Culture | Page 2399 | Science Codex

Mass privatization put former communist countries on road to bankruptcy, corruption

WASHINGTON, DC -- A new analysis showing how the radical policies advocated by western economists helped to bankrupt Russia and other former Soviet countries after the Cold War has been released by researchers.

Authored by sociologists at the University of Cambridge and Harvard University, the study, which appears in the April issue of the American Sociological Review, is the first to trace a direct link between the mass privatization programs adopted by several former Soviet states, and the economic failure and corruption that followed.

Childhood traumatic experiences associated with adult IBS symptoms

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have a significantly greater prevalence of early adverse life events , including general trauma as well as physical, emotional and sexual abuse, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Giant piezoelectricity from ZnO materials, comparable with perovskite, was achieved

In recent years, with the growing concerns over environmental protection and human health, environment-friendly materials have received increasing attention, and for decades researchers have been fiercely studying lead-free piezoelectric materials with high piezoelectric properties.

Annual cost of autism has more than tripled - $126 billion US and £34 billion in the UK

New York, N.Y. – Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced preliminary results of new research that estimates autism costs society a staggering $126 billion per year (U.S.) – a number that has more than tripled since 2006, and annually in the U.K. has reached more than £34 billion (equivalent to $54 billion U.S.). The costs of providing care for each person with autism affected by intellectual disability through his or her lifespan are $2.3 million in the U.S. and £1.5 million ($2.4 million) in the U.K.

Elderly thyroid surgery patients at increased risk for postoperative complications

Chevy Chase, MD—Elderly patients who undergo thyroid surgery are at a much higher risk than their younger counterparts for serious cardiac, pulmonary and infectious complications, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The study findings challenge long-held beliefs that thyroidectomy carries the same risk level of postoperative complications for both older and younger patients.

Trust in science by conservatives has fallen dramatically since mid-1970s

WASHINGTON, DC, March 26, 2012 — While trust in science remained stable among people who self-identified as moderates and liberals in the United States between 1974 and 2010, trust in science fell among self-identified conservatives by more than 25 percent during the same period, according to new research from Gordon Gauchat, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.

No improvement in patient outcomes seen in hospitals with pay-for-performance programs

Boston, MA – Paying hospitals to improve their quality of care, known as pay-for-performance, has gained wide acceptance in the U.S. and Medicare has spent tens of millions of dollars on bonuses and rewards for hospitals to improve. However, little is known about whether pay-for-performance actually improves patient outcomes over the long term. A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) finds no evidence that the largest hospital-based P4P program in the U.S. improved 30-day mortality rates, a measure of whether patients survive their hospitalization.

Rhode Island Hospital study identifies the danger of grill brushes

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Hospital physicians identified six cases of accidental ingestion of wire grill brush bristles that required endoscopic or surgical removal. The paper calls attention to the need for the public and physicians to be aware of this potential danger. It is published in the American Journal of Roentgenology and is now available online in advance of print.

Penn researchers call for a re-examination of transplant waitlist prioritization

PHILADELPHIA – Patients with end-stage liver disease complicated by the most common type of liver cancer – hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) – are less likely to die or become too sick for a transplant while waiting for a new liver than those with other complications of end-stage liver disease, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The investigators say their findings should prompt a re-examination of the criteria used to prioritize liver transplant candidates.

Consumers misunderstand 'cruelty-free' labeled products, MU, Oregon researchers find

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Based on a recent study, University of Missouri and Oregon researchers believe a legal definition for what constitutes "cruelty-free" labeled products should be determined and manufacturers should be required to abide by the legal use of the label. Many consumers intentionally buy products manufactured in ways that do not exploit child labor or cause minimal harm to animals or the environment.

Online dating: Scammers are looking for money, not sex

New Rochelle, NY -- Online romance scams, a new form of cybercrime, is under-reported and increasing, and has victimized an estimated 230,000 people in England, costing them nearly $60 billion a year, according to an article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Stopping statin therapy increases risk of death for rheumatoid arthritis patients

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who discontinue use of statin therapy are at increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes. According to the findings of a population-based study now available in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), RA patients should be advised of the importance of compliance to their statin therapy to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk.

Elderly are almost 10 times more likely to die of malaria than younger tourists

Tourists who have visited a malaria-infected country and are over the age of 65 are almost 10 times more likely to die from the disease than those who are aged 18-35, reveals a study published on bmj.com today. The death rate among tourists is particularly high when returning from a 'winter sun' holiday in the Gambia, West Africa.

Research on cash payments to promote health: Ethical concerns may be misplaced

PITTSBURGH -- It is fairly common for clinical research participants to receive payment for expenses such as travel and parking. What has raised ethical questions are payments or incentives given to encourage people to participate in research or to use a specific health intervention or care plan as part of the research.

Are parents price-sensitive about their children's medication?

LOS ANGELES — EMBARGOED UNTIL 3/27, 1 p.m. PST — Health insurance policies that shift costs to patients through higher co-payments may have serious unintended consequences for children, including less use of effective treatments and an increased number of hospitalizations, according to a new study in JAMA by researchers from the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC.