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.
UIC clinical psychologist Dr. Chisina Kapungu has been awarded a $795,000 career development grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop and evaluate a faith-based, HIV-prevention program for African American mothers and their daughters.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced that all the states and the District of Columbia have continued to meet their goals of curtailing sales of tobacco to underage youth (those under 18). However, in federal fiscal year 2009, for the first time ever, the data show a slight increase in the average national rate of tobacco sales to underage youth of about one percent.
A survey of kidney dialysis patients by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine researchers finds that most have not taken the emergency preparedness measures that would enable them to survive a hurricane or any other disaster that disrupts power and water services.
A new study suggests that increasing cigarette taxes could be an effective way to reduce smoking among individuals with alcohol, drug or mental disorders. The study, published online in the American Journal of Public Health, found that a 10 percent increase in cigarette pricing resulted in an 18.2 percent decline in smoking among people in these groups.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $3.9 million grant to study how extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is transmitted in rural South Africa. The findings could alter public health approaches for controlling the XDR-TB epidemic in the developing world.
Only about one in three young women has received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer, according to a new report from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which lives in the human stomach and is associated with ulcers and gastric cancer, is shaped like a corkscrew, or helix. For years researchers have hypothesized that the bacterium’s twisty shape is what enables it to survive – and thrive – within the stomach’s acid-drenched environment, but until now they have had no proof.
In a tropical environment, influenza A(H1N1) appeared milder than seasonal flu, was less likely to cause fever and upset stomach and more likely to infect younger individuals, according to a report in the May 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The American Thyroid Association and the European Thyroid Association support World Thyroid Day, May 25, 2010, to enhance awareness and understanding of thyroid health.
Half the battle in knowing how to properly protect oneself from skin cancer is being able to separate fact from fiction. Unfortunately, some myths about tanning and sun protection are deep rooted and could mislead people into thinking that tanning is safe – when, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Now, a new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) sets the record straight on some of the most common myths and what people believe to be true about tanning and sun protection.
A suppressive immune response to live malaria parasites in the skin is the unavoidable result of a malaria-infected mosquito bite. People who have already had live parasites in the skin have a ready-made suppressive response to a vaccine antigen.
The ACG is making the latest ACG practice guidelines for the management of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis in adults available to physicians and patients via a new IBD online resource page, where the College also unveils a patient must-have, “ACG Expert Tips for Living Well with IBD.”
Direct Immunofluorescence Assay (DFA) testing for H1N1 influenza (“swine flu”) is unreliable in ICU patients, according to a new study from Stanford University. Multiple methods exist for diagnosing influenza, but data on the utility and accuracy of these tests for H1N1 are still emerging, given the relatively recent onset of the epidemic.
Google Flu Trends is not as accurate at estimating rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza as CDC national surveillance programs, according to a new study from the University of Washington.
HIV-infected patients who are falsely diagnosed as having tuberculosis (TB) have higher rates of mortality than those who are correctly diagnosed with the disease, according to a study conducted by researchers at University of California-San Francisco and Makerere University-Kampala.
People who live in urban areas where particulate air pollution is high tend to have higher blood pressure than those who live in less polluted areas, according to researchers from the University of Dusiburg-Essen in Germany.
An emerging technique designed to quickly distinguish between people with active and dormant tuberculosis may help health professionals diagnose the disease sooner, thereby potentially limiting early exposure to the disease, according to a study conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
While studying the environmental impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, recent Texas Tech University-led research has discovered high concentrations of lead in the poorest and oldest parts of New Orleans.
1) Mine Safety Training Regulation May Lead to Fewer Permanently Disabling Injuries; 2) Homeless Suffer from Substantial Unmet Health Care Needs; 3) Tobacco Cessation Services in Public Dental Clinics Found to be Successful; 4) Weak Clean Indoor Air Ordinances in Appalachian Region of the U.S. Lead to Greater Exposure to Second Hand Smoke.
