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CDC Media Campaign Helps Americans Quit Smoking
Three years ago, the CDC launched “Tips From Former Smokers,” the first federally funded anti-smoking paid media campaign. The ads included striking real-life stories of smokers’ struggles with smoking-related health issues, such as cancer, gum disease, premature birth, and stroke. Since its launch, the campaign has helped at least 400,000 smokers quit according to CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH. An estimated 104,000 Americans quit smoking for good as a result of the 2014 campaign alone.
The 2014 campaign aired in 2 phases from February to April and July to September. In a survey, about 80% of U.S. adult cigarette smokers said they had seen at least 1 television ad from phase 2 of the campaign.
Tips is “extremely cost-effective and a best buy, saving both lives and money,” said Frieden. “With a year-round campaign we could save even more lives and money.”
As effective as the campaign is, it’s up against a tough antagonist that refuses to surrender. Corinne Graffunder, DrPH, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health added, “The money spent in 1 year on ‘Tips’ is less than the amount the tobacco industry spends on advertising and promotion in just 3 days.”
Moreover, young people are, in a sense, cannon fodder. “We know that 90% of all adult smokers first try cigarettes as teens,” Graffunder said. According to the CDC’s 2015 National Youth Tobacco Survey, overall tobacco use among middle- and high school students has not changed since 2011; 4.7 million were current users of a tobacco product in 2015. E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product by adolescents, the CDC found, and its use continues to climb.
Three years ago, the CDC launched “Tips From Former Smokers,” the first federally funded anti-smoking paid media campaign. The ads included striking real-life stories of smokers’ struggles with smoking-related health issues, such as cancer, gum disease, premature birth, and stroke. Since its launch, the campaign has helped at least 400,000 smokers quit according to CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH. An estimated 104,000 Americans quit smoking for good as a result of the 2014 campaign alone.
The 2014 campaign aired in 2 phases from February to April and July to September. In a survey, about 80% of U.S. adult cigarette smokers said they had seen at least 1 television ad from phase 2 of the campaign.
Tips is “extremely cost-effective and a best buy, saving both lives and money,” said Frieden. “With a year-round campaign we could save even more lives and money.”
As effective as the campaign is, it’s up against a tough antagonist that refuses to surrender. Corinne Graffunder, DrPH, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health added, “The money spent in 1 year on ‘Tips’ is less than the amount the tobacco industry spends on advertising and promotion in just 3 days.”
Moreover, young people are, in a sense, cannon fodder. “We know that 90% of all adult smokers first try cigarettes as teens,” Graffunder said. According to the CDC’s 2015 National Youth Tobacco Survey, overall tobacco use among middle- and high school students has not changed since 2011; 4.7 million were current users of a tobacco product in 2015. E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product by adolescents, the CDC found, and its use continues to climb.
Three years ago, the CDC launched “Tips From Former Smokers,” the first federally funded anti-smoking paid media campaign. The ads included striking real-life stories of smokers’ struggles with smoking-related health issues, such as cancer, gum disease, premature birth, and stroke. Since its launch, the campaign has helped at least 400,000 smokers quit according to CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH. An estimated 104,000 Americans quit smoking for good as a result of the 2014 campaign alone.
The 2014 campaign aired in 2 phases from February to April and July to September. In a survey, about 80% of U.S. adult cigarette smokers said they had seen at least 1 television ad from phase 2 of the campaign.
Tips is “extremely cost-effective and a best buy, saving both lives and money,” said Frieden. “With a year-round campaign we could save even more lives and money.”
As effective as the campaign is, it’s up against a tough antagonist that refuses to surrender. Corinne Graffunder, DrPH, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health added, “The money spent in 1 year on ‘Tips’ is less than the amount the tobacco industry spends on advertising and promotion in just 3 days.”
Moreover, young people are, in a sense, cannon fodder. “We know that 90% of all adult smokers first try cigarettes as teens,” Graffunder said. According to the CDC’s 2015 National Youth Tobacco Survey, overall tobacco use among middle- and high school students has not changed since 2011; 4.7 million were current users of a tobacco product in 2015. E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product by adolescents, the CDC found, and its use continues to climb.
Thanks to IHS Funding Program, “Sustained Achievements” in Diabetes Prevention
American Indian and Alaska Native people have among the highest rates of diabetes in the country. The IHS Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) has supported and encouraged innovative interventions across the country to prevent and reduce diabetes, which the IHS says have “changed the diabetes landscape across the Indian health system.”
This year, SDPI is awarding approximately $137 million to 301 Tribes, Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, and IHS facilities for programs to prevent and treat diabetes in American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs).
Based on local needs and priorities, the grant programs have increased access to diabetes services and helped improve key outcomes, the IHS says. For example, between 1997 and 2010 access to diabetes clinics rose from 31% to 71%, access to registered dietitians rose from 37% to 77%, and access to culturally tailored diabetes education programs from 36% to 99%.
Similarly, in the 13 years the program has been in existence, its results have seen “sustained achievements” in diabetes outcomes, such as declines in blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Between 1995 and 2006, the incident rate of end-stage renal disease in AI/AN people with diabetes fell by 27.7%—more than in any other racial or ethnic group.
