MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG' source. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:43:58 +0100 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/fixing_the_nations_medical_and.html This week’s the New England Journal of Medicine has a wonderful set of articles, viewable without a subscription, that suggest ways to fix the nation’s infrastructure based on the ecology of primary care, and the epidemiology of the major diseases that present to primary care physicians; as the problems besetting us have changed from acute infections of the young to chronic diseases of the aged. The Editorials are accompanied by an excellent video where 5 recognized leaders discuss the US medical and health care systems. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1959712 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:36:32 +0100 1959712 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/slightly_lower_adult_smoking_r.html An estimated 19.8 percent of U.S. adults (43.4 million people), were current smokers in 2007, down from 20.8 percent in 2006, according to a study in CDC′s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, released in advance of the Great American Smokeout. However, based on the current rate of decline, it is unlikely that the national health objective of reducing the prevalence of adult cigarette smoking to 12 percent or lower will be met by 2010. Comment: Not an impressive reduction. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1959713 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:33:21 +0100 1959713 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/growing_awareness_of_copd_nati.html National Institutes of Health analyzed results from the annual HealthStyles survey of American public health attitudes. The fourth leading cause of death in the United States, COPD is a serious lung disease affecting an estimated 24 million Americans. More than 12 million people are currently diagnosed with COPD and another 12 million may have COPD but remain undiagnosed despite recognizable symptoms. COPD typically affects people over 45, especially those who smoke or have smoked, and those with risk factors associated with genetics or environmental exposures. Smoking is attributed to as many as 9 out of ten COPD-related deaths, yet most survey respondents — 66 percent — did not recognize smoking as a risk factor. This was especially true among the current smokers surveyed. Just 22 pe... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1959714 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:31:00 +0100 1959714 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/smokings_effect_on_nurses_heal.html A new UCLA School of Nursing study is the first to reveal the devastating consequences of smoking on the nursing profession. The Nurses' Health Study (237,648 female registered nurses) is the largest study of women's health in the world. "From a workforce perspective, however, the findings also hold a mirror up to the well-being of nurses, the largest group of health care professionals in the country." "Quitting smoking made a big difference in enhancing longevity, especially among nurses in their late 70s. "Death rates among former smokers that age were 1.5 times higher than those of non-smokers, while current smokers were 2.3 times more likely to have died by that age than nurses who never smoked." According to the most recent data, the smoking rate among registered nurses nationwide is ... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1959715 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:27:20 +0100 1959715 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/heart_failure_expenditures_tot.html "Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure have many more doctor visits and take more medications than those without heart failure," according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's annual scientific sessions. Professor Robert Page, of the University of Colorado, and colleagues, analyzed "data on 173,000 Medicare beneficiaries. The overall average age of the beneficiaries was 70.7 years, while the average age for those with heart failure was between 76 and 77 years." The researchers found that "patients with severe heart failure saw an average of 23 different Medicare providers a year, compared with about 7.9 providers for typical Medicare beneficiaries." The authors calculated that, for "2005, beneficiaries with heart failure accounted for 37 percent of all Medicare spen... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1959716 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:25:10 +0100 1959716 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/fda_warns_public_of_extortion.html There is one born every minute: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about a fraudulent scheme to extort money from consumers by callers who falsely identify themselves as "FDA special agents" or other FDA officials. Several instances have been reported to the FDA of calls enticing consumers to purchase discounted prescription drugs by wiring funds to one of several locations in the Dominican Republic. No medications are ever delivered. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1959717 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:24:15 +0100 1959717 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/death_rate_for_older_drivers_d.html Death rates for older drivers in Florida decreased following passage of a vision screening law for drivers age 80 and older, according to new research from University of Alabama. The UAB researchers say that, while there is little evidence of an association between vision and motor vehicle collisions, the death rate among older Florida drivers has decreased significantly since the law requiring drivers age 80 and older to pass a vision test went into effect in 2004. While overall death rates for all drivers climbed slightly during this period, the fatality rate for older drivers fell 17 percent. Fatality rates for older drivers in Alabama and Georgia did not change. