Epidemiology News and Research

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Study confirms computerized automation of notes and records in hospitals best for patients

Results from a large-scale Johns Hopkins study of more than 40 hospitals and 160,000 patients show that when health information technologies replace paper forms and handwritten notes, both hospitals and patients benefit strongly.

27 Jan 2009

Diabetes epidemic shows no signs of abating

In the United States, nearly 13 percent of adults age 20 and older have diabetes, but 40 percent of them have not been diagnosed, according to epidemiologists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose study includes newly available data from an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT).

27 Jan 2009

Study finds MRSA in swine and swine workers in the United States

The first study documenting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in swine and swine workers in the United States has been published by University of Iowa researchers.

23 Jan 2009

New treatment for latent form of tuberculosis

Patients who are infected with the latent form of tuberculosis (TB) show no symptoms and are not contagious, yet they pose the biggest challenge when it comes to controlling the disease.

23 Jan 2009

Loss of sex drive after menopause affects health, quality of life

Women with low levels of sexual desire, often as a result of menopause, are more likely to be depressed and to suffer physical symptoms such as back pain and memory problems than women who report higher levels of desire, according to a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals.

21 Jan 2009

Heavy and binge drinking during pregnancy increases risk of preterm birth

A new study from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has revealed the consequences of heavy and binge drinking on pregnancy even after these drinking patterns have stopped.

21 Jan 2009

Alcohol linked to premature births

Australian researchers have found a link between alcohol and premature births and say women should limit their alcohol intake during pregnancy, especially in the first three months.

21 Jan 2009

Stroke telemedicine assessed

Stroke telemedicine is a lifesaving practice that deserves further advancement, Mayo researchers write in the January 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

19 Jan 2009

New insights into links between infant feeding and obesity

The February edition of the Journal of Nutrition offers new insights into possible associations between infant feeding and health outcomes related to obesity.

19 Jan 2009

Altered brain activity in schizophrenia may direct focus on self

Schizophrenia may blur the boundary between internal and external realities by overactivating a brain system that is involved in self-reflection, and thus causing an exaggerated focus on self, a new MIT and Harvard brain imaging study has found.

19 Jan 2009

A tipple a day helps seniors keep disabilities at bay

It is well known that moderate drinking can have positive health benefits - for instance, a couple of glasses of red wine a day can be good for the heart.

19 Jan 2009

Tax on alcohol has a clear effect on drinking

With many local and national governments currently debating proposals to raise alcohol taxes, a timely new study published online in the February edition of Addiction journal finds that the more alcoholic beverages cost, the less likely people are to drink.

19 Jan 2009

Pediatric vaccine propels sharp drop in meningitis cases

A pediatric vaccine with University of Rochester roots has proven to be highly successful at reducing cases of bacterial meningitis across all age groups.That is the conclusion of a seven-year study, the results of which appeared today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

14 Jan 2009

Treatment may need to be modified for elderly glioblastoma patients

Glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive type of brain tumor, accounts for a majority of the brain tumors seen in patients 65 years or older.

14 Jan 2009

Statistical analysis of bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is much more likely to be deadly for women and African-Americans, but the reasons long believed to explain the phenomenon account for only part of the differences for such patients compared to their white and male counterparts, according to results published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer.

9 Jan 2009

California's rise in autism cases

A study by researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that the seven- to eight-fold increase in the number children born in California with autism since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted - and the trend shows no sign of abating.

9 Jan 2009

Smoking prevention programs badly needed in China

A study published this month in The New England Journal of Medicine, "Mortality Attributable to Smoking in China," provides an estimate of the number of premature deaths in China in 2005 that were caused by smoking.

9 Jan 2009

Six more obesity genes identified

The international GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Parameters) consortium works on the discovery of obesity genes.

8 Jan 2009

Estrogen plus progestin therapy may decrease risk of colorectal cancer

The combination of estrogen plus progestin, which women stopped taking in droves following the news that it may increase their risk of breast cancer, may decrease their risk of colorectal cancer, according to a report published in the January issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

8 Jan 2009

Exercise may not be key to obesity epidemic

A recent international study fails to support the common belief that the number of calories burned in physical activity is a key factor in rising rates of obesity.

6 Jan 2009