American Indian and Alaska Native people have among the highest rates of diabetes in the country. The IHS Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) has supported and encouraged innovative interventions across the country to prevent and reduce diabetes, which the IHS says have “changed the diabetes landscape across the Indian health system.”
This year, SDPI is awarding approximately $137 million to 301 Tribes, Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, and IHS facilities for programs to prevent and treat diabetes in American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs).
Based on local needs and priorities, the grant programs have increased access to diabetes services and helped improve key outcomes, the IHS says. For example, between 1997 and 2010 access to diabetes clinics rose from 31% to 71%, access to registered dietitians rose from 37% to 77%, and access to culturally tailored diabetes education programs from 36% to 99%.
Similarly, in the 13 years the program has been in existence, its results have seen “sustained achievements” in diabetes outcomes, such as declines in blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Between 1995 and 2006, the incident rate of end-stage renal disease in AI/AN people with diabetes fell by 27.7%—more than in any other racial or ethnic group.
American Indian and Alaska Native people have among the highest rates of diabetes in the country. The IHS Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) has supported and encouraged innovative interventions across the country to prevent and reduce diabetes, which the IHS says have “changed the diabetes landscape across the Indian health system.”
This year, SDPI is awarding approximately $137 million to 301 Tribes, Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, and IHS facilities for programs to prevent and treat diabetes in American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs).
Based on local needs and priorities, the grant programs have increased access to diabetes services and helped improve key outcomes, the IHS says. For example, between 1997 and 2010 access to diabetes clinics rose from 31% to 71%, access to registered dietitians rose from 37% to 77%, and access to culturally tailored diabetes education programs from 36% to 99%.
Similarly, in the 13 years the program has been in existence, its results have seen “sustained achievements” in diabetes outcomes, such as declines in blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Between 1995 and 2006, the incident rate of end-stage renal disease in AI/AN people with diabetes fell by 27.7%—more than in any other racial or ethnic group.
Death Rates for Brain Cancer Trend Downward
Brain cancer rates have declined slightly in recent years, according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2012, which tracks trends in cancer incidence and deaths in the U.S.
Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer was 1 of 7 common cancers for which incidence rates dropped among men. Death rates remained stable among men during that time for melanoma and cancers of the bladder, brain, oral cavity, and pharynx. Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer ranked 11th of the top 17 cancers for whites, 15th for blacks, 13th for Asian/Pacific Islanders (API), 14th for American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and 13th for Hispanics.
Related: Major Cancer Death Rates Are Down
When data from 1975 through 2012 were factored in, the long-term trend was a general decline in cancer deaths for adults. Overall, cancer deaths for both sexes decreased by 1.5% per year between 2003 and 2012. For men in all ethnic and racial groups, rates of brain cancer also trended downward. The annual percent change was 4.4% between 1975 and 1977; -0.4% between 1977 and 1982, 1.3% between 1982 and 1991, -1.0% between 1991 and 2007, and 0.7% between 2007 and 2012.
Among women, death rates declined slightly overall but remained stable for brain cancer. Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer ranked 9th among the top 17 cancers for whites, 15th for blacks, 12th for API, 14th for AI/AN, and 12th for Hispanics.
Related: Predicting Tongue Cancer Recurrence
The annual updates are the joint production of The American Cancer Society, the CDC, National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. This is the 18th year the report has been published.
Source:
Ryerson AB, Eheman CR, Altekruse SF, et al. Cancer. 2016;122(9):1312-137.
doi: 10.1002/cncr.29936.
Brain cancer rates have declined slightly in recent years, according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2012, which tracks trends in cancer incidence and deaths in the U.S.
Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer was 1 of 7 common cancers for which incidence rates dropped among men. Death rates remained stable among men during that time for melanoma and cancers of the bladder, brain, oral cavity, and pharynx. Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer ranked 11th of the top 17 cancers for whites, 15th for blacks, 13th for Asian/Pacific Islanders (API), 14th for American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and 13th for Hispanics.
Related: Major Cancer Death Rates Are Down
When data from 1975 through 2012 were factored in, the long-term trend was a general decline in cancer deaths for adults. Overall, cancer deaths for both sexes decreased by 1.5% per year between 2003 and 2012. For men in all ethnic and racial groups, rates of brain cancer also trended downward. The annual percent change was 4.4% between 1975 and 1977; -0.4% between 1977 and 1982, 1.3% between 1982 and 1991, -1.0% between 1991 and 2007, and 0.7% between 2007 and 2012.
Among women, death rates declined slightly overall but remained stable for brain cancer. Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer ranked 9th among the top 17 cancers for whites, 15th for blacks, 12th for API, 14th for AI/AN, and 12th for Hispanics.
Related: Predicting Tongue Cancer Recurrence
The annual updates are the joint production of The American Cancer Society, the CDC, National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. This is the 18th year the report has been published.