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1959718 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:22:03 +0100 1959718 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/preemie_problems_persist.html The USA received a "D" overall on the March of Dimes' first state-by-state "Premature Birth Report Card," released today. Each year, more than 530,000 babies are born before 37 full weeks of gestation, which is considered preterm. Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn death and a major cause of lifelong disability, according to the March of Dimes. Based on the percentage of 2005 live births that were preterm, Vermont ranked at the top with 9%, slightly less than half the figure in Mississippi, which ranked at the bottom with 18.8%. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1954965 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:58:55 +0100 1954965 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/rand_study_is_first_to_link_vi.html Adolescents who have high levels of exposure to television programs that contain sexual content are twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy over the following three years as their peers who watch few such shows, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The study, published in the November edition of the journal Pediatrics, is the first to establish a link between teenagers' exposure to sexual content on TV and either pregnancies among girls or responsibility for pregnancies among boys. "Adolescents receive a considerable amount of information about sex through television and that programming typically does not highlight the risks and responsibilities of sex," said Anita Chandra, the study's lead author and a behavioral scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Our find... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1954966 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:55:22 +0100 1954966 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/crossing_the_digital_divide.html This report will help us make health information technology more available and accessible to consumers as they use it to become more active in their care,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. “I hope the report will be useful to clinicians, policymakers, patient advocates and others who are working to integrate health IT solutions that improve the quality and safety of health care for all Americans.” (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1951383 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:46:17 +0100 1951383 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/statins_may_help_prevent_heart.html According to a paper published in this week’s NEJM, primary prevention using stations may prevent acute cardiovascular events such as coronary and stroke disease, the an individual has a high “C-Reactive Protein” level, but no physical signs or symptoms of disease. An analysis of the study suggests that “250,000 heart attacks, strokes, bypass operations, angioplasties, and deaths in the next five years” Comment: However, given the media hype, is the suggestion that everyone with this single adverse test (no data on false positives or false negatives) by paced on statins for life? (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1951384 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:41:47 +0100 1951384 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/dengue_in_brazil.html Rio de Janeiro state has registered 250 026 cases of dengue in 2008through 29 Oct 2008, including 181 confirmed deaths, with 143 more deaths awaiting confirmation; 56 confirmed deaths were from DHF. Half the cases (125 988) and 105 of the confirmed deaths were in the capital, Rio de Janeiro itself. According to the WHO classification of risk from infestation by the dengue vector mosquito _Aedes aegypti_, a house index (measure of houses where breeding places are found) below one per cent does not constitute an epidemic risk; 1-4 per cent signals an alert, and over 4 per cent a high risk. House index figures released yesterday [29 Oct 2008] showed that in 7 districts of the capital, it ranged from 7-10.8 per cent, and in 9 others above one per cent; only 7 districts surveyed were below one ... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1932952 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:15:33 +0100 1932952 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/media_coverage_affects_how_peo.html The research, published online in the Public Library of Science: ONE, suggests diseases that show up frequently in the print media –like bird flu –are considered more serious than similar diseases that do not receive the same kind of coverage, such as yellow fever. "The media tend to focus on rare and dramatic events," says Meredith Young, one of the study's lead authors, Neuroscience & Behaviour. "When a certain disease receives repeated coverage in the press, people tend to focus on it and perceive it as a real threat. This raises concerns regarding how people view their own health, how they truly understand disease and how they treat themselves." (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1932953 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:08:46 +0100 1932953 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/the_center_for_a_livable_futur.html The Center for a Livable Future (CLF) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has launched a web site to enable research on the critical links between agriculture and public health. The Agriculture & Public Health Gateway is a unique information resource for public health and agricultural professionals, advocacy and community organizations, policy makers, journalists, and educators. “Public health and agriculture are intricately linked, and there is a growing interest in the complicated connections between them,” said Dr. Robert Lawrence, director of the Center for a Livable Future. “The Gateway places important and reliable information about these connections in one central location and makes it easy to access. We hope all who are concerned about a sustainable food sy... