Tag: heart disease

IH News Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies:

  • The government of United States is ready to enroll people in private health insurance plans starting this October 1.
  • Vermont state senate gives final approval those doctors will not face any criminal or civil liability when treating terminally ill patients who choose to end their lives.
  • The government of Uganda plans health insurance policy for the nation.

Programs:

  • With the aim of helping countries to make more informed health policy and program choices, World bank group has released a set of 22 case studies of countries that have significantly expanded access to health care in last decade.
  • Ghana launches television series to spark improvement in maternal health.
  • In order to improve health data collection by increasing access across the United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has handed over eight SUV to the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS).
  • The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) provides $ 16 million loan to back up health sector in Mauritiana.
  • UNICEF seeks nearly US$7 million for tens of thousands of flood victims in Mozambique.
  • US$87 million has been approved by the World Bank to support climatic change resiliency and improvement of health and nutrition in Mozambique.
  • Carnegie Mellon University in Rwanda receives grant from Ricoh Innovations for eHealth research.
  • A two-day International Conference on Telemedicine for South –East Asian Countries has concluded with Adoption of Delhi Declaration in New Delhi.
  • Financial assistance of US$ 43,592 has been extended to the Kathmandu – based non-based government organization- the Nepal Diabetes Society.
  •  Sri Lanka gets US$200 million credit from World Bank to improve public health system.

Research:

  • According to a study, low levels of copper in brain may lead to senile beta amyloid deposition as senile plaques in brain in Alzheimer’s disease.
  • According to a study United States ranks low on health measures.
  • Scientists have discovered aromatic rice from Bangladesh that has very low arsenic content.  It is believed that its consumption will have major health benefits.
  • A study found that diabetes reduces sperm count and damages DNA in men.
  • According to the researchers work-related stress not related to cancers
  • Experts in their study state that even the young suffer from heart disease.
  • Researchers in their study have found a link between artificial sweeteners with obesity and type- 2 diabetes.
  • Study identifies regions of genes linked with Beh-ets’s disease.
  • According to a U.S. study of Israeli women in vitro fertilization  does not increase the risk of breast and gynecological cancer.
  • A study shows that Americans successfully manage diabetes.
  • A new study states that reducing salt in Americans diet would reduce death from stroke and heart attack.
  • A study in Norway states that folic acid supplements early in pregnancy may reduce risk of autism by 40%.
  • A study shows that people who eat chocolate frequently have a lower body mass index (BMI) that those who consume it less regulatory.
  • Study finds clues to why most babies in China survived tainted milk scandal.

Diseases & Disasters:

  • According to the Disease Control and Surveillance Unit of the Nkoranza South Municipal Health Directorate (Ghana), preventable communicable diseases have hit Nkoranza south municipality.
  • Acute drug shortage is being faced by the public schools of Malawi.
  • Cholera crisis confirmed in northern Mozambique after heavy rains and flooding.
  • Thousands of people are affected and hundreds killed in Hepatitis E outbreak in South Sudan refugee camps.
  • China checks levels of radiation in areas bordering North Korea. So far no signs of radiation in the region.
  • Number of people being affected with H1N1 virus is increasing in New Delhi, India.

 

 

 

IH News Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies:

  • Egypt will carry out vaccination campaign in parts of Cairo after polio virus was found in sewer.
  • The United Kingdom’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has rejected calls to ban the herbal stimulant, khat.
  • Minister of Finance of Kyrgystan has announced a Russian grant of $25 million to be directed to health and education in Kyrgyzstan.

Programs:

  • To support veteran’s mental health in Kent and Medway, National Health Service (NHS) invests £150,000.
  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is in a process of stopping its researches involving the chimpanzees.
  • UNESCO has released a booklet that promotes improved links between gender, HIV and education.
  • The First lady opened Sh6 Billion health center– the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Lukaya, Uganda.
  • Two projects in the health and education fields have been funded by British Gas Tunisia. It will provide health services to 20 thousand locals.
  • A HIV gender assessment tool has been designed by the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to assess the cause of women vulnerability to contracting HIV.
  • About N$67,720 donation has been received by the Cancer Association of Nambia (CAN) from Quality Tyres Nambia. This money will be used for the prostate cancer treatment of the people.
  • The United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has called on the international community to contribute nearly $1.4 billion to address to the urgent needs of the children in 45 countries including a need to strengthen the capacity of partners in the field of health and nutrition.
  • The UNICEF, EU and Uzbekistan are together implementing a project to protect health of mother and child.
  • The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Batey Relief Alliance have together launched a food assistance program for people living in extreme poverty in the Dominican Republic.

Research:

  • New researches on bird flu is about to begin.
  • According to a study published in the British Health Journal, women’s views on over diagnosis in breast cancer screening vary. The highest estimates made some women (50%) perceive need for more careful personal decision making about screening. While lower and intermediate estimates had limited impact on attitudes and intentions related to screening.
  • According to a study published in PLoS ONE, scientists in Benin have developed a new technique to detect malaria parasites in mosquito vectors. It could help to estimate malaria transmission intensity in different settings.
  • According to a study published in the Lancet folic acid supplements are unlikely to substantially increase or decrease overall cancer risk.
  • The monitoring data by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) published by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) suggest that number of people facing food insecurity will reduce.
  • According to a meta-analysis published in British Medical Journal, there is no link between consumption of eggs and increased risk of heart disease or stroke.
  • A recently published international study states that the children were most hit by 2009 bird flu. About 47% of those aged between five to 19 developed symptoms as compared to only 11% of people aged 65 or older.
  • A study published in New England Journal of Medicine states that female smokers were 25.7 times more likely to die from lung cancer than those who never smoked.
  • According to a study published in the journal Nutrition Research , a natural extract from the roots of Japanese mushrooms can boost the effectiveness of the flu shot.
  • Micro blogging site Twitter has been used by the researchers and computer scientists of the John Hopkins University to track the cases of influenza across the United States. This system was tested by the researchers at the Baltimore University by comparing these results with the data obtained from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • After five years of studying the workings of the mutant form of the p53 gene, scientists from the National Cancer Center Singapore (NCCS) have discovered the workings of this gene that has been hindering treatment response in cancer patients.
  • According to a study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases people who take immunosuppressive drugs to treat lupus do not necessary increase their cancer risk.
  • A study published in Nutrition Journal, a mixture of B vitamins, fish oils and plant sterols show a promise in boosting heart health by improving the lipid profile of young people with high cholesterol.

Diseases & Disasters:

  • A wave of spiritual human killings has been reported in Camroon.
  • Chinese mine pumps chrome (poisonous chemical) into Ngezi river in Zimbabwe.
  • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a recalled ready-to-eat port product by Houston’s Stallings Head Cheese Co. Inc.
  • Global Virus Network has released a statement on 2012-2013 U.S. Flu epidemic.
  • The World Health Organization said in a joint statement with the Cambodian health ministry that two Cambodians have died from bird flu contracted while preparing infected chicken.
  • According to U.S. health officials a new strain of stomach virus outbreaks has occurred in this flu season.
  • The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control in Brussels has reported an increasing trend of influenza transmission.
  • The Medical Products Agency of Sweden (MPA) opened an inquiry into vaccinations for H1N1 (Pandemrix) made by GlaxoSmithKline, suspected for provoking narcolepsy.
  • The Michigan departments of Community Health and Agriculture and Rural Development are investigating the causes of Salmonella outbreak.
  • Health authorities in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande are fighting a dengue fever epidemic.
  • French authorities fear drug-resistant tuberculosis from Eastern Europe.

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies:

  • The Obama administration has given conditional approval to health insurance market places being set up by six states led by Democratic governors.
  • New Jersey Assembly panel passes a bill allowing driver’s licenses to include diabetic condition.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) has set a standard in the middle of the range of 11- 13 micrograms per cubic meter for the soot particles in the air.
  • Michigan works to ban synthetic drug phenethylamine.

Programs:

  • The United Nations (UN) has asked for $8.5 billion to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to 51 million people in crisis-stricken countries around the world in 2013.
  • The U N has launched an initiative to help to eliminate cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
  • Emergency vaccinations campaign has been organized in Sudan by its Federal Ministry of Health against mosquito- borne yellow fever.
  • Third phase of measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign has been started in Nepal.
  • The UN has warned that nearly 55 million tons of radioactive waste from old Soviet-era uranium mines in unsecured sites in northern Tajikistan.
  • The state of Iowa is planning to spend $3.2 million on tobacco prevention and cessation.
  • MidMichigan Health receives grant to fight childhood obesity.

