In the summer of 1994 a U of A entomologist was sampling insects in the backyard of his Tucson home when he netted some dark colored mosquitoes with silver bands on their legs. He suspected that they were a tropical breed that shouldn’t be in the Sonoran Desert and sent them to us for identification. His suspicions [...]
Nearly 32 million U.S. kids get meals at school every day- and the meals are based on new nutrition standards from the USDA. Kids attending the schools that participate in the program will have more vegetables and fruits, less fat and salt, and more whole grains. Portion sizes will better meet the needs of growing children. [...]
A new report from the CDC shows some good news for older adults in Arizona. According to the report, people in Arizona have a life expectancy of more than 20 years after the age of 65, with 15 of those years healthy. This places Arizona as one of the top states in the nation for [...]
Our focus groups with young tobacco users across Arizona has found that teen and young adult smokers are different from adult smokers. Young smokers may not smoke daily and don't see themselves as smokers. They also aren’t receptive to the idea of needing help to quit. Many teen and young adult smokers believe that they can quit at [...]
In early 2012, Arizona set the ambitious goal of reducing the statewide hospital readmission rate by 20% and averting 4,000 avoidable hospital readmissions. Curious to find out what we accomplished by working together? Interested in learning about extraordinary best practices from all provider settings that may take your organization from ordinary to extraordinary? Would you [...]
The 5 most common hospital-acquired infections cost the U.S. health care system almost $10B a year, according to a new study by Harvard researchers. The study was published online in JAMA Internal Medicine this week. According to CDC, one out of every 20 patients admitted to a hospital will pick up an infection while there. Central [...]
Acetylcholine is a chemical in your body called a neurotransmitter that allows nerves to communicate with other nerves, glands, and muscles. It works in your body in tandem with acetylcholinesterase, which is the enzyme used to break down the acytylcholine. It's like a tennis volley... the two chemicals work hand in hand to keep your nerves operating right. [...]
One tropical disease that you might have heard in the news lately is cyclosporiasis. This summer, cyclosporiasis was the cause of a multistate outbreak that hit Texas, Iowa and Nebraska the hardest. Cyclosporiasis is a diarrheal illness caused by the single-celled protozoan, Cyclospora cayetanensis. Like most protozoa, people can become infected with Cyclospora by consuming food or water contaminated [...]
A couple of months ago the Rural/Metro Corporation filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Last month I sent them a detailed letter asking for a host of financial and operational information about the company in order to determine whether the company still meets our statutory mandate (ARS 36-2201) and rules requirement (AAC R9-25-912(A)) [...]
MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus) is back in the news again this week. Two weeks ago, I mentioned The Lancet study that identified the potential link between dromedary camels and MERS. Last week, a new animal has been found with a potential link to MERS… the bat. An article in Emerging Infectious Diseases describes a study [...]
