Public Health

Hospital-borne infections are a serious risk of a long-term hospital stay, and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a lung infection that develops in about 15% of all people who are ventilated, is among the most dangerous. With weakened immune systems and a higher resistance to antibiotics, patients who rely on a mechanical ventilator can easily develop serious infections — as 26,000 Americans do every year. Thanks to a proven new clinical approach developed by Tel Aviv University nurses, though, there is a new tool for stopping the onset of VAP in hospitals. This new high-tech tool? An…

New research at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) at the University of Copenhagen – shows that dark chocolate is far more filling than milk chocolate, lessening our craving for sweet, salty and fatty foods. In other words, eating dark chocolate may be an efficient way to keep your weight down over Christmas.  We have known for a long time that it is healthier to eat dark chocolate, but now scientists at the Department of Human Nutrition at LIFE, University of Copenhagen, have found that dark chocolate also gives more of a feeling of satiety than milk chocolate.  Chocolate…

A supplement in the December 2008 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that reviews the history and development of high fructose corn syrup finds no scientific support for the hypothesis that high fructose corn syrup is causally linked to obesity in the United States or globally any more or less than other caloric sweeteners. Following a symposium that brought together scientific leaders on this topic from varying backgrounds, including former high fructose corn syrup critics who had earlier expressed concern that high fructose corn syrup might pose unique problems, a…

Eating saturated fats from butter, cream and meat, as well as trans fats found in hydrogenated oils can boost our risk of cardiovascular disease, while consuming mono-unsaturated fat can be good for our heart. Yet what's the effect of all these fats on our weight? Are some better than others? "Research on animals and some clinical trials show that not all fats have the same effect on weight," says Nadiah Moussavi, a Master's student from the Université de Montréal Department of Nutrition. "Few epidemiological studies exist on the subject and the results of those are contradictory." The goal…

Scientists from Monash University, Melbourne have shown that infants born prematurely have lower blood pressure during sleep in the first six months of life, compared to healthy, full-term infants.  Scientists at the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, Monash Institute of Medical Research, believe this may be one reason premature infants are at an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which causes about 2,500 deaths per year in the United States and thousands more throughout the world.. Chief Investigator, Associate Professor Rosemary Horne, said that previous…

For years, pear-shaped people who carry weight in the thighs and backside have been told they are at lower risk for high blood pressure and heart disease than apple-shaped people who carry fat in the abdomen. But new findings from nutrition researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest body-shape comparisons don't completely explain risk. In two studies, they report excess liver fat appears to be the real key to insulin resistance, cholesterol abnormalities and other problems that contribute to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Having too much fat stored in…

With up to half of a person's body mass consisting of skeletal muscle, chronic inflammation of thosemuscles – which include those found in the limbs – can result in significant physical impairment. According to University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Kimberly Huey, past research has demonstrated that the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E may be associated with reduced expression of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines, in vitro, in various types of cells. Cytokines areregulatory proteins that function as intercellular communicators that assist the immune system in…

Theodor Seuss Geisel lit up the heart of every child of any age with his pointed stories and imaginative drawings, and did you know that he wrote one for the more advanced-in-years? No, not "Oh the Places You'll Go." Dr. Seuss's gift to himself in 1986 for his 82nd birthday was  "You're Only Old Once: a Book for Obsolete Children." As some of us succumb to unpleasant sharings of the season -- bugs that invade our bodies and dampen our usual good spirits, I am doubly reminded of "You're Only Old Once," Dr. Seuss's next to his last book. The last was "Oh the Places You'll Go"…

A stunning discovery based on epigenetics (the inheritance of propensities acquired in the womb) reveals that consuming choline—a nutrient found in eggs and other foods—during pregnancy may significantly affect breast cancer outcomes for a mother's offspring. This finding by a team of biologists at Boston University is the first to link choline consumption during pregnancy to breast cancer. It also is the first to identify possible choline-related genetic changes that affect breast cancer survival rates. "We've known for a long time that some agents taken by pregnant women, such as…

Thanksgiving is just one of those pesky holidays that we justify our overindulgence. After all, turkey is healthy right? While you may think that canned cranberry jam and buttery mashed potatoes are good for you because they contain, well, cranberries and potatoes, they can actually be the reason you make that New Years Resolution next month to join the gym. There are some good eats on that Thanksgiving table, but the most delicious always tends to be the worst for you. Instead of skimping out on all your favorite foods this year, here's a helpful list of tips you can incorporate into your…