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Link between respiratory illness and PSTD among WTC first responders

More than 10 years after 9/11, when thousands of rescue and recovery workers descended on the area surrounding the World Trade Center in the wake of the terrorist attacks, a research team led by Benjamin J. Luft, M.D., the Edmund D. Pellegrino Professor of Medicine, and Medical Director of Stony Brook's World Trade Center Health Program, and Evelyn Bromet, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, and Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, has published results of a study examining the relationship between the two signature health problems among WTC first responders—respiratory illness and post-traumatic stress disorder.

23 Dec 2011

Hand washing tips to prevent illness and spreading germs

With holiday gatherings, New Year celebrations, and constant travelling, hand washing is one of the most important ways to prevent getting sick and spreading germs. Many illnesses, including the common cold, are spread by not washing hands properly with soap and water. According to statistics from the National Library of Medicine, the common cold accounts for approximately 22 million missed days of school and 20 million absences from work.

22 Dec 2011

Antihypertensive drug therapy associated with longer life expectancy

More than 68 percent of Americans 65 and older - 80 percent age 75 and over - have hypertension (high blood pressure), according to a 2010 report by the Centers for Disease Control. Left untreated, this chronic condition can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or premature death. Researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have shown in a follow-up to the landmark clinical trial, Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP), that the use of antihypertensive drug therapy is associated with longer life expectancy.

21 Dec 2011

Breast cancer risks and management updates

A new report that looks at the environmental factors that affect risk of breast cancer is out. It suggests that women can reduce their risk by avoiding unnecessary medical radiation, forgoing hormone treatments for menopause that combine estrogen and progestin, limiting alcohol intake and minimizing weight gain.

8 Dec 2011

New IOM report assesses breast cancer risk posed by environmental factors

Although women have little or no control over some of the risk factors for breast cancer, such as those related to aging and genetics, they may be able to reduce their chances for developing the disease by avoiding certain environmental risks. BREAST CANCER AND THE ENVIRONMENT: A LIFE COURSE APPROACH, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, assesses the breast cancer risk posed by various environmental factors, identifies actions that offer potential to reduce women's risk for the disease, and recommends targets for future research.

23 Nov 2011

First study to evaluate mycoestrogens in young girls

Puberty is a time in a girl's life considered highly sensitive to stimulation by the hormone estrogen and a critical window during which estrogen exposure could greatly influence the risk of breast cancer later in life. An early onset of puberty also has been consistently shown in studies to increase the risk of breast cancer.

2 Nov 2011

Implementing electronic prescribing in primary care practices

Primary care physicians provide essential health services to patients of all ages and while a family physician's office is a warm, comfortable environment, a physician's practice also is a business.

7 Oct 2011

DaTscan aids doctors in diagnosing patients with Parkinson's disease

Fifty thousand to 60,000 new cases of Parkinson's disease are diagnosed in the United States each year. Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) in Winfield, Ill., is among the first medical centers in North America to be using a new technology called DaTscan, an imaging tool that aids doctors in diagnosing patients who demonstrate Parkinsonian symptoms, like Parkinson's disease.

29 Sep 2011

N.Y. State Department of Health releases 2010 report on hospital infection rates

For the third year in a row, Hospital for Special Surgery is the only hospital in New York State with an infection rate that is significantly lower than the state average for hip replacement or revision surgeries, according to the 2010 report on hospital infection rates just released by the State Department of Health.

26 Sep 2011

Children's Medical Center employees, volunteers and vendors to get free flu shots

For the first time, Children's Medical Center will require all employees, contractors, volunteers and vendors to get influenza vaccinations this fall to protect the health and safety of the hospital's patients.

22 Sep 2011

GSM signal from mobile phones suppresses glucose metabolism in brain

Recent PET-measurements in Turku, Finland, show that the GSM mobile phone electromagnetic field suppresses glucose metabolism in temporoparietal and anterior temporal areas of the hemisphere next to the antenna.

16 Sep 2011

NIH awards Rutgers and UMDNJ $23.2M grant to develop drugs against mustard gas

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year $23.2 million grant to a group of investigators at Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to continue their research aimed at developing drug products that could be used against chemical warfare agents from a terrorist attack.

14 Sep 2011

Ridding homes, offices of mold and dampness can help reduce respiratory infections

A new evidence review finds that ridding homes and offices of mold and dampness can help reduce respiratory infections and troubling symptoms for asthma sufferers across the globe; however, the best way to eliminate the mold remains unclear.

9 Sep 2011

One third of patients with unexplained body malodor production test positive for TMAU

Scientists from the Monell Center report that approximately one third of patients with unexplained body malodor production test positive for the metabolic disorder trimethylaminuria.

2 Sep 2011

9/11 firefighters at greater risk of cancer

A new study shows that firefighters who were exposed to toxic dust and fumes clogging the air after the World Trade Center towers collapsed 10 years ago are more likely to develop cancer.

2 Sep 2011

Nurse safety measures around highly toxic drugs needed

Nearly 17 percent of nurses who work in outpatient chemotherapy infusion centers reported being exposed on their skin or eyes to the toxic drugs they deliver, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

22 Aug 2011

New ergonomic method can reduce risk of musculoskeletal disorders in office workers

A multidisciplinary team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has developed a new training method using a desktop webcam to improve ergonomic posture and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among office workers using computers.

3 Aug 2011

Falling may be an early sign of Alzheimer's

In a new study presented at the Alzheimer's Association's annual International Conference in Paris it was reported that older people whose brain scans showed signs of amyloid plaques - an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease - but who were otherwise healthy, had twice the risk of falls as people without brain amyloid.

20 Jul 2011

Employers Occupational Health receives URAC's full accreditation for case management

Employers Occupational Health, Inc., a subsidiary of Employers Holdings, Inc., has been granted URAC's full accreditation for case management.

19 Jul 2011

Onsite Occupational Health & Safety recognized as 2011 Indiana Companies to Watch

Onsite Occupational Health & Safety, Inc. (Onsite OHS) has been recognized as one of the 2011 Indiana Companies to Watch, an awards program presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, its Small Business Development Center network, Purdue University, and the Edward Lowe Foundation.

15 Jul 2011