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Patient-physician communication is critical for prostate cancer survivors' health

For prostate cancer patients who had their prostates surgically removed, patient-physician communication was key for helping them cope with their disease and for improving their health-related quality of life.

The authors of the 1772-patient study note that patient-physician communication is not only a question of patients' wellbeing or feeling accepted, but an issue of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning when living with localized prostate cancer and dealing with the side effects of treatments.

Alcohol makes you momentarily happier but not more satisfied

Research suggests people are momentarily happier when drinking alcohol -- but that over longer periods, drinking more does not make them more satisfied with life.

The research, led by a social policy expert at the University of Kent, also found that people who developed drinking problems were less satisfied with life.

A better bone replacement: 3-D printed bone with just the right mix of ingredients

To make a good framework for filling in missing bone, mix at least 30 percent pulverized natural bone with some special man-made plastic and create the needed shape with a 3-D printer. That's the recipe for success reported by researchers at The Johns Hopkins University in a paper published April 18 online in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.

Holistic approach to mealtimes could help dementia sufferers

Eating together, providing social support and interaction during meals could help people with dementia avoid dehydration and malnutrition - according to new NIHR-funded research from the University of East Anglia.

Findings published today reveal that while no interventions were unequivocally successful, promising approaches focused on a holistic approach to mealtimes.

First recommendations published on imaging assessment of prosthetic heart valves

Sophia Antipolis, May 4, 2016: The first recommendations on multimodality imaging assessment of prosthetic heart valves are published today in European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging.1

The novel document was produced by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). They are endorsed by the Chinese Society of Echocardiography, the Inter-American Society of Echocardiography, and the Brazilian Department of Cardiovascular Imaging.

QUT develops new model to better predict crash blackspots

QUT has developed a new blackspot identification method that offers an unbiased prediction of crash counts and allows a more accurate way to identify high-risk crash sites.

Amir Pooyan Afghari, from QUT's Science and Engineering Faculty, said the blackspot program aimed to reduce crashes by targeting high-risk locations and funding remedial works such as re-aligning the geometry or widening the shoulder of the road.

Double-blinded randomized controlled trial of the Xiao procedure in children

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (MAY 3, 2016). Researchers at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital report the results of a double-blinded randomized controlled trial of the "Xiao procedure" in children with spina bifida.

Drexel's National Autism Indicators Report 2016: Vocational rehabilitation

The A.J. Drexel Autism Institute's latest National Autism Indicators Report found that 60 percent of people with autism who received services from Vocational Rehabilitation left the program with jobs, but a majority earned wages below the federal poverty line.

Study finds high rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions in US

An estimated 30 percent of outpatient oral antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. in 2010-2011 may have been inappropriate, findings that support the need for establishing a goal for outpatient antibiotic stewardship, according to a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA.

Making health care prices available does not result in lower outpatient spending

Offering a health care services price transparency tool to employees at 2 large companies was not associated with lower outpatient spending, according to a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA.

Web-based, self-help intervention helps prevent depression

Among patients experiencing some symptoms of depression, the use of a web-based guided self-help intervention reduced the incidence of major depressive disorder over 12 months compared with enhanced usual care, according to a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA.

Giving patients a tool to search for health care prices did not result in lower spending

If patients knew the price of different health care options, they could make better decisions about their medical care and help cut health care costs by shopping for lower-priced care--at least that's the hope.

With that in mind, more than half of U.S. states have passed laws establishing price transparency websites, and many employers have offered price transparency tools to their employees.

But does it work?

USC Roski Eye Institute researchers publish largest eye study among Latinos

LOS ANGELES - The University of Southern California (USC) Roski Eye Institute researchers and clinicians published results of the largest population-based study of adult Latinos and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the National Eye Institute-funded "Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES)." The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, is the first to analyze the risk and prevalence of early and late stage AMD and its impact on quality of life for older Latinos.

Group activities reduced depressive symptoms among older people with dementia

Both a high-intensity functional exercise programme and a non-exercise group activity, conducted among older care facility residents with dementia, reduced high levels of depressive symptoms. However, exercise had no superior effect on depression, according to a dissertation from Umeå University.

Yoga and aquatic exercise can help combat MS symptoms

Exercise can have a positive influence on certain symptoms of multiple sclerosis: Patients who do yoga and aquatic exercise suffer less from fatigue, depression and paresthesia, as reported by researchers from the University of Basel and the Psychiatric University Clinics Basel in a joint study with colleagues in Iran.