Public Health News and Research

RSS

Scientists say snakebites are a neglected threat to public health

Scientists are warning that snakebites are a neglected threat - they say snakebites cause considerable death and injury worldwide and pose an important yet neglected threat to public health.

4 Nov 2008

Women have a greater diversity of microbes on their palms than men

A new University of Colorado at Boulder study indicates that not only do human hands harbor far higher numbers of bacteria species than previously believed, women have a significantly greater diversity of microbes on their palms than men.

4 Nov 2008

Beer is the beverage of choice for US Hispanics

Despite the considerable and growing numbers of Hispanics living in the United States, little is known about their alcohol-beverage preferences.

4 Nov 2008

Urgent need for research into medication overuse headaches

There is a critical need to review current treatment strategies for the increasingly common problem of medication overuse headaches (MOH), according to a series of international papers in the November issue of Cephalalgia.

4 Nov 2008

Study looks at chronic medication use in children ages 5 to 19

America's tweens and teens more than doubled their use of type 2 diabetes medications between 2002 and 2005, with girls between 10 and 14 years of age showing a 166 percent increase.

4 Nov 2008

Polypectomy is costly and unnecessary

Polypectomy (the surgical removal of polyps by colonoscopy) of small polyps found during CT colonography is costly and unnecessary according to a study performed at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI.

4 Nov 2008

Snakebites pose an important yet neglected threat to public health

Snakebites cause considerable death and injury worldwide and pose an important yet neglected threat to public health, says new research published in this week's PLoS Medicine.

4 Nov 2008

Scientists step closer to finding a defense against superbugs

A discovery from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has put scientists are one step closer to finding a defense against dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria, sometimes called "superbugs."

4 Nov 2008

Phase 2 trial of treatment of C-difficile-associated diarrhea shows promise

Medarex, Inc. and The Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) today announced that a Phase 2 trial of an anti- C. difficile antibody combination treatment in patients with C.

4 Nov 2008

Liver transplant recipients face increased risks of developing cancer

A new Canadian study comparing cancer rates of liver transplant patients to those of the general population has found that transplant recipients face increased risks of developing cancer, especially non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and colorectal cancer.

4 Nov 2008

New study looks at relationship between alcohol-outlet density and intimate partner violence

Researchers know that the number of alcohol outlets in a given geographic area, referred to as alcohol-outlet density (AOD), is associated with a number of adverse health and social consequences.

4 Nov 2008

Kids safer with grandma

According to a new study, for working parents, having grandparents as caregivers can cut the risk of childhood injury roughly in half.

3 Nov 2008

MedImmune starts phase 1/2a clinical trial for respiratory syncytial virus vaccine

MedImmune today announced that it has initiated a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of a live, attenuated intranasal vaccine in healthy children one month to 12 months of age to help prevent severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. RSV is the most common respiratory infection in infants and can cause disease in otherwise healthy infants and children.

3 Nov 2008

24-hour drinking linked to shift in hospital attendance patterns

Since the UK's move to 24-hour drinking, a large city centre hospital in Birmingham has seen an increase in drink-related attendances between the hours of 3am and 6am.

31 Oct 2008

Malaria falls significantly in the Gambia in last 5 years - raises possibility of elimination in other parts of Africa

The incidence of malaria has fallen significantly in The Gambia in the last 5 years, according to a study carried out by experts there with support from scientists based in London.

31 Oct 2008

Harvard study looks at quality of hospitals across the United States

The quality of hospitals across the United States is inconsistent. To address this issue, the federal government and private organizations have begun to publicly report data, such as how well hospitals treat certain conditions.

31 Oct 2008

Female American veterans suffer sexual trauma after Iraq and Afghanistan

According to preliminary research results from a new study, almost 15% of female American veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced sexual trauma during their military service.

29 Oct 2008

Protect yourself from flu by wearing a mask and washing your hands

In what has been termed a landmark new study, it is suggested that wearing masks and washing hands prevents the spread of flu-like symptoms.

28 Oct 2008

Cholesterol-lowering statins associated with lower risk of death from pneumonia

Individuals who take cholesterol-lowering statins before being hospitalized with pneumonia appear less likely to die within 90 days afterward, according to a report in the October 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

28 Oct 2008

Breastfeeding and reduced risk of childhood obesity - researchers look for behavioral link

Breastfeeding has a number of positive health benefits for baby: it can prevent ear infections and allergies, and lowers the risk of developing respiratory problems. It can also help prevent against obesity later in life, but the reason for this still isn't known.

28 Oct 2008