Office of Research Integrity: a reflection of disputes and misunderstandings. (1/134)

Each year, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) provides billions of dollars to support over 30,000 extramural research grants to more than 2,000 institutions in the U.S. and other countries. The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) is responsible for protecting the integrity of the research supported by the grants awarded for the PHS extramural research program. One of its responsibilities includes monitoring investigations into alleged or suspected scientific misconduct by institutions that receive the PHS funds. However, not all of the alleged or suspected scientific misconduct meet the the PHS definition of scientific misconduct. Among the wide range of allegations that the ORI receives are those that are ultimately determined to be authorship disputes. This article will report on ORI's functions and review some of the commonly reported allegations that do not constitute scientific misconduct according to the PHS definition.  (+info)

Cigarettes and the US Public Health Service in the 1950s. (2/134)

The conclusion of the United States Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health in 1964 that excessive cigarette smoking causes lung cancer is cited as the major turning point for public health action against cigarettes. But the surgeon general and US Public Health Service (PHS) scientists had concluded as early as 1957 that smoking was a cause of lung cancer, indeed, "the principal etiologic factor in the increased incidence of lung cancer." Throughout the 1950s, however, the PHS rejected further tobacco-related public health actions, such as placing warning labels on cigarettes or creating educational programs for schools. Instead, the agency continued to gather information and provided occasional assessments of the evidence as it came available. It was not until pressure mounted from outside the PHS in the early 1960s that more substantive action was taken. Earlier action was not taken because of the way in which PHS scientists (particularly those within the National Institutes of Health) and administrators viewed their roles in relation to science and public health.  (+info)

Acceptance of HIV testing during prenatal care. Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project. (3/134)

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the factors associated with acceptance of HIV testing during pregnancy on the part of women receiving prenatal care at public clinics. METHODS: Trained interviewers recruited and interviewed 1,357 women receiving prenatal care at clinics in Florida, Connecticut, and New York City. RESULTS: Eighty-six percent of participants reported having been tested or having signed a consent form to be tested. Acceptance of testing was found to be related to strong beliefs about the benefits of testing, knowledge about vertical transmission, perceived provider endorsement of testing, and social support. Women who declined testing said they did so because they did not perceive themselves to be at risk for HIV (21%) or they faced administrative difficulties (16%) with some aspect of the testing process (for example, scheduling, limited availability of pre-test counselors). CONCLUSIONS: Acceptance rates can be increased when women understand the modes of vertical transmission and the role of medication regimens in preventing transmission; believe that prenatal identification of HIV can promote the health of mother and child; and perceive their providers as strongly endorsing testing. These points can be woven into a brief pre-test counseling message and made a routine component of prenatal care.  (+info)

Trends in HIV testing among pregnant women: United States, 1994-1999. (4/134)

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated 1995 guidelines for HIV testing of pregnant women. METHODS: Analysis focused on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data for the years 1994 through 1999. Data were aggregated across states. RESULTS: Percentages of pregnant women tested for HIV increased from 1995 to 1996 (from 41% to 53%) and again from 1997 (52%) to 1998 (60%). CONCLUSIONS: After implementation of the guidelines, the percentage of pregnant women tested for HIV increased, although nearly half had not been tested. More efforts are needed to encourage women to undergo testing for HIV during pregnancy, thus maximizing opportunities for offering antiretroviral therapy.  (+info)

Public health law reform. (5/134)

Public health law reform is necessary because existing statutes are outdated, contain multiple layers of regulation, and are inconsistent. A model law would define the mission and functions of public health agen cies, provide a full range of flexible powers, specify clear criteria and procedures for activities, and provide protections for privacy and against discrimination. The law reform process provides an opportunity for public health agencies to draw attention to their resource needs and achievements and to form ties with constituency groups and enduring relations with the legislative branch of government. Ultimately, the law should become a catalyst, rather than an impediment, to reinvigorating the public health system.  (+info)

The role of state public health agencies in genetics and disease prevention: results of a national survey. (6/134)

OBJECTIVES: The onset and severity of the clinical expression of most diseases that are of public health importance are influenced by genetic predisposition. The ability to assess human genetic predisposition for many diseases is increasing rapidly. Therefore, state public health agencies should be incorporating new developments in genetics and disease prevention into their core functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance. The authors assessed the status of this process. METHODS: The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) surveyed states about projects and concerns related to genetics and public health activities. Respondents were the Health Officer, the Maternal and Child Health/Genetics Program Director, the Chronic Disease Program Director, and the Laboratory Director. Where applicable, responses were categorized into assessment, policy development, and assurance functions. RESULTS: Thirty-eight (76%) state health departments responded. Ongoing genetics activities were assurance (82%), assessment (17%), and policy development (2%). In contrast, Health Officers responded that future genetics activities would be distributed differently: assurance, 41%; assessment, 36%; and policy development, 23%. Future assurance activities would be largely educational. Topics of interest and recently initiated activities in genetics were primarily assessment functions. Funding was the greatest concern, followed by lack of proven disease prevention measures and outcomes data. CONCLUSIONS: State health departments recognize a need to realign their activities to meet future developments in genetics. Lack of adequate resources, proven disease prevention measures, and outcomes data are potential barriers. Public health agencies need to develop a strategic plan to meet the opportunities associated with the development and implementation of genetic tests and procedures.  (+info)

The U.S. Surgeon General's report on oral health in America: A Canadian perspective. (7/134)

This paper provides an overview of last year's U.S. Surgeon General's report on oral health, describes the burden of oral diseases and craniofacial disorders in the United States, and draws parallels with the state of dental health in Canada and in the province of Ontario. It concludes by focusing on the report's recommendations for future action and briefly notes some of the lessons that Canadians can learn from these findings. The goal of this paper is to stimulate further discussion of the issues raised in the report, in an effort to encourage public-private partnerships dedicated to the creation and support of programs to make oral health a more integral component of general health.  (+info)

Science, politics, and ideology in the campaign against environmental tobacco smoke. (8/134)

The issue of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and the harms it causes to nonsmoking bystanders has occupied a central place in the rhetoric and strategy of antismoking forces in the United States over the past 3 decades. Beginning in the 1970s, anti-tobacco activists drew on suggestive and incomplete evidence to push for far-reaching prohibitions on smoking in a variety of public settings. Public health professionals and other antismoking activists, although concerned about the potential illness and death that ETS might cause in nonsmokers, also used restrictions on public smoking as a way to erode the social acceptability of cigarettes and thereby reduce smoking prevalence. This strategy was necessitated by the context of American political culture, especially the hostility toward public health interventions that are overtly paternalistic.  (+info)