Source:
Ryerson AB, Eheman CR, Altekruse SF, et al. Cancer. 2016;122(9):1312-137.
doi: 10.1002/cncr.29936.
Brain cancer rates have declined slightly in recent years, according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2012, which tracks trends in cancer incidence and deaths in the U.S.
Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer was 1 of 7 common cancers for which incidence rates dropped among men. Death rates remained stable among men during that time for melanoma and cancers of the bladder, brain, oral cavity, and pharynx. Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer ranked 11th of the top 17 cancers for whites, 15th for blacks, 13th for Asian/Pacific Islanders (API), 14th for American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and 13th for Hispanics.
Related: Major Cancer Death Rates Are Down
When data from 1975 through 2012 were factored in, the long-term trend was a general decline in cancer deaths for adults. Overall, cancer deaths for both sexes decreased by 1.5% per year between 2003 and 2012. For men in all ethnic and racial groups, rates of brain cancer also trended downward. The annual percent change was 4.4% between 1975 and 1977; -0.4% between 1977 and 1982, 1.3% between 1982 and 1991, -1.0% between 1991 and 2007, and 0.7% between 2007 and 2012.
Among women, death rates declined slightly overall but remained stable for brain cancer. Between 2003 and 2012, brain cancer ranked 9th among the top 17 cancers for whites, 15th for blacks, 12th for API, 14th for AI/AN, and 12th for Hispanics.
Related: Predicting Tongue Cancer Recurrence
The annual updates are the joint production of The American Cancer Society, the CDC, National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. This is the 18th year the report has been published.
Source:
Ryerson AB, Eheman CR, Altekruse SF, et al. Cancer. 2016;122(9):1312-137.
doi: 10.1002/cncr.29936.
Unraveling the Genetic Mystery of Pneumocystis
NIH researchers have sequenced nearly the entire genome of Pneumocystis—the cause a deadly infection that helped identify the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Pneumocystis is still a significant risk for those patients as well as for transplant recipients and other immunosuppressed patients.
Pneumocystis has puzzled researchers for years—especially how it developed its “unique” mechanisms of adaptation to life in mammals. “Having the genome information helped us recognize the unusual biology of Pneumocystis and how it co-exists with its mammalian hosts,” said Liang Ma, MD, first author of the paper on the study. Through analysis, the researchers now better understand where the organism lives—it’s “highly adapted to existence in the host lung with strict dependence on the mammalian host for nutrients and a stable environment.” They can also get a better idea of how it avoids elimination by the host’s immune system.
The researchers say their study helps map out a clearer picture of the genomes, compared with prior studies, with high-quality, near chromosomal draft genomes—the “highest level of genomic mapping.” That high quality helped them identify metabolic pathways critical to the growth and survival of the organism, as well as pathways in other closely related fungi that Pneumocystis does not have. The pathways likely disappeared as Pneumocystis evolved to become highly dependent on its host to stay alive, the researchers say.
Their detailed description of genes that are present or missing should facilitate attempts to culture the organism, they note. Culturing could help speed drug development and allow for genetic manipulation to modify the genes involved.
NIH researchers have sequenced nearly the entire genome of Pneumocystis—the cause a deadly infection that helped identify the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Pneumocystis is still a significant risk for those patients as well as for transplant recipients and other immunosuppressed patients.
Pneumocystis has puzzled researchers for years—especially how it developed its “unique” mechanisms of adaptation to life in mammals. “Having the genome information helped us recognize the unusual biology of Pneumocystis and how it co-exists with its mammalian hosts,” said Liang Ma, MD, first author of the paper on the study. Through analysis, the researchers now better understand where the organism lives—it’s “highly adapted to existence in the host lung with strict dependence on the mammalian host for nutrients and a stable environment.” They can also get a better idea of how it avoids elimination by the host’s immune system.
The researchers say their study helps map out a clearer picture of the genomes, compared with prior studies, with high-quality, near chromosomal draft genomes—the “highest level of genomic mapping.” That high quality helped them identify metabolic pathways critical to the growth and survival of the organism, as well as pathways in other closely related fungi that Pneumocystis does not have. The pathways likely disappeared as Pneumocystis evolved to become highly dependent on its host to stay alive, the researchers say.
Their detailed description of genes that are present or missing should facilitate attempts to culture the organism, they note. Culturing could help speed drug development and allow for genetic manipulation to modify the genes involved.
NIH researchers have sequenced nearly the entire genome of Pneumocystis—the cause a deadly infection that helped identify the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Pneumocystis is still a significant risk for those patients as well as for transplant recipients and other immunosuppressed patients.
Pneumocystis has puzzled researchers for years—especially how it developed its “unique” mechanisms of adaptation to life in mammals. “Having the genome information helped us recognize the unusual biology of Pneumocystis and how it co-exists with its mammalian hosts,” said Liang Ma, MD, first author of the paper on the study. Through analysis, the researchers now better understand where the organism lives—it’s “highly adapted to existence in the host lung with strict dependence on the mammalian host for nutrients and a stable environment.” They can also get a better idea of how it avoids elimination by the host’s immune system.
