Culture

LOS ANGELES (May 2, 2013) – Patients with increasing accumulations of coronary artery calcium were more than six times more likely to suffer from a heart attack or die from heart disease than patients who didn't have increasing accumulations, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

What do all Twitter users want? Apparently, followers – and lots of them. But unless you're a celebrity, it can be difficult to build your Twitter audience.

Looking at a half-million tweets over 15 months, a first-of-its-kind analysis by Georgia Tech has created a set of reliable predictors for building a Twitter following.

The analysis was performed by Eric Gilbert, assistant professor in Georgia Tech's School of Interactive Computing. Gilbert found that Twitter users can grow their followers by such tactics as:

The new feature of the antidepressant drugs of the 1990s was that they had milder side-effects than their predecessors. Combined with aggressive marketing, this meant that annual sales in Sweden increased from just under EUR 18 million to over EUR 100 million in the space of just a few years.

Citing that consumers should make informed choices about what they eat, 55 Senate and House lawmakers have asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require the labeling of genetically engineered foods.

Mustering support had been ongoing since early February. The members of Congress in support wrote:

The LAP-BAND® weight loss procedure is safe and effective in an expanded group of patients, not just in people who are morbidly obese. This conclusion is reported in a new study published in the scientific journal Obesity. The findings indicate that the procedure may help to intervene before obesity becomes life threatening to patients.

Reston, Va. (May 1, 2013) – Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may be detected and monitored more effectively in the future with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), according to research published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Typically assessed by endoscopic and histologic evaluations, investigators demonstrated the ability of PET/CT to identify lesions along the complete intestinal wall that could be missed with traditional imaging techniques.

A growing number of college students are abusing the ADHD medication Adderall to give them an academic edge, and they're tweeting about it.

Thanks to Twitter, tracking roughly when and where Adderall use happens is now possible. So a group of BYU health science and computer science researchers did just that.

Their six-month study, appearing in the current issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research, produced two major revelations about Adderall:

Not many would recommend taking medical practice advice from England's National Health Service - rich people go to the US for medical care instead - but they can at least address how to avoid the pitfalls of a 'triple failure' under Obamacare; the concern that worse health, worse care and higher cost will result.

CHICAGO and ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A University of Michigan study from the "Online First" edition of Anesthesiology found cardiac arrest was associated with improved survival when it occurred in the operating room (O.R.) or post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) compared to other hospital locations. The findings offer evidence that the presence of anesthesia providers in these locations may improve outcomes for certain patients.

Charlottesville, VA (May 1, 2013). The Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group is pleased to announce publication of two new studies on dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa®) and intracranial hemorrhage: one in the Journal of Neurosurgery and the other in Neurosurgical Focus.

Background

(NEW YORK, N.Y.) May 1, 2013 – The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), a comprehensive behavioral early intervention program that is appropriate for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as young as 12 months, has been found to reduce the need for ASD therapies and special education services through the school years following their early intervention. These findings were presented by David S.

A Lund University research team has shed new light on why gastric bypass often sends diabetes into remission rapidly, opening the door to developing treatment with the same effect.

85% of patients with type 2 diabetes who undergo a gastric bypass procedure recover from the disease within a few days, showing a return to normal blood sugar levels - long before any weight loss. Until now, there have been few clues as to why this happens.

SAN FRANCISCO – May 1, 2013 – Two new studies add to the growing evidence that spending time outdoors may help prevent or minimize nearsightedness in children. A study conducted in Taiwan, which is the first to use an educational policy as a public vision health intervention, finds that when children are required to spend recess time outdoors, their risk of nearsightedness is reduced. A separate study in Danish children is the first to show a direct correlation between seasonal fluctuations in daylight, eye growth and the rate of nearsightedness progression.

ROSEMONT, Ill.—Injury on the playing field often is caused by the interaction between the athlete's shoe and the field surface. In a literature review appearing in the May 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS), researchers shed light on the evolution of synthetic playing surfaces. The study summarizes the existing research on artificial turf and the role of shoe-surface interface in injury.

Some tips for keeping safe on amusement rides include: