Culture | Science Codex

Identifying asthma patients who tolerate lower doses of steroids remains problematic

ATS 2012, SAN FRANCISCO – Common respiratory measurements are not effective in determining which asthma patients are able to significantly decrease their use of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) medications without risk of flare-ups or exacerbations, according to a new study conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom. The study also showed that nearly three-quarters of asthma patients can safely decrease, or step-down, their use of ICS medications once their symptoms are under control.

The study will be presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference in San Francisco.

Antidepressant use associated with increased mortality among critically ill patients?

ATS 2012, SAN FRANCISCO – Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, have found that critically ill patients were more likely to die if they were taking the most commonly prescribed antidepressants when they were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

The researchers conducted a retrospective study using the electronic medical records of 10,568 patients to look at in-hospital mortality and mortality a year after being admitted to the ICU.

Treatment with bisphosphonates associated with increased risk of atypical femoral fractures

CHICAGO – Treatment with bisphosphonate therapy appears to be associated with an increased risk of atypical fractures of the femur, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

"Current evidence suggests that there is an association between bisphosphonate therapy and atypical femoral fractures, but the extent of this risk remains unclear," according to Raphael P. H. Meier, M.D., and colleagues from University Hospitals of Geneva and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.

Study examines effect of prednisolone in patients with Bell palsy

CHICAGO – Treatment for Bell palsy (a condition involving the facial nerve and characterized by facial paralysis) with the corticosteroid prednisolone within 72 hours appeared to significantly reduce the number of patients with mild to moderate palsy severity at 12 months, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, a JAMA Network publication.

Muslim Brotherhood candidate trails in race for Egypt's presidency: UMD poll

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - As Egypt prepares this week to elect its first president since the 2011 revolution, a new University of Maryland poll finds the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate tied for fourth place. Researchers describe the race as fluid.

The poll confirms the strategic damage inflicted by the Brotherhood's decision to field its own candidate, after saying it would not. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (71 percent) called the decision a "mistake."

New musical pacifier helps premature babies get healthy

Many premature babies enter the world with a mountain of challenges in front of them. Even after they overcome any life-threatening issues, they face ongoing, and typically unpleasant, medical procedures, long hospital stays and increased chances of chronic health issues throughout their lives.

To help address one of their biggest problems — learning how to suck and feed — Florida State University has announced the availability of the Pacifier Activated Lullaby (PAL) device to hospitals around the world.

New study examines relationship between social status and wound healing in wild baboons

Turns out it's not bad being top dog, or in this case, top baboon.

A new study by University of Notre Dame biologist Beth Archie and colleagues from Princeton University and Duke University finds that high-ranking male baboons recover more quickly from injuries and are less likely to become ill than other males.

Mayo Clinic: Standard heart disease risk tools underrate danger in rheumatoid arthritis

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Heart disease risk assessment tools commonly used by physicians often underestimate the cardiovascular disease danger faced by rheumatoid arthritis patients, a Mayo Clinic study has found. Inflammation plays a key role in putting those with rheumatoid arthritis in greater jeopardy for heart disease, yet many cardiovascular disease risk assessment methods do not factor it in, the researchers note.

New research identifies possible risk factors, treatments for bowel

San Diego, CA (May 21, 2012) — New research being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) offers key insights into the prevention and treatment of bowel diseases, which affect millions of people worldwide. Several studies show that factors, including common dietary additives, hormone replacement therapy, oral contraceptives and even high-altitude travel may cause or exacerbate these diseases. Other research examines the effect of cutting-edge therapies on ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Unique gold earring found in intriguing collection of ancient jewelry in Israel

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have recently discovered a collection of gold and silver jewelry, dated from around 1100 B.C., hidden in a vessel at the archaeological site of Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. One piece — a gold earring decorated with molded ibexes, or wild goats — is "without parallel," they believe.

To dictate or not to dictate?

BOSTON, MA—Could the quality of care you receive be affected by how your doctor takes notes? According to a new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), doctors who dictated their patient notes appeared to have worse quality of care thanthose who used structured documentation.

The study is published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Use of in-hospital mortality to assess ICU performance may bias quality measurement

ATS 2012, SAN FRANCISCO – In-hospital mortality for ICU patients is often used as a quality measure, but discharge practices may bias results in a way that disadvantages large academic hospitals, according to a recently conducted study.

Nighttime intensivist staffing and mortality in the ICU

ATS 2012, SAN FRANCISCO – Nighttime intensivist physician staffing in intensive care units (ICUs) with a low-intensity daytime staffing model is associated with reduced mortality, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Francisco. The same study showed that nighttime intensivists were not associated with reduced mortality among ICUs that used a high-intensity daytime staffing model.

Troublesome dyspnea during sexual activity is common in COPD patients

ATS 2012, SAN FRANCISCO – Troublesome dyspnea that limits sexual activity is common among older patients with COPD, according to a new study from Denmark.

"We compared measures of well-being, depression and sexual function among older patients with severe COPD or heart failure, both of which are associated with dypnea during exertion," said Ejvind Frausing Hansen, MD, chief physician at Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark. "A significantly higher percentage of COPD patients than heart failure patients reported having troublesome dypnea during sexual activity."

Nordic walking improves health of heart failure patients

Nordic walking enables heart failure patients to exercise more intensely than walking without poles.

The research was presented at the Heart Failure Congress 2012, 19-22 May, in Belgrade, Serbia. The Congress is the main annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.