Culture | Science Codex

Scientists develop new technique that could improve heart attack prediction

An award-winning research project, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), has tested a new imaging method which could help improve how doctors predict a patient's risk of having a heart attack (1).

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh, a BHF Centre of Research Excellence, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge are the first to demonstrate the potential of combining PET and CT scanning to image the disease processes directly in the coronary arteries that cause heart attacks (2).

The search for a job begins and ends with you

Staying motivated is always tough, but it certainly gets easier when you start seeing results. That's why keeping your spirits up during a job search can be extremely difficult. Candidates often face repeated rejection and rarely receive any feedback. A new study that focuses on finding work following a job layoff reveals just how important managing negative thoughts and effort over time are while looking for employment.

Fibrosis and fatty liver disease increase risk of early atherosclerosis

Italian researchers report that severe fibrosis increases the early atherosclerosis risk in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A second study found that fatty liver disease also increases risk of developing atherosclerosis at an earlier period. Both studies appear in the May issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Family life study reveals key events that can trigger eating disorders

Eating disorders can be triggered by lack of support following traumatic events such as bereavement, relationship problems, abuse and sexual assault, according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Even changing school or moving home can prove too much for some young people and lead to conditions such as anorexia or bulimia.

Online tool can detect patterns in US election news coverage

The US presidential election dominates the global media every four years, with news articles, which are carefully analysed by commentators and campaign strategists, playing a major role in shaping voter opinion. Academics have developed an online tool, Election Watch, which analyses the content of news about the US election by the international media.

Treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism linked with fewer ischemic heart events in younger patients

CHICAGO – Treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism with the medication levothyroxine appears to be related to fewer ischemic heart disease events in younger patients but this finding was not evident in older patients, according to a report published Online First in Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Rice University student engineers automate limb lengthening for kids

Another day, another four turns of the screw. That's just a part of life for people, primarily children, undergoing the long and difficult process of distraction osteogenesis, a method to correct bone deformities that leave one limb shorter than the other.

A team of Rice University undergraduates has invented a device they hope will make the process safer and easier.

Canadian drug shortage: recent history of a mystery

The shortage of prescription generic drugs in Canada is not a recent event, dating back to the fall of 2010 or earlier, states a recent history of the shortage in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Hematologist and medical historian Dr. Jacalyn Duffin first noticed the shortage of an old, reliable drug in November 2010. She and colleagues from the Kingston Regional Cancer Centre tried to find answers to this baffling shortage as well as to focus media and public attention on the issue.

Vitamin D: A double-edged sword in the fight against osteoporosis?

Vitamin D is renowned for its role in creating strong bones and is a key regulator of serum calcium levels. Calcium is primarily obtained through diet and absorbed through the intestine and into the blood stream. In addition to building bone, calcium is required for a variety of important physiological processes. Vitamin D, which is detected by receptors in bone and intestinal cells, regulates the level of calcium in the blood stream and determines how much should be stored in the skeleton.

Making human textiles: Research team ups the ante with development of blood vessels woven

SAN DIEGO, April 23, 2012 – A lot of people were skeptical when two young California-based researchers set out more than a decade ago to create a completely human-derived alternative to the synthetic blood vessels commonly used in dialysis patients. Since then, they've done that and more.

Study shows that, in restaurants, race matters

A new study from North Carolina State University shows that more than one-third of restaurant servers discriminate against African-American customers.

"Many people believe that race is no longer a significant issue in the United States," says Sarah Rusche, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the study. "But the fact that a third of servers admit to varying their quality of service based on customers' race, often giving African-Americans inferior service, shows that race continues to be an issue in our society."

New technique may help severely damaged nerves regrow and restore function

Engineers at the University of Sheffield have developed a method of assisting nerves damaged by traumatic accidents to repair naturally, which could improve the chances of restoring sensation and movement in injured limbs.

In a collaborative study with Laser Zentrum Hannover (Germany) published today (23 April 2012) in the journal Biofabrication, the team describes a new method for making medical devices called nerve guidance conduits or NGCs.

Doctors find cochlear implants restore hearing in rare disorder

CLEVELAND -- Clinical-researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center report that cochlear implantation provides an effective and safe way of restoring hearing in patients with far advanced otosclerosis (FAO), a hereditary condition that can lead to severe hearing loss.

Physicians call for improvements to country's public health system to protect US residents

(New Orleans) A call for an improved public health infrastructure that works collaboratively with physicians in order to ensure the public's safety and health was made today by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The action was highlighted by the release of a new policy paper, Strengthening the Public Health Infrastructure, at Internal Medicine 2012, ACP's annual scientific meeting in New Orleans.

ALS patients differ on treatment choices in later phases of disease

NEW ORLEANS – Two new studies analyzing treatment decisions in late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients shed light onto treatments aimed to extend the duration and quality of life in this progressively debilitating neuromuscular disorder. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that waiting until the last minute to receive one treatment resulted in not living long enough to experience the benefits.