Culture | Page 1691 | Science Codex

Study finds B.C. physician incentives not enough to improve complex patient care

A program that offers incentives for B.C.'s primary care physicians to care for patients with complex health conditions has failed to improve access to primary care or reduce hospitalizations, according to a study led by SFU health sciences professor Ruth Lavergne in collaboration with UBC professor Kim McGrail. The study is published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Lavergne says: "There is no evidence that the introduction of incentive payments to physicians changed access to primary care, kept patients out of hospital or saved money."

Having primary care physician may not be enough to reduce ED visits by vulnerable groups

TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2016-- Having a regular family physician may not be enough to reduce Emergency Department visits among patients with disabilities, a small study published online today in the journal Canadian Family Physician suggests.

The study, conducted at a Family Health Team in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., compared 40 high-needs patients at the team's mobility clinic for people with disabilities with 80 people from the team's general patient population.

Austerity linked to rise of the 'spornosexual'

The economic crisis and austerity are having an unexpected consequence: more young men striving for gym-fit, photo-perfect bodies that they use to create a social media brand.

That's according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA), which suggests traditional routes to success and power have been eroded in 'Austerity Britain', causing young men to seek value instead through their bodies.

Emergency financial aid from call centers effectively prevents homelessness

Homelessness in the United States is a persistent and complex problem. Each year more than 2.3 million people experience homelessness, 7.4 million people live "doubled up" with friends or family for economic reasons, and many more are on the brink of homelessness. In addition to the negative mental, developmental and health problems that arise among homeless adults and children, the issue costs a community more than $5,000 for each person who enters a shelter.

Unproven stem cell therapies for lung disease on the rise despite promise of new treatments

Researchers say "stem cell medical tourism" is becoming a global problem - preying on desperate patients with incurable diseases

Stem cell medical tourism and unproven stem cell interventions are growing and concerning issues for patients afflicted with lung disease. According to Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers, there are an increasing number of clinics worldwide offering expensive stem cell-based therapies that are ineffective or have no proven benefit.

New UTSA study addresses lack of American engineers and scientists

A new study by Huy Le, associate professor of management at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), identifies factors that could lead more young students to successful careers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

Over the past several years, the U.S. has ranked low among other nations in numbers of students proficient in math and science, as well as skilled workers in those fields. According to Le, American students are perfectly capable and interested in entering those fields, but aren't being encouraged to pursue a STEM career.

RetroScope opens doors to the past in smart phone investigations

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University researchers are working on a new technique that could aid law enforcement in gathering data from smart phones when investigating crimes.

A research team led by Professor Dongyan Xu, a computer science professor and interim executive director of Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, and fellow Purdue computer science professor Xiangyu Zhang will detail findings of the technique, called RetroScope, during the USENIX Security Symposium in Austin, Texas, Aug. 10-12.

Risk of fans catching dengue fever during Olympics 'very low'

The risk of sports fans catching dengue fever during the Rio Olympics is very low, according to a new study involving mathematicians at the University of Strathclyde.

Athletes and foreign visitors have expressed concern about catching the mosquito-borne disease this summer, as Brazil has the highest recorded number of dengue cases worldwide.

But using mathematical modelling, academics have forecast the worst case scenario would be 23 tourists bringing home dengue fever, and 206 catching the illness with no symptoms.

Dear future US president: A wish list from a physician-scientist

In this Editorial, Scott Friedman lays out his wish list for the 2016 U.S. presidential candidates. "Supporting biomedical research is a bipartisan, patriotic act," argues Friedman, who serves as Dean for Therapeutic Discovery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Wise choices by the next U.S. president will ensure improvements in public health and maximize taxpayers' return on investment." Friedman calls on the next president to support biomedical discoveries that advance health for Americans.

NIH-funded study supports surgery as treatment for myasthenia gravis

In a global study of myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and fatigue, researchers found that surgical removal of an organ called the thymus reduced patients' weakness, and their need for immunosuppressive drugs. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health.

In search of a golden age

Many believe that enormous quantities of gold lie buried somewhere in the Philippines. According to a popular account, Japanese soldiers used the Philippines as a base to hide treasures they had plundered from regions under their control during World War II. At the close of the war, the treasure was left behind in several hiding places.

Sensational grave find in Cypriote Bronze Age city

An archaeological expedition from the University of Gothenburg has discovered one of the richest graves from the Late Bronze Age ever found on the island of Cyprus. The grave and its offering pit, located adjacent the Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke, contained many fantastic gold objects such as a diadem, pearls, earrings and Egyptian scarabs, as well as more than 100 richly ornamented ceramic vessels. The objects, which originate from several adjacent cultures, confirm the central role of Cyprus in long-distance trade.

Nivolumab in renal cell cancer: Indication of added benefit

Nivolumab has been approved since April 2016 as a checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of adults with advanced renal cell cancer who have already undergone prior therapy. In an early benefit assessment, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has now examined whether in these patients this monoclonal antibody offers advantages over the appropriate comparator therapy.

Study: Recording selfies while brushing teeth can improve oral health care skills

Recording smart phone video "selfies" of tooth-brushing can help people learn to improve their oral health care techniques, according to a new study.

Using smart phones propped on stands, study participants filmed their brushing at home. Researchers saw an increase in the accuracy of brush strokes, an increase in number of strokes and an overall 8 percent improvement in tooth-brushing skill--but the length of time a person brushed did not change.

New guidelines published for physicians treating patients with kidney stones

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A new guideline for the surgical management of patients with kidney and/or ureteral stones has been released by the American Urologic Association. Chair of the panel, Dean Assimos, M.D., worked with a team of kidney stone experts to develop one of the largest guidelines documents that the AUA has ever produced, highlighting more than 50 statements on best practices when treating patients with kidney and ureteral stones.