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New algorithm for de-identifying health information

As electronic health records become more widely deployed, increasing amounts of health information are being collected. This data has many beneficial applications, such as research, public health, and health system planning. In a recent study, Dr. Khaled El Emam, the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the CHEO Research Institute argues that there is a need for robust de-identification of patient data to avoid the negative impact that individual consent requirements have on studies using health record data for secondary purposes.

20 Nov 2009

Schoolchildren should eat snail pie to reduce malnutrition and iron deficiency, says nutritionist

A nutritionist in Nigeria says that malnutrition and iron deficiency in schoolchildren could be reduced in her country by baking up snail pie. In a research paper to be published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, she explains snail is not only cheaper and more readily available than beef but contains more protein.

20 Nov 2009

FDA completes IIWA to curb illegal actions involving medical products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today completed a coordinated, weeklong, international effort, called the International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), intended to curb illegal actions involving medical products.

20 Nov 2009

2009 Report Card, an overall assessment of efforts to reduce lung cancer's mortality released

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) released its annual National Report Card on Lung Cancer, an overall assessment of efforts to reduce lung cancer's mortality.

20 Nov 2009

Cigarettes are widely contaminated with bacteria, reveals study

Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France.

19 Nov 2009

CWRU School of Medicine receives grant to fund a Public Health Practice Based Research Network

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine (SOM) has received a Robert Wood Johnson grant to fund a Public Health Practice Based Research Network called The Ohio Research Association for Public Health Improvement (RAPHI).

19 Nov 2009

Health organizations commend Alberta government for passage of bill to sue tobacco companies

A coalition of prominent health organizations is applauding the Alberta government for passing a bill that will hold tobacco companies accountable for their tremendous impact on the healthcare system.

19 Nov 2009

Op-Eds: HIV travel ban; improving sanitation; counterfeit drugs

A "blot" on U.S. HIV/AIDS leadership "ended last month when President [Barack] Obama lifted the prohibition" that kept HIV-positive foreigners from visiting the U.S. or seeking residency, according to a Washington Post editorial. "The process for eliminating the travel ban started under President George W. Bush in July 2008, when he signed legislation that repealed the original statute."

19 Nov 2009

Family planning drive launched during conference in Uganda

Agence France-Presse examines a new U.S.-backed "12 million dollar family planning drive launched" Wednesday during a three-day conference on family planning in Kampala, Uganda. The project aims to "improve access to contraceptives for women in six African nations [including Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Kenya] as well as Indonesia and Pakistan," the news service writes (Simon, 11/18).

19 Nov 2009

Emerging trends fuelling the US market for reprocessed electrophysiology diagnostic catheters

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, the US market for reprocessed electrophysiology diagnostic catheters will grow at a rate of over 15% through 2014. MRG's new US Markets for Electrophysiology Mapping and Ablation Devices 2010 report finds that although reprocessed catheters have existed for a number of years, it is only recently that this device type has begun to play a larger role in the electrophysiology diagnostic market.

19 Nov 2009

First comprehensive, international baseline evidence about pandemics published

Public health officials walking a tightrope between massive demand for vaccines and intense public scrutiny of side effects now have a new standard for evaluating the safety of their vaccination programs.

19 Nov 2009

Workshop to address cultural diversity and ethnicity in healthcare

International academics are to gather at the University of Leicester to discuss 'Civil Society and the Governance of Health Care' in a one-day workshop event sponsored by the Cinefogo European Network of Excellence and organised by Professor Carlo Ruzza and Dr Ellen Annandale from the Department of Sociology on Friday 20 November.

19 Nov 2009

NPSF supports obligatory flu vaccination for healthcare workers

The National Patient Safety Foundation recognizes vaccine-preventable diseases as a matter of patient safety and supports mandatory influenza vaccination of health care workers to protect the health of patients, health care workers, and the community.

19 Nov 2009

Breastcancer.org opposes proposed new guidelines for mammograms

"The recommendation to change breast screening is a huge step backwards," says Dr. Marisa Weiss, a leading breast oncologist and founder and president of Breastcancer.org.

19 Nov 2009

'Model' tobacco cessation program reduces smoking rate by 26%

A "model" tobacco cessation benefit offered to Massachusetts' Medicaid participants has produced an astounding 26% drop in smoking rates in only two and a half years, and has already been linked to decreases in heart attacks, hospitalizations for asthma and COPD, and a significant decrease in birth complications.

19 Nov 2009

Preliminary report from Harvard School of Public Health reveals students prefer healthy school meals

Think your kids won't eat healthy foods? Think again. A preliminary report of the Chefs in Schools Initiative by the Harvard School of Public Health, funded by Project Bread, proves that kids not only like healthy school meals, but actually eat more of the healthy foods than they would if they were eating a traditional school meal.

19 Nov 2009

Outdoor smoking areas: A new health hazard

Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard.

19 Nov 2009

Malaria experts urge Congress to increase funding for malaria programs

While efforts to control and eliminate malaria have made great strides during the past five years, the looming specter of drug resistance heightens the importance of continued research and development for new tools to assure continued success, according to malaria scientists and public health experts appearing today on Capitol Hill.

19 Nov 2009

Annual conference to discuss male infertility and tackling falling birth rates across Europe

Male infertility and tackling falling birth rates across Europe will be among the topics addressed at this year's British Andrology Society's annual conference at Queen's University in Belfast.

19 Nov 2009

Opinions: Fighting TB; currency transaction tax

Though tuberculosis "is one of the world's leading killers … few citizens, scientists and policymakers are demanding more attention to TB research, treatment and prevention. … It's time to bring TB research into the 21st century," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, writes in an MSNBC opinion piece.

19 Nov 2009

Public Health News and Research

New algorithm for de-identifying health information

Schoolchildren should eat snail pie to reduce malnutrition and iron deficiency, says nutritionist

FDA completes IIWA to curb illegal actions involving medical products

2009 Report Card, an overall assessment of efforts to reduce lung cancer's mortality released

Cigarettes are widely contaminated with bacteria, reveals study

CWRU School of Medicine receives grant to fund a Public Health Practice Based Research Network

Health organizations commend Alberta government for passage of bill to sue tobacco companies

Op-Eds: HIV travel ban; improving sanitation; counterfeit drugs

Family planning drive launched during conference in Uganda

Emerging trends fuelling the US market for reprocessed electrophysiology diagnostic catheters

First comprehensive, international baseline evidence about pandemics published

Workshop to address cultural diversity and ethnicity in healthcare

NPSF supports obligatory flu vaccination for healthcare workers

Breastcancer.org opposes proposed new guidelines for mammograms

'Model' tobacco cessation program reduces smoking rate by 26%

Preliminary report from Harvard School of Public Health reveals students prefer healthy school meals

Outdoor smoking areas: A new health hazard

Malaria experts urge Congress to increase funding for malaria programs

Annual conference to discuss male infertility and tackling falling birth rates across Europe

Opinions: Fighting TB; currency transaction tax

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