Patients in hospital who are on antibiotics may benefit from taking probiotics, according to researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Dr. Reena Pattani led a literature review that looked at the effectiveness of probiotics, live bacteria that can take up residence in digestive tracts, in treating common side effects of antibiotics, such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea and life-threatening side effects such as Clostridium difficile infection.
Rosemont, Ill. - The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recently released its revised clinical practice guideline (CPG) on the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, addressing two key changes. Most of the remaining recommendations provided in the 2009 CPG go unchanged. CPGs are not meant to be stand-alone documents, but rather serve as a point of reference and educational tool for both primary care physicians and orthopaedic surgeons.
When it comes to taking diet advice from a physician—size matters. This is according to a new study led by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who examined the impact of primary care physician BMI (body mass index) on their patients' trust and perceptions of weight-related stigma.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 4, 2013 -- An innovative financial lending program is helping low-income individuals build credit, reduce debt and find their financial footing, according to a pair of studies released today from San Francisco State University's César E. Chávez Institute (CCI).
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Low-dose intravenous infusions of ketamine, a general anesthetic used in minor surgeries, given over a long period are an effective treatment for depression, Mayo Clinic researchers found. The study is published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
About a decade ago researchers discovered that ketamine had the potential to alleviate severe depression. However, ketamine also can have serious psychiatric side effects, so studies have been exploring the safest way to use it.
COLUMBIA, Mo. –Stories often appear in health communication in order to encourage individuals to change behaviors, such as smoking or not wearing sunscreen. A University of Missouri researcher studied how stories influence patients' decision-making when behavior change is not the desired outcome of the health communication.
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- In 2010, in the journal Nature, a pair of physicists at the Santa Fe Institute showed that when the population of a city doubles, economic productivity goes up by an average of 130 percent. Not only does total productivity increase with increased population, but so does per-capita productivity.
Dutch researchers report that weather conditions including temperature, sunshine, and precipitation have no impact on fibromyalgia symptoms in female patients. Results published in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), suggest that individual patients may be sensitive to some changes in the weather.
Less than half of terminally ill patients are placed on the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) despite it being recommended nationally, concludes UK research published online in the BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care journal.
Durham University researchers found that in many parts of England, staff may have limited training or support to use the care pathway, which is a model of care that enables healthcare professionals to focus on care in the last hours or days of life when a death is expected.
For the first time, science proves that daily sunscreen use significantly slows skin aging, even in middle-aged men and women. Sunscreen and antioxidants have long been advocated to prevent skin aging, but to date, there has been no scientific evidence of their effectiveness.
Researchers measured photo-aging of 903 participants younger than 55 to determine whether regular use of sunscreen would slow skin aging compared with discretionary application. At the same time, researchers tested the anti-aging effects of beta-carotene supplements compared to placebo.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Black patients are more likely to have surgery performed at low-quality hospitals even though they frequently live closer to better facilities than white patients.
A study that examined Medicare data from 2005-2008 revealed that although black patients live nearly twice as close to high-quality hospitals as white patients, they were between 25-58 percent more likely to receive surgery at low-quality hospitals.
Early-life risk factors -- most of which could be changed -- appear to explain the recognized racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence of childhood overweight and obesity. In a report being published online in JAMA Pediatrics, a team of researchers report a prospective study finding that increased prevalence of obesity and overweight among black and Hispanic 7-year-olds could largely be explained by risk factors such as rapid infant weight gain, early introduction of solid foods and a lack of exclusive breast feeding.
To comply with a statewide "fair pricing" law, hospitals throughout California have significantly lowered prices to uninsured patients, with nearly all even going beyond the state mandate and offering free care to those below the poverty line.
The surprising success of the legislation represents the beginnings of a safety net not in place for other states.
Racial and ethnic disparities in children who are overweight and obese may be determined by risk factors in infancy and early childhood, according to a study published Online First by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.
Over three decades, the rates of overweight and obesity among children have substantially increased worldwide. In the United States, the prevalence is estimated to be 32 percent among children and adolescents, according to the study background.
BALTIMORE -- Smartphones and tablets can make for sleep-disrupting bedfellows. One cause is believed to be the bright light-emitting diodes that allow the use of mobile devices in dimly lit rooms; the light exposure can interfere with melatonin, a hormone that helps control the natural sleep-wake cycle. But there may be a way to check your mobile device in bed and still get a good night's sleep.