Feature Channels: Public Health

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Patients using public health insurance were more likely to experience high pain levels in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) following surgery to remove their tonsils and/or adenoids, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2016 annual meeting. This single characteristic showed a disparity in patients’ PACU experience, independent of overall health, age, gender, race or neighborhood median income.

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Viruses hijack the molecular machinery in human cells to survive and replicate, often damaging those host cells in the process. Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine discovered that, for cytomegalovirus (CMV), this process relies on a human protein called CPEB1. The study provides a potential new target for the development of CMV therapies.

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Concerns over the Zika virus have focused on pregnant women due to mounting evidence that it causes brain abnormalities in developing fetuses. However, new research in mice from scientists at The Rockefeller University and La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology suggests that certain adult brain cells may be vulnerable to infection as well.

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To infect its victims, influenza A heads for the lungs, where it latches onto sialic acid on the surface of cells. So researchers created the perfect decoy: A carefully constructed spherical nanoparticle coated in sialic acid lures the influenza A virus to its doom. When misted into the lungs, the nanoparticle traps influenza A, holding it until the virus self-destructs.

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Researchers in France have identified a molecular motor that controls the release of inflammatory factors that cause severe and fatal allergic reactions. The study, “Kinesin-1 controls mast cell degranulation and anaphylaxis through PI3K-dependent recruitment to the granular Slp3/Rab27b complex,” which will be published online October 24 ahead of issue in The Journal of Cell Biology, suggests that targeting this motor may be a new way to treat patients undergoing anaphylactic shock.

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Policies allowing civilians to bring guns on college campuses are unlikely to reduce mass shootings on campus and are likely to lead to more shootings, homicides and suicides on campus, especially among students, a new report concludes.

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One of the challenges to understanding the concerns behind vaccine hesitancy is that very seldom are people with worries about vaccines and vaccine advocates brought together in the same space, especially online. Both groups gravitate towards internet “echo chambers,” only communicating with other likeminded individuals. In January 2016, however, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg posted a photo of himself holding his baby daughter with the caption “Doctor’s visit – time for vaccines!” With his undeniable reach and the ability of anyone to comment, the post represented a unique opportunity to analyze the language used to express pro- vaccination and anti-vaccination viewpoints and understand how people on both sides of the debate perceive the risks of vaccination.

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With a rapidly growing immigrant population, Philadelphia ranks seventh among major U.S. cities with the highest prevalence — up to 16,500 — of women and girls impacted by female genital cutting (FGC).

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URI professor has found that how society treats overweight people makes health matters worse.

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Earlier this month, amfAR released a new report, “Curbing the HIV Epidemic by Supporting Effective Engagement in HIV Care: Recommendations for Health Plans and Health Care Purchasers,” which highlights the critical role of health plans and health care purchasers, including Medicaid and Medicare programs, marketplaces, and employers, in moving the nation toward ending the domestic HIV epidemic.

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A new study from the University of Iowa College of Public Health has found that traffic accidents involving farm vehicles in the Midwest would decrease by more than 50 percent if state policies required more lighting and reflection on those vehicles.

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Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that Zika virus infection leads to modifications of both viral and human genetic material. These modifications — chemical tags known as methyl groups — influence viral replication and the human immune response.

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Researchers from New York University show why fast-food menu calorie counts do not help consumers make healthy choices in a new study published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

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A new study shows that the type of yeast in bread is less similar to the type that causes fungal infections than previously thought.

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A newly published study from researchers working in collaboration with the Regenerative Bioscience Center at the University of Georgia demonstrates fetal death and brain damage in early chick embryos similar to microcephaly—a rare birth defect linked to the Zika virus.

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Rural Appalachia has gone from having the lowest cancer death rate in the country to the highest – and that’s just part of a growing cancer crisis in the region, new research from the School of Medicine suggests. Rural Appalachia has seen disturbing trends across the continuum of cancer care, from screening to diagnosis to treatment, survival and mortality, even as the rest of the country makes major strides in the battle against the disease.

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HOUSTON–(Oct. 19, 2016)–Researchers at Houston Methodist kept mice from getting the flu by removing a gene that regulates their immune system. According to a study recently published in Nature Immunology (online Oct. 3), mice missing the gene Trim29 eliminated human influenza virus within 48 hours, protecting them from infection.

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New research from the University of Montana demonstrates a unique relationship between fluid volume and fluid temperature during arduous work in the heat. The study, published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, indicated that an ice slurry/water mixture was as effective as ambient water even when consumed in half the quantity. Investigators also emphasized the importance of rest.

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DETROIT – Many diabetes patients require continuous or on-demand insulin therapy to manage their disease. Insulin pump therapy offers them more predictable, rapid-acting insulin, providing a more active and normal lifestyle. Over time, foreign body reaction (FBR) occurs to nearly all devices implanted in the body, resulting in fibrotic tissue depositing around the implant surface, a decrease in blood supply around the implant, and a decrease in the molecular transport to the implant. This results in the need to replace the implant. A team of Wayne State University researchers are developing a novel material formulation to be applied to the surfaces of most implantable devices that will aid in resisting FBR and improve the long-term use of devices.

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AMP has announced a new report that examines how sophisticated technology advancements are being implemented to improve diagnosis and optimize treatment selection for multiple invasive, opportunistic and often deadly infectious diseases.

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Although national and local policies have reduced the prevalence of lead poisoning in the United States, severe cases still occur. Whereas, exposures at blood lead levels (BLLs) as low as 5 µg/dL have been associated with long-term irreversible cognitive deficits, more severe exposures at BLLs ≥45 µg/dL can result in organ damage and death. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers identified sources of exposure and assessed outcomes for children with severe lead poisoning.

