Culture

LONDON – (May 25, 2011) – Crescendo Bioscience™ today announced data indicating that Vectra™ DA, a first-in-class multi-biomarker blood test used to assess rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity, provides physicians with an objective measure which may help determine whether patients are responding to therapy.

Gerardo Chowell and coworkers report the incidence of pandemic influenza H1N1 morbidity and mortality in 32 Mexican states in 2009 and quantify the association between local influenza transmission rates, school cycles, and demographic factors.

New information has come to light explaining how injured skin cells and touch-sensing nerve fibers coordinate their regeneration during wound healing. UCLA researchers Sandra Rieger and Alvaro Sagasti found that a chemical signal released by wounded skin cells promotes the regeneration of sensory fibers, thus helping to ensure that touch sensation is restored to healing skin. They discovered that the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide, which is found at high concentrations at wounds, is a key component of this signal.

Medicare beneficiaries residing in areas with higher levels of primary care physicians per population have modestly lower death rates and fewer preventable hospitalizations, according to a study in the May 25 issue of JAMA.

In a follow-up of participants from the Women's Health Study, seemingly healthy middle-aged women with new-onset atrial fibrillation had an associated increased risk of cardiovascular, noncardiovascular, and all-cause death, with some of the risk potentially explained by nonfatal cardiovascular events, according to a study in the May 25 issue of JAMA.

Elderly patients with symptoms of heart failure and increased concentrations in the blood of the biomarker copeptin, or a combination of elevated concentrations of copeptin and the biomarker NT-proBNP, had an associated increased risk of all-cause death, according to a study in the May 25 issue of JAMA.

A relatively new treatment for sudden hearing loss that involves injecting steroids into the middle ear appears to work just as well as the current standard of oral steroids, a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins and other institutions suggests. The findings, published in the May 25 Journal of the American Medical Association, could lead to more options for the 1 in 20,000 people who suffer from this often baffling and disabling condition each year.

HUNTVILLE, TX -- While statutory rape laws have been enacted to protect minors from sexual abuse by adults or peers, more teenagers are engaging in sexual activity before the legal age of consent and are facing sexual assault charges.

A recent study by the Crime Victims' Institute at Sam Houston State University examines various state laws that have been adopted to address the growing problem and suggests ways to address the dilemmas caused by the laws that are written.

Reston, Va. –With the deficiencies in knowledge of tuberculosis—as well as in the practices, programs and strategies used to combat the disease and co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis poses a major problem for the health care community. Research in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, however, shows that the use of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) scans can help to determine earlier if treatment for tuberculosis is working or if the disease is MDR.

Male disability applicants rejected for federal benefits tend to have lower earnings and labor force participation rates over the decade prior to applying for federal disability benefits, a new study finds.

Rejected applicants also work less despite being in better health than accepted applicants, according to the research led by economist Seth Giertz of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

HOUSTON-(May 23, 2011)-People with diabetes have a three to five times higher risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) than non-diabetics, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

Results of the study, which included 233 patients with TB who live in Texas and Mexico along the border, are published in the May issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

WASHINGTON, DC––MAY 24, 2011––Two-thirds of small medical device and diagnostic companies––the drivers of innovation in the sector––are obtaining clearance for new products in Europe first, suggesting delayed market entry in the U.S., according to a comprehensive industrywide survey about FDA's 510(k) product review process by researchers at Northwestern University.

Too many admissions at a hospital at one time can put patients at risk. A new study published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine suggests that "smoothing" occupancy over the course of a week could help hospitals reduce crowding and protect patients from crowded conditions. The strategy involves controlling the entry of patients, when possible, to achieve more even levels of occupancy instead of the peaks and troughs that are commonly encountered.

Los Angeles, CA (May 23, 2011) With teen moms being debated heavily in popular culture today, it's easy to neglect the effects of fatherhood. However, recent research shows that young, disadvantaged men also affect a family and society. In fact, by age 30, between 68 and 75 percent of young men with a high school degree or less are fathers.

Coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography, which can detect plaque buildup in heart vessels, is sometimes used as a screening tool to assess the risk for a heart attack. However, the usefulness of the test on low-risk patients who do not have coronary symptoms, such as chest pain, has been unclear.