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Dartmouth awarded $2M grant for new Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center

Dartmouth recently received a $2 million pilot grant to fund the new Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth. The grant is jointly funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Dartmouth's is one of six emerging centers nationally that are undertaking interdisciplinary research to assist public health professionals and policy makers in combating children's diseases caused by environment pollutants.

7 Dec 2010

MenAfriVac to help health workers eliminate meningococcal A epidemics

The West African nation of Burkina Faso today became the first country to begin a nationwide campaign to introduce a new meningitis vaccine that promises to rid the entire region of the primary cause of epidemic meningitis. The first vaccine designed specifically for Africa, MenAfriVac is expected to help health workers eliminate meningococcal A epidemics in the 25 countries of the meningitis belt, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.

6 Dec 2010

New research focusing on VTE presented at ASH Annual Meeting

The latest advances in the treatment of bleeding and clotting disorders will be presented today at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, focusing on venous thrombeombolism, a potentially life-threatening disorder in which abnormal blood clots form in the veins and restrict the flow of blood. New studies examine risk-prediction models and cutting-edge treatment options for patients with VTE.

6 Dec 2010

HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

Hospital for Special Surgery announced the creation of the Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research to translate information collected from an extensive patient population into studies that will guide experts in preventing, diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders.

4 Dec 2010

UK Government plans to remove logos from cigarette packets

UK Government plans to remove logos from cigarette packaging risk "dangerous unintended consequences", including a price war that could actually lead to more smoking, a law expert at the University of Abertay Dundee has warned.

4 Dec 2010

Healthy People 2020 targets barriers to breastfeeding

For the first time, the barriers to breastfeeding are being addressed at the highest level of government. With the release today of Healthy People 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has targeted the new 10-year goals for our nation's health - and supporting breastfeeding is prominent among them.

4 Dec 2010

Companies, media organizations join Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition to launch pledge campaign

Prostate cancer is a serious health concern in Georgia. According to the American Cancer Society, the state of Georgia ranks 11th in number of estimated deaths per capita from the disease. In an effort to raise awareness about prostate cancer and ensure more men commit to be informed and screened, several companies and media organizations have joined the Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition in launching a pledge campaign.

4 Dec 2010

NFID supports CDC's National Influenza Vaccination Week

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual observance of National Influenza Vaccination Week to communicate the importance and availability of influenza vaccination into the winter months and beyond. It is critical that physicians and patients, especially parents of pediatric patients, remain vigilant about flu protection this and every year.

4 Dec 2010

Health experts discuss how to prepare for future dengue immunization programs

AsiaOne examines how groups are working to prepare policy makers for the availability of a dengue vaccine in the future, following a three-day meeting on the virus held in Singapore this week (Chan, 12/3).

4 Dec 2010

Electronic cigarettes are potentially harmful, researchers say

Electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes), also called "electronic nicotine delivery systems," are increasingly used worldwide even though only sparse information is available on their health effects. In the United States, e-cigarettes are readily available in shopping malls in most states and on the Internet.

4 Dec 2010

International project on equitable distribution of health resources and priorities within global health

Researchers in Bergen and Seattle will join forces in a project on the equitable distribution of health resources and priorities within global health. The agreement was signed during this year's Transatlantic Science Week held in Washington, D.C. in October.

3 Dec 2010

Alcohol treatment services underused due to perception of negative stigma

Despite the existence of effective programs for treating alcohol dependencies and disorders, less than a quarter of people who are diagnosed actually seek treatment. In a recent study by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health researchers report that people diagnosed with alcoholism at some point in their lifetime were more than 60% less likely to seek treatment if they believed they would be stigmatized once their status is known.

3 Dec 2010

AHA: Incidence of hospitalization for heart valve diseases rises in New York

The incidence of hospitalization and treatment for heart valve diseases in New York State has constantly and progressively risen since the early 1980s, according to research presented at the recent meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA) by SUNY Downstate Medical Center. The study results were published in a supplement to the AHA journal, Circulation.

3 Dec 2010

Fourteen cases identified on E. coli infection related to raw milk consumption in Connecticut

Raw milk is consumed by an estimated 1-3 percent of the United States population. Raw milk and raw cheeses are responsible for almost 70 percent of reported dairy outbreaks. On July 16, 2008, the Connecticut Department of Public Health identified two unrelated children who had experienced hemolytic uremic syndrome after consuming raw milk from the same farm. The authors investigated the situation further and found more cases of people affected by raw milk from the same farm.

3 Dec 2010

Indiana University to join multi-state program focused on cervical cancer prevention

Indiana will join a multi-state program focused on cervical cancer prevention thanks to an unrestricted gift from GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals to the Indiana University School of Medicine, in partnership with the Kristen Forbes EVE Foundation.

3 Dec 2010

AstraZeneca announces FDA Advisory Committee meeting outcome for vandetanib NDA

AstraZeneca today announced the outcome of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting to discuss the New Drug Application (NDA) for AstraZeneca's investigational drug, vandetanib, for the treatment of patients with unresectable (non-operable) locally advanced or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).

2 Dec 2010

White House marks World AIDS Day

Commemorating World AIDS Day on Wednesday President Barack Obama called for continuing to fight HIV/AIDS domestically and abroad, Agence France-Presse reports (12/1).

2 Dec 2010

Weighty issues

A new study shows that the ideal body mass index or BMI is between 20 and 24.9. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in Kilograms by the square of height in meters. The study authors examined nearly 1.5 million adults and found that even being slightly overweight but not obese, are enough to raise the risk of an early death.

2 Dec 2010

New clue in leukemia mystery

There is new hope for people with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Research led by Weill Cornell Medical College and published today in the online edition of the journal Cancer Cell reveals a surprising and unexpected cancer-causing mechanism. The investigators discovered that newly identified mutant enzymes in AML create a chemical poison to cause leukemia. Their findings should prove useful in treating patients by providing a molecular target against which to develop new drugs against one subset of AML as well as other cancers.

2 Dec 2010

HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) announced the creation of the Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research to translate information collected from an extensive patient population into studies that will guide experts in preventing, diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders.

2 Dec 2010