Culture | Science Codex

Stroke risk high when anti-clotting drugs stopped

Some patients with irregular heartbeats who are taken off anti-clotting medication face a high risk of stroke or blood clotting within a month, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association's Emerging Science Series webinar.

Patients with certain types of atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeat, take these drugs to reduce the risks of clots that could lead to a stroke. Sometimes they are instructed to stop taking the medication temporarily before surgery or permanently because of side effects.

Research!America says house funding levels for FY13 could undermine medical progress

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2012 – Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley says the House Appropriations Subcommittee's top-line allocation for the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services is far from what's needed to maintain a thriving research enterprise that saves lives and spurs new businesses and jobs throughout the country.

Feel-good music

Montreal, April 25, 2012 — From rock to world beat, pop to blues, music has the power to do much more than cause the toe to tap. It can inspire, transport, educate, entertain — and in the right hands, it can even bring about healing.

Intensive kidney dialysis indicates better survival rates than conventional dialysis

LONDON, ON – Patients suffering with end-stage renal disease could increase their survival chances by undergoing intensive dialysis at home rather than the conventional dialysis in clinics. A new study by Lawson Health Research Institute shows the potential of more intensive dialysis completed in a home setting.

Brand loyalty increases when other customers look, act like us

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The more other customers look and act like us, the more likely we are to stay loyal to a particular store or product, according to a groundbreaking study co-authored by a Michigan State University marketing expert.

Surprisingly, the presence and behavior of other customers is just as important to brand loyalty as customer service, said Clay Voorhees. As a real-world example, he noted the fact that Abercrombie & Fitch offered to pay troublemaking cast members of the MTV reality show "The Jersey Shore" to stop wearing its clothes.

Medical bills: Sticker shock and confused consumers

You're enjoying a quiet weekend at home when suddenly you double over in pain. You need emergency appendectomy surgery. How much should it cost? And how much price shopping are you able to do?

Renee Y. Hsia, MD

According to a provocative new UCSF analysis, patients are all too often left in the dark about how and what hospitals charge for their medical care — even in the face of a mounting push nationally for consumers to have a voice in how their health care dollars are spent.

Malaria bed net strategies will save global community estimated $600 million over the next 5 years

Washington, DC (25 April, 2012) – The universal coverage campaign for bed nets succeeded in dramatically extending access to these life-saving products, though recent gains may be in jeopardy unless rapid action is taken. Over 560 million long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) are required through 2015 alone to achieve and maintain universal coverage in Africa, at a total global cost of $2.4 billion.

Global health priorities should shift to preventing risky behaviors in adolescence: UW professor

As childhood and adolescent deaths from infectious diseases have declined worldwide, policymakers are shifting attention to preventing deaths from noncommunicable causes, such as drug and alcohol use, mental health problems, obesity, traffic crashes, violence and unsafe sex practices.

"We now need to think of how to prevent these behavior problems and conditions early in life because they don't only cause problems in adolescence, they can launch health issues across life," said Richard Catalano, director of the University of Washington's Social Developmental Research Group.

Single scan could safely rule out pregnancy-related DVT

Research: Diagnostic value of single complete compression ultrasonography in pregnant and postpartum women with suspected deep vein thrombosis: prospective study

A single ultrasound scan (known as compression ultrasonography) may safely rule out a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in women during pregnancy or in the first few weeks after giving birth (post-partum period), finds a study published on bmj.com today.

Flu vaccination reminder via text messaging improves rate of vaccination among low-income children

CHICAGO – A text messaging intervention with education-related messages sent to parents increased influenza vaccination coverage compared with usual care in a traditionally hard-to-reach, low-income, urban, minority population of children and adolescents, although coverage overall remained low, according to a study in the April 25 issue of JAMA.

Botox injections associated with only modest benefit for chronic migraine and daily headaches

CHICAGO – Although botulinum toxin A ("Botox") injections are U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for preventive treatment for chronic migraines, a review and analysis of previous studies finds a small to modest benefit for patients with chronic migraine headaches and chronic daily headaches, although botox injections were not associated with greater benefit than placebo for preventing episodic migraine or chronic tension-type headaches, according to an article in the April 25 issue of JAMA.

Crew schedules, sleep deprivation, and aviation performance

Night-time departures, early morning arrivals, and adjusting to several time zones in a matter of days can rattle circadian rhythms, compromise attention and challenge vigilance. And yet, these are the very conditions many pilots face as they contend with a technically challenging job in which potentially hundreds of lives are at stake.

Kinder Houston Area Survey reveals more Houstonians support mass transit

One of America's most automobile-dependent large cities may be heading into a new era, according to the 31st annual Kinder Houston Area Survey conducted by Rice University. Among the findings in this year's survey: Houstonians support mass transit, feel better about the economy and say relations between ethnic groups are better than ever.

The survey results were released today at a luncheon hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership and Rice's Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Mass transit and a preference for urban living

New Avalere study IDs 5 key practices that lead to successful hospital-to-home transitions

Community health plans are improving how patients transition from hospital to home by breaking down silos of care, coordinating among providers, and directly engaging with patients, according to a new report entitled Transitions of Care from Hospital to Home.

Dynamic earth processes across time and space

Boulder, Colo., USA – The dynamics of Earth are discussed in a new batch of GSA Bulletin papers posted online 6 April. Topics include the link between wildfire-flooding events and the supply of sand to beaches, with specific focus on a coastal California watershed; high-pressure metamorphism in the mountains of northwest China; generation of the Gold Hill shear zone and widespread tectonism in the Appalachian mountain belt; and the nature of magma-filled fractures (dikes) in the earth.