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New study puts eco-labels to the test

WASHINGTON -- A new report released today by the University of Victoria ranks eco-labels intended to distinguish seafood produced with less damage to the environment. It is the first study to evaluate how eco-labels for farmed marine fish compare to unlabeled options in the marketplace.

"How Green is Your Eco-label?" is designed to help seafood buyers sort through competing sustainability claims and better identify those labels that result in farming methods with less damage to the ocean. Key findings include:

UK burden of injury is 2.6 times higher than previously thought

When using data and information derived from patient experiences, combined with additional morbidity data on patients treated in emergency departments and those admitted to hospital, the absolute burden of injury in the UK is much higher than previously estimated, according to a study published in this week's PLoS Medicine.

Impact of injuries in the UK more than 2 and a half times higher than estimated

Injuries in the UK are having a much greater impact on peoples' lives than previously estimated, a study has found.

The research, involving academics from The University of Nottingham, used data direct from patient experiences combined with information on the number of patients treated in emergency departments and admitted to hospital to reveal that the true impact of injuries in the UK is actually 2.6 times higher than experts believed.

Reusing pacemakers from deceased patients is safe and effective, study finds

MAYWOOD, Ill. -- Many heart patients in India are too poor to afford pacemakers. But a study has found that removing pacemakers from deceased Americans, resterilizing the devices and implanting them in Indian patients "is very safe and effective."

Dr. Gaurav Kulkarni of Loyola University Medical Center is a co-author of the study, published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Cardiology. Kulkarni helped conduct the research before coming to Loyola while he was a medical student in India.

Most US presidents live beyond average life expectancy

Contrary to claims that U.S. presidents age at twice the normal rate, a new study finds that most U.S. presidents live longer than expected for men of their same age and era.

The research letter, by noted University of Illinois at Chicago demographer S. Jay Olshansky, is published in the Dec. 7 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

New study suggests US presidents often live longer than men of their era

CHICAGO - In a research letter appearing in the Dec. 7 issue of JAMA, S. Jay Olshansky, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois at Chicago, examined the question that U.S. Presidents may experience accelerated aging while in office by analyzing the life span of all U.S. Presidents compared to men of their era. Among his findings were that 23 of 34 presidents who died of natural causes lived beyond the average life expectancy for men of the same age when they were inaugurated.

Survival difference are not black and white

Highlights

Study: Indian, Vietnamese immigrants become 'American' over time through civic activities

Whether contributing money to Boy Scouts, donating a sculpture of Gandhi for a Dallas city plaza, or successfully lobbying against flying Vietnam's communist flag in a citywide international celebration, a new study shows that immigrants in Texas are involved in their communities.

Immigrants from India and Vietnam in North Texas develop and embrace their American identity over time — without shedding their culture of origin, as some say they should, according to a new anthropological study.

UCSF study finds medical marijuana could help patients reduce pain with opiates

A UCSF study suggests patients with chronic pain may experience greater relief if their doctors add cannabinoids – the main ingredient in cannabis or medical marijuana – to an opiates-only treatment. The findings, from a small-scale study, also suggest that a combined therapy could result in reduced opiate dosages.

More than 76 million Americans suffer from chronic pain – more people than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined, according to the National Centers for Health Statistics.

What we want to see on TV: Handsome politicians

The better the looks of United States Congresspersons, the more television coverage they receive, shows a new study from the University of Haifa recently published in the journal Political Communication. The reason behind this? Television journalists think their viewers prefer to see physically attractive people. "Physical appearance ranked third in the criteria for gaining television coverage, and ranked higher than seniority, position in Congress and legislative activity in this respect," noted the authors of the study.

Acupuncture may ease severe nerve pain associated with cancer treatment

Acupuncture may help ease the severe nerve pain associated with certain cancer drugs, suggests a small preliminary study published in Acupuncture in Medicine.

Cancer patients treated with taxanes, vinca alkaloids, or platinum compounds can develop a condition known as chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy, or CIPN for short, as a by-product of their treatment. These powerful drugs can damage peripheral nerves, particularly in the calves and feet, which can result in severe nerve pain and/or difficulty walking. As yet, there is no effective antidote.

Depression increases risk of dementia in patients with Type 2 diabetes

OAKLAND, Calif., December 5, 2011 – Depression in patients with diabetes is associated with a substantively increased risk of development of dementia compared to those with diabetes alone, according to researchers from the University of Washington and Kaiser Permanente.

The study, among the first (and largest to date) to examine all-cause dementia in diabetes patients with and without depression, appears on the current online issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Chinese health coverage increases with new government efforts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Health care coverage increased dramatically in parts of China between 1997 and 2006, a period when government interventions were implemented to improve access to health care, with particularly striking upswings in rural areas, according to new research by Brown University sociologist Susan E. Short and Hongwei Xu of the University of Michigan. The findings appear in the December issue of Health Affairs.

Post-partum psychiatric episodes linked with increased risk of developing bipolar affective disorder

CHICAGO – Experiencing a psychiatric episode within the first 30 days post-partum appears to be associated with an increased risk of developing bipolar affective disorder, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Marine predators in trouble: UBC researchers

Iconic marine predators such as sharks, tunas, swordfish, and marlins are becoming increasingly rare under current fishing trends, say University of British Columbia researchers.