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First generic version of Xeloda gets FDA approval for breast and colorectal cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Xeloda (capecitabine), an oral chemotherapy pill used to treat cancer of the colon or rectum (colorectal cancer) that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic), and metastatic breast cancer.

17 Sep 2013

Researchers identify gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, has identified a gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over age 50.

17 Sep 2013

Smoking-cessation in HIV-positive individuals: an interview with Dr Ellen R. Gritz, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

In the general population, current smoking prevalence is 18%. Persons living with HIV/AIDS smoke at a rate 2 to 3 times higher, up to almost 70% in some studies.

16 Sep 2013

Study: Healthy diet may reduce risk of severe depression

A healthy diet may reduce the risk of severe depression, according to a prospective follow-up study of more than 2,000 men conducted at the University of Eastern Finland. In addition, weight loss in the context of a lifestyle intervention was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms.

16 Sep 2013

Climate change not likely to make malaria situation worse in West Africa, say researchers

As public-health officials continue to fight malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers are trying to predict how climate change will impact the disease, which infected an estimated 219 million people in 2010 and is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide among children under age 5.

16 Sep 2013

Study: Opioid prescribing for non-cancer pain increases

Prescribing of strong opioid medications for non-cancer pain in the United States has nearly doubled over the past decade, reports a study in the October issue of Medical Care, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Sep 2013

Study evaluates effectiveness of new meningitis serogroup A vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a mass vaccination campaign with a new meningitis serogroup A vaccine, PsA-TT, in sub-Saharan Africa found that it had a dramatic impact on cases of serogroup meningitis and on carriage of the disease-causing bacteria in the throat, according to new research published in The Lancet.

13 Sep 2013

Domestic animals less likely to be major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans

A new study has shown that, contrary to popular belief, local domestic animals are unlikely to be the major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans. The result comes from a detailed study of DNA from more than 370 Salmonella samples collected over a 22-year period.

13 Sep 2013

Health policy innovation is translational research directed at improving public's health

A researcher's voice of reason entered the national debate on "Obamacare" today when Springer Science+Business Media released The Affordable Care Act as a National Experiment: Health Policy Innovations and Lessons, edited by Harry P. Selker, MD, MSPH and June S. Wasser, MA. The book's fresh perspective asserts that health policy innovation is translational research directed at improving the public's health.

13 Sep 2013

Report: Rates of sexual abuse of children have declined, but reasons not fully understood

Rates of physical and sexual abuse of children have declined over the last 20 years, but for reasons not fully understood, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Yet, reports of psychological and emotional child abuse have risen in the same period, and data vary significantly as to whether child neglect is increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant.

13 Sep 2013

SPHHS releases resources on website that help understand issues related to health information laws

Health Information & the Law, a project at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), released new resources on a website that offers easy-to-understand content on key issues related to the use and exchange of health information and how it affects the transformation of the U.S. health care system to a patient-centered, value-based system.

13 Sep 2013

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care. This is according to a new research letter published online in the September 12 issue of JAMA which compares rates of bariatric (weight-loss) surgery for minority Medicare vs. non-Medicare patients before and after implementation of a Medicare coverage policy.

13 Sep 2013

Columbia University launched three-year Doctor of Medicine program for PhD biological scientists

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) has launched a three-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) program for PhD-trained biological scientists. The accelerated curriculum prepares graduates for physician-scientist careers that combine their knowledge of fundamental biomedical science with an understanding of how diseases and their treatments affect humans.

13 Sep 2013

Cardiologist receives $1.9M grant from PCORI to study mHealth services

Richard Katz, M.D., Bloedorn Professor of Cardiology, professor of medicine, and director of the division of cardiology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), has been awarded $1.9 million by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for a three-year project to study the combined use of mobile phones and community health workers to enhance patient management of chronic disease.

13 Sep 2013

Data shows Americans are living longer, reporting fewer symptoms of disease

Thanks to medical advances, better treatments and new drugs not available a generation ago, the average American born today can expect to live 3.8 years longer than a person born two decades ago.

13 Sep 2013

GWCI awarded $2.1M cooperative agreement to support Comprehensive Cancer Control programs

The George Washington University Cancer Institute has been awarded a $2.1 million cooperative agreement to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to design and implement a comprehensive technical assistance plan to support CDC-funded Comprehensive Cancer Control programs.

13 Sep 2013

Pertussis incidence among older adults may be under-recognized, study finds

The incidence of pertussis among U.S. adults 50 and older may be greatly under-reported and under-recognized, according to findings from a study conducted by GlaxoSmithKline researchers who analyzed approximately 48 million cases of cough-related illness in the U.S. between 2006 and 2010.

13 Sep 2013

Educational status may protect women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas against obesity

Educational status may protect women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas against obesity, finds a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

13 Sep 2013

Revised Medicaid sterilization policy supports minority women at risk for unintended pregnancies

A revised Medicaid sterilization policy that removes logistical barriers, including a mandatory 30-day waiting period, could potentially honor women's reproductive decisions, reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and save $215 million in public health costs each year, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

13 Sep 2013

Three-gene biomarker can help determine treatment option for early prostate cancer

The level of expression of three genes associated with aging can be used to predict whether seemingly low-risk prostate cancer will remain slow-growing, according to researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center.

13 Sep 2013

Public Health News and Research

First generic version of Xeloda gets FDA approval for breast and colorectal cancers

Researchers identify gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration

Smoking-cessation in HIV-positive individuals: an interview with Dr Ellen R. Gritz, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Study: Healthy diet may reduce risk of severe depression

Climate change not likely to make malaria situation worse in West Africa, say researchers

Study: Opioid prescribing for non-cancer pain increases

Study evaluates effectiveness of new meningitis serogroup A vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa

Domestic animals less likely to be major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans

Health policy innovation is translational research directed at improving public's health

Report: Rates of sexual abuse of children have declined, but reasons not fully understood

SPHHS releases resources on website that help understand issues related to health information laws

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care

Columbia University launched three-year Doctor of Medicine program for PhD biological scientists

Cardiologist receives $1.9M grant from PCORI to study mHealth services

Data shows Americans are living longer, reporting fewer symptoms of disease

GWCI awarded $2.1M cooperative agreement to support Comprehensive Cancer Control programs

Pertussis incidence among older adults may be under-recognized, study finds

Educational status may protect women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas against obesity

Revised Medicaid sterilization policy supports minority women at risk for unintended pregnancies

Three-gene biomarker can help determine treatment option for early prostate cancer

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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