Culture | Page 1797 | Science Codex

Study shows surge in use of CTs in patients with minor injuries

Twice as many patients with non-serious injuries, such as fractures or neck strain, are undergoing CT scans in emergency departments at California hospitals, according to a UCSF-led study, which tracked the use of the imaging from 2005 to 2013.

While CT scans enable clinicians to swiftly pinpoint life-threatening conditions, exposure to its ionizing radiation is associated with an increased risk of cancer. According to a 2009 report by the FDA, a single CT scan may be associated with a fatal cancer in one in 2,000 patients.

Psoriasis patients have reduced access to efficient treatment method with age

A new study from Umeå University in Sweden shows that age plays a huge role when it comes to patients' access to psoriasis treatment. Researchers who have examined if patients of varying ages have the same access to the most efficient psoriasis treatment, found that an age increase of 30 years resulted in an average 65 per cent reduction in likelihood of obtaining treatment with biologics. The study is described in an article published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Physical therapy not associated with improvements in patients with early stages of Parkinson's disease

For patients with mild to moderate Parkinson disease (PD) there were no clinically meaningful benefits to activities of daily living or quality of life associated with physiotherapy and occupational therapy in a study conducted in the United Kingdom, according to an article published online by JAMA Neurology.

PD causes problems with activities of daily living (ADL) that are only partially treated by medication and occasionally surgery. Physiotherapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) have been traditionally used later in the disease.

Current therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease shown to be ineffective

New research from the University of Birmingham has shown that physiotherapy and occupational therapy do not produce improvements in quality of life for patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease.

The findings of the PD REHAB trial, published in JAMA Neurology, show that combined physiotherapy and occupational therapy do not have a positive impact on 'activities of daily living', such as putting on clothes or brushing teeth, in the immediate to medium term.

Cost of end-of-life care in the US is comparable to Europe and Canada

PHILADELPHIA - Despite widespread perception, the United States does not provide the worst end-of-life care in the world. In the first international comparison of end-of-life care practices, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues from seven countries found that the United States actually has the lowest proportion of deaths in the hospital and the lowest number of days in the hospital in the last six months of life among the those countries, according to a new study published today in JAMA.

Family preferences on quality end-of-life care

Among family members of older patients who died of advanced-stage cancer, earlier hospice enrollment, avoidance of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions within 30 days of death, and death occurring outside the hospital were associated with perceptions of better end-of-life care, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA.

JAMA Viewpoint: 'Physician-assisted dying: A turning point?'

WASHINGTON (January 19, 2016) -- The debate over physician-assisted death (PAD) appears to be at a turning point, with a significant number of state legislatures across the country considering PAD, say two Georgetown University scholars, but, they caution, social and ethical safeguards are needed.

Researchers advocate improvements in end-of-life care

BOSTON -- Three Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers, writing in a special issue of JAMA published today, make the case for policies and practices that give terminally ill patients more control over how and where they will die.

Families' views of end-of-life care

Study finds 30 percent of global fish catch is unreported

Countries drastically underreport the number of fish caught worldwide, according to a new study, and the numbers obscure a significant decline in the total catch .

The new estimate, released today in Nature Communications, puts the annual global catch at roughly 109 million metric tons, about 30 per cent higher than the 77 million officially reported in 2010 by more than 200 countries and territories. This means that 32 million metric tons of fish goes unreported every year, more than the weight of the entire population of the United States.

Aclidinium bromide in COPD: Proof of considerable added benefit for certain patients

The drug aclidinium bromide (aclidinium for short; trade name: Eklira, Bretaris) has been approved since July 2012 and is used to relieve the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has now reexamined the added benefit of the drug pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG).

Broken UV light leads to key heart muscle cell discovery

For a team of Vanderbilt investigators trying to generate heart muscle cells from stem cells, a piece of broken equipment turned out to be a good thing.

The faulty equipment pushed the researchers to try a different approach. They recently reported their new method -- using a "Matrigel mattress" to rapidly generate cardiac cells suitable for heart disease studies and drug discovery -- in the journal Circulation Research.

Regular exercise critical for heart health, longevity

The majority of citizens in developed countries should not be concerned by potential harm from exercise but rather by the lack of exercise in their lives, according to a clinical perspective published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology from the ACC Sports and Exercise Cardiology Leadership Council. According to the council, small amounts of physical activity, including standing, are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, but more exercise leads to even greater reduction in risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Cardiac arrests in high-rise buildings: Low survival rates above 3rd floor

Residents of high-rise buildings had better survival rates from cardiac arrests if they lived on the first few floors, and survival was negligible for people living above the 16th floor, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)

Living in high-rise buildings associated with lower survival rates from cardiac arrest

TORONTO, Jan. 18, 2016--The number of people living in high-rise buildings in rising, but along with the convenience and panoramic views of a downtown condo comes a risk: a new study found that survival rates from cardiac arrest decrease the higher up the building a person lives.

"Cardiac arrests that occur in high-rise buildings pose unique barriers for 911-initiated first responders," said Ian Drennan, lead author of the study published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Georgetown professors: Congress made 'scientific judgment for which it is distinctly unqualified'

WASHINGTON (January 18, 2016) - Two Georgetown University professors say a section of the recently passed Congressional spending bill effectively undermines science and the health of women.

At issue is the FY 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2019), passed in December, in which Congress requires private insurers to follow "outdated scientific guidance" for breast cancer screening coverage, say Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, and Kenneth Lin, MD, MPH.