Heart CT scans may help emergency room personnel more quickly assess patients with chest pain

Adding computed tomography (CT) scans to standard screening procedures may help emergency room staff more rapidly determine which patients complaining of chest pain are having a heart attack or may soon have a heart attack, and which patients can be safely discharged, according to a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute … Read more

Department of Health work together to find new approaches to deter HIV/AIDS

The D.C. Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress is laying groundwork necessary to stem the rate of new HIV infections in the city, improve the health of district residents living with HIV and strengthen the city’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The D.C. Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress, launched in 2010, is a collaboration between the National Institutes … Read more

American Beaches Receive Ratings on Cleanliness and Safety

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) rated 200 popular beaches across the United States on a 5 star scale. Criteria for the NRDC’s rating scale include testing the water weekly, notifying the public promptly when tests reveal unsafe bacteria levels, and posting closings and advisories both online and at the beach. Beaches that achieved 5 … Read more

Scientists identify likely predictors of hepatitis C severity

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have identified several factors in people infected with the hepatitis C virus that may predict whether the unusually rapid progression of disease from initial infection to severe liver conditions, such as cirrhosis, will occur. Knowing whether a patient’s condition is likely to deteriorate quickly could help physicians decide … Read more

Olympic Fun Day Meetup

Olympic Fun Day Meetup: While thousands of Olympic athletes are representing America in the 2012 Olympics in London this summer, the White House is sponsoring a “Let’s Move! Olympic Fun Day Meetup” all across America. On Saturday, July 28th, the first day of the summer Olympics, communities across the country will participate in Olympic-inspired games … Read more

Human Microbiome Project defines normal bacterial makeup of the body

Microbes inhabit just about every part of the human body, living on the skin, in the gut, and up the nose. Sometimes they cause sickness, but most of the time, microorganisms live in harmony with their human hosts, providing vital functions essential for human survival. For the first time, a consortium of researchers organized by … Read more

Image description: This microphotograph, pictured next to a…

Slide containing the microphotograph The image on the microphotograph Image description: This microphotograph, pictured next to a penny to show the scale, is only 1 millimeter wide and possibly the smallest image the Library of Congress owns. When magnified, you can see people standing in front of a building, a mental hospital. It was taken in … Read more

Our nation’s immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner

“Our nation’s immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner, but they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case. Nor are they designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. Discretion, … Read more

Image description: Happy 237th Birthday, U.S. Army!

Image description: Happy 237th Birthday, U.S. Army! From the Army: Two hundred and thirty-seven years ago, our Nation’s leaders established the Continental Army, beginning a rich heritage of successfully defending this great country and her citizens. Today, we celebrate the continued honor, loyalty and bravery of our Soldiers in this noble calling. Our Soldiers remain … Read more