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Two-day workshop on sickle cell trait

Scientists from across the nation will gather June 3-4 to discuss what is known about sickle cell trait and the potential health implications related to this genetic blood condition. "Framing the Research Agenda for Sickle Cell Trait" will examine the ethical, legal, social, and public health impacts of the blood condition.

3 Jun 2010

National initiative to share wealth of new community health data to improve health of Americans

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Institute of Medicine President Harvey Fineberg today launched a national initiative to share a wealth of new community health data that will drive innovation and lead to the creation of new applications and tools to improve the health of Americans.

3 Jun 2010

Miners' living, working environments fuel spread of TB in sub-Saharan Africa, study says

A study, published Tuesday in the American Journal of Public Health, found that poor living and working environments for miners of diamonds and precious metals is significantly fueling the spread of tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa, Reuters reports.

3 Jun 2010

Scientists awarded $3.9M grant to study how XDR-TB transmitted in rural South Africa

The National Institutes of Health has awarded scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $3.9 million grant to study how extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis is transmitted in rural South Africa. The findings could alter public health approaches for controlling the XDR-TB epidemic in the developing world.

3 Jun 2010

Loophole in CHIP costs feds millions in lost revenue

"A tobacco tax loophole in President Barack Obama's children's health insurance program cost the government more than $250 million in its first year, public health officials say. The loophole allowed companies to avoid huge tax increases on loose rolling tobacco by relabeling their product as pipe tobacco. The simple marketing twist lets companies pay $2.83 per pound, rather than the $24.78 per pound levied on rolling tobacco. That proved an expensive technicality in the way the government pays for health insurance for poor children."

3 Jun 2010

Chili peppers may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup, says study

Scientists are reporting new evidence that capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their kick, may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup by triggering certain beneficial protein changes in the body. Their study, which could lead to new treatments for obesity, appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

3 Jun 2010

California examines 'never events' at hospitals; La. seeks funding for primary care clinics; Texas trims children's health program

San Francisco Chronicle: "Drill bits, screws, sponges, clamps, needles, catheters, electrodes. These are some of the things accidentally left inside patients after surgery at California hospitals.

3 Jun 2010

Novel anti-malarial drug developed from blood thinner by Australian scientists

Malaria caused by a parasite that is borne in female mosquitoes and that spreads in humans through mosquito bites is a major public health problem and it kills more than a million people world wide each year. With the rise of resistance of many of the strains of the malaria parasite to most of the anti-malarial drugs the problem is escalating at an alarming pace.

2 Jun 2010

CDC data shows frequent binge drinkers more likely to report suboptimal self-rated health

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that excessive drinking is responsible for approximately 79,000 deaths annually in the United States. Binge drinking accounts for more than half of those deaths. A new study has looked at the frequency of binge drinking in relation to drinkers' own perceptions of their overall health status.

2 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 2, 2010

In today's news, insurance regulators fail to meet an early deadline for setting standards on premium spending rules within the new health law.

2 Jun 2010

Santarus commences enrollment in rifamycin SV MMX Phase III clinical program for travelers' diarrhea

Santarus, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that is has begun to enroll patients in the first study in its Phase III clinical program to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rifamycin SV MMX® for the treatment of patients with travelers' diarrhea.

2 Jun 2010

Faith-based organizations can play important role in response to HIV/AIDS in Central America: RAND study

Faith-based organizations such as churches and religious relief and development groups can play an important role in the response to HIV and AIDS in Central America, according to a new RAND Corporation report.

2 Jun 2010

NFP receives $2M gift to support public health program around the U.S.

Nurse-Family Partnership, a leading non-profit organization addressing the needs of low income, first-time parents and their children, has received a $2 million gift from Jim Hagedorn, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in Marysville, Ohio, and a member of the Nurse-Family Partnership Board of Directors.

2 Jun 2010

New study provides further evidence of link between indoor tanning and melanoma

A new study has provided further evidence of a link between indoor tanning and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Scientists at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health and Masonic Cancer Centre claim that their study, which is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, "definitively links" the use of sunbeds to melanoma.

2 Jun 2010

FDA approves Prolia for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Prolia, an injectable treatment for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk for fractures.

2 Jun 2010

GOP candidates for California governor struggle with budget issues, including health care

The two candidates in California's Republican gubernatorial primary, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, "agree on several budget fixes, including a spending cap, a hiring freeze, and reforms to welfare, pensions and prison health care." Both candidates seek to rid waste and create a leaner, more cost efficient budget, but cuts can come at a cost. "Reaction to Schwarzenegger's proposed budget revision this month indicates what the next governor is in for.

2 Jun 2010

Study results show calcium consumption increases prostate cancer risk in Chinese

Among Chinese men, calcium consumption — even at relatively low levels and from non-dairy food sources such as soy, grains and green vegetables — may increase prostate cancer risk, according to results published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Jun 2010

Europe spends just 5% of total cancer research funds on metastases

On average, about five percent of total cancer research funding is spent on investigating metastases (the spread of cancer cells around the body) in Europe, yet metastatic disease is the direct or indirect cause of 90 percent of all cancer deaths, according to an editorial in the European Journal of Cancer (EJC).

1 Jun 2010

AAPA honors Idaho's Hal Joseph with 2010 PA Service to the Underserved Award

Hal Joseph, PA-C/CDE of Orofino, Idaho, received the American Academy of Physician Assistants' 2010 PA Service to the Underserved Award at the organization's 38th Annual Physician Assistant Conference in Atlanta yesterday. Joseph dedicated his career to helping those suffering from diabetes, a medical condition he has lived with since age 12, better manage their illness.

1 Jun 2010

Odds of surviving cardiac arrest may depend on neighborhood: Study

The odds of surviving cardiac arrest may depend on which part of town you call home and whether anyone in the neighborhood comes to your rescue by attempting to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to a first-of-its-kind study in the June issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

1 Jun 2010

Public Health News and Research

Two-day workshop on sickle cell trait

National initiative to share wealth of new community health data to improve health of Americans

Miners' living, working environments fuel spread of TB in sub-Saharan Africa, study says

Scientists awarded $3.9M grant to study how XDR-TB transmitted in rural South Africa

Loophole in CHIP costs feds millions in lost revenue

Chili peppers may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup, says study

California examines 'never events' at hospitals; La. seeks funding for primary care clinics; Texas trims children's health program

Novel anti-malarial drug developed from blood thinner by Australian scientists

CDC data shows frequent binge drinkers more likely to report suboptimal self-rated health

First Edition: June 2, 2010

Santarus commences enrollment in rifamycin SV MMX Phase III clinical program for travelers' diarrhea

Faith-based organizations can play important role in response to HIV/AIDS in Central America: RAND study

NFP receives $2M gift to support public health program around the U.S.

New study provides further evidence of link between indoor tanning and melanoma

FDA approves Prolia for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

GOP candidates for California governor struggle with budget issues, including health care

Study results show calcium consumption increases prostate cancer risk in Chinese

Europe spends just 5% of total cancer research funds on metastases

AAPA honors Idaho's Hal Joseph with 2010 PA Service to the Underserved Award

Odds of surviving cardiac arrest may depend on neighborhood: Study

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