MedWorm: Epidemics

Nigeria: Nema - Epidemic, Highest Killer in The Country

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:12:47 +0100

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has ranked epidemic and disease occurence as the highest causes of death in the country. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Hong Kong to crack down on primary school drugs' epidemic

Monsters and Critics Health News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:04:38 +0100

(Source: Monsters and Critics Health News)

Pediatric sports injuries: the silent epidemic

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) At today's 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, two separate studies focus on the dramatic rise of pediatric sports injuries in recent years. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Pediatric sports injuries: the silent epidemic

ScienceDaily Headlines — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Two new studies focus on the dramatic rise of pediatric sports injuries in recent years. However, despite this alarming trend, awareness, education, warning signs and early treatment can make a significant difference and help keep these athletes in the game, according to the study experts. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Drug utilization of oral hypoglycemic agents in a university teaching hospital in India

Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: This study strongly highlights the need for patient education or counselling on use of antidiabetic and concomitant drugs, monitoring of blood glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, diet control, and correction of diabetic complications. Metabolic control was poor and HbA1c monitoring was underutilized. Clinical monitoring of patients' adherence to prescribed treatments is recommended and measures should be taken to improve it. (Source: Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics)

H1N1 Seen Lying Low, Then Rising Again in Europe

Medscape Medical News Headlines — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:34:14 +0100

Europe is unlikely to see another wave of pandemic H1N1 flu soon but local epidemics are likely as winter returns to the Northern hemisphere, health officials said on Monday. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)

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Inaugural Article: Some features of the spread of epidemics and information on a random graph [Applied_Mathematics]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:27:17 +0100

Random graphs are useful models of social and technological networks. To date, most of the research in this area has... (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

AIDS Care Gap between Wealthy and Developing Countries Risks Becoming a Chasm

MSF News — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:26:00 +0100

London, March 9, 2010 – AIDS leaders gathering in London today face the daunting challenge of implementing new World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for earlier treatment with better AIDS drug cocktails at a time when donors are backing away from the promise of “universal access,” said Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The WHO recently released new treatment recommendations for people living with HIV in developing countries which could help bridge the significant gap between the standard of care for people in northern and southern countries. “In MSF programs we are striving to meet the higher standard of care which means starting patients on antiretroviral drugs earlier, which gives them a better chance of long-term ...

A Multiscale Model for Virus Capsid Dynamics

International Journal of Biomedical Imaging — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:48:34 +0100

Viruses are infectious agents that can cause epidemics and pandemics. The understanding of virus formation, evolution, stability, and interaction with host cells is of great importance to the scientific community and public health. Typically, a virus complex in association with its aquatic environment poses a fabulous challenge to theoretical description and prediction. In this work, we propose a differential geometry-based multiscale paradigm to model complex biomolecule systems. In our approach, the differential geometry theory of surfaces and geometric measure theory are employed as a natural means to couple the macroscopic continuum domain of the fluid mechanical description of the aquatic environment from the microscopic discrete domain of the atomistic description of the biomolecule....

Alzheimer's 'Epidemic' Hitting Minorities Hardest

MedlinePlus Health News — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0100

Blacks, Hispanics at much higher risk for the illness, which carries huge price tag, report finds Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Alzheimer's Disease, Health Disparities (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

18-percent soda, pizza tax would help us lose 5 pounds a year, researchers say

OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:03:00 +0100

An 18-percent tax on pizza and soda would lower the average U.S. adult's weight by about 5 pounds per year, a team of U.S. researchers say, and new data suggest the policy could work. Although taxing junk food won't solve the obesity epidemic, it... (Source: OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research)

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AIDS Care Gap between Europe and Southern Countries Risks Becoming a Chasm

MSF News — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:16:00 +0100

London, 9 March 2010 – AIDS leaders gathering in London today face the daunting challenge of implementing new World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for earlier treatment with better AIDS drug cocktails at a time when donors are backing away from the promise of “universal access”, warns Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).The WHO recently released new treatment recommendations for people living with HIV in developing countries which could help bridge the significant gap between the standard of care for people in northern and southern countries.“In MSF programmes we are striving to meet the higher standard of care which means starting patients on antiretroviral drugs earlier, which gives them a better chance of long-term survival,” said Ariane Bauernfeind, programme manager ...

Is There A Link Between Drinking Too Many Sugary Drinks And Diabetes?

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

A new study claims that having sugary drinks every day could put people at a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. American researchers found that the excessive consumption of sugary drinks, which can contain up to 200 calories each, contributed to 130,000 cases of Type 2 diabetes and 14,000 cases of heart disease between 1990 and 2000 in the USA. The researchers also concluded that sugary drinks are fuelling the obesity epidemic... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Convergent ethical issues in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria vaccine trials in Africa: Report from the WHO/UNAIDS African AIDS Vaccine Programme's Ethics, Law and Human Rights Collaborating Centre consultation, 10-11 February 2009, Durban, South Africa.

BMC Medical Ethics — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The consultation revealed that while there have been few attempts to find convergence on ethical issues between HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria vaccine trial fields to date, there is much common ground and scope for convergence work between stakeholders in the three fields. (Source: BMC Medical Ethics)

Leveling off of prevalence of obesity in the adult population of Sweden between 2000/01 and 2004/05

BMC Public Health - Latest articles — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Although the mean BMI and obesity were almost unchanged in the Swedish adult population between 2000/01 and 2004/05, obesity levels in Sweden remained unacceptably high, especially in certain subgroups. Primary and secondary intervention actions should strive to decrease the prevalence of obesity in Sweden. (Source: BMC Public Health - Latest articles)

Hepatitis B and C Remain a Neglected Epidemic in America

Modern Medicine — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Lack of awareness about the extent of hepatitis B and C infection, not just among the public but also among health care professionals, is undermining efforts to combat the diseases, according to research published online Feb. 22 in Hepatology. (Source: Modern Medicine)

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Alcohol Consumption, Weight Gain, and Risk of Becoming Overweight in Middle-aged and Older Women [Original Investigation]

Archives of Internal Medicine — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:50:40 +0100

Conclusion Compared with nondrinkers, initially normal-weight women who consumed a light to moderate amount of alcohol gained less weight and had a lower risk of becoming overweight and/or obese during 12.9 years of follow-up. (Source: Archives of Internal Medicine)

H1N1 seen lying low, then rising again in Europe

Reuters: Health — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:10:58 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - Europe is unlikely to see another wave of pandemic H1N1 flu soon but local epidemics are likely as winter returns to the Northern hemisphere, health officials said on Monday. (Source: Reuters: Health)

Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to hepatitis E in urban and rural southern India

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:05:58 +0100

Summary: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important cause of sporadic and epidemic hepatitis E infection in northern India. Sera, collected from different age groups in rural (n=1144) and urban (n=1135) areas using a probability proportional to size survey, were tested using an ELISA for IgG antibodies. Antibodies increased with age in both populations, but the urban population had higher exposure in all age groups (Mann-Whitney U test, P (Source: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene)

H1N1dsight is a wonderful thing

Nature Biotechnology — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:42:37 +0100

Nature Biotechnology 28, 182 (2010). doi:10.1038/nbt0310-182 Criticisms of the response of governments and of the pharmaceutical industry to the threat of the H1N1 epidemic are wide of the mark. (Source: Nature Biotechnology)

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:54:46 +0100

NEW YORK — Nearly all young women in Azerbaijan (99 per cent) say they have experienced physical abuse. Nearly half (45 per cent) of young Turkish women believe that wife beating may be justified for reasons such as going out alone, arguing or refusing sex. These findings were culled from a recent series of Adolescent Data Guides, which are intended to provide decision makers at all levels with data on the situation of adolescent girls and boys and young women in 48 countries. (Source: UNFPA News)

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Low Levels Of Vitamin D Linked To Muscle Fat, Decreased Strength In Young People

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

There's an epidemic in progress, and it has nothing to do with the flu. A ground-breaking study published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found an astonishing 59 per cent of study subjects had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies (less than 20 ng/ml) of this important vitamin. Since Vitamin D insufficiency is linked to increased body fat, decreased muscle strength and a range of disorders, this is a serious health issue... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Low Levels Of Vitamin D Linked To Muscle Fat, Decreased Strength In Young People

Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

There's an epidemic in progress, and it has nothing to do with the flu. A ground-breaking study published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found an astonishing 59 per cent of study subjects had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies (less than 20 ng/ml) of this important vitamin... (Source: Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today)

The Soda Epidemic

Medical Headlines From Ivanhoe.com — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A soda or sports drink may cool you off or quench your thirst, but as you satisfy your sweet tooth, you may also be causing serious harm to your body. (Source: Medical Headlines From Ivanhoe.com)

Fat American Children: Many Causes, a Lifetime of Effects

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Eating habits, physical activity, access to parks, ethnicity, poverty and TV watching all play a role in the epidemic, as do many other factors. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)

Epidemics of Tomato torrado virus, Pepino mosaic virus and Tomato chlorosis virus in tomato crops: do mixed infections contribute to torrado disease epidemiology?

