Public Health News and Research

RSS

In Tornado Alley, storms are even more dangerous for people with disabilities

John High has diabetes, which led to his leg being amputated below the knee two years ago. He has been using a wheelchair since then and hasn’t gotten used to having to work out solutions to everyday problems — such as getting into and out of the shower in the small rental house he shares with his son in Norman, Oklahoma.

20 Feb 2020

Air fresheners may help prevent negative impacts of indoor malodors

The Household & Commercial Products Association released the following statement today about the importance of air fresheners after a newly published review article revealed several negative psychological, physical, social, and economic effects associated with indoor malodors, such as stale indoor air and bad smells.

20 Feb 2020

Newsom: To fix homelessness, California must fix mental health

Gov. Gavin Newsom made a bold move Wednesday. In his second State of the State address, an annual speech that usually focuses on political wins or the state's booming economy, Newsom dedicated 35 of 42 minutes to the urgent but unsexy issue of homelessness.

19 Feb 2020

Wearable continuous monitoring tool helps manage mental health

Mental health issues are becoming more prevalent on college campuses across the country and researchers at Texas A&M University are working to develop evidence-based services that will help manage students' mental health.

19 Feb 2020

Racial disparities found in timing and type of treatment for colorectal cancer patients

In a new study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Associate Professor Dr. Cara Frankenfeld of the George Mason College of Health and Human Services found racial disparities in how the presence of cancer-related diagnostic and treatment technology is related to colorectal cancer patient outcomes in Georgia.

19 Feb 2020

Study identifies new CoV responsible for the Wuhan outbreak

The 2019 novel coronavirus causes fatal pneumonia that has claimed over 1300 lives, with more than 52000 confirmed cases of infection by February 13, 2020, all in the span of just over a month.

18 Feb 2020

IU researcher identifies new genomic regions that increase skin cancer risk

An Indiana University cancer researcher has identified eight new genomic regions that increase a person's risk for skin cancer.

18 Feb 2020

Study reveals underlying mechanism for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias

Low oxygen levels in the heart have long been known to produce life-threatening arrhythmias, even sudden death. Until now, it was not clear how.

18 Feb 2020

Glucose-lowering drug reduces obesity indices in children and adolescents, study shows

A new study has shown metformin - a glucose-lowering drug commonly used to treat diabetes - to be effective at lowering some measures of obesity in children and adolescents.

18 Feb 2020

Study reveals how overexposure to fluoride causes defects in tooth enamel

Exposing teeth to excessive fluoride alters calcium signaling, mitochondrial function, and gene expression in the cells forming tooth enamel- a novel explanation for how dental fluorosis, a condition caused by overexposure to fluoride during childhood, arises.

18 Feb 2020

Lengthening prostate cancer screening intervals for men could improve outcomes

A new study in JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published by Oxford University Press, finds significant benefits to lengthening the amount of time between prostate cancer screenings for men.

18 Feb 2020

BU study finds higher fecundability in the fall

First-of-its-kind study accounts for when couples are most likely to start trying to conceive, finding couples conceive quicker in late fall and early winter, especially in southern states.

18 Feb 2020

Domestic abuse raises the risk of death by 44% finds study

A new study reveals that domestic abuse can raise the risk of deaths by 44 percent compared to the general population. A team of researchers from the University of Warwick and Birmingham has confirmed what has been suspected, and they found that domestic abuse survivors are more at risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

18 Feb 2020

Genetic tests to predict heart disease risk have limited benefit

Genetic tests to predict a person's risk of heart disease and heart attack have limited benefit over conventional testing.

18 Feb 2020

Fruit flies have a new defense strategy to deal with oxidative stress

Oxidative stress affects all living organisms, and the damage it causes is believed to play a part in cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and a number of other health conditions.

18 Feb 2020

Plasma from recovered patients used to treat coronavirus a valid approach, WHO says

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) outbreak has taken nearly 1,900 people and infected more than 73,000 people, mainly in China. It has spread to 28 countries, prompting scientists to develop potential therapies to treat deadly viral infections. Now, Chinese doctors are using plasma therapy to treat coronavirus patients.

18 Feb 2020

VTC scientists study new approach to help people with alcohol use disorder

People with alcohol use disorder know that when it comes to immediate satisfaction, nothing works quicker than liquor.

18 Feb 2020

Ink Rx? Welcome to the camouflaged world of paramedical tattoos

The first fingernail tattoo started off as a joke by a man who lost the tips of two fingers in a construction accident in 2018.

18 Feb 2020

Research suggests new approach to block tau pathology in FTLD, Alzheimer's

The protein β-arrestin-2 increases the accumulation of neurotoxic tau tangles, a cause several forms of dementia, by interfering with removal of excess tau from the brain, a new study by the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine found.

17 Feb 2020

Guideline-recommended diuretic linked to more side effects than similar antihypertensive drug

Chlorthalidone, the guideline-recommended diuretic for lowering blood pressure, causes more serious side effects than hydrochlorothiazide, a similarly effective diuretic, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

17 Feb 2020