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New IAF study identifies ten states as 'diabetes hot spots'

A new study conducted by the Institute for Alternative Futures identified California, Texas, Florida, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Michigan as "diabetes hot spots," where the burden of diabetes will be greatest in the next 15 years.

18 Mar 2011

Increase in nurses' workload linked to high mortality risk in patients

Nurses are the front-line caregivers to hospital patients, coordinating and providing direct care and delivering it safely and reliably. The goal for any hospital is to ensure that each of its patient-care units has an adequate number of nurses during every shift.

18 Mar 2011

British pie, mash and gravy meals too salty: Heart health experts

A new study by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) in the UK that looked at 526 pie, mash and gravy meals and products, found some meals to be extremely high in salt. A chicken and mushroom pie with chips or mash, gravy and peas from pub chain Wetherspoons contained an alarming 7.5g of salt, well over the daily maximum recommendation of 6g a day. All the pie and mash pub meals looked at contained more than 3g, half the daily maximum, the report said. The survey, conducted by YouGov, found that the mashed potato and gravy could significantly increase the salt content of a meal. According to CASH, while good progress has been made by supermarkets in cutting salt levels in pies, there are still too many products containing unnecessary quantities of salt.

17 Mar 2011

TF3 consortium receives ECCH contract to provide RNTI

The TF3 consortium has been chosen to provide a Remote Telemonitoring Service to Northern Ireland which will support over 8,000 patients during the course of the contract.

17 Mar 2011

Nationwide observance raises awareness about HIV/AIDS spread in women

National Women and Girls AIDS Awareness Day, a nationwide observance that raises awareness and promotes action in the fight against HIV/AIDS, took place on March 10.

17 Mar 2011

WHO says it is ready to assist Japan with nuclear challenge as situation develops

The WHO on Tuesday said it is ready to assist Japan with its emerging "nuclear emergency after some reactors were damaged by last week's deadly earthquake" and tsunami, Agence France-Presse reports.

17 Mar 2011

Computer-based tools can help improve relationship between patients, healthcare workers

A vast computer based glossary of healthcare terms culled from so-called e-health tools, medical news sites, telemedicine applications, home care-management systems, internet-based public health records, and even health-oriented and medical blogs could help improve the relationship between patients and healthcare workers, according to research published in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare.

17 Mar 2011

Radiations from Japanese nuclear plants do not pose immediate risk to the U.S.

Airborne radiation from a meltdown at Japanese nuclear plants poses no immediate risk to the continental United States, say University of Maryland public health and atmospheric scientists.

17 Mar 2011

ACEP, Poison Control Centers raise awareness about drug poisoning dangers

New visits for drug-related poisoning in the United States continue to rise; therefore, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Association of Poison Control Centers are raising awareness about the dangers of drug poisoning as part of Poison Prevention Week.

17 Mar 2011

African-American women who live in more dense urban areas gain less weight

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine's Slone Epidemiology Center have found that African-American women who live in more densely populated urban areas gain less weight than those in more sprawling auto-oriented areas.

17 Mar 2011

Expert discusses certain measures that can help prevent HAI spread

Healthcare-associated infections represent a growing concern for both patients and healthcare providers across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 1.7 million HAIs occur each year and contribute to the death of 99,000.

17 Mar 2011

New policy research evaluates proposed reduction consequences in federal health center

A new policy research brief released today by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services evaluates the consequences of the proposed reductions in federal health center funding for access and cost savings.

17 Mar 2011

Experts advise against taking unnecessary potassium iodide

There is a mad rush to the stores to pick up potassium iodide supplements to guard against radiation exposure wafting over to the U.S. from Japan, an unlikely event according to experts. This is despite health officials’ warnings that these supplements are pointless and could cause adverse side effects.

16 Mar 2011

NIFA grants $3.7 million to Temple's CORE for childhood obesity research

Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education recently received a five year, $3.7 million grant from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to fund a project aimed at preventing obesity among low-income pre-schoolers.

16 Mar 2011

Two articles address long-term public health threats about airport security scanners

The Transportation Security Administration has begun to use whole-body imaging scanners as a primary screening measure on travelers passing through airport security checkpoints. One type of scanner employs millimeter wave technology, which delivers no ionizing radiation.

16 Mar 2011

New study examines mortality rates among patients treated for AMI in hospitals

A new Yale University study looks at why there is such a big difference in the mortality rates among patients treated for heart attacks in hospitals across the country. The study appears in the March issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

16 Mar 2011

Mile Square earns excellence in heart care

Mile Square Health Center at 2045 W. Washington Blvd. was named an Illinois "Your Healthcare Plus" top performer for excellence in caring for patients with heart failure.

16 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Texas' painful budget cuts; Congress 'should' attack deficit, Medicare costs

The real problem is that liberals and conservatives alike have over the years gauged an elected official's support for the goals of a program by the money he or she has been willing to spend on it. Thus, liberals measure one's support for education, welfare and health programs by how much more one votes to fund them each year.

16 Mar 2011

Human growth, height, size: Reasons to be small

Almost everybody these days thinks that it is best to be tall, meaning much taller than the average traditional height of Asian populations, and even taller than the current average height of populations in high-income countries. It is also often believed – though people might be shy to admit this – that tall people are intrinsically superior to short people. The expressions 'look up to' and 'look down on' are significant.

15 Mar 2011

Type 2 diabetes drug less likely to cause weight gain, raise cholesterol levels

An inexpensive type 2 diabetes drug that has been around for more than 15 years works just as well and has fewer side effects than a half-dozen other, mostly newer and more expensive classes of medication used to control the chronic disease, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

15 Mar 2011