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Cost-effectiveness of potentially life-saving implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) is an important public health issue

The use of implanted defibrillators that keep the heart beating in proper electrical rhythm to prevent cardiac arrest appears to be cost-effective for those patients who receive a significant mortality reduction, according to researchers from Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), Stanford University and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Calif. They analyzed eight clinical trials of the devices to arrive at their conclusion.

5 Oct 2005

Study shows hospitals can streamline procedures to reduce the time they take to treat heart attack patients

The NIH-sponsored study, published in the September Journal of the American College of Cardiology, reports methods for delivery of rapid care based on the experiences of top programs. Studies have found that while every minute counts, few hospitals are able to perform at levels recommended by national guidelines.

4 Oct 2005

Americans' risk of dying from cancer continues to decline

The nation's leading cancer organizations report that Americans' risk of dying from cancer continues to decline and that the rate of new cancers is holding steady. The "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2002," published in the Oct. 5, 2005, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, shows observed cancer death rates from all cancers combined dropped 1.1 percent per year from 1993 to 2002.

4 Oct 2005

Community-level intervention program successfully delayed sexual debut and increased the use of condoms

A community-level intervention program aimed at young adolescents delays early intercourse, increases condom use and reduces the type of risky sexual behavior that can result in sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, a Yale researcher reports in AIDS.

4 Oct 2005

Common cancer susceptibility gene appears to be frequently acquired in metastatic lesions from colorectal cancer

A relatively common cancer susceptibility gene appears to be frequently acquired in metastatic lesions from colorectal cancer, and give cancer cells a growth advantage, according to a study in the October 5 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

4 Oct 2005

Use of the antibiotic amoxicillin during infancy appears to be linked to tooth enamel defects in permanent teeth

Dental fluorosis, a result of exposure to excessive fluoride during enamel formation, is one of the most common developmental enamel defects, according to background information in the article.

4 Oct 2005

Behavior-based means of cutting the risks of tobacco

Three researchers who study behavior-based means of cutting the risks of tobacco use have made a case for counseling patients about the health risks of exposure to secondhand smoke when they're asked about direct tobacco use.

3 Oct 2005

Sharper picture than previously available of major depressive disorder

Findings from the largest survey ever mounted on the co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders among U.S. adults afford a sharper picture than previously available of major depressive disorder (MDD) in specific population subgroups and of MDD's relationship to alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and other mental health conditions.

3 Oct 2005

Risk of acquiring HIV rises during pregnancy

The risk of acquiring HIV rises during pregnancy, according to a study of women in Uganda's Rakai District led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The increased risk for acquiring HIV remained even after researchers controlled for behavior and other factors that contribute to HIV risk.

3 Oct 2005

Children enrolled in fitness-oriented gym classes showed greater loss of body fat

Overweight children who took part in lifestyle-focused, fitness-oriented gym classes showed significant improvement in body composition, fitness, and insulin levels, according to a study in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

3 Oct 2005

Clinical trials of daily oral antiretroviral dosing as pre-exposure prophylaxis

Writing in the journal Science, an international team of researchers, clinicians and others explains that a promising, relatively new approach is for people not infected but at high risk to take drugs that might prevent them from contracting HIV. But debate over the particulars of the strategy has slowed progress.

3 Oct 2005

Artemisinin combination therapies have potential to be one of the major public health interventions for Africa in this decade

Despite changes in policy in many African countries, most cases of malaria are still treated with old drugs that often fail, say researchers the British Medical Journal.

3 Oct 2005

Grant for private, secure, electronic medical records search system

A Boston consortium has been awarded one of two national grants to form a CDC Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics.

28 Sep 2005

Prevalence of "risky" sex in Scotland has doubled in the space of six years

...while unfounded confidence in the HIV negative status of casual partners has also increased, reveals research in Sexually Transmitted Infections.

28 Sep 2005

Bleak outlook for overweight Australians

International research into the relationship between obesity and heart failure has uncovered a bleak outlook for already overweight Australians. The research shows that obesity is set to be one of the biggest risks for heart disease over the next decade.

28 Sep 2005

Combination HRT appears to double the breast cancer risk in women who smoke

Older women who have smoked for 11 or more "pack years" - the lifetime equivalent of a pack a day for at least 11 years - face a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer as compared to women who've never smoked, according to new findings from researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

28 Sep 2005

Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in children

The Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Clinical Research Network has launched its second clinical trial to study NASH, a liver disease that resembles alcoholic liver disease but occurs in patients who drink little or no alcohol. The first trial, launched in January of this year, focuses on adults, while the second trial studies the disease in children.

27 Sep 2005

Heavy smokers can reduce their risk of lung cancer if they decrease smoking by 50 percent

Despite efforts to prevent people from beginning smoking and to encourage smoking cessation, the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking is still high and many smokers are unable or unwilling to completely quit.

27 Sep 2005

New centre to advance child health research

The Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Institute of Child Health (ICH) at UCL (University College London) have announced a partnership to establish a centre for research to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting children's health, and to promote their health and well-being.

27 Sep 2005

Benefits of statin therapy identified

The greater the reduction in LDL (lower-density lipoprotein) cholesterol achieved by statin therapy the greater the reduction in incidence of major coronary events, coronary revascularisation and stroke, concludes a meta-analysis published online today by The Lancet.

27 Sep 2005

Public Health News and Research

Cost-effectiveness of potentially life-saving implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) is an important public health issue

Study shows hospitals can streamline procedures to reduce the time they take to treat heart attack patients

Americans' risk of dying from cancer continues to decline

Community-level intervention program successfully delayed sexual debut and increased the use of condoms

Common cancer susceptibility gene appears to be frequently acquired in metastatic lesions from colorectal cancer

Use of the antibiotic amoxicillin during infancy appears to be linked to tooth enamel defects in permanent teeth

Behavior-based means of cutting the risks of tobacco

Sharper picture than previously available of major depressive disorder

Risk of acquiring HIV rises during pregnancy

Children enrolled in fitness-oriented gym classes showed greater loss of body fat

Clinical trials of daily oral antiretroviral dosing as pre-exposure prophylaxis

Artemisinin combination therapies have potential to be one of the major public health interventions for Africa in this decade

Grant for private, secure, electronic medical records search system

Prevalence of "risky" sex in Scotland has doubled in the space of six years

Bleak outlook for overweight Australians

Combination HRT appears to double the breast cancer risk in women who smoke

Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in children

Heavy smokers can reduce their risk of lung cancer if they decrease smoking by 50 percent

New centre to advance child health research

Benefits of statin therapy identified

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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