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Researchers discover new tick-borne bacterium that causes ehrlichiosis in Wis., Minn.

A new tick-borne bacterium infecting humans with ehrlichiosis has been discovered in Wisconsin and Minnesota. It was identified as a new strain of bacteria through DNA testing conducted at Mayo Clinic.

4 Aug 2011

Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella worries experts

According to an international team of researchers a strain of Salmonella that is resistant to important antibiotics has spread from Africa to Europe in recent years and has been spotted in a few samples of imported spices in the United States.

4 Aug 2011

36 million pounds of ground turkey recalled due to Salmonella

Meat manufacturer Cargill Inc. is recalling nearly 36 million pounds of ground turkey linked to a California death and at least 78 other salmonella illnesses nationwide, company officials said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Class I recall, with the highest health risk, late Wednesday. All of the recalled products were produced at the company's Springdale, Ark., plant.

4 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Geithner, Bowles, Simpson, Ryan, Vladeck, Wilensky on health spending and the deficit

The agreement sets up a powerful mechanism for agreement on tax reforms to strengthen growth, and entitlement reforms to strengthen programs such as Medicare. A congressional committee with fast-track authority will have a Nov. 23 deadline to recommend a balanced package of long-term reforms to produce $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction.

4 Aug 2011

Study finds HIV epidemics emerging in the Middle East and North Africa among gays

HIV epidemics are emerging in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa among men who have sex with men, a term that encompasses gay, non-gay identified homosexual men, and transgendered and bisexual men.

3 Aug 2011

Gender-based violence may increase lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in women

Women who reported experiencing gender-based violence, such as rape, sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking, had an associated higher lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders, dysfunction and disability, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.

3 Aug 2011

Older women living in a poor neighborhood have lower cognitive function

Older women who live in a lower socioeconomic status neighborhood are more likely to exhibit lower cognitive functioning than women who live in more affluent neighborhoods, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

3 Aug 2011

UTHealth student receives UNCF/Merck fellowship for multidrug-resistant CDI research

Charles Darkoh, a graduate student at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), has been awarded a fellowship from the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Merck for his research into a major health problem - multidrug-resistant Clostridium difficile bacterial infection.

3 Aug 2011

Study finds spread of multidrug-resistant S. Kentucky

A new study has identified the recent emergence of a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella that has a high level resistance to ciprofloxacin, a common treatment for severe Salmonella infections.

3 Aug 2011

Editorials dissect debt deal, contraception, HSAs, long-term care

The long-term challenge for the federal budget is in benefit programs. Rising healthcare costs and the aging population are driving the budgets for Medicaid and Medicare through the roof, causing those programs to consume an ever-larger percentage of the budget.

3 Aug 2011

UC San Diego Health System named 'Most Wired' for sixth consecutive year

For the sixth consecutive year, UC San Diego Health System was named one of the nation's "Most Wired" by Hospitals and Health Networks, a publication of the American Hospital Association.

3 Aug 2011

Conference to focus on connection between fluid balance and hypertension

Each day we consume liquids in order to keep hydrated and maintain our body's fluid balance. But just as a water balloon can get overtaxed by too much liquid, the human body is negatively affected when it retains fluids because it is unable to eliminate them properly. One of the key variables influencing how much fluid we hold in our bodies is ordinary table salt.

3 Aug 2011

Study links indoor air cleaner use with improved asthma symptoms in children

A Johns Hopkins Children's Center study of Baltimore City children who have asthma and live with smokers shows that indoor air cleaners can greatly reduce household air pollution and lower the rates of daytime asthma symptoms to those achieved with certain anti-inflammatory asthma drugs.

3 Aug 2011

Study looks at HIV infections in Middle East and North Africa

New research shows that sex between men (MSM - Men who have Sex with Men) is responsible for more than a quarter of new HIV infections in parts of the Middle East and North Africa.

3 Aug 2011

Hospitals not doing enough to encourage breastfeeding among new mothers: CDC report

According to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospitals are not doing enough to encourage breastfeeding among new mothers.

3 Aug 2011

Gender based violence can lead to long term mental ailments in women: Study

According to new research, women who are victims of violence at the hands of men are highly likely to suffer mental disorders for the rest of their lives.

3 Aug 2011

New York Times examines maternal mortality in Uganda

"Half of the 340,000 deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes each year occur in Africa, almost all in anonymity," the New York Times writes in an article profiling several cases of women who have died during childbirth in Ugandan hospitals.

2 Aug 2011

Neighborhood SES and leisure-time physical activity after myocardial infarction

Engaging in physical activity after a heart attack is known to increase the odds of survival. In a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the Israel Study Group on First Acute Myocardial Infarction found that myocardial infarction survivors who lived in low socioeconomic status neighborhoods engaged in lower levels of leisure-time physical activity compared to survivors from wealthier neighborhoods.

2 Aug 2011

Cost/benefit analysis shows net savings for obesity and eating disorders

Teaching middle-school children about nutrition and exercise and encouraging them to watch less TV can save the health care system a substantial amount of money, suggests an economic analysis from Children's Hospital Boston and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 Aug 2011

More opinions: Berwick, Deparle, Rep. Pitts and others on health costs; public health transparency guidelines

Unfortunately, there are too many examples that show how our system can fail to meet patients' needs. These problems are not a reflection on the many doctors, nurses and other professionals who work tirelessly to deliver the highest quality care they can.

2 Aug 2011