Public Health News and Research

RSS

Autistic children more sedentary than typically-developing peers

A new Oregon State University study of children with autism found that they are more sedentary than their typically-developing peers, averaging 50 minutes less a day of moderate physical activity and 70 minutes more each day sitting.

29 Sep 2014

Study findings underscore huge public health challenge posed by severe periodontitis

The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published a paper titled "Global Burden of Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression."

29 Sep 2014

Study demonstrates longer-term benefits of Lung Flute for COPD patients

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) report improved symptoms and health status when they use a hand-held respiratory device called the Lung Flute-, according to a new study by the University at Buffalo. Usually caused by smoking, COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

29 Sep 2014

Scientists discover sign of early development of pancreatic cancer

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other institutions have discovered a sign of the early development of pancreatic cancer - an upsurge in certain amino acids that occurs before the disease is diagnosed and symptoms appear.

29 Sep 2014

Canadian government committed to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, committed to continued efforts to strengthen global health security at the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) meeting in Washington, DC.

27 Sep 2014

State highlights: Calif. gov. vetoes bill limiting Medi-Cal estate recovery, signs birth control, inmate bills

In a blow to tens of thousands of low-income Californians newly enrolled in Medi-Cal under a provision in the Affordable Care Act, Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have limited the state's seizure of assets from their estates after they die -- a legal wrinkle that most only discovered after they had signed up for the health care plan for the poor (Seipel, 9/25).

27 Sep 2014

Bioregional approach can help improve human and environmental health

In a paper published this week online in Global Society, researchers with University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Urban Studies and Planning Program, also at UC San Diego, present a bioregional guide that merges place-based (territorial) city planning and ecosystem management along the United States-Mexico border as way to improve human and environmental health.

27 Sep 2014

Many gay, bisexual men complacent about HIV testing

Gay and bisexual men say HIV is the No. 1 health issue facing their community, but just 30 percent say they were tested for the virus within the last year as recommended. Another 30 percent say they have never been tested, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

26 Sep 2014

Leading health experts call for specific measures to control Ebola epidemic

Leading health experts today [Friday 26 September] urge EU Member States to “mobilise all possible resources” to assist West Africans in controlling the Ebola epidemic, in an open letter published in The Lancet.

26 Sep 2014

CDC forecast: Ebola epidemic could infect more than 1.4 million people by January end

The Ebola epidemic could claim hundreds of thousands of lives and infect more than 1.4 million people by the end of January, according to a statistical forecast released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

26 Sep 2014

Research findings provide clues for design of future HIV vaccine

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have described how a single family of antibodies that broadly neutralizes different strains of HIV has evolved remarkably diverse structures to attack a vulnerable site on the virus.

26 Sep 2014

Anti-inflammatory treatment may prevent heterotopic ossification

An anti-inflammatory treatment, studied in the labs of regenerative medicine specialists and trauma surgeons, may prevent what's become one of the war-defining injuries for today's troops.

26 Sep 2014

Thirteen research projects to explore nondrug approaches to manage pain, other health conditions

Thirteen research projects totaling approximately $21.7 million over 5 years will explore nondrug approaches to managing pain and related health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug abuse, and sleep issues. The effort seeks to enhance options for the management of pain and associated problems in U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families.

26 Sep 2014

Researchers awarded $16 million NIMH grant to create genetic resource for psychiatric disorders

A multi-institutional team of researchers studying schizophrenia and bipolar disorder has been awarded a $16 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to create the most extensive genetic resource to date for these two devastating psychiatric disorders, using data assembled by the University of Southern California.

26 Sep 2014

Taller individuals are less likely to develop esophageal cancer

Taller individuals are less likely to develop esophageal cancer and it's precursor, Barrett's esophagus, according to a new study1 in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

26 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: New insurers suggest health law success; slow response on Ebola

Before Obamacare launched, conservative outlets warned that the law would collapse as insurers shunned the overpriced, overregulated insurance exchanges.

26 Sep 2014

Researchers examine how telephone-based coaching could help COPD patients

Coaching patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to manage stress, practice relaxation and participate in light exercise can boost a patient's quality of life and can even improve physical symptoms, researchers at Duke Medicine report.

26 Sep 2014

Scientists analyze current situation of malaria and dengue fever in Himalayas

Research by Nepalese and German scientists from the Nepal Health Research Council, Goethe University and the LOEWE Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre analyzes the current situation of these diseases in the Himalayan country of Nepal and highlights how they profit from climate change and globalization.

26 Sep 2014

LSTM experts use integrated model to assess effects of new diagnostic algorithms for TB

Experts at LSTM have used a novel modelling approach to project the effects of new diagnostic methods and algorithms for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) recently endorsed by the World Health Organization, looking at the patient, health system and population perspective in Tanzania.

25 Sep 2014

Elsevier honored at BMA Medical Book Awards ceremony

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today that 28 of its professional and scholarly products were honored at the British Medical Association's annual BMA Medical Book Awards ceremony at BMA House in London on Sept. 22, 2014.

25 Sep 2014