- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Aug 20,2010
CDC survey provides estimates of coverage for adolescent vaccination at the national, state and selected local area levels
Continued increases–as much as 15 percent–were made in nationwide coverage for vaccines specifically recommended for pre-teens, according to 2009 National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen) estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The survey of more than 20,000 teens aged 13-17 found that in 2009 there were increases in the percentage of teens in this age group who had received vaccines routinely recommended for 11- and 12-year-olds. Specifically:
– For one dose of the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap), coverage went up about 15 points to about 56 percent;
– For one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine, coverage went up about 12 points to about 54 percent;
– For girls who received at least one dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, coverage increased 7 points to about 44 percent. However, for girls who received the recommended three doses of HPV vaccine, coverage was only about 27 percent (a 9 percent increase);
– For one dose of HPV vaccine, no differences were observed between racial/ethnic groups. However, coverage was higher among teens living in poverty compared with those living at or above the poverty level. For the recommended three doses of HPV vaccine, differences were observed between racial/ethnic groups, including significantly lower coverage for blacks and Hispanics compared to whites;
– There were no significant differences in coverage by racial/ethnic group or by poverty status for Tdap or meningococcal conjugate vaccine; and
– As in 2008, there was wide variation in adolescent vaccination coverage among state and local areas. Read the rest of this entry »
Study finds gender-specific total knee prostheses provide no clinical benefits compared to standard prostheses in women
A gender-specific total knee prosthesis was developed to more closely match the anatomy of the female knee, aiming to be a better fit resulting in better outcomes for women. However, a recent study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) found that 85 women who received a gender-specific implant in one knee and a standard prosthesis in the other knee found no clinical benefits of the gender-specific knee.
“We conducted this study to investigate whether women derive less benefit, or perhaps less predictable benefit, from total knee replacement using a standard conventional total knee implant,” said Young-Hoo Kim, M.D., orthopaedic surgeon and lead author of the study.
After receiving knee implants – one gender-specific and one standard prosthesis – the women were assessed for at least two years after surgery. The knees with the gender-specific implant and the knees with the standard implant had similar knee scores and similar range of motion while lying down (125 degrees for the knees with standard implants and 126 degrees for the knees with gender-specific implants). All patients except three were able to bend their knees at least 90 degrees.
Additionally, patient satisfaction with the implants was similar (8.3 points for the standard implants and 8.1 points for the gender-specific implants). A rating of 6 to 8 meant “satisfied,” and a rating of 9 to 10 meant “fully satisfied.” Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Aug 18,2010
NASA will host LAUNCH: Health, a global forum focusing on health issues, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida from Oct. 30-31. NASA, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State, and NIKE are partnering on LAUNCH to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to sustainability challenges through a series of forums.
LAUNCH forums focus on key areas, including water, air, food, and energy. They provide a venue for evaluating creative ideas among peers and collaborative, solution-driven discussions.
This second forum, LAUNCH: Health, will bring together entrepreneurs from around the world who will be selected based on their innovative approaches to addressing health issues. During the two-and-a-half day forum, they will discuss their proposed solutions to health issues with “council members” who represent business, policy, engineering, science, communications and sustainability sectors. The sessions are designed to identify challenges and discuss future opportunities for entrepreneurs’ innovations.
LAUNCH: Health seeks transformative innovations to improve health and the quality of life on Earth, specifically for people in the first 20 years of life, in the following categories:
– Nutrition and food
– Physical activity
– Preventive health care Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Aug 17,2010
Antagonistic people have greater thickening of neck artery walls than agreeable people, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Those deemed the least agreeable had a 40 percent increased risk of artery narrowing compared to those who were the most agreeable.
Antagonistic people, particularly those who are competitive and aggressive, may be increasing their risk of heart attack or stroke, researchers report in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers for the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), studied 5,614 Italians in four villages and found that those who scored high for antagonistic traits on a standard personality test had greater thickening of the neck (carotid) arteries compared to people who were more agreeable. Thickness of neck artery walls is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
Three years later, those who scored higher on antagonism or low agreeableness — especially those who were manipulative and quick to express anger — continued to have thickening of their artery walls. These traits also predicted greater progression of arterial thickening.
Those who scored in the bottom 10 percent of agreeableness and were the most antagonistic had about a 40 percent increased risk for elevated intima-media thickness, a measure of arterial wall thickness. The effect on artery walls was similar to having metabolic syndrome — a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Read the rest of this entry »