Local ordinances in Appalachian states with weak statewide smoking regulations do not offer most residents adequate protection against second-hand smoke, according to a new study.
To eliminate health disparities in the state and extend the impact of health reform, the University of Maryland has recruited a nationally recognized research team to create action programs that improve primary care and expand public health outreach in medically underserved communities. “We’re focused on action, not talk,” says Stephen Thomas.
As men and women age into their 60s, 70s, AND 80s, their bodies gradually lose bone. This decrease in bone density puts both at risk for wrist, spine and hip fractures. While there are current bone density screening guidelines for women, guidelines do not exist for men. University of North Carolina School of Medicine bone researchers are working to change that.
A computerized bilingual decision aid – placed in safety-net clinics and health fairs – can prompt Hispanic and other smokers to set a quit date and choose effective treatments.
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) have developed a new measure that identifies “bridging individuals” in social networks. These individuals act as critical connectors, facilitating the flow of information or spread of diseases between social networks and communities.
Academic institutions and other organizations are banding together to meet Maryland's growing need for health professionals in medically under-served communities. The new alliance will focus on recruiting and training a diverse workforce, and includes the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
1) Despite public health warnings, drinking is still high among pregnant women; 2) AML risk increased 56 percent among children of those who drank alcohol.
Despite the virtual elimination of syphilis in China in the 1950s, the sexually transmitted infection is currently at epidemic proportions in the country, and rates of infection will continue to grow unless a more comprehensive, coordinated effort of control is implemented, according to a perspective published in the May 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The North Shore-LIJ Health System today announced the launch of a new online service to help consumers find out the cost of medical services in advance, learn whether they are eligible for financial assistance and how to get help with paying their hospital bills.
Of all the things that might control the onset of disease epidemics in Michigan lakes, the shape of the lakes' bottoms might seem unlikely. But that is precisely the case, and a new BioScience report by scientists from Indiana University Bloomington and four other institutions explains why.
Washington, D.C. and New York—Each year, between 50 and 85 percent of health center patients - or between ten and seventeen million people - experience unmet legal needs, many of which negatively impact their health, according to a new study from the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. This number is likely to increase given the profound changes in eligibility, plan enrollment, provider selection, and service delivery embodied in the newly enacted health reform law.
Byron Brehm-Stecher, an Iowa State University assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, wants to replace the current system of salmonella detection with a new approach that can provide DNA sequencing-like results in hours rather than days. He is using technology available through an Ames, Iowa, company, Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc., that is providing advanced biomedical instruments and reagents for the research.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Bayh-Dole Act, legislation that fostered the commercialization of many new technological advances that impact the lives of millions. AUTM announced a new Web site, www.B-D30.org, providing articles, history, and more.
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) today offered its support to help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) meet the challenges of reducing the amount of sodium in foods.
Researchers in British Columbia, Canada, have used a technique known as ecological niche modeling to identify likely areas where a potentially lethal fungus could spread next. Cryptococcus gattii, which can cause life-threatening infections of the lungs and central nervous system when inhaled, infects humans as well as a broad range of wild and domestic animals.
University of Adelaide research is showing that the sex of the baby determines the way it responds to stressors during pregnancy and its ability to survive pregnancy complications.
Helen Sandkuhl, RN, MSN, CEN, FAEN, nursing director of Emergency Services at Saint Louis University Hospital shares her story about providing emergency medical care after the earthquake that left Haiti in ruins.
In a University of Michigan Health System study, 1 out of 3 patients with chronic pain reported using complementary and alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic visits for pain relief.
Tamiflu and two other drugs used to treat influenza appear safe for pregnant women and their babies, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a retrospective study of 239 cases of women who received the medications during pregnancy.
Four unhealthy behaviors—smoking, lack of physical activity, poor diet and alcohol consumption—appear to be associated with a substantially increased risk of death when combined, according to a report in the April 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.