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Recent releases in Global Health

"Action always leads to reaction, a fundamental law of nature," write the authors of an introduction appearing in a Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS) supplemental issue that focuses on global health systems.

30 Oct 2009

ABC News reports on U.S. food aid policy

ABC News examines U.S. food aid policy, which "requires that food aid money be spent on food grown in the U.S., at least half of it must be packed in the U.S. and most of it must be transported in U.S. ships." But "critics are complaining that" these policies are "exacerbating the cycle of starvation."

30 Oct 2009

PIMCO Foundation awards grants to 30 US charities and community organizations

The PIMCO Foundation, the charitable arm of the Newport Beach-based money management firm PIMCO, today announced it has awarded $549,375 in 2009 grants to 30 US charities and community organizations.

30 Oct 2009

Monash University physiologist honored with Life Scientist of the Year award

A Monash University physiologist, whose research into weight management, obesity and diabetes has led to significant medical breakthroughs and drug design, has been awarded one of the nation's top research honours.

30 Oct 2009

Studies on fruit-fly may lead to new treatments for sleep-disorders

New research on the fruit-fly brain points to a possible mechanism by which temperature influences the body clock, according to scientists from Queen Mary, University of London.

30 Oct 2009

A step-by-step program: Cognitive behavior workbook for weight loss

Three McMaster University experts have developed a successful weight management tool in the form of a workbook which uses cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to achieve lasting weight loss, with the goal being health - physical health, psychological healthy and a healthy relationship with food and the body instead of an obsession with numbers.

30 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: Sudan food aid; Congolese refugees; Ntds in U.S.

David Deng Athorbei, South Sudan's finance minister, "said he was trying to track down hundreds of millions of dollars worth of missing grain deliveries, at the heart of what could be a massive case of mismanagement or corruption," Reuters reports.

29 Oct 2009

Depressed people more likely to overstate the frequency of physical symptoms

New research shows people who feel depressed tend to recall having more physical symptoms than they actually experienced. The study indicates that depression -- not neuroticism -- is the cause of such over-reporting.

29 Oct 2009

WHO identifies five major causes of premature death

Targeting the five major causes of premature death could increase global life expectancy by almost five years, the WHO said Tuesday, Reuters reports. According to a WHO's Global Health Risks report, which looked at 24 major health risks, "[p]oor childhood nutrition, unsafe sex, alcohol, bad sanitation and hygiene, and high blood pressure are to blame for around a quarter of the 60 million premature deaths around the world each year," the news service writes.

28 Oct 2009

Hope for lung cancer patients

Lung cancer is the world's most common cancer, and an estimated 219,440 Americans are expected to be diagnosed this year. It is also estimated that lung cancer will cause 159,000 deaths in the United States this year - more than the total number of deaths resulting from breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.

27 Oct 2009

New IndustryEdge product for healthcare organizations from Travelers

As the healthcare industry continues its expansion, Travelers Commercial Accounts today announced the availability of a new IndustryEdge® product for Healthcare Organizations. Integrating the feedback provided by Travelers’ specialist agents and brokers, this product addresses the unique property & casualty insurance needs (excluding professional liability) of mid-sized healthcare clients.

24 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

"The spread of dengue virus throughout the tropics represents a major, rapidly growing public health problem with an estimated 2.5 billion people at risk of dengue fever and the life-threatening disease, severe dengue," write the authors of a Lancet Infectious Diseases review that examines what is known about the virus and progress in the development of a dengue vaccine (Webster et. al, 11/09).

24 Oct 2009

USDA to have 'important but modest role' in U.S. global agriculture initiative, undersecretary says

As U.S. plans to fight world hunger take shape, the USDA is gearing up for an "important but modest role," in which the agency will follow directions from the State Department and developing countries, Rajiv Shah, undersecretary in charge of the USDA's research arm, said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

23 Oct 2009

American Thoracic Society releases new clinical guidelines for pulmonary exacerbation of cystic fibrosis

The American Thoracic Society has released new clinical guidelines for the treatment of exacerbations in cystic fibrosis based on a review of the literature on current clinical practices.

23 Oct 2009

Also in global health news: Somali IDPS; MDR-TB elimination; Chagas; Zimbabwe disease, hunger

At the conclusion of a week-long visit to the region, Walter Kalin, a top U.N. human-rights official "says the international community is failing in its duty to internally displaced persons in Somalia. More than 1.5 million people in Somalia are believed to be IDPs," VOA News reports (Boswell, 10/21).

23 Oct 2009

Ethiopia requests emergency food aid for 6.2m people

Ethiopian Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Mitiku Kassa on Thursday asked the international community for more than $121 million for emergency food aid for 6.2 million people, the Associated Press reports (10/22).

22 Oct 2009

Tips to protect children from lead poisoning

Recent toy recalls have brought attention to the issue of lead in toys. Unfortunately, significant quantities of lead can still be found in many ordinary products that parents buy for their children. Lead is very harmful to children.

22 Oct 2009

FAO plans broad reforms for World Food Security committee

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Committee on World Food Security (CFS) agreed Tuesday to "wide-ranging" reforms in an effort to make the committee the most "comprehensive international and intergovernmental platform dealing with food security and nutrition," Xinhua reports (10/20). "The CFS reforms are designed to focus the Committee's vision and role on the global coordination of efforts to eliminate hunger and ensure food security for all," according to an FAO press release (10/20).

22 Oct 2009

Opinion: Fighting world hunger; U.S. leadership on global issues

In a USA Today column, writer DeWayne Wickham examines the connection between hunger and global security. "Helping poor countries feed their hungry masses is not just a grand humanitarian gesture; it is good diplomacy — a refreshing change from the jingoism and dollar diplomacy of previous administrations," he writes.

22 Oct 2009

U.S. food aid policy to be more flexible, Clinton, Vilsack say

"The Obama administration wants more flexibility in how it allocates food aid dollars to complement its new strategy to help small farmers in poor countries boost their food production," according to a conference call Friday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Reuters reports.

21 Oct 2009