Annals of Applied Biology — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Torrado disease was first observed in protected tomato crops in the Murcia province of Spain in spring 2001, causing serious concern to regional tomato producers. The disease-causing agent was initially identified as a picorna-like bipartite plant RNA virus, now known as Tomato torrado virus (ToTV), but several additional torradoviruses inducing similar disease symptoms have been described more recently. We studied the incidence of torradoviruses between 2005 and 2008 in two parts of Murcia (Spain) where tomato crops are grown commercially. We also analysed the potential association among ToTV, Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) and Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) in samples showing torrado symptoms of varying severity. ToTV was the only torradovirus found in the samples (predominantly as single in...

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Trends in development of the influenza vaccine with broader cross-protection.

Acta Virologica — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:29:31 +0100

Authors: Stropkovska A, Janulikova J, Vareckova E Influenza Aviruses cause in humans acute respiratory infections, which spread yearly in the form of epidemics or pandemics. Ahigh variability and broad host specificity of influenza Aviruses are the main reasons of repeated influenza infections. Therefore, no effective prevention against influenza is available today. The main problem of insufficient protection efficacy is that virus-neutralizing antibodies induced by current vaccines are closely strain-specific and the vaccines need to be updated each year. Therefore, various novel approaches to vaccine preparation have been developed with the aim to widen the spectrum of their efficacy. These approaches comprise using new adjuvants as components of the inactivated vaccines, new techniq...

Integrated syphilis/HIV screening in China: A qualitative analysis

BMC Health Services Research — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: These STI case studies reveal the potential for expanding integrated syphilis/HIV services at public STI clinics in China. More health services research is needed to guide scale-up of syphilis/HIV testing in China. (Source: BMC Health Services Research)

Fat American children: many causes, a lifetime of effects

L.A. Times - Health — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:04:28 +0100

Eating habits, physical activity, access to parks, ethnicity, poverty and TV watching all play a role in the epidemic, as do many other factors. The percentage of American children who are overweight or obese has been growing for decades, and now nearly one in three has a body mass index that's greater than normal. Although evidence suggests that obesity rates are leveling off overall, for some groups of kids — especially poor or minority kids — the problem continues to grow, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs. (Source: L.A. Times - Health)

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:36:20 +0100

2 Teams Advance On Answers To TB Epidemic By Going 'Back To The Drawing Board'

Health News from Medical News Today — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

When people get exposed to the mycobacterium responsible for tuberculosis (TB), some will become sick with a disease that is a major cause of mortality around the world while others simply don't. Now, researchers reporting in the March 5th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, can point to one important reason for this variation in susceptibility or resistance: genetic differences among individuals in levels of an immune enzyme (LTA4H) that is involved in the production of leukotriene B, a pro-inflammatory fatty acid immune signaling molecule... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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2 Teams Advance On Answers To TB Epidemic By Going 'Back To The Drawing Board'

Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

New drug-resistant bacteria emerging in hospitals

NaturalNews.com — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Researchers from the "Extending the Cure" project in Washington, D.C., have published a report in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology about a new drug-resistant bug that is plaguing many hospitals. Called Acinetobacter, this new "superbug" is causing severe bloodstream infection and pneumonia in many hospital patients.The rise of hospital superbugs like Acinetobacter continues to be a problem as these virulent new strains are not being eliminated by even the most powerful antibiotic drugs. Imipenem, an intravenous antibiotic drug that is typically reserved as a last line of defense against severe infection, is not even capable of conquering this new strain of bacteria.Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan and his colleagues examined data from 300 U.S. hospitals to see ...

Majority of Obese People Fail to Recognize Their Own Obesity

NaturalNews.com — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Nearly three-quarters of obese adults do not consider themselves obese, according to a poll carried out by YouGov for Slimming World."In my view there is a very clear tendency for individuals with obesity to feel that they do not stand out from the crowd," says Jonathan Pinkney, of the Association for the Study of Obesity. Researchers interviewed 2,000 people about their height, weight and perception of their size and diet. While only 7 percent of those interviewed classified themselves as "obese," in fact more than 25 percent of them fell into that category.Obesity is commonly defined as having a body mass index above 30. Body mass index (BMI) is calculated by dividing a person's mass in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. A healthy BMI falls between 18.5 and ...

A comparative epidemiologic analysis of SARS in Hong Kong, Beijing and Taiwan

BMC Infectious Diseases — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The large discrepancy in crude fatality ratios across the three regions can only be partly explained by epidemiological and clinical heterogeneities. Our findings underline the importance of a common data collection platform, especially in an emerging epidemic, in order to identify and explain consistencies and differences in the eventual clinical and public health outcomes of infectious disease outbreaks, which is becoming increasingly important in our highly interconnected world. (Source: BMC Infectious Diseases)

Depression-withdrawal reaction in refugee children. An epidemic of a cultural-bound syndrome or an endemic of re-traumatized refugees?

Acta Paediatrica — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Acta Paediatrica)

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Spatial clustering in the spatio-temporal dynamics of endemic cholera

BMC Infectious Diseases — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The clustering of cases supports an important role of secondary transmission in the dynamics of cholera epidemics in Matlab, Bangladesh. The spatial clustering of cases relative to water sources, and its timing, suggests an effective role of water reservoirs during the onset of cholera outbreaks. Once primary transmission has initiated an outbreak, secondary transmission takes over and plays a fundamental role in shaping the epidemics in this endemic area. (Source: BMC Infectious Diseases)

'Epidemic' of vitamin D deficiency: MUHC study

CBC | Health — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:20:46 +0100

A deficiency of vitamin D in study subjects has surprised doctors at the McGill University Health Centre. (Source: CBC | Health)

Schizophrenia and 1957 Pandemic of Influenza: Meta-analysis

Schizophrenia Bulletin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:18:35 +0100

Maternal influenza during pregnancy is a controversial risk factor for schizophrenia in the child. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine whether birth during the 9-month period after the pandemic of 1957 was a risk factor for schizophrenia. Studies that compared the risk of schizophrenia among subjects born after the pandemic with that among those born in corresponding time periods in surrounding years were divided into those conducted in the United States, Europe, or Australia (type A studies, n = 8) and those from Japan, where the epidemic came in 2 waves (type B studies, n = 3). Other studies examined the risk among subjects born to mothers who were pregnant during the pandemic and reported having had influenza (type C studies, n = 2). Relative risks (RRs) were extracted or calculated...

