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Heat waves when in hospital

Deaths due to high temperatures occur so quickly that patients do not have time to be admitted to hospital. This is why prevention campaigns are necessary to try and reduce the negative effects of the heat on health. This is pointed out in new research undertaken at the Hospital Universitario Gregorio Maranon, Madrid.

10 Jul 2008

New framework for social marketing and public health in UK

A new framework for action on social marketing and public health was published today by the UK's Department of Health. Ambitions for Health sets out how we will use evidence of what motivates people to help them lead healthier lives through targeted action. This builds on the success of programmes like Health Trainers, which provides one-to-one support to help individuals tackle health issues.

10 Jul 2008

Enzyme may explain how hepatitis C infection causes fatty liver

A key enzyme may explain how hepatitis C infection causes fatty liver - a buildup of excess fat in the liver, which can lead to life-threatening diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, report University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and School of Medicine researchers.

10 Jul 2008

Slowing the biological processes of aging is way to prevent and fight diseases

A group of aging experts from the United States and the United Kingdom suggest that the best strategy for preventing and fighting a multitude of diseases is to focus on slowing the biological processes of aging.

9 Jul 2008

Increased potassium/sodium in diet may decrease risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke

A new article indicates that an increased intake in minerals such as potassium, and possibly magnesium and calcium by dietary means may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and decrease blood pressure in people with hypertension. A high intake of these minerals in the diet may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

8 Jul 2008

A suspect found for SIDS

New evidence is suggesting that a chemical imbalance in the brain may be the cause of some cot deaths.

8 Jul 2008

Advanced breast cancer more likely in older women at risk of developing type 2 diabetes

According to new research women who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes also have a much greater chance of being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.

7 Jul 2008

Hand washing reduces infant mortality

Washing hands with soap and water in preparation for delivery significantly reduced the risk of death for infants within the first month of life, according to a study in Nepal conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

7 Jul 2008

Single oral dose of vitamin A reduces infant mortality

A single, oral dose of vitamin A, given to infants shortly after birth in the developing world can reduce their risk of death by 15 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study is published in the July 2008 edition of the journal Pediatrics.

7 Jul 2008

The secrets to a long and healthy life

More and more people are living longer. But living to extreme old age is unusual and tends to run in some families. A new study, supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to learn more about the secrets to long healthy life, and investigators are seeking long-lived families to help study this important question.

7 Jul 2008

New antibiotic beats superbugs at their own game

The problem with antibiotics is that, eventually, bacteria outsmart them and become resistant. But by targeting the gene that confers such resistance, a new drug may be able to finally outwit them.

7 Jul 2008

San Francisco Chronicle examines 'Healthy San Francisco' program enrollment progress

Although city officials estimated in July 2007 that Healthy San Francisco would offer access to health care to all city residents by January, the program one year later remains open only to individuals with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty level, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

4 Jul 2008

Scientists discover way to protect against death following plague infection

Bacteria that cause pneumonic plague can evade our first-line defences, making it difficult for the body to fight infection. In fact, a signature of the plague is the lack of an inflammatory response.

3 Jul 2008

Cases of malaria increasing in UK

A huge rise in the numbers of UK residents travelling to malaria endemic areas, combined with a failure to use prevention measures, has significantly increased cases of imported falciparum malaria in the UK over the past 20 years, according to a study published on BMJ.com.

3 Jul 2008

Ethics summit to prioritize concerns for medical triage, treatment and safety during influenza pandemic

Public health professionals from across the country will convene July 14-15 in Indianapolis for a national summit on ethical and policy issues faced by public health officials and the medical community while preparing for a large-scale epidemic.

2 Jul 2008

Bacteriophages treat deadly bacterial infections in mice

By the time antibiotics made their clinical debut 70 years ago, bacteria had long evolved strategies to shield themselves. For billions of years, bacteria hurled toxic molecules at each other in the struggle to prosper, and those that withstood the chemical onslaught marched on.

2 Jul 2008