Culture

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A randomized clinical trial found that introducing palliative care shortly after a diagnosis of certain metastatic cancers greatly increases a patient's coping abilities, as well as overall quality of life. Researchers also found that early integration of palliative care results in an increase in discussions about patient end-of-life care preferences.

NEW YORK (Sept. 7, 2016)--A new study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health reports that the Earned Income Tax Credit program is not only good for people's pocketbooks, but also for their health. Findings showed that the program is much more cost-effective than many health interventions and has the added benefit of reversing mortality trends among low-income Americans in some states that have been experiencing increases in mortality in recent years. Findings are published online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Children love petting dogs, playing with them and crawling after them. They especially love to hug or cuddle the family dog. Unwanted close contact sometimes causes dogs to feel harassed and they respond by snapping at the child. Many cases of dog bites involving small children happen in everyday life as the result of an apparently friendly interaction on the part of the child.

Bite incidents often occur despite supervision

Results from a recent study suggest that improved communication and coordination of care between patients, physicians, and health insurers can provide important health benefits for patients with lupus.

Though the Affordable Care Act failed in its loftiest goals - people couldn't keep their doctors, costs went up rather than down, and insurers are leaving the program rather than entering because the health of patients is now allowed to be factored into premiums - but it did make progress in decreasing the number of uninsured and improving access to care. Though those were due to penalties if people did not sign up and forcing employers to leave adults on parental insurance policies until age 26 rather than a swell of enthusiasm.

Minneapolis, MN - Sept. 7, 2016 - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a condition in which the upper chambers of the heart contract in a way that's out of sync with the lower chambers, causing an irregular heartbeat and poor blood flow to the body. This leads to increased risk for blood clots in the heart, stroke and heart failure. The CDC estimates that up to 6 million Americans have a form of AF, a number which is expected to rise as the population ages. A common form of AF is postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF), which occurs in patients who have undergone surgery.

Sophia Antipolis, 7 August 2016: European standards to prevent repeat heart attacks are published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.1 The standards were defined by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).2

"Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world's number one killer, accounting for one in five deaths in Europe," said lead author Professor Massimo F. Piepoli. "The biggest consequence of CVD is myocardial infarction (heart attack)."

Two years ago, a research team led by the University of Oxford revealed that, when plucked like a guitar string, spider silk transmits vibrations across a wide range of frequencies, carrying information about prey, mates and even the structural integrity of a web.

Now, a new collaboration between Oxford and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid has confirmed that spider webs are superbly tuned instruments for vibration transmission - and that the type of information being sent can be controlled by adjusting factors such as web tension and stiffness.

A review of studies investigating the 2008 recession in Europe show it was associated with adverse health outcomes, particularly for suicides and mental health problems, finds a study in The BMJ today.

However, the authors warn that most published studies on this topic had a substantial risk of bias and therefore results need to be cautiously interpreted.

Patients who had access to GP surgeries with longer opening times in evenings and at weekend visited accident and emergence departments far fewer times than those who did not have similar access to primary care.

The findings of the report published in PLOS Medicine have implications for the British Government's desire to implement a seven-day NHS service. Funding given to GP surgeries to extend their hours may reduce demand on emergency hospital service especially at the weekend - but the cost of doing so may outweigh the benefits.

In an international study, the drug everolimus has been shown to significantly reduce the frequency of seizures in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) -- a genetic disease that causes malformations and tumors in the brain and other vital organs.

The phase 3 study, published online in The Lancet, is the latest to show the effectiveness of everolimus in slowing the cell growth that is overactive in patients with TSC.

(BOSTON) - Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have found that patients who were prescribed corticosteroids as part of treatment for Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis had worse long-term outcomes of regaining facial function than those who were prescribed antibiotic therapy alone. Based on these findings, which were published online today in Laryngoscope, the researchers urge caution in prescribing corticosteroids to patients with acute Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis.

Philadelphia, PA, September 6, 2016 - The Canadian Journal of Cardiology has just released the 2016 Focused Update to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society's (CCS) atrial fibrillation (AF) guidelines. This update provides evidence-based guidelines for Canadian practitioners and will impact how they, and the global community of cardiologists, manage and treat this serious condition.

Two studies appearing in the September 6 issue of JAMA examine the effectiveness of nasal sprays to reduce the frequency and duration of nosebleeds caused by hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), an inherited condition characterized by abnormal blood vessels which are delicate and prone to bleeding.

Boston, MA - Individuals born by cesarean delivery were 15% more likely to become obese as children than individuals born by vaginal birth--and the increased risk may persist through adulthood, according to a large new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, individuals born via cesarean delivery were 64% more likely to be obese than their siblings born by vaginal birth.

The study will be published online September 6, 2016 in JAMA Pediatrics.