Culture

New online research led by the University of Leicester reveals that over 200,000 people living in Britain may have fallen victim to online romance scams – far more than had been previously estimated. The study is believed to be the first formal academic analysis to measure the scale of this growing problem.

Sir Iain Chalmers, coordinator of The James Lind Initiative, will use his plenary lecture at the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology meeting to highlight the need for the research community to be more effective in serving the information needs of patients and professionals. He will state there are currently large inefficiencies in the way health research is carried out, with the result that the needs of consumers of research results - patients and clinicians - are not being met effectively.

An updated study published in this week's PLoS Medicine gives some new information on the cardiovascular risks of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and suggests that among these commonly used drugs, naproxen and low dose ibuprofen are least likely to increase cardiovascular risk whereas diclofenac, even in doses available without prescription, elevates risk.

In this week's PLoS Medicine, Igor Rudan of the University of Edinburgh, UK and colleagues report the results of their consensus building exercise that identified health research priorities to help reduce global child mortality from pneumonia. In a process co-ordinated by the WHO, the authors applied the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative methodology for setting priorities in health research investments. The research priorities identified were dominated by health systems and policy research topics, such as studying barriers to health care seeking and access.

A review of previous studies suggests that even though atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly used for off-label conditions such as behavioral symptoms of dementia, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, these medications are effective for only a few off-label conditions, and that the benefits and harms of these medications for these uses vary, according to an article in the September 28 issue of JAMA.

An analysis of Medicare data indicates that older patients who had a stent placed in the carotid artery (a major artery of the neck and head) by a physician operator who performed less than six of the procedures a year, or if the procedure was conducted early in the operator's career, had an increased risk of death 30 days after the stent placement, according to a study in the September 28 issue of JAMA.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Preventing a stroke by placing a stent in the carotid artery, a major artery of the head and neck, is a procedure that's skyrocketing in the United States, but the outcomes can be deadly if older patients are not in the right hands.

Older patients receiving carotid artery stenting from lesser experienced physicians had an increased risk of death 30 days after stent placement, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

SAN DIEGO, Calif., September 27, 2011 – A frequently expressed concern in the ongoing public health debate is that fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly those that are nutrient dense, are not affordable to the average consumer. Research presented today at the American Dietetic Association's (ADA) Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) demonstrates that potatoes are one of the best nutritional values in the produce department, providing significantly better nutritional value per dollar than most other raw vegetables.

New research presented today at the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology meeting has found a genetic region, which may control testicle development in the foetus.

Men have XY sex chromosomes, and the development of testes is thought to occur after upregulation of the testicular SOX9 gene pathway, in the presence of factor SRY on the Y chromosome. However, the mechanism by which this testicular SOX9 upregulation occurs has so far been unclear.

STANFORD, Calif. — The risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is higher for childless men than for fathers, according to a large study led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

A survey of US primary care physicians shows that many believe that their own patients are receiving too much medical care and many feel that malpractice reform, realignment of financial incentives and having more time with patients could reduce pressures on physicians to do more than they feel is needed, according to a report in the September 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

(Garrison, NY) Doctors and other medical professionals occasionally joke about their patients' problems. Some of these jokes are clearly wrong, but some joking between medical professionals is not only ethical, it can actually be beneficial, concludes an article in the Hastings Center Report.

Breaking Bad, cable channel AMC's popular series chronicling the dark transformation of Walter White from suburban chemistry high school teacher to crystal meth master chef and criminal mastermind, makes chemistry entertaining for the average person through shocking story developments, including White using his chemistry expertise (poison, noxious gas, and acid) to eliminate rival meth slingers.

But the show is not improving chemistry's tarnished public image says Matthew Hartings, assistant professor of chemistry at American University.

A new study shows that 145,000 deaths could be averted in the next 30 years in the Netherlands by implementing stronger tobacco control policies. This set of policies, as recommended by the MPOWER report of the World Health Organisation, consists of increasing tobacco taxes to 70% of the retail price, bans on smoking in workplaces and public places, a complete marketing ban, well-funded tobacco control campaigns, graphic health warnings, youth access laws, and comprehensive cessation treatment.

Alexandria, VA – In the Witwatersrand goldfields, not far from bustling Johannesburg, South Africa, more than a century of mining has left the region littered with mounds of waste and underlain by a deep underground network of abandoned mine shafts, which are gradually filling with water. Today, the mines are producing less and less gold — and more and more sulfuric acid.