Culture | Science Codex

How to boost Hispanics' participation in clinical trials? Relate to them, Moffitt study shows

Hispanic cancer patients rarely participate in clinical trials, but researchers want to tailor a Spanish DVD to help change this. To create a relevant educational tool, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers investigated why awareness of and participation in trials are so low in this population.

Using focus groups with 36 Spanish-speaking cancer survivors from Tampa and Puerto Rico, researchers found that a language barrier, as well as a cultural idea that only doctors, not patients, guide treatment decisions, may help account for low participation rates.

People's perception of the effect of stress on their health is linked to risk of heart attacks

People who believe that stress is having an adverse impact on their health are probably right, because they have an increased risk of suffering a heart attack, according to new research published online today (Thursday) in the European Heart Journal [1].

Simple 2-drug combination proves effective in reducing risk of stroke

Results of a Phase III clinical trial showed that a simple drug regimen of two anti-clotting drugs – clopidogrel and aspirin – lowered the risk of stroke by almost one-third, compared to the standard therapy of aspirin alone, when given to patients who had minor or transient stroke symptoms to prevent subsequent attacks.

Described this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (July 4, 2013 print issue), the clinical trial was conducted at multiple sites in China and designed in partnership with a physician at UC San Francisco.

Nurse practitioners can boost quality of care for older patients with chronic conditions

U.S. residents today are living longer than previous generations, thanks to improved public health and medical treatment. But they're also living longer with chronic geriatric health conditions like dementia, urinary incontinence, depression and debilitating falls, which often require complex medical care.

Doctors spend significant time and resources treating individuals with chronic conditions, and the average family physician can become severely overtaxed managing care for such patients. The picture becomes even worse with chronic geriatric conditions.

Teenage physical fitness reduces the risk of suicidal behavior

Being in good physical shape at 18 years of age can be linked with a reduced risk of attempted suicide later in life. So says a study of over one million Swedish men conducted by researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

A new, extensive report from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare on child and adolescent health shows that teenagers and young adults in Sweden have worse mental health than their age cohorts in other western countries.

Socioeconomic status plays major role in opioid pain control

Patients in moderate to severe pain in emergency rooms across the U.S. are less likely to receive opioid pain medications if they are black, Hispanic, poor, or have less education, compared to more affluent patients, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

The study took place against the backdrop of a national epidemic of narcotics abuse, combined with a need to satisfy patients' legitimate complaints of pain.

Huge falls in diabetes mortality in UK and Canada since mid-1990s

Both the UK and Canada have experienced huge falls in diabetes-related mortality since the mid-1990s, with the result that the gap in mortality risk between those with and without diabetes has narrowed substantially. The findings are in new research published in Diabetologia, the Journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and written by Dr Marcus Lind, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and colleagues.

Issue III registry defines best syncope candidates for cardiac pacing

Athens, Greece 26 June 2013. Two important studies were released at the Late Breaking Clinical Trials session II at EHRA EUROPACE 2013. The PREFER AF study2 found that Oral anticoagulation is now used in over 85% of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) eligible for therapy.

Patient suicide and homicide risk often missed say researchers

The assessment of risk in patients who go on to die by suicide or commit homicide is often poor, a new study has found.

A report by The University of Manchester's National Confidential Inquiry (NCI) into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness out today has raised concerns about the way that risk is assessed and led to criticism of the tick-box approach to clinical practice.

Major rethink needed if chemical industry is to meet greenhouse gas targets

The UK chemical industry requires 'an urgent and radical rethink' into how it produces chemicals if it is to play its part in meeting Government's stringent greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 80% plus by 2050.

Exaggeration, exaggeration, exaggeration: Parties over-egg claims on education

Exaggeration, exaggeration, exaggeration: parties over-egg claims on education

Both major political parties have overstated their claims and counter-claims on education, according to an independent review of Labour's record in office.

The report, led by Professor Anthony Heath from The University of Manchester, says governments mostly fail to introduce policies which can be rigorously evaluated.

The report, published this month in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, praises Labour 's policy on further education and Education Maintenance Allowance.

Efficacy of acupressure to relieve migraine nausea presented at International Headache Congress

Boston, MA, June 26, 2013 – Nausea is one of the most debilitating symptoms of migraine and affects 80 percent of migraine suffers in the United States. Leading headache physician, Dr. Zoltan Medgyessy of the Berolina Clinic in Lohne, Germany demonstrated in a trial that pressure to the P6 antiemetic point on the inner wrist with an acupressure wristband is an effective and quick therapy for relieving nausea of migraine sufferers. He will be presenting his findings to the U.S. for the first time at the International Headache Congress in Boston, MA on June 27 – 30, 2013.

Women like computer science if media nixes 'nerd' stereotype

Parents and teachers like to tell children they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. But are there inaccurate stereotypes in the media that nudge them away from certain careers?

Death rates from heart disease continue to decline in most of the EU

Death rates from heart disease in the European Union have more than halved in many countries since the early 1980s, according to new research published online today (Wednesday) in the European Heart Journal [1]. In the majority of countries, there have been ongoing steady reductions in heart disease death rates in both sexes and most age groups, including among younger people, despite increases in obesity and diabetes during this time. However, heart disease remains a leading cause of death in Europe.

Health systems should be re-organized to better help stroke patients

Patients who have experienced a stroke spend a substantial amount of time and effort seeking out, processing, and reflecting on information about the management of their condition because the information provided by health services worldwide is currently inadequate, according to a study by UK and US researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.