Public Health in the News – June 15, 2014

Global

• The West Africa Commission on Drugs has just released a report that recommends decriminalizing drug use, and instead treating it as a public health issue.
• A large genetic study of Mexicans showed that there is a huge amount of genetic diversity within the population.
• Brazil is trying to tackle the obesity epidemic by giving people free access to gyms. Catherine de Lange explains why this solution may help fight health inequalities.

National

• A new study has shown that heart attacks may be caused by stress hormones disrupting layers of bacteria on the arteries.
• The Epoch Times discusses how industries such as Big Tobacco and the sugar industry tend to produce scientific studies that support their products, at the expense of public health.
• Eating more protein may help lower your stroke risk, a new meta-analysis finds.
• Although the Supreme Court ruled that Myriad Genetics’ patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are not valid, the company still holds most of the data about mutations in these genes. Now, a year after the court case, more data is entering the public domain.
• Having fragmented ecological areas, which we often see in our modern world, may increase the spread of disease.
• Scientists studying energy and climate change are increasingly moving towards studying human behavior, in an effort to understand how to encourage people to use less energy.
• The child of a Holocaust survivor discusses her participation in a study which found that the children of people who survive traumatic events may be more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression.
• Discover Magazine discusses websites that help connect patients and researchers.
• NPR’s Science Friday discusses the routines that patients need to undergo before having surgery, and explains why many of them may not be necessary.
• A piece in the Guardian argues that public health research needs to proceed more quickly in order to save more lives.

Chicago

• A new report shows that the average life expectancy for Chicago citizens is rising dramatically!

Northwestern

• Northwestern Memorial Hospital held a boxing class for Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers. Watch a highlight video here!
• People who get less sleep at night take more risks and probably exercise less, shows a study led by Northwestern professor Kelly Glazer Baron, PhD.

Cover Photo by TookAPic via Pexels: Creative Commons