Culture | Page 1759 | Science Codex

New study: Waist circumference is stronger predictor of heart disease than BMI

A new study from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City and John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore lends more evidence to the idea that it's better to be shaped like a pear -- with weight around the hips -- as opposed to an apple -- with weight around the abdomen.

Researchers from the two centers found that abdominal obesity -- or having an apple-shaped body -- is a strong predictor of serious heart disease in patients who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and haven't displayed any symptoms of heart disease.

Researchers identify candidate biomarker of accelerated onset diabetic retinopathy

(BOSTON) - Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute have shown an association between a defective myogenic response -- the regulatory increase or decrease in blood pressure to keep blood flow within the vessels of the retina constant -- and early, accelerated development of retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Lower home temperature in winter is associated with lower waist measurement

Boston, MA-- Elderly adults are bigger around the middle when they turn up the heat inside their homes during the cold season and have smaller waistlines when their homes stay cool, new research finds. Investigators from Japan will present their study results Friday at the Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston.

Older overweight and obese adults with diabetes benefit from better diet and exercise

Boston, MA-- Lifestyle changes that include healthier diet and routine physical exercise help older overweight and obese adults with Type 2 diabetes improve glucose control, body composition, physical function and bone quality, according to preliminary findings of an ongoing clinical trial. The six-month results of the one-year study will be presented Friday, April 1, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.

Transgender veterans have high rates of mental health problems

Boston, MA-- Among military veterans identifying as transgender, 90 percent have at least one mental health diagnosis, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and nearly 50 percent had a hospitalization after a suicide attempt or suicidal thoughts. These study findings, from a single veterans' hospital, will be presented Friday at The Endocrine Society's 98th annual meeting in Boston.

Asthma is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome and excess weight

Boston, MA--Among reproductive-age women, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as well as overweight and obesity are independently linked with asthma, new preliminary research from Australia suggests. The results will be presented in a poster Saturday, April 2, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.

Call them spare tires or love handles -- belly fat is bad

Researchers believe that the obesity wave, combined with an ageing population, will lead to a significant increase in heart failure in the future. A review of all available research in this area shows a clear correlation between higher BMI, waist circumference and the risk of heart failure.

HIV-positive children and adolescents: Added benefit of rilpivirine not proven

Under the trade name Edurant, rilpivirine as single agent has been approved already since 2011 for adults who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Since November 2015, HIV-1-infected children and adolescents from the age of 12 years have also been allowed to be treated with rilpivirine if they have not received any other antiretroviral therapy before and have no more than 100 000 viral RNA copies/mL in their blood (so-called viral load).

'Concern' over GPs prescribing unnecessary antibiotics for toothache

Many patients with dental problems visit their GP rather than a dentist;
Half of all patients who consulted their GP for a dental problem over the last 10 years were prescribed antibiotics;
Antibiotics do not provide a definitive treatment for most common dental problems, and can cover up more serious problems.
Concerns raised at the consequences for peoples' long-term dental health and antibiotic resistance.

Type 1 diabetes linked to 3-fold increase in risk of epilepsy

People with type 1 diabetes have a three-times increased risk of developing epilepsy later in life, concludes research published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Helping young adult cancer survivors adopt a healthy lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle is especially important for young adult and teenage survivors of cancer, and how health behavior messages related to diet, exercise, smoking, and alcohol consumption are developed and presented may impact their effectiveness in this population, according to an article in Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.

Cardioprotective effects of lysyl oxidase inhibition

Heart failure is a progressive condition, where structural and functional alterations of the ventricle limit the ability of the heart to either fill or eject blood. There are approximately 550,000 new cases of heart failure each year with a prevalence of nearly 5 million; most patients die within five years of diagnosis. A prominent characteristic of heart failure is the adverse alteration of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The heart's size, shape, and function are regulated, in part, by the composition of the ECM.

Improved patient outcomes linked to specific health IT resources in hospitals

OLUMBIA, Mo. (March 31, 2016) --The number of health information technology venders has increased from 60 to more than 1,000 since 2008. However, many scholars have expressed concerns that such services are flooding the market without proper development, making hospitals more susceptible to adopting dysfunctional IT systems that are not geared toward the original goal of improving patient care. Now, a University of Missouri School of Medicine researcher has identified three IT capabilities hospitals should have that lead to higher rates of employee productivity and flexibility.

The right stuff? Hospital readmission penalties approaching for nursing home patients

INDIANAPOLIS -- A significant number of older adults are not ready to go home when they leave the hospital. About one-fifth are discharged to one of the nation's 15,000 skilled nursing facilities for rehabilitative care. With new federal legislation set to penalize both the hospital and skilled nursing facility if rehospitalization occurs within 30 days, clinician-researchers from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and Regenstrief Institute highlight potential problems with the new mandate.

'Revolutionary future' for contact lenses -- drug delivery, disease monitoring and more

March 31, 2016 - Imagine contact lenses that can deliver medicines directly to the eye, slow progression of nearsightedness in children, or monitor glucose levels in patients with diabetes. Those are some of the emerging advances in contact lens technology reported in the April special issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.