Feature Channels: Public Health

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Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (UTMB) reported today in the journal Cell that they have isolated human monoclonal antibodies from Ebola survivors which can neutralize multiple species of the virus.

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In this month’s release, find new embargoed research about using Google Street View to study pedestrian injury risk; how distance to a supermarket affects kids’ fruit and vegetable intake and BMI; and government funding of U.S. health care costs.

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Nearly 60 percent of Americans, if they buy a new handgun, are willing to purchase a smart or childproof gun – a weapon that is only operable in the hands of an authorized user – new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests.

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During its centennial year, the Endocrine Society will celebrate endocrinology’s contributions to science and public health – while keeping an eye on today’s promising research which will lead to the discoveries of tomorrow.

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Our ability to fight off recurrent infections, such as a colds or flu, may lie in the ‘immunological memory’ found in a newly discovered class of gene regulatory elements, according to research from the University of Birmingham, supported by the BBSRC and Bloodwise.

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Researchers at Duke Health are fine-tuning a test that can determine whether a respiratory illness is caused by infection from a virus or bacteria so that antibiotics can be more precisely prescribed.

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According to a new study led by researchers at Tufts University, 92 percent of both large-chain and non-chain restaurants serve meals exceeding recommended calorie requirements for a single serving. The researchers suggest offering consumers smaller portions at lower prices.

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Winter precipitation can bring an increased risk for slips and falls on the ice and snow. Julia Henderson-Kalb, M.S., OTR/L an instructor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at Saint Louis University, recommends some simple steps to minimize fall risk.

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Researchers at the University of Hawai'i - Mānoa (UHM) developed an array of highly innovative experiments to allow scientists to safely test first-aid measures used for box jellyfish stings - from folk tales, like urine, to state-of-the-art technologies developed for the military.

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Estrogen dramatically reduced the amount of flu virus that replicated in infected cells from women but not from men, a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows.

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When a child comes home from preschool with a stomach bug that threatens to sideline the whole family for days, why do some members of the family get sick while others are unscathed? According to a Duke Health study published January 19 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, a person’s resistance to certain germs, specifically E. coli bacteria, could come down to their very DNA.

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Biophysicists have discovered why the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) are naturally somewhat resistant to antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. Their findings also suggest how drug developers can make fluoroquinolones more efficacious against mutations that make the lung disease drug resistant.

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Study recommends improving the accessibility of AEDs.

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Two Georgetown University professors say a section of the recently passed Congressional spending bill effectively undermines science and the health of women. Their JAMA Viewpoint, “A Public Health Framework for Screening Mammography: Evidence-Based Versus Politically Mandated Care,” will be published online Tuesday.

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Between 1999 and 2013, there were 5,511 deaths by legal intervention or law enforcement in the U.S., and in 2013, an estimated 11.3 million arrests resulted in approximately 480 deaths from law enforcement.

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Kidney stones are increasing, particularly among adolescents, females, and African-Americans in the U.S., a striking change from the historic pattern in which middle-aged white men were at highest risk for the painful condition. Evidence is limited on how to best treat children with kidney stones.

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Sedentary behavior is associated with poor cardiovascular health and diabetes in adults with severe obesity, independent of how much exercise they perform, a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health-led study showed for the first time.

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While scientists have known for years that African trypanosomes cause sleeping sickness, they’ve been left scratching their heads as to how these tiny single-celled organisms communicate. A University of Georgia study, published Jan. 14 in the journal Cell, helps solve this mystery.

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Electronic cigarettes are widely promoted and used to help smokers quit traditional cigarettes, but a new analysis from UC San Francisco found that adult smokers who use e-cigarettes are actually 28 percent less likely to stop smoking cigarettes.

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Do students think best when on their feet? A new study by the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health indicates they do. Findings published recently in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health provide the first evidence of neurocognitive benefits of stand-height desks in classrooms, where students are given the choice to stand or sit based on their preferences.