The researchers say their study helps map out a clearer picture of the genomes, compared with prior studies, with high-quality, near chromosomal draft genomes—the “highest level of genomic mapping.” That high quality helped them identify metabolic pathways critical to the growth and survival of the organism, as well as pathways in other closely related fungi that Pneumocystis does not have. The pathways likely disappeared as Pneumocystis evolved to become highly dependent on its host to stay alive, the researchers say.
Their detailed description of genes that are present or missing should facilitate attempts to culture the organism, they note. Culturing could help speed drug development and allow for genetic manipulation to modify the genes involved.
Winning Ideas for Preventing and Reducing VTE
Inventive ways of identifying and treating patients with health care associated venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE) have garnered awards for 8 hospitals and health care systems in the HA-VTE Prevention Challenge, sponsored by the CDC.
The winners range from small community hospitals to large health care systems: Mayo Clinic, University of California Health, Center for Health Quality and Innovation; University of Wisconsin Health (Madison); Intermountain Healthcare (Murray, UT); Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago); Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore); Harborview Medical Center (Seattle); and Hutchinson (KS) Regional Medical Center.
All improved VTE prevention with innovative, effective, and sustainable initiatives and strategies.
Harborview Medical Center (HMC) developed an electronic tool for efficient, standardized review of HA-VTE. The tool uses natural language processing, allowing the HMC VTE Task Force to quickly gauge the accuracy of risk assessment and appropriateness of prophylaxis. It also developed tools to provide real-time, actionable information at the bedside, including lists that highlight patients who have not received chemical or mechanical prophylaxis in 24 hours. Those who have received vitamin K antagonists are identified to ensure patient/family education and appropriate follow-up. Treatment data “snapshots” are embedded in resident physician and nursing handoff tools to enhance multidisciplinary communication. All process and outcome measures are displayed on an internal web-based dashboard, with improvement opportunities highlighted.
As a result, HMC has had zero potentially preventable VTE events since the measure was implemented in January 2013—a national best practice. Improved VTE prophylaxis contributed to a 15% reduction in HA-VTE between 2011 and 2015. Among postoperative patients, the rate of VTE dropped 21%. Diagnosis, treatment, patient education, and outpatient follow-up have all improved. Moreover, HMC says, the lessons learned have formed the basis of ongoing improvement initiatives.
Four entrants (“Unique Populations and Interventions”) received honorable mentions: Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium, Ann Arbor; Sheppard Pratt Health System, Baltimore; Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; and University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Inventive ways of identifying and treating patients with health care associated venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE) have garnered awards for 8 hospitals and health care systems in the HA-VTE Prevention Challenge, sponsored by the CDC.
The winners range from small community hospitals to large health care systems: Mayo Clinic, University of California Health, Center for Health Quality and Innovation; University of Wisconsin Health (Madison); Intermountain Healthcare (Murray, UT); Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago); Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore); Harborview Medical Center (Seattle); and Hutchinson (KS) Regional Medical Center.
All improved VTE prevention with innovative, effective, and sustainable initiatives and strategies.
Harborview Medical Center (HMC) developed an electronic tool for efficient, standardized review of HA-VTE. The tool uses natural language processing, allowing the HMC VTE Task Force to quickly gauge the accuracy of risk assessment and appropriateness of prophylaxis. It also developed tools to provide real-time, actionable information at the bedside, including lists that highlight patients who have not received chemical or mechanical prophylaxis in 24 hours. Those who have received vitamin K antagonists are identified to ensure patient/family education and appropriate follow-up. Treatment data “snapshots” are embedded in resident physician and nursing handoff tools to enhance multidisciplinary communication. All process and outcome measures are displayed on an internal web-based dashboard, with improvement opportunities highlighted.
As a result, HMC has had zero potentially preventable VTE events since the measure was implemented in January 2013—a national best practice. Improved VTE prophylaxis contributed to a 15% reduction in HA-VTE between 2011 and 2015. Among postoperative patients, the rate of VTE dropped 21%. Diagnosis, treatment, patient education, and outpatient follow-up have all improved. Moreover, HMC says, the lessons learned have formed the basis of ongoing improvement initiatives.
Four entrants (“Unique Populations and Interventions”) received honorable mentions: Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium, Ann Arbor; Sheppard Pratt Health System, Baltimore; Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; and University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Inventive ways of identifying and treating patients with health care associated venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE) have garnered awards for 8 hospitals and health care systems in the HA-VTE Prevention Challenge, sponsored by the CDC.
The winners range from small community hospitals to large health care systems: Mayo Clinic, University of California Health, Center for Health Quality and Innovation; University of Wisconsin Health (Madison); Intermountain Healthcare (Murray, UT); Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago); Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore); Harborview Medical Center (Seattle); and Hutchinson (KS) Regional Medical Center.
All improved VTE prevention with innovative, effective, and sustainable initiatives and strategies.
