Epidemiology News and Research

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Doubts cast over India's AIDS figures

A controversy has erupted after Indian health workers have, expressed doubts over the new HIV/AIDS figures released by the government, they says the figures are too good to be true.

29 May 2005

Significant association between depression severity and poor glycemic control (PGC) among Hispanics

In a study of more than 200 Hispanics with diabetes, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and College of Physicians and Surgeons found a significant association between depression severity and poor glycemic control (PGC).

26 May 2005

Don’t skip your next mammogram

Melbourne researchers are urging women on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to be extra vigilant about having regular two-yearly mammograms.

26 May 2005

Even limited training improves communication with patients from other cultures

Simple classroom lectures about different religious holidays, such as the Muslim tradition of fasting during Ramadan, or Spanish language lessons focused on common medical terms really work to help physicians and nurses connect with patients from different cultures and improve patient satisfaction, according to a pair of reports from Johns Hopkins researchers.

25 May 2005

A good education makes women sleep better

According to a study done in Taiwan educated women are less likely to suffer from insomnia than their less learned counterparts, but surprisingly, their male equivalents are less likely to get a good night’s sleep if they have had the benefit of a good education.

24 May 2005

Fetal programming and childhood factors can't be blamed for poor bone health in mid life

This study collected comprehensive information on birth and childhood factors, and has regularly tracked the health of 1000 babies born in May and June 1947 in Newcastle upon Tyne, north eastern England.

24 May 2005

A diet rich in milk does not increase the risk of heart disease and stroke

The research team asked a representative sample of 764 men to weigh and record every item of food and drink they consumed for seven consecutive days. Just under 90% of the sample (665) produced complete and detailed diaries.

24 May 2005

Better educated a woman is, the more likely she is to sleep through the night

Women have higher rates of insomnia than men, but the better educated a woman is, the more likely she is to sleep through the night, finds a large study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

24 May 2005

Heart disease and stroke burden every region of the world leading to increased inequalities in health

Heart disease and stroke are responsible for 17 million deaths each year, represent a major burden of disease in every region of the world and are contributing to an alarming increase in health inequalities, both within and between countries.

23 May 2005

Pregnancy factors, parental psychiatric history, and preterm delivery may be associated with the risk of autism

...according to a recent study supported in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study, "Risk Factors for Autism: Perinatal Factors, Parental Psychiatric History, and Socioeconomic Status," appears in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

23 May 2005

WHO says world must prepare for bird flu pandemic

Reports of disturbing changes to the H5N1 virus circulating in Asia is causing great concern and has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge countries to prepare for a influenza pandemic.

22 May 2005

New hope for people with hepatitis C

University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers are running two new studies on hepatitis C, which could revolutionise treatment for the virus.

22 May 2005

New kidney test better elder mortality predictor

A study at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) has found that a test of kidney function that measures blood levels of cystatin C -- a protein produced by most cells in the body -- is a far more accurate predictor of mortality risk in elderly people than the current standard kidney function test, which measures levels of the protein creatinine.

20 May 2005

Diet rich in vitamin E may protect against Parkinson's disease

In a meta-analysis to try to establish whether vitamin C, vitamin E, and carotene can lower the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), scientists have found that diets rich in vitamin E could protect against the development of PD.

18 May 2005

Prenatal environmental factors and parental mental health may be associated with a risk of autism

“This is the largest case-control study ever conducted, and the first to suggest that family history of schizophrenia raises risk for autism, independently of obstetric factors,” said William W. Eaton, PhD, study co-author and professor and chair of the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health.

18 May 2005

Exposure to radioactive iodines in childhood is associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer

Exposure to radioactive iodines, mainly iodine 131 (I-131), in childhood is associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer. Importantly, both iodine deficiency and supplementation appear to modify this risk, according to a new study in the May 18 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

17 May 2005

The Gates Foundation approach to the world's health problems has its critics

A recent article in The Lancet criticized the premise that a Grand Challenge to scientific and technological know-how is the best route to combating malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other diseases that kills millions of people each year.

16 May 2005

Association between maternal exposure to toxoplasmosis and increased risk for developing schizophrenia

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can develop from eating undercooked meat and unwashed fruits and vegetables, drinking contaminated water, or not washing one's hands after gardening or changing cat litter boxes. Researchers found a potential link between high maternal toxoplasmosis gondii antibody titers and development of schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the adult offspring.

16 May 2005

Two new retroviruses among central Africans who hunt nonhuman primates

A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Army Health Research Center (CRESAR) in Cameroon have discovered two new retroviruses among central Africans who hunt nonhuman primates.

16 May 2005

Hour of day and time of year has significant impact on blood pressure levels

The odds of measuring an elevated blood pressure can vary by as much as 40 percent depending on the time of day and time of year, according to researchers from the Center for Health Research and Rural Advocacy at Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania. They recommend that clinicians anticipate changes in blood pressure due to these temporal factors when diagnosing and considering treatment options for their patients.

16 May 2005