Public Health News and Research

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Male circumcision a 'staggeringly under-utilized tool'

"PrePex, the new nonsurgical circumcision tool experts believe could revolutionize the prevention of HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, is easier to assemble than a toy you might find in a Happy Meal," freelance journalist Patrick Adams writes in the New York Times' "Opinionator" blog.

22 Mar 2013

Blog describes efforts to fight NTDs in Brazil

The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End The Neglect" blog reports on the Brazilian Ministry of Health's launch of "a public health campaign to diagnose and treat soil-transmitted helminths (or intestinal parasites) and leprosy in school-aged children" and says it will feature stories related to the fight against NTDs in Brazil over the coming days.

22 Mar 2013

Last few meals before surgery may affect recovery after surgery, study says

According to a new study, the last few meals before surgery might make a difference in recovery after surgery. Fat tissue is one of the most dominant components that make up the body, and fat tissue is always traumatized during major surgery.

22 Mar 2013

Fralin Life Science Institute researchers use TALENS to alter mosquito genome

Virginia Tech researchers successfully used a gene disruption technique to change the eye color of a mosquito - a critical step toward new genetic strategies aimed at disrupting the transmission of diseases such as dengue fever.

22 Mar 2013

New hope for treating, preventing malaria

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA Medical Center have developed a drug that may represent one of the world's best hopes for treating and preventing malaria - a disease that kills more than one million people each year.

22 Mar 2013

Research: 75% of world's population consumes daily recommended amount of sodium nearly twice

Seventy-five percent of the world's population consumes nearly twice the daily recommended amount of sodium (salt), according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention 2013 Scientific Sessions.

22 Mar 2013

Homeless people have disproportionately higher risk for TBI compared to general population

Homeless people and their health care providers need to know more about traumatic brain injuries to help prevent and treat such injuries, a new study has found.

22 Mar 2013

Common test may overestimate exposure to mercury vapor from dental amalgams

A common test used to determine mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings may significantly overestimate the amount of the toxic metal released from fillings, according to University of Michigan researchers.

21 Mar 2013

Genes play a significant role in children's eating behavior

Parents may plead, cajole or entice their children to try new foods, but some kids just won't budge. Now, new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveals that the reason these kids fear new foods has less to do with what's on their plate and more to do with their genes.

21 Mar 2013

HIV home tests: an interview with Dr Nitika Pant Pai, McGill University

30 years into the HIV epidemic, there is no vaccine in sight. Yet, even though there are fantastic and effective cheap and universally available drugs, and a treatment as prevention strategy is known to work, people do not wish to get tested for HIV! If everyone got tested, and treated, we could have brought the infection under control a long time ago!

21 Mar 2013

Study: News stories on mass shootings contribute to negative perceptions of mental illness

News stories about mass shootings involving a shooter with mental illness heighten readers' negative attitudes toward persons with serious mental illness, according to a new report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

21 Mar 2013

Report: Adults experiencing mental or substance use disorders more likely to smoke heavily than others

Adults aged 18 or older who experienced any mental illness or who have had a substance use disorder in the past year are more likely to smoke and to smoke more heavily than others, according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

21 Mar 2013

Some public health experts concerned over Saudi Arabia's response to SARS-like virus

"A SARS-like virus has infected 15 people, nine of whom have died, mostly in Saudi Arabia, worrying some Western scientists who question whether the kingdom is sharing enough critical data on the outbreak," "[b]ut a top Saudi Arabia health official rejected those complaints on Tuesday and said the virus posed a low risk of pandemic," the Wall Street Journal reports.

21 Mar 2013

Research shows short, bad sleepers have 65% higher risk of cardiovascular disease

People who sleep badly or not long enough have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This does not apply to people who sleep less than 6 hours, but wake up feeling fit and rested.

21 Mar 2013

Lancet to launch new global health journal

The Lancet on Monday announced the launch of a new journal, Lancet Global Health, according to a press release (3/18).

21 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: N.D. abortion law is 'repressive and extreme;' States identify 'promising' ideas to overhaul medical malpractice

Late last week, the North Dakota legislature passed a bill that would ban a woman from having an abortion as soon as the heartbeat of the fetus is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

21 Mar 2013

Roundup: Calif. deal allows smaller-than-proposed reduction in home health care; Texas senate panel weighs end of life bills

A selection of health policy stories from California, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Florida, Kansas and Colorado.

21 Mar 2013

Robotic systems may enhance basic social learning skills of children with ASD, experts say

"Aiden, look!" piped NAO, a two-foot tall humanoid robot, as it pointed to a flat-panel display on a far wall. As the cartoon dog Scooby Doo flashed on the screen, Aiden, a young boy with an unruly thatch of straw-colored hair, looked in the direction the robot was pointing.

21 Mar 2013

Researchers develop dune infiltration system to treat coastal stormwater runoff for fecal bacteria

When it rains, untreated stormwater can sweep pollutants into coastal waters, potentially endangering public health. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed low-cost filtration systems that are concealed beneath sand dunes and filter out most of the bacteria that can lead to beach closures.

21 Mar 2013

EuroPRevent 2013 to explore low-cost solutions to global epidemic of cardiovascular diseases

Preventive cardiology is now on the political as well as clinical agenda. In 2011 a UN heads-of-state meeting agreed to reduce mortality from chronic non-communicable diseases by 25% by 2025.

21 Mar 2013

Public Health News and Research

Male circumcision a 'staggeringly under-utilized tool'

Blog describes efforts to fight NTDs in Brazil

Last few meals before surgery may affect recovery after surgery, study says

Fralin Life Science Institute researchers use TALENS to alter mosquito genome

New hope for treating, preventing malaria

Research: 75% of world's population consumes daily recommended amount of sodium nearly twice

Homeless people have disproportionately higher risk for TBI compared to general population

Common test may overestimate exposure to mercury vapor from dental amalgams

Genes play a significant role in children's eating behavior

HIV home tests: an interview with Dr Nitika Pant Pai, McGill University

Study: News stories on mass shootings contribute to negative perceptions of mental illness

Report: Adults experiencing mental or substance use disorders more likely to smoke heavily than others

Some public health experts concerned over Saudi Arabia's response to SARS-like virus

Research shows short, bad sleepers have 65% higher risk of cardiovascular disease

Lancet to launch new global health journal

Viewpoints: N.D. abortion law is 'repressive and extreme;' States identify 'promising' ideas to overhaul medical malpractice

Roundup: Calif. deal allows smaller-than-proposed reduction in home health care; Texas senate panel weighs end of life bills

Robotic systems may enhance basic social learning skills of children with ASD, experts say

Researchers develop dune infiltration system to treat coastal stormwater runoff for fecal bacteria

EuroPRevent 2013 to explore low-cost solutions to global epidemic of cardiovascular diseases

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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