Culture

Taking benzodiazepines (widely used drugs to treat anxiety and insomnia) is not associated with an increased dementia risk in older adults, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

These results do not support a direct (causal) association between benzodiazepine use and dementia, say the researchers. However, healthcare providers are still advised to avoid benzodiazepines in older adults to prevent important adverse health outcomes.

Internet based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help people affected by body dysmorphic disorder, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

This is the largest clinical trial of body dysmorphic disorder ever conducted, and the first to evaluate the effect of an internet based programme for the condition.

Years before Parkinson's disease (PD) is diagnosed, patients may be at higher risk for injurious falls or hip fractures, according to research published this week in PLOS Medicine. Peter Nordström and colleagues at Umeå University, Sweden, found that patients with PD were more likely to have had a hip fracture or injurious fall in the years preceding their diagnosis than controls without PD, and individuals who suffered injurious falls were more likely than controls with no fall-related injuries to be diagnosed with PD in the following years.

BOSTON - (February 2, 2016) - The care of adults over age 65 with type 2 diabetes is a growing concern: the prevalence of diabetes is highest in this age group and is expected to grow as the U.S. population ages, with many needing care at long-term care (LTC) facilities. To ensure that this population receives proper care, the American Diabetes Association has issued its first position statement to address the management of diabetes in long-term care facilities, which include assisted living, skilled nursing and nursing facilities.

JACKSONVILLE: Allowing surgeons in training, otherwise known as residents, the flexibility to work longer shifts than currently allowed in the U.S. and/or take less time off between shifts to provide continuity of patient care is not associated with a greater risk to patients of early serious postoperative complications or death according to study results involving 117 U.S. general surgery residency programs and 151 hospitals.

• First national trial to investigate hot-button issue of resident work hour limits
• Surgical residents actually approved of working longer hours
• Residents chose to work longer hours to stay with their patients and get better training

CHICAGO --- A new landmark national study led by Northwestern Medicine showed allowing surgical residents the flexibility to work longer hours in order to stay with their patients through the end of an operation or stabilize them during a critical event did not pose a greater risk to patients.

Feb. 2, 2016 - Boston, MA - Researchers from the Harvard Medical School (HMS) Department of Ophthalmology and the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear have gained new insight into how a non-inflammatory state is maintained in the body. Their work focuses on the role of endomucin, a key molecule with anti-adhesive properties that encourages neutrophils - prevalent white blood cells that sense signals of injury -- to travel past the vascular endothelium.

Kevin R. Riggs, M.D., M.P.H., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues analyzed billing data to determine the proportion of colonoscopies for colon cancer screening and polyp surveillance that were preceded by office visits and the associated payments for those visits. The study appears in the February 2 issue of JAMA.

Among mechanically ventilated patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and metabolic alkalosis, administration of the respiratory stimulant acetazolamide did not significantly reduce the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, according to a study in the February 2 issue of JAMA.

Philadelphia, PA, February 2, 2016 - Influenza is significantly associated with an increased risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation, which could be reduced through influenza vaccination, according to new findings reported HeartRhythm.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate and is the most common cardiac arrhythmia seen in clinical practice, accounting for frequent hospitalizations, hemodynamic abnormalities, and blood clots. It is associated with a five-fold increased risk of stroke.

British people are at their least happy while at work - except when they are sick in bed - according to researchers at the University of Sussex and the London School of Economics (LSE).

The team analysed more than a million responses uploaded to a smartphone app, called Mappiness, that sporadically asks users questions such as how they are feeling, where they are and what they are doing.

Mappiness users receive a 'ding' on their smartphone at random times of the day, prompting them to complete a short survey, during which they rank their wellbeing using a sliding scale.

When an endangered orca is in hot pursuit of an endangered salmon, sending out clicks and listening for their echoes in the murky ocean near Seattle, does the noise from the nearby shipping lane interfere with them catching dinner? To find out scientists measured underwater noise as ships passed their study site 3,000 times. This unprecedented characterization of ship noise will aid in the understanding of the potential effects on marine life, and help with possible mitigation strategies.

ITHACA, N.Y. - If you're a fan of the Panthers or Broncos, be sure to wash your hands on Super Bowl Sunday before you give a friend a celebratory fist bump.

A Cornell University economist and his colleagues have found the geographical areas that have an NFL team advance to the Super Bowl had an 18 percent spike in flu-related deaths among people above the age of 65.

HUNTSVILLE, TX (2/2/16) -- To address concerns over sexual violence on college campuses, higher education institutions are required to appoint a Title IX Coordinator to investigate incidents, but few are trained to deal with the broad range of offenses the job entails, a study by the Crime Victims' Institute (CVI) at Sam Houston State University found.

Proud, noble and in close touch with nature: Karl May's Winnetou continues to influence the image of the Native Americans ("Indianer") in German-speaking countries to this day.