Culture | Page 1704 | Science Codex

Indestructible bridges could be reality

A new generation of indestructible bridges could be possible, thanks to research from the University of Warwick.

Emeritus Professor Wanda Lewis in the School of Engineering has taken a design process called 'form-finding', inspired by the natural world, to another level.

Form-finding enables the design of rigid structures that follow a strong natural form - structures that are sustained by a force of pure compression or tension, with no bending stresses, which are the main points of weakness in other structures.

Americans say political candidates are not listening to their health concerns

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--July 13, 2016-- A strong majority of Americans (81%) say medicines available today have improved their quality of life and even more (91%) say it is important to develop better medicines for conditions we currently treat, according to a new national public opinion survey commissioned by Research!America. But many respondents say candidates for President and Congress have done a poor job relating to the health expectations of Americans.

Study shows allocation of police resources affects economic welfare, inequality

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Decisions about how to allocate police resources in a community are likely to influence not only crime but also housing prices, overall economic welfare and social inequality, according to a new study by economists at Indiana University and the University of Maryland.

Which strategies are most effective for reducing use of low-value health services?

The Institute of Medicine estimates that up to 30% of care provided in the United States is unnecessary and provides little value to patients given the cost and available alternatives. However, a new by researchers at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice finds that despite growing acceptance of the term "low-value care" by healthcare practitioners, strategies on how to reduce its use have not been studied consistently or compared to one another to determine effectiveness on a broad scale.

In corneal transplantation, men and women don't see eye to eye

A study of patients undergoing corneal transplants indicates that subtle differences between men and women may lead to poorer outcomes for a woman who has received a cornea from a male donor. The findings, which are published in the American Journal of Transplantation, suggest that gender matching may be beneficial to potentially reduce the risk of failure and rejection in patients undergoing corneal transplantation.

Corneal transplants, men and women don't see eye to eye

A new study of patients undergoing corneal transplants indicates that subtle differences between men and women may lead to poorer outcomes for a woman who has received a cornea from a male donor.

The research, published today (Thursday, 14 July) in the American Journal of Transplantation, suggest that gender matching may be beneficial to potentially reduce the risk of failure and rejection in patients undergoing corneal transplantation.

Freestanding emergency departments expanding rapidly but access questions remain

BOSTON, MA - Freestanding Emergency Departments (EDs) are a rapidly increasing source of emergency care in the United States. Physically separate from acute care hospitals but available 24/7 for emergency care, freestanding EDs offer many of the same services as traditional EDs, such as on-site advanced diagnostic imaging, laboratory testing and quick delivery of care for patients.

New US recommendation for diabetes screening may miss ethnic minority groups

In response to the worldwide diabetes epidemic, many countries are focusing healthcare efforts in order to improve evidence-based diabetes prevention and treatments. In 2015, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent group of clinical experts whose work is supported by the U.S. government, issued a new recommendation to screen adults aged 40-70 years old who are overweight or obese for dysglycemia (a term used to describe those with either diabetes or prediabetes).

New diabetes screening recommendation misses more than half of high-risk patients

CHICAGO --- The latest government guidelines doctors follow to determine if patients should be screened for diabetes missed 55 percent of high-risk individuals with prediabetes or diabetes, a new Northwestern Medicine study found.

The 2015 screening guidelines from the United States Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) recommend patients be screened for diabetes if they are between 40 and 70 years old and are overweight or obese. But the study found many patients outside those age and weight ranges develop diabetes, especially racial and ethnic minorities.

Interventions do not improve viral suppression among hospitalized patients with HIV infection

In a study appearing in the July 12 issue of JAMA, an HIV/AIDS theme issue, Lisa R. Metsch, Ph.D., of Columbia University, New York, and colleagues assessed the effect of structured patient navigation (care coordination with case management) interventions with or without financial incentives to improve HIV-l viral suppression rates among hospitalized patients with elevated HIV-1 viral loads and substance use.

Patients given financial incentives does not improve outcomes for HIV+ substance users

Interventions to improve the health of HIV-positive people with substance use disorders did no better than usual treatment, according to a study published on July 12th in an HIV/AIDS themed issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study showed no statistical differences among trial arms in rates of HIV viral suppression versus non-suppression or death.

Patients at accredited bariatric surgical centers have fewer postoperative complications

CHICAGO (July 12, 2016): Patients who have weight-loss operations at nonaccredited bariatric surgical facilities in the United States are up to 1.4 times likelier to experience serious complications and more than twice as likely to die after the operation compared with patients who undergo these procedures at accredited bariatric surgical centers, researchers conclude.

For HIV with substance use, patient navigation, incentives not enough to improve outcomes

A new study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health found that among hospitalized patients with HIV infection and substance use, patient navigation (care coordination with case management) and the use of financial incentives did not have a beneficial effect on suppressing HIV after 12 months, compared to treatment as usual.

The research will be published in the July 12 issue of JAMA, and was conducted by a research team from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Emory University and the University of Miami.

US pediatric hospitals vary greatly in costs, practices for children with asthma

Children's hospitals vary greatly in managing inpatients with asthma, according to researchers who analyzed hospital records in a large national database. Even when patients were grouped by characteristics such as age or severity of illness, hospitals differed significantly in inpatient costs, length of stay, and time spent in the intensive care unit (ICU).

New eye test could detect glaucoma years earlier

UNSW Australia scientists have developed a testing protocol that identifies the blinding eye disease glaucoma four years earlier than current techniques.

The patented method involves patients looking at small dots of light of specially chosen size and light intensity. An inability to see them indicates blind spots in the eye and early loss of peripheral vision.

A study assessing 13 patients using this improved technique for visual field testing has been recently published in the journal Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics.