Are You Ready For "DNA" Vaccines?

The newest thing in vaccines is the DNA vaccine they are being developed and used in clinical trials as you are reading this. 

Both the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health have weighed in on this issue.

According to WHO ,“The field of DNA vaccination is developing rapidly. Vaccines currently being developed use not only DNA, but also include adjuncts that assist DNA to enter cells, target it towards specific cells,”

NIH has many articles listed that you can read on the subject. The goal of these vaccines is to elicit the immune system against a disease with the use of plasmid DNA. Treating and preventing cancer is one of its main targets.

Our Nutrition

Nutrition

There are so many different things that influence and contribute to our society's nutrition. Whether we are aware of it or not, our eating habits are strongly impacted by the different people and structures around us. This blog post explores the following different areas of nutrition: how our communities and surroundings affect us, local grocery stores vs. fast food, and how teaching kids early in school about healthy foods can really benefit them.

Solar Cells

Professor Carl C.Wamser and his group of graduate students are approaching new techniques of solar energy conversion using organic materials to focus on developing a solar cell that efficiently collects and converts solar energy into a useful form of chemical energy. Their designs are closely based on photosynthesis and its natural membrane systems.

Photo Credit: Ardalan Minavi

To test these designs, they have installed five different types of solar arrays on the roof of Cramer Hall at Portland State University, and each has different types of technology with different types of inverters, which is a tool that converts solar energy into electricity that can be used commercially. 

Sunday Parkways with Kaiser Permanente

Sunday Parkways! This event is a great resource for members of the Portland community because it encourages people to discover their city and the accessibility of healthy choices while encouraging economic development through vendors. Kaiser Permanente, who prides itself on being connected to the community and promoting a healthy lifestyle, is putting its passion into practice with events like this. Weekly Parkways is a great event that benefits the community greatly by providing residents with the chance to get out, exercise, and communicate with their fellow community members.

Who Wants to Save a Junkie?

Illustration: Kevin Mercer

Oregon has the highest rate of opiate abuse among people under 25 than anywhere else in the country. The epidemic is a crisis in our communities and affects people across all demographics.

Every three days someone as young as 13 years of age in the state of Oregon has died from a heroin overdose. The Kaiser's Portland clinic is now seeing 12 new teenage addicts every week; 75 percent of them use heroin.  This is a story that commonly starts with prescription drug use (often OxyContin) that when fueled by addiction, progresses to the cheaper street version of the opiate, heroin.  Even though Oregon appears to be a leader in the health industry with the “Cover Oregon” campaign, and despite being one of the first states to have a child health insurance program, our state is losing a domestic drug war. Shockingly, drugs are killing more youth than auto accidents in the U.S., and Oregon leads the nation in opiate abuse.  We must do something more to intervene than simply offer addiction services and drug education.

A Sustainable Life: Tryon Creek State Park

http://tryonfarm.org/share/files/images/import/Goat%20Header.JPG

The Tryon Creek State Park is a 650-acre ecosystem that includes a wide range and diverse  family of tress, a creek, meadows and gardens. TLC Farm, as it can be shortened to, tries to demonstrate how people in both urban and rural areas can live in a sustainable way. Located just a few minutes away from our very campus, TLC Farm holds sustainability related events, gives tours to local schools and corporations and is open for public view and interaction during certain times of the day throughout the week. Tryon Farm takes the word community to a whole different level. Although it is seen as a recreational space to outsiders, Tryon Farm serves as a home for many individuals. With houses and even a school for the children, the residents of Tryon quite literally live off of the land. They plant their own fruits and vegetables, and make sure use and reuse as much as they can in order to have as little waste as possible. The children that attend school there learn through nature and they are outside every single day, weather playing no factor in this aspect. The residents of Tryon Farm have no outside luxuries, and see no need for them which makes them extremely unique in our modern society. 

The Most Unequal Place in America

Credit: Edythe McNamee/CNN

The U.S. is facing an ever widening economic gap, a gap that has grown so large that in parts of the country economic inequality is greater than in developing nations such as Iran, and Nigeria. An example of this decimation of the U.S. middle class can be found in East Carroll Parish Louisiana, a place that John D Sutter dubbed “the most unequal place in America.”

Mayor Bloomberg's Soda Ban for New York

                                 Mayor Bloomberg's Soda Ban for New York

                                                

                                          http://www.newsday.com/opinion/walt-handelsman-1.812005/handelsman-cartoon-nyc-soda-ban-1.3753589

The consumption of soda is a controversial subject all over the world, but nowhere more than in the United States. On September 14, 2012 Mayor Bloomberg of New York City attempted to address the issue of adverse health outcomes due, in part, to the overconsumption of soda. Unfortunately, this ban backfired. It was approved by the Board of Health, but was invalidated by a Judge when taken all the way to the New York Supreme Court. Many see taking away their right to drink any amount of soda as a violation of their rights. While taking away soda altogether was not the answer, a new approach is desperately in need.