Harborview Medical Center (HMC) developed an electronic tool for efficient, standardized review of HA-VTE. The tool uses natural language processing, allowing the HMC VTE Task Force to quickly gauge the accuracy of risk assessment and appropriateness of prophylaxis. It also developed tools to provide real-time, actionable information at the bedside, including lists that highlight patients who have not received chemical or mechanical prophylaxis in 24 hours. Those who have received vitamin K antagonists are identified to ensure patient/family education and appropriate follow-up. Treatment data “snapshots” are embedded in resident physician and nursing handoff tools to enhance multidisciplinary communication. All process and outcome measures are displayed on an internal web-based dashboard, with improvement opportunities highlighted.
As a result, HMC has had zero potentially preventable VTE events since the measure was implemented in January 2013—a national best practice. Improved VTE prophylaxis contributed to a 15% reduction in HA-VTE between 2011 and 2015. Among postoperative patients, the rate of VTE dropped 21%. Diagnosis, treatment, patient education, and outpatient follow-up have all improved. Moreover, HMC says, the lessons learned have formed the basis of ongoing improvement initiatives.
Four entrants (“Unique Populations and Interventions”) received honorable mentions: Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium, Ann Arbor; Sheppard Pratt Health System, Baltimore; Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; and University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Grants Available for Native American Mental Health Programs
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is providing support to Native American tribes and organizations with great ideas for improving mental and physical health. The Tribal Behavioral Health cooperative agreements (short title: Native Connections) offers grants to programs aimed at preventing and reducing suicidal behavior and substance use, addressing trauma, and promoting mental health among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) young people.
SAMHSA is now accepting applications for the cooperative-agreement grants. Grants total up to $94.8 million over 5 years. SAMHSA says it expects to fund as many as 94 grant recipients with up to $200,000 each per year for up to 5 years. Currently, Native Connections serves 20 grantees.
Native Connections also provides webinars to guide grantees in developing plans for such programs. One series, for instance, provides cultural considerations in screening and treating young people at risk.
Federally recognized AI/AN tribes, tribal organizations, and consortia of tribes or tribal organizations are eligible to apply for the grants. Applications are available at www.grants.gov and www.samhsa.gov/grants/applying. Applicants must download the required documents from both sites. The due date to receive applications is June 2, by 11:59 pm (ET).
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is providing support to Native American tribes and organizations with great ideas for improving mental and physical health. The Tribal Behavioral Health cooperative agreements (short title: Native Connections) offers grants to programs aimed at preventing and reducing suicidal behavior and substance use, addressing trauma, and promoting mental health among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) young people.
SAMHSA is now accepting applications for the cooperative-agreement grants. Grants total up to $94.8 million over 5 years. SAMHSA says it expects to fund as many as 94 grant recipients with up to $200,000 each per year for up to 5 years. Currently, Native Connections serves 20 grantees.
Native Connections also provides webinars to guide grantees in developing plans for such programs. One series, for instance, provides cultural considerations in screening and treating young people at risk.
Federally recognized AI/AN tribes, tribal organizations, and consortia of tribes or tribal organizations are eligible to apply for the grants. Applications are available at www.grants.gov and www.samhsa.gov/grants/applying. Applicants must download the required documents from both sites. The due date to receive applications is June 2, by 11:59 pm (ET).
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is providing support to Native American tribes and organizations with great ideas for improving mental and physical health. The Tribal Behavioral Health cooperative agreements (short title: Native Connections) offers grants to programs aimed at preventing and reducing suicidal behavior and substance use, addressing trauma, and promoting mental health among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) young people.
SAMHSA is now accepting applications for the cooperative-agreement grants. Grants total up to $94.8 million over 5 years. SAMHSA says it expects to fund as many as 94 grant recipients with up to $200,000 each per year for up to 5 years. Currently, Native Connections serves 20 grantees.
Native Connections also provides webinars to guide grantees in developing plans for such programs. One series, for instance, provides cultural considerations in screening and treating young people at risk.
Federally recognized AI/AN tribes, tribal organizations, and consortia of tribes or tribal organizations are eligible to apply for the grants. Applications are available at www.grants.gov and www.samhsa.gov/grants/applying. Applicants must download the required documents from both sites. The due date to receive applications is June 2, by 11:59 pm (ET).
SAMHSA Reports Track Behavioral Health in U.S.
From 2005 to 2011, emergency department visits related to nonmedical use of narcotic pain relievers rose in all age groups (except for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years). For “detailed insight on the nature and scope of behavioral health issues” in the U.S., The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) posted its 2015 and 2016 short reports on the National Library of Medicine’s website. The specialized reports, prepared by SAMHSA’s Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, cover a range of information at the federal, state, and community levels, from state estimates of marijuana use to heroin use in the U.S., and more.
The short reports are available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK343537/. The full range of SAMHSA statistical studies and reports is available at www.samhsa.gov/data/.
From 2005 to 2011, emergency department visits related to nonmedical use of narcotic pain relievers rose in all age groups (except for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years). For “detailed insight on the nature and scope of behavioral health issues” in the U.S., The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) posted its 2015 and 2016 short reports on the National Library of Medicine’s website. The specialized reports, prepared by SAMHSA’s Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, cover a range of information at the federal, state, and community levels, from state estimates of marijuana use to heroin use in the U.S., and more.
