Public Health News and Research

RSS

A more rational and scientific approach to AIDS is needed, says expert

The Secretariat of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has lost valuable ground by ignoring for years the contribution of long-term concurrent relationships to Africa's AIDS epidemic, claims an expert ahead of World AIDS Day on bmj.com.

25 Nov 2008

Mammograms may pick up breast cancers which would have disappeared

According to researchers in Norway mammograms may detect some cancers that would have otherwise regressed.

25 Nov 2008

Study looks at exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from transportation of poultry

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found evidence of a novel pathway for potential human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from intensively raised poultry-driving behind the trucks transporting broiler chickens from farm to slaughterhouse.

24 Nov 2008

Obama's team presented with policy recommendations designed to combat obesity epidemic

President-elect Barack Obama's Health and Human Services Transition Team was presented with a series of nearly 50 legal and policy recommendations designed to combat the nation's obesity epidemic.

24 Nov 2008

HHS releases first-ever inventory of quality measures

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the first-ever inventory of quality measures that are used for reporting, payment, or quality improvement by its agencies and operating divisions.

24 Nov 2008

Mammograms may detect some cancers that would have otherwise regressed

Breast cancer rates increased significantly in four Norwegian counties after women there began undergoing mammography every two years, according to a report in the November 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine , one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

24 Nov 2008

Hospital admissions for lung cancer stable

Hospital admissions for lung cancer remained relatively stable - at roughly 150,000 a year between 1995 and 2006 - despite a steady decline in the number of Americans diagnosed with the disease, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

24 Nov 2008

Children with constipation a significant health issue

According to new research conducted at Nationwide Children's Hospital, the burden of illness in children suffering from constipation, and the costs associated with this condition, are roughly of the same magnitude as those for asthma and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

24 Nov 2008

Hazardous drinking pervasive amongst college students

According to new research from New Zealand hazardous drinking is pervasive amongst undergraduate students, it begins in high school and is a public-health concern.

24 Nov 2008

Hairspray linked to common genital birth defect in baby boys

British scientists from Imperial College London say women who are exposed to hairspray in the workplace during pregnancy have more than double the risk of having a son with the genital birth defect hypospadias.

24 Nov 2008

Scientists identify blood component that turns anthrax bacteria virulent

Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute have discovered the key chemical that signals Bacillus anthracis , the bacterium that causes anthrax, to become lethal.

21 Nov 2008

Long-term use of a macrolide antibiotic reduce COPD exacerbations, raise questions

Long-term use of a macrolide antibiotic may reduce the frequency of exacerbations in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by as much as 35 percent, according to a London-based study.

21 Nov 2008

Significant link between hairspray and genital birth defect hypospadias

Women who are exposed to hairspray in the workplace during pregnancy have more than double the risk of having a son with the genital birth defect hypospadias, according to a new study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

21 Nov 2008

NJISA experts available for interviews on Alzheimer's disease

An estimated five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, a disease that affects parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language and is the most common form of dementia among older people.

21 Nov 2008

Researchers study effect of ADHD on smoking cessation

Tobacco use is more prevalent and smoking cessation less likely among persons with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

21 Nov 2008

Experts call for FDA to address dramatic rise in skin cancer rates in the U.S.

Today keynote speaker Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY-18) joined with experts from New York Presbyterian Hospital; the Skin Cancer Foundation; 2006 Miss Maryland, a skin cancer survivor; Fallene LTD, and Ciba Corporation to call on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to address the dramatic rise in skin cancer rates in the United States.

20 Nov 2008

Study examines hazardous drinking among undergraduate students in New Zealand

Hazardous drinking among college students is a public-health concern, often exceeding that found among other young adults who are not attending college.

20 Nov 2008

Exposure to Dioxin linked to increased heart problems

Dioxins, environmental pollutants resulting from the production and combustion of chlorinated compounds, have been linked to an increase in ischemic heart disease (IHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates, as reported in a review article in the November 2008 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).

20 Nov 2008

EPA seeks public comment on proposal to add hazardous pharmaceutical waste to universal waste rule

To help provide a streamlined system for disposing of hazardous pharmaceutical waste that is protective of public health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to add hazardous pharmaceutical waste to the Universal Waste Rule.

20 Nov 2008

Extensive use of illicit alcohol worldwide according to new report

The consumption of illicit or noncommercial alcohol is widespread in many countries worldwide and contributes significantly to the global burden of disease, according to a new report released today by the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP).

19 Nov 2008