Physical Activity and the Built Environment

According to an article published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 35% of youth in the US fail to meet physical activity guidelines and another 14% lack any physical activity at all . With limited physical activity comes higher risk of obesity and heart diseases. As we know, physical activity and obesity are indicators of community health, so how can we get the rates of physical activity up and decrease the risk for obesity? 

Health Problems Associated with Irresponsible Agricultural Practices

Agricultural practices and how our food is cultivated can have huge impact on personal health, public health, and the health of the environment. Even so, how often do we ask ourselves, “Where did this food come from? How was it grown?” Many people are becoming more interested in how our food is produced, but as a society we don't ask these questions when we are cruising the grocery store or sitting down at a restaurant.

Determinants of Children’s Health Based on Environmental Factors

“States, school districts, and schools can establish strong policies and implement creative interventions to promote healthy eating through the foods and beverages offered at school. Schools can offer psychosocial support for physical activity and healthy eating through school policies, administrative commitment, role modeling by school staff, and the use of cues and incentives.”

An early experience in health allows children to grow up with a better health knowledge and economic participation for the rest of their life. Allowing children to have adequate stimulation and nutrition both in school and at home is essential to the first three years of development of life . During the first three years of development, the brain is most sensitive to influences from the external environment. What children eat at home affects their meal choices at school, so creating an incentive for children to eat healthier and exercise at school is a positive change to health. Children are developing constantly in their younger years, and they “have greater risk of exposure and greater risk of harm compared to adults.” Therefore, it is more important for parents to be aware of the toxins, pesticides, chemicals, and pollutants children may unknowingly come in contact with.

GMO OMG

http://seedfreedom.in/gallery/what-is-a-gmo/

Check out this  GMO OMG movie trailer that talks about what GMOs are, how it affects us, and our health.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: The Links to Poor Health and False Advertising

The simple sugars ingested within a daily diet have an effect on the processes within one's brain.  In a weight gain study conducted by Yale, researchers found that Fructose ineffectively suppressed food seeking behavior.  Whereas, glucose showed that brain activity was suppressed in regions that control one's desire to eat.  Even though these forms of simple sugars can be found in many of our daily foods.  The real concern is the overabundance of those consuming high amounts of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  It is often found in many of our soft drinks and processed foods, that bring along increased health concerns such as obesity, heart diseases, and even diabetes that exponentially increase with the ingestion of HFCS.  

To Bike or Not To Bike?

Biking has not only become a popular fad here in Portland, OR, with the rate tripled since 2001 but also in many states across the U.S.  According to USA Cycling, participation in cycling has been growing steadily over the last decades. We are constantly being told to bike but when it comes to asking people what makes biking beneficial, their answers are often very simple and uninformative like because it saves gas or simply just fun. It was due to this realization that our group became curious to learn more about biking, to find out why one should or shouldn’t consider biking in his/her daily routine.

Typhoon Haiyan Highlights the Challenges in Providing International Aid

Natural disasters often highlight how much room global players have for growth in productive aid work and how ill-prepared we are to deal with thousands in distress. As a concrete example, on November 8, 2013 Typhoon Haiyan hit the center of the nation of Philippines and destroyed roads, schools, homes and cities, leaving thousands dead. The aftermath of this disaster shows how much need there is for well-timed, coordinated relief in the wake of a catastrophic event. Major challenges include: providing aid that is most effective; maintaining safety in Tacloban and the rest of the Leyte province; and moving donations through bureaucratic process to the people.

http://images.mapsofworld.com/world-news/area-affected-by-typhoon-haiyan.jpg

Nontraditional Ways to Promote Public Health: Hip Hop Public Health

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/27/health/hip-hop-health/

        

In 2005, an innovative project hit the streets of Harlem. Its aim: teaching children how to recognize a stroke; its tactic: hip hop. Now in it’s eighth year, Hip Hop Public Health is a case study in the creative approaches needed to make a difference in the lives of Americans who have long been underserved by traditional health messaging.

Hip Hop Public Heath is the brainchild of Olajide Williams, who today serves as the Chief of Staff of Neurology at New York’s Columbia University. In addition to his continuing role as President of the organization he created nearly a decade ago. The initial success of the Hip Hop Public Health has blossomed into an effective multimedia public health strategy recognized by the White House and communities nationwide.