Africa United In Fight Against Polio Outbreak

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:00:00 +0100

More than 85 million children under five years old will be immunized against polio in 19 countries across West and Central Africa in a massive example of cross-border cooperation aimed at stopping a year-long polio epidemic. Nine countries in West and Central Africa - Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone - are considered to have active outbreaks of polio (i.e. cases within the last six months)... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Africa United In Fight Against Polio Outbreak

Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:00:00 +0100

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Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:43:39 +0100

Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of chikungunya fever: Lessons learned from the re-emerging epidemic

Indian Journal of Dermatology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:02:58 +0100

Mohan Alladi, Kiran D.H.N, Manohar I Chiranjeevi, Kumar D PrabathIndian Journal of Dermatology 2010 55(1):54-63Chikungunya fever, caused by &quot;Chikungunya virus,&quot; is an arbovirus disease transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes belonging to the genus <i>Aedes</i>. Chikungunya fever epidemics have been reported from several countries around the world. The disease that was silent for nearly 32 years re-emerged in the October 2005 outbreak in India that is still ongoing. The incubation period ranges from 3 to 12 days. The onset is usually abrupt and the acute stage is characterized by sudden onset with high-grade fever, severe arthralgias, myalgias, and skin rash. Swollen tender joints and crippling arthritis are usua...

Mucocutaneous manifestations of Chikungunya fever

Indian Journal of Dermatology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:02:58 +0100

Bandyopadhyay Debabrata, Ghosh Sudip KumarIndian Journal of Dermatology 2010 55(1):64-67Chikungunya fever (CF) is an arboviral acute febrile illness transmitted by the bite of infected <i>Aedes</i> mosquitoes. After a quiescence of more than three decades, CF has recently re-emerged as a major public health problem of global scale. CF is characterized by an acute onset of high fever associated with a severe disabling arthritis often accompanied by prominent mucocutaneous manifestations. The disease is usually self-limiting, but the joint symptoms and some of the cutaneous features may persist after the defervescence. A wide range of mucocutaneous changes has been described to occur in association with CF during the current epidemic. Besides a morbill...

When a predator avoids infected prey: a model-based theoretical study

Mathematical Medicine and Biology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:45:33 +0100

In this paper we study a predator–prey model with logistic growth in the prey population, where a disease spreads among the prey according to an susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) epidemic model. The predators do not consume infected prey. After a review of the literature we formulate the basic mathematical model. For simplicity, we work initially with a model involving the fractions of prey susceptible and infected and then translate the results back to the model with absolute numbers. Both local and global stability results are examined. For the model working with absolute numbers, we find six possible equilibria and three important threshold values determining the behaviour of the system. There is always a unique locally stable equilibrium. We make conjectures concerning the g...

A New Form of Social Withdrawal in Japan: a Review of Hikikomori

International Journal of Social Psychiatry — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:50:01 +0100

The purpose of this article is to provide a clinical review of a unique, emerging form of severe social withdrawal that has been described in Japan. This paper begins with a case vignette, then reviews the case defi nition, epidemiology, psychopathology, differential diagnosis, and treatment and management of the condition. Called hikikomori, it is well known to both the psychiatric community and general public in Japan but it has never been reviewed in the English medical literature. Patients are mostly adolescent and young adult men who become recluses in their parents’ homes for months or years. They withdraw from contact with family, rarely have friends, and do not attend school or hold a job. Never described before the late 1970s, hikikomori has become a silent epidemic with ten...

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Key Protein In Energy Regulation Identified By Gladstone Scientists

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

With obesity and obesity-related diseases epidemic in the developed world, a clear understanding of how metabolism is regulated is crucial. One of the key metabolic pathways involves the oxidation of fat. In the current edition of the journal Nature, scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology report on a new mechanism that governs this pathway and in the process identified a novel potential therapeutic target for controlling fat metabolism... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Key Protein In Energy Regulation Identified By Gladstone Scientists

Genetics News From Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Low levels of vitamin D linked to muscle fat, decreased strength in young people

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(McGill University Health Centre) There's an epidemic in progress, and it has nothing to do with the flu. A ground-breaking study recently published in the JCEM found an astonishing 59 percent of study subjects had too little vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies of this important vitamin. Since vitamin D insufficiency is linked to increased body fat, decreased muscle strength and a range of disorders, this is a serious health issue. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Rising trends in incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma and their future projections in Catalonia, Spain: increasing impact or future epidemic?

Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion Improvements in preventive activities should be implemented to decrease incidence and mortality from this cancer. Monitoring stage-specific trends in CMM incidence can assess the impact of preventive strategies; for this reason more complete information on diagnostic features of CMM patients in the Spanish population-based cancer registries are necessary. (Source: Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology)

Single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping showed that mutations leading to a premature stop codon in inlA are common among Listeria monocytogenes isolates from ready-to-eat foods but not human listeriosis cases.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Van Stelten A, Simpson JM, Ward TJ, Nightingale KK Listeria monocytogenes utilizes Internalin A (InlA; encoded by inlA) to cross the intestinal barrier to establish a systemic infection. Multiple naturally-occurring mutations leading to a premature stop codon (PMSC) in inlA have been reported worldwide and these mutations are causally associated with attenuated virulence. Five inlA PMSC mutations recently discovered among isolates from France and the U.S. were included as additional markers in our previously described inlA single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping assay. This assay was used to screen >1,000 L. monocytogenes isolates from ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (n=502) and human listeriosis cases (n=507) for 18 inlA PMSC mutations. A significantly (P < 0.0001) gre...

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Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:04:33 +0100

Africa united in fight against polio outbreak

WHO news — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:00:00 +0100

4 March 2010 -- Over 85 million children under five years old will be immunized against polio in 19 countries across West and Central Africa in an example of cross-border cooperation aimed at stopping a year-long polio epidemic. (Source: WHO news)

Ten-year increase in the prevalence of obesity and reduction in fat intake in Brazilian women aged 35 years and older

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:28:04 +0100

Conclusion In line with an advertised reduction in fat intake, Brazilian women at greatest risk of obesity had a reduction in fat intake and cholesterol, and increased intake of carbohydrate. This group needs to be given a clear message regarding energy reduction in order to curb the obesity epidemic. (Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health)

UNAIDS Launches Plan To Address Gender Equality, HIV/AIDS

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0100

UNAIDS on Tuesday launched a five-year initiative to help tackle gender inequalities and human rights violations that increase the vulnerability of women worldwide to HIV/AIDS, BBC reports (3/3). "Nearly 30 years into the HIV epidemic, [UNAIDS Executive Director Michel] Sidibe said, growing inequality between women and men and human rights violations against women including 'brutal rapes' and trafficking for prostitution are putting women and girls at greater risk of HIV infections," the Associated Press/Star reports (3/3). Of the estimated 33... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

New Analysis Calls For State And Federal Action To Track Childhood Obesity

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

A report published in the journal Health Affairs calls for increased body mass index surveillance as a tool to combat the childhood obesity epidemic and urges state and federal action to implement effective BMI surveillance systems nationwide. The paper was co-authored by Altarum Institute researchers Matt Longjohn and Amy Sheon, co-project directors of Altarum's Childhood Obesity Prevention Mission Project, and by childhood obesity experts from Arkansas, California, and Illinois. BMI - a measure derived from height and weight - is widely used to screen children for obesity... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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New Analysis Calls For State And Federal Action To Track Childhood Obesity

Pediatrics News From Medical News Today — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Method Identified To Help Reduce Fat In The Blood

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Over 60 per cent of Canadians are classified as overweight or obese. This epidemic is a concern for experts around the world. One of the major problems is high levels of lipids in the blood, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease and Type 2 diabetes. But a University of Alberta researcher has taken a major step in protecting people against these diseases... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Method Identified To Help Reduce Fat In The Blood

Diabetes News From Medical News Today — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

By going 'back to the drawing board,' 2 teams advance on answers to TB epidemic

EurekAlert! - Biology — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Cell Press) When people get exposed to the mycobacterium responsible for tuberculosis, some will become sick with a disease that is a major cause of mortality around the world while others simply don't. Now, researchers reporting in the March 5 issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, can point to one important reason for this variation in susceptibility or resistance. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)

Epidemics of mold poisoning past and present

The Aspergillus Website - articles — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Meggs WJ (Source: The Aspergillus Website - articles)

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Macronutrient intake induces oxidative and inflammatory stress: potential relevance to atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

exp Mol Med — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Dandona P, Ghanim H, Chaudhuri A, Dhindsa S, Kim SS With the global increase in the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes with a concomitant increase in atherosclerotic disease, an investigation into the effects of various macronutrients and food products has become necessary. Such investigation will allow us to better understand the relationship between the intake of various macronutrients and the pathogenesis of mechanisms underlying the regulation of insulin sensitivity and resistance, oxidative stress and inflammation, the regulation of hunger and satiety and atherogenesis. This review covers the first decade of work in this area relating the intake of usual foods and diets to their immediate and long term outcomes. The review also covers the exciting novel area of anti-...

