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Coping techniques help patients with COPD improve mentally, physically

DURHAM, N.C. -- Coaching patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to manage stress, practice relaxation and participate in light exercise can boost a patient's quality of life and can even improve physical symptoms, researchers at Duke Medicine report.

In a study published online Sept. 25, 2014, in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, Duke researchers examined how telephone-based coaching could help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a progressive disease that limits airflow in the lungs.

Scientists develop tool to help communities stay environmentally and socially 'healthy'

Geographers at the University of Southampton have developed a new way to measure the 'health' of poor regional communities. They aim to improve the wellbeing of people by guiding sustainable development practices to help avoid social and environmental collapse.

The researchers have pioneered a methodology that examines the balance between factors such as; standards of living, natural resources, agriculture, industry and the economy. The results help identify critical limits, beyond which regions risk tipping into ecological and social downturn, or even collapse.

Treatment studied to help patients 'burned to the bone'

An anti-inflammatory treatment, studied in the labs of regenerative medicine specialists and trauma surgeons, may prevent what's become one of the war-defining injuries for today's troops.

Those burned by high-velocity explosive devices are at-risk for heterotopic ossification (HO), in which bone develops in places it shouldn't be, outside the skeleton, in joints, muscles and tendons. The painful condition can make it difficult to move and function and commonly affects patients who suffer burns, automobile accidents, orthopedic surgery and blast injuries and other combat wounds.

Osteoarthritis of the hip: Appropriate exercise therapy can alleviate symptoms

Osteoarthritis of the hip is a progressive degenerative disorder affecting the hip joints, which affects one in 10 adults. The symptoms range from pain after intense joint loading to morning pain/stiffness and impaired mobility in everyday life. To date, no cure exists. Appropriate exercise therapy can, however, delay progression of the disease and alleviate symptoms, as shown in a randomized controlled study reported by Inga Krauß et al in Deutsches Ärzteblatt (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2014; 111: 592–9).

The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology: Working long hours linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes

People working for more than 55 hours per week doing manual work or other low socioeconomic status jobs have a 30% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to the largest study in this field so far, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Mika Kivimäki, Professor of Epidemiology at University College London, UK, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual-level data examining the effects of long working hours on type 2 diabetes up to 30 April 2014.

A look at Florida's charterboat-based recreational shark fishery

CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA (September 24, 2014) — The challenge and excitement of catching a large fish makes shark fishing very appealing for recreational anglers. However, many species of sharks have experienced population declines due to commercial overfishing. Although generally overlooked by conservation advocates, catch and release shark fishing can provide a strong economic incentive to protect sharks, benefiting both ecotourism businesses and shark conservation.

Alzheimer's patients can still feel the emotion long after the memories have vanished

A new University of Iowa study further supports an inescapable message: caregivers have a profound influence—good or bad—on the emotional state of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Patients may not remember a recent visit by a loved one or having been neglected by staff at a nursing home, but those actions can have a lasting impact on how they feel.

The findings of this study are published in the September 2014 issue of the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and can be viewed online for free here.

Customer experience matters more when economy is strong, research shows

ATLANTA—Customers care more about their past experiences with service firms when the economy is doing well, according to a research team from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

Survey: Costs of ACA health insurance in Texas vary significantly depending on income

HOUSTON – (Sept. 24, 2014) – The cost of monthly premiums for health insurance plans for Texans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can vary by hundreds of dollars, depending on a person's income and the level of coverage chosen, according to a report released today by the Episcopal Health Foundation and Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Good news for young patients with a leukemia subtype associated with a poor prognosis

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – September 24, 2014) St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators found that adjusting treatment based on early response to chemotherapy made a life-saving difference to young patients with an acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) subtype associated with a poor outcome. The study appeared in the September 20 edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

New study finds university health schools' use of holistic admissions has positive impact

On September 30, 2014, in Washington, DC, higher education and health leaders will release a report that is the first to examine nationwide the impact and use of holistic review—a university admissions process that assesses an applicant's unique experiences alongside traditional measures of academic achievement such as grades and test scores—for students pursuing careers in the health professions.

Stop taking patients in cardiac arrest to hospital, says expert

Cardiac arrest outside of hospital is a common and catastrophic medical emergency experienced by about 60,000 people a year in the UK. Less than 10% survive to discharge from hospital.

Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) offers the best chance of survival and ambulance services throughout the developed world tend to take patients in cardiac arrest to hospital, with CPR ongoing.

Facial masculinity not always a telling factor in mate selection

EUGENE, Ore. -- Women living where rates of infectious disease are high, according to theory, prefer men with faces that shout testosterone when choosing a mate. However, an international study says not so much, says University of Oregon anthropologist Lawrence S. Sugiyama.

The new study, on which Sugiyama is one of 22 co-authors, ended with that theory crumbling amid patterns too subtle to detect when tested with 962 adults drawn from 12 populations living in various economic systems in 10 nations.

Interdisciplinary research team finds method for more precise diagnosis of pneumonia

WASHINGTON (Sept. 23, 2014) — A patient survives life-threatening trauma, is intubated in the intensive care unit (ICU) to support his or her affected vital functions, starts to recover, and then develops pneumonia. It's a scenario well-known to physicians, who understand that the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill patients often results in significant morbidity, mortality, and additional health care costs.

Eating five a day may keep the blues away

Fruit and vegetable consumption could be as good for your mental as your physical health, new research suggests.

The research, conducted by the University of Warwick's Medical School using data from the Health Survey for England, and published by BMJ Open focused on mental wellbeing and found that high and low mental wellbeing were consistently associated with an individual's fruit and vegetable consumption.