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Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found a link between pre-existing nutritional deficits and immune dysfunction and the risk of hepatitis E infection during pregnancy.

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Public health experts think the key to success to turn our New Year’s resolutions into reality is to bring the “fresh start” mindset of the beginning of the year to the beginning of every week. Research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that Monday is akin to a “mini-New Year.” Reinforcing this “fresh start” Monday mindset with weekly cues and reminders can be a powerful tool in helping people sustain healthy behaviors over time.

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Adolescents are more likely to say they will try electronic cigarettes if they perceive TV ads for these products as effective, according to a new study by RTI International researchers.

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Public-health experts have long expected that kids who eat more carrots and apples are less likely to eat a lot of candy and fries, but new research is calling that into question.

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Evaluations of Bristol-Myers-Squibb-funded diabetes education and intervention efforts in five underserved communities showed improved clinical outcomes for participants.

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The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern, which is high in fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods, significantly lowers blood pressure as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). In a study to be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’s (AJCN) February issue, researchers at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) found that a higher fat DASH diet lowered blood pressure to the same extent as the DASH diet, but also reduced triglycerides and did not significantly raise LDL cholesterol.

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Children younger than 5 who live in economically disadvantaged areas had a greater risk of medication poisoning that resulted in referral to a health care facility, according to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and the University of California, San Diego. These areas were rural and experienced high unemployment, along with lower rates of high school graduation and lower household income.

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When snow, ice and frigid winds blast into town, watch out. If your body is not in condition, the common winter chore of snow shoveling can present the potential for spasms, strains, sprains and other health problems, warns the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

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Physicians voice their opinion that gun violence is also a public health issue, and provide reasons to look at gun violence through a public health perspective.

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New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Michigan finds that bile acids which are altered by bacteria normally living in the large intestine inhibit the growth of Clostridium difficile, or C. diff.

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New research shows how Mexico's staggering murder rate led to a decrease in men's average life expectancy, and slowed the increase in women's life expectancy, in the first decade of the 21st century.

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Ecologists at the University of Georgia have developed a model showing that public health surveillance data can be used to signal when a disease is approaching eradication. Their research, just published in Theoretical Ecology, lays the groundwork for a potential new tool in the fight against infectious diseases.

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Thirty-five Loyola University Medical Center physicians have been named to Chicago magazine’s 2016 Top Doctors list.

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Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the Crucell Vaccine Institute have now designed a protein fragment called mini-HA that stimulates the production of antibodies against a variety of influenza viruses. A key part of the work took place at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), a DOE Office of Science User Facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where the scientists used a technique called X-ray crystallography to look at the atomic structure of the mini-HA at each stage of its development.

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Physicians give less compassionate nonverbal cues when treating seriously ill black patients compared with their white counterparts, a small University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine trial revealed. It is the first to look at such interactions in a time-pressured, end-of-life situation.

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Adding to growing evidence on the possible health risks of electronic cigarettes, a lab team at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System tested two products and found they damaged cells in ways that could lead to cancer. The damage occurred even with nicotine-free versions of the products.

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Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center have identified and mapped areas of high probability of plague bacteria in the western United States.

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The body can control inflammatory response triggered by invasions of microbial pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, a discovery that could lead to the development of new therapeutic agents for uncontrolled inflammation, according to researchers at Georgia State University.

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Australian scientists have for the first time revealed how malaria parasites cause an inflammatory reaction that sabotages our body's ability to protect itself against the disease.

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The American Thoracic Society applauds President Barack Obama and the Administration for the release of the National Action Plan to Combat Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (TB) today (link). ATS TB experts played an active role in helping the administration reach its decision, emphasizing the need for increased funding for domestic and global TB control and research programs.

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In this month’s release, find new embargoed research about the effect of group prenatal care on the health of moms and babies; how adverse childhood experiences are related to poor adult health among LGB individuals; and reducing prescription opioid overdose deaths by targeting Florida “pill mills.”