Culture

Merging alcohol giants threaten global health, warn experts

The merger of the world's two largest beer manufacturers "represents a major threat to global health, to which researchers, funders and regulators must respond more effectively," warn global health experts in The BMJ this week.

Of particular concern are the health implications for the growing epidemic of alcohol related harm across low and middle income countries, they say.

Last month, it was announced that Belgium based Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) and London based SABMiller have agreed in principle to merge.

Social and practical barriers keep HF patients from benefits of exercise therapy

DALLAS, Texas, Nov. 17, 2015 - Although supervised aerobic physical activity is a proven therapy for heart failure patients, lack of social support and practical barriers such as lack of transportation, keep many patients from benefitting from cardiac rehab programs, according to new research in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal.

African-Americans with depression more likely to have strokes, heart attack

DALLAS, Nov. 17, 2015 -- African Americans with major depressive symptoms - perceived stress, neuroticism, life dissatisfaction - had almost twice the increased risk of stroke and coronary heart disease, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation: Quality and Outcomes.

While depression is recognized as a consequence of stroke and coronary heart disease, a common term for the buildup of plaque in the heart's arteries that could lead to heart attack, most studies have been conducted in white populations.

Data on TV watching may predict presidential election outcomes

A new paper claims that big data-derived models developed and trained based on people's television viewing behavior in "safe" U.S. states can be used to forecast the presidential election outcomes in "swing" states. The model design, potential for its use in 2016 and beyond, and implications for the billions of dollars of advertising spent in presidential elections are discussed in Big Data.

Blood phosphorus levels can help predict kidney failure risk in African-Americans

Highlights

US emergency departments show racial/ethnic disparities in pain management

November 17, 2015 - Minority patients are less likely to receive analgesic medications for abdominal pain at US emergency departments (EDs), suggests a nationwide study in the December issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

Minority patients less likely to receive analgesic medications for abdominal pain

New research indicates that minority patients seeking care in the emergency department were 22-30 percent less likely than white patients to receive analgesic medication.

Countries on the rebound making significant climate adaptation progress

In the lead-up to 21st meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 21), 10 countries have come from behind to make marked progress in their ability to withstand the shocks and stresses of climate change, while five are distinctly less resilient, according to data released Tuesday (Nov. 17) by the University of Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index (ND-GAIN).

Paper: Prior union experience correlates with voting for pro-labor issues

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A legislator's experience with unionization earlier in life is positively related to voting in favor of pro-worker legislation once he or she holds elected office, says a new paper from a University of Illinois labor expert who studies unions and politics.

Ryan Lamare, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois, found that a legislator's occupational or familial experiences with unions before entering politics is associated with an uptick of between 2.5 to 4.5 percentage points in voting for union-supported issues.

CU Anschutz researchers find new risk posed by opioid pain medication

AURORA, Colo. (Nov. 17, 2015) - Patients with no recent history of taking opioid pain medication had a 25 percent higher risk of chronically using the drugs if they received them when discharged from the hospital, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Study compares risk of anaphylaxis among marketed IV iron products

Cunlin Wang, M.D., Ph.D., of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Md., and colleagues studied recipients of intravenous (IV) iron (n = 688,183) enrolled in the fee-for-service Medicare program from January 2003 to December 2013. The study appears in the November 17 issue of JAMA.

Research reveals connections between social science and high fashion

While they're often linked with studying remote civilizations, the role of the contemporary anthropologist is changing. Stephanie Sadre-Orafai, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of anthropology, will apply one example as she examines how anthropology is linked with the high fashion industry in New York. The presentation is part of a panel at the 114th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Billed as the world's largest gathering of anthropologists, the meeting takes place Nov. 18-22, in Denver, Colorado.

Do vitamin supplements actually work? (video)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2015 -- You've seen them in late night commercials and at your local pharmacy--little pills that claim to cure your cold, help you wake up or maybe help you lose weight. Vitamin and mineral supplements are everywhere and generate billions of dollars in revenue in the U.S. each year. But do they really work? Find out in this week's Reactions video: https://youtu.be/9gQoG0AT3kY.

Drug driving: Are your meds affecting you?

Warning labels on medications about the dangers of driving are not enough to stop people getting behind the wheel with most driving while affected by drugs, according to (QUT) Queensland University of Technology road safety researcher Dr Tanya Smyth.

Dr Smyth, from QUT's Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety -- Queensland (CARRS-Q), is presenting her research on Prescription medicines and driving at the Tackling Drug Driving in Queensland: Leading Research and Contextual Issues symposium being held today in Brisbane.

Team approach may reduce readmissions due to falls in seniors

DETROIT - A comprehensive care program that involves a team of specialists from multiple medical disciplines for treating injuries sustained from falls in older adults could help reduce hospital readmissions, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Under the program, the 30-day readmission rate for falls declined 10 percent from 2012-13 and remained unchanged in 2014. The 30-90 day readmission rate from 2012-13 also declined, before rising slightly in 2014.