Feature Channels: Public Health

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A new study by researchers from UC Irvine and Stanford University found subjects in one of the first real-time, fully automated, Twitter-based smoking intervention programs – Tweet2Quit -- were twice as successful at kicking the habit as those using traditional methods. The new findings were recently published online in Tobacco Control, an international peer reviewed journal. The print version of the research is forthcoming.

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For people with prediabetes who are overweight or obese, adding 3.0 mg of liraglutide for three years to a diet and exercise plan may lead to major health improvements, new industry-sponsored research suggests. The results will be presented Monday, April 4, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.

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As skin tans, it darkens to protect itself against harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, but the increasing pigment blocks vitamin D synthesis, limiting the skin’s ability to produce more vitamin D, a new study from Brazil finds. The results will be presented in a poster Saturday, April 2, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.

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A study in military veterans finds that explosive blast-related concussions frequently result in hormone changes leading to problems such as sleep disturbances, fatigue, depression and poor quality of life. The research, to be presented Saturday at the Endocrine Society’s 98th annual meeting in Boston, evaluated hormone levels in 41 male veterans who had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

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More walkable neighborhoods, parks and public transit could all reduce your chance of becoming one of the 600 million adults who battle obesity worldwide, according to researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The study, recently published online in The Lancet, found a neighborhood’s design plays a critical role in physical activity and could help reduce non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

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The ACR supports the US Food and Drug Administration’s new draft guidance on biosimilars labeling and encourages additional measures that will help rheumatologists ensure the safety and efficacy of biosimilars for patients.

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Safety-net clinics are likely to continue to play a critical role in meeting the needs of insured minority and low-income populations despite expanded insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a study by UT Southwestern researchers suggests.

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How well a hospital performs financially is not associated with better clinical outcomes, based on results of a new study from UT Southwestern Medical Center that examined hospital mortality and readmission rates.

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Most people know that heroin is a dangerous drug, but its cousins, the legal, pharmaceutical opioids, such as codeine or hydrocodone, must be safe, right?

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Researchers at the University of Georgia and Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today the development of a vaccine that protects against multiple strains of both seasonal and pandemic H1N1 influenza in mouse models. They published their findings in the Journal of Virology.

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A new report based on in-person interviews and surveys conducted by The New York Academy of Medicine provides insights into what immigrants—nearly 30 percent of the city’s population—in New York City see as barriers to improved wellbeing, as well as potential solutions to poor health status. In a discussion of what it takes to successfully transition between cultures, city residents representing more than 10 ethnic groups, from four boroughs, talk about their mental and physical health and wellbeing in a new report, “Immigrant Communities: Bridging Cultures for Better Health.”

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) The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has been chosen by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) as one of six academic centers to host the second class of the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders.

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A University of California, Irvine scientific team led by infectious diseases researchers Philip Felgner and Aaron Esser-Kahn has received $8 million from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency to help develop a new vaccine for Q fever.

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Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer of Emory Healthcare's Ambulatory Patient Services in Atlanta, Georgia to advise on AMGA advocacy efforts.

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The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, part of Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University, will host its eleventh annual conference on April 6-8, 2016, in Indianapolis, Indiana to discuss how to better address the social and civil legal problems.

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Although tuberculosis (TB) is commonly thought of as being a disease that mainly affects nineteenth century poets and Victor Hugo characters, it is still the second-most common cause of mortality from an infectious disease in the world, killing nearly three people every minute.

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Some people infected with HIV naturally produce antibodies that effectively neutralize many strains of the rapidly mutating virus, and scientists are working to develop a vaccine capable of inducing such “broadly neutralizing” antibodies that can prevent HIV infection.

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Overweight and obese adults who are losing weight with a high-protein diet are more likely to sleep better, according to new research from Purdue University.

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A leading global public health commission is calling for new policies that would transform our approach to drug use, addiction and control worldwide, including the decriminalization of minor and non-violent drug offenses. According to a report released this morning by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Lancet, the war on drugs and zero-tolerance policies have undercut public health across the globe.

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Diets rich in vitamin C cut the risk of cataract progression in women by 33 percent over 10 years, according to a twins study in the journal Ophthalmology. Genetics accounted for 35 percent of the difference in cataract progression. Environmental factors, such as diet, accounted for 65 percent.

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A landmark study published this month in the leading medical journal, The Lancet, reports the discovery of a blood test that can predict whether someone is likely to develop tuberculosis (TB) disease, long before the disease manifests.

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New research looks into the paradox that women who sunbathe are likely to live longer than those who avoid the sun, even though sunbathers are at an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

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Scientists have documented for the first time how competition among different malaria parasite strains in human hosts could influence the spread of drug resistance.

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The the University of Maryland School of Medicine Program in Health Disparities and Population Health now has a new home in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.

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The trauma surgical intensive care unit at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia has received the ICU Design Citation award, presented by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, Society of Critical Care Medicine and American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Health

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The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, commends the United States House of Representatives for passing the Older Americans Act Reauthorization of 2016 (S.192).

