healthcare disparities at invitational roundtable

A diverse group of healthcare stakeholders address questions related to health information technology's impact on health and healthcare disparities in a two-day invitational roundtable on March 7-8, sponsored by the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and AMIA, the association for informatics professionals.

8 Mar 2011

Also in global health news: EU-India talks; China's health system funding; water in Ethiopia; nonprofit offering health services abroad to sell off assets; polio in India

BMJ News Examines Ongoing EU-India Trade Talks' Impact On Access To Affordable Medicines

8 Mar 2011

IHME announces release of new Global Health Data Exchange

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington has created a user-friendly, searchable data catalog for global health, public health, and demographic data.

8 Mar 2011

Study reveals prevalence of overweight in Sweden schoolchildren

Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy - University of Gothenburg, Sweden - and Karolinska Institutet have carried out the first ever national study of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren.

8 Mar 2011

New clinical trial to assess antiretroviral treatment in HIV-infected individuals based on CD4 counts

A major new clinical trial seeks to determine whether HIV-infected asymptomatic individuals have less risk of developing AIDS or other serious illness if they begin taking antiretrovirals sooner rather than later, based on their level of CD4+ T-cells.

8 Mar 2011

Increased alcohol consumption leads to multiple cardiovascular outcomes

A summary paper on the effects of alcohol consumption on biologic mechanisms associated with coronary heart disease provides an excellent review of a large number of intervention studies in humans.

8 Mar 2011

UTHealth study: Children with H. pylori infection have lower levels of iron

Children without previous iron deficiencies or anemia who remained infected with Helicobacter pylori had significantly lower levels of iron compared to children who had the infection eradicated, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

8 Mar 2011

Parents play a key role in prevention of alcohol consumption in teenagers

Parents who are both present and engaged are the very best way of preventing teenagers from consuming large quantities of alcohol. Adolescents who smoke, stay out with their friends and have access to alcohol - from their parents, for example - when they are as young as 13 are at greater risk of becoming binge drinkers in their late teens, reveals a new thesis from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

8 Mar 2011

Prevalence of eating disorders higher than previously thought

A new study shows that many American adolescents suffer from an eating disorder and struggle with related psychiatric disorders, including suicidal tendencies. The researchers write, “The prevalence of these disorders is higher than previously expected in this age range, and the patterns of [co-existing illnesses], role impairment and suicidality indicate that eating disorders represent a major public health concern.” Led by Sonja A. Swanson, of the National Institute of Mental Health, the research team reported the findings online March 7 in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Mar 2011

Prevalence of bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric disorder that swings between depression and mania. It strikes early and can cause lifelong disability. Reports show that it is chronically undertreated in many low-income countries.

7 Mar 2011

Physical therapy within 24 hours of knee arthroplasty can improve recovery, cut hospital stays

Starting rehabilitation sooner following knee arthroplasty surgery could pay dividends - for both patients and hospitals. Commencing physical therapy within 24 hours of surgery can improve pain, range of joint motion and muscle strength as well as cut hospital stays, according to new research in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation, published by SAGE.

6 Mar 2011

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice's current issue explains impact of PPACA

The current issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, provides a definitive analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is now under fire as an unconstitutional exercise of federal power.

5 Mar 2011

NIEHS, NTP to mark 50th anniversary of SOT

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Society of Toxicology at the SOT annual meeting in Washington, D.C., March 6-10, 2011.

5 Mar 2011

GW Health Policy Researchers play a major role in AJPM supplement

GW Health Policy Researchers, led by Wilhelmine Miller, Ph.D., associate research professor in the School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, played a major role in the supplement of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

5 Mar 2011

FLSPMP moves to set record straight on issue of patient privacy, PDMP

The Florida Society of Pain Management Providers moves to set the record straight on the issue of patient privacy and the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.

5 Mar 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

The Importance Of Investing In Adolescent Girls: A Lancet editorial examines the challenges adolescent girls living in developing countries face and the work of the U.N. Adolescent Girls Task Force to help young women overcome these barriers.

5 Mar 2011

State roundup: After Vinson stay, Alaska to implement health law

After allowing the application deadline to pass for $1 million in federal health care assistance, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said Thursday he will begin implementing the new health care law after all, now that a Florida judge has told the states to do just that.

5 Mar 2011

Uofl professor to create new statistical model for cancer research

A University of Louisville professor is developing a statistical model that, among other things, may help determine what prolongs cancer free survival.

4 Mar 2011

ATS releases new report recommending research priorities in OSA treatment

The American Thoracic Society has released a new official report recommending research priorities in incorporating ambulatory management of adults with obstructive sleep apnea into healthcare systems.

4 Mar 2011