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Scientists identify kidney failure susceptibility gene

Scientists at Johns Hopkins schools of Public Health and Medicine have, for the first time, identified variants in the gene MYH9 that are associated with increased risk for non-diabetic end stage renal disease (ESRD,) which is the near-loss of kidney function leading to either dialysis of transplant. MYH9, located on the 22 chromosome, is the first gene identified for common forms of kidney disease.

15 Sep 2008

Ohio health officials discuss strategies to address racial heath disparities

A group of Ohio public health officials and community workers on Wednesday met to discuss strategies to address racial health disparities in the state and also to develop a plan of action, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

15 Sep 2008

Effective public health response needed to fight HIV/AIDS in southeast Asia, WHO says

The World Health Organization on Thursday called for an effective public health approach to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in Southeast Asia, India's Economic Times reports. HIV/AIDS in the region was the focus of the third day of WHO's 61st Session of the Regional Committee for Southeast Asia, which is taking place in New Delhi.

15 Sep 2008

CDC releases subpopulation estimates from data on annual new HIV infections; new infections high among blacks, MSM

The majority of new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2006 occurred among men who have sex with men, according to a study released Thursday in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the New York Times reports.

15 Sep 2008

30 years on from Alma-Ata and the pendulum is swinging back to primary health care

Thirty years on from the signing of the historic Alma-Ata declaration, the famous rallying call to the global health community, the concept of Primary Health Care, which lay at its heart, is back on the global agenda.

15 Sep 2008

Study shows high gum disease rates in rural Appalachia

Research on 445 families centered in two Pennsylvania towns and two West Virginia counties shows that 80 percent of adults suffer from more severe forms of periodontal disease, according to Richard Crout, D.M.D., Ph.D., an expert on gum disease and associate dean for research in the West Virginia University School of Dentistry.

14 Sep 2008

Key component of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease identified

For the first time, researchers have demonstrated a close correlation between the decline in a key component of the lung's antioxidant defense system and the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in humans.

14 Sep 2008

New study on rural HIV shows significant stigma and discrimination in the rural medical referral system

An Indiana University study found that HIV care providers in rural Indiana report significant stigma and discrimination in the rural medical referral system surrounding issues of HIV and substance abuse. Providers felt that these factors impeded their ability to offer quality care to their patients.

11 Sep 2008

Health effects of 9/11 still evident seven years later

A report on the health of New Yorkers after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 has revealed that more than 400,000 people in New York City were significantly affected.

11 Sep 2008

Depression common among youth in Rwanda orphaned by AIDS, genocide, survey finds

Depression is common among teenage and young adult orphans in Rwanda who head households and provide care for younger children, according to a survey conducted by researchers at Tulane University that was published last month in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the New York Times reports.

11 Sep 2008

Stigma deters HIV-positive people from seeking treatment, panelist says at Arkansas HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force Meeting

The stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in the Arkansas Delta prevents people living with the disease from coming forward and makes it difficult for the state to help the population, a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researcher told the Arkansas HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force earlier this week, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

11 Sep 2008

Personal DNA scanning service 23andMe drops price to $399

Personal DNA scanning service 23andMe on Tuesday is scheduled to announce that it is lowering the price of its gene-mapping service from $999 to $399 in order to attract more customers and expand its database of individual genetic profiles to bolster medical research, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

10 Sep 2008

Boston Globe examines imprisonment of two HIV/AIDS physicians, brothers In Iran

State Department officials and former students at Harvard University's School of Public Health believe Iranian physicians -- brothers Kamiar and Arash Alaei -- have been arrested and accused of using their work on HIV/AIDS worldwide to destabilize Iran's government, the Boston Globe reports.

10 Sep 2008

Counterfeit drugs for malaria, other diseases threaten public health, WHO Director-General Chan says

The increasing availability of counterfeit drugs for malaria and other diseases poses a threat to public health, and governments must take action to supply affordable and effective treatments, World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said Monday at the 26th Southeast Asia Region Health Ministers Meeting in New Delhi, Bernama/Daily Malaysian News reports.

10 Sep 2008

Vitamin may protect the ageing brain from memory loss

Scientists in Britain are suggesting that a vitamin found in meat, fish and milk, may offer protection against memory loss in older people.

9 Sep 2008

Parents vastly overestimate how much their children exercise

New research from the UK is suggesting that parents vastly overestimate the amount of time their children spend exercising and the true levels are around six times lower than national data suggests.

9 Sep 2008

Healthy individuals may be at risk for heart disease

In the face of a growing obesity epidemic in the United States, researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have new study results that indicate that how much fat a person has is not as important as where that fat is located when assessing risk for cardiovascular events and metabolic disease.

8 Sep 2008

Johns Hopkins to assist practices in Medicare medical home demonstration

The Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has received a $1.7 million grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation to help primary care practices improve the quality and outcomes of health care for older adults with chronic illnesses.

8 Sep 2008

Seattle department finds OraSure HIV test to be less accurate than label claims

A report by Public Health -- Seattle and King County in Washington state has found that testing with OraSure Technologies' OraQuick test provides less accurate results than the label claims, Bloomberg reports.

7 Sep 2008

U.N. report finds donors providing less aid to developing nations

Despite rising food and energy prices and slowing economic growth worldwide, aid to developing nations has been on the decline, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the New York Times reports.

7 Sep 2008

Public Health News and Research

Scientists identify kidney failure susceptibility gene

Ohio health officials discuss strategies to address racial heath disparities

Effective public health response needed to fight HIV/AIDS in southeast Asia, WHO says

CDC releases subpopulation estimates from data on annual new HIV infections; new infections high among blacks, MSM

30 years on from Alma-Ata and the pendulum is swinging back to primary health care

Study shows high gum disease rates in rural Appalachia

Key component of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease identified

New study on rural HIV shows significant stigma and discrimination in the rural medical referral system

Health effects of 9/11 still evident seven years later

Depression common among youth in Rwanda orphaned by AIDS, genocide, survey finds

Stigma deters HIV-positive people from seeking treatment, panelist says at Arkansas HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force Meeting

Personal DNA scanning service 23andMe drops price to $399

Boston Globe examines imprisonment of two HIV/AIDS physicians, brothers In Iran

Counterfeit drugs for malaria, other diseases threaten public health, WHO Director-General Chan says

Vitamin may protect the ageing brain from memory loss

Parents vastly overestimate how much their children exercise

Healthy individuals may be at risk for heart disease

Johns Hopkins to assist practices in Medicare medical home demonstration

Seattle department finds OraSure HIV test to be less accurate than label claims

U.N. report finds donors providing less aid to developing nations

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