Public Health

Hypomelanosis conditions are known since ancient times. The most ancient names to describe these pictures were "Shwetakustha" and "Suitra". The term ´Shweta-Kushtha´, in the book Atharva-Veda of the 15th century BC, can be translated literally as white (shweta) - leprosy (kushtha) while the term "suitra" is found in the Manusmriti, a work of Hindu law and ancient Indian society dating between the 2nd sec. BC and 2nd AD. The vitiligo has long been confused with the leprosy and with other leukoderma diseases, therefore the Hebrew word 'Zora' or 'Tzaraat/Tzoraath' was translated using the…

As sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancy rates continue to rise, the need for education about the use of condoms remains clear. Research has shown that consistent and correct use of male latex condoms can reduce the risk of STD transmission by 98 percent and is equally useful in the prevention of pregnancy when used in conjunction with a spermicide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 19 million new STD infections each year in the U.S. — half of them in 15 to 24-year-olds. The cost of STDs is estimated to be $15.9 billion annually according to…

 A high-fat, low-carb diet used to control multiple, daily and severe seizures in current and former patients is not only effective, but  also appears to have no long-lasting side effects, say scientists at Johns Hopkins Children's Center. The findings are detailed online in Epilepsia. Consisting of high-fat foods and very few carbohydrates, the ketogenic diet is believed to trigger biochemical changes that eliminate seizure-causing short circuits in the brain's signaling system. Used as first-line therapy for infantile spasms and in children whose seizures cannot be controlled with…

A new study by the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center (OTRC) shows that concentrations of secondhand tobacco smoke inhaled in smoking rooms of restaurants and bars are exceptionally high and hazardous to health. The authors of the report say the findings justify making all public places smoke free - or ignoring private property rights and treating adults like helpless children. According to the study, the average particulate level measured in restaurant smoking rooms was beyond the hazardous extreme based on levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The level found in…

Badly fitting condoms reduce sexual pleasure for both partners and may discourage men from using protection altogether, suggests a study published in Sexually Transmitted Infections. The findings are based on a survey of 436 men between the ages of 18 and 67, all of whom were recruited via newspaper ads and a blog on the website of a condom sales company. Participants completed a questionnaire on the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction website about the fit of condom they had most recently used for penetrative sex with a female partner. Almost half the participants…

Infants averaging six months of age who exhibited positional plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) had lower scores than typical infants in observational tests used to evaluate cognitive and motor development, according to a new study in Pediatrics. Positional or deformational plagiocephaly may occur when external forces shape an infant's skull while it is still soft and malleable, such as extended time spent lying on a hard surface or in one position. Researchers say the findings suggest that babies with plagiocephaly should be screened early in life for possible motor and cognitive delays. In…

A surprising new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reveals that sleepiness at the wheel and poor sleep quality significantly increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents for teenage drivers. Results indicate that adolescent drivers were twice as likely to have had a crash if they experienced sleepiness while driving (adjusted odds ratio = 2.1) or reported having bad sleep (OR = 1.9). Eighty of the 339 students had already crashed at least once, and 15 percent of them considered sleepiness to have been the main cause of the crash. Fifty-six percent of students who had at least…

Should there be restrictions on the amount of sodium in processed and restaurant foods? Many public health advocates think so. They argue that people consume excessive amounts of sodium without even knowing it and mandatory restrictions would reduce the number of heart attacks, strokes, and even deaths that result from all that salty food. But does the available research justify a population-wide restriction on sodium in food? Not quite, says Michael H. Alderman from the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In a new editorial in the Journal…

Get your mouse-clicking fingers ready, everybody - time to vote on your favorite NYC condom wrapper design! Five finalists were selected from nearly 600 entries, and the winning image will be the new, special edition NYC Condom wrapper. The city promotes the use of the free condoms to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and cut down on unplanned pregnancies. If you live in NYC, you can vote here. If you don't but want to see the pretty pictures anyway, click there too.

An analysis of available research on the topic (three studies) suggests that eating choclate may reduce your risk of stroke. Chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, which may have a protective effect against stroke, but more research is needed, concluded the analysis that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.  The first study found that 44,489 people who ate one serving of chocolate per week were 22 percent less likely to have a stroke than people who ate no chocolate. The second study found that…