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Kaiser Permanente approves $2.1 million in grants and donations to promote healthy eating

With hunger in America reaching its highest level in 14 years, Kaiser Permanente has quadrupled the amount it invests in programs to promote healthy eating during difficult economic times.

23 Dec 2009

High prevalence of type 2 diabetes may be linked to excess niacin intake

Facing the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes worldwide in the past few decades, one may ask what is wrong with humans. Geneticists tell us that the human genome has not changed markedly in such a short time.

23 Dec 2009

Former CDC head to lead Merck's vaccine division

The pharmaceutical company Merck on Monday named former CDC head Julie Gerberding as president of the company's vaccine division, Reuters reports. "Gerberding, who led the CDC from 2002 to 2009 and stepped down when President Barack Obama took office, will head up the company's $5 billion global vaccine business that includes shots to prevent chickenpox, cervical cancer and pneumonia," the news service reports.

22 Dec 2009

Disability-related problems continue to rise among older adults

Disability rates among non-institutionalized older Americans increased between 2000 and 2005, a trend that could seriously impact the quality of life of seniors in the coming decades if it continues, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Toronto and the University of California, Berkeley.

22 Dec 2009

Obama praises Senate for clearing key health care hurdle

"President Barack Obama on Monday praised the Senate for clearing a key hurdle after midnight Sunday on the health care reform package, calling it a victory against 'special interests' that will reduce costs and the deficit," Roll Call reports.

22 Dec 2009

Alternative technique for lumbar fusion with autologous bone plugs

The method presented in this book is a minimally invasive operative technique that applies autologous bone plugs with unilateral oblique posterior intervertebral body fusion instead of foreign body fixation. It is a revolutionary technique for a lumbar fusion operation that uses material from the individual patient and therefore has no risk of rejection.

22 Dec 2009

Veolia Energy North America signs long-term agreement to operate MATEP assets in Boston

Veolia Energy North America, a leading provider of sustainable energy services, management solutions, and facility operations is pleased to announce that it has entered into a long-term agreement to operate and maintain the Medical Area Total Energy Plant (MATEP) assets in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston.

22 Dec 2009

Genome-wide study of African and African-American ancestry released by scientists

People who identify as African-American may be as little as 1 percent West African or as much as 99 percent, just one finding of a large-scale, genome-wide study of African and African-American ancestry released today.

22 Dec 2009

Rifampicin resistant tuberculosis

Scientists have identified a strain of antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis that thrives in the presence of rifampin, a front-line drug in the treatment of tuberculosis. The bacterium was identified in a patient in China and is described in a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Chongqing Pulmonary Hospital, Lanzhou University and Fudan University.

22 Dec 2009

Persistent disparities exist in melanoma diagnosis

White and Hispanic individuals are being diagnosed with melanoma more frequently in recent years, whereas Hispanic and black patients continue to have advanced skin cancer at diagnosis, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

22 Dec 2009

Aristolochic acid in Chinese herbal products associated with increased risk of urinary tract cancer

The carcinogen aristolochic acid, which was found in many prescribed Chinese herbal products including Guan Mu Tong, is associated with an increased risk of urinary tract cancer, according to a new study published online December 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

22 Dec 2009

One dose of vaccine may be effective to protect infants and children from H1N1 virus, shows study

One dose of vaccine may be effective to protect infants and children and reduce transmission of the H1N1 virus, according to a study in JAMA, published online today because of its public health implications. The study will appear in the January 6 print edition of the journal.

21 Dec 2009

Senate Democrats win overnight procedural vote; move one step closer to approving health bill by Christmas

The New York Times: "After a long day of acid, partisan debate, Senate Democrats held ranks early Monday in a dead-of-night procedural vote that proved they had locked in the decisive margin needed to pass a far-reaching overhaul of the nation's health care system."

21 Dec 2009

Positive interim results from Medicago's H5N1 vaccine Phase I human clinical trial

Medicago Inc. a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today reported positive interim results from a Phase I human clinical trial with its H5N1 Avian Influenza vaccine candidate ("H5N1 vaccine"). The vaccine was found to be safe, well tolerated and also induced a solid immune response.

21 Dec 2009

Report on autism spectrum disorder released by CDC to be discussed by autism expert

Drexel University's Dr. Craig Newschaffer, a renowned autism expert and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Drexel University School of Public Health, is available to comment on the recently released report by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM) that says one in every 70 boys in the United States is affected by autism, and that one in every 110 children has autism spectrum disease.

21 Dec 2009

One in 110 American children suffer from ASD, shows study

Autism and related development disorders are becoming more common, with a prevalence rate approaching 1 percent among American 8-year-olds, according to new data from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

19 Dec 2009

NSHAP study sheds new light on health and intimate relationships of older people

Researchers and the general public have a new resource for information on the health and intimate relationships of older people, thanks to a newsupplemental issue of The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences (Volume 64B, Supplement 1).

19 Dec 2009

Autism spectrum disorder dramatically increasing, early intervention crucial

In the wake of today's new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stating that autism now affects 1% or 1 in every 110 American children, Autism Speaks, North America's largest autism science and advocacy organization, called on the U.S. government to immediately step up its efforts - and dramatically increase funding - to address the growing global autism public health crisis.

19 Dec 2009

UCSF/SFGH project to improve health outcomes among diabetes patients honored

A UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital project that used a novel communication tool to improve health outcomes among diabetes patients was honored recently with a quality leadership award from the California Health Care Safety Net Institute.

18 Dec 2009

Autism Speaks calls on federal government to address the growing national autism public health crisis

In the wake of today's new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stating that autism now affects 1 in every 110 American children, Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, called on the federal government to immediately step up its efforts - and dramatically increase funding - to address the growing national autism public health crisis.

18 Dec 2009

Public Health News and Research

Kaiser Permanente approves $2.1 million in grants and donations to promote healthy eating

High prevalence of type 2 diabetes may be linked to excess niacin intake

Former CDC head to lead Merck's vaccine division

Disability-related problems continue to rise among older adults

Obama praises Senate for clearing key health care hurdle

Alternative technique for lumbar fusion with autologous bone plugs

Veolia Energy North America signs long-term agreement to operate MATEP assets in Boston

Genome-wide study of African and African-American ancestry released by scientists

Rifampicin resistant tuberculosis

Persistent disparities exist in melanoma diagnosis

Aristolochic acid in Chinese herbal products associated with increased risk of urinary tract cancer

One dose of vaccine may be effective to protect infants and children from H1N1 virus, shows study

Senate Democrats win overnight procedural vote; move one step closer to approving health bill by Christmas

Positive interim results from Medicago's H5N1 vaccine Phase I human clinical trial

Report on autism spectrum disorder released by CDC to be discussed by autism expert

One in 110 American children suffer from ASD, shows study

NSHAP study sheds new light on health and intimate relationships of older people

Autism spectrum disorder dramatically increasing, early intervention crucial

UCSF/SFGH project to improve health outcomes among diabetes patients honored

Autism Speaks calls on federal government to address the growing national autism public health crisis

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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