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1932955 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:04:23 +0100 1932955 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/11/low_scores_to_hospitals_on_pai.html A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers analyzed the first national data on patients' experiences in hospital settings and found that though patients are generally satisfied with their care, there is substantial room for improvement in a number of key areas, including pain management and discharge instructions. Pain management has been the target of both accreditation and quality-improvement initiatives for many years, but nearly a third of patients did not give high ratings in that area. Discharge instructions have similarly been targeted for quality initiatives, but about a fifth of patients did not rate communications in that area highly. "Given that we spend more than $2 trillion annually for health care in our country, we should expect that the basics are add... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1929844 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:15:07 +0100 1929844 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/population_explosion.html From the sustainable scale project. The current population of 6.4 billion people is almost eight and one half times larger than the population of 760 million at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. At current growth rates, the world population could double in as little as 58 years. This rapid increase in population parallels that of both increased GWP (GLOSSARY) and increased environmental degradation of global ecosystems. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1924028 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:54:11 +0100 1924028 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/hospital_trial_shows_copper_re.html Research conducted at the University of Southampton has paved the way for a hospital trial that has shown that surfaces made with materials that contain copper kill a wide range of potentially harmful micro-organisms - significantly reducing the number of these organisms that can come into contact with patients, visitors and staff. Comment: This is not surprising considering hqw log copper has been included in antifouling paints for ship bottoms. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1920773 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:08:57 +0100 1920773 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/vaccinating_family_members_off_1.html Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza before their newborns leave the hospital creates a "cocooning effect" that may shelter unprotected children from the flu, a virus that can be life-threatening to infants, according to researchers at Duke Children's Hospital. "Newborns have the highest rate of hospitalizations due to influenza when compared to any other age group of children. Their rates of influenza-related hospitalization are similar to people age 80 and older. And, in some seasons the influenza-associated mortality rate is highest among infants. We want to protect the newborn by vaccinating the entire family, and send parents home with one less thing to worry about." (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1920774 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:03:53 +0100 1920774 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/httpwwwemoryeduhomenewsrelease.html A new predictive model shows that vaccinating infants with 7 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) — the current recommendation — not only saves lives and money during a normal flu season by preventing related bacterial infections; it also would prevent more than 357,000 deaths during an influenza pandemic, while saving $7 billion in costs. Bacterial infections, particularly pneumococcal disease, can follow a viral illness such as flu and cause secondary infections that worsen flu symptoms and increase influenza-related risk. Bacterial infections may have been the cause of nearly half of the deaths of young soldiers during the 1918 flu pandemic. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1920775 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:59:37 +0100 1920775 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/removal_of_superpolluters_coul.html ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2008) — A study undertaken by researchers from the University of Alcalá (UAH) shows that if the “super-polluters”, the high-polluting vehicles, such as certain buses and lorries in a poor condition, were removed, pollution from nanoparticles could be reduced by up to 25% and 48%, depending on the parameter analysed. These minute particles can cause serious health problems. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1917738 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:56:27 +0100 1917738 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/fda_statement_on_release_of_bi.html The subcommittee report to the Science Board raises important questions regarding the draft safety assessment, and the FDA looks forward to the review of the subcommittee's report by the Science Board on Oct. 31. The FDA agrees that, due to the uncertainties raised in some studies relating to the potential effects of low dose exposure to bisphenol A, additional research would be valuable. The FDA is already moving forward with planned research to address the potential low dose effects of bisphenol A, and we will carefully evaluate the findings of these studies. Consumers should know that, based on all available evidence, the present consensus among regulatory agencies in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan is that current levels of exposure to BPA through food packaging do not pos... