Culture

Dental hygiene profession sees moment of opportunity to improve access to oral health care

St. Louis, June 23, 2014 – With opportunities to take increased responsibility for oral health care and to deliver care in a more comprehensive way, it's an exciting time in the profession of dental hygiene. To help prepare to meet these challenges, the editors of The Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice (JEBDP) present the Annual Report on Dental Hygiene, a collection of cutting-edge research and practice updates in the field of dental hygiene.

Rate of hospitalization for severe heart attacks in China quadruples in 10 years

The rate of hospitalisation for the most serious type of heart attack, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), more than quadrupled in China between 2001 and 2011, according to new research published in The Lancet.

Quitting smokeless tobacco after heart attack may extend life expectancy

People who stop using smokeless tobacco after a heart attack may extend their life expectancy similar to people who stop smoking, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

Physical fitness level affects kidney function in type 2 diabetes

CHICAGO, IL — Adults with Type 2 diabetes who improve their physical fitness lower their chances of getting chronic kidney disease (CKD), and if they already have kidney damage, they can improve their kidney function. These findings come from a new study presented Monday at the joint meeting in Chicago of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society: ICE/ENDO 2014.

Ti-V alloys' superconductivity: Inherent, not accidental

Physicists from India have shed new light on a long-unanswered question related to superconductivity in so-called transition metal binary alloys. The team revealed that the local magnetic fluctuations, or spin fluctuations, an intrinsic property of Titanium-Vanadium (Ti-V) alloys, influence superconductivity in a way that is more widespread than previously thought. They found that it is the competition between these local magnetic fluctuations and the interaction between electrons and collective excitations, referred to as phonons, which determine the superconductivity. Dr.

BUSM researchers investigating ways to improve type 2 diabetes treatments

(Boston) – A better understanding of how the transcription factor Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARgamma) works is critical to find new ways to improve medications to treat type 2 diabetes. Drugs that activate PPARgamma, called thiazolidinediones (TZDs), have long been regarded as a treatment for type 2 diabetes based on their anti-inflammatory and potent insulin-sensitizing activity. When taken orally, TZDs help decrease insulin resistance.

Breakthrough drug-eluting patch stops scar growth and reduces scar tissues

Scars — in particular keloid scars that result from overgrowth of skin tissue after injuries or surgeries — are unsightly and can even lead to disfigurement and psychological problems of affected patients. Individuals with darker pigmentation — in particular people with African, Hispanic or South-Asian genetic background — are more likely to develop this skin tissue disorder. Current therapy options, including surgery and injections of corticosteroids into scar tissues, are often ineffective, require clinical supervision and can be costly.

When couples disagree on stroke recovery, one partner can suffer

CINCINNATI—An innovative study from a University of Cincinnati (UC) social work researcher has found that when a stroke survivor and his or her caregiving spouse disagree on the survivor's rate of recovery, the caregiving spouse is more likely to experience depression and emotional distress.

Assistant Professor Michael McCarthy, PhD, working with co-author Karen Lyons at the Oregon Health and Science University, interviewed 35 couples in which one spouse had experienced a stroke within the past three years.

Exercising first, dieting later protects patients with metabolic syndrome from muscle loss

CHICAGO, IL — Younger and older women tend to lose lean muscle mass, along with fat, unless they engage in physical activity before they attempt weight loss, a new study from Israel finds. The results were presented Sunday at the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society: ICE/ENDO 2014 in Chicago.

Vitamin D can lower weight, blood sugar via the brain

CHICAGO, IL—Women with type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol are less likely than their male peers to reach treatment goals to lower their "bad" cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, despite access to cholesterol-lowering medication, a Canadian study finds. The results were presented on Saturday at the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society: ICE/ENDO 2014 in Chicago.

Gender-based treatment needed for cardiovascular risk factors in diabetes

CHICAGO, IL—Women with type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol are less likely than their male peers to reach treatment goals to lower their "bad" cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, despite access to cholesterol-lowering medication, a Canadian study finds. The results were presented on Saturday at the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society: ICE/ENDO 2014 in Chicago.

Midwifery matters 'more than ever'

Midwifery has a crucial part to play in saving the lives of millions of women and children who die during and around the time of pregnancy, according to a major new Series, published in The Lancet.

Solar Foundation And New Age Hippies Hold Summer Solstice Celebration

The Solar Foundation (TSF), a solar power advocacy group, celebrated its fourth annual Summer Solstice gala by honoring its 2014 "Solar Foundation Award" recipients for exceptional work and dedication to advance solar energy.

Electronic health record patient safety issues persist long after 'go live' date

Patient safety issues related to electronic health records (EHRs) persist long after the 'go live' date, concludes research published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Sophisticated monitoring systems are needed to unearth the complex mix of human and technological causes behind these problems, say the authors.

Beaumont research finds advanced CT scanners reduce patient radiation exposure

Computed tomography scans are an accepted standard of care for diagnosing heart and lung conditions. But clinicians worry that the growing use of CT scans could be placing patients at a higher lifetime risk of cancer from radiation exposure.

Beaumont Health System research, published in the June 20 online issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, found that the use of advanced CT scanning equipment is helping to address this important concern.