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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

CCMAS endorses IDF/ISO Guidelines for melamine determination in milk products, infant formula

In response to the crisis caused by milk adulterated with melamine that affected thousands of children in 2008, the International Dairy Federation and the International Organization for Standardization developed a technical specification/reviewed method : ISO/TS 15495 | IDF/RM 230:2010, Milk, milk products and infant formulae - Guidelines for the quantitative determination of melamine and cyanuric acid by LC-MS/MS.

15 Mar 2011

U-M receives NIFA grant to reduce childhood obesity among preschoolers

The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded $4.9 million to the University of Michigan to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity among Head Start preschoolers in Michigan.

15 Mar 2011

Experts to discuss on Alzheimer's disease prevention and treatment at ADI conference

From drug therapies to the right type of diet, the world's leading dementia experts will focus on the most effective methods for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease and related dementias at the 26th Annual Conference of Alzheimer's Disease International.

15 Mar 2011

National clinical DPTT to help improve diabetes control

The Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine is leading a multicenter national clinical trial to evaluate whether treatment of chronic periodontitis will help improve diabetes control. Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the Diabetes and Periodontal Therapy Trial monitors blood sugar levels of those with Type 2 diabetes after periodontal therapy.

15 Mar 2011

WHO reports on risk from radiation exposure, Humanitarian Assistance arrives in Japan following earthquake

The WHO on Saturday said the public health risk of a radiation leak resulting from earthquake damage at a nuclear reactor site in Japan "appeared to be 'quite low' but the WHO network of medical experts was ready to assist if requested," Reuters reports.

15 Mar 2011

Innovative strategies to reduce infections in health-care settings

Can probiotics prevent pneumonia in patients breathing with the help of ventilators? That's just one question researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis hope to answer as part of innovative new studies to reduce infections in health-care settings.

15 Mar 2011

Study evaluates potential national savings from discount generic medication programs

If all eligible patients filled their prescriptions through a $4 generic drug program, the societal savings could amount to nearly $6 billion, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study.

15 Mar 2011

Majority of Americans fall short of vitamin D

Well-known for its role in keeping bones strong, vitamin D is now being hailed for so much more – from normal muscle function to a healthy immune system. Yet despite the growing research on the power of vitamin D, seven out of 10 Americans still fall short of the recommended vitamin D in their diets each day, according to the recent Dietary Guidelines Committee Advisory report.

14 Mar 2011

External panel issues draft report saying WHO response to H1N1 lacked cohesion, clarity

An independent panel of experts commissioned by the WHO to probe its response to the H1N1 pandemic on Thursday released a draft report stating that while the organization performed well in many ways, it made "crucial mistakes" and "warned tens of millions could die if there is a severe flu outbreak in the future," the Associated Press reports.

14 Mar 2011

New insights into factors affecting adolescent marijuana use

What factors are associated with a higher or lower risk of marijuana use among adolescents? There are some important differences for boys versus girls, according to a study in the March Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

14 Mar 2011

Bad relationship with partner is the strongest predictor of maternal emotional distress

Pregnancy is meant to be a joyous time however some women experience overwhelming 'baby blues' before the birth of their child. Anxiety and depression during pregnancy can result in premature birth, or low birth weight, and impact the child's health even into early school years.

14 Mar 2011

Swine flu pandemic declaration by WHO being investigated by experts

Experts who have been investigating the World Health Organization’s management of the response to the H1N1 pandemic have announced that they found no evidence that the drug industry influenced the agency’s decision making over how to handle the virus. In their draft report that panel of independent experts did acknowledge that the WHO failed to understand and respond to conflicts of interest among experts on its advisory Emergency Committee, which had previously acknowledged their pharmaceutical industry ties.

14 Mar 2011

Novel biomarkers may aid in diagnosis and management of asthma, COPD

Four novel biomarkers have been identified which may aid in the diagnosis and management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a study conducted by researchers in Australia, who determined the biomarkers may be used in different combinations to successfully identify patients with either of the airway diseases.

14 Mar 2011

Flu pandemics may return & mutating strains: Studies

Scientists have warned that we have not seen the end of H1N1 swine flu that swept the globe in 2009/10. The strain of the virus could easily morph into a more transmissible form, while an older, mid-20th century virus could also come roaring back they say. Asian influenza, a H2N2 strain, first appeared in 1957 and killed one to four million people despite a major vaccination campaign. Studies have shown that most people today aged 50 or older retain some immunity to the virus, which continues to circulate in birds and swine. But the younger are more vulnerable they warn.

12 Mar 2011

Longer looks: Best health policy picks from thought-provoking publications

Every Thursday, KHN's Jessica Marcy compiles this selection of interesting perspectives, from a variety of publications, on health care in America.

11 Mar 2011

Study: Dog-walking can help increase physical activity in adults

Man's best friend may provide more than just faithful companionship: A new study led by a Michigan State University researcher shows people who owned and walked their dogs were 34 percent more likely to meet federal benchmarks on physical activity.

11 Mar 2011

Researchers find four in five office-based physicians can qualify for new EHR Incentive Programs

Researchers at The George Washington University Department of Health Policy have found through analysis of federal survey data that more than four in five office-based physicians could qualify for new, federal Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

11 Mar 2011

Public Health News and Research

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

Human growth, height, size: Reasons to be small

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

CCMAS endorses IDF/ISO Guidelines for melamine determination in milk products, infant formula

U-M receives NIFA grant to reduce childhood obesity among preschoolers

Experts to discuss on Alzheimer's disease prevention and treatment at ADI conference

National clinical DPTT to help improve diabetes control

WHO reports on risk from radiation exposure, Humanitarian Assistance arrives in Japan following earthquake

Innovative strategies to reduce infections in health-care settings

Study evaluates potential national savings from discount generic medication programs

Majority of Americans fall short of vitamin D

External panel issues draft report saying WHO response to H1N1 lacked cohesion, clarity

New insights into factors affecting adolescent marijuana use

Bad relationship with partner is the strongest predictor of maternal emotional distress

Swine flu pandemic declaration by WHO being investigated by experts

Novel biomarkers may aid in diagnosis and management of asthma, COPD

Flu pandemics may return & mutating strains: Studies

Longer looks: Best health policy picks from thought-provoking publications

Study: Dog-walking can help increase physical activity in adults

Researchers find four in five office-based physicians can qualify for new EHR Incentive Programs

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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