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Poison control centers to receive $24.5 million in grants from HRSA

The Health Resources and Services Administration has announced $24.5 million in grants to support the work of 55 poison control centers across the country.

10 Sep 2009

Obesity experts call on policymakers to adopt obesity recommendations

The Obesity Society and other steering committee members of the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, and two former US Surgeons General, join together today to develop effective recommendations to urge policymakers to act on the inclusion of obesity as the largest and most urgent driving factor in healthcare reform.

10 Sep 2009

Childrens' cognitive development could be impacted due to undetected vision problems: Study

A new report by The Vision Council, Making the Grade? finds state laws regarding vision assessments for children entering school are inconsistent, impeding children's ability to succeed in school.

10 Sep 2009

Newspapers examine drought, famine in East Africa

According to Canada's National Post, a humanitarian coalition "warns East Africa faces 'a perfect storm of crop failures, a multi-year lack of rain, conflicts and political turmoil,' which now threatens 20 million people with severe hunger." Fighting in Somalia has driven 1.55 million people to internal camps outside the capital of Mogadishu as well as refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where the unsanitary conditions of one camp led Oxfam to label it "barely fit for humans."

10 Sep 2009

Federal contract awarded to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to study use of antibiotics in children

In the largest study of its kind, pediatric researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have received a federal contract for a project to determine the most beneficial method of using antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children.

10 Sep 2009

MyHeadLiceTreatment.com launched by ParaPRO

Just in time for peak head lice season, ParaPRO, LLC has launched MyHeadLiceTreatment.com, a free, engaging and comprehensive “one-stop shop” about head lice. Treating head lice can be an issue. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate between 6 to 12 million cases of head lice infestations will occur this year - most in children 3 to 12 years old.

9 Sep 2009

Ceragenix awarded $2.87M NIH grant to develop a drug for treating Clostrdium difficile and Shigella

Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Ceragenix”) (OTCBB:CGXP), a medical device company focused on infectious disease and dermatology, today announced that the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) has awarded a $2.87 million grant to fund the pre clinical development of a Ceragenin™based oral drug to treat two common and potentially deadly gastrointestinal infections: Clostrdium difficile and Shigella.

9 Sep 2009

Campaign launched to tackle childhood obesity

Urging children to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Everette James and Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak today helped to kick off the NFL Play 60 national youth health and fitness campaign.

9 Sep 2009

Congress urged to include injury prevention in health care reform

A group of 18 research centers, professional organizations and advocacy groups have joined together to urge Congress to include injury prevention in health care reform. Each day, 475 Americans die from injuries related to motor vehicle crashes, assaults, fires and other trauma. This results in 170,000 deaths every year, more than twice that from diabetes and more than four times that of breast cancer.

9 Sep 2009

School bullying and violence prevention programs

Key to a child's successful education is an environment in which he or she can learn safely. According to a report released today by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, only 26 percent of parents would give their child's high school an "A" for preventing bullying and school violence, and 38 percent of parents would give their child's elementary or junior high an "A."

9 Sep 2009

Maxim Health to launch its annual influenza vaccination program on October 1

It is the start of the flu season and with seasonal influenza responsible for more than 36,000 deaths per year, getting a flu vaccine is critical. Today, Maxim Health Systems announced on October 1 it will launch its annual influenza vaccination program and will provide flu shots nationwide through more than 44,000 clinics.

9 Sep 2009

Safeway raises funds to support neuromuscular disease medical research and therapies

Safeway Inc. announced today it has raised a record $10.2 million to support medical research and services for the millions of people living with neuromuscular diseases. The funds were raised during Safeway’s annual Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) campaign, a five-week endeavor to highlight the need to find cures and treatments for muscular dystrophy and related diseases, and presented during the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in Las Vegas Labor Day weekend.

9 Sep 2009

OB-GYNs explore common pregnancy myths

In the engaging, humorous, and very informative HANDS OFF MY BELLY!: THE PREGNANT WOMAN'S SURVIVAL GUIDE TO MYTHS, MOTHERS, AND MOODS (Prometheus Books, $18.00), Drs. Shawn A. Tassone and Kathryn M. Landherr-experienced obstetricians and gynecologists, a husband-and-wife team of physicians, and parents of four children-explore superstitions and myths surrounding pregnancy, from the most common to the most obscure.

9 Sep 2009

Lack of physical activity is linked to childhood obesity

It's the start of another school year and Canadian physiotherapists are taking this opportunity to talk tough about the epidemic of overweight and inactive children in this country. According to Statistics Canada about 25 percent of Canadian children are overweight. The Active Healthy Kids Canada 2009 Report Card found that only 13 percent of children and youth are getting the 90 minutes of physical activity recommended by Canada's Physical Activity Guide.

9 Sep 2009

New findings may help identify treatments for diabetes and hyperinsulinemia

By investigating a rare and severe form of diabetes in children, University of Iowa researchers have discovered a new molecular mechanism that regulates specialized pancreatic cells and insulin secretion. The mechanism involves a protein called ankyrin, which UI researchers previously linked to potentially fatal human heart arrhythmias.

9 Sep 2009

PBS special report on health care reform

With President Obama scheduled to give a major address on healthcare to a joint session of Congress this Wednesday, the hallmark PBS programs NOW ON PBS, TAVIS SMILEY and NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT are collaborating to provide a timely and much-needed in-depth look at health care reform in America and the latest government proposals to address the issue.

9 Sep 2009

Regular usage of CGM devices help manage diabetes

The latest data from groundbreaking human clinical trials of the effectiveness of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) show that the primary determinant of improvements in achieving better diabetes control is regular use of monitors - six days per week or more - rather than the age of patients, and that benefits continue well past the time when people with type 1 diabetes begin using the devices - including experiencing fewer low blood sugar emergencies.

9 Sep 2009

Newspapers across the country cover state health issues

Newspapers across the country report on health issues at the state level. Stories include the loss of health insurance for working parents in Arizona, a rise in the number of uninsured seeking help at nonprofit clinics in Kansas, the expansion of a program for children's insurance in Alabama, a decline in the number of uninsured in New York City, fears about a financial blow for health providers in Louisiana and union activism for the uninsured in Florida.

9 Sep 2009

Parents use many food strategies to cope with work and family demands

Since most parents in the US are employed, there are competing demands on their time that can compromise food choices for themselves and their children. How parents cope with these demands and how work conditions are related to food choice coping strategies are the subjects of a study in the September/October issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

9 Sep 2009

Adverse impact of drinking during pregnancy highlighted by health department

In recognition of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health today reminded women about the serious implications of drinking while pregnant.

9 Sep 2009