The short reports are available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK343537/. The full range of SAMHSA statistical studies and reports is available at www.samhsa.gov/data/.
From 2005 to 2011, emergency department visits related to nonmedical use of narcotic pain relievers rose in all age groups (except for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years). For “detailed insight on the nature and scope of behavioral health issues” in the U.S., The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) posted its 2015 and 2016 short reports on the National Library of Medicine’s website. The specialized reports, prepared by SAMHSA’s Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, cover a range of information at the federal, state, and community levels, from state estimates of marijuana use to heroin use in the U.S., and more.
The short reports are available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK343537/. The full range of SAMHSA statistical studies and reports is available at www.samhsa.gov/data/.
Aprepitant Protects Against Chemo-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
According to international guidelines, > 90% of patients on a cisplatin regimen experience chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Antiemetic prophylaxis with a 5 hydroxytryptamine receptor-3 antagonist (5-HT3RA) plus dexamethasone still leaves about 20% of patients with acute or delayed vomiting and nausea during the first cycle of chemotherapy. However, researchers from Chang Gung University in Taiwan found that adding aprepitant provided about 70% complete protection against emesis when the primary prophylaxis did not work. Those findings led them to conduct a study that evaluated the antiemetic efficacy of a combination of 3 drugs: palonosetron (a long-acting second-generation 5-HT3RA), 3-day oral aprepitant (a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist), and dexamethasone.
Related: Delayed Adjuvant Chemotherapy Significantly Affects Breast Cancer Recovery
Patients in the study were scheduled to receive at least 50 mg/m2 cisplatin followed by a continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with or without other chemotherapeutic agents. Cisplatin was given on day 1; the other drugs were given on day 1 and subsequent days. All 69 patients who received palonosetron, aprepitant, and dexamethasone were evaluated in the first cycle of chemotherapy.
No patients experienced acute vomiting; nearly all (98.6%) were protected against nausea. Moreover, 97.1% had no delayed vomiting, and 87% had no delayed nausea. Most episodes of delayed nausea were rated as mild. Overall, 97.1% of patients had no vomiting, and 85.5% of patients had no nausea.
Related: FDA Approves Rescue Drug for Chemotherapy Overdose
The effects were sustained. In the second cycle of chemotherapy, again, none of 61 evaluated patients experienced acute vomiting, and 96.7% were free of nausea. Most patients also were protected against delayed vomiting or nausea (96.7% and 83.6%, respectively). Of patients who underwent 2 cycles, 45 did not experience nausea or vomiting in either cycle.
The combination of drugs was generally well tolerated; most adverse events were mild.
Yang C-K, Wu C-E, Liaw C-C. Biomed J. 2016;39(1):60-66.
doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2015.08.006.
According to international guidelines, > 90% of patients on a cisplatin regimen experience chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Antiemetic prophylaxis with a 5 hydroxytryptamine receptor-3 antagonist (5-HT3RA) plus dexamethasone still leaves about 20% of patients with acute or delayed vomiting and nausea during the first cycle of chemotherapy. However, researchers from Chang Gung University in Taiwan found that adding aprepitant provided about 70% complete protection against emesis when the primary prophylaxis did not work. Those findings led them to conduct a study that evaluated the antiemetic efficacy of a combination of 3 drugs: palonosetron (a long-acting second-generation 5-HT3RA), 3-day oral aprepitant (a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist), and dexamethasone.
Related: Delayed Adjuvant Chemotherapy Significantly Affects Breast Cancer Recovery
Patients in the study were scheduled to receive at least 50 mg/m2 cisplatin followed by a continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with or without other chemotherapeutic agents. Cisplatin was given on day 1; the other drugs were given on day 1 and subsequent days. All 69 patients who received palonosetron, aprepitant, and dexamethasone were evaluated in the first cycle of chemotherapy.
No patients experienced acute vomiting; nearly all (98.6%) were protected against nausea. Moreover, 97.1% had no delayed vomiting, and 87% had no delayed nausea. Most episodes of delayed nausea were rated as mild. Overall, 97.1% of patients had no vomiting, and 85.5% of patients had no nausea.
Related: FDA Approves Rescue Drug for Chemotherapy Overdose
The effects were sustained. In the second cycle of chemotherapy, again, none of 61 evaluated patients experienced acute vomiting, and 96.7% were free of nausea. Most patients also were protected against delayed vomiting or nausea (96.7% and 83.6%, respectively). Of patients who underwent 2 cycles, 45 did not experience nausea or vomiting in either cycle.
The combination of drugs was generally well tolerated; most adverse events were mild.
Yang C-K, Wu C-E, Liaw C-C. Biomed J. 2016;39(1):60-66.
doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2015.08.006.
