by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure The FDA is saying they still aren’t sure how over 1200 Salmonella stpaul cases resulted from food chain contamination but they are saying its from jalapeno peppers grown in Mexico. This from a press release July 25:

The American Geriatric Society has announced that falls are a leading cause of serious injury and death among the U.S. elderly. HealthDay News reports: Each year, about one in three Americans aged 65 and older suffers a fall, and 30 percent of those falls cause injuries that require medical treatment. In 2005, almost 16,000 older […]

When I’m teaching a class or speaking to a group about the “funding effect” – the close correlation between the results desired by a study’s funders and those reported by the researchers – people often ask how researchers do it. How is it that researchers paid by a sponsor usually get results favorable to the […]

When was the last time the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO agreed on a matter related to workers’ health and safety?  That’s exactly what has happened since the formal announcement about CDC Director Julie Gerberding’s decision not to reappoint NIOSH Director John Howard.  Members of Congress are demanding meetings, stakeholders are sending letters, and the NYTimes Editorial Board called […]

Pens, pads, and other trinkets bearing prescription-drug logos have come to symbolize the extensive presence of pharmaceutical marketing in healthcare settings, but they may be on their way out. Pharmaceutical-industry trade association The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is announcing a new voluntary code of conduct that bans drug reps from distributing these […]

I’m repeating myself here, but it’s for a good cause. At the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at George Washington University School of Public Health, we’ve launched a multi-part study to understand the current policies surrounding scientists’ work at government agencies and to create recommendations for policies that support strong science and the […]

It might be hard to recall a time when we didn’t know that exercise is good for your heart, and smoking is bad for it – but, back in 1948, researchers and clinicians knew little about the causes of cardiovascular disease. That year, the National Heart Institute (now the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, […]

The six-year term of John Howard, MD as director of the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety is coming to an end.  An annoucement today from CDC’s Media Relations office said: “Dr. Julie Gerberding met with Dr. John Howard and let him know that HHS/CDC will begin a search for a new NIOSH director.” That was […]

Obviously, the economy and Iraq are big issues on voters’ minds, but a new poll from Scientists and Engineers for America shows that candidates would also be smart to demonstrate their support for science. In fact, SEA’s Michael Stebbins reports that although the organization expected positive answers to their questions, they were stunned by the […]

by revere, cross posted at Effect Measure As the tomato Salmonella outbreak heads past the 800 case level, it’s time to ask some questions about why we don’t know the source of what is the largest produce associated disease outbreak on record. CDC has its own explanation, namely, that figuring out where tomatoes come from […]