Public Health News and Research

RSS

State news: Kansas facing Medicaid shortfall; Indiana to expand coverage for low-income adults; Maryland's medical home experiment

Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Republican who is running for governor, "faced new questions Thursday about joining fellow congressional Republicans in opposing legislation that would prop up state budgets as his Democratic opponent in the race for governor criticized him. Brownback said he is against a plan that includes extra Medicaid dollars for states because it wasn't drafted in a fiscally responsible way. Kansas' share is $131 million, and its current $13.7 billion budget won't balance without the money, which covers health care for the poor and disabled" (Hanna, 8/5).

7 Aug 2010

Study uncovers leading causes of non-fatal injuries among older adults in China

Falls are the most common injury for both urban and rural elderly in China, responsible for more than two-thirds of all injuries in people 65 and older, according to a new study by researchers from China and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Injury Research and Policy. This is the first study to uncover the leading causes of non-fatal injuries among older adults in China, who make up 9 percent of the total population.

6 Aug 2010

UC Riverside scientists secure grants for tobacco control research

Tobacco-related disease kills more people worldwide than any other single factor. To help address this problem, the University of California, Riverside has received six grants from the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP), the most TRDRP grants the campus has received in any year.

6 Aug 2010

Kaiser Family Foundation/CSIS forum reviews AIDS 2010, looks ahead to AIDS 2012

Last month's 18th International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010 in Vienna, Austria, will be remembered as the first since the global economic downturn, the growing recognition of treatment as part of prevention and a focus on the importance of human rights, HIV/AIDS experts said Thursday during a panel discussion in Washington, D.C. A webcast of the event is available online.

6 Aug 2010

Risk of epidemic is high in Pakistan: Canadian Red Cross

The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is ramping up its relief operations in response to flooding in Pakistan. Over three million people have been affected as the worst flooding in 80 years wreaks havoc across 70 per cent of the country. Despite a rapid humanitarian response Red Cross officials warn that the worst may be yet to come.

6 Aug 2010

Scientific findings reveal combination antibiotic therapy effective for ulcerative colitis

The link between Hormone Replacement Therapy and reduced risk of distal large bowel cancer in women; a promising combination antibiotic therapy for ulcerative colitis patients; and the high-rate of alcoholic liver disease mortality, are among the scientific findings featured in the August issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

6 Aug 2010

Eliminating depression, diabetes can reduce levels of dementia: Study

Eliminating diabetes and depression, as well as increasing education and fruit and vegetable consumption, are likely to have the biggest impact on reducing levels of dementia in the coming years, should no effective treatment be found, concludes a study published on bmj.com today.These findings suggest priorities for future public health interventions.While the exact cause of dementia is still unknown, several modifiable risk factors have already been identified. These include vascular risk factors (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol), a history of depression, diet, alcohol consumption, and education level.

6 Aug 2010

Study: Drug control efforts have caused a drop in methamphetamine treatment admissions in Mexico

A study published today in the scientific journal Addiction shows that the Mexican government's recent efforts to control the manufacture of methamphetamine have caused a drop in methamphetamine treatment admissions in Mexico and in neighbouring Texas.

6 Aug 2010

Research on human disease origins to predict, prevent next outbreak

Most infectious diseases infect multiple host species, but to date, efforts to quantify the frequency and outcome of cross-species transmission (CST) of these diseases have been severely limited.This lack of information represents a major gap in knowledge of how diseases emerge, and from which species they will emerge.A paper published this week in the journal Science by a team of researchers led by Daniel Streicker of the University of Georgia has begun to close that gap.

6 Aug 2010

FDA issues comprehensive evaluations that address key objectives of agency's public health mission

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued two comprehensive evaluations containing recommendations that address three key objectives of the agency's public health mission as it relates to medical devices – foster device innovation, create a more predictable regulatory environment, and enhance device safety.

5 Aug 2010

CNA commends CMA for new report on health-care transformation

A new Canadian Medical Association report on health-care transformation was met with a mix of optimism and concern by the Canadian Nurses Association.

5 Aug 2010

Diabetes Self-Management Training helps to prevent complications in pre diabetes patients

Citing research that demonstrates the cost savings and health benefits of providing Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) to patients with pre-diabetes, the American Association of Diabetes Educators today called on private insurers and Medicare to include education as a covered benefit for this population.

