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Appearing to be chronically ill may not be a good indication of poor health

TORONTO, Nov. 27, 2013—Physicians have long been taught that a physical examination is not complete without an assessment of whether a patient appears to be acutely or chronically ill.

But new research from St. Michael's Hospital says how sick a patient appears to be may have limited value in diagnosing their actual state of health.

"Doctors sometimes assume that they can tell at a glance whether a patient is in poor health, but it's important for physicians to realize that these impressions may be inaccurate," said Dr. Shail Rawal, the lead author of the study.

WSF RIO Declaration goes forward to UN

RIO, December 2, 2013: The closing session of the 6th World Science Forum today published its closing declaration with delegates from over 100 countries pledging to advance the use of Science for global sustainable development. The declaration will now be taken forward by UNESCO as a key starting point for preliminary planning of the Post-2015 Millennium Sustainable Development Goals. Based on three days of intense and informed debate, the declaration contains 5 main recommendations for action:

Joint EORTC-ESTRO session to focus on current developments in soft tissue sarcoma treatment

The EORTC will host a joint session with ESTRO at ESTRO 33 focusing on current developments in soft tissue sarcoma treatment. It will take place from 14:30– 16:00 on Monday, 07 April 2014 in Vienna, Austria and will be co-chaired by Professors Jean-Yves Blay of the Centre Leon Berard in Lyon, France and past EORTC President and Philippe Maingon of the Centre Georges-François-Leclerc in Dijon, France, and Chair of the EORTC Radiation Oncology Group.

Mediterranean diet without breakfast the best choice for diabetics

For patients with diabetes, it is better to eat a single large meal than several smaller meals throughout the day. This is the result of a current dietary study at Linköping University in Sweden.

PRP therapy improves degenerative tendon disease in athletes

CHICAGO – Ultrasound-guided delivery of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) improves functionality and reduces recovery time in athletes with degenerative disease in their tendons, according to a study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

PRP therapy is a recent development in which blood is collected from the patient and then spun in a centrifuge to separate the PRP from other blood components. The PRP is then injected under ultrasound guidance into the target area, where it stimulates cellular growth and healing.

Improved safety measures by mental health service providers help to reduce suicide rates

Mental health service providers looking after patients at risk of suicide need to reduce absconding on in-patient wards and boost specialist community services like crisis resolution to reduce deaths, a report by The University of Manchester out today (28 November) shows.

Improved treatments are also needed for patients who have mental health illness and drug or alcohol misuse (dual diagnosis) as well as for those with depression.

Economic development can only buy happiness up to a 'sweet spot' of $36,000 GDP per person, study finds

Economists have shed light on the vexed question of whether economic development can buy happiness – and it seems that life satisfaction actually dips among people living in the wealthiest countries.

Politicians are intensely interested in the link between national wealth and levels of happiness among the population, but it is a subject which is still wide open to debate among economists.

EU fishing fleets reap profits while taxpayers foot the bill

The European Union's taxpayers are paving the way for fishing fleets to reel in valuable catch in developing countries while fishing companies pocket the profits, according to University of British Columbia researchers.

Geriatric care may help older patients become independent again after car accident or other trauma

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Older patients who received extra geriatric care following a traumatic injury were able to return to roughly two thirds more daily activities than those without a consultation, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Michigan Health System and University of California, Los Angeles.

Patients in the study were 65 or over and had experienced injuries ranging from a minor rib fracture from a bad fall to a serious head injury or multiple fractures as a driver, passenger, or pedestrian in a motor vehicle accident.

Modafinil reduces depression's severity when taken with antidepressants

A new study has concluded that taking the drug modafinil, typically used to treat sleep disorders, in combination with antidepressants reduces the severity of depression more effectively than taking antidepressants alone. The study, a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge and East London and King's College London, was published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Penn study shows automated prediction alert helps identify patients at risk for 30-day readmission

Philadelphia - An automated prediction tool which identifies newly admitted patients who are at risk for readmission within 30 days of discharge has been successfully incorporated into the electronic health record of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The tool, developed by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, is the subject of a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

Shortage of rheumatologists -- In some US regions closest doctor may be 200 miles away

A novel study published in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) journal, Arthritis & Rheumatism, shows that smaller micropolitan areas of the U.S.—those with less than 50,000 people—have very few or no practicing adult rheumatologist. In some of these areas, individuals have to travel more than 200 miles to reach the closest rheumatologist.

Scientists characterize effects of transplanted fecal microbiota

Baltimore, Md. — November 26, 2013 -- Scientists at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and physicians at Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, MD, have found that restoring the normal, helpful bacteria of the gut and intestines may treat patients suffering from recurrent Clostridium difficile infections. Transplanting fecal matter of healthy donors into patients with recurrent C. difficile infection (RCDI) appears to restore normal bacterial composition and resolve infection.

High salt levels in common medicines put patients at increased risk of cardiovascular events

Researchers at the University of Dundee and University College London found that taking the maximum daily dose of some medicines would exceed the recommended daily limits for sodium, without any additional dietary intake.

They say the public "should be warned about the potential dangers of high sodium intake from prescribed medicines" and that sodium-containing formulations "should be prescribed with caution only if the perceived benefits outweigh the risks."

They also call for the sodium content of medicines to be clearly labelled in same way as foods are labelled.

Transferring fewer embryos doesn't reduce delivery rates if linked to reimbursing 6 IVF cycles

Research from Belgium has shown that if governments legislate to restrict the numbers of embryos transferred during fertility treatment, but combine it with a policy of reimbursing six cycles of assisted reproduction technology (ART), there is no detrimental impact on pregnancy and delivery rates. However, there is a greatly reduced risk of multiple births, which have associated health risks for mother and babies and are an increased cost to the state.