Public Health News and Research

RSS

Young white veterans more at risk of suicide

The results of a large study on military veterans in the United States suggests that it is young white men who have the highest risk of suicide.

31 Oct 2007

Antisocial behaviour in kids key to alcohol trouble in teens

It is not levels of underage drinking, but early signs of antisocial behaviour that best predict future alcohol-related trouble and continued alcohol use by young people.

31 Oct 2007

Hopkins project asks public help to send vital family planning information overseas

Health providers in developing countries need accurate and up-to-date reproductive health information that could help them save hundreds of thousands of lives each year, help women and men plan their families, and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

30 Oct 2007

Veterans' suicide study yields key findings

The largest and most up-to-date study of suicides among depressed veterans provides important new data that may help guide screening and treatment for all veterans.

30 Oct 2007

Unhealthy weight perceptions more unhealthy than unhealthy weight

Results soon to be published in the International Journal of Obesity reveal that overweight and underweight perception rather than weight status or weight misperception are significant risk factors associated with medium and high psychological distress in Australian men and women.

30 Oct 2007

Risk factors that may contribute to the onset of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Researchers in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Social and Behavioral Research Lab (SBRL) are leading a study to investigate potential environmental, lifestyle, and medical variables that may contribute to the onset of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

29 Oct 2007

Lessons learned from Marburg and Ebola outbreaks

Outbreaks of filovirus haemorrhagic fevers (FHFs) such as those caused by the Ebola and Marburg viruses can only be controlled if agencies have the support and trust of local communities, according to two papers just published in the online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases as part of a special supplement on filovirusues.

29 Oct 2007

HIV vaccine trial volunteers asked to undergo testing to determine whether they are at increased risk of HIV

Researchers have asked more than 3,000 people who participated in a trial of Merck's experimental HIV vaccine that was halted last month to undergo additional testing to determine if they are at an increased risk of HIV, Reuters reports (Fox, Reuters, 10/25).

29 Oct 2007

New Zealand's influenza pandemic preparedness report released

The New Zealand Ministry of Health has released the key findings of Exercise Cruickshank, one of the biggest exercises ever staged by government.

29 Oct 2007

Homelessness increases risk of infection for injecting drug users

A new report from the Health Protection Agency shows that around three-quarters of injecting drug users (IDUs) have been homeless at some point. In addition, those who have been homeless have higher levels of injecting risk and associated infections, primarily through the sharing of needles and low standards of hygiene.

29 Oct 2007

Hopkins report: Next generation contraceptive implants are cheaper, highly effective, and available now

The next generation of contraceptive implants offer an extremely effective way to expand family planning choices for women and reduce the incidence of maternal mortality worldwide, according to the latest issue of Population Reports, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

29 Oct 2007

Promising new tuberculosis drug given special status

Approximately one-third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, and an estimated 1.6 million people died of the disease in 2005.

25 Oct 2007

Diffusion tensor imaging shows structural changes in mild traumatic brain injury

Researchers report that diffusion tensor imaging can identify structural changes in the white matter of the brain that correlates to cognitive deficits even in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.

25 Oct 2007

HIV patients are actually sicker when they begin therapy

It was hoped that as HIV treatment improved and as HIV-related public health initiatives encouraged people to be tested for the disease and seek care, that HIV-infected patients would seek care quickly.

25 Oct 2007

French clay fights flesh-eating bug

French clay that kills several kinds of disease-causing bacteria is at the forefront of new research into age-old, nearly forgotten, but surprisingly potent cures.

25 Oct 2007

Severely restricting calories leads to a longer life

New research now has shown for the first time that such a diet also can maintain physical fitness into advanced age, slowing the seemingly inevitable progression to physical disability and loss of independence.

24 Oct 2007

The financial burdens of overweight and obesity among elderly Americans

What many Americans eat and how little they exercise could wind up costing them - and American taxpayers - some serious money. Moreover, the overweight and obese may lose months from their lifespans.

24 Oct 2007

Johns Hopkins details scientific breakthroughs in malaria prevention and treatment

"Breaking the Cycle" chronicles five years of scientific discovery conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (JHMRI).

24 Oct 2007

Child health psychologists need to promote adult disease prevention

Many of the lifestyle habits that children and adolescents develop -- eating a diet high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables, being physically inactive or sedentary, and experimenting with tobacco and alcohol use -- can have a major impact on their health later in life.

24 Oct 2007