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In an effort to minimize obstacles to adherence and prevent vaginal HIV transmission, UNC researchers and collaborators from Merck demonstrated the effectiveness of a new long-acting formulation of the HIV drug raltegravir in animal models.

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United States' out-of-hospital births increased to nearly 60,000 in 2014, continuing a decade-long increase. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics indicates that out-of-hospital births increased from 0.87% of US births in 2004 to 1.50% in 2014, an increase of 72%. Out-of-hospital birth rates increased for all race/ethnic groups, but most rapidly for non-Hispanic white women.

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Gay, lesbian and bisexual Canadians experience more mood and anxiety disorders than other Canadians, and they are more likely to turn to heavy drinking.

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In a study appearing March 17 in Cell Reports, researchers at UMass Medical School, University of Trento and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital describe an association between necrotizing enterocolitis and a subset of E. coli bacteria, called uropathogenic E. coli, that colonize the infant gut.

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A recent study by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reports that educating community health workers and other “citizen scientists” can improve knowledge of basic research concepts and ultimately boost the integrity of scientific research.

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Expanding the use of recycled water would reduce water and energy use, cut greenhouse gas emissions and benefit public health in California — which is in the midst of a severe drought — and around the world. A new study by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, published online March 17 in the American Journal of Public Health, found that recycled water has great potential for more efficient use in urban settings and to improve the overall resiliency of the water supply.

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An ongoing culture of secrecy, poor access to specialist mental health services and a lack of high quality independent investigations has contributed to hundreds of non-natural deaths in detention, according to a new report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

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State laws that require drivers who’ve been convicted of drunk driving to pass a breathalyzer-type test before starting their cars saved an estimated 915 lives between 2004 and 2013, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings represent a 15 percent reduction in drunk driving-related deaths compared to states without legislation requiring DUI offenders to use “mandatory ignition interlock.”

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Many Danes are prescribed NSAIDs for the treatment of painful conditions, fever and inflammation. But the treatment also comes with side effects, including the risk of ulcers and increased blood pressure. A major new study now gathers all research in the area. This shows that arthritis medicine is particularly dangerous for heart patients, and also that older types of arthritis medicine, which have not previously been in focus, also appear to be dangerous for the heart.

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A University of Saskatchewan team has discovered a way to prevent bacteria from developing resistance to antibiotics, potentially helping to blunt the edge of a looming threat to public health around the world.

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In December 2015, the FDA proposed new restrictions related to tanning bed use, including banning their use among individuals younger than 18. As the comment period on the proposal winds down, a Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey investigator who conducts research on tanning behaviors weighs in.

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The health benefits of a plant-based diet is well-known, but the question remains: Could vegans be at risk for deficiency of essential nutrients? A retrospective review by Mayo Clinic physicians recently published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association indicated that vegans should ensure adequate intake of a few nutrients.

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Key factors that can combine to produce a Zika virus outbreak are expected to be present in a number of U.S. cities during peak summer months, new research shows.

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Residents of Baltimore’s low-income neighborhoods who believe rats are a big problem where they live are significantly more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms such as sadness and anxiety, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

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When a bedridden patient needs to be lifted or turned or an unruly visitor needs to be escorted off the premises, the best man for the job at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica might actually be a woman. Maria Arceo and Jennifer Martinez, both employees of the medical center, are powerful examples of women succeeding in jobs traditionally assigned to men.

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Remember the basics of water safety as you head to the pool, lake and beach.

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The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, professional society serving molecular diagnostics professionals, is very concerned and disappointed to see the FDA taking enforcement action against the physicians at Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital for their laboratory developed procedure (LDP) for detecting Zika virus.

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A new study quantifies the public health costs of polluted air from existing coal-fired power plants in the Western Balkans at up to 8.5 EUR billion per year.

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The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses publishes the second edition of “AACN Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments,” supported by new evidence confirming the link between healthy work environments and optimal outcomes for patients, healthcare professionals and organizations.

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In a search for new antiviral drugs, University of Utah scientists found that a common heart failure medicine, spironolactone, has an unexpected ability to block Epstein Barr virus (EBV), a herpesvirus that causes mononucleosis. The drug blocks a key step in viral infection common to all herpesviruses, revealing that it could be developed into a new class of drug to treat herpesvirus infections including herpes, shingles, and mono. The research was published in PNAS.

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Young adults fall more frequently than expected, and most falls occur during everyday activities such walking and talking, according to new research from Purdue University.

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The need to non-invasively see and track cells in living persons is indisputable. Emerging treatments using stem cells and immune cells are poised to most benefit from cell tracking, which would visualize their behavior in the body after delivery. Clinicians require such data to speed these cell treatments to patients. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe a new highly sensitive chemical probe that tags cells for detection by MRI.

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The fish-farming industry is increasing its use of plant-based ingredients in its feed and moving away from traditional feed made from fish, which could impact some of the health benefits of eating certain types of seafood, suggests a new analysis from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.