Publication Alert

Spring Library Newsletter

The latest issue of the LibraryÔÇÖs Newsletter has been released. Archives of the newsletter are also available from 1998 to the present.

New Dietary Guidelines

On January 31^st, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released and their main focus is to emphasize that reducing calorie consumption and increasing physical activity will lead to better health. Currently, more than two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight or obese and ultimately the new guidelines will help to prevent diet-related chronic disease. Tips that are emphasized to incorporate in our everyday lives are:

• Avoiding oversized portions
• Drinking water instead of other beverages
• Consuming foods with less sodium
• Reducing caloric intake
• Increasing fresh fruits and vegetables

Be on the lookout for more consumer-friendly tools and advice which will be released within the next few months.

For more information please visit:
www.dietaryguidelines.gov
www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines
www.healthfinder.gov/prevention
www.mypyramid.gov

A Vaccine for addiction?

An advance online publication from Molecular Therapy reports on a possible vaccine for cocaine addiction.

Based on the concept that anticocaine antibodies could prevent inhaled cocaine from reaching its target receptors in the brain, an effective anticocaine vaccine could help reverse cocaine addiction.

The website io9 reports “By combining a cocaine-like molecule with part of the common cold virus, you get a vaccine that turns the immune system against cocaine, keeping it away from the brain.”

Allegedly, this is the first ever vaccine for drug addiction. However, at this point it’s only worked on mice.

Full citation
Cocaine Analog Coupled to Disrupted Adenovirus: A Vaccine Strategy to Evoke High-titer Immunity Against Addictive Drugs Cocaine Analog Coupled to Disrupted Adenovirus: A Vaccine Strategy to Evoke High-titer Immunity Against Addictive Drugs
Hicks JH, et al.
Molecular Therapy (2010); doi:10.1038/mt.2010.280
http://www.nature.com/mt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mt2010280a.html

Healthy People 2020 Launched

Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. For 3 decades, Healthy People has established benchmarks and monitored progress over time in order to encourage collaborations across sectors, guide individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of prevention activities.

Healthy People 2020 continues in this tradition with the launch on December 2, 2010 of its ambitious, yet achievable, 10-year agenda for improving the NationÔÇÖs health. Healthy People 2020 is the result of a multiyear process that reflects input from a diverse group of individuals and organizations.

New topic areas for 2020 include:
Adolescent Health
Blood Disorders and Blood Safety
Dementias, Including AlzheimerÔÇÖs Disease
Early and Middle Childhood
Genomics
Global Health
Healthcare-Associated Infections
Health-Related Quality of Life and Well-Being
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
Older Adults
Preparedness
Sleep Health
Social Determinants of Health

Stay connected to Healthy People 2020 by signing up for e-mail, following on Twitter, connecting on LinkedIn, or joining the Consortium to stay up-to-date with the latest Healthy People information and events.

Preparing Students for Best Jobs

Money Magazine came out with it’s list The 50 Best Jobs in America in the November issue. LSUHSC New Orleans is preparing its students for many of these.
#4 Physical Therapist
#12 Dentist
#13 Nurse Anesthetist
#19 Occupational Therapist
#25 Emergency Room Physician
#27 Director of Nursing
#29 Psychiatrist
#34 Primary Care Physician
#44 Speech-Language Pathologist
#46 Physical Therapy Director

Bed Bugs Attack!

Bed bugs have been all over the National news and now they are making their way to Louisiana. The LSU Ag Center has published information on bed bugs; the Louisiana State Epidemiologist office has created a 12 page document on the “Control and Prevention of Bed Bugs.”

DHH & La Seafood

Since the safety of Louisiana seafood has been a big topic in the news lately, I was pleased to discover that the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals, along with the departments of Wildlife and Fisheries, Environmental Quality, and Agriculture and Forestry have been issuing weekly Seafood Safety Surveillance Reports since July. The latest report was issued today.

Fall Library Newsletter

The latest issue of the LibraryÔÇÖs Newsletter has been released. Archives of the newsletter are also available from 1998 to the present.

Deadliest Occupation?

A recent USMMWR article ranked commercial fishing as one of the most dangerous occupation in the United States, even without oil spills and dispersants. This won’t come as a surprise to fans of the Deadliest Catch.

49th place

For the ninth consecutive year, Louisiana is ranked 49th among the 50 states in the Kids Count Databook – an annual publication from the Annie E. Casey Foundation on child well-being assessment, reports the Times-Picayune today.

A full report on the state is available.

NOLA Neighborhood Recovery

Maybe it makes me a statistics nerd, but I love the numbers that the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (GNOCDC) puts out. Last week they released a map demonstrating the “Resiliency of New Orleanians Shown in Neighborhood Repopulation Numbers.” Check out the number of addresses actively receiving mail in New Orleans.

Blood Pressure & Sugary Drinks

Liwei Chen, an LSUHSC School of Public Health faculty member is making news (WebMD, NPR, UPI, Reuters, and HealthDay News) because of her study on the connection between sugary drinks and blood pressure. The study (pdf) is in the “publish ahead of print” section of Circulation. The study was released as a EurekAlert by LSUHSC Information Services.

Link to the pdf of the article is available to LSUHSC faculty, staff & students. It can be accessed off-campus with a valid LSUHSC library barcode & PIN. You can find more information at our remote access webpage.

Grow a New Head & Brain?

A new paper published in PLoS Genetics has identified the gene that allows Schmidtea mediterranea to regenerate not only its limbs, but also its head and brain. The gene, called ÔÇ£smed-prep,ÔÇØ is similar to a gene found in humans, according to a Wired.com post.

Infectious Disease iPhone apps

May’s issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases features a column on infectious diseases resources for the iPhone. You can read the entire article here. Two apps that may interest students are Microbiology Wiz with Immunology ($0.99) and Lange Microbiology and Infectious Disease Flash Cards ($34.99). Both are flashcard style review applications, allowing you to study microbiology on your iPhone.

Citation:
Surfing The Web: Infectious Diseases Resources for the iPhone
Richard L. Oehler, Kevin Smith, and John F. Toney
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2010 50:9, 1268-1274

Which tooth aches?

Ever notice that sometimes it’s difficult to tell exactly which tooth is hurting when you have a toothache?

Researchers in Germany have studied just that issue and will soon publish an article in the journal Pain with thier conclusions. It would seem that when it comes to pain in the mouth, the brain doesn’t descriminate location nearly as well as it does in other regions of the body.

A summary of the research was recently posted to the Wired Science Blog. The article, currently only available as an electronic proof, will be published soon.

I sure hope the volunteer test subjects were well compensated for their participation!

Link to the pdf of the article is available to LSUHSC faculty staff & students. It can be accessed off-campus with a valid LSUHSC library barcode & PIN. You can find more information at our remote access webpage.