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Study Links Depressive Mood, Racial Disparities In Preterm Birth
Women who have depression symptoms prior to becoming pregnant are at an increased risk for having preterm births, with the risk twice as high for black women as for white women, according to a study in the Journal of Women"s Health, Reuters reports. For the study, Amelia Gavin of the University of Washington and colleagues examined the links between race, preterm birth and pre-pregnancy depressive mood among 555 women. The study used data collected from 1990-1996 as part of a larger, long-term investigation of heart disease risk.Researchers determined that 18.1% of the 249 black women in the study gave birth prior to 37 weeks" gestation, compared with 8.5% of the 306 white women in the study. The study also found that 9.4% of black women had pre-pregnancy symptoms of depressive mood, compared with 7.2% of white women. After researchers accounted for other factors associated with preterm birth, such as body weight and sociodemographic characteristics, black women"s risk remained more than twice that of white women.Gavin said, "The black-white disparity in preterm birth may be in part a consequence of different exposures to depressive mood prior to pregnancy." She said, "Reproductive outcomes must be viewed in light of women"s health over the entire life-course, as well as during pregnancy," adding that the study"s results suggest that "the experience of cumulative health disadvantages or "weathering"" might play a role in increased risk for preterm birth (Hendry, Reuters, 6/25).

New American Medical Association And Microsoft Collaboration To Enhance Patient-Physician Communication
The American Medical Association (AMA) announced it is working with Microsoft to better connect patients with their physicians. Patients and their physicians will be able to exchange vital health care information by connecting through Microsoft"s HealthVault, a platform developed by Microsoft to store and maintain health and fitness information. Through this collaboration physicians will be able to access self reported patient health information at the point of care, while enabling patients to access vital information that has been entered through the physician"s office.
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Health Plans Return To Airwaves In Support Of Bipartisan Reform
Health plans launched a new national television advertising campaign in support of bipartisan health care reform.
Nutrition

Expert: Adults Need To Revisit Childhood Vaccinations

"Vaccines are not just for children any more." That is the important, and potentially life-saving message, that Geisinger Health System pediatric gastroenterologist William Cochran, M.D., vice chairman of the Janet Weis Children"s Hospital, wants to deliver. And this is a message that comes from personal experience. "I am a physician, and I didn"t realize that adults needed to be revaccinated for what are considered childhood diseases such as pertussis (whooping cough)," said Dr. Cochran. "And I found that out the hard way by contracting that very disease." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pertussis is an acute, infectious cough illness that remains prevalent in the United States despite longstanding routine childhood pertussis vaccination. It is characterized by the unforgettable "whoop" sound made when gasping for breath after a coughing fit. It creates a sticky, thick mucous that makes it difficult to eat, drink and breathe. This remains an issue because immunity wanes approximately five to 10 years after completion of childhood vaccination, leaving adolescents and adults susceptible to the disease. The CDC reports that since the 1980s, the number of reported pertussis cases has increased steadily, especially among adolescents and adults. And, between 2000-2003 and 2004-2007, there was a 100-percent increase in reported cases of pertussis; there may be as many as 800,000 to 3.3 million adult and adolescent cases of pertussis in any given year. "This is considered the 100-day cough," said Lisa Esolen, M.D., system director of Geisinger Infection Control. "This is not a cough that goes away after a few days. At Geisinger alone, we"ve had two pertussis outbreaks within a span of a year, one of which required delivering antibiotics to 105 people who were exposed. That is a significant number. And all it takes is awareness and revaccination to control." Dr. Cochran"s experience with the disease, and lengthy and painful recovery, has inspired him to educate adults about the importance of revaccination. "The coughing gets so bad that I can"t get any air. My airway closes until the "whoop" end of the cough occurs. It"s very frightening and extremely painful," he said. "The CDC recommends that all adults between the ages of 19-64 should be revaccinated, along with healthcare providers. If more adults get their vaccines, then we"ll have more power to stop this horrible disease in its tracks." About Geisinger Health System Founded in 1915, Geisinger Health System (Danville, PA) is one of the nation"s largest integrated health services organizations. Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country"s rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. Geisinger is comprised of two medical center campuses, three hospitals, a 740-member group practice, a not-for-profit health insurance company and the Henry Hood Center for Health Researchdedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. Geisinger Health System


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