Angola: Health Experts Attend Seminar on Epidemiological Emergency

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:49:21 +0100

Over 30 health technicians in the province of Namibe participate from 01 to 06 March at a training seminar for municipal emergency teams, with the aim of preventing epidemics such as cholera, acute diarrhoeic and rabies diseases. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Science Shows You Can Die of Boredom, Literally

Psychology Today Personality Center — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:31:12 +0100

Monthly magazines from Reader's Digest to Cosmopolitan are inundated with tips on how to sleep better, find happiness, and weave seriously sexy hair. Taking nothing away from being happy and blowing your romantic partner's mind on valentine's day, there are few things as valuable as staying alive.Sometimes we fail to take life and death seriously. Think back to those painful days of calculus class in high school. Like the sounds of a banshee ripping out its entrails, you and your classmates probably screamed the same screams heard year after year - "I'm so bored, I could die!" And yet, did your calculus teacher care? Did they offer a hug or show the slightest empathy? Probably not. And what about the desperate pleas of innocent children on long, monotonous car rides. All children want is a...

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:54:03 +0100

HEALTH: Neoliberalism not Liberal Enough for AIDS Investments

IPS Inter Press Service - HIV/AIDS — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:37:32 +0100

WASHINGTON, Mar 2 (IPS) - Neoliberal economic ideas have grown increasingly dominant over the last 30 years. During that same time, the spread of HIV/AIDS has reached an epidemic crescendo. (Source: IPS Inter Press Service - HIV/AIDS)

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Temple Researchers Study Obstacles Faced By Early Childhood Education Programs In Their Efforts To Address Obesity

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

The US is facing many challenges in controlling the childhood obesity epidemic. Despite recent efforts and some progress, one third of US children are still overweight or obese. Yet research has shown that the road to obesity begins early in life, and it is more common and difficult to address for low-income children... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Temple Researchers Study Obstacles Faced By Early Childhood Education Programs In Their Efforts To Address Obesity

Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Estimating and Projecting Trends in HIV/AIDS Generalized Epidemics Using Incremental Mixture Importance Sampling

Biometrics — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has decided to use Bayesian melding as the basis for its probabilistic projections of HIV prevalence in countries with generalized epidemics. This combines a mechanistic epidemiological model, prevalence data, and expert opinion. Initially, the posterior distribution was approximated by sampling-importance-resampling, which is simple to implement, easy to interpret, transparent to users, and gave acceptable results for most countries. For some countries, however, this is not computationally efficient because the posterior distribution tends to be concentrated around nonlinear ridges and can also be multimodal. We propose instead incremental mixture importance sampling (IMIS), which iteratively builds up a better importance sampling fu...

Development of O-antigen gene cluster-specific PCRs for rapid typing six epidemic serogroups of Leptospira in China

BMC Microbiology - Latest articles — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The results show that the PCR-based assays can be reliable and alternative means for rapid typing of these six serogroups of Leptospira. (Source: BMC Microbiology - Latest articles)

Sakacin a-containing pullulan film: an active packaging system to control epidemic clones of listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods

Journal of Food Safety — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In this study, we demonstrated the effectiveness of sakacin A-containing pullulan films to control Listeria monocytogenes growth and the applicability of active pullulan films as a means of delivering a bacteriocin directly to a food surface. Pullulan films require less antimicrobial, demonstrate longer antimicrobial activity and allow for controlled migration of the molecule from film to the food matrix, as compared with the direct addition of sakacin A to ready-to-eat meat products. (Source: Journal of Food Safety)

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Lead Exposure: A Contributing Cause of the Current Breast Cancer Epidemic in Nigerian Women.

Biological Trace Element Research — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Alatise OI, Schrauzer GN Breast cancer incidence in Nigerian women has significantly increased during the past three decades in parallel with the rapid industrialization of that country. This suggested that the associated widespread contamination of the soil and of the water supplies by lead (Pb) and other industrial metals was a major contributing cause. Because of its many domestic, industrial, and automotive uses, Pb is of particular concern as it has been shown to promote the development of mammary tumors in murine mammary tumor virus-infected female C3H mice at levels as low of 0.5 ppm Pb in the drinking water. Lead belongs to the group of selenium-antagonistic elements that interact with selenium (Se), abolishing its anti-carcinogenic effect. Lead on chronic, low-level e...

Transcriptional control of preadipocyte determination by Zfp423

Nature AOP — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study identifies Zfp423 as a transcriptional regulator of preadipocyte determination. (Source: Nature AOP)

Molecular complexity of successive bacterial epidemics deconvoluted by comparative pathogenomics [Microbiology]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:42:15 +0100

Understanding the fine-structure molecular architecture of bacterial epidemics has been a long-sought goal of infectious disease research. We used short-read-length... (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

A nonhuman primate model of chikungunya disease

Journal of Clinical Investigation — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:25:43 +0100

Chikungunya disease is a severely debilitating, mosquito-borne, viral illness that has reached epidemic proportions in Africa, Asia, and the islands of the Indian Ocean. A mutation enhancing the ability of the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) to infect and be transmitted by Aedes albopictus has increased the geographical range at risk for infection due to the continuing global spread of this mosquito. Research into disease pathogenesis, vaccine development, and therapeutic design has been hindered by the lack of appropriate animal models of this disease. The meticulous study reported in this issue of the JCI by Labadie et al. is one of the first reports describing CHIKV infection of adult immunocompetent nonhuman primates. Using traditional and modern molecular and immunological approaches, the a...

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:49:37 +0100

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Genomic characterization of a proventriculitis-associated infectious bronchitis coronavirus

Virus Genes — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:04:49 +0100

Abstract Transmissible proventriculitis associated with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was at first seen in eastern China in mid-1995, and is now endemic in China. Herein, the complete genome sequence of a proventiculitis-associated infectious bronchitis coronavirus (ZJ971) was sequenced and analyzed. Compared with the genome of the vaccine strain H120, ZJ971 had 54 nucleotide substitutions and a deletion in the 3′-UTR. The substitutions were in the regions of nsp2–nsp5, nsp7, nsp12, nsp13, nsp15, S and N genes, and the untranslating region. The results indicated that ZJ971 could be a variant of IBV strain H120. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11262-010-0461-zAuthors Chao-ting Xiao, Zhejiang University Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemic Etiology & Immun...

Nigeria: FG Moves to Combat Meningitis

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:52:26 +0100

The Ministry of Health has deployed over 370,000 doses of vaccine to vulnerable states to help stem the effect of cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM). The epidemic claimed several lives in 2009 mostly from the northern part of the country. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Community‐Associated Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and HIV: Intersecting Epidemics

Clinical Infectious Diseases Latest Issue — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:04:45 +0100

Conclusions. HIV‐infected patients are at markedly increased risk for CA‐MRSA infection. This risk may be amplified by overlapping community networks of high‐risk patients that may be targets for prevention efforts. (Source: Clinical Infectious Diseases Latest Issue)

UNAIDS launches plan to empower women and girls to prevent HIV

UN News Centre - Health, Poverty, Food Security — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The lead United Nations agency tackling the AIDS epidemic, along with rock and roll icon Annie Lennox, today launched an action plan to empower women and girls to protect themselves against HIV. (Source: UN News Centre - Health, Poverty, Food Security)

Maternal Body Mass Index Does Not Affect Performance of Fetal Electrocardiography

American Journal of Perinatology — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:26:34 +0100

Amer J PerinatolDOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1248945ABSTRACTThe obesity epidemic challenges traditional antenatal fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring technologies. Doppler signals in particular are attenuated. We sought to evaluate whether the performance of a novel transabdominal fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) device (AN24, Monica Healthcare) is influenced by body mass index (BMI). We performed a prospective observational study of singleton pregnancies (gestational age [GA] 20 to 41 weeks) monitored overnight with fECG. Recording quality ([RQ] %) of both the best hour and the total recording time of the FHR record were related to BMI. Two hundred four women were monitored. BMI ranged from 16.0 to 50.7 (median BMI 26.9). The correlation coefficient (with 95% confidence interval [CI]) between BMI and ...

