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Harvard, SLU to develop asthma alert messaging system

A $93,000 gift from Google together with a $25,000 award from Saint Louis University's President's Research Fund will allow faculty at SLU, Harvard and St. Louis College of Pharmacy to research smart phone and web-based applications and data infrastructure to create an asthma alert messaging system.

19 Oct 2012

Link between norovirus outbreaks and excess hospitalization and mortality in nursing homes

In a study that included more than 300 Medicare-certified nursing homes, rates of hospitalization and death were substantially increased during outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis vs. non-outbreak periods, according to a study appearing in the October 24/31 issue of JAMA.

19 Oct 2012

Weill Cornell Medical College researcher wins 2012 William B. Coley Award

Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University, is a winner of the 2012 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Immunology from the Cancer Research Institute for her outstanding achievements in immunology and cancer research.

19 Oct 2012

Study hopes to improve the outlook for native Americans with kidney disease

Americans have a 1 in 10 chance of suffering from kidney disease, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For Native Americans, the risk doubles.

19 Oct 2012

Jersey Shore University Medical Center recognized as Baby-Friendly hospital

Jersey Shore University Medical Center has received an international designation as a Baby-Friendly hospital. Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the U.S. authority for the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund.

18 Oct 2012

Quinic acid derivative shows promise for treating radiation exposure

A quinic acid derivative, known as KZ-41, increases 30-day survival threefold compared with placebo when given to rats 24 hours after exposure to high levels of radiation.

17 Oct 2012

HIV infection has been major driver of anal cancer burden

Rising rates of anal cancer among men in the USA have been heavily influenced by the HIV epidemic since the 1980s, a study shows.

17 Oct 2012

Vision care providers worry about effect of reporting driving concerns

Two-thirds of vision care providers routinely enquire about their older patients’ driving, while almost half believe that reporting patients negatively to government agencies affects the physician–patient relationship, show US study results.

17 Oct 2012

Gothenburg researchers aim to discover new methods for treatment of childhood obesity

By studying intestinal flora in newborn children, Professor Fredrik Bäckhed and his team of researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, aim to discover new methods to treat childhood obesity.

17 Oct 2012

States officials wrestle with Medicaid expansion decisions, state reforms

Many are exploring whether expanding Medicaid eligibility under the health law would lead to savings or increased costs.

17 Oct 2012

Fathers' parenting behavior influences sexual behavior of their adolescent children

A new study by New York University professor Vincent Guilamo-Ramos and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that fathers' parenting behavior influences the sexual behavior of their adolescent children.

17 Oct 2012

Brain’s biological mechanisms may contribute to diet-related disorders

Studies released today explore the neurological component of dietary disorders, uncovering evidence that the brain's biological mechanisms may contribute to significant public health challenges - obesity, diabetes, binge eating, and the allure of the high-calorie meal. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.

17 Oct 2012

Public-private partnership will promote handwashing to help reduce child mortality in Africa

Though the number of children dying of preventable and treatable diseases worldwide has dropped significantly since 1990, there is "realistic hope for much more" progress, particularly if "improved hygiene and sanitation ... play a key role in the next stage," Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, write in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

17 Oct 2012

New findings on sleep deprivation presented at Neuroscience 2012

New findings presented today report the important role sleep plays, and the brain mechanisms at work as sleep shapes memory, learning, and behavior. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.

17 Oct 2012

Novel drug increases survival in animal models exposed to high-dose radiation

A novel drug that mimics a naturally occurring molecule found in coffee and blueberries has been developed to treat radiation exposure. Charles R. Yates, Pharm.D., Ph.D., and colleagues Duane Miller, Ph.D., and Waleed Gaber, Ph.D., from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Baylor College of Medicine, show that application of this drug, starting 24 hours after radiation exposure, increases survival in animal models by three-fold compared to placebo.

17 Oct 2012

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announces winners of 2012 Community Health Leaders Award

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is proud to announce today the recipients of its 2012 Community Health Leaders Award, honoring 10 individuals who have surmounted significant challenges to help improve health and health care in their communities.

17 Oct 2012

Multi-system exposure related illness (MERI)

The Global Health Network has released a new paper titled “Common Toxins in our Homes, Schools and Workplaces.” According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesman, indoor air pollution causes 50% of illnesses globally. This statistic should catch the attention of every physician, every lawmaker and every layperson reading this paper. That’s more than all the cancers and all the heart disease combined. It is time we started to pay more attention to the indoor air we breathe. It is staggering to comprehend the enormous impact on our global society as literally millions of individuals and families are harmed by contaminants inside our homes, schools and workplaces.

16 Oct 2012

Antibiotic injections are associated with lower risk of infection in cataract surgery

Intracameral antibiotic injections were associated with a 22-fold reduction in the risk of postoperative infection following cataract surgery when compared with the standard post-operative treatment of antibiotic eyedrops, according to a Kaiser Permanente study.

16 Oct 2012

Kids encouraged to Stand Up for their health and be active

Children and adolescents are accumulating up to eight hours of sitting on a daily basis, research to be presented at Australia’s paramount sports medicine, sports science, sports injury prevention and physical activity promotion conference, be active2012 will show (October 31- November 3, Sydney).

16 Oct 2012

‘Gene for speed’ researcher awarded Ramaciotti Medal

Professor Kathryn North AM, the researcher responsible for discovering the ‘gene for speed’, has been awarded the prestigious Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research and a $50,000 grant.

16 Oct 2012