Epidemiology News and Research

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Laundry detergent pods are dangerous for young children

Laundry detergent pods began appearing on U.S. store shelves in early 2010, and people have used them in growing numbers ever since. The small packets can be tossed into a washing machine without ever having to measure out a liquid or powder. The convenience, though, has come with risks for young children.

11 Nov 2014

Findings pave way for personalized probiotic therapies for obesity-related diseases

Our genetic makeup influences whether we are fat or thin by shaping which types of microbes thrive in our body, according to a Cornell-led study published today in the journal Cell.

7 Nov 2014

Should we be screening for colorectal cancer earlier?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women. Last year it was estimated that there had been around 143,000 new cases of CRC and 51,000 deaths due to CRC in the United States. The introduction of bowel screening for the over 50s has seen annual decreases in the overall incidence of CRC since 1998, giving cause for optimism.

7 Nov 2014

Zinc supplements more beneficial for some people with diabetes

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and elsewhere have found that genetic differences may account for why zinc supplements are more beneficial to some people than to others for the prevention and control of diabetes. The results of their pilot study of a population of Old Order Amish is believed to be the first to point out the relevance of small genetic differences in response to zinc supplementation at play in diabetes management.

7 Nov 2014

Genetically diverse mouse model can predict human response to chemical exposures

A genetically diverse mouse model is able to predict the range of response to chemical exposures that might be observed in human populations, researchers from the National Institutes of Health have found. Like humans, each Diversity Outbred mouse is genetically unique, and the extent of genetic variability among these mice is similar to the genetic variation seen among humans.

7 Nov 2014

Dr. D. A. Henderson named recipient of Prince Mahidol Award in Public Health

The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation announced today that its 2014 recipient of the Prince Mahidol Award in Public Health is Dr. D. A. Henderson, Distinguished Scholar at the UPMC Center for Health Security in Baltimore, Maryland.

6 Nov 2014

Eight million US women skip cervical cancer screening in the past five years

Despite evidence that cervical cancer screening saves lives, about eight million women ages 21 to 65 years have not been screened for cervical cancer in the past five years, according to a new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of new cervical cancer cases occur among women who have never or rarely been screened.

6 Nov 2014

Incidence of colon and rectal cancer expected to increase by 2030 among young patients

In the next 15 years, more than one in 10 colon cancers and nearly one in four rectal cancers will be diagnosed in patients younger than the traditional screening age, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

6 Nov 2014

Top 5 things to talk about in end-of-life discussions with hospitalized patients, their families

A study led by a McMaster University researcher has identified the top five things health care teams should discuss with hospitalized patients and their families at the end of life, but the research also found gaps between what patients would like and the care they receive.

5 Nov 2014

New studies offer hope for breast cancer survivors struggling with cancer-related pain, swelling

Two new studies from the Abramson Cancer Center and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania offer hope for breast cancer survivors struggling with cancer-related pain and swelling, and point to ways to enhance muscular strength and body image.

5 Nov 2014

Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease share common risk factors

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) appear to have a lot in common. They share risk factors such as obesity and they often occur together. If they also share the same genetic underpinings, then doctors could devise a way to treat them together too.

4 Nov 2014

Study shows that 140 million American adults recommended for behavioral weight-loss treatment

New research shows that 140 million American adults - about 65 percent - are recommended for behavioral weight-loss treatment, with 83% of those (or 116 million) considered for pharmacotherapy.

4 Nov 2014

Researchers develop mouse model to improve basic research on Ebola treatments, vaccines

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues have developed the first genetic strain of mice that can be infected with Ebola and display symptoms similar to those that humans experience.

31 Oct 2014

UCSD researchers validate EEG test to study, treat schizophrenia

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have validated an EEG test to study and treat schizophrenia. The findings, published in two separate studies, offer a clinical test that could be used to help diagnose persons at risk for developing mental illness later in life, as well as an approach for measuring the efficacies of different treatment options.

29 Oct 2014

Dietary linoleic acid lowers risk of coronary heart disease

People who swap 5% of the calories they consume from saturated fat sources such as red meat and butter with foods containing linoleic acid—the main polyunsaturated fat found in vegetable oil, nuts, and seeds—lowered their risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events by 9% and their risk of death from CHD by 13%, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health researchers.

29 Oct 2014

Generic aromatase inhibitors increase breast cancer treatment adherence by 50%

Although oral hormonal therapy is known to substantially reduce breast cancer recurrence in women with hormone receptor-positive tumors, about one-half of patients fail to take their medications as directed. A new study by Columbia University Medical Center researchers has found that the introduction of generic aromatase inhibitors (the most common type of hormone therapy), which are considerably less expensive than their brand name counterparts, increased treatment adherence by 50 percent.

28 Oct 2014

Lowering 'bad' cholesterol may help prevent aortic valve disease, study finds

An international research team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and Lund University has provided new evidence that aortic valve disease may be preventable.

28 Oct 2014

Working under hot sun causes health problems for sugarcane harvesters

Hard work under hot sun causes health problems for sugar cane workers in Costa Rica, such as headache, nausea, and renal dysfunction. The presence of symptoms is also expected to increase in line with ongoing climate changes, according to a dissertation from Umeå University.

27 Oct 2014

Johns Hopkins to lead, design interactive Web-based Ebola training program

Johns Hopkins Medicine has been tasked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lead a group and to design an interactive Web-based learning program that guides health care workers, nurses and physicians through government-approved protocols to aid clinicians as they provide care to patients who may be at risk of contracting the Ebola virus.

27 Oct 2014

Financial burden higher in patients treated for colorectal cancer

Nearly two-thirds of patients treated for colorectal cancer reported some measure of financial burden due to their treatment, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

27 Oct 2014