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National, State, And Local Disparities In Childhood Obesity [Worsening Trends, Action Agenda]

Health Affairs — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:01:31 +0100

New data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health show that the percentage of children ages 10–17 who are overweight (body mass index in the eighty-fifth to ninety-fourth percentiles) remained stable, while the national prevalence of obesity (BMI in the ninety-fifth percentile and higher) grew significantly, from 14.8 percent in 2003 to 16.4 percent in 2007. This increase in obesity accounted for the entire increase in the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity between 2003 and 2007 (from 30.6 percent to 31.6 percent). An estimated 10.58 million children, or nearly one in three children ages 10–17, were overweight or obese in 2007. Our findings suggest that the obesity epidemic among children may not yet have reached its plateau f...

Reducing Childhood Obesity Through Policy Change: Acting Now To Prevent Obesity [Worsening Trends, Action Agenda]

Health Affairs — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:01:31 +0100

Childhood obesity is epidemic in the United States, and is expected to increase the rates of many chronic diseases. Increasing physical activity and improving nutrition are keys to obesity prevention and control. But changing individual behavior is difficult. A comprehensive, coordinated strategy is needed. Policy interventions that make healthy dietary and activity choices easier are likely to achieve the greatest benefits. There is emerging evidence on how to address childhood obesity, but we must take action now to begin to reverse the epidemic. (Source: Health Affairs)

Childhood Obesity: The New Tobacco [Worsening Trends, Action Agenda]

Health Affairs — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:01:31 +0100

Overcoming the childhood obesity epidemic will require changes on the scale of a social movement similar to the shift in attitudes and regulations toward smoking and tobacco. Tobacco control became a successful public health movement because of shifts in social norms and because cigarette companies came to be perceived by many as a common enemy. In contrast, obesity advocates have not identified a common threat or mobilized grass-roots change, nor have they identified strategies that resonate across diverse settings and constituencies. Framing obesity as a common threat can lead to consensus regarding the interventions needed to achieve healthier children and communities. (Source: Health Affairs)

Learning From State Surveillance Of Childhood Obesity [Lessons From States & Localities]

Health Affairs — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:01:31 +0100

Data on childhood obesity collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention helped reveal the nation’s epidemic of overweight and obese children. But more information is needed. Collecting body mass index (BMI)—the widely accepted measurement of childhood weight status—at the state and local levels can be instrumental in identifying and tracking obesity trends, designing interventions to help overweight children, and guiding broader policy solutions. Approximately thirty states have enacted or proposed BMI surveillance laws and regulations. Arkansas stands out as the state with the highest-quality surveillance data. Innovative strategies being pursued in a number of other states should be explored for broader dissemination. (Source: Health Affairs)

A Statewide Strategy To Battle Child Obesity In Delaware [Lessons From States & Localities]

Health Affairs — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:01:31 +0100

In 2006, approximately 37 percent of Delaware’s children were overweight or obese. To combat Delaware’s childhood obesity epidemic, Nemours, a leading child health care provider, launched a statewide program to improve child health. The "social-ecological" strategy reaches beyond clinical encounters to promote better health and behavior at multiple levels. Early results show that the initiative halted the increase in the prevalence of overweight and obese children, since no statistically significant change occurred during the two-year span between administrations of the Delaware Survey on Children’s Health. The initiative also spurred increased knowledge of healthy eating and awareness of the need for increased physical activity in school, child care, and primary car...

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Drivers of Inequality in Millennium Development Goal Progress: A Statistical Analysis

PLoS Medicine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

David Stuckler and colleagues examine the impact of the HIV and noncommunicable disease epidemics on low-income countries' progress toward the Millennium Development Goals for health. (Source: PLoS Medicine)

In Obesity Epidemic, What's One Cookie?

NYT > Health — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:08:34 +0100

Small caloric changes have almost no long-term effect on weight, studies show. (Source: NYT > Health)

In Obesity Epidemic, What's One Cookie?

NYT — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:08:34 +0100

Small caloric changes have almost no long-term effect on weight, studies show. (Source: NYT)

Prenatal Infection and Schizophrenia: A Review of Epidemiologic and Translational Studies [Reviews and Overviews]

Am J Psychiatry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:05:44 +0100

Abstract An emerging literature from epidemiologic, clinical, and preclinical investigations has provided evidence that gestational exposure to infection contributes to the etiology of schizophrenia. In recent years, these studies have moved from ecologic designs, which ascertain infection based on epidemics in populations, to investigations that have capitalized on reliable biomarkers in individual pregnancies. These studies have documented specific candidate infections that appear to be associated with an elevated risk of schizophrenia. Animal models of maternal immune activation inspired by this work have revealed intriguing findings indicating behavioral, neurochemical, and neurophysiologic abnormalities consistent with observations in schizophrenia. In parallel studies in humans and a...

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:38:47 +0100

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Importance of Colonization Site in the Current Epidemic of Staphylococcal Skin Abscesses

PEDIATRICS — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:02:29 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Skin and soft-tissue abscesses in the current epidemic of community-associated staphylococcal disease are strongly associated with rectal colonization by PFT USA300. Nasal colonization in children does not seem to be a risk factor. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

British Medical Association Survey Reveals Understaffing Epidemic In UK Hospitals

Public Health News From Medical News Today — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100

Four in ten junior doctors are now working on understaffed rotas as UK hospitals struggle to cope with the introduction of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD), according to a new BMA survey of over 1,500 junior doctors. The BMA survey, is the most extensive analysis of junior doctors working arrangements in the six months following the introduction of the EWTD in August 2009... (Source: Public Health News From Medical News Today)

British Medical Association Survey Reveals Understaffing Epidemic In UK Hospitals

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100

Also In Global Health News: Rwandan Nurses; AIDS 2010; Uzbek AIDS Advocate; Child Mortality In Mozambique; Meningitis Belt

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Rwandan Nurses To Give ART To Expedite Delivery Rwanda's Ministry of Health will soon give nurses the authority to give antiretroviral therapy (ART) to HIV-positive patients, IRIN reports. Aimable Mbituyumuremyi, of the Centre for Treatment and Research on AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and Other Epidemics, said, "Task-shifting will reduce the number of cases requiring the presence of a doctor, thereby reducing the number of treatment-eligible patients that have not initiated ART because they have to wait for the doctor's visit" (2/26). Sen... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

In Obesity Epidemic, What�s One Cookie?

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The basic formula for gaining and losing weight is well known: a pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. That simple equation has fueled the widely accepted notion that weight loss does not require daunting lifestyle changes but “small changes that add up,” as the first lady, Michelle Obama, put it last month in announcing a national plan to counter childhood obesity. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)

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In Obesity Epidemic, What's One Cookie?

