Public Health News and Research

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Prevalence of "risky" sex in Scotland has doubled in the space of six years

...while unfounded confidence in the HIV negative status of casual partners has also increased, reveals research in Sexually Transmitted Infections.

28 Sep 2005

Bleak outlook for overweight Australians

International research into the relationship between obesity and heart failure has uncovered a bleak outlook for already overweight Australians. The research shows that obesity is set to be one of the biggest risks for heart disease over the next decade.

28 Sep 2005

Combination HRT appears to double the breast cancer risk in women who smoke

Older women who have smoked for 11 or more "pack years" - the lifetime equivalent of a pack a day for at least 11 years - face a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer as compared to women who've never smoked, according to new findings from researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

28 Sep 2005

Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in children

The Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Clinical Research Network has launched its second clinical trial to study NASH, a liver disease that resembles alcoholic liver disease but occurs in patients who drink little or no alcohol. The first trial, launched in January of this year, focuses on adults, while the second trial studies the disease in children.

27 Sep 2005

Heavy smokers can reduce their risk of lung cancer if they decrease smoking by 50 percent

Despite efforts to prevent people from beginning smoking and to encourage smoking cessation, the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking is still high and many smokers are unable or unwilling to completely quit.

27 Sep 2005

New centre to advance child health research

The Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Institute of Child Health (ICH) at UCL (University College London) have announced a partnership to establish a centre for research to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting children's health, and to promote their health and well-being.

27 Sep 2005

Benefits of statin therapy identified

The greater the reduction in LDL (lower-density lipoprotein) cholesterol achieved by statin therapy the greater the reduction in incidence of major coronary events, coronary revascularisation and stroke, concludes a meta-analysis published online today by The Lancet.

27 Sep 2005

Still a long way to go in diagnostic evaluation of all patients who suffer ischemic strokes

Women who survive a stroke are less likely than men to get crucial tests of their heart and neck arteries that can help improve their treatment and reduce their risk of a second stroke, a new University of Michigan study finds.

27 Sep 2005

Governments considering reclassifying some drugs from prescription to over-the-counter status

Governments in several countries with public Pharmacare and in a few provinces in Canada are considering reclassifying some drugs from prescription to over-the-counter status. In a Canadian Medical Association Journal essay, Lynd and colleagues comment on the economic effects of such changes.

27 Sep 2005

Delaying having children defies nature and risks heartbreak

...say experts in the British Medical Journal. If women want families and room for manoeuvre they are unwise to wait till their 30s.

26 Sep 2005

Adults not washing hands

Ninety-one percent of American adults say they always wash their hands after using public restrooms. But just 83 percent actually did so, according to a separate observational study.

26 Sep 2005

Women with postmenopausal osteoporosis prefer once monthly to weekly treatment

Over 70% of postmenopausal women with Osteoporosis who expressed a preference, preferred once-monthly Bonviva, finding it more convenient than a once-weekly treatment. This is according to new data presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone Mineral Research (ASBMR).

26 Sep 2005

Parents' Views on School Wellness Practices

A new national survey of parents of school-aged children found a significant gap between what parents believe is happening and what is actually happening in terms of nutrition and physical activity in America's schools.

26 Sep 2005

Researchers have found a way to keep students awake during class

Whether it's triggered by the monotone of an instructor or insufficient rest the night before, students at all ages and grade levels sometimes have trouble staying awake in class.

26 Sep 2005

Aggressive public health efforts to control hypertension may help preserve cognitive abilities as well as cardiovascular health

Not only does high blood pressure adversely affect mental functioning, but the correlation appears to be stronger among African-Americans than among whites, researchers report in the current issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

26 Sep 2005

New nutritional challenges in HIV/AIDS care have emerged

Nutritional therapy for HIV-infected patients is shifting focus. Drug treatments designed to combat the HIV virus have improved, decreasing some nutritional problems, while bringing others to light.

26 Sep 2005

Research highlights the role of viral sequence analysis in improving our overall understanding of hepatitis A cases in the U.S.

Novel use of genetic testing methods helped public health officials control and limit the further spread of four outbreaks of foodborne hepatitis A virus in 2003 related to the consumption of green onions, according to a detailed analysis published in the October 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

26 Sep 2005