Feature Channels: Public Health

• share
• favorite_border

Trauma center care not only saves lives, it is a cost-effective way of treating major trauma, according to a new report. Although treatment at a trauma center is more expensive, the benefits of this approach in terms of lives saved and quality of life-years gained outweigh the costs. The study finds that the added cost of treatment at a trauma center versus nontrauma center is only $36,319 for every life-year gained or $790,931 per life saved.

• share
• favorite_border

Women and girls consider and engage in suicidal behavior more often than men and boys, but die of suicide at lower rate – a gender paradox enabled by U.S. cultural norms of gender and suicidal behavior, according to a psychologist who spoke at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

• share
• favorite_border

The first-ever study to document a baseline for Hmong women undergoing cervical cancer screening found a great disparity between this community and California women overall.

• share
• favorite_border

The wealth or poverty of kidney disease patients’ communities impacts the quality of care patients receive before starting dialysis, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that medical professionals need to improve care for patients who have not yet started dialysis.

• share
• favorite_border

Falls are the most common injury for both urban and rural elderly in China, responsible for more than two-thirds of all injuries in people 65 and older, according to a study by researchers from China and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Injury Research and Policy. The study is the first to uncover the leading causes of non-fatal injuries among older adults in China.

• share
• favorite_border

A community-based maternal health delivery strategy known as the MOM Project (mobile obstetric medics) dramatically increased access to maternal health care services for internally displaced woman in eastern Burma, according to a new study.The researchers believe the MOM Project could be a model for maternal health care delivery in settings where resources are extremely limited.

• share
• favorite_border

It takes a village to keep a pregnant woman at her healthiest, a new University of Michigan study shows.

• share
• favorite_border

Pilots and dentists have more in common than one might think: Both jobs are highly technical and require teamwork. Both are subject to human error where small, individual mistakes may lead to catastrophe if not addressed early.

• share
• favorite_border

Children and youth who experience hunger appear more likely to have health problems, and repeated episodes of hunger may be particularly toxic, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

• share
• favorite_border

New study suggests that disparities in cardiovascular disease risk in the United States are due less to race or ethnicity than to socioeconomic status.

• share
• favorite_border

Some of the short-term health effects of the April accident are known – watery and irritated eyes, skin itching and redness, coughing and shortness or breath or wheezing – there also are many unknown health effects, says a UAB School of Public Health researcher. Nalini Sathiakumar, M.D., Dr.P.H., an associate professor of epidemiology and a pediatric nephrologist, is part of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ad-hoc team formed in July. The team is working to anticipate, outline and minimize the disaster’s potential health risks.

• share
• favorite_border

Results from a new study suggest that oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may yield additional benefit of protecting against the formation and rupture of brain aneurysms in women. The findings from this first-of-its-kind study by a neurointerventional expert from Rush University Medical Center were presented at the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery (SNIS) 7th annual meeting.

• share
• favorite_border

Often causing no symptoms in carriers of the disease, worldwide tuberculosis (TB) infects eight to ten million people every year, kills two million, and it is highly contagious as it is spread through coughing and sneezing. “It’s a global health disaster waiting to happen, even here in Canada, but this new paradigm in TB research may offer an immediate opportunity to improve vaccination and treatment initiatives,” explains Dr. Maziar Divangahi of McGill University

• share
• favorite_border

The best way to prevent the spread of disease in rural areas may be by targeting select popular hangouts, according to a new study by the Kansas State University EpiCenter research team.

• share
• favorite_border

Millions of Americans in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at an increased risk of having atrial fibrillation (AF) – a major risk factor for stroke – according to new research by investigators at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

• share
• favorite_border

The National Cancer Institute has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University $4.1 million to test the microbicide Carraguard® against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer. The research will evaluate the efficacy of Carraguard®, – a clear gel made from the seaweed derivative carrageenan – in preventing new HPV infections in women.

• share
• favorite_border

New research at the University of Haifa has made a breakthrough in identifying chemical substances released by mosquitoes' natural predators that function as warning signals for egg laying mosquitoes.

• share
• favorite_border

A new vaccine-delivery patch based on hundreds of microscopic needles that dissolve into the skin could allow persons without medical training to painlessly administer vaccines – while providing improved immunization against diseases such as influenza.

• share
• favorite_border

1) Television food marketing aimed at children largely promotes unhealthy foods; 2) School-based health centers can make a positive impact on the health of middle and high school students; 3) Participation in social welfare programs by mothers in need is greatly influenced by maternal health literacy rate.

• share
• favorite_border

In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) have found that exposure to cigarette smoke can alter gene expression -- the process by which a gene's information is converted into the structures and functions of a cell. These alterations in response to smoking appear to have a wide-ranging negative influence on the immune system, and a strong involvement in processes related to cancer, cell death and metabolism.

• share
• favorite_border

With current public health threats ranging from swine flu to bioterrorism to environmental contamination, innovations that better predict disease outbreaks have vast potential to protect the public. Researchers describe their vision for the future of disease surveillance, detailing innovations on the horizon that may facilitate earlier detection and improved public health preparedness.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study has found that heterosexual African American couples in which only one partner is HIV-positive practiced safer sexual behaviors after participating in a culturally specific intervention program designed to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

• share
• favorite_border

In patients with pre-existing heart or lung disease, being exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollutants is associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV)—a risk factor for sudden cardiac death, reports a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

• share
• favorite_border

A new review of existing research finds that one common drug treatment is better than another is at helping patients who are desperate to get things moving.

