Health News

Efforts to ensure earlier diagnosis of HIV infection across Europe are still needed

Date: Sep-03-2013
Late diagnosis of HIV infection and entry into care remains a substantial problem across Europe according to a study published in this PLOS Medicine. The study, which was an international collaboration led by Amanda Mocroft from University College London, UK, analysed data from the COHERE in EuroCOORD study, an international collaboration including over 84,000 individuals with HIV infections from 35 European countries from January 2000 to January 2011...

Developing and delivering interventions to prepare women for pregnancy that can reduce mother and child deaths across the globe

Date: Sep-03-2013
A global group of experts has established research priorities addressing care for women prior to pregnancy, in a consensus statement published in PLOS Medicine. Sohni Dean and Zulfiqar Bhutta from the Aga Khan University, Karachi, collaborated with colleagues to identify the most important research areas for preconception care that need to be addressed in order to reduce deaths and disability in women and children...

Hepatitis B immunization program in Taiwan associated with reduction in chronic liver disease deaths

Date: Sep-03-2013
"Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes infant fulminant hepatitis (IFH), and chronic HBV infection may progress to chronic liver disease (CLD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Taiwan launched a nationwide HBV immunization program for newborns in July 1984, which has successfully lowered the prevalence of chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC, and mortality of IFH in vaccinated birth cohorts. The mortality of CLD before and after HBV immunization has never been examined," write Chun-Ju Chiang, Ph.D., of National Taiwan University, Taipei, and colleagues...

Iron supplementation among children living in malaria-endemic area does not result in increased incidence of malaria

Date: Sep-03-2013
Children in a malaria-endemic community in Ghana who received a micronutrient powder with iron did not have an increased incidence of malaria, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA. Previous research has suggested that iron supplementation for children with iron deficiency in malaria-endemic areas may increase the risk of malaria.  "In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, and iron deficiency is among the most prevalent preventable nutritional deficiencies...

Comparison of 4 different immunization schedules for pneumococcal vaccine finds no significant difference in antibody levels

Date: Sep-03-2013
The use of 4 different 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine immunization schedules in healthy term infants resulted in no statistically significant differences in antibody levels between the infants after the booster dose at 12 months of age for almost all serotypes, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA.  "The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that more than 800,000 children younger than 5 years died from pneumococcal disease in 2000, making it the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death...

Study evaluates prevalence of diabetes among adults in China

Date: Sep-03-2013
A study based on a nationally representative sample of adults in China in 2010 indicates that nearly 12 percent of Chinese adults had diabetes and the prevalence of prediabetes was about 50 percent, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA.  "Noncommunicable chronic diseases have become the leading causes of mortality and disease burden worldwide. It was estimated that 34.5 million deaths globally were due to noncommunicable diseases in 2010, which reflected a significant increase from 1990. Mortality from diabetes doubled during this period and increased to 1...

Multinational study suggests need for substantial improvement in hypertension diagnosis and treatment

Date: Sep-03-2013
In a study that included more than 140,000 participants from17 countries of varying income levels, researchers found a large gap between both detection and control of hypertension across all countries studied, with just over half of participants with hypertension aware of their diagnosis, and about one-third of those being treated for hypertension successfully controlling their blood pressure, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA.  "High blood pressure is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and deaths globally. It is associated with at least 7...

Calorie-counting 'eButton' camera measures portion size

Date: Sep-03-2013
Those who are counting calories must rely on either clunky food scales or inaccurate guesses of portion sizes. But a new wearable computer called the eButton, which matches images against a library of 3D geometric shapes, may soon provide a stealthy, accurate way of measuring calories. The eButton - which fastens to a shirt like an ordinary badge - consists of a low-power central processing unit (CPU), a random-access memory (RAM) communication interface and a Linux or Android operating system...

Gut bacteria may cause cancer by disarming immune system

Date: Sep-03-2013
New research presented at a conference this week suggests a common stomach bacterium with known links to duodenal ulcers and stomach cancer may trigger disease by disarming a part of the immune system that is involved in controlling inflammation. Strong evidence from epidemiological research - studies that look at incidence of disease and possible causes in populations - and evidence from molecular studies has led to the idea that bacteria can cause cancer...

Urine test 'could predict cognitive decline in diabetics'

Date: Sep-03-2013
A simple urine test may be able to predict whether people with type 2 diabetes are at risk of cognitive decline, according to a study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente of Georgia, Emory School of Medicine and the National Institute on Aging have discovered that a protein detectable in the urine of patients with albuminuria - a common kidney complication linked to type 2 diabetes - could be an early warning sign of cognitive decline in older diabetics...