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1917739 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:54:36 +0100 1917739 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/review_of_prostate_cancer_prev.html Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health shows that selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not prevent prostate cancer. The data also showed two concerning trends: a small but not statistically significant increase in the number of prostate cancer cases among the over 35,000 men age 50 and older in the trial taking only vitamin E and a small, but not statistically significant increase in the number of cases of adult onset diabetes in men taking only selenium. Because this is an early analysis of the data from the study, neither of these findings proves an increased risk from the... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1917740 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:49:46 +0100 1917740 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/doorknobs_and_tv_remotes_are_g.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Someone in your house have the sniffles? Watch out for the refrigerator door handle. The TV remote, too. A new study finds that cold sufferers often leave their germs there, where they can live for two days or longer. Scientists at the University of Virginia, long known for its virology research, tested surfaces in the homes of people with colds and reported the results Tuesday at the nation's premier conference on infectious diseases. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1917741 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:47:36 +0100 1917741 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/national_trends_in_treatment_o.html In a study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine we find Diabetes mellitus is common, costly, and increasingly prevalent. Despite innovations in therapy, little is known about patterns and costs of drug treatment. Further, increasingly complex and costly diabetes treatments are being applied to an increasing population. The magnitude of these rapid changes raises concerns about whether these more costly therapies will result in proportionately improved outcomes. Comment: We may have we reached a point for chronic diseases where there is too much research on technology, and too little understanding of how the interventions affect the disease. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914238 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:16:15 +0100 1914238 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/10_facts_on_the_global_burden.html Collecting and comparing health data from across the globe is a way to describe health problems, identify trends and help decision-makers set priorities. A recent study describes the state of global health by measuring the burden of disease – the loss of health from all causes of illness and deaths worldwide. It details the leading causes of deaths worldwide and in every region, and provides information on more than 130 diseases and injuries across the world. Read more about the global burden of disease study findings (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914239 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:14:13 +0100 1914239 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/high_dose_of_flu_vaccine_boost.html Ann Falsey, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and an infectious diseases specialist at Rochester General Hospital, discussed how Giving people age 65 and older a dose four times larger than the standard flu vaccine boosts the amount of antibodies in their blood to levels considered protective against the flu, more so than the standard flu vaccine does. The findings from a study of nearly 4,000 people were presented Oct. 26 at a national meeting on infectious diseases. The higher dose of vaccine generally resulted in approximately 30 percent to 80 percent more antibodies against flu, long considered a good measure of protection. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914240 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:12:28 +0100 1914240 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/rheumatoid_arthritis_rising_am.html After four decades on the decline, rheumatoid arthritis is on the upswing among women in the United States. That's the finding presented by Mayo Clinic investigators. From 1955 to 1994, the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis had continually been on the decline. That apparently changed beginning in the mid-1990s. Compared to the previous decade when approximately 36 women out of every 100,000 developed rheumatoid arthritis each year, the new study showed a jump to 54 women in the more recent decade. The incidence for men remained at about 29 per 100,000. Overall, the percentage of the entire population with the condition rose from 0.85 percent to 0.95 percent. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914241 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:10:44 +0100 1914241 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/vaccinating_family_members_off.html Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza before their newborns leave the hospital creates a "cocooning effect" that may shelter unprotected children from the flu, a virus that can be life-threatening to infants, according to researchers at Duke Children's Hospital. The hospital-based outreach tested in this study proved effective at boosting immunization rates in parents -- especially new fathers -- and siblings who otherwise may not be vaccinated. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914242 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:07:30 +0100 1914242 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/johns_hopkins_bloomberg_school.html Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have been selected to lead a new national survey of older Americans to understand patterns of disability and aging. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is expected to award approximately $24 million over the next five years to develop and implement the new survey. “Our aim is to provide scientific evidence that can help in reducing disability and improving the daily lives of older people,” said Judy Kasper, PhD, principal investigator. “We will assemble a rich database of information that will allow researchers to study how people’s ability to function independently changes over time, as well as examine the factors that influence those changes, such as social environment... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914243 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:03:20 +0100 1914243 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/tb_patients_at_risk.html A recently introduced blood test can reveal which patients may develop active tuberculosis (TB) much more precisely than the 100-year old TB skin test, according to a new study published today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Around a third of the world's population is infected with the TB bacteria and approximately 9 million new cases of active TB are diagnosed around the world each year, according to World Health Organisation estimates. The majority of those infected live in the developing world. The researchers believe that the ELISpot blood test can enable preventative treatment to be targeted in a more focused way than the tuberculin skin test. Unlike the blood test, the skin test commonly gives falsely positive results if a patient has previously been vaccinated against TB... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1900880 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:52:41 +0100 1900880 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/children_with_food_allergies_i.html The number of young people who had a food or digestive allergy increased 18 percent between 1997 and 2007, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2007, approximately 3 million U.S. children and teenagers under age 18 – or nearly 4 percent of that age group – were reported to have a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months, compared to just over 2.3 million (3.3 percent) in 1997..” A. Wesley Burks, "co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics' 2008 food allergy recommendations who was not involved in the new CDC report," said that "because so many studies have documented a rise in allergic diseases, doctors believe the increase is 'real,' rather than the result of greater awareness or expanded testing." (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1900881 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:47:50 +0100 1900881 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/better_beer_college_team_creat.html College students often spend their free time thinking about beer, but a group of Rice University students are taking it to the next level. They're using genetic engineering to create beer that contains resveratrol, a chemical in wine that's been shown to reduce cancer and heart disease in lab animals. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894349 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:31:28 +0100 1894349 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/gene_screen_to_identify_causes.html A new screening method can be used to detect the chromosomal abnormalities most commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders. By screening for genetic defects associated with various kinds of cognitive impairment, the approach will help clinicians identify the underlying causes of some patients' autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). ASDs have been increasingly associated with genetic abnormalities. Comment: Will autism activists be likely to accept a genetic basis for this spectrum of diseases? Will it stop them blaming vaccines, mercury etc. Will the identification of such genes lead to better preconceptual counseling? [BMC Medical Genomics 2008, 1:50] (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894350 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:27:15 +0100 1894350 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/medical_textbooks_use_white_he.html ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2008) — Images of white men predominate in western anatomy textbooks, which present them as a “universal model” of the human being. This is the main conclusion of a study that has analysed 16,329 images from 12 manuals currently recommended by 20 of the most prestigious universities in Europe, the United States and Canada. Comment: Do our textbooks bias the thinking of health workers by stereotyping potential patients? (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894351 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:24:24 +0100 1894351 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/no_higher_risk_of_leukemia_fou.html Children living in the vicinity of powerful radio and television transmitters are not significantly more at risk of leukemia than others, according to a new German study. This is one of the main results of the Epidemiological study on childhood cancer and proximity to radio and television transmitters, conducted by the Institute for Medical Biometry, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI) of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz on behalf of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). The study included 1,959 children aged 0-14 years, diagnosed with primary leukemia between 1984 and 2003, living in the surrounding of 16 amplitude-modulated (AM) and 8 frequency-modulated (FM) transmitters (UKW-/TV-transmitters). The leukemia cases were registered at the German childhood cancer regist... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894352 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:20:59 +0100 1894352 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/study_suggests_patient_privacy.html In the Los Angeles Times (10/20) Booster Shots blog, Susan Brink wrote that "concerns about privacy and security...have stalled efforts to" create "a unique patient identifier -- a number carried by each American linking patients to their individual health records." Currently, the majority of "hospitals and health systems...rely on what's called statistical matching, based on multiple personal attributes, such as name, address, birth date, gender, and Social Security number, to accurately match a given patient with his or her...records or medical history," thereby exposing patients to privacy risks and possible identity theft. But, according to a RAND Corporation study released online on Oct. 20, it may be "easier to safeguard patient privacy with a records system that makes use of a uniqu... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894353 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:18:03 +0100 1894353 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/providing_toilets_safe_water_i.html ScienceDaily (Oct. 20, 2008) — Simply installing toilets where needed throughout the world and ensuring safe water supplies would do more to end crippling poverty and improve world health than any other possible measure, according to an analysis released by the United Nations University. "Water problems, caused largely by an appalling absence of adequate toilets in many places, contribute tremendously to some of the world's most punishing problems, foremost among them the inter-related afflictions of poor health and chronic poverty," says Zafar Adeel, Director of the UN University's Canadian-based International Network on Water, Environment and Health. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894354 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:15:19 +0100 1894354 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/hypertension_disparity_linked.html Social environment may play a greater role in the disparity between the numbers of African Americans living with hypertension compared to non-Hispanic whites with the disease. A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the disparity was substantially reduced when comparing groups of African Americans and non-Hispanic whites living in similar social environments. The results are published in the November 2008 print edition of Social Science and Medicine. “Our study found that nearly 31 percent of the hypertension disparity among African Americans and non-Hispanic whites is attributable to environmental factors,” says Roland James Thorpe Jr., PhD, lead author of the study and an assistant scientist with the Bloomberg School’s Hopkins Center... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894355 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:10:50 +0100 1894355 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/vitamin_d_a_key_player_in_over.html In a paper published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Professor Anthony Norman identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, Norman also lists 36 organ tissues in the body whose cells respond biologically to vitamin D. The list includes bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and the uterus. According to Norman, deficiency of vitamin D can impact all 36 organs. Already, vitamin D deficiency is associated with muscle strength decrease, high risk for falls, and increased risk for colorectal, prostate and breast and other major cancers. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1875643 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:30:09 +0100 1875643 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/vitamn_d_dose.html The American Academy of Pediatrics "recommends all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life. The previous recommendation, issued in 2003, called for 200 IU per day beginning in the first two months of life.” Rickets continues to be reported in the United States in infants and adolescents. The greatest risk for rickets is in exclusively breastfed infants who are not supplemented with 400 IU of vitamin D a day. Adequate vitamin D throughout childhood may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. In adults, new evidence suggests that vitamin D plays a role in the immune system and may help prevent infections, autoimmune diseases, cancer and diabetes. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1875644 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:25:38 +0100 1875644 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/genes_and_disease.html From the annual meeting of the European Science Foundation’s current meeting on ‘Unraveling The Complexity Of Human Disease’ we find that the more we learn about unraveling the human genes the more complex the issues of disease becomes. Dr Patrik Kolar, head of the unit for genomics and systems biology in the European Commission's research directorate, said, "Functional genomics and systems biology is an important and integral part of our health research program because an understanding of these basic biological processes has huge potential and real applications for understanding disease, and when you understand disease you can design new drugs." Professor Mark McCarthy of the University of Oxford in the UK, who is searching for genes involved in type 2 diabetes said "For diabetes, w... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1875645 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:21:02 +0100 1875645 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/data_indicate_link_between_inc.html "In almost every state, children in the poorest and least-educated households suffer the worst health outcomes," according to a report compiled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The data indicate that "16 percent of children ages 17 and younger are in less than optimal health based on their parents' reports -- this rate varies widely across states from a high of 22.8 percent in Texas, to a low of 6.9 percent in Vermont." Comment: There is nothing new about a link between poverty and reduced health status. This has been well documented for over 50 years. What is new is the difference among children living in poverty by state.” Further the report starts out “lf parents want their children to grow up to live long, healthy lives” which gets to the crux of the issue that too many chi... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865229 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:45:29 +0100 1865229 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/red_wine_may_lower_lung_cancer.html Moderate consumption of red wine may decrease the risk of lung cancer in men, according to a report in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention¸ a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Among the study participants, there was on average a two percent lower lung cancer risk associated with each glass of red wine consumed per month. The most substantial risk reduction was among smokers who drank one to two glasses of red wine per day. The researchers reported a 60 percent reduced lung cancer risk in these men. Researchers warned men to stop smoking as the best way to reduce lung cancer risk; noting that even men who drank one to two glasses of red wine per day still face higher lung cancer risk than do non-smokers. