Welcome to the February 2012 issue of HSPH Update, an e-letter for friends of Harvard School of Public Health.
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Why do cancers strike men more than women?
 It is well known that most cancers strike men more often than women. In many cases these differences can be explained by known risk factors such as smoking, drinking, or occupational hazards. But more than one-third of the cancers that disproportionately strike one sex or the other--men, in particular--cannot be explained by known risk factors and seem to be associated with gender alone, according to research led by Gustaf Edgren, a research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH. Read more photo: Rupak de Chowdhuri/REUTERS
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Alumna hopes video will help stem the cholera tide
A new animated video about cholera--how people get infected, how it spreads, and how to treat it--is drawing attention from health workers around the globe. The video's producer, Deborah Van Dyke, is a nurse practitioner in Vermont, a longtime aid worker for Doctors Without Borders, and a 1993 HSPH graduate. Read more
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Dietary changes before surgery may reduce risk of complications
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L to R: Lauren Robertson, Jordan Gallinetti, James Mitchell, Pedro Mejia, Eylul Harputlugil
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Limiting certain essential nutrients prior to surgery--either protein or amino acids--may reduce the risk of serious surgical complications such as heart attack or stroke, according to a new HSPH study. Lead author James Mitchell, assistant professor of genetics and complex diseases at HSPH, said that "data indicate that the well-fed state is the one more susceptible to this kind of injury." Read more
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Common chemicals linked to lowered immune response to childhood vaccinations
 A new HSPH study finds that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), widely used in manufactured products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and fast-food packaging, were associated with lowered immune response to vaccinations in children. Read more
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Reducing risk of head and neck pain from tablet computer use
Can the increasingly popular tablet computers cause the same kinds of ergonomic issues--head, neck, and wrist pain--that have afflicted desktop computer users for decades? HSPH researchers have begun quantifying the ways in which a person's posture, and also the design of the tablet and its case, affect comfort. Read more
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Research sheds light on E. coli outbreak in Europe
Using whole-genome sequencing, a team led by researchers from HSPH and the Broad Institute has traced the path of the E. coli outbreak that sickened thousands and killed more than 50 people in Germany in summer 2011 and also caused a smaller outbreak in France. Read more |
Searching for answers to causes of childhood depression
 | | Erin Dunn |
With little scientific consensus on how youth depression is jointly influenced by specific genes and external factors--like poverty, abuse, and negative family relationships--postdoctoral research fellow and recent HSPH graduate Erin Dunn and her colleagues decided to do a comprehensive review of studies that tested for gene-environment interaction in youth depression. It was published in the December 2011 issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Read more
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Gift from the heart
February marks American Heart Month and Valentine's Day--a great month to remember the body of research (some of it from HSPH researchers) linking happiness and a sense of purpose to heart health. As you celebrate the joys in your own life with your loved ones this week, please consider making a gift to renew your commitment to students at HSPH.
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The toxic stress of early childhood adversity
 Watch video of the February 7 Forum event, featuring Jack Shonkoff, director of Harvard's Center on the Developing Child and HSPH professor, and Robert Block, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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