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A 5-minute chat can be a big help to dialysis patients

MAYWOOD, Ill. -- The constant health education that dialysis patients receive can lead to boredom and noncompliance.

But a Loyola University Medical Center study has found that brief, casual chats can be a significant benefit to patients.

The technique is called "talking control support therapy." As patients were undergoing dialysis, researchers stopped by for informal chats. A typical conversation began with small talk, before moving on to general conversation about healthy dialysis lifestyles. Unlike conventional dialysis education, no specific education goals were set.

Drugs reduce bone cancer damage but clinical guidance remains non-specific

Bone cancer-related fractures and pain can be reduced by drug treatment, but no one drug is superior, according to a review published in The Cochrane Library. Researchers undertook a systematic review of the current evidence on bisphosphonate drugs, which are used to prevent bone damage in multiple myeloma.

Huge tax increases will improve population health, say clueless economists

Taxes on unhealthy food and drinks would need to be at least 20% to have a significant effect on diet-related conditions such as obesity and heart disease, say experts on bmj.com today. Ideally, this should be combined with subsidies on healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables, they add.

Their views come ahead of the 65th World Health Assembly taking place in Geneva on 21-26 May 2012 where prevention and control of non-communicable diseases will be a key issue for discussion.

UCLA researchers ID gene variants that speed progression of Parkinson's disease

UCLA researchers may have found a key to determining which Parkinson's disease patients will experience a more rapid decline in motor function, sparking hopes for the development of new therapies and helping identify those who could benefit most from early intervention.

On-premise alcohol outlets have stronger links to crime than off-premise alcohol outlets

Neighborhoods with higher densities of alcohol outlets are more likely to have higher rates of violent crimes.
A new study has compared on-premise with off-premise outlets across different types of crimes.
Results show a stronger relationship between density of outlets and crime for on- than off-premise outlets.

Safer kidney cancer surgery under-used for poorer, sicker Medicare, Medicaid patients

DETROIT – An increasingly common and safer type of surgery for kidney cancer is not as likely to be used for older, sicker and poorer patients who are uninsured or rely on Medicare or Medicaid for their health care, according to a new study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

The treatment, partial nephrectomy (PN), involves surgically removing only the diseased portion of a cancerous kidney, leaving the unaffected part to continue to function.

New biomarker test predicts arthritis at much earlier stage, MU researchers say

COLUMBIA, Mo. ¬— More than 27 million adults currently suffer from osteoarthritis, which is the most common form of arthritis. In the past, doctors have been unable to diagnose patients with arthritis until they begin to show symptoms, which include joint pain and stiffness. By the time these symptoms are present, it is often too late for preventive and minimally invasive treatment options to be effective.

Modest alcohol intake associated with less inflammation in patients with common liver disease

NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) is the most common type of liver disease in the developed world, affecting up to one-third of the US population. NAFLD is often associated with obesity and other parameters of the so-called "metabolic syndrome," which is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.

Female terrorists' bios belie stereotypes, study finds

WASHINGTON – Much like their male counterparts, female terrorists are likely to be educated, employed and native residents of the country where they commit a terrorist act, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

Palpitations are predictive of future atrial fibrillation

A large cohort study has found that the strongest risk factors for atrial fibrillation in both men and women were a history of palpitations and hypertension.(1) While hypertension is a well known risk factor for AF, the investigators note that "the impact of self-reported palpitations on later occurrence of AF has not been documented earlier".

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound monitors aortic aneurysm treatment

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is an effective, noninvasive method for monitoring patients who undergo endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology.

"Our findings support the addition of contrast-enhanced ultrasound as a complementary tool in the follow-up of these patients," said Rosa Gilabert, M.D., Ph.D., from the Hospital Clinic at the University of Barcelona in Spain.

Are people with HIV/AIDS more prone to sudden cardiac death?

What is the connection, if any, between sudden cardiac death and people with HIV/AIDS? And can that knowledge help prolong their lives?

In a comprehensive, 10-year UCSF study, researchers found patients with HIV/AIDS suffered sudden cardiac death at a rate four times higher than the general population.

Economic growth in China has not meant greater life satisfaction for Chinese people

Despite an unprecedented rate of economic growth, Chinese people are less happy overall than they were two decades ago, reveals timely new research from economist Richard Easterlin, one of the founders of the field of "happiness economics" and namesake of the Easterlin Paradox.

Great recession reflux amounts to more hunger among seniors

URBANA – A new study that looked at the hunger trends over a 10-year period found that 14.85 percent of seniors in the United States, more than one in seven, face the threat of hunger. This translates into 8.3 million seniors.

New York Stem Cell Foundation scientist grows bone from human embryonic stem cells

NEW YORK, NY (May 14, 2012) -- Dr. Darja Marolt, an Investigator at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory, is lead author on a study showing that human embryonic stem cells can be used to grow bone tissue grafts for use in research and potential therapeutic application. Dr. Marolt conducted this research as a post-doctoral NYSCF – Druckenmiller Fellow at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic.