Global & Public Health (all articles)
Where Does WHO Get Its Economic Advice?
20 Jun, 2017 | 12:22h | UTCWhere Does WHO Get Its Economic Advice? – Amanda Glassman, via Center for Global Development (free)
The Science Behind How Nature Affects Your Health
20 Jun, 2017 | 12:25h | UTCThe Science Behind How Nature Affects Your Health – Forbes (free)
“100% agree: Social determinants of health have a far greater impact on our health than healthcare delivery systems” (RT @SueDHellmann see Tweet)
Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association
19 Jun, 2017 | 13:00h | UTCDietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association (free PDF)
Invited Commentary: Trimming the Fat on Diet Recommendations for a Healthy Heart: Emphasis on Eating Patterns over Dietary Restrictions (free)
Top Ten Things to Know: Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory from the American Heart Association (free PDF)
AHA News: Advisory: Replacing saturated fat with healthier fat could lower cardiovascular risks (free)
News release: Replacing saturated fat with healthier fat may lower cholesterol as well as drugs in context of a healthy diet (free)
AHA no longer recommends decreasing total fat, but to replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. “Replacing saturated fat with healthier fat in the diet lowers cardiovascular disease risk as much as cholesterol-lowering statin drugs”
Comparison of sputum collection methods for tuberculosis diagnosis
19 Jun, 2017 | 13:01h | UTCInvited commentary: Remembering the basics: interventions to improve sputum collection for tuberculosis diagnosis (free)
Pooled sputum collection (sputum that was pooled from each spontaneous expectoration into the same sputum container over a period of several hours) increased the diagnostic performance of smear microscopy 1.6 times and the delivery of standardized instruction emphasizing the difference between sputum and saliva (verbally or visually) increased the odds of a positive microscopy result 1.4 times. “The effect of these simple, inexpensive strategies on diagnostic performance was similar to that of the relatively expensive GeneXpert MTB/RIF test, which, in the largest published studies, increased the odds of diagnosing tuberculosis by 1.3–1.5 times”
Free online course. Starts today! Improving the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents
19 Jun, 2017 | 12:58h | UTCFree online course. Starts today! Improving the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents: from Evidence to Action – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, via FutureLearn (free)
Global Health Initiatives of the International Oncology Community
16 Jun, 2017 | 01:34h | UTCGlobal Health Initiatives of the International Oncology Community – 2017 ASCO Educational Book (free)
Hand hygiene: facilitators and barriers
16 Jun, 2017 | 01:07h | UTCHand hygiene: facilitators and barriers – ACP Internist Blog (free)
The World Health Organization launched a series of video courses on epidemics, pandemics & health emergencies
16 Jun, 2017 | 01:01h | UTCOpenWHO – The World Health Organization launched a series of video courses on epidemics, pandemics & health emergencies, open to the public (free courses and videos) (RT @WHO see Tweet)
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15, 2017)
16 Jun, 2017 | 01:01h | UTCWorld Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15, 2017)
WHO News release: Abuse of older people on the rise – 1 in 6 affected – World Health Organization (free)
See also: Elder abuse fact sheet (free) AND WHO’s work on elder abuse (free) AND World report on ageing and health (free)
Related: Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet Global Health (free) AND Protecting the global longevity dividend – The Lancet Global Health (free)
Risk of major congenital malformations in relation to maternal overweight and obesity severity
16 Jun, 2017 | 00:55h | UTCCommentaries: Risks of major birth defects greater if mother is overweight – OnMedica (free) AND Obese women more likely to have babies with serious birth defects, says study – The Guardian (free)
Too much medical care: bad for you, bad for health care systems
16 Jun, 2017 | 00:54h | UTCOpinion: Too much medical care: bad for you, bad for health care systems – STAT News (free)
World Blood Donor Day (June 14, 2017)
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:52h | UTCWorld Blood Donor Day (June 14, 2017) – World Health Organization (free)
See also: 10 facts on blood transfusion (free) AND Giving blood in a time of crisis (free) AND WHO’s work on blood transfusion safety (free)
Low-Dose Ferrous Sulfate vs Iron Polysaccharide Complex for Iron-Deficiency Anemia
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:48h | UTCEffect of Low-Dose Ferrous Sulfate vs Iron Polysaccharide Complex on Hemoglobin Concentration in Young Children With Nutritional Iron-Deficiency Anemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
The JAMA Network – For the Media: Treating Nutritional Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Children (free)
Commentaries: Ferrous Sulfate Drops Tied to Higher Hemoglobin Increases in Kids with Anemia – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Traditional treatment is better for iron-deficiency anaemia in children – OnMedica (free) AND Ferrous Sulfate Effective for Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Kids – Medscape (free registration required)
Researchers expected that Iron Polysaccharide Complex would restore hemoglobin more effectively, because it is designed to be tolerated better, but the proportion of infants and children with a complete resolution of iron-deficiency anemia was higher in the ferrous sulfate group (29 percent vs 6 percent).