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Hea... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865230 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:30:18 +0100 1865230 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/largest_review_of_its_kind_ass.html Analysis of data from 38 studies that enrolled more than 2.7 million women -- the largest of its kind -- by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, and the University of Santiago de Compostela reveals that regular use of Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a 12 per cent relative risk reduction in breast cancer compared to non-users. Comment: But how many women will opt to take a mediation that is not without side effect on a lifetime basis? (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865231 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:29:00 +0100 1865231 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/new_tiny_supersensitive_probe.html Based on results of a landmark study, researchers at Mayo Clinic's Florida campus see a future in which virtual biopsies will eliminate the need to remove colon polyps that are not cancerous or will not morph into the disease. Currently one-third to one-half of the polyps removed during colonoscopies end up being harmless, but they need to be examined by pathologists, and this increases time, expense and the potential for complications to the beneficial screening. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865232 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:24:25 +0100 1865232 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/new_prenatal_test_for_down_syn.html ScienceDaily (Oct. 7, 2008) — Pregnant women worried about their babies' genetic health face a tough decision: get prenatal gene testing and risk miscarriage, or skip the tests and miss the chance to learn of genetic defects before birth. But a new prenatal test could make this dilemma obsolete. The new method, developed by scientists at Stanford University, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, requires only a maternal blood sample to spot chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome. Because fetal DNA shows up in maternal blood quite early in pregnancy, the team says their technique could provide a much earlier diagnosis for fetal aneuploidy than is now available. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1862430 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:33:43 +0100 1862430 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/study_suggests_terminally_ill.html HealthDay (10/7, Gardner) reported, "End-of-life discussions between a doctor and a terminally ill patient do not result in more distress for patients. In fact, they result in less aggressive medical interventions and enhanced quality of life in a patient's final days," according to a study published in the Oct. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1862431 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:28:32 +0100 1862431 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/accreditation_council_says_med.html Modern Healthcare reports that "medical education training needs to move into the 21st century by focusing more on clinical outcomes and other quality measures along with information technology adoption, representatives from the academic medical community told the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission." According to Thomas Nasca, chief executive officer of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, "The current system rates a 'C' in terms of its proficiency in training physicians." Comment: A new system should also focus on those conditions that epidemiology show are most common, rather than most rare. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1850593 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:59:05 +0100 1850593 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/an_estimate_of_the_global_prev.html According to the WHO, the total number of people aged 15–49 years who were living with HSV-2 infection worldwide in 2003 is estimated to be 536 million, while the total number of people who were newly infected with HSV-2 in 2003 is estimated to be 23.6 million. While the estimates are limited by poor availability of data, general trends are evident. For example, more women than men were infected, and the number infected increased with age. Although prevalence varied substantially by region, predicted prevalence was mostly higher in developing regions than developed regions. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1850594 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:55:48 +0100 1850594 http://blog.vcu.edu/cbuttery/2008/10/dietary_supplements_no_better.html In a two-year multicenter study led by University of Utah doctors, the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate performed no better than placebo in slowing the rate of cartilage loss in the knees of osteoarthritis patients. This was an ancillary study concurrently conducted on a subset of the patients who were enrolled in the prospective, randomized GAIT (Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial). The primary objective of this ancillary study was to investigate whether these dietary supplements could diminish the structural damage of osteoarthritis. The results, published in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, show none of the agents had a clinically significant effect on slowing the rate of joint space width loss -the distance between the ends of joint ... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1844423 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:07:58 +0100 1844423