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For patients with chronic back pain, "open" treatment with placebo—informing patients that they are taking an inactive pill, and why it might be helpful—leads to reductions in pain and disability, reports a study in PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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Hundreds of researchers on the leading edge of exercise science will meet at the Integrative Biology of Exercise meeting in Phoenix (Nov. 2–4). Symposia topics will cover brain cell stress responses, metabolic diseases, mitochondrial signaling, sedentary behavior, exercise and pregnancy, cardiovascular disease, aging, stem cells and more.

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Superbugs are causing a super problem in health care, but combating these drug-resistant bacteria presents quite a challenge. Many antibiotic prescriptions administered in the U.S. are either unnecessary or inappropriate and can lead to antibiotic-resistant infections or other adverse events. In an effort to improve antibiotic use, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality a $16 million contract, which will be spread over a period of five years — two initial years, plus three optional years. The Armstrong Institute will collaborate with the Chicago-based research institute NORC to identify which approaches are most helpful and to operationalize efforts to optimize antibiotic prescribing.

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Annual health care costs and lost earnings in the United States from low-level but daily exposure to hazardous chemicals commonly found in plastic bottles, metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, toys, cosmetics, and pesticides, exceeds $340 billion, according to a detailed economic analysis by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

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The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission met recently to review the group’s significant progress in developing the infrastructure for a new, voluntary pathway for physicians seeking expedited licensure in multiple states.

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Walking briskly or cycling for the recommended 150 minutes a week can reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 26%, according to new research by UCL and the University of Cambridge.

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Colder temps during the first months of fall are a stark reminder that people should start thinking about how to prevent the influenza virus, or the flu.

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MedStar Washington Hospital Center launched its “Colon Cancer Prevention in the Neighborhood” program, part of the White House’s Cancer Moonshot. The program focuses on African-Americans in Washington, D.C.’s Ward 5 neighborhood, to increase early detection and prevention of colon cancer.

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The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) has been awarded a five year, $6.23 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Administration on Community Living (ACL), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) for the Southeast Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center.

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— The Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, software company Dimagi, and Guatemalan NGO TulaSalud announced today that their partnership to locate and assess vulnerable areas in Guatemala to determine their level of risk for a Zika epidemic is being funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

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More than 5,000 gastroenterologists and other health care professionals from around the world will convene at The Venetian in Las Vegas for the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 81st Annual Scientific Meeting to review the latest scientific advances in gastrointestinal research, treatment of digestive diseases and clinical practice management.

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A pilot study by researchers at Mayo Clinic has found that patients suffering from pain related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may benefit from taking pregabalin, a neuro-pain inhibitor commonly used to treat fibromyalgia. The results of the study were presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Las Vegas.

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A new study suggests that the ‘neighbourhood effect’ of slums could help to alleviate some of their associated health problems. A team of academics led by Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick have conducted a review of international slum research, which is being published in The Lancet.

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As section chief for gastroenterology and hepatology at NYU Lutheran Medical Center, Dr. George Abdelsayed will connect with the many cultural enclaves throughout Brooklyn to develop a hepatitis C screening program to help promote early detection of the disease.

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A study conducted by Canadian and Australian researchers shows that nearly everywhere in Canada, the provinces and territories impose obstacles to reimbursement of new direct-acting antivirals (DAA) to treat hepatitis C by because of their cost.

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Mount Sinai researchers are using optimal coherence tomography (OCT) angiography to look at the earliest stages of glaucoma and identify characteristic patterns of different forms of glaucoma based on their vascular patterns. The research can help lead to earlier diagnosis and slow down progression of vision loss.

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Edema frequently occurs in chronic inflammatory diseases including psoriasis and eczema. Capillaries in the lymphatic system usually drain the excess fluid but their dysfunction can lead to another serious condition: lymphedema. A new study published in The American Journal of Pathology found that deficiency in neuropilin 2 (Nrp2) receptors in vascular endothelial cells results in excessive and prolonged fluid build-up after inflammation. This discovery may guide investigators toward new pharmacological therapies for edema and lymphedema.

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Undergoing a computer tomographic angiography was a better motivator to get people with suspected coronary artery disease to adopt healthier lifestyle practices than an exercise electrocardiography and stress test.

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Mount Sinai Health System urges the general public, especially students, to learn lifesaving CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator to reduce sudden cardiac death rates.

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Low socio-economic status and fear of abandonment early in life can lead to poor health in adulthood, regardless of adult socio-economic status, according to a new study from psychologists at Rice University.

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New research from the University of Missouri, has found that attitudes and desires about marriage can place young people on trajectories toward or away from healthy sexual behaviors. This is the first study to investigate links between marriage attitudes and sexual behavior across racial and ethnic minority groups as well as the role skin tone plays in shaping marriage attitudes.

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A collaborative study involving Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute is providing Zika virus insight.

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The PCOM Library has received a $15,000 from the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine to study health literacy among the patient population in PCOM's community healthcare centers.

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Understanding the full history the Zika virus along with new developments is key to getting a vaccine and medicine to prevent and relieve Zika infections. This includes knowing all the transmission methods--it's more than a mosquito bite.

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Moon Nahm’s groundbreaking research is on the threshold of aiding researchers in producing vaccines at prices that will propel their widespread use and help protect the estimated 1.6 million children, most of them under the age of 5, who die yearly from S. pneumoniae infections.

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America’s poor record on health literacy is a public health issue, but one that can be fixed – not by logging onto the internet but by increased interaction with your fellow human beings, a Michigan State University researcher argues.

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Bolstering antimicrobial stewardship programs to ensure appropriate use of antibiotics in smaller community hospitals is necessary to combat the global threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as superbugs, according to a new study.

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Robert A. Figlin, MD, will serve as Deputy Director of the Integrated Oncology Service Line at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. Previously, he was director of the Hematology Oncology Division at the institute.