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Britons least likely to adopt protective behaviours against flu

A new international survey published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases has revealed that during the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009, people in Britain lagged far behind other countries in adopting protective behaviours, such as increasing their practice of covering their mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing.

5 Oct 2012

Overweight children more likely to take prescription medications

Overweight children are far more likely to take prescription medications than children of a normal weight-a trend that adds to already higher health-care costs for treating childhood obesity, according to new research from the University of Alberta.

5 Oct 2012

Equatorial Guinea's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare concludes training of 62 nurses

Equatorial Guinea's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has concluded the training of 62 nurses as part of the government's efforts to improve the public health care system in Equatorial Guinea.

5 Oct 2012

UAbt Associates to increase use of priority health services

The U.S. Agency for International Development today named Abt Associates to lead a five-year, $209 million project to increase the use of priority health services, especially by women, girls, poor and rural populations, in developing countries throughout the world.

5 Oct 2012

Study shows impact of obstetric unit closures on outcomes of mothers and babies

After a series of Philadelphia hospitals started closing their maternity units in 1997, infant mortality rates increased by nearly 50 percent over the next three years. The mortality rates subsequently leveled off to the same rate as before the closures, but pediatric researchers say their results underscore the need for careful oversight and planning by public health agencies in communities experiencing serious reductions in obstetric services.

5 Oct 2012

Chronic kidney disease independently increases mortality risk

Findings from two meta-analyses published in The Lancet show that patients with chronic kidney disease are at high risk for death and end-stage renal disease even if they do not have comorbid hypertension or diabetes.

4 Oct 2012

BPA exposure can impact thyroid hormones in pregnant women and newborns

Bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-like compound that has drawn increased scrutiny in recent years, has been linked to changes in thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women and newborn boys, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

4 Oct 2012

Leaders gather at Columbia University event to discuss local, global responses to AIDS

A UNAIDS feature story reports on an event, titled "A Future without HIV/AIDS: Dream or Reality?," held at Columbia University on September 28 and co-hosted by the World Leaders Forum and the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP).

4 Oct 2012

The Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully receives Aetna Foundation grant

The Aetna Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Aetna, has awarded a $40,000 grant to The Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.), an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that works with communities in the metropolitan area to fight childhood obesity.

4 Oct 2012

Gateway Foundation to raise awareness of synthetic drug use

In recognition of Red Ribbon Week, October 23-31, 2012, Gateway Foundation Alcohol & Drug Treatment is working to build awareness among communities regarding the dangerous health risks associated with synthetic drug use.

4 Oct 2012

Adolescent and young cancer cost barriers: an interview with Anne Kirchhoff

According to the National Cancer Institute, almost 70,000 people ages 15-39 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. Cancers in this adolescent and young adult (AYA) population differ quite a bit across this age span.

3 Oct 2012

Low vitamin D levels may increase death in African American and Caucasian older adults

Low levels of vitamin D and high levels of parathyroid hormone are associated with increased mortality in African American and Caucasian older adults, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM).

3 Oct 2012

ASTRO selects Boston-area resident as 2012 Survivor Circle Award winner

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected Boston-area resident and prostate cancer survivor Emanuel "Manny" Hamelburg as its 2012 Survivor Circle Award winner.

3 Oct 2012

Global Research Nurses to launch this week in Malawi

Today sees the launch of Global Research Nurses, a new interactive network which allows nurses around the world to become a leading voice in global health research.

3 Oct 2012

Human hepatitis threat present in domestic pigs

The prevalence of hepatitis E virus in domestic pigs is between 10% and 30%, with a likelihood that infected pigs enter the pork production chain thereby threatening public health, indicate Portuguese study results.

2 Oct 2012

October issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The October issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial on the stockpiling oral cholera vaccine, a public health news roundup, a research article on rotavirus mortality in India, and an article examining a "new entity for the negotiation of public procurement prices for patented medicines in Mexico," among others.

2 Oct 2012

Zinc deficiency mechanism associated with many health problems, aging

A new study has outlined for the first time a biological mechanism by which zinc deficiency can develop with age, leading to a decline of the immune system and increased inflammation associated with many health problems, including cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease and diabetes.

2 Oct 2012

Maternal deaths among marginalized women could be prevented with access to care, information

"While reports from the United Nations as well as the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) indicate that maternal deaths are declining around the world, far too many women continue to die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth," Ana Langer, director of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard School of Public Health, writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

2 Oct 2012

Artificially sweet success at curbing childhood weight gain

Substituting sugar-sweetened drinks with artificially sweetened alternatives could help reduce weight gain in schoolchildren, research suggests.

1 Oct 2012

Regional, seasonal variation in US antibiotic use highlights persisting issue

US study results reveal “substantial” quarterly and regional variation in outpatient antibiotic use among older adults, indicating the possible need for targeted programs to reduce unnecessary prescriptions.

1 Oct 2012