According to international guidelines, > 90% of patients on a cisplatin regimen experience chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Antiemetic prophylaxis with a 5 hydroxytryptamine receptor-3 antagonist (5-HT3RA) plus dexamethasone still leaves about 20% of patients with acute or delayed vomiting and nausea during the first cycle of chemotherapy. However, researchers from Chang Gung University in Taiwan found that adding aprepitant provided about 70% complete protection against emesis when the primary prophylaxis did not work. Those findings led them to conduct a study that evaluated the antiemetic efficacy of a combination of 3 drugs: palonosetron (a long-acting second-generation 5-HT3RA), 3-day oral aprepitant (a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist), and dexamethasone.
Related: Delayed Adjuvant Chemotherapy Significantly Affects Breast Cancer Recovery
Patients in the study were scheduled to receive at least 50 mg/m2 cisplatin followed by a continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with or without other chemotherapeutic agents. Cisplatin was given on day 1; the other drugs were given on day 1 and subsequent days. All 69 patients who received palonosetron, aprepitant, and dexamethasone were evaluated in the first cycle of chemotherapy.
No patients experienced acute vomiting; nearly all (98.6%) were protected against nausea. Moreover, 97.1% had no delayed vomiting, and 87% had no delayed nausea. Most episodes of delayed nausea were rated as mild. Overall, 97.1% of patients had no vomiting, and 85.5% of patients had no nausea.
Related: FDA Approves Rescue Drug for Chemotherapy Overdose
The effects were sustained. In the second cycle of chemotherapy, again, none of 61 evaluated patients experienced acute vomiting, and 96.7% were free of nausea. Most patients also were protected against delayed vomiting or nausea (96.7% and 83.6%, respectively). Of patients who underwent 2 cycles, 45 did not experience nausea or vomiting in either cycle.
The combination of drugs was generally well tolerated; most adverse events were mild.
Yang C-K, Wu C-E, Liaw C-C. Biomed J. 2016;39(1):60-66.
doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2015.08.006.
Assistive Technology for Veterans’ Homes
The VA awarded 4 grants totaling nearly $800,000 to veterans with service-connected disabilities to adapt their homes with assistive technology .
The Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology (SAHAT) grants go to individuals, researchers, and organizations that develop assistive technology. The 4 grants awarded are going to Auburn University in Alabama for touch-voice-eye-controlled assistive technology; Philips Research of North America in Massachusetts for personalized location-aware assisted technology for individuals with mild cognitive impairment; Simply Home of Asheville, North Carolina, for an assistive technology link platform that interfaces the Firefly Platform with the Amazon Echo Device; and St. Ambrose University in Iowa for its virtual demonstration and training site for home independence.
Typical home adaptations include ramps, wider halls and doors, and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. New technology from the SAHAT Grant program will be added to the list of home modification options as they become available.
The VA awarded 4 grants totaling nearly $800,000 to veterans with service-connected disabilities to adapt their homes with assistive technology .
The Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology (SAHAT) grants go to individuals, researchers, and organizations that develop assistive technology. The 4 grants awarded are going to Auburn University in Alabama for touch-voice-eye-controlled assistive technology; Philips Research of North America in Massachusetts for personalized location-aware assisted technology for individuals with mild cognitive impairment; Simply Home of Asheville, North Carolina, for an assistive technology link platform that interfaces the Firefly Platform with the Amazon Echo Device; and St. Ambrose University in Iowa for its virtual demonstration and training site for home independence.
Typical home adaptations include ramps, wider halls and doors, and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. New technology from the SAHAT Grant program will be added to the list of home modification options as they become available.
The VA awarded 4 grants totaling nearly $800,000 to veterans with service-connected disabilities to adapt their homes with assistive technology .
The Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology (SAHAT) grants go to individuals, researchers, and organizations that develop assistive technology. The 4 grants awarded are going to Auburn University in Alabama for touch-voice-eye-controlled assistive technology; Philips Research of North America in Massachusetts for personalized location-aware assisted technology for individuals with mild cognitive impairment; Simply Home of Asheville, North Carolina, for an assistive technology link platform that interfaces the Firefly Platform with the Amazon Echo Device; and St. Ambrose University in Iowa for its virtual demonstration and training site for home independence.
Typical home adaptations include ramps, wider halls and doors, and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. New technology from the SAHAT Grant program will be added to the list of home modification options as they become available.
Sexual Orientation and Cancer Risk
Young people in sexual minorities are at higher risk of cancer because they engage in risky behavior more often, say researchers from City University of New York, Harvard, Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and San Diego State University.
The researchers analyzed data from 9,958 participants in the national Growing Up Today Study (1999-2010). The study participants were the children of the women in the Nurses’ Health Study II; those women were invited in 1996 to enroll their 9- to 14-year-old children. Of the participants, 84.5% reported being “completely” heterosexual, 12.1% were “mostly” heterosexual, 1.8% were lesbian or gay, and 1.6% were bisexual.
Related: Native Americans Address LGBT Health Issues
The researchers measured responses about tobacco and alcohol, diet and physical activity, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and sexually transmitted infections.
