Culture | Science Codex

Increased heart attack risk associated with total hip, knee replacement surgeries

CHICAGO – Total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries were associated with increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI, heart attack) in the first two weeks after the surgical procedures, according to report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

THR and TKR are effective for treating patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis. These surgical procedures are commonly performed, with an estimated 1.8 million procedures performed annually worldwide, according to the study background.

Fools' gold found to regulate oxygen

As sulfur cycles through Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land, it undergoes chemical changes that are often coupled to changes in other such elements as carbon and oxygen. Although this affects the concentration of free oxygen, sulfur has traditionally been portrayed as a secondary factor in regulating atmospheric oxygen, with most of the heavy lifting done by carbon. However, new findings that appeared this week in Science suggest that sulfur's role may have been underestimated.

Children with trisomy 13 (or 18) still lead happy lives

Children with trisomy 13 or 18, who are for the most part severely disabled and have a very short life expectancy, and their families lead a life that is happy and rewarding overall, contrary to the usually gloomy predictions made by the medical community at the time of diagnosis, according to a study of parents who are members of support groups published today in Pediatrics. The study was conducted by Dr.

For gay couples, condom use varies by race

Black gay couples tend to practice safe sex but don't talk about it, while white gay couples discuss safe sex but are less likely to engage in it, according to new findings presented at the 19th International AIDS Conference.

Clinical study in rural Uganda shows high demand for antiretroviral drugs

An ongoing clinical study in rural Uganda, begun in 2011, suggests that many people infected with HIV/AIDS would take antiretroviral drugs if they were available to them—even before they developed symptoms from the disease.

Led by doctors at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) and Makerere University School of Medicine in Kampala, Uganda, the study is the first to address such attitudes among African patients who are in the early stages of the disease and not yet sick.

Increased cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected patients may relate to arterial inflammation

The elevated risk of cardiovascular disease seen in patients infected with HIV appears to be associated with increased inflammation within the arteries, according to a study that will appear in a special issue of JAMA published in conjunction with the International AIDS Conference. The report from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found that levels of inflammation within the aortas of HIV-infected individuals with neither known cardiovascular disease nor elevated traditional risk factors were comparable to those of patients with established cardiovascular disease.

Benefits of HIV drugs rise -- but less than previously believed, Penn study shows

PHILADELPHIA – The percentage of HIV patients taking antiretroviral drugs who experienced the full benefit of the drugs jumped from 45 percent of 72 percent during the past decade, a figure that is lower than previous estimates. The findings, considered important for HIV prevention efforts, since patients whose virus is in tight control are less likely to transmit the infection to others, are published this week in JAMA by a team of researchers led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Firms with political ties, which is to say all of them, may be bad investments

It may pay to invest, but it might be worth more to invest in companies that do not have political ties, says one University of Alberta researcher. That is, if you can find some.

Advocates: Asia won't achieve climate, poverty goals unless women's rights are recognized

BEIJING, CHINA (21 JULY 2012)—New research released today by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) shows that despite more understanding, more resources, and policy recommendations, women continue to be largely marginalized and ignored or exploited in resource management processes throughout Asia – to the detriment of global climate and poverty reduction goals.

ECGs administered by paramedics can speed treatment for severe heart attacks

Philadelphia, PA, July 20, 2012 – A new program that trains emergency medical service technicians (EMS) to read electrocardiograms so that they can evaluate patients with chest pain, and expedite treatment for the severe heart condition known as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a serious form of heart attack, has excellent results and should become the standard of care, according to two studies published in the current issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

Modifying surfaces by means of nanostructured reliefs to prevent the spread of bacteria

The search for medical technologies abroad

Tampa, Fla. (July 19, 2012) – The search for medical technologies through 'medical travel' can change the lives of patients and their family members, according to medical anthropologists Cecilia Vindrola-Padros and Linda M. Whiteford, who examined the lives of Bolivian and Paraguayan families who traveled to Buenos Aries, Argentina, seeking pediatric oncology care for their children.

CPAP treatment effective in patients with milder OSA and daytime sleepiness

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), well established as an effective treatment for severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is also effective in patients with mild and moderately severe OSA and daytime sleepiness, according to a new study.

Racially diverse suburbs growing faster than white suburbs but resegregation threatens prosperity

Racially diverse suburbs are growing faster than white suburbs, but resegregation threatens their prosperity and stability, according to a study entitled, "America's Racially Diverse Suburbs: Opportunities and Challenges," released this week by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity at the University of Minnesota Law School.

Immune drug helps patients with serious kidney disorder

Highlights

Patients with a particular kidney immune disorder experienced remission when taking the immune drug rituximab, even when standard therapies had failed.
Rituximab was safe and well-tolerated by all patients in the study.

Each year, an estimated 70,000 people globally are diagnosed with the disorder, called idiopathic membranous nephropathy.