Review Supports Circumcision in HIV Prevention
Health Behavior News ServiceAn analysis of three recent studies finds that heterosexual African men reduced their risk of HIV infection by half after undergoing circumcision.
An analysis of three recent studies finds that heterosexual African men reduced their risk of HIV infection by half after undergoing circumcision.
The number of children with a certain blood disorder undergoing an ultrasound to help prevent stroke is up significantly in the past 10 years since the publication of a major study showing its benefits. However, limited access to labs that perform this type of screening appears to be a barrier to helping these children who are at a high risk of stroke.
Middle school youth are engaging in sexual intercourse as early as age 12, according to a study by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health. Christine Markham, Ph.D., assistant professor of behavioral science at the UT School of Public Health, and colleagues examined sexual risk behaviors among middle school students in a large southeastern U.S. urban public school district.
April is National Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a brain development disorder in which individuals exhibit repetitive behaviors or limited interests. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes a range of developmental disorders such as autism, Asperger syndrome and other pervasive developmental disorders.
"'Meetings on the Move' is an inexpensive, easy way to improve health and productivity," says Tim McBride, Ph.D., associate dean for public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Meetings on the Move (MOTM) get employees on their feet and out of the office environment. Researchers offer tips and benefits to holding a MOTM.
An experimental vaccine that triggers the patient's immune system to identify and attack specific tumor cells is showing new promise for the treatment of early lung cancer. Thoracic surgeons at Rush University Medical Center are researching the vaccine called MAGE-A3 Antigen-Specific Cancer Immunotherapeutic, which is designed to kill cancer cells without harming normal cells. Rush is one of only five hospitals in Illinois offering the vaccine.
According to a report released today, 52 percent of adults believe definitely or probably that alcopops encourage underage drinking. The report also finds that because these often fruity, fizzy, pop-like drinks can be easily confused with non-alcoholic beverages, 92 percent of adults strongly support the use of warning labels on alcopops.
The number of men and women hospitalized due to eating disorders that caused anemia, kidney failure, erratic heart rhythms or other problems rose 18 percent between 1999 and 2006.
When it comes to weight loss, what you drink may be more important than what you eat, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Researchers examined the relationship between beverage consumption among adults and weight change and found that weight loss was positively associated with a reduction in liquid calorie consumption and liquid calorie intake had a stronger impact on weight than solid calorie intake.
A new report on embryonic stem cell research from The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) reviews key issues likely to be debated in the coming months as Congress and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) determine how the research will move forward.
In what is believed to be the first comprehensive eye disease study among urban pre-schoolers, Johns Hopkins investigators report that while vision problems are rare, they are more common than once thought. Also, they say, a small group of children with easily treatable visions problems go untreated, while others get treatments they don't need.
African Americans account for nearly 49 percent of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases nationwide. About 500,000 African Americans are now living with HIV/AIDS. Yet there are very few African American HIV/AIDS researchers. A new study outlines a strategy to reverse this trend.
A review of previously published articles indicates there is little evidence supporting an effective treatment of bites from bed bugs, that these insects do not appear to transmit disease, and control and eradication of bed bugs is challenging, according to an article in the April 1 issue of JAMA.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received more than $22 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a new project that aims to improve the reproductive health of the urban poor in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends screening adolescents 12-18 years of age for clinical depression only when appropriate systems are in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.
Mothers of multiples have 43 percent increased odds of having moderate to severe depressive symptoms nine months after giving birth compared to mothers of single-born children, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Researchers examined the relationship between multiple births and maternal depressive symptoms and found that multiple births increased the odds of maternal depression, and that few mothers with depressive symptoms, regardless of the multiple births status, reported talking to a mental health specialist or a general medical provider.
The April 2009 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) reports on a study examining the association of chronic low-level exposure to lead and accelerated declines in cognition in women age 47"“74 years. Study findings suggest that cumulative exposure to lead at levels likely to be experienced in community settings may have adverse consequences for women's cognition in their later years.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health has announced funding for four new Gillings Innovation Laboratories, on topics as diverse as water and the environment, drug safety, statistical genomics and 21st century public health teaching.
This week's Healthcare 411 podcasts from AHRQ: Spending on Outpatient Prescription Painkillers; New Research Project to Reduce Central Line-Association Bloodstream Infections; How To Speak Up About Your Health Care.
A study to be published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene reports that desserts from restaurants in Mexico are likely to give patients travelers' diarrhea.
Tobacco use is becoming a growing public health problem in the Asian-American community, but people living in more cohesive neighborhoods are less likely to smoke.
Average blood levels of vitamin D appear to have decreased in the United States between 1994 and 2004, according to a report in the March 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
They are forty-something, overweight or obese, and suffer from arthritis, diabetes and/or hypertension. The overwhelming majority are either uninsured or covered by government programs such as Medicare or Medicaid. According to a new report from the University of Virginia Health System, these characteristics typify patients treated at the annual three-day Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise, VA.
