Culture | Page 2275 | Science Codex

Knowing a patient's history of falls will help doctors predict future fractures

Clinicians are being urged to ask about a patient's history of falls as new research shows that the information is valuable in determining their future risk of fracture.

The likelihood of an individual sustaining a fracture is determined by the strength of their bones and the forces applied to them. Bone strength is dependent on bone density: the lower the bone density the higher risk of fracture. However, a bone usually only breaks when it is subjected to trauma, which in the majority of cases results from a fall.

Fear of movement a common problem among patients with coronary artery disease

A doctoral thesis at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has found that one out of five patients with coronary artery disease experience such a great fear of movement (kinesiophobia) that their health may suffer as a result.

Due to fear that movement will harm them, many patients with coronary artery disease avoid exercise and physical activity. Kinesiophobia, which is a normal psychological reaction in the acute stage after a coronary event, prevents many patients from participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program.

Adults with ADHD commit fewer crimes when on medication

Criminal behaviour in people with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) dropped sharply during periods when they were on medication, according to a new extensive registry study conducted at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The study that contained of over 25,000 individuals is published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Scientists report a potential new treatment to prevent strokes

Scientists may have discovered a new way to prevent strokes in high risk patients, according to research from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW).

Work by a new research group, led by Professor Donald Singer, Professor of Therapeutics at Warwick Medical School and Professor Chris Imray from UHCW, has now been published in US journal Stroke.

Cartilage made easy with novel hybrid printer

The printing of three-dimensional tissue has taken a major step forward with the creation of a novel hybrid printer that simplifies the process of creating implantable cartilage.

The printer has been presented today, 22 November, in IOP Publishing's journal Biofabrication, and was used to create cartilage constructs that could eventually be implanted into injured patients to help re-grow cartilage in specific areas, such as the joints.

The Internet is terrible for 'designer vagina' info (except this article)

The quality of internet information available for women opting for "designer vagina" procedures is "poor," and in some cases, inaccurate, reveals a small study published in Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

The findings prompt the authors to urge that guidelines be drawn up to improve standards so that women can make fully informed choices about an increasingly popular procedure that has so far hardly been scrutinized.

Strengthening Canada's research capacity: The gender dimension

Ottawa (November 23rd, 2012) - An in-depth, authoritative assessment of women in university research has found that although there has been significant progress in the representation of women in the university research ranks, there are still gender equity challenges that must be overcome and the passage of time will not be enough to ensure parity.

VTT: Indicators and methods of sustainable development 1-sided

"Methods are required that take the social and environmental impacts of business operations better into account, both within the company and among its network of partners and stakeholders," says Uusitalo. "If a change cannot be effected, the current unsustainable way of life will continue, and we might also miss some opportunities for creating new business. Market share is at stake here."

According to Uusitalo, other companies and customers demand that companies take a wider view of sustainable development.

Researchers identify a simple way to precipitate phosphorus from the wastewater of a pulp mill

Researchers at Aalto University have developed a simple method for reducing the amount of phosphorus in the wastewater of a pulp mill. The method is called simultaneous precipitation using iron sulphate. A separate treatment stage is not required, as the precipitation takes place simultaneously with the actual biological wastewater treatment.

'Trust' provides answer to handaxe enigma

Trust rather than lust is at the heart of the attention to detail and finely made form of handaxes from around 1.7 million years ago, according to a University of York researcher.

Dr Penny Spikins, from the Department of Archaeology, suggests a desire to prove their trustworthiness, rather than a need to demonstrate their physical fitness as a mate, was the driving force behind the fine crafting of handaxes by Homo erectus/ergaster in the Lower Palaeolithic period.

Study finds link between access to online health information and use of clinical services

DENVER, Nov. 20 — Patients with online access to their medical record, including secure email communication with clinicians, had an associated increase in use of some clinical services, according to new Kaiser Permanente research published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Patients with online access to clinicians, medical records have increased use of clinical services

CHICAGO – Patients with online access to their medical records and secure e-mail communication with clinicians had increased use of clinical services, including office visits and telephone encounters, compared to patients who did not have online access, according to a study appearing in the November 21 issue of JAMA.

New Informatics and Bioimaging Center combines resources, expertise from UMD, UMB

ADELPHI, Md. – A new center that combines advanced computing resources at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) with clinical data and biomedical expertise at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) could soon revolutionize the efficiency and effectiveness of health care in the state of Maryland and beyond.

Shining a light on transparent solar cells

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2012 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) today launched a new video series that highlights headline-making research from the society's suite of more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific journals. The first episode of Breakthrough Science focuses on research reported in one of those journals, ACS Nano. It involved development of new transparent solar cells, an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside.

Researchers find decline in availability and use of key treatment for depression

Providence, RI - - Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered the most effective treatment option for patients with severe depression who cannot find symptom relief through antidepressant medications or psychotherapy. In a new study, researchers at Butler Hospital and Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island found a sharp decline in the availability and use of ECT in general hospitals across the U.S. The findings were published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry on October 10, 2012.