Compared with completely heterosexual women, lesbian, bisexual, and mostly heterosexual women more frequently engaged in multiple cancer-related risk behaviors. For instance, they were more likely to have smoked, to be overweight, and to have been physically inactive in the previous year. Bisexual and mostly heterosexual women were more likely to have had a sexually transmitted infection. Interestingly, heterosexual women were more likely to have used a tanning booth ≥ 10 times in the previous year.
Compared with heterosexual men, sexual-minority women were also more often engaged in risky behaviors. The differences between gay/bisexual men and heterosexual men were less marked, although gay men more often vomited to control their weight, compared with heterosexual men, and had a higher prevalence of STIs.
The literature, the researchers note, tends to focus on “ever or never” behavior. They were mindful, they say, that exposure to a potential carcinogen usually must occur over time, and that the likelihood of cancer increases with exposure, which is why they focused on assessing frequent engagement in each cancer-related risk behavior, long term. Their findings indicated that sexual minorities, relative to heterosexuals, are at risk for cancer through multiple risk behaviors—“concerning,” they add, because the “additive or synergistic effect of another cancer-related risk behavior may provoke or exacerbate a determinant of cancer: chronic inflammation.”
Source:
Rosario M, Li F, Wypij D, et al. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(4):698-706.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302977.
Young people in sexual minorities are at higher risk of cancer because they engage in risky behavior more often, say researchers from City University of New York, Harvard, Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and San Diego State University.
The researchers analyzed data from 9,958 participants in the national Growing Up Today Study (1999-2010). The study participants were the children of the women in the Nurses’ Health Study II; those women were invited in 1996 to enroll their 9- to 14-year-old children. Of the participants, 84.5% reported being “completely” heterosexual, 12.1% were “mostly” heterosexual, 1.8% were lesbian or gay, and 1.6% were bisexual.
Related: Native Americans Address LGBT Health Issues
The researchers measured responses about tobacco and alcohol, diet and physical activity, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and sexually transmitted infections.
Compared with completely heterosexual women, lesbian, bisexual, and mostly heterosexual women more frequently engaged in multiple cancer-related risk behaviors. For instance, they were more likely to have smoked, to be overweight, and to have been physically inactive in the previous year. Bisexual and mostly heterosexual women were more likely to have had a sexually transmitted infection. Interestingly, heterosexual women were more likely to have used a tanning booth ≥ 10 times in the previous year.
Compared with heterosexual men, sexual-minority women were also more often engaged in risky behaviors. The differences between gay/bisexual men and heterosexual men were less marked, although gay men more often vomited to control their weight, compared with heterosexual men, and had a higher prevalence of STIs.
The literature, the researchers note, tends to focus on “ever or never” behavior. They were mindful, they say, that exposure to a potential carcinogen usually must occur over time, and that the likelihood of cancer increases with exposure, which is why they focused on assessing frequent engagement in each cancer-related risk behavior, long term. Their findings indicated that sexual minorities, relative to heterosexuals, are at risk for cancer through multiple risk behaviors—“concerning,” they add, because the “additive or synergistic effect of another cancer-related risk behavior may provoke or exacerbate a determinant of cancer: chronic inflammation.”
Source:
Rosario M, Li F, Wypij D, et al. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(4):698-706.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302977.
Young people in sexual minorities are at higher risk of cancer because they engage in risky behavior more often, say researchers from City University of New York, Harvard, Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and San Diego State University.
The researchers analyzed data from 9,958 participants in the national Growing Up Today Study (1999-2010). The study participants were the children of the women in the Nurses’ Health Study II; those women were invited in 1996 to enroll their 9- to 14-year-old children. Of the participants, 84.5% reported being “completely” heterosexual, 12.1% were “mostly” heterosexual, 1.8% were lesbian or gay, and 1.6% were bisexual.
Related: Native Americans Address LGBT Health Issues
The researchers measured responses about tobacco and alcohol, diet and physical activity, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and sexually transmitted infections.
Compared with completely heterosexual women, lesbian, bisexual, and mostly heterosexual women more frequently engaged in multiple cancer-related risk behaviors. For instance, they were more likely to have smoked, to be overweight, and to have been physically inactive in the previous year. Bisexual and mostly heterosexual women were more likely to have had a sexually transmitted infection. Interestingly, heterosexual women were more likely to have used a tanning booth ≥ 10 times in the previous year.
Compared with heterosexual men, sexual-minority women were also more often engaged in risky behaviors. The differences between gay/bisexual men and heterosexual men were less marked, although gay men more often vomited to control their weight, compared with heterosexual men, and had a higher prevalence of STIs.
The literature, the researchers note, tends to focus on “ever or never” behavior. They were mindful, they say, that exposure to a potential carcinogen usually must occur over time, and that the likelihood of cancer increases with exposure, which is why they focused on assessing frequent engagement in each cancer-related risk behavior, long term. Their findings indicated that sexual minorities, relative to heterosexuals, are at risk for cancer through multiple risk behaviors—“concerning,” they add, because the “additive or synergistic effect of another cancer-related risk behavior may provoke or exacerbate a determinant of cancer: chronic inflammation.”
Source:
Rosario M, Li F, Wypij D, et al. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(4):698-706.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302977.