http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from George Washington University A study released today by George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) researchers offers an in-depth look at hospitals nationwide and admissions to intensive care units (ICU). The study, published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine, finds a sharp increase—nearly 50 percent—in ICU admissions coming from U.S. emergency departments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-percent-icu-admissions.html Health Tue, 14 May 2013 18:00:01 EST news287769767 New research out of the George Washington University Cancer Institute (GWCI) focuses on the difficulties of transitioning to adulthood while dealing with the long-term and late effects of cancer and its treatment. The study was recently published in the Journal of Oncology Navigation and Survivorship, titled "Improving Cancer Survivorship for Adolescents and Adults." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-gw-cancer-publishes-adolescent-survivors.html Cancer Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:37:40 EST news286205809 Teenagers who increased the days on which they got just 20 minutes of exercise were able to cut down on their smoking habit. And teenage smokers were more likely to quit altogether if they participated in a smoking cessation/fitness program—and they ramped up the days on which they got at least 30 minutes of physical activity, according to a study published online April 9. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-short-daily-teen-smokers.html Health Tue, 09 Apr 2013 04:24:18 EST news284700251 Pit latrines are one of the most common human excreta disposal systems globally, and their use is on the rise as countries aim to meet the sanitation-related target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Strong evidence supports the use of these basic toilets as a way to improve human health. However, improperly designed pit latrines can actually allow disease-causing microbes or other contaminants to leach into the groundwater. The contaminated water puts people, and especially children, at risk of developing potentially life-threatening diarrheal diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-additional-safety-pit-latrines.html Health Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:01 EST news283106474 Cocaine, already a damaging drug for those with healthy immune systems, can be lethal for those living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Mudit Tyagi, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), has received two federally funded grants to study how dangerous this combination is in HIV patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-dangerous-effects-cocaine-hiv-patients.html HIV & AIDS Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:59:09 EST news283082342 Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Yet historically, women have been less likely than men to receive evidence-based medical care for both the prevention and management of heart disease. In 1999 the American Heart Association (AHA) published the first clinical recommendations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women. This was soon followed by the implementation of The Heart Truth® campaign for consumers in 2002 by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which was expanded in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office on Women's Health to target healthcare providers. Since the initial AHA publication, the clinical guidelines have been updated three times, most recently in 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-heart-truth-professional-materials.html Cardiology Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:03:54 EST news282827027 A report released today by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) and the RCHN Community Health Foundation offers the first-ever in-depth examination of health centers' role in access to family planning. The report finds that virtually all health centers furnish family planning services to some extent but for both financial and non-financial reasons, only 1 in 5 is able to offer access to the full range of contraceptive services. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-in-depth-health-centers-role-family.html Health Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:39:02 EST news281878733 Women's issues play a major role in the health of the nation and should be a key consideration for policymakers as they design and set up the new insurance exchanges, according to a report co-authored by policy experts at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS). The report offers a checklist for the state-based health insurance exchanges, one that will help ensure that women, children and family members can get the services they need to prevent costly and debilitating medical problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-women-health-priority-state-exchange.html Health Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:47:08 EST news281717222 A new report by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) examines the potential impact of sequestration on community health centers and their patients and communities. "Assessing the Potential Impact of Sequestration on Community Health Centers, Patients, and Medically Underserved Communities" estimates that the nation's 1,200 federally funded health centers will lose $120 million in grant funding, and that this funding drop can be expected to translate into 900,000 fewer patients served and 3 million fewer visits. Furthermore, the authors find that because of its timing, sequestration's impact will be concentrated in the second half of FY 2013, thereby necessitating dramatic and immediate programmatic reductions that in turn will affect the local economies in which health centers operate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-potential-impact-sequestration-chcs-underserved.html Health Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:49:03 EST news281612934 Drug companies spent nearly $84 million marketing pharmaceuticals in the District of Columbia in 2011, including an outlay of nearly $19 million for gifts given to physicians, hospitals and other health care providers, according to a report by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS). The report notes that 12 physicians in the District received gifts (including consulting payments) that totaled more than $100,000 apiece that one year alone. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-pharmaceutical-companies-million-effort-district.html Medications Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:01 EST news281290180 A study led by Robert G. Hawley, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of anatomy and regenerative biology at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), may help predict which patients with multiple myeloma will respond better to certain treatments. The study, titled "Identification of an ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein)-positive carfilzomib-resistant myeloma subpopulation by the pluripotent stem cell fluorescent dye CDy1," was published in the American Journal of Hematology . http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-aid-treatment-multiple-myeloma-patients.html Cancer Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:01:11 EST news278175627 Video games have been blamed for contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States. But a new study by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) suggests that certain blood-pumping video games can actually boost energy expenditures among inner city children, a group that is at high risk for unhealthy weight gain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-e-games-boost-physical-children-weapon.html Health Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:29:12 EST news276949745 (Medical Xpress)—Research out of the George Washington University (GW), published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reveals another piece of the puzzle in a genetic developmental disorder that causes behavioral diseases such as autism. Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and physiology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) and director of the GW Institute for Neuroscience, along with post-doctoral fellow Daniel Meechan, Ph.D. and Thomas Maynard, Ph.D., associate research professor of pharmacology and physiology at GW SMHS, authored the study titled "Cxcr4 regulation of interneuron migration is disrupted in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-gw-professor-autism-genetics.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:41:30 EST news276439274 A viewpoint in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) discusses the issue of iodine deficiency in pregnant women in the U.S. and the potential negative health implications for both mothers and their children from this deficiency. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-jama-article-discusses-critical-iodine.html Health Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:00:13 EST news275068218 Understanding the mindset of mass murderers, especially in the wake of last week's Newtown, Conn., tragedy in which 20 children lost their lives, can seem nearly impossible. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-senseless-psychologist-discusses-mental-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:00:01 EST news274963510