Feature Channels: Public Health

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The narrowing gap between binge drinking among adult women and men has been driven partly by women’s rising use of alcohol for social reasons—to have fun. In addition, women are increasingly using alcohol to relax or relieve tension, a new study has found. Alcohol use in the USA has increased steadily over the past 20 years, and excessive drinking underlies 1 in 8 deaths of working-age adults. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a 25% increase in alcohol-related deaths from 2019 to 2020. Overall, figures like these mask differences by age, however. For over four decades, alcohol use and binge drinking have declined among adolescents and early adults. But by age 30, that effect has plateaued or reversed. Binge drinking has risen more among women than men, narrowing the gender gap for reasons that haven’t been explained by broad societal trends (such as education, family timing, and gender roles). For the study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, US researchers considered the

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Repeated vaccination and infection leads T cells and B cells to build an "immunity wall"

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As the warm weather and summer vacations draw more people outdoors, a UT Southwestern Medical Center cancer specialist is reminding everyone to stay vigilant of potential sun damage. Skin cancer is mainly caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. And while it is the most common of all cancers in the U.S., it is also one of the most avoidable forms of the disease.

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Consuming raw cow's milk that contains H5N1 avian influenza virus poses an infection risk, but a laboratory process that simulates high-temperature pasteurization reduces the virus in infected milk by more than 99.99%. That's according to a team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists, who reported their findings May 24 in a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Adults react differently to alcohol advertisements depending on how explicit or implicit the messaging is about the social pleasure of drinking and the possible health effects, a new study shows. Exposure to alcohol marketing is consistently linked to alcohol use. Research also suggests that alcohol advertising influences attitudes around alcohol, such as social norms or reasons for drinking. Policymakers’ options for lowering alcohol consumption and its harms include content controls on advertising. Restricting sales messages to facts about the product is known to reduce how persuasive it is among consumers. Mandating health warnings also increases consumers’ perceptions of risk and reduces the perceived benefits of drinking. No studies, however, have previously examined the effects of such content controls on consumers in the UK. In addition, most research has focused on young adults, yet adults in midlife and beyond may also be vulnerable to the effects of marketing. For the study i

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The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recognized the Class of 2024 during its convocation ceremony on Wednesday, May 22, at the Homewood Field on Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus.

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A program for clinic systems created by researchers at UTHealth Houston called the Adolescent Vaccination Program (AVP) has proven to be effective at increasing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates among adolescents according to a new study published in Vaccines.

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Doctors with the American Thoracic Society will discuss new research about the potential effect of estrogen on hypertension for women in menopause, and the link between hormone replacement and breast cancer risk. How can patients and doctors weigh the risks and benefits and decide whether or not estrogen is right for them?

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Presented by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson, along with community partner The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, The Black Men’s Health Event advances a core mission to improve healthcare access, health equity and health outcomes.

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The idea of simplifying healthcare technology is a shared vision among Tufts faculty, who have recently introduced paper-based tests for monitoring personal health and environmental safety that eliminate the need for expensive laboratory equipment, and can be conducted by anyone, anywhere

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A National Institutes of Health five-year, $2.8 million grant to Wits and Vanderbilt University will advance traditional health practitioner-initiated HIV testing.

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Center hosts inaugural conference joined by leaders from across public and private sectors

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The World Health Organization’s governing body is scheduled to meet on May 27 to discuss a critically needed plan for global pandemic preparedness.

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What’s the best way to communicate with a vaccine-hesitant person about a vaccine’s potential benefits? New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York found that a one-size-fits-all approach to communicating messages isn’t effective.

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The University of Illinois Chicago study will be the first to assess whether the natural product has anti-cancer effects that could benefit patients as they await surgical treatment.

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May is both Brain Tumor Awareness Month and National Cancer Research Month. Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is dedicated to advancing health through a better understanding of cancer and brain tumors and developing new ways to treat and prevent them.

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The projects share the overall goal of using technology in new ways to improve health, especially mental health and rehabilitation. Many of the projects use gamification techniques and apps to train healthy mental habits and support health care workers in providing optimal care.

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A lack of detailed record-keeping in clinics and emergency departments may be getting in the way of reducing the inappropriate use of antibiotics, a pair of new studies suggests. About 10% of children and 35% of adults who got an antibiotic prescription during an office visit had no specific reason for it in their record.

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A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that repeat vaccination with updated versions of the COVID-19 vaccine promotes the development of antibodies that neutralize a wide range of variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as related coronaviruses.

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Vaccines remain the gold standard of protection against dangerous pathogens, but take considerable time and vast resources to develop. Rapidly mutating viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 can blunt their effectiveness and even render them obsolete.

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A significant link between the use of electronic cigarettes and earlier age of asthma onset in U.S. adults was reported by UTHealth Houston researchers today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open.

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Mental health has become a part of wellness discussions in schools, workplaces and health care organizations. In higher education, there has been a greater focus on mental health as one component of wellness that supports students in learning and persisting through to graduation.

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Researchers from the Biological Threat Response Laboratory played a critical role in testing for the virus.

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Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) were due to converge on text for a global pandemic agreement during their ninth and final negotiating session in March; however, insufficient progress was made in those two weeks, in terms of finding consensus.

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A study among 57,006 adolescents shows daily electronic vapor use has significantly increased by more than three-and-one-half times from 2015 to 2019. In 2015, daily use was significantly higher in boys (2.8%) than girls (1.1%). By 2021, it was higher in girls (5.6%) than boys (4.5%).

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Lisa Harrison-Gulla's journey in public health is more than just a career choice – it’s a testament to her unwavering dedication for driving change in the face of adversity.

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Over 150 researchers from across the University of Utah gathered to form new connections and share groundbreaking research on topics from antibiotic resistance to autoimmune diseases.

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UC San Diego researchers found that, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, people experiencing homelessness and people who inject drugs in San Diego and Tijuana often did not have access to drinking water, toilets, handwashing and showers.

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Shruti Mehta, PhD, MPH, has been named The Dr. Charles Armstrong Chair in Epidemiology and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, effective June 1.

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The US is experiencing dual overlapping public health crises of drug poisoning (herein, drugs) and firearm deaths. Since 1999, more than 1 million residents of the US have died by fatal drug poisonings and more than 750 000 by firearms.

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Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have found evidence of the molecular causes of the damaging impact heat stress causes on the gut, liver and brain in the elderly. These findings point to the potential of developing precise prognostic and therapeutic interventions.

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A new international research project showed that intervention with mobile vaccination teams in Sierra Leone is an effective way of reaching rural populations to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates.

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Research from a West Virginia University scholar of rural Appalachia shows how even the most marginalized communities can assert power and create change when they come together to form coalitions.

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WellSpot is the first voluntary designation program of its kind in Louisiana, encouraging organizations and individuals to make small, healthy lifestyle changes in spaces where residents spend most of their time.

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Pitch of experts and patients regarding mental health awareness month

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Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutch Cancer Center research findings, patient stories and other news.

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Reporters are invited to join leading nutrition researchers and professionals at NUTRITION 2024, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.

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A first-of-its-kind study sheds light on public opinion about would-be mass shooters, particularly regarding their mental health status. Willingness to “see something” and “say something,” especially when loved ones or associates are involved, hinges on whether the informant believes the criminal justice system will handle the situation effectively and fairly.