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U.S. can help improve global food security

"For all its importance to human well-being, agriculture seems to be one of the lagging economic sectors of the last two decades," Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

20 Sep 2012

Women play important role in fighting NCDs

"As world leaders make their way to New York this month to attend the United Nations General Assembly, we call on them to renew their commitments to combating non-communicable diseases (NCDs)," Jill Sheffield, president of Women Deliver, and Nalini Saligram, founder of Arogya World, write in the Huffington Post "Global Motherhood" blog, adding, "Tackling NCDs with a woman-centered focus is a critical step towards reaching all development goals."

20 Sep 2012

Study examines association of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery with weight loss, diabetes mellitus

Severely obese patients who had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery had significant weight loss that was sustained for an average of 6 years after the surgery and also experienced frequent remission and lower incidence of diabetes, hypertension, and abnormal cholesterol levels, compared to participants who did not have the surgery, according to a study in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity.

20 Sep 2012

Global CVD Taskforce calls for urgent action to reduce premature mortality by 25% by 2025

Agreement by governments, by the end of 2012, on a set of ambitious global targets to curb the growing scourge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which includes cardiovascular disease (CVD; heart disease and stroke), is critical to avoiding the millions of premature deaths worldwide. This, according to a new paper published by the Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce a group of eminent experts who represent five leading heart-health organizations.

19 Sep 2012

Congress can help improve WASH, survival for children worldwide

David Winder, chief executive of WaterAid USA, highlights the findings of the recently released UNICEF report on child mortality in this Huffington Post "Impact" blog post, saying the decrease in annual number of child deaths "is great news, but is tempered by sobering statistics, especially for children in sub-Saharan Africa," who continue to face high rates of mortality.

19 Sep 2012

Bariatric surgery reduces long-term risk of diabetes by over 80 % among people with obesity

Bariatric surgery reduces the long-term risk of developing diabetes by over 80 % among people with obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published the results of a study conducted at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

19 Sep 2012

Study examines link between drug or alcohol use disorders and death in veterans with PTSD

Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who are also battling drug or alcohol problems face a higher risk of death, according to new research from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

19 Sep 2012

Bangladesh struggles to provide health care in urban slum areas, Guardian reports

As more people move into the urban slum areas surrounding Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, basic services such as water, sanitation and health care are being stretched to capacity by "[n]ew residents who are increasingly pushed out to the city's fringes," the Guardian reports.

19 Sep 2012

Government regulation of portion sizes can effectively prevent obesity epidemic

Addressing the obesity epidemic by preventing excess calorie consumption with government regulation of portion sizes is justifiable and could be an effective measure to help prevent obesity-related health problems and deaths, according to a Viewpoint in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity.

19 Sep 2012

FDA clears Aptus’ HeliFX Aortic Securement System

Aptus Endosystems, Inc., a medical device company developing advanced technology for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), announced today that it received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its thoracic-length HeliFX Aortic Securement System.

From Medtronic 19 Sep 2012

Extreme temperatures affect cardiac mortality

Extreme temperatures experienced during cold spells and heat waves may increase a person’s risk for premature death from cardiovascular disease, say researchers.

19 Sep 2012

Reduced-intensity benefits confirmed for AML cell transplantation

Reduced-intensity conditioning reduces toxicity associated with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia without affecting long-term outcomes, show results from the first randomized trial of this treatment.

19 Sep 2012

Mushroom compound lengthens lives of dogs with cancer, has human potential

Dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma had significantly delayed metastatic progression and lived longer than any previously recorded time after treatment with an extract of the mushroom Coriolus versicolor, report US investigators.

19 Sep 2012

Tranexamic acid: an interview with Prof Ian Roberts

Tranexamic acid is a medicine that reduces blood clot breakdown. In this way it helps in patients with bleeding.

19 Sep 2012

Most women with heart disease can shun advice to avoid pregnancy

The majority of women with structural or ischemic heart disease can safely undergo pregnancy with extensive pre-evaluation and high-quality care, say researchers.

18 Sep 2012

Vitamin D deficiency common in critically ill children

Children who are critically ill frequently have low serum levels of vitamin D, report researchers.

18 Sep 2012

Tranexamic acid lifesaving across the board

Tranexamic acid confers survival benefits in trauma patients irrespective of their baseline mortality risk, shows a prespecified analysis of CRASH-2.

18 Sep 2012

Apixaban offers minor added benefit for adult patients after hip replacement

The clot-inhibiting drug apixaban was approved in May 2011 for the prevention of thrombosis (blood clots) after operations to replace a hip or knee joint.

18 Sep 2012

Bariatric surgery reduces long-term risk of diabetes by over 80% among people with obesity

Bariatric surgery reduces the long-term risk of developing diabetes by over 80% among people with obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published the results of a study conducted at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

18 Sep 2012

Cancer surpasses heart disease as leading cause of death among U.S. Hispanics

A new report from American Cancer Society researchers finds that despite declining death rates, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Hispanics in the U.S. In 2009, the most recent year for which actual data are available, 29,935 people of Hispanic origin in the U.S. died of cancer, compared to 29,611 deaths from heart disease.

18 Sep 2012