Culture

On January 14, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) issued Enhancing Research Reproducibility, a set of recommendations aimed to promote the reproducibility and transparency of biomedical and biological research.

The citizens of nations which rate themselves happiest display a specific genetic feature: their DNA is more likely to contain a specific allele involved in sensory pleasure and pain reduction, say Michael Minkov of the Varna University of Management (formerly International University College) in Bulgaria, and Michael Bond of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. They weighed up genetic and various external factors to might contribute to national differences in happiness. The findings are published in Springer's Journal of Happiness Studies.

AMHERST, Mass. - In the first nationwide study to directly address the associations between high-deductible insurance plans and the use of diagnostic imaging, researchers including Kimberley Geissler at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that patients enrolled in such health plans use about 7.5 percent fewer diagnostic tests such as MRI, X-rays and CT scans, than patients without such plans. Details appear in an early online edition of Medical Care.

Biological anthropologists look at skeletal remains of past cultures to gain insight into how earlier peoples lived, and forensic anthropologists work with modern-day law enforcement to decipher skeletal evidence and solve crimes. Forensic experts at North Carolina State University have now published guidance on how research into modern-day forensic analysis of child-abuse victims can be used to shed light on how children of earlier cultures were treated.

Researchers from KU Leuven, Belgium, have identified the cause of abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). As a result, they were able to select a medicine that could reduce or end that pain. This medicine is already used to treat hay fever.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a staple of modern day medicine in which cardiologists place a stent in a blood vessel around the heart in order to restore blood flow in people with heart disease. Blood thinners allow for the procedure to be completed with a reduced risk of certain complications such as clots. In 2015, a potent intravenous blood thinner, cangrelor, was FDA approved for this purpose following positive results from a multi-center trial. However, the efficacy and safety of blood thinners in women has not been previously well studied.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The two types of youth gun violence couldn't be more different, but the ways to prevent them remain largely the same, according to a new report by some of America's top violence researchers.

School rampage shootings and street shootings by youth differ in dramatic ways: They are done by different types of youth for different reasons, and often have very different risk factors.

Cincinnati, OH, January 14, 2016 -- In 2011, almost 13% of high school students had been victimized with weapons. Weapon-related violence among adolescents can lead to injuries and long-term mental health problems. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that the risk and protective factors for carrying and using weapons vary by race and gender.

New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that low resistance to stress in men at age 18 years can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood by up to 50%. The study is by Dr Casey Crump, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, and colleagues in Sweden and the USA.

A new article finds that people living in countries with public service broadcasting are better informed about government and politics, are more trusting of other people, and have more positive civic attitudes. They also have greater confidence in democratic institutions and are more likely to engage in democratic politics.

The Political Quarterly article, which provides an overview of relevant research, also found that social trust is higher in countries with a significant public service element in their media systems.

Diabetes, smoking, coronary heart disease, and congestive heart failure may increase the risk of premature death