Research:

  • A Sudanese neurologist has succeeded in giving the first clinical and psychological description of spastic paraplegia.
  • Researchers at the University of California and the University of Oxford have found a link between type-2 diabetes and corn syrup consumption.
  • A study published in Lancet states that air pollution tops the list of major health risk among the developing countries.
  • A study finds years living with disease and injury increasing globally.
  • In a study done by the researchers in United Kingdom, they found a link between the foliate consumption and risk of developing breast cancer.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia Chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
  • According to a study about 10% of the 6- 8 year old children of Finland have sleep – disordered breathing.
  • Experts say “plethora” of diseases caused by low vitamin D.
  • A study links work place bullying to developing risk for anxiety/ depression/ psychological problems.
  • A study done by the U.S. researcher’s show that Blacks have higher risk of heart disease.  They have a double risk of dying of coronary disease.
  • A study links drinking coffee with reduction in risk of throat and mouth cancer. It states that drinking more than four cups of coffee can cause significant rate of risk reduction.
  • Researchers at University of Copenhagen have found a very important function of BRCA2 gene. This knowledge could be used for the treatment of breast cancer.
  • A 2010 study states that the television in bedrooms may boost heart disease and diabetes among the children.
  • A study links innate immunity and inflammation pathway with advanced prostate cancer risk.

 Diseases and Disasters:

  • Outbreak of diarrhea killed seven people from lower Shabelle region in Southern Somalia.
  • A report released by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that Alaska ranks number one in United States for Chlamydia.
  • Seventh death due to fungal meningitis has been  reported in Indiana (U.S.).
  • A report released by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that Louisiana leads the nation in rates of gonorrhea and syphilis cases.
  • Drug resistant infection cluster has been reported in South Dakota. People who are healthy are not at risk as compared to those on ventilators, urinary or intravenous catheters or long courses of certain antibiotics.

 

 

 

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-up

by Vaani, posted in News

World Breastfeeding Week is from 01 August 2012 to 08 August 2012. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF policy makers in August 1990 to protect promote and support breastfeeding.

Politics and Policies:

  • The United Kingdom government is set to become the first country in the world to provide all children free of charge with a comprehensive flu vaccination program.
  • Ugandan health ministry says it needs Sh2 Billion to fight Ebola hemorrhagic fever.
  • Rwanda moves to close down children’s institutions and improves its childcare system.
  • Massachusetts passes Health Cost Control Bill. It aims to save $200 billion over the next 15 years by linking health care cost increases to the growth of the state’s economy.
  • Arizona delays Medicaid expansion decision.
  • International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project) launched a new report on the effectiveness of tobacco control policies in Uruguay.

Programs:

  • United States Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration partner on food safety booklets to help those with compromised immune systems to prevent food borne illness.
  • The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved first generic versions of Singular to treat asthma and allergies.
  • FDA approves Zaltrap for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in adults.
  • The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners are scaling up efforts to reverse the ‘alarming’ rates of malnutrition, disease and death in two camps hosting Sudanese refugees in South Sudan.
  • Tullow Oil gives Sh100 million to the Uganda’s Ministry of Health to help to fight against the deadly Ebola disease.
  • The Global Campaign for Microbicides (GCM) which has been housed at PATH since its inception nearly 15 years ago will close operations in September.
  • Group Health teams with hospital system in Pacific Northwest.
  • United States announces $12 million more in the Syrian humanitarian aid. The U.S. is providing food, water, medicine, clothing and hygiene kits.
  • The United Nations office has announced that North Korea needs immediate food aid due to flood.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its bulletin (online) for August.
  • Gilead Sciences inks deals with 3 Indian companies including Ranbaxy laboratories for low-cost HIV drug in developing countries.

 

 Research:

  • According to a research, diacetyl – artificial butter flavoring agent is linked to key Alzheimer’s disease process.
  • A study reveals that clusters of congenital anomalies are likely to go unnoticed due to lack of nationwide surveillance.
  • A study published in Health Care Management Review reports that mandatory individual insurance coverage in Massachusetts was followed by a significant near-term drop in hospital productivity.
  • A study suggests that there is a link between allergies and reduced risk of a serious type of cancer that starts in brain.
  • A study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology demonstrates that a new drug is effective in a common kidney disease.
  • A study done by an undergraduate student, published in Analytical methods journal could lead to a simpler and more accurate way to test for prostate cancer.
  • A report published in The EMBO Journal show that intellectual disability due to Fragile X and Down syndromes involve similar molecular pathway.
  • A team of Spanish and Italian researchers in their experiment showed how the extracts from strawberry protect against ultraviolet radiation as well as increasing its viability and reducing damage to DNA.
  • Findings of a study suggest that students with strong hearts and lungs may make better grades.
  • A study published in Hepatology journal provides a new approach to treat acute liver failure.
  • A study published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics states that urban outdoor air pollution causes an estimated 1.3 million deaths per year worldwide.
  • Researchers state that certain jobs dads do are linked to higher risk of birth defects. These jobs included artists, photographer and photo processors, drivers and landscapers and grounds men.
  • A study done by the researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital state that social deprivation has a measurable effect on brain of children. They suggest that positive interventions can partially reverse these changes.
  • According to a research published in BMJ Open, restricting the amount of time spent seated every day to less than 3 hours might boost the life expectancy of US adults by 2 years.
  • According to a group of Korean researchers a significant portion of people who receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation may end up with broken ribs or other bones.
  • Researchers have found that the resins not only boost the athletic performance but also prevent DNA damage due to oxidative damage prior to strenuous activities which are linked with several types of cancer and heart disease.