Essential medicines require essential diagnostics
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:45h | UTCEssential medicines require essential diagnostics – The Huffington Post Canada Blogs (free)
See more about the new WHO list of essential medicines in our June 7th issue, see #1.
“To use essential medicines, have to know what you’re treating says @paimadhu so need essential diagnostics list too” (RT @markcha see Tweet)
Reframing non-communicable diseases as socially transmitted conditions
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:46h | UTCReframing non-communicable diseases as socially transmitted conditions – The Lancet Global Health (free)
“Socially transmitted conditions”: a new name for non-communicable diseases (RT @LancetGH see Tweet)
Snakebite finally makes a WHO list of top global health priorities
14 Jun, 2017 | 00:39h | UTCSnakebite finally makes a WHO list of top global health priorities – STAT News (free)
How to fall to your death and live to tell the tale
14 Jun, 2017 | 00:38h | UTCHow to fall to your death and live to tell the tale – Mosaic Science (free)
“Falls—such as slipping in the shower or tripping down stairs—kill over 420,000 people worldwide each year” (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)
Strategies for Preventing HIV Infection Among HIV-Uninfected Women Attempting Conception with HIV-Infected Men
13 Jun, 2017 | 20:04h | UTCCommentaries: CDC Outlines Options for HIV-Discordant Couples Who Want to Conceive – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND CDC Reversal: Sperm From HIV-Infected Men Okay for Insemination – Medscape (free registration required)
Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years
13 Jun, 2017 | 20:06h | UTCEditorial: Global Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity (free)
Commentaries: New study finds more than 2 billion people overweight or obese – Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (free) AND More Than 10 Percent of World’s Population Is Obese, Study Finds – The New York Times (free) AND Being overweight – not just obese – kills millions a year, say experts – The Guardian (free)
“High BMI accounted for 4.0 million deaths globally, nearly 40% of which occurred in persons who were not obese”
New Series from The Lancet: Health in Humanitarian Crises
12 Jun, 2017 | 19:59h | UTCNew Series from The Lancet: Health in Humanitarian Crises (free registration required)
Related: How to Fix the Broken Humanitarian System: A Q&A with Paul Spiegel – Global Health NOW (free)
“Evidence is important to guide more effective & efficient health responses in humanitarian contexts” (RT @TheLancet see Tweet)
Working while sick
12 Jun, 2017 | 19:50h | UTCWorking with influenza-like illness: Presenteeism among US health care personnel during the 2014-2015 influenza season – American Journal of Infection Control (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Working while sick – ACP Internist (free) AND Health worker survey reveals many work during flu illness – CIDRAP (free)
Over 40% of surveyed health care personnel worked with self-reported influenza-like illness. “To reduce levels of health-worker–associated flu transmission, the researchers said that misconceptions about working while sick and sick leave policies both need to be addressed” (from CIDRAP)
Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline
8 Jun, 2017 | 15:58h | UTCEditorial: Alcohol consumption and brain health (free)
Commentaries: Even moderate drinking linked to a decline in brain health, finds study – Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry (free) AND Moderate drinking may alter brain, study says – CNN (free) AND Even moderate drinking may speed brain decline – STAT News (free) AND Even moderate drinking linked to changes in brain structure, study finds – Reuters (free)
Things the Health Care Sector Must Do to Improve Cybersecurity
8 Jun, 2017 | 15:53h | UTCPerspective: Cyberattack on Britain’s National Health Service: A Wake-up Call for Modern Medicine – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Related: 11 Things the Health Care Sector Must Do to Improve Cybersecurity – Harvard Business Review (a few articles per month are free) AND Eric D Perakslis: Cyber security modeled as infection prevention and control in the healthcare delivery setting – The BMJ Opinion (free) AND Healthcare Seen Highly Vulnerable to Cyberattack – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Reducing cardiovascular disease burden through targeted dietary policies
8 Jun, 2017 | 15:55h | UTCCommentaries: Change in USA food policies could prevent 230,000 heart disease deaths by 2030 – Imperial College of London (free) AND U.S. nutrition policies may cut heart disease and save lives – Reuters Health News (free)
Related: Taxes and Subsidies for Improving Diet and Population Health in Australia: A Cost-Effectiveness Modelling Study – PLOS Medicine (free) AND The US had no soda taxes in 2013. Now nearly 9 million Americans live with them – VOX (free)
“Increased discounts on fruit and vegetables, and higher taxes on sugary drinks, could prevent heart disease deaths, says a new study” (from Imperial College of London commentary)
Eggs in Early Complementary Feeding and Child Growth
8 Jun, 2017 | 15:48h | UTCEggs in Early Complementary Feeding and Child Growth: A Randomized Controlled Trial – Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Eggs Significantly Increase Growth in Young Children – Washington University in St. Louis, via NewsWise (free) AND An egg a day appears to help young children grow taller – BBC Health News (free)
“Surpassing previous research, study finds eggs are more viable nutrition, better intervention for children in developing countries” (from NewsWise)