Epidemiology News and Research

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Report on MRSA to show superbug is widespread in hospitals

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) will release the results of the first nationwide study on the prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in U.S. healthcare facilities.

23 Jun 2007

Tamiflu could halve the pandemic influenza death toll versus no intervention

Treatment with the oral antiviral Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and prophylaxis for people exposed to infected patients could be one of the most cost-effective strategies for reducing illness and death during an influenza pandemic.

23 Jun 2007

Autistic boys have high levels of growth hormones

Boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder had higher levels of hormones involved with growth in comparison to boys who do not have autism, reported researchers from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine.

22 Jun 2007

Rheumatoid factor is a risk factor for heart disease in men

Scientists have found that a product of white blood cells linked to rheumatoid arthritis could cause heart disease in men.

20 Jun 2007

Death rate for women with diabetes higher than that of men

A new analysis of data from three large national databases finds that in the 29 years between 1971 and 2000, the death rate of men with diabetes has dropped significantly, in line with the overall decline of the death rate for all Americans.

19 Jun 2007

Diabetics' death rate for females stalled

New research has revealed that though the death rate for U.S. men with diabetes has fallen sharply since the early 1970s, for women that is not the case.

19 Jun 2007

Contact lens solution linked to Acanthamoeba keratitis

The use of a particular contact lens solution has a strong association with Acanthamoeba keratitis, a rare severe eye infection, report researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago in a study published online this week by the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

17 Jun 2007

Study shows improvement of rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy

Disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is significantly reduced during pregnancy, according to new data presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain.

17 Jun 2007

Patient-physician time in the U.S. lower than New Zealand and Australia

The average American spends a total of about 30 minutes a year with a primary care physician in a system that is less comprehensive than that of Australia or New Zealand, according to a new study comparing primary care practice in the three countries.

17 Jun 2007

Unexplained late-life weight loss may be early predictor of Alzheimer's disease

New findings show unexplained weight loss that precedes dementia by more than 10 years is associated with the severity of Alzheimer changes in the brain.

16 Jun 2007

New rheumatoid arthritis genes identified

Researchers at the University of Manchester have identified evidence of several new genes behind the chronic inflammatory disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which affects 387,000 people in the UK.

16 Jun 2007

Early life sun exposure linked to melanomas with BRAF gene mutations

Skin cancers often contain different gene mutations, but just how these mutations contribute to the cause of melanomas has been a mystery.

16 Jun 2007

California gun laws reduce illegal gun purchases

The potential for gun shows to serve as places where criminals obtain firearms can be curbed through increased regulation without adversely affecting attendance or business, according to a pioneering study published this week in Injury Prevention, an international peer-reviewed journal for health professionals.

14 Jun 2007

Cancer death rates remain high decades after exposure to arsenic

Death rates from lung and bladder cancer remained high decades after residents in northern Chile were exposed to high levels of arsenic in their drinking water, according to a new study by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Pontificia Universidad Cat'lica de Chile in Santiago.

14 Jun 2007

Military veterans twice as likely to commit suicide

Researchers say former military personnel are twice as likely to commit suicide than people who have not seen combat.

12 Jun 2007

New genes involved in rheumatoid arthritis discovered

Researchers at the University of Manchester have identified evidence of several new genes behind the chronic inflammatory disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which affects 387,000 people in the UK.

From The University of Manchester 8 Jun 2007

Low levels of testosterone may increase the long-term risk of death in men over 50 years old

"The new study is only the second report linking deficiency of this sex hormone with increased death from all causes, over time, and the first to do so in relatively healthy men who are living in the community," said Gail Laughlin, Ph.D., assistant professor and study author.

8 Jun 2007

NIAID to tackle drug resistant TB

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has released its NIAID Research Agenda for Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) and Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Tuberculosis (TB).

8 Jun 2007

Treatment for early prostate cancer associated with type of specialist seen

A new study analyzing men with localized prostate cancer shows that the specialty of the physician they see can influence the type of therapy they ultimately receive.

5 Jun 2007

Study finds difference in survival rates among white and black women with advanced breast cancer

Despite modest overall improvements in breast cancer survival rates for women with advanced disease over the last two decades, the rates for black women have not improved and the difference in life expectancy between white and black women continues to widen, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

5 Jun 2007