Epidemiology News and Research

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Study: Role of genetics and environment in autism spectrum disorders

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of the West Indies have joined forces to launch a study of Jamaican children that they hope will unlock the secrets of how genetics and environment may interact to cause autism spectrum disorders.

29 Sep 2009

Estrogen withdrawal may play a significant role in joint pain during breast cancer treatment

Aromatase inhibitors, the same drugs that have buoyed long-term survival rates among breast cancer patients, also carry side effects including joint pain so severe that many patients discontinue these lifesaving medicines. New University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research, however, has uncovered patterns that may help clinicians identify and help women at risk of these symptoms sooner in order to increase their chances of sticking with their treatment regimen.

29 Sep 2009

JEBDP editors to offer continuing education units for its reviewers

Elsevier, a leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services announced today, that the Editors of Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice (JEBDP), the foremost publication of information about evidence-based dental practice, will begin offering continuing education units (CEUs) to its recognized experts and valued peer reviewers.

28 Sep 2009

U.S. underfunds climate change health-related research

A recent commentary suggests that the U.S. should spend roughly $197 million more than it currently does to research the impact of climate change on public health.

28 Sep 2009

Universal bilirubin screening can reduce jaundice incidence in newborns

Screening all newborns for excessive bilirubin in the blood can significantly decrease the incidence of severe jaundice which, in extreme cases, can lead to seizures and brain damage, according to researchers at UCSF Children's Hospital and Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, CA.

28 Sep 2009

NIH calls for identifying better methods to predict the risk of developing breast cancer

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the most common non-invasive lesion of the breast, presents unique challenges for patients and providers largely because the natural course of the untreated disease is not well understood. Because most women diagnosed with DCIS are treated, it is difficult to determine the comparative benefits of different treatment strategies versus active surveillance, meaning systematic followup.

25 Sep 2009

HPV screening and vaccination programmes could eradicate cervical cancer

Cervical cancer could be eradicated within the next 50 years if countries implement national screening programmes based on detection of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes the disease, together with vaccination programmes against the virus, according to a cervical cancer screening expert.

24 Sep 2009

Two Yale faculty members awarded a MacArthur "genius" grant for extraordinary commitment to research

Two Yale faculty members have been named MacArthur Foundation Fellows for 2009, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced. Mary Tinetti, M.D., the Gladys Phillips Crofoot Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Public Health and Richard O. Prum, the William Robertson Coe Professor of Ornithology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology will each receive a five-year, $500,000 "genius" grant to spend as they see fit.

24 Sep 2009

Children’s Hospital offers tips on H1N1 and seasonal flu

With the early onset of flu season coinciding with the start of school this year, parents are concerned about the flu. Experts from The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colo., offer a pediatric perspective on all types of flu, including H1N1, also known as swine flu.

23 Sep 2009

Osteoporosis a growing concern in Asia

A new audit report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) today shows that osteoporosis is a serious and growing problem throughout Asia.

22 Sep 2009

H1N1 infected people continue to shed live virus days after the symptoms

ABC News and other outlets are reporting that two studies released on Tuesday suggest that people infected with the H1N1 virus continue to shed virus after the point where current recommendations say they can resume their normal activities.

19 Sep 2009

Solos obtains purchase order for surgical endoscopy instruments

Solos Endoscopy, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SNDY) is pleased to announce that the Company has received multiple purchase orders for its MammoView(TM) line of surgical endoscopy instruments from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Bethesda MD.

18 Sep 2009

Guide reveals that non-smokers require different treatment for lung cancer

A committee of scientists led by Johns Hopkins investigators has published a new guide to the biology, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in never-smokers, fortifying measures for what physicians have long known is a very different disease than in smokers.

17 Sep 2009

Nutrition and exercise program for children

While research shows many American children become more sedentary in adolescence, a nationwide program - Triple Play - is reversing the trend by motivating them to be more physically active, according to a report released today.

16 Sep 2009

New mobile phone software helps remote analysis of data and map findings

New mobile phone software will help epidemiologists and ecologists working in the field to analyse their data remotely and map findings across the world, without having to return to the lab, according to research published in PLoS One today. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London, say the software will also enable members of the public to act as 'citizen scientists' and help collect data for community projects.

16 Sep 2009

Research study investigates survival rates of prostate cancer patients across time periods

New research to be published in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (Vol. 302, No. 11), by a team at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), shows that men diagnosed with prostate cancer beginning in the early 1990's had significantly improved survival outcomes compared with patients whose cancers were diagnosed in prior decades.

16 Sep 2009

New book on human genetics helps to unravel complex human diseases

Many human diseases-including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, cancer, and cardiovascular disease-are caused by multiple genetic variants and the interaction of those variants with the environment. Because such diseases lack a clear-cut inheritance pattern, sophisticated technological approaches and statistical analyses are required to determine their underlying cause.

15 Sep 2009

RI-MUHC recommends WHO to revise tuberculosis treatment guidelines

Tuberculosis is a global threat that affects more than 10 million people each year. Working with colleagues in the United States and France, Dr. Dick Menzies of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) has placed current tuberculosis treatment guidelines under the microscope in a new study.

15 Sep 2009

Limited health literacy linked with poorer access to health information

People who struggle with poor reading and math skills experience problems understanding instructions from health care providers and adhering to treatment, according to a new research review.

15 Sep 2009

Report on the epidemiology, cause and risk factors of asthma

An article on the epidemiology, cause and risk factors of asthma is the first in a special report on asthma in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) designed for clinical practitioners. This review looks at risk factors for persistent asthma at different ages, including prenatal, infancy, childhood and adulthood.

15 Sep 2009