FDA releases advisory on treating pregnant women with depression.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a public health advisory about the challenges of treating pregnant women with depression, citing two studies published in February that "provide important information" to consider when making the "increasingly complex" decisions about how to treat depression during pregnancy. In one...

FDA issues advisory for three bronchodilators.
The Food and Drug Administration recently issued a public health advisory emphasizing the potentially lethal risk of bronchospasm in children using any of three brands of bronchodilators, as noted in two of the drugs' new medication guides and in warnings added in March to those drugs' labels. ...

FDA warns about methadone-related deaths, serious events.
Reports of deaths, cardiac arrhythmias, respiratory depression, and other serious adverse events in people treated with methadone for pain prompted the Food and Drug Administration to issue a public health advisory and revise its prescribing information for methadone hydrochloride. The advisory, which appeared Nov. 27 on the...

Two deaths may be linked to mifepristone use.
Two additional deaths following medical abortion with mifepristone (Mifeprex) have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to issue a public health advisory alerting health care providers and advising review of the prescribing information. The drug's manufacturer, Danco Laboratories, notified the agency of the deaths, which took place...

Family medicine in Ecuador: at risk in a developing nation.
Despite the overwhelming need for primary health care in Ecuador, medical education and practice are still largely based on specialization. The few family physician graduates from the initial family medicine programs have a comprehensive understanding of Ecuador's health needs but continue to face issues of visibility and credibility. Unemployment,...

NEHA past president Chris J. Wiant inducted into ISU Hall of Fame.
Dr. Chris Wiant, a past president of NEHA and a 1972 graduate of Illinois State (ISU) University in chemistry, was inducted into ISU's Hall of Fame on February 18, 2006. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Induction into the College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame is an...

Pennsylvania Gov. Ridge Administration to Kick Off Public Health Week.
On behalf of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, Secretary of Health Robert S. Zimmerman Jr. will kick off Public Health Week at 11 a.m. Monday, April 2, in the East Wing Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg. This year's theme, "Creating Healthier Communities in Pennsylvania," focuses on providing resources that promote...

NEHA 2008 AEC & Exhibition.
Grants & Sponsors NEHA received valuable financial support from the following organizations and gratefully acknowledges their contribution to the conference: Grants * Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health * U.S. Food and Drug Administration ...

Making it work: the application of time as a public health control in the field.
Although most of the information presented in the Journal refers to situations within the United States, environmental health and protection know no boundaries. The Journal periodically runs International Perspectives to ensure that issues relevant to our international constituency, representing over 60 countries worldwide, are addressed. Our goal is to...

Using portfolios to evaluate achievement of population-based public health nursing competencies in baccalaureate nursing students.
ABSTRACT Public health nurses from 13 local public health agencies and nurse educators from five schools of nursing developed population-based public health nursing competencies for new graduates and novice public health nurses. Educators in one nursing program used a portfolio assignment to measure achievement of the competencies by traditional...