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Demographic and behavioral characteristics of non-sex worker females attending sexually transmitted disease clinics in Japan: a nationwide case-control study

BMC Public Health - Latest articles — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: These results indicate that not only multiple partnerships or unprotected sex with casual partners, but also unprotected vaginal sex within a regular partnership is prevalent among non-SW female STI clinic attendees. The identical sexual behavior patterns observed between female attendees with a current STI diagnosis and those without, and between those attendees with a past history of STI diagnosis and those without, indicate that the result are unlikely confounded with the cases of non-STI infection. This sexual behavior pattern may be predictive of STI infection among young Japanese women and could have contributed to the STI epidemic in women in Japan during the 1990s. (Source: BMC Public Health - Latest articles)

Field evaluation of clinical features during chikungunya outbreak in Mayotte, 2005–2006

Tropical Medicine and International Health — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Our results suggest that the pair fever and incapacitating polyarthralgia is an accurate and reliable tool for identifying presumptive CHIKF cases in the field. These criteria provide a useful evidence base to support operational syndromic surveillance in laboratory-confirmed chikungunya epidemic settings. (Source: Tropical Medicine and International Health)

Preface

Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Obesity, diabetes, and adrenal disease occupy major, overlapping tracts on the constantly changing landscape of small animal medicine. The incidence of diabetes in dogs and cats has increased steadily over the past few decades, and the veterinary clinician is constantly challenged by developments in human diabetes therapy that affect our ability to treat our patients. The human obesity epidemic has reached historic proportions and is mirrored by obesity in the pet population. As with diabetes and obesity, there are important recent developments, some controversial, in canine hypercortisolism, a disorder closely associated with both diabetes and obesity. (Source: Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice)

Every Nurse Is an HIV Nurse

AJN — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Overview: The evolution of HIV infection into a chronic disease has implications across all clinical care settings. Every nurse should be knowledgeable about the prevention, testing, treatment, and chronicity of the disease in order to provide high-quality care to people with or at risk for HIV. It's important, therefore, to have an understanding of the changing epidemiology of the disease, the most recent testing recommendations, developments in screening technology, the implications of aging with HIV infection, and the nursing implications of the ongoing epidemic. (C) 2010 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. (Source: AJN)

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Preface

Gastroenterology Clinics of North America — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Obesity has emerged as a major global health problem with disease prevalence reaching epidemic proportions. In the United States alone, obesity is responsible for more than 300,000 deaths per year. Additionally, the direct and indirect related costs for care of obesity-related disease exceed $100 billion per year. Obesity has a particular relevance to gastroenterologists given the wide spectrum of causally related disease implications specific to this specialty. It is increasingly apparent that obesity has significant implications for gastrointestinal diseases and increased risks of serious consequences, including cancer. Gastroenterologists are increasingly involved in the care of obese and overweight patients. This involvement includes assessing for appropriate screening for neoplasia, a...

The Epidemiology of Obesity

Gastroenterology Clinics of North America — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article describes some of the epidemiologic features of obesity, including global prevalence, secular trends, risk factors, and burden of illness related to obesity with special emphasis on obesity trends in the United States. (Source: Gastroenterology Clinics of North America)

Hepatic Complications of Obesity

Gastroenterology Clinics of North America — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article reviews mechanisms that mediate the pathogenesis of obesity-related liver disease, summarizes clinical evidence that demonstrates obesity-related liver disease can be life-threatening, and discusses whether or not treatments for obesity or related comorbidities impact liver disease outcomes. (Source: Gastroenterology Clinics of North America)

Efflux Pumps, OprD Porin, AmpC {beta}-Lactamase and Multiresistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Tomas M, Doumith M, Warner M, Turton JF, Beceiro A, Bou G, Livermore DM, Woodford N Expression of ampC, oprD, mexA, mexC, mexE, and mexX was studied in 25 Pseudomonas aeruginosa from cystic fibrosis patients, including 14 isolates of the 'Liverpool' epidemic strain. Overexpressed mexA or ampC and reduced oprD were associated with beta-lactam resistance. A specific combination of mexR, nalC and nalD mutations occurred in 11 'Liverpool' strain isolates, including 7 with up-regulated mexA. PMID: 20194693 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy)

Surveillance Lessons from First-wave Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Northern California, USA.

Emerging Infectious Diseases — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Baxter R After the appearance of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in April 2009, influenza activity was monitored within the Kaiser Permanente Northern California division by using laboratory, pharmacy, telephone calls, and utilization (services patients received) data. A combination of testing and utilization data showed a pattern of disease activity, but this pattern may have been affected by public perception of the epidemic. PMID: 20202431 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases)

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Vaccine preventability of meningococcal clone, greater aachen region, Germany.

Emerging Infectious Diseases — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Elias J, Schouls LM, van de Pol I, Keijzers WC, Martin DR, Glennie A, Oster P, Frosch M, Vogel U, van der Ende A Emergence of serogroup B meningococci of clonal complex sequence type (ST) 41/44 can cause high levels of disease, as exemplified by a recent epidemic in New Zealand. Multiplication of annual incidence rates (3.1 cases/100,000 population) of meningococcal disease in a defined German region, the city of Aachen and 3 neighboring countries (Greater Aachen) prompted us to investigate and determine the source and nature of this outbreak. Using molecular typing and geographic mapping, we analyzed 1,143 strains belonging to ST41/44 complex, isolated from persons with invasive meningococcal disease over 6 years (2001-2006) from 2 German federal states (total population 26 m...

Factors associated with immunisation coverage and timeliness in New Zealand.

The British Journal of General Practice — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: Practice immunisation coverage and timeliness vary widely in New Zealand. General organisational and structural aspects of general practices are key determinants of general practice immunisation delivery. PMID: 20202354 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The British Journal of General Practice)

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:36:14 +0100

This week on Thrive: Feb. 22 – 26

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:00:55 +0100

Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week. The presence of athletic doping in sports is explored. Read Maggie Hickey’s story about how her invisible epidemic was caused by a concussion. Learn all about psychiatric medication and children. Preemies’ pain threshold is lower than previously thought. Claims of vitamin-fortified, sugary foods are hard to swallow. Learn choking prevention tips for your children. Stem cell research opens the window on premature aging. There are DSM changes that can affect your family. What goes on in the brain during a 3-D movie? How having a family changes your views on the environment. (Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston)

Book: Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic

Sound Medicine — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Now, the question of celiac disease, usually treated by removing gluten from the diet which is found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. As our next guest explains, celiac disease is not simply a digestive problem. It's actually an auto-immune disorder that can affect many of the body's systems. Dr. Peter Green directs the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. He's written a boo.... (Source: Sound Medicine)

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Chlamydia trachomatis, a Hidden Epidemic: Effects on Female Reproduction and Options for Treatment

American Journal of Reproductive Immunology — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We examined studies on the epidemiology of C. trachomatis infections, the effects infections have on the female reproductive tract and subsequent reproductive health and what measures are being taken to reduce these problems. Undetected or multiple infections in women can lead to the development of severe reproductive sequelae, including pelvic inflammatory disease and tubal infertility. There are two possible paradigms of chlamydial pathogenesis, the cellular and immunological paradigms. While many vaccine candidates are being extensively tested in animal models, they are still years from clinical trials. With no vaccine available and antibiotic treatment unable to halt the increased incidence, infection rates will continue to increase and cause a significant burden on health care systems...

SNR analysis: molecular investigation of an anthrax epidemic

BMC Veterinary Research - Latest articles — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The analysis revealed the prevalent spread, during this epidemic, of a single anthrax clone. SGT-1 - widely distributed across the epidemic area and present throughout the period in question - may, thus, be the ancestral form. SGTs 2, 3 and 4 differed from SGT-1 at only one locus, suggesting that they could have evolved directly from the latter during the course of this epidemic. SGT-5 differed from the other SGTs at 2-3 loci. This isolate, thus, appears to be more distantly related to SGT-1 and may not be a direct descendant of the lineage responsible for the majority of cases in this epidemic. These data confirm the importance of molecular typing and subtyping methods for in-depth epidemiological analyses of anthrax epidemics. (Source: BMC Veterinary Research - Latest articl...

Is Your Boss a Bully? Take This Test.

