Occupational Health News and Research

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Scientists identify genetic contribution to sense of smell

Scientists at the Monell Center have used a well-known example of individual differences to identify a genetic contribution to the sense of smell. Most people detect a distinct sulfurous odor in their urine shortly after eating asparagus. However, there are some who seemingly do not notice the unpleasant odor.

29 Sep 2010

European Society of Cardiology to support EuroPRevent Meeting

Workplace wellness programmes play a vital role in preventing cardiovascular disease and stroke. This year's World Heart Day theme is to encourage employers and employees to take simple steps to improve heart-health in the workplace. The European Society of Cardiology is keen to support this theme, which coincides with the upcoming launch of two major initiatives at the next EuroPRevent Meeting in April 2011 in Geneva.

27 Sep 2010

People with Parkinson's disease have high levels of beta-HCH pesticide

People with Parkinson's disease have significantly higher blood levels of a particular pesticide than healthy people or those with Alzheimer's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

27 Sep 2010

TeleHealth Services announces new partnership with TRHMC to improve patient experience

TeleHealth Services, the nation's leading provider of healthcare grade televisions and interactive patient education solutions, today announced a new partnership with The Reading Hospital and Medical Center. The 671-bed hospital chose TeleHealth Services as their interactive patient education and entertainment partner as an extension of the hospital's Surgical Care Improvement Project.

14 Sep 2010

Current economic crisis threatens to affect cancer incidence: Report

Although overall mortality from cancer is decreasing in the European Union, its incidence increased by almost 20%, from 2.1 million new cases in 2002 to 2.5 million in 2008, says a special issue of the European Journal of Cancer on cancer prevention, published today.

13 Sep 2010

Occupational exposure to substances is a major risk factor for neurodermatitis

A child who can't stop scratching himself may well be suffering from atopic dermatitis, also known as neurodermatitis. Extreme irritability of the skin with a concomitant urge to scratch is typical of the disorder. The condition often appears during the first year of life and is on the increase in industrialized countries.

8 Sep 2010

Prenatal pesticide exposure increases susceptibility to ADHD in children

Exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides before birth can increase susceptibility to attention disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to new research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The new study is part of a growing body of research indicating that exposure to OP pesticides can adversely affect brain development.

19 Aug 2010

Nightingale to provide AIM Health Group with enterprise EMR and practice management solution

Nightingale Informatix Corporation, an application service provider of electronic medical record (EMR) software and related services today announces that it has signed a five-year agreement with the AIM Health Group to provide AIM's family practice, walk-in and pain management clinics with Nightingale On Demand, the Company's enterprise EMR and practice management solution.

12 Aug 2010

Sypol launches workplace health package for small- and medium-sized enterprises

A top specialist in occupational health has hit out at those who pour scorn on her industry and like to refer to it as 'Elf and Safety', despite the fact that 180 people a year die in workplace accidents and more than 246,000 are injured.

11 Aug 2010

InGenesis CEO named 2010 SBA Regional Minority Small Business Person of the Year

Veronica Ann Edwards, CEO of San Antonio-based InGenesis, Inc., has been named the 2010 SBA Regional Minority Small Business Person of the Year for U.S. Small Business Administration Region VI. The five-state region serves Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

11 Aug 2010

ResMed revenue increases 16% to $291.6 million for quarter ended June 30, 2010

ResMed Inc. today announced record revenue and income for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, and a two-for-one stock split.

From ResMed Corp 6 Aug 2010

AIM signs agreement for non-brokered private placement of common shares

AIM Health Group Inc., a fully integrated health care company, announced today that it had entered into an agreement for a non-brokered private placement of 2,857,144 common shares at $0.25 per share for total proceeds of $714,286.

5 Aug 2010

People insensitive to quinine's bitter taste may have varied absorption, metabolization capabilities: Study

Some people find quinine to be bitter while others can drink it like water. Now, scientists from the Monell Center and collaborators report that individual differences in how people experience quinine's bitterness are related to underlying differences in their genes.The findings, published online in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, demonstrate that genetic variation in regions of DNA that encode bitter taste receptors predicts a person's perception of bitterness from quinine.

3 Aug 2010

Take Care Health Systems applauds US Senate for declaration of National Convenient Care Clinic Week

Take Care Health Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens and the nation's largest and most comprehensive manager of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers, today praised the US Senate for its declaration of August 2-8 as "National Convenient Care Clinic Week". The resolution was introduced by Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) and passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

2 Aug 2010

First Edition: July 30, 2010

In today's headlines, a report about the administration's new high-risk pool regulations and how they address abortion coverage, as well as other details related to the new health law and the insurance marketplace.

30 Jul 2010

HHS Secretary announces 15 awards to support Preventive Medicine Residency Programs

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced 15 awards totaling $9 million to support Preventive Medicine Residency Programs at accredited schools of public health, schools of medicine, and hospitals. Of these funds, nearly $6.7 million is part of the $200 million appropriated to HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to address the nation's health care workforce shortages.

26 Jul 2010

Study focuses on health issues of PGDP workers

A five-year study into the causes of deaths of workers at Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant shows significantly lower death rates from all causes and cancer in general when compared to the overall United States population. This is known by occupational health researchers as the "healthy worker effect". However, death from lymphatic and bone marrow cancers such as leukemia or multiple myeloma were slightly above national rates.

23 Jul 2010

Young women more likely to die in hospitals following heart attacks: Study

A new study by researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has found that women between the ages of 35 and 54 were more likely to die in hospitals following heart attacks than men of a similar age. This finding from a sample of more than 423,000 patients can be seen as surprising, given that women, on average, develop their first acute myocardial infarction -- or heart attack -- about 10 years later than men, and are overall less likely to develop myocardial infarction than are men.

23 Jul 2010

MEDTOX Scientific second-quarter total revenues increase 18.1% to $25.2 million

MEDTOX Scientific, Inc. today announced results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010. MEDTOX achieved a significant increase in new clinical laboratory business for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, and laboratory drugs-of-abuse testing showed a net positive increase in revenues of 5.6% for the second quarter of 2010, compared to a decrease of 10.6% in the prior year quarter.

15 Jul 2010

Finalists for Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards announced

URAC announced today that a distinguished panel of judges has selected 30 finalists for its Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards. The competition drew entries from across the nation. The finalists will be honored during URAC's 11th Annual Quality Summit, October 5-7, 2010 in Chicago, IL. The awards honor programs in two areas: Consumer Decision-Making and Consumer Health Improvement.

13 Jul 2010