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Fewer states holding alcohol retailers liable for harms caused by customers who were served illegally

Fewer states are holding alcohol retailers liable for harms caused by customers who were served illegally, according to a new report from researchers at Alcohol Policy Consultations and the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

31 Jul 2013

New treatment options give hope to people with psoriasis

Psoriasis expert and researcher Steve Feldman, M.D., says there are many new treatment options giving hope to the millions of people who suffer from the chronic skin condition.

31 Jul 2013

Researchers reveal how SMIP004 anticancer compound targets prostate cancer cells

One major hallmark of cancer cells is their ability to survive under stressful conditions. A new study spearheaded by researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute reveals how a promising anticancer compound called SMIP004 specifically kills prostate cancer cells by compromising their ability to withstand environmental stress.

31 Jul 2013

Researchers receive NIH grant to identify potential links between cancer risk and automobile traffic

A professor from the University of Miami School of Business Administration, along with collaborators from the Yale School of Public Health, has received a $453,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to identify potential links between cancer risk and the proximity of homes to heavy automobile traffic.

31 Jul 2013

Uninsured people in rural areas could benefit big under the health law

MedPage Today reports on how rural residents could gain as a result of the overhaul, while other news outlets offer reports from a variety of states regarding the health law's implementation.

31 Jul 2013

USF professor receives grant to study ways to reduce HIV/AIDS risk in college-aged black women

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) awarded $267,732 to the University of South Florida College of Nursing to study ways to reduce HIV/AIDS risk in college-aged black women, who are disproportionately affected by the disease. Rasheeta D. Chandler, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, assistant professor of nursing at USF, will lead the study.

31 Jul 2013

University of Maryland study links exercise to improved memory in Alzheimer's patients

New research out of the University of Maryland School of Public Health shows that exercise may improve cognitive function in those at risk for Alzheimer's by increasing the efficiency of brain activity associated with memory.

31 Jul 2013

Study: About 50% of fibromyalgia patients have nerve damage

About half of a small group of patients with fibromyalgia - a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms - was found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN). Unlike fibromyalgia, which has had no known causes and few effective treatments, SFPN has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes cured.

31 Jul 2013

Antibiotic prescribing rates can be reduced using internet-based training for clinicians

Antibiotic prescribing rates for acute respiratory tract infections could be significantly lowered using internet-based training for clinicians, new research has shown.

31 Jul 2013

Researchers create computational model to track VRE spread among hospitals

A moderate increase in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at one hospital can lead to a nearly 3 percent increase in VRE in every other hospital in that county, according to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

31 Jul 2013

WHO aims to increase global rate of breastfeeding for six months to 50% by 2025

Only 37 countries, or 19% of those reporting, have passed laws reflecting all the recommendations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report published during World Breastfeeding Week. The week is celebrated in more than 170 countries from 1 to 7 August.

30 Jul 2013

Joints of children with chronic inflammatory arthritis contain premature aging of immune cells

The joints of children with the most common form of chronic inflammatory arthritis contain immune cells that resemble those of 90-year-olds, according to a new study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

30 Jul 2013

Saudi and UK scientists provide detailed picture of MERS coronavirus

Saudi and UK scientists provide the most detailed picture yet of the clinical and laboratory characteristics of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, revealing a wide range of clinical symptoms and an extremely high death rate among patients with co-existing medical conditions.

29 Jul 2013

CHMP gives positive opinion for approval of once-daily QVA149 for treatment of COPD

Sosei Group Corporation confirms the information released by Novartis that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for approval of once-daily Ultibro® Breezhaler®, as a maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

29 Jul 2013

Study explores whether reducing smoke toxicant exposure affects biomarkers of biological effect

British American Tobacco has published the protocol for a clinical study designed to determine whether using reduced-toxicant prototype cigarettes that reduce smokers' exposure to smoke toxicants impacts biological effect (ISRCTN81286286).

29 Jul 2013

Incidence of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release benzene

The incidence of a particular type of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release the chemical benzene into the environment. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. This and other studies like it will be critical to identifying and enacting public health policies to decrease or prevent cancer.

29 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

Reporters Peter Whoriskey and Dan Keating have opened Post readers' eyes to the fact that Medicare pays for physician services -; a $69.6 billion item in 2012 -; according to an arcane and little-known price list, over which doctors themselves exercise considerable and less-than-totally-transparent influence (7/24).

26 Jul 2013

State highlights: D.C. to use cash reserves to pay Medicaid providers off; Texas, Planned Parenthood reach overbilling settlement; Veteran health centers at colleges

How do you spend $48 million in unbudgeted taxpayer money without getting an OK from elected lawmakers? In the District of Columbia, there's pretty much only one way, and that's the way Mayor Vincent C. Gray is proposing to settle a high-stakes dispute with D.C. Chartered Health Plan. Gray spokesman Pedro Ribeiro confirmed Wednesday that the plan is to pay the District's share of the settlement -- a little over $35 million, with federal Medicaid dollars accounting for the rest -- out of the city's contingency cash reserve (DeBonis, 7/24).

26 Jul 2013

Gout, uric acid levels and risk of death: an interview with Professor Austin Stack, Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick

Gout is a relatively common arthritic disease that affects about 4% (I in 25) of the population. It results from the deposition of uric acid in joints due to elevated blood levels and a resulting inflammation ensues which is very painful.

26 Jul 2013

Professor to receive Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by Woman in Statistical Sciences

Carnegie Mellon University's Kathryn Roeder has been chosen to receive the Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Statistical Sciences.

26 Jul 2013

Public Health News and Research

Fewer states holding alcohol retailers liable for harms caused by customers who were served illegally

New treatment options give hope to people with psoriasis

Researchers reveal how SMIP004 anticancer compound targets prostate cancer cells

Researchers receive NIH grant to identify potential links between cancer risk and automobile traffic

Uninsured people in rural areas could benefit big under the health law

USF professor receives grant to study ways to reduce HIV/AIDS risk in college-aged black women

University of Maryland study links exercise to improved memory in Alzheimer's patients

Study: About 50% of fibromyalgia patients have nerve damage

Antibiotic prescribing rates can be reduced using internet-based training for clinicians

Researchers create computational model to track VRE spread among hospitals

WHO aims to increase global rate of breastfeeding for six months to 50% by 2025

Joints of children with chronic inflammatory arthritis contain premature aging of immune cells

Saudi and UK scientists provide detailed picture of MERS coronavirus

CHMP gives positive opinion for approval of once-daily QVA149 for treatment of COPD

Study explores whether reducing smoke toxicant exposure affects biomarkers of biological effect

Incidence of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release benzene

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

State highlights: D.C. to use cash reserves to pay Medicaid providers off; Texas, Planned Parenthood reach overbilling settlement; Veteran health centers at colleges

Gout, uric acid levels and risk of death: an interview with Professor Austin Stack, Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick

Professor to receive Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by Woman in Statistical Sciences

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

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