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Walk to work and cut the risk of a stroke

Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, and now a new study from Finland is the first to find that an increase in physical activity during leisure time or commuting lowers the risk of any kind of stroke.

8 Aug 2005

Tests of bird flu vaccine on humans show good results

Experts have been concerned that the bird flu strain, currently prevalent in Asia, could engender a worldwide pandemic, but apparently human tests of an experimental vaccine show it is effective at stimulating the immune system to fight the virus.

7 Aug 2005

National Programme for IT in the NHS (NPfIT) is at risk despite costing millions

The new National Programme for IT in the NHS (NPfIT) is at risk despite costing millions, because staff locally have been left feeling disengaged in the process, says a study in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ).

4 Aug 2005

High levels of physical activity can reduce your risk of stroke

High levels of physical activity, such as running, swimming or heavy gardening during leisure time can reduce your risk of stroke, according to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. In addition, walking or biking to and from work for up to 29 minutes a day may also reduce the risk of strokes caused by a blood clot (ischemic stroke).

4 Aug 2005

Table salt fluoridation can reduce the prevalence of dental caries

Table salt fluoridation can reduce the prevalence of dental caries up to 84 percent, according to a new book published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), "Promoting Oral Health: The Use of Salt Fluoridation to Prevent Dental Caries".

4 Aug 2005

Updated view of global nutrition

While nutritional status has improved worldwide over the past fifty years, new nutrition-related problems have also emerged. In an article recently published in The Journal of Nutrition, Eileen Kennedy DSc, RD, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, offers an updated view of global nutrition.

4 Aug 2005

Obese people are less likely to receive preventive services such as mammograms, Pap smears and flu shots

The Duke study showed that, for a sample of white middle-aged women, as body mass index (BMI) went up, the odds of receiving mammograms and Pap smears went down.

3 Aug 2005

Containment of a Southeast Asian outbreak of avian influenza in humans may be possible

Though quick to caution about the many things that could go wrong, researchers say that it may be possible to contain a Southeast Asian outbreak of avian influenza in humans, buying precious time for the production of a vaccine.

3 Aug 2005

Babies born during famine are at higher risk of schizophrenia

A new study has found that malnutrition can harm mental as well as physical health, and babies born during famine are at higher risk of schizophrenia.

3 Aug 2005

Monash University software helps tackle cancer and aircraft design

A powerful software tool designed by academics at Monash University is being used in the UK to help develop cancer treatments and improve aircraft engine design.

2 Aug 2005

Teen binge drinking out of control

Apparently teenagers in the UK have one of the highest rates of binge drinking in Europe.

2 Aug 2005

Pregnancy fears on drinking water byproducts may be overstated

Fears that chemical byproducts resulting from purifying drinking water with chlorine boost the chances that pregnant women will miscarry were not supported by the results of a major new study. If such threats exist at all, which is uncertain, they likely are modest, it concludes.

1 Aug 2005

More than one fourth of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) were victims of violent crime in the past year

...eleven times the rate in the general population, according to a study in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

1 Aug 2005

Nationwide survey reports a high rate of concern about body image in both boys and girls

A nationwide survey of more than 10,000 adolescents, published in the August issue of Pediatrics, reports a high rate of concern about body image in both boys and girls, and finds that adolescents with such concerns are much more likely to use hormones and dietary supplements to enhance their physique.

1 Aug 2005

Birth control pill increases risks of cervical and breast cancer

Scientists are now saying that women who take the birth control pill could be increasing their risk of cervical and breast cancer.

31 Jul 2005

FDA bans antibiotic use for poultry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the use of a poultry antibiotic made by Bayer.

31 Jul 2005

Combination antiretroviral drug therapy may reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission

Two new studies support the hypothesis that combination antiretroviral drug therapy may reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission through breastfeeding, findings that could have significant implications in the developing world.

29 Jul 2005

Students and school employees are being poisoned by pesticide use at schools and from drift off of neighboring farmlands

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that students and school employees are being poisoned by pesticide use at schools and from drift off of neighboring farmlands. The public health advocacy organization Beyond Pesticides has called on Congress to respond by passing the School Environment Protection Act (SEPA).

27 Jul 2005

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to the nation's public health

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to the nation's public health. Today, experts addressed key developments to the current and future outlook of infectious diseases, highlighting adolescent immunizations, outbreaks and epidemics of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and new developments in HIV medicine, at a press conference sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

27 Jul 2005

Controlling high blood pressure in individuals age 80 years and older has become a major national health problem

The study found that almost three fourths of those 80 years and older have hypertension -- blood pressure greater than 140 systolic over greater than 90 diastolic. Fewer than 10 percent have "normal" blood pressure levels -- less than 120 systolic over less than 80 diastolic.

26 Jul 2005

Public Health News and Research

Walk to work and cut the risk of a stroke

Tests of bird flu vaccine on humans show good results

National Programme for IT in the NHS (NPfIT) is at risk despite costing millions

High levels of physical activity can reduce your risk of stroke

Table salt fluoridation can reduce the prevalence of dental caries

Updated view of global nutrition

Obese people are less likely to receive preventive services such as mammograms, Pap smears and flu shots

Containment of a Southeast Asian outbreak of avian influenza in humans may be possible

Babies born during famine are at higher risk of schizophrenia

Monash University software helps tackle cancer and aircraft design

Teen binge drinking out of control

Pregnancy fears on drinking water byproducts may be overstated

More than one fourth of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) were victims of violent crime in the past year

Nationwide survey reports a high rate of concern about body image in both boys and girls

Birth control pill increases risks of cervical and breast cancer

FDA bans antibiotic use for poultry

Combination antiretroviral drug therapy may reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission

Students and school employees are being poisoned by pesticide use at schools and from drift off of neighboring farmlands

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to the nation's public health

Controlling high blood pressure in individuals age 80 years and older has become a major national health problem

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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