Culture

When we think of language, we usually think of words, phrases, and sentences--strings of abstract symbols. In research over the past 50 years, cognitive and social scientists have developed extensive accounts of how people communicate with these symbols. But when people are face to face, they also communicate with actions that depict people, objects, and events. They create these depictions with their hands, arms, head, face, voice, and entire body, sometimes with other props but often without.

Today, The BMJ's Editor in chief, Dr Fiona Godlee, unpicks the facts surrounding health secretary Jeremy Hunt's use of data to put his case for a seven-day NHS in England.

In the thick of this dispute is a paper published in The BMJ last year showing excess mortality in patients admitted at weekends.

CHICAGO (March 3, 2016): An immediate consultation between trauma surgeons and a geriatrician improves multidisciplinary care of elderly accident victims and the sensitivity of the family to the patient's ongoing health care needs. The process also demonstrates the role of the hospital's trauma surgery service as a foundation for creating comprehensive clinical pathways for acute and follow-up care of vulnerable elderly patients, according to a study published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons in advance of print publication.

Chimpanzees often use tools to extract or consume food. Which tools they choose for which purpose, however, can differ depending on the region where they live. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have thus initiated the 'Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee' and, since 2010, have collected data on chimpanzee behavior, demography and resource availability across Africa following a standardized protocol.

The surgical approach to total hip replacement (THR)--either from the front of the body or the side/back (anterior versus posterior)--has no impact on outcomes six months after surgery, according to research presented today at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Happy events can trigger a heart condition known as takotsubo syndrome, according to research published today (Thursday) in the European Heart Journal [1].

LOS ANGELES (March 2, 2016) - Cardiac stem cells could be an effective treatment for a common but difficult-to-treat type of heart failure, a new study from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute shows.

New guidelines approved by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors recommend the collective use of a thorough patient history and specific physical examination maneuvers, in addition to observation and specific diagnostic tests to more definitively diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a common source of hand numbness and pain affecting approximately 3 million Americans--primarily women--each year.

Research into the science behind ultrasonic scalers, used by dental professionals to remove built up plaque, has identified that the formation of tiny bubbles around the head is key to the cleaning process.

The bubble formation, or cavitation, of water around the head of the scaler was observed using high speed cameras. Scalers of differing power, and head shape, were used and compared to quantify the patterns of cavitation.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Online advertisements targeted specifically at you because of your behavior can actually change how you feel about yourself, a new study suggests.

In a series of experiments, researchers found that young Internet users tended to embrace the identity labels - such as "environmentally conscious" or "sophisticated" -- implied by the online ads they received. The key was that they needed to know that the ads were targeted to them because of their browsing history.

Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and A-Rod have all used it, but does platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) really work for the every-day active person? According to a University of Alberta Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic pilot study on patients with chronically sore shoulders published in PLOS ONE, preliminary findings say yes.

(Boston)--The constant tension between time-limited outpatient visits and the need to spend time training future health care providers can result in rushed patient encounters and suboptimal learning for the trainee. However, the Ambulatory Diagnostic and Treatment Center (ADTC) Outpatient Clinic piloted at the VA Boston Healthcare System may be a possible solution.

Most patients with melanoma had few moles and no atypical moles, and in patients younger than 60, thick melanomas were more commonly found in those with fewer moles but more atypical moles, according to an article published online by JAMA Dermatology.

Studies have suggested that the number of total moles and atypical moles is associated with the risk of melanoma. Yet the relationship of those mole patterns with tumor thickness and cancer prognosis is complex.

One of the main reasons for limiting the operating lifetimes of nuclear reactors is that metals exposed to the strong radiation environment near the reactor core become porous and brittle, which can lead to cracking and failure. Now, a team of researchers at MIT and elsewhere has found that, at least in some reactors, adding a tiny quantity of carbon nanotubes to the metal can dramatically slow this breakdown process.

PITTSBURGH, March 2, 2016 - State laws mandating influenza immunization for people who work in health care increase their vaccination rates, according to new research led by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The analysis, published in the Journal of the National Medical Association and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, looked at influenza immunization rates from 2000 to 2011, a timespan in which states with flu vaccination laws aimed at health care workers climbed from two to 19.