• share
• favorite_border

A new review finds that programs to help people quit smoking before surgery can reduce the risk of complications afterward.

• share
• favorite_border

Severe trauma to the head and spine resulting from all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents are increasing dramatically, with an estimated cost of $3.24 billion, according to research released today from the University of Utah Department of Neurosurgery.

• share
• favorite_border

The analysis of insurance records of more than 1.4 million U.S. men over 40 found that those who used ED drugs were more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases than were non-users. Physicians who prescribe erectile dysfunction drugs for their male patients should be sure to discuss the importance of safer sex practices, even with older patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health urge wider use of oral rehydration solution (ORS), zinc supplementation and rotavirus vaccine to reduce the deaths from diarrheal disease worldwide. Diarrheal disease kills approximately 1.5 million children under age 5 each year. The researchers’ findings and recommendations are published in the July 3 edition of The Lancet.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of researchers from the University of California San Diego and Mexico has found that even a modest behavioral intervention program averaging just 35 minutes can measurably reduce the incidence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female sex workers in the U.S.-Mexico border region – and that the program succeeds at comparatively little expense.

• share
• favorite_border

With limited access to formal education, can media intervention make a positive and significant impact on what these children learn?

• share
• favorite_border

Even though urban cyclists face hazards such as exposure to car exhaust and the risk of traffic accidents, it’s still far healthier to park the car and get on a bike. The health of the individual cyclists may improve as they drive less and exercise more, and the resulting reduction in exhaust emissions will benefit the entire community, according to a study published online June 30 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).

• share
• favorite_border

The passage of smoking bans in two large Minnesota cities was not associated with job losses at bars and may in fact have contributed to higher employment in restaurants, according to new research.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that children living near the Kiteezi landfill in Kampala, Uganda, have blood lead levels nearly 20 times as high as the typical lead level found in U.S. children.

• share
• favorite_border

As the scientific evidence mounts, more federal agencies and state governments are taking action to educate and protect Americans against the serious risks of indoor tanning. Recent and pending legislation in numerous states restricting access to indoor tanning, along with the federal 10 percent indoor tanning tax that goes into effect on July 1, are important steps in keeping Americans safe from overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the potential for future skin cancers.

• share
• favorite_border

If you suspect your parent or upstairs neighbor would get more out of life if they’d turn off their TVs, you might be on to something, according to new research. .

• share
• favorite_border

A new study finds that sedentary white women are more apt to become obese than are sedentary African-American women.

• share
• favorite_border

Exposure to high levels of fungus may increase the risk of severe asthma attacks among people with certain chitinase gene variants, according to a study from Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

• share
• favorite_border

Women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common hormone imbalance in women of reproductive age, may be more vulnerable to exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), found in many plastic household items, according to a new study.

• share
• favorite_border

The University of Oregon's Climate Leadership Initiative, in partnership with the Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials and public health organizations around the state, have issued two new guidebooks aimed at helping health-related agencies and organizations cope with climate change.

• share
• favorite_border

This year marks the 10th Lightning Safety Awareness Campaign, June 20-26. Spearheaded by the National Weather Service, the campaign has reduced death and injury from lightning strikes in the U.S., with average annual deaths dropping from 72 to 40 in the last decade.

• share
• favorite_border

Routine use of HPV vaccine in males provides direct benefits to men and their sexual partners, will increase overall immunization rates among both males and females, and may be cost-effective; SAHM strongly recommends routine use of HPV vaccination in males as well as in females. We urge clinicians and insurance organizations to consider the benefit of routine vaccination for all age-appropriate patients, regardless of gender, in an effort to support the primary prevention of disease among adolescents and adults.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examines the content and messages presented by websites that appear to support or encourage eating disorders. These websites use images, text and interactive applications to further knowledge, attitudes and behaviors to achieve dangerously low body weights. The study is the largest and most rigorous analysis of pro-eating disorder websites.

• share
• favorite_border

(1) Raising the price of soft drinks may reduce consumption and improve health; 2) Male perpetration of intimate partner violence is connected to risk for abortion and coercion of women about pregnancy decisions; 3) Screening for military-related sexual trauma identifies patients at increased risk for post-deployment mental health conditions.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have determined people who were vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may also be protected against the lethal 1918 Spanish influenza virus, which killed more than 50 million people worldwide.

• share
• favorite_border

Men are much less likely than women to see their doctors -- some are simply afraid of what their doctor might find. But with Father's Day coming up, now is a good time for dads to take stock of their health.

• share
• favorite_border

Study provides trend data about increases and decreases in behavioral health problems experienced among the states.

• share
• favorite_border

New research shows significant differences in Massachusetts between the health of heterosexual adults and gay, lesbian and bisexual adults.

• share
• favorite_border

Talking or texting behind the wheel is roughly equivalent to driving drunk.

• share
• favorite_border

Many women experience problems in the bedroom at one time or another. Female sexual dysfunction is not uncommon and although some women and healthcare providers have difficulty discussing it, it has been recognized by the medical community for decades.

• share
• favorite_border

African Americans with incomes below the poverty line have a significantly higher risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) than higher-income African-Americans or whites of any socioeconomic status, research led by scientists at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging shows.