5 Aug 2010

Nature News examines how scientists, farmers are working to meet the growing demand for artemisinin

"From bust to boom to bust again: artemisinin, the key ingredient of front-line antimalarial drugs, is entering the third chapter of its turbulent history," Nature News writes in an article that examines the challenges scientists and farmers are facing as they attempt to keep up with the growing demand for the compound just as a "$343-million initiative starts to battle malaria through hugely subsidized medicines."

5 Aug 2010

President Obama, Sec. of State discuss U.S. commitment to development, fighting disease in Africa with young African leaders

During a gathering of over 100 young African business and civil leaders at the White House on Tuesday, President Barack Obama "urged [them] to help spur economic development and fight corruption, disease and extremism on the continent," MSNBC's "First Read" blog reports.

5 Aug 2010

HGC publishes guidelines to protect people using DIY genetic tests

A set of guidelines has been published to protect people using DIY genetic tests for inherited diseases, such as certain types of breast cancer.The guidelines have been drawn up by the Human Genetics Commission (HGC), which hopes to provide the public with greater confidence in genetic testing kits.Companies - many of which are based in the US - have started to sell DIY testing kits over the internet, providing users with an estimate of their risk of inheriting diseases.

5 Aug 2010

Excess maternal weight gain predicts high birth weight: Research

Expectant mothers who gain large amounts of weight tend to give birth to heavier infants who are at higher risk for obesity later in life. But it's never been proven that this tendency results from the weight gain itself, rather than genetic or other factors that mother and baby share. A large population-based study from Children's Hospital Boston, looking at two or more pregnancies in the same mother, now provides evidence that excess maternal weight gain is a strong, independent predictor of high birth weight.

5 Aug 2010

Sigma-Aldrich, NHLBI and BU collaborate in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease research

Sigma-Aldrich® today announced it has entered into an agreement with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, and Boston University (BU) to develop methods to measure several potential biomarkers of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) using plasma samples from the NHLBI's Framingham Heart Study (FHS), one of the most prestigious clinical studies in medicine. Funding for the project is provided by the NHLBI to Sigma-Aldrich under a research subaward agreement with BU.

5 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 4, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include reports about yesterday's Missouri vote on a ballot measure to challenge the health reform law and the latest on today's likely Senate consideration of Medicaid assistance for states.

4 Aug 2010

Arthritis treatment costs more than $128 billion a year in the U.S.

Arthritis is the single greatest cause of chronic pain and disability among Americans and the treatment of arthritis costs the nation more than $128 billion a year in medical care and lost earnings. Persistent, chronic joint pain determines the choices people make and limits their ability to perform basic tasks for themselves and their family. Eighty percent of Americans either have, or know someone who has, arthritis and these numbers continue to escalate.

4 Aug 2010

Research examines effects of orthostatic hypotension in adults, children

A simple variation to the tried and true method of checking blood pressure can reveal startling information about both older and younger persons, new research suggests.

4 Aug 2010

Public Health News and Research

State news: Kansas facing Medicaid shortfall; Indiana to expand coverage for low-income adults; Maryland's medical home experiment

Study uncovers leading causes of non-fatal injuries among older adults in China

UC Riverside scientists secure grants for tobacco control research

Kaiser Family Foundation/CSIS forum reviews AIDS 2010, looks ahead to AIDS 2012

Risk of epidemic is high in Pakistan: Canadian Red Cross

Scientific findings reveal combination antibiotic therapy effective for ulcerative colitis

Eliminating depression, diabetes can reduce levels of dementia: Study

Study: Drug control efforts have caused a drop in methamphetamine treatment admissions in Mexico

Research on human disease origins to predict, prevent next outbreak

FDA issues comprehensive evaluations that address key objectives of agency's public health mission

CNA commends CMA for new report on health-care transformation

Diabetes Self-Management Training helps to prevent complications in pre diabetes patients

Nature News examines how scientists, farmers are working to meet the growing demand for artemisinin

President Obama, Sec. of State discuss U.S. commitment to development, fighting disease in Africa with young African leaders

HGC publishes guidelines to protect people using DIY genetic tests

Excess maternal weight gain predicts high birth weight: Research

Sigma-Aldrich, NHLBI and BU collaborate in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease research

First Edition: August 4, 2010

Arthritis treatment costs more than $128 billion a year in the U.S.

Research examines effects of orthostatic hypotension in adults, children

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Applications Engineer

Latest News