Lessening Smoking Prevalence: Analysis of Approaches from Prohibition to Education

Anti Smoking Ad in Australia

Social justice in the realm of public health calls for agencies and community members to unite and work toward improving health outcomes.  The tobacco industry in America generates such a high revenue, creating less incentive for politicians and government officials to make prevention and cessation a priority.  To bring about social justice surrounding tobacco use, it is the responsibility of public health professionals to provide preventative education and critical warnings to kids before they are tempted to begin smoking.  

Oreos: The New Drug

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/228378591.html

The enormity of the obesity epidemic here in the United States has been recognized more and more in recent years as a serious public health problem. There are many aspects that contribute to the overwhelming number of obese Americans including: cost of healthy food, availability and affordability of physical activity facilities, and convenience, cost, and marketing of junk food.  A recent study has brought to light an additional issue- foods like Oreos that are high in sugars and fats are actually producing the same types of addictive reactions as cocaine. For a research project at Connecticut College, students and faculty compared rats’ responses to cocaine injections to their reactions to Oreo cookies and the results are disturbing. “Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” Schroeder said. “It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them.”  

In this short video Neuroscience Professor Joseph Schroeder further explains the experiments with rats and Oreos, and what that ultimately means for humans.

The fact that junk foods with such high fat and sugar contents trigger our brains in the same way that extremely addictive drugs do tells us that facing the issue of obesity will take much more than just swapping in some veggies at dinner and putting in a few sidewalks. There is clearly a significant amount of brain chemistry involved when it comes to what, why, and how often we eat.  Food addiction is real and it is impacting the lives of millions.  With this knowledge, how can we as public health enthusiasts change the way in which we address these issues?

Fall for Health

Earlier Changes, Greater Results

http://fancydressindia.com/images/about-us.jpg

We all know that bad habits start young, but what many fail to realize is that the opposite can occur as well. The earlier that children learn good habits, the better their lives will be down the road. When children are exposed to healthy habits and a nutritional diet at a young age, it drastically reduces the issues of child obesity and premature cardiovascular diseases. This creates a solid foundation in which the child can continue to grow and live a life free of preventable health complications. In the elementary stage of life, regulation of a child’s nutritional intake and physical activity can be easily monitored and influenced through the school system.

San Francisco's Old Skool Cafe

The Old Skool Cafe (OSC) in San Francisco is a youth-led violence prevention program serving at-risk urban young people ages 16-22. OSC's strategy is to build youth capacity through paid apprenticeships emphasizing concrete job training across every area of the business. Their overarching goal is to "re-connect the village by working in collaboration with other community organizations, businesses, and churches in order to provide youth with a web of support." Check out this amazing video to learn more about the Old Skool Cafe. And thanks to Charlotte for sharing this incredible story with us!

  http://www.oldskoolcafe.org/

Raising New York City Smoking Age From 18 To 21

Tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke is among the top causes of preventable death in the United States.  Killing more than 440,000 Americans annually, smoking tobacco causes more deaths per year than HIV, Illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, suicides and murders combined, according to the Center for Disease Control. Smoking can be especially dangerous for adolescent users, because pleasure receptors in the adolescent brain are easier to stimulate and mold at a young age. Developing brains are highly susceptible to addictive nature of nicotine, which will lead to future health problems such as heart disease and lung cancer.

Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Under Construction

   

Portland, a city that seems to be under constant construction, is working to create another bridge that connects the east and west sides of the Willamette river.The new Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project will connect Portland State University to inner Southeast Portland, Milwaukie, and North Clackamas County with the addition of 7.3 miles of new track. “MAX service on the alignment is scheduled to begin in 2015. By 2030, this light rail line will carry up to an average of 22,765 to 25,500 weekday rides, and there will be approximately 22,000 households and 85,000 employees within walking distance of Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail,” according to Trimet.  Transit users benefit economically by choosing to utilize the light rail. According to the American Public Transit Association (APTA), a Portland resident who chooses public transit saves $10,313 a year, based on a per gallon gas price of $3.43.

Alternative Therapies for PTSD

PTSD in veterans is an ever growing disorder caused by psychological trauma while on duty and it can range from mild to severe. A normal treatment for PTSD is large amounts of medications such as antidepressants which can lead to side affects and addiction. Alternative therapies are a more affordable and easier to access options for veterans that do not present such harsh side affects. These treatments range from pet therapy, music therapy , acupuncture, meditation and yoga , and hypnosis and much more.

