Culture

Philadelphia, PA, September 6, 2016 - The Canadian Journal of Cardiology has just released the 2016 Focused Update to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society's (CCS) atrial fibrillation (AF) guidelines. This update provides evidence-based guidelines for Canadian practitioners and will impact how they, and the global community of cardiologists, manage and treat this serious condition.

Two studies appearing in the September 6 issue of JAMA examine the effectiveness of nasal sprays to reduce the frequency and duration of nosebleeds caused by hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), an inherited condition characterized by abnormal blood vessels which are delicate and prone to bleeding.

Boston, MA - Individuals born by cesarean delivery were 15% more likely to become obese as children than individuals born by vaginal birth--and the increased risk may persist through adulthood, according to a large new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, individuals born via cesarean delivery were 64% more likely to be obese than their siblings born by vaginal birth.

The study will be published online September 6, 2016 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Washington, DC - September 6, 2016 -Researchers in Pennsylvania and Iowa have discovered that fungal communities found in chronic wounds can form mixed bacterial-fungal biofilms and can be associated with poor outcomes and longer healing times. Their report, the first deep characterization of the fungi found in diabetic foot ulcers, is published this week in mBio, an online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

Fishers in Central Africa often cover hundreds of miles in very basic boats without engines searching for food to feed their families and make a living, a new study shows.

Experts from the University of Exeter have tracked the journeys taken by fishers in the Republic of Congo as part of their work with the Congolese Government to protect the local marine environment and improve marine resource management.

There has been a massive boom in wind power capacity both in Europe and worldwide. In 2015 global installed capacity was around 350 gigawatt (GW), with 135 GW installed in Europe, distributed across some 87,000 wind turbines. Wind power now provides a bigger share (13 percent) of electricity than nuclear power stations. In countries such as Spain, Denmark and Germany, the amount of wind power already installed is in theory enough to cover nationwide demand for electricity under ideal conditions, i.e. maximum wind power output and low consumer demand.

"F**k it! Let's get to drinking - poison our livers!" According to researchers at the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, lyrics such as these in YouTube music videos may harmfully influence adolescents in Britain. Their study is published in Springer's International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

The new research is an extension of previous work which found that UK teenagers were heavily exposed to images of alcohol and tobacco in YouTube music, effectively glamourising the habits and promoting underage drinking and smoking.

In a recent analysis of patient charts from eight different emergency departments, documented screening for self-harm, suicide ideation, or suicide attempts declined with age, from approximately 81 percent in younger age groups to a low of 68 percent among those aged greater than or equal to 85 years.

The prevalence of patients identified as having suicidal thoughts and behaviors through these screens also declined with age, with a peak among young and middle-aged adults (9.0 percent) and a low among patients aged greater than or equal to 75 years (1.2 percent).

A study presented today (5 September, 2016) at this year's European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in London shows that increased physical activity among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) reduces their risk of anxiety or depression. The study is by Drs Milo Puhan, Anja Frei, and Tsung Yu, University of Zurich, Switzerland, and Dr Gerben ter Riet, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Traditional efficacy trials have limited relevance to everyday clinical practice and should be changed, according the authors of a new study into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatments.

The report (Effectiveness of Fluticasone Furoate-Vilanterol for COPD in Clinical Practice) published today (4 September 2016) in the New England Journal of Medicine details a new method of testing effectiveness of drugs which puts the patients' clinical experience at the heart of the process.

A year's course of benralizumab injections has led to a significant decrease in the frequency of asthma exacerbations - cutting the rate of exacerbations by a third to a half compared with placebo among people with the most severe form of asthma, according to two phase 3, double-blind, randomised controlled trials including more than 2500 patients in total.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Results from an international, randomized study show that an implanted nerve stimulator significantly improves symptoms in those with central sleep apnea, without causing serious side effects.

Dr. William Abraham, co-lead author and director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, presented findings from the study at the recent European Society of

September 1, 2016 - What do you think about the quality of healthcare in the United States? Your opinion may depend on your politics, with Democrats perceiving more problems in the healthcare system compared to Republicans, reports a study in the Journal for Healthcare Quality (JHQ).

COLUMBIA, Mo. - A significant part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was the $25 billion invested in health information technology (IT) to improve quality, safety, efficiency in health care while also reducing health disparities. However, nursing homes did not receive the same level of investment in technology as hospitals, leading to little understanding of how IT sophistication is impacting patient care in nursing homes. Now, research from the University of Missouri shows increases in IT sophistication can lead to potential improvements in health care quality measures.

Many human factors experts are studying effects of automation in vehicles to help ensure the safe application of technology for drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and infrastructure. More work needs to be done in this area as vehicle and technology developers rush to bring products and systems to market in what has become a highly competitive area in transportation.