Diseases & Disasters:

  • FDA warns consumers not to eat cantaloupes from Burch Equipment LLC of North Carolina because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes (L.mono).
  • Death toll due to deadly Ebola virus is rising in Uganda. It has risen to 17. Rwanda health ministry has called upon general public not to panic.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning about a new pig flu virus.
  • Flood affects life in North Korea. It has killed 170 people and about 200000 people have fled from their homes.

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies

  • The Department of Health and Human Services bolsters health care and public health disaster. It has awarded more than $971 million to continue improving preparedness and health outcomes for a wide range of public health threats within every state, eight U.S. territories, and four of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.
  • India is completing a proposal to provide essential drugs free to patients in government-run hospitals and clinics at a cost of $5 billion over five years.
  • Rapid H.I.V. Home test wins federal approval.
  • Republican governor of Florida says state won’t expand Medicaid.

Programs

  • George W. Bush launches cancer project in Botswana. This $3 million initiative has been started to fight against cervical cancer. This project is funded by the Presidents’ Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and is supported by the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership.
  • A drug created at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has been deployed to fight malaria in India.
  • U.S. $124,276,000 assistance package is expected for Liberia. A new development agenda “An agenda for transformation” will focus on critical areas like education, economy, health etc.
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is providing support to the treatment center in village of Wabaria, situated in Northern Mali after identification of the new cases of cholera in the village
  • La Madre de los Pobres charity reaches needy in nearly 20-plus countries.
  • New child health card and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is introduced in Zimbabwe to ensure good records of all preventive interventions like exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, calendar of immunizations and prevention of mother to child transmission.
  • International donors offer Afghanistan $16B.
  • Traditional Indian sweetener jaggery (gur) will be launched as complete health food for all age groups soon in India.

Research

  • New study maps hotspots of human-animal infectious diseases and emerging disease outbreaks like tuberculosis and Rift Valley fever.
  • Single dose radiation at the time of surgery helps women with early stage breast cancer forego 6-7 week radiation regimen.
  • Australian researchers from the Skin and Cancer Foundation have found a link between psoriasis and other diseases.
  • Research from Fourth Military Medical University yields new findings on Parkinson’s disease.
  • Researchers at the University of Minnesota School Of Public Health have found new evidence that fast food intake increases risk of diabetes and heart disease in people.
  • Zebra fish provides insights into causes and treatment of human diseases. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh are using it to study the biological mechanisms underlying human disorders and identifying potential treatment approaches for an impressive array of organ and systematic diseases.
  • Caffeine may help to lower the risk of skin cancer. The results of the study conducted by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston suggest that it is the caffeine in coffee that is responsible for the decreased risk of basal cell carcinoma associated with increasing coffee consumption.
  • Amniotic fluid yields alternatives to embryonic stem cells. The scientists from Imperial College London and the UCL Institute of Child Health have succeeded in reprogramming amniotic fluid cells without having to introduce extra genes.
  • Organic tomatoes contain higher levels of antioxidants than conventional tomatoes. The researchers have shown that these tomatoes do not use not use nitrogenous fertilizers and thus they activate their own defense mechanisms resulting in increased production of all antioxidants.
  • A study conducted by a researcher at the University of Maryland has shown that the women infected with Toxoplasma gondii parasite which is spread through contact with cat feces or eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables, are at increased risk of attempting suicide.
  • A recent research has shown that deleting single gene results in autism-like behavior and immunosuppressant drug prevents autism symptoms. This gene is associated with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a rare genetic condition.
  • Using a mouse model of autism, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center have successfully treated an autism spectrum disorder characterized by severe cognitive impairment.
  • A team of researchers at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology at the University of Copenhagen are closer to understanding the biology behind GHB, a transmitter substance in the brain, best known in its synthetic form as the illegal drug fantasy.

Diseases and Disasters

  • Monsoon rains cause havoc in Bangladesh.
  • The Philippines Department of Health has instructed the Bureau of Quarantine to be on alert, following an outbreak of a fatal respiratory disease in Cambodia.
  • According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, South Sudan faces worst health crisis.
  • According to a recent report released, Fukushima disaster was man-made.