Culture

The Vikings were not the first colonizers of the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands were colonised much earlier than previously believed, and it wasn't by the Vikings, according to new research.

New archaeological evidence places human colonisation in the 4th to 6th centuries AD, at least 300-500 years earlier than previously demonstrated.

The research, directed by Dr Mike J Church from Durham University and Símun V Arge from the National Museum of the Faroe Islands as part of the multidisciplinary project "Heart of the Atlantic", is published in the Quaternary Science Reviews.

Emergency rooms failing to meet seniors' needs

WATERLOO, Ont. (Tuesday, August 20, 2013) — Emergency departments are not meeting the needs of senior citizens, according to a new international study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

The study, which looked at patients over the age of 75 in emergency departments in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Iceland, India and Sweden, found that seniors have very different needs than the general population— needs that are not being addressed well by current clinical practices or emergency department designs.

Target 2 forms of iron to control cystic fibrosis lung infection

The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa needs iron to establish and maintain a biofilm in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, and therapies have been proposed to deprive the bacteria of this necessary element. However, these techniques may not work, according to a new study published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, because they only target one of the two types of iron that are available in the lung.

Unemployment restricts access to kidney transplants, UNH research finds

DURHAM, N.H. – People in end-stage kidney failure in need of a kidney transplant are much less likely to be placed on a waiting list for a new kidney or to actually receive a new kidney once on the list if they are unemployed or work part time, according to new collaborative research from the University of New Hampshire.

New risk score predicts 10-year dementia risk for type 2 diabetes patients

OAKLAND, Calif., August 19, 2013 — Researchers at Kaiser Permanente and the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands have created the first risk score that predicts the 10-year individualized dementia risk for patients with type 2 diabetes, as reported in the inaugural issue of Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

US depression treatment proved effective for UK

A US model of treating depression through a network of specialists could effectively be imported into the UK, new research has revealed.

Collaborative care involves depressed people having access to a team of specialists, with advice and support often given over the phone. A trial led by Professor David Richards at the University of Exeter Medical School found that collaborative care led to improvement of depression symptoms immediately after treatment. Furthermore, 15 per cent more patients were still improved after 12 months, compared with those who saw their GP.

Too-low diastolic blood pressure can be deadly for CKD patients

1. Too-low Diastolic Blood Pressure Can be Deadly for CKD Patients

Fighting obesity with apps and websites

DURHAM, N.C. -- A pending component of health care reform would require restaurants and vending machines to list calorie information on menus to help fight obesity.

But there's little evidence to date that it's an effective way to prevent overeating.

A new Duke University study suggests a better approach might be for restaurants to expand and improve calorie listings on their websites and mobile apps, so customers can come better prepared to order a healthier menu item.

Native Californians followed the greenery

SALT LAKE CITY Aug. 19, 2013 – California's rich diversity of Native American ethnic-and-language groups took shape during the past 12,000 years as migrating tribes settled first on the lush Pacific coast and then in progressively drier, less-vegetated habitats, says a new University of Utah study.

Tel Aviv University archaeologists find massive fortifications from the Iron Age

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have unearthed the remains of massive ancient fortifications built around an Iron-Age Assyrian harbor in present-day Israel.

At the heart of the well-preserved fortifications is a mud-brick wall up to more than 12 feet wide and 15 feet high. The wall is covered in layers of mud and sand that stretch for hundreds of feet on either side. When they were built in the eighth century B.C.E., the fortifications formed a daunting crescent-shaped defense for an inland area covering more than 17 acres.

Physician continuity after patients leave hospital for heart failure can help survival rates

Patients with heart failure who see a physician in the first month after leaving hospital are more likely to survive than those who do not see a doctor, reports a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The effect is slightly more pronounced in patients who see their regular physician rather than an unfamiliar physician.

Longest and largest study of insulin pumps to treat type 1 diabetes in children shows they control blood sugar more effectively

The longest and largest study of the effectiveness of insulin pumps to treat type 1 diabetes in children has shown that the pumps are more effective at controlling blood sugar than insulin injections and cause fewer complications. The research is published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, and is by Associate Professor Elizabeth Davis, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, WA, Australia and colleagues.

New MR analysis technique reveals brain tumor response to anti-angiogenesis therapy

A new way of analyzing data acquired in MR imaging appears to be able to identify whether or not tumors are responding to anti-angiogenesis therapy, information that can help physicians determine the most appropriate treatments and discontinue ones that are ineffective.

Drug dosing for older heart patients should differ

DURHAM, N.C. – Older heart patients present unique challenges for determining the optimal dosages of medications, so a new study from researchers at Duke Medicine offers some rare clarity about the use of drugs that are used to treat patients with heart attacks.

For certain heart patients older than age 75, a half-dose of the anti-platelet drug prasugrel works about as well as the typical dosage of clopidogrel, according to a team led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute that looked at a sub-study of a large clinical trial.

More potent anti-clotting drugs with angiography may benefit patients with acute chest pain

Boston, MA – Current methods to treat acute coronary syndrome conditions, such as heart attack, include artery-clearing procedures (e.g., percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting) with medications, or medications alone for those that do not undergo procedures.