Psychology Today Work Center — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:46:31 +0100

Workplace bullying has reached epidemic proportions. A 2007 poll showed that 37% of workers are currently, or have been, the target of bullies at work. Another 12% have witnessed bullying in the workplace. That adds up to more than half of the U.S. workforce that has been impacted by bullying.Bullying can make the workplace a living hell, and can lead to turnover as targets quit their jobs in frustration or fear. Targets of bullying can experience a sort of post-traumatic stress disorder, and in rare instances is linked to suicide and workplace violence. Interestingly, there has been little attention paid to workplace bullying in the United States, as many bullying activities can "fly under the radar" of workplace harassment (i.e., the targets are not members of protected groups; the haras...

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:40:11 +0100

Malawi: Male Social Networks, Key to HIV and Aids Prevention

AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:33:41 +0100

A new report suggests networks of male friendships could be used to help combat the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:53:36 +0100

Strength in Numbers: Identification of Pediatric Hypertension in a Primary Care Setting

Journal of Pediatric Nursing — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:57:44 +0100

The estimated prevalence of hypertension in children is 2%–3% and is likely increasing with the growing obesity epidemic. Prompt detection and evaluation are important in order to decrease morbidity and properly diagnose the etiology of hypertension. Elevated blood pressure readings in childhood and adolescence can correlate to the development of adult hypertension. (Source: Journal of Pediatric Nursing)

According To 90+ Study Dementia In Extreme Elderly Population Expected To Become Epidemic

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

University of California researchers found that the incidence rate for all causes of dementia in people age 90 and older is 18.2% annually and significantly increases with age in both men and women. This research, called "The 90+ Study," is one of only a few to examine dementia in this age group, and the first to have sufficient participation of centenarians. Findings of the study appear in the February issue of Annals of Neurology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Neurological Association... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

According To 90+ Study Dementia In Extreme Elderly Population Expected To Become Epidemic

Alzheimer's / Dementia News From Medical News Today — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

University of California researchers found that the incidence rate for all causes of dementia in people age 90 and older is 18.2% annually and significantly increases with age in both men and women. This research, called "The 90+ Study," is one of only a few to examine dementia in this age group, and the first to have sufficient participation of centenarians... (Source: Alzheimer's / Dementia News From Medical News Today)

Every Nurse Is an HIV Nurse.

The American Journal of Nursing — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:36:37 +0100

Authors: Bradley-Springer L, Stevens L, Webb A OVERVIEW:: The evolution of HIV infection into a chronic disease has implications across all clinical care settings. Every nurse should be knowledgeable about the prevention, testing, treatment, and chronicity of the disease in order to provide high-quality care to people with or at risk for HIV. It's important, therefore, to have an understanding of the changing epidemiology of the disease, the most recent testing recommendations, developments in screening technology, the implications of aging with HIV infection, and the nursing implications of the ongoing epidemic. PMID: 20179455 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Nursing)

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Less Is More: Small Changes Would Improve Heart-Disease Outcomes in US

Medscape Today Headlines — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:30:00 +0100

Rather than concentrating primarily on medical technologies and greater use of pharmacotherapy, the US needs to seriously address lifestyle risk factors if it wants to properly tackle its heart-disease epidemic, a new Lancet editorial concludes. Heartwire (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

[Epidemiology of hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus infections among injecting drug users in Hungary - what's next?]

Orvosi Hetilap — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:36:23 +0100

Authors: Gyarmathy VA, Rácz J The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) is currently about 35% among injecting drug users in Budapest, Hungary, and it is under 20% outside of the capital, and no verified case of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been detected so far. Mathematical models describe that the co-occurrence of HIV and HCV among injecting drug users is such under an HCV prevalence of about 35% the probability of an HIV epidemic is low, but above this threshold an, HIV epidemic is to be expected. According to these models, there is a looming probability of an HIV epidemic among injecting drug users in Hungary, especially in Budapest. There are four ways to prevent or delay such an epidemic:1. substitution treatment programs; 2. legal access to injecting eq...

Children Carry Emotional Burden of AIDS Epidemic in China

National Institute of Mental Health — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:07:08 +0100

Having a parent with HIV/AIDS or losing one or both parents to the illness leads to poorer mental health among children in China, according to a recent study funded in part by NIMH. Published in the November–December 2009 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, the study also emphasizes the need to develop culturally and developmentally appropriate measures and interventions for diverse populations. (Source: National Institute of Mental Health)

Drug susceptibility profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from HIV infected and uninfected pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Eastern India

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:57:57 +0100

This study was initiated to determine the drug resistance pattern of pulmonary TB among 200 HIV seropositive and 50 HIV negative hospitalized patients from different states of Eastern India. The TB positive isolates (120) were screened and characterized by conventional laboratory methods followed by first- and second-line drug susceptibility testing on Lowenstein-Jensen medium by the proportion method. The drug susceptibility testing showed 17.7% (16/90) and 6.6% (2/30) multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB for the HIV positive and HIV negative patients, respectively. 22.2% (4/18) of the isolated MDR-TB cases could be classified as extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB isolates. 88.8% (16/18) of all the MDR-TB isolates and all XDR-TB isolates were screened from HIV patients. Five (27.7%) of the 18 MD...

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:52:24 +0100

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Prognostic Importance of Atrial Fibrillation in Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Patients

Journal of the American College of Cardiology — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:51:48 +0100

Conclusions: In the population currently receiving ICD treatment outside the setting of clinical trials, a large portion has either a history of AF or permanent AF. Both types of AF have prognostic implications for mortality and appropriate as well as inappropriate device discharge. (Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

Lose Sleep, Gain Weight: Another Piece of the Obesity Puzzle

Medscape Diabetes Headlines — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:41:24 +0100

Is modern technology, and the pressures it brings, to blame for the obesity epidemic? Environmental Health Perspectives (Source: Medscape Diabetes Headlines)

Nigeria: Residents Get Free Water as Epidemic Looms in Ogun

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:02:21 +0100

Ogun state water board, at the weekend, offered residents of Abeokuta, the state capital free water supply as scarcity of public water utility persists, raising fears imminent outbreak of epidemic. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Dementia Expected to Become Epidemic in Elderly

Disabled World — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:38:02 +0100

Dementia in extreme elderly population expected to become epidemic according to the 90+ study - Oldest men and women experience 18 percent annual dementia incidence that increases with age... (Source: Disabled World)

Anti-Diabetic Agents from Natural Products-An Update from 2004 to 2009.

Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Qi LW, Liu EH, Chu C, Peng YB, Li P, Cai HX Diabetes mellitus (DM), the third killer of the mankind health along with cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, is one of the most challenging diseases facing health care professionals today. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that a DM epidemic is underway. Primary DM and its complications are costly to manage, not only for affected individuals, but also for healthcare systems around the world. Screening of anti-diabetic agents has been extensively investigated in the past decades. Natural products (NPs) have served as a major source of drugs for centuries, and about half of the pharmaceuticals in use today are derived from natural substances. Many natural products especially plants-derived medicines hav...

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Genome-wide analysis of histone modifications in human pancreatic islets [LETTERS]

Genome Research — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:07:35 +0100

The global diabetes epidemic poses a major challenge. Epigenetic events contribute to the etiology of diabetes; however, the lack of epigenomic analysis has limited the elucidation of the mechanistic basis for this link. To determine the epigenetic architecture of human pancreatic islets we mapped the genome-wide locations of four histone marks: three associated with gene activation—H3K4me1, H3K4me2, and H3K4me3—and one associated with gene repression, H3K27me3. Interestingly, the promoters of the highly transcribed insulin and glucagon genes are occupied only sparsely by H3K4me2 and H3K4me3. Globally, we identified important relationships between promoter structure, histone modification, and gene expression. We demonstrated co-occurrences of histone modifications including biv...

