Epidemiology News and Research

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Study: Air pollution, impaired lung function independently affect cognition

Studies have shown that both air pollution and impaired lung function can cause cognitive deficits, but it was unclear whether air pollution diminishes cognition by reducing breathing ability first or whether air pollution represents an independent risk factor for cognitive deficit.

19 May 2015

Severe OSA, excessive daytime sleepiness linked to increased risk of depression in men

Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and excessive daytime sleepiness are associated with an increased risk of depression in men, according to a new community-based study of Australian men, which was presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

19 May 2015

Type 2 diabetes screening followed by treatment could reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, death

Screening to identify Type 2 diabetes followed by early treatment could result in substantial health benefits, according to new research published today in Diabetes Care that combined large scale clinical observations and innovative computer modelling.

19 May 2015

UTHealth receives supplemental grant to establish Biosafety and Infectious Disease Training Initiative

Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health have received a $100,000 supplemental grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish a Biosafety and Infectious Disease Training Initiative.

19 May 2015

Men with a history of asthma less likely to have aggressive prostate cancer

In what they are calling a surprising finding in a large study of men who completed questionnaires and allowed scientists to review their medical records, Johns Hopkins researchers report that men with a history of asthma were less likely than those without it to develop lethal prostate cancer.

19 May 2015

Regular use of aspirin may slow the progression of early emphysema, new research shows

Regular use of aspirin may help slow the progression of early emphysema, according to new research presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

18 May 2015

Information needs of cancer survivors differ depending on the type of cancer

Judging by the nature and topics of their information seeking, cancer patients' information needs appear to differ depending on the type of cancer they have and where they are in their survivorship.

18 May 2015

Umeå University researcher presents report on Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone

A researcher at Umeå University has carried out a project to identify messages required for the community in Sierra Leone to stop the spread of Ebola. A report has recently been presented to the country's government with the results.

15 May 2015

Handshakes better than your blood pressure at assessing your health

The firmness of your hand grip is better than your blood pressure at assessing your health, Hamilton researchers have found, and reduced muscular strength, measured by your grip, is consistently linked with early death, disability and illness.

15 May 2015

Study evaluates prenatal nutrition and genome-wide DNA patterns in adults exposed to malnutrition

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Leiden University in the Netherlands found that children whose mothers were malnourished at famine levels during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy had changes in DNA methylation known to suppress genes involved in growth, development, and metabolism documented at age 59.

15 May 2015

Smoking-related DNA damage can be detected in cheek swabs

DNA damage caused by smoking can be detected in cheek swabs, finds research published today in JAMA Oncology. The study provides evidence that smoking induces a general cancer program that is also present in cancers which aren't usually associated with it - including breast and gynaecological cancers.

15 May 2015

CCFA announces $17.5 million grant to establish Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis research platform

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America announces a three-year, $17.5 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to establish an integrated knowledge platform designed to centralize and aggregate patient information - with linked biosamples - across multiple research efforts.

15 May 2015

Bathing patients in common hospital soap can reduce MRSA contamination

Holding hope for a relatively inexpensive way to improve care and prevent the spread of deadly hospital-acquired infections, a new study reports that bathing patients in a common hospital soap, called chlorhexidine, was equally effective in preventing the transmission of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as the common practice of having healthcare workers avoid physical contact with the patients.

14 May 2015

Men with asthma less likely to develop lethal prostate cancer

Scientists found that men with a history of asthma were 29 percent less likely to have been diagnosed with prostate cancer that spread or to have died of their prostate cancer...

14 May 2015

Hand-grip strength could be used as a predictor of stroke and heart attack

The authors of the study say grip strength was a stronger predictor of death than systolic blood pressure and that a grip test may provide a simple and cost-effective way of identifying people at high risk of heart attack or stroke...

14 May 2015

Financial incentive programs help smokers kick the habit, finds Penn study

Four different financial incentive programs, each worth roughly $800 over six months, all help more smokers kick the habit than providing free access to behavioral counseling and nicotine replacement therapy. Further, the way in which equally-sized payouts are structured influences their effectiveness.

14 May 2015