(No) Condom Culture

Photo Credit

TIME reports on recent SIECUS paper stating that nearly 50% of all sexually active college students don't use condoms. These low rates of safe sex help explain why 50% of incident STD cases occur among young people ages 15-24. One reason for this trend is a declining emphasis on safe sex education in schools, in part due to budget cuts. Also, teens' assumption that partners are STD free contributes to the problem, as does the pervasive view that sex is less pleasurable with condoms. Katy Steinmetz, the author, highlights a recent Gonorrhea outbreak in Oregon's Lane Country, where complacency is seen as the culprit:

In Oregon’s Lane County, senior health official Patrick Luedtke is in the midst of confronting an ongoing gonorrhea outbreak, with rates jumping as much as 40% in recent years. Like Kann, he believes complacency is a large part of the problem. “People don’t have the fear of death from sex like they had 15 years ago,” he says. “For the teenagers, that fear is gone, and people are not practicing safe sex as much as they used to.”

Read more: Why Young People Aren't Practicing Safe Sex | TIME.com 

Are we the greatest country in the world?

Thanks to Isaac, one of your fellow students, for sending this clip along on the heels of our class today. Based on our conversation, it's clear to me why this came to his mind and why he chose to share it.

I hope it makes you think. It's definitely made me pretty interested in watching Newsroom.
Enjoy.

Reaching People Where They Are!

One perpetual challenge facing public health outreach workers is finding the community members they seek, particularly in the case of vulnerable, hard-to-reach populations. Currently, health workers nationwide are trying to connect with these exact populations in order to educate them about the new health insurance marketplaces, with the ultimate aim of enrollment (and of course, health!). Creative, innovative strategies are often used in these endeavors, and this example highlighted on NPR is a fantastic one: outreach workers headed to a Latino-serving beauty salon to provide patrons information on MNsure, Minnesota's new online health insurance marketplace. More on this story here.


Karina Cardoso's beauty salon in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Stawicki for NPR

A mobile unit from Southside Community Health Services offers screenings and flu shots and shares information about the state health exchange, MNsure.

                                                                             Photo credit: Elizabeth Stawicki for NPR

A Bloom[berg]ing Public Health Paradigm?

The Atlantic Cities contributor Emily Badger quotes a chilling fact in "The Radical Case for Bloomberg's 'Nanny' State": "the risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases [...] are now a greater threat in the U.S. than infectious ones." We've been learning that many of these risks are socially determined and could be mitigated publicly; however, "nanny state" naysayers take offense to civil liberties when a government intervenes in the public health by, for example, raising the age to legally procure tobacco. But, as Badger asks, what defines 'freedom' here--freedom from illness, or freedom to eat, drink and smoke what we choose"?

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/12/20/1366131/teen-smoking-record-low/

Jeff Speck's "The Walkable City"

Hello my fellow students of health!

I came across this TED talk mere hours after our discussion of the five "emerging approaches" from last week's reading from the Prevention Institute (built environment, sustainable agriculture, economic development, norms change, and community-based participatory efforts).

The video explores the concept of the built environment in the United States and how it has changed dramatically in the last few decades. It covers a lot of the points that we brought up in our class discussion, and most importantly, it mentions Portland! If you have 17 minutes to spare, it is definitely worth a watch. Speck's new book, "The Walkable City," also sounds great!

Jeff Speck: The Walkable City

Farm to School Act

I found this article through the Upstream website, they have been participating in this project over the past few years.  The Farm to School legislation is an act to provide the Oregon School districts the resources (food/education) we have throughout Oregon.  The program is designed to use the different foods harvest though the seasons to create the meals. Each month the farm highlights one produce and informs the children of its importance in our daily lives as well as different ways to prepare it throughout the month.

This article relates to public health because it touches on the nutrition of our youth. “The Oregon Farm to School Act’s mission is to strengthen the local economy, benefit public health and support local food producers.”(Nicholson,Eugene Daily News).  So many families in the US take advantage of our schools cafeterias because it’s much easier and faster in our busy lives.   Within this program they have also created a “comprehensive educational program that includes lessons about where our food comes from, farm field trips, harvest meals where students prepare freshly harvest farm foods, and nutrition lessons” (Nicholson, Eugene Daily News).  This program helps implement healthy living into the children’s everyday lives.

The state is having trouble finding funds to cover the high costs of food.  The article states that Oregon State would only have to pay the farmers 15 cents per meal.  Which seems really low but if you were to multiply that by how many children and school districts that we have in the state of Oregon, it adds up quick. So only a select few will be able to take advantage of these funds. With the help of Upstream they were able to get the Farm to School legislation passed in 2011.  “A total of $200,000 was provided for those grants, and the pilot ran in 11 school districts and benefited over 60,000 Oregon kids.” (Upstream Public Health).  Although this program is not in every school district its still making a great impact on the smaller communities around Oregon State.

To read more: click here.