Culture | Page 1793 | Science Codex

Screening for depression recommended for adults, including pregnant and postpartum women

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is recommending screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women, and that screening should be implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and appropriate follow-up. The report appears in the January 26 issue of JAMA.

This recommendation is a USPSTF grade B recommendation, meaning that there is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate, or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial.

Improved chances of discovering hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis

New insights in hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) improve the chances of diagnosing the genetic disease using ECG and ultrasound. In a new doctoral dissertation by Sandra Arvidsson at Umeå University in Sweden, an explanation to the varying symptoms in patients with ATTR is explored. Of particular interest is why the disease only affects the heart in some patients -- pinpointing age and gender as important explanations.

BU study finds link between state gun ownership rates and murders of women

Women in states with higher rates of gun ownership are at greater risk of being killed by people they know than those in states where a smaller percentage of people own guns. And ownership rates alone explain 40 percent of the variation in women's homicide victimization rates, compared to only 1.5 percent of the variation in men's victimization rates, according to a new study by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers.

New policies, educational programs help -- but don't solve -- problems with opioid abuse

PORTLAND, Ore. - A recent study showed that medical provider training, new clinic policies and efforts to "taper" opioid use for pain treatment could significantly reduce the level of opioid medication that patients used -- a limited but positive step for a nation enmeshed in opioid use, abuse and overdose deaths.

Regular caffeine consumption does not result in extra heartbeats, study shows

Contrary to current clinical belief, regular caffeine consumption does not lead to extra heartbeats, which, while common, can lead in rare cases to heart-or stroke-related morbidity and mortality, according to UC San Francisco researchers.

The study, which measured the chronic consumption of caffeinated products over a 12-month period, rather than acute consumption, appears in the January 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association. It is the largest to date to have evaluated dietary patterns in relation to extra heartbeats.

Leadership: Key to quality care and retention among nurses

Nurses faced with abusive managers are more likely to quit. But a recent study by McGill University and Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières researchers finds that the opposite is also true - transformational leadership - a style of management in which employees are encouraged to work towards a collective goal within a supportive milieu, is linked to nurses' well-being, and has positive impacts upon job retention.

Billing code invalid measure to identify nurse anesthetist stand-alone practice

Chicago - Jan. 25, 2016 - Nurse anesthetists often receive guidance from physician anesthesiologists, yet bill their time as if they are making decisions alone, according to a recent study(1) of more than 9,000 cases published online in Anesthesia & Analgesia. The study suggests a frequently used billing code - called the modifier QZ - gives a false impression that many nurse anesthetists practice without the supervision of physician anesthesiologists.

No more insulin injections?

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- In patients suffering from Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas, eventually leaving patients without the ability to naturally control blood sugar. These patients must carefully monitor the amount of sugar in their blood, measuring it several times a day and then injecting themselves with insulin to keep their blood sugar levels within a healthy range. However, precise control of blood sugar is difficult to achieve, and patients face a range of long-term medical problems as a result.

Study finds shark hotspots overlap with commercial fishing locations

MIAMI--A new study from an international team of scientists found commercial fishing vessels target shark hotspots, areas where sharks tend to congregate, in the North Atlantic. The researchers suggest that sharks are at risk of being overfished in these oceanic hotspots.

American Heart Association makes first ever statement on female heart attacks

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new scientific statement issued today by the American Heart Association underscores knowledge gaps that remain when it comes to women and heart attacks, and outlines the priority steps needed to better understand and treat heart disease in women.

The statement, chaired by Dr. Laxmi Mehta, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, compiles the newest data on symptoms, treatments and the types of heart attacks among women.

Towards the prevention of cardiac failure in the chronic phase

The onset of cardiac failure after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a serious problem throughout the world.

Researchers at Osaka University clarified that the cell adhesion inhibition of periostin1 damages myocardinal cells, inducing compromised cardiac myocyte contractile force and myocytes death, leading to the onset of cardiac failure after AMI through the administration of periostin neutralizing antibodies they had developed on their own.?

Graphene composite may keep wings ice-free

A thin coating of graphene nanoribbons in epoxy developed at Rice University has proven effective at melting ice on a helicopter blade.

The coating by the Rice lab of chemist James Tour may be an effective real-time de-icer for aircraft, wind turbines, transmission lines and other surfaces exposed to winter weather, according to a new paper in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

Better healthcare could reduce crippling personal costs of tuberculosis care in China

Improved universal healthcare is urgently needed to lower catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) for low-income tuberculosis (TB) patients in China, according to a study published in the open access journal Infectious Diseases of Poverty. Expanding universal healthcare could reduce the numbers of people affected by CHE.

Flint's water crisis is a blatant example of environmental injustice

Many observers see race and class as factors in Flint, Michigan’s drinking water crisis. Earlier this week Flint’s mayor, Karen Weaver, said, “It’s a minority community. It’s a poor community. And our voices were not heard.” We asked Robert D. Bullard, Dean of the School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University and a pioneering scholar in the field of environmental justice, to discuss how race and class have shaped the ongoing public health disaster in Flint.

Will blocking IL-17A help treat kidney disease?

Many different diseases and insults can injure kidneys, resulting in kidney failure. Some autoimmune diseases damage glomeruli (the 'filtering units' of the kidney), while problems with the tubules (for example, impaired blood flow to the kidney at the time of renal transplantation, radio-contrast dye or drugs) can cause acute kidney injury (AKI). A common outcome in either type of injury is that immune cells infiltrate the kidney and this inflammation can result in permanent scarring.