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Bloomberg era’s emphasis on ‘health in all policies’ improved New Yorkers’ heart health

From 2002 to 2013, New York City implemented a series of policies prioritizing the public’s health in areas beyond traditional healthcare policies and illustrated the potential to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. This strategy is known as employing a “health in all policies” approach. Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health catalogued health-relevant legislation

Diseases from ticks, fleas, mosquitoes soar in US

Diseases from mosquitoes, ticks and flea bites tripled in the United States from 2004 to 2016, and officials said Tuesday rising temperatures and an increasingly connected global society are to blame. More than 642,000 cases of these illnesses were reported during the 13 years studied in the Vital Signs report from the US Centers for

When your immune system meddles in your love life

About a decade ago, evolutionary psychologists suggested that humans have evolved a first line of defense against disease: a behavioural immune system (BIS). This system is thought to be unconsciously activated, to varying degrees, when an individual perceives, rightly or wrongly, that there is a threat of disease. Although we cannot see microorganisms with our

Survey: Medical marijuana could reduce opioid use in older adults

A questionnaire of older men and women suffering from chronic pain who were given medical marijuana found that the drug significantly reduced pain and their need for opioid painkillers, Northwell Health researchers report. The results of the study, “Older Adults’ Use of Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain: A Multisite Community-Based Survey,” are scheduled to be

Poll finds 4 in 5 Americans favor increase in mental health support for children

According to new public opinion research released today and commissioned by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 87 percent of Americans agree there needs to be more mental health support (including increased treatment, therapy and prevention resources) available to help children and adolescents in their communities. The Harris Poll, one of the longest running surveys tracking public opinion

Not enough women included in some heart disease clinical trials

Women are underrepresented in clinical trials for heart failure, coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome but proportionately or overrepresented in trials for hypertension, atrial fibrillation and pulmonary arterial hypertension, when compared to incidence or prevalence of women within each disease population, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Sickle cell trait not linked to stroke in African-Americans

(HealthDay)—For African-Americans, sickle cell trait (SCT) seems not to be associated with the incidence of ischemic stroke, according to a meta-analysis published online April 23 in JAMA Neurology. Hyacinth I. Hyacinth, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., from Emory Children’s Center in Atlanta, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to examine whether SCT is associated with increased risk of

Potentially inappropriate meds use prevalent in cancer patients

(HealthDay)—Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use is relatively prevalent among patients with breast or colorectal cancer, though it is not associated with most adverse outcomes, according to a study published online April 24 in Cancer. Meghan S. Karturi, M.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues examined the impact of

Blood cancer precursor found in 9/11 firefighters

A study in today’s issue of JAMA Oncology reports that New York City firefighters exposed to the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster site face an increased risk for developing myeloma precursor disease (MGUS), which can lead to the blood cancer multiple myeloma. The study was conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore

Probiotics useful in the fight against infection prevention

Probiotics may be a relatively safe, simple, and low-cost solution for preventing Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in hospital settings, according to two studies published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Both studies show that treating patients who received antibiotics with multi-strain probiotics, cut down

Culprit in reducing effectiveness of insulin identified

Scientists at Osaka University have discovered that Stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1) secreted from adipocytes reduces the effectiveness of insulin in adipocytes and decreased insulin-induced glucose uptake. Insulin is a hormone that facilitates glucose uptake. Insulin binds to cellular insulin receptors to activate Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 (IRS-1), taking in sugar through phosphorylation of Akt. If

Belief in fake causes of cancer is rife

Mistaken belief in mythical causes of cancer is rife according to new research jointly funded by Cancer Research UK and published today (Thursday) in the European Journal of Cancer. Researchers at University College London (UCL) and the University of Leeds surveyed 1,330 people in England and found that more than 40% wrongly thought that stress