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ACS announces creation of Georgia Surgical Quality Collaborative

Today, the American College of Surgeons (ACS), in association with the American Cancer Society, hosted the ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forum Georgia, the 11th program in a series of events to drive national discussions on effective quality improvement methods that surgeons, physicians and hospitals are using to improve patient safety and reduce costs.

13 Dec 2012

International health, development groups meet to discuss London Summit on Family Planning

In the Management Sciences for Health's (MSH) "Global Health Impact" blog, Barbara Ayotte, director of strategic communications at MSH, reports on a luncheon discussion on the London Summit on Family Planning, held in Boston in November.

13 Dec 2012

Roundup: Health centers moving into contaminated tracts; Mass. budget cuts worry health advocates

The community health center rising on a derelict corner here in West Philadelphia never would have broken ground if not for the asbestos inside the building that was demolished to make way for it. Because of the contamination, Spectrum Health Services received a $2 million federal cleanup grant, the first piece of a $14 million construction financing puzzle.

13 Dec 2012

Delayed childbearing may protect against triple-negative breast cancer

Younger women who wait at least 15 years after their first menstrual period to give birth to their first child may reduce their risk of an aggressive form of breast cancer by up to 60 percent, according to a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study.

12 Dec 2012

Physical activity associated with longevity gains

Adults who include at least 150 minutes of physical activity in their routines each week live longer than those who don't, finds a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

12 Dec 2012

Decreased air pollution continues to increase life expectancy in USA

Significant reductions in air pollution over the past decade have improved life expectancy across various US counties, report researchers, although they stress that optimum air quality levels have not yet been reached.

12 Dec 2012

Prematurity marks the adult heart

People born preterm have compromised cardiac structure and function as young adults, a study shows.

12 Dec 2012

$Study finds increase in prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment in the U.S.$

Study finds increase in prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment in the U.S.

The prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment (not due to need for glasses) in the U.S. has increased significantly in recent years, which may be partly related to a higher prevalence of diabetes, an associated risk factor, according to a study in the December 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Dec 2012

Adversity in childhood can shape long-term health outcomes

Noting the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence," Neil Boothby, U.S. government special adviser and senior coordinator to the USAID administrator on children in adversity, writes in USAID's "IMPACTblog," "The science is clear -- childhood experiences shape adult outcomes, including long-term health, cognitive development, academic achievement, and one's ability to be gainfully and safely employed."

12 Dec 2012

Report analyzes risk factors and infection control strategies taken to prevent spread of NDM1-Kp

As the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections continue to rise around the world, a hospital in Canada detected the presence of New Delhi Metallo---lactamase-1-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (NDM1-Kp), a multidrug resistant bacteria that is resistant to carbapenems, one of the last lines of antibiotics.

12 Dec 2012

Bipolar and borderline personality disorder associated with unemployment

Unemployment poses a significant burden on the public no matter what the cause. But for those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, chronic unemployment is often coupled with significant health care costs. A Rhode Island Hospital study compared unemployment rates among those with various psychiatric disorders, and found that borderline personality disorder is associated with as much unemployment as bipolar disorder.

12 Dec 2012

AstraZeneca, Case Western Reserve initiate AZD5847 Phase 2a trial in TB

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced the first patient enrolled in a Phase 2a trial to assess the effectiveness of AZD5847, a new test drug for patients with tuberculosis (TB), including patients with HIV co-infection.

12 Dec 2012

Low prices for life-saving products may increase perception of risk among consumers

Consumers assume their risk of getting a serious illness is higher when medications are cheaper because they believe that prices for life-saving products are based on need and not profit, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

12 Dec 2012

Capsules: A day of stark state differences on health exchanges; Eye experts: States should make vision care an exchange benefit

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Colorado Public Radio's Eric Whitney and News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders, working in collaboration with KHN and NPR, offered updates regarding their respective state's action on health exchanges: "Friday is the deadline for states to decide if they want to build and operate their own exchanges or have the federal government do it.

12 Dec 2012

Roundup: NH hospital at center of hepatitis outbreak details fixes; Report finds racial gap in Colo. dental coverage; Health cuts part of Conn. budget plan

Though Exeter Hospital has fixed problems discovered after a hepatitis C outbreak last spring, federal officials say the hospital initially failed to conduct an adequate investigation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said last week it no longer plans to terminate the hospital's Medicare funding now that multiple issues raised by inspectors have been addressed.

11 Dec 2012

New coronavirus can infect cells from humans and bats alike

The SARS epidemic of 2002-2003 was short-lived, but a novel type of human coronavirus that is alarming public health authorities can infect cells from humans and bats alike, a fact that could make the animals a continuing source of infection, according to a study to be published in in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on December 11.

11 Dec 2012

Text4baby initiative effective service for pregnant women

Following last week's mHealth Summit, the largest event of its kind where leaders focus on how wireless technology can improve health outcomes, text4baby announced results from the first randomized evaluation of its service. The largest mobile health initiative in the U.S., text4baby was found to be an effective service for pregnant women.

11 Dec 2012

Research unveils key gaps in continuity of care for sickle cell patients

Research unveiling key gaps in continuity of care for sickle cell patients transitioning from pediatric to adult care will be presented this week during the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

11 Dec 2012

Link between internet use and reduced cancer fatalism

Many Americans have fatalistic views on cancer prevention-they believe that getting cancer is a matter of luck or fate. Recent research, published in the Journal of Communication, found that people who use the internet to inquire about their health are more likely to have a positive outlook on cancer prevention and diagnosis.

11 Dec 2012

Governments, donors should follow PMI model of testing drugs for quality

"[W]e are losing the global fight against bad medicines," and though "[s]ome progress is being made," the "problem is that ... crackdowns tend to focus on counterfeit drugs" while a "much bigger public health problem ... is substandard drugs that are the result of shoddy manufacturing and handling -- or perhaps worse, deliberate corner-cutting," Roger Bate, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, writes in an opinion piece in The Hill's "Congress Blog."

11 Dec 2012