Epidemiology News and Research

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A cost-effective approach to California's mammography screening program

When public health budgets are constrained, mammography screening should begin later and occur less frequently, a cost-effectiveness analysis for California's Every Woman Counts (EWC) program concludes.

18 Sep 2013

FDA grants Breakthrough Therapy designation to Boehringer Ingelheim's volasertib

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to volasertib, an investigational inhibitor of polo-like kinase, being evaluated for the treatment of patients aged 65 or older with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia, ineligible for intensive remission induction therapy.

17 Sep 2013

Researchers examine effects of debt burden on Black, Hispanic medical students

The cost of a medical school education in the United States has been on the rise over the past 10 years. However, given racial and ethnic inequalities in access to financial resources, increases in the student debt burden may not be assumed equally.

17 Sep 2013

Study shows that changes in diet, lifestyle choices may result in longer telomeres

A small pilot study shows for the first time that changes in diet, exercise, stress management and social support may result in longer telomeres, the parts of chromosomes that affect aging.

17 Sep 2013

Patients who receive automated telephone calls are more likely to have controlled hypertension

Patients who received automated telephone calls inviting them to get their blood pressure checked at a walk-in clinic were more likely to have controlled hypertension than patients who did not receive calls, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.

17 Sep 2013

Smoking-cessation in HIV-positive individuals: an interview with Dr Ellen R. Gritz, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

In the general population, current smoking prevalence is 18%. Persons living with HIV/AIDS smoke at a rate 2 to 3 times higher, up to almost 70% in some studies.

16 Sep 2013

Study: Healthy diet may reduce risk of severe depression

A healthy diet may reduce the risk of severe depression, according to a prospective follow-up study of more than 2,000 men conducted at the University of Eastern Finland. In addition, weight loss in the context of a lifestyle intervention was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms.

16 Sep 2013

Funding for antimicrobial resistance research projects in the UK unacceptably small, say researchers

Study of funding awarded to antimicrobial resistance research projects in the UK calls for political leadership and sustained and targeted spending.

13 Sep 2013

Cardiologist receives $1.9M grant from PCORI to study mHealth services

Richard Katz, M.D., Bloedorn Professor of Cardiology, professor of medicine, and director of the division of cardiology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), has been awarded $1.9 million by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for a three-year project to study the combined use of mobile phones and community health workers to enhance patient management of chronic disease.

13 Sep 2013

Researcher characterises influenza A viruses in gulls and ducks

Ducks and gulls are the natural hosts of influenza A virus. Ragnhild Tønnessen's PhD research project has characterised influenza A viruses in gulls and ducks in Norway. Her discoveries may lead to a better understanding of the epidemiology and host adaptation of influenza A virus.

12 Sep 2013

Exposing young girls to ionizing radiation can raise risk of breast cancer later in life

Exposing young women and girls under the age of 20 to ionizing radiation can substantially raise the risk of their developing breast cancer later in life. Scientists may now know why. A collaborative study, in which Berkeley Lab researchers played a pivotal role, points to increased stem cell self-renewal and subsequent mammary stem cell enrichment as the culprits.

12 Sep 2013

Perkins+Will completes UF's Clinical and Translational Research Building

The Miami office of global architecture and design firm, Perkins+Will, recently completed a major healthcare, education and research project, the University of Florida's Clinical and Translational Research Building.

11 Sep 2013

'Pay for performance' programs focus on high quality care delivery

Paying doctors for how they perform specific medical procedures and examinations yields better health outcomes than the traditional "fee for service" model, where everyone gets paid a set amount regardless of quality or patient outcomes, according to new research conducted by UC San Francisco and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

11 Sep 2013

Researchers study potential role of two risk factors in preeclampsia

Although preeclampsia occurs in about 3 percent of pregnancies, it's still unforeseen in many cases. A report of new research, now in press at the Journal of Reproductive Immunology, documents how two distinct risk factors combine to affect the odds that a first-time mother could develop the sometimes life-threatening pregnancy complication.

11 Sep 2013

Researchers discover 4 novel gene variations linked with blood pressure

Case Western Reserve University is part of a landmark study that has discovered four novel gene variations associated with blood pressure. The 19-site meta-analysis, involving nearly 30,000 African-Americans, also found that the set of genetic mutations are also associated with blood pressure across other populations.

11 Sep 2013

Study: More than 70% of bladder tumors display somatic mutations in TERT gene

Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have discovered that more than 70% of bladder tumours display somatic mutations in the TERT gene (telomerase reverse transcriptase).

11 Sep 2013

New strategy to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections

Simply replacing the connector in the IV system in patients with central lines could help reduce deadly bloodstream infections, researchers at Georgia Regents University have found.

11 Sep 2013

Mental health–asthma link heightened by obesity

Data from Norway suggest that anxiety and depression interact with obesity to increase the risk for adult-onset asthma.

10 Sep 2013

American Journal of Preventive Medicine evaluates existing diabetes guidelines and potentially supportive laws

New cases of diabetes continue to increase as does the health burden for those with diabetes. Law is a critical tool for health improvement, yet assessments reported in a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine indicate that federal, state, and local laws give only partial support to guidelines and evidence-based interventions relevant to diabetes prevention and control.

10 Sep 2013