Women experiencing physical abuse from intimate partners spent 42 percent more on health care per year than non-abused women, according to a long-term study of more than 3,000 women. And the costs don't end when the abuse does. The study revealed that women who suffered physical abuse five or more years earlier still spent 19 percent more per year on health care than the non-abused.
1) Adolescents from poor families are more likely to be victims of bullying; 2) Lay health workers help increase cancer screenings among low-income Hispanic women; 3) Few food patrons access the nutrition information at fast-food chains.
Today, The GW Medical Center's Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, in partnership with Georgetown University Medical Center's Dahlgren Memorial Library, through a grant from the National Library of Medicine, are launching a free, online guide to health care resources in the District of Columbia.
Every year, an estimated 1.5 million people are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for head injuries and nearly 12,000 are treated for neck fractures. Thousands of these injuries are tied to sports and recreational activities. Not so obvious, however, is that common and often seemingly harmless products found in backyards, gardens, garages, and home workshops also contribute to these injuries.
A new study that looks at the fruit and vegetable consumption of nearly 200,000 people in developing countries finds that the prevalence of inadequate diet is "remarkably high" across the globe.
Tutors over 55 who help young students on a regular basis experience positive physical and mental health outcomes, according to studies released by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The tutors studied were members of Experience Corps, an award-winning organization that trains thousands of people over 55 to tutor children in urban public schools across the country. Video Available.
University of Iowa researchers recently published findings that may put some parents at ease -- school buses are among the safest forms of road transportation in Iowa. The study examines bus crash rates using actual, not estimated, school bus mileage.
March is designated National Kidney Month to mark the growing impact of kidney disease on public health. In addition to being one of the top kidney transplant centers, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers are working on groundbreaking research in an effort to expand the knowledge base in the development, treatment and outcomes for patients with kidney disease and kidney failure.
A "catastrophe in the making," TB is a worldwide scourge, killing 1.7 million annually. America, with 13,000 cases each year, is not immune. TB, the leading killer of people with HIV, kills more people than any other infectious disease. TB disproportionately affects the elderly, low-income groups, health care workers and people who live in nursing homes, correctional facilities and homeless shelters.
Administration of a tissue-cultured smallpox vaccine showed signs of an effective vaccine response with no serious adverse events, according to a study in the March 11 issue of JAMA.
Health information technology programs implemented in New York state are active and functioning a full two years after being established, and could serve as models for new federal initiatives, according to a study by investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States with more than 140,000 cases diagnosed each year. It is also one of the most preventable cancers. Since March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, now is the perfect time to schedule that colonoscopy you've been putting off. To help calm your fears, Dale Burleson, M.D., colorectal surgeon on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Frisco, explains the details of the test"”it's not as scary as some people think.
In response, the story of the innovative approach taken by the Tulsa City-County Health Department in Oklahoma is the subject of Public Health Grand Rounds, an online broadcast series from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
A variety of women's health news briefs from The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. Topics include: sleep, atypical stroke symptoms in women, heart health, colorectal cancer and yeast infections.
Gerontologist John Krout has spent his professional life studying the elderly and aging. He is known for his work on quality of life for the elderly (including the impact of engagement and creativity), livable communities and aging, senior centers, retirement facilities, intergenerational partnerships, and rural elderly. Now as boomers come of age, he turns his attention to creativity and aging, and the changing perspectives of aging. Satellite uplink available on site.
Pregnancy has a great impact on the thyroid. During pregnancy, the thyroid gland produces 50 percent more thyroid hormone as compared to when a woman is not pregnant and may increase in size by 10-15 percent. Normal range for thyroid function tests differ during pregnancy as compared to when a woman is not pregnant.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) showcases its top researchers in the field of community public health.
In her recent study to examine why some adults do not undergo a screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) "” the third leading form of cancer in the U. S. "” Ithaca College faculty member Srijana Bajracharya found that "fear" (fear of finding a problem and fear of a painful test) was the greatest barrier to adults over 50 seeking the screenings. Satellite uplink available on campus.
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the only national professional society to represent all physician assistants, announced today its support for Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Residents shopping at the Brownsville Farmer's Market are taking a healthy step in fighting an epidemic of obesity and diabetes in the Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley by eating more fruits and vegetables since the market opened last November, according to researchers.
A breakthrough strategy to improve the effectiveness of the only tuberculosis vaccine approved for humans provided superior protection against the deadly disease in a pre-clinical test, report scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in Nature Medicine's Advance Online Publication March 1. Their findings resulted from more than 6 years of research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
CIHR Expert Alert - Experts discuss female-related health problems for International Women's Day (March 8th).
Two highly lethal viruses that have emerged in recent outbreaks are susceptible to chloroquine, an established drug used to prevent and treat malaria, according to a new basic science study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in the Journal of Virology. Due to the study's significance, a manuscript was published yesterday online, in advance of the print issue, and will be highlighted as an editor's "spotlight" in the first May issue.
A new study from Detroit finds that the food environment of a neighborhood influences how many fruits and vegetables are eaten daily. Independent grocery stores improve access to healthy foods in areas where supermarket chains choose not to venture.