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:19:40 +0100

The evolution of epidemic suicide on Guam: context and contagion. - Booth H.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:17:42 +0100

Thirty years of suicide rates for Guam were analyzed by age, sex, period, and cohort. Youth suicide increased rapidly in the 1990s; certain cohorts have higher rates. Four explanatory factors are discussed, including ecological factors and migration from t... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Swine Flu Wanes, But Experts Say Pandemic Strain Could Reemerge

RWJF News Digest - Public Health — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:39:36 +0100

Even as officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are announcing that the epidemic of the H1N1 flu is no longer widespread in any state, no disease expert is willing to say there isn't a third -- or fourth -- wave of swine flu in the country's future. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Public Health)

World MRSA Day 2010 Theme, 'The MRSA Epidemic - A Call To Action'

Public Health News From Medical News Today — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0100

MRSA Survivors Network, the nonprofit and official organization for World MRSA Day has announced the theme for 2010: "The MRSA Epidemic- A Call to Action... (Source: Public Health News From Medical News Today)

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World MRSA Day 2010 Theme, 'The MRSA Epidemic - A Call To Action'

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0100

MRSA Survivors Network, the nonprofit and official organization for World MRSA Day has announced the theme for 2010: "The MRSA Epidemic- A Call to Action." This theme was chosen to raise awareness for MRSA and draw attention to the dire need for an immediate response to the growing global threat, Jeanine Thomas, founder states, "For the past year, H1N1 flu along with all the media hype has taken the focus off the true epidemic, MRSA. MRSA is rising at alarming rates in healthcare facilities and in the community: MRSA is the real public health disaster people are dying... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

White House Called on to Expand Global Health Initiative

MSF News — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:27:00 +0100

New York, February 24, 2010 The Obama administrations Global Health Initiative (GHI) does not go far enough in combating the most lethal neglected tropical diseases for which an estimated one billion people are infected, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) said today. MSF and DNDi call on the US government to expand the GHI to encompass treatment programs for all neglected tropical diseases, while supporting a research and development pipeline that will produce more effective, safer, and accessible medicines to patients as quickly as possible. In its current formulation, the GHI proposes significant funding increases for treating only five of 14 so-called ne...

Choking on Hot Dogs? It's not the shape, it's the ingredients

NaturalNews.com — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) The American Academy of Pediatrics is making headlines this week with a bizarre recommendation that hot dogs should be re-shaped to make them less of a choking hazard for children. But there's no mention of all the cancer-causing chemical ingredients that actually go into the hot dogs. Pediatric physicians are apparently more concerned about the shape than the ingredients. And they apparently have no concern about the truth that hot dogs contain cancer-causing ingredients.Hot dogs contain sodium nitrite, of course -- a cancer-causing ingredient that's been widely linked to pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer. People who eat hot dogs and other processed meats have a 67% increased risk of pancreatic cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/007024.html).Processed meats no doubt co...

The Role of Adenovirus in Respiratory Tract Infections

Current Infectious Disease Reports — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:55:49 +0100

Abstract Adenovirus plays a significant role in respiratory tract disease in pediatric and adult patients. It has been linked to outbreaks and epidemics in various patient populations, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. In this article, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis, respiratory tract illnesses and complications, and roles of potential treatment options. The role of the past oral adenovirus vaccine and the military implications of its withdrawal from routine use in military recruits is discussed as well. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11908-010-0084-5Authors Anjali N. Kunz, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Department of Pediatrics Bethesda MD 20184 USAMartin Ottolini, Uniformed Services University of the Health...

Epidemiological study of human calicivirus infection in children with gastroenteritis in Lanzhou from 2001 to 2007

Archives of Virology — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:49:41 +0100

Abstract Stool specimens were collected from 1,195 young children with acute diarrhea in Lanzhou, China, from 2001 to 2007. RT-PCR was used to detect human calicivirus (HucV). One hundred seventeen specimens were found positive for HucV. The infection rate was noticeably higher during 2006–2007 compared to the other years studied. Ninety-six specimens were sequenced to determine the genotypes of HucV. Eighty-six were norovirus and 10 were sapovirus, while GII/4 was the predominant strain of NV, followed by GII/3. The subtype of NV GII/4 changed from the Farmington Hills strain to the Bristol strain, and then to the Hunter strain and variant 2006b strain, over time. Variant 2006b has become the major epidemic strain in Lanzhou and should be closely monitored in the coming...

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Dementia in extreme elderly population expected to become epidemic according to the 90+ study

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Wiley-Blackwell) University of California researchers found that the incidence rate for all causes of dementia in people age 90 and older is 18.2 percent annually and significantly increases with age in both men and women. Findings of the 90+ study appear in the February issue of Annals of Neurology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Neurological Association. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Dry weather induces outbreaks of human West Nile virus infections

BMC Infectious Diseases — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our results have broad implications for risk assessment of WNV and forecasting WNV outbreaks. Assessing risk of vector-born infectious diseases will require understanding of complex ecological relationships. Based on the climatologically characteristic drought occurrence in the past and on climate model predictions for climate change and potentially greater drought occurrence in the future, we suggest that the frequency and relative risk of WNV outbreaks could increase. (Source: BMC Infectious Diseases)

Globe still in grip of addiction

Nature — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Jonathan M. Samet & Heather L. Wipfli After five years, the World Health Organization's tobacco-control treaty is starting to have an effect, but we need to tackle the smoking epidemic in the developing world, say Jonathan M. Samet and Heather L. Wipfli. (Source: Nature)

Mixed Lineage Kinase 3 deficiency delays viral clearance in the lung and is associated with diminished influenza-induced cytopathic effect in infected cells.

Virology — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Desmet EA, Hollenbaugh JA, Sime PJ, Wright TW, Topham DJ, Sant AJ, Takimoto T, Dewhurst S, Maggirwar SB Influenza virus leads to acute respiratory disease resulting in seasonal epidemics and periodic pandemics. Little is known about the signaling events that regulate host defense to influenza. One particular pathway, the c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) cascade is activated following influenza infection and blocking JNK leads to enhanced viral replication. We hypothesize that Mixed Lineage Kinase 3 (MLK3), an upstream regulator of JNK, is involved in the host response to influenza. To test this, wild-type and MLK3-/- mice were infected with pathogenic strain of influenza A virus, A/PR/8/34 (PR8). Although, cellular and humoral immune responses were similar between wild-type a...

Insecticide resistance in Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes from La Réunion Island.

Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Insecticide resistance in Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes from La Réunion Island. Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2010 Feb 24; Authors: Tantely ML, Tortosa P, Alout H, Berticat C, Berthomieu A, Rutee A, Dehecq JS, Makoundou P, Labbé P, Pasteur N, Weill M Resistance to insecticides was monitored on Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus mosquitoes collected in twelve localities of La Réunion, a geographically isolated island of the Indian Ocean. This mosquito is of medical concern in the region as a known vector for filariasis and a potential vector for West Nile and Rift Valley Fever viruses. Our bioassays indicated the presence of resistance to all tested insecticides, i.e. organochlorides, organophosphates and pyrethroids. A molecular investigat...

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Nigeria: Country Must Set Example for Rest of Africa in Tackling HIV, Says Unaids Chief

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:18:33 +0100

The head of the United Nations agency leading the global effort against HIV and AIDS has commended the Nigerian Government for its progressive policies, while calling for greater efforts to tackle the epidemic and set an example for the rest of Africa. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Reports Document Epidemic of Gender-based Violence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 08 February 2010

UNFPA News — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:05:11 +0100

Obama Administration Details Healthy Food Financing Initiative

NurseZone.com Nursing News — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:58:58 +0100

Feb. 22, 2010 - The Obama Administration recently released details of an over $400 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which will bring grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved urban and rural communities across America. The initiative was announced in Philadelphia by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The two cabinet members appeared with First Lady Michelle Obama, who recently launched the Let's Move! campaign to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. The initiative is a partnership between the Departments of Treasury, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services. (Source: NurseZone.com Nursing News)

Cardin Opinion Piece Calls For Passage Of International Violence Against Women Act

Women's Health / OBGYN News From Medical News Today — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0100

Violence against women is a "global epidemic" that "devastates the lives of millions of women and girls" and "knows no national or cultural barriers," Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) -- chair of the Helsinki Commission -- writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece supporting passage of the International Violence Against Women Act (S 2982)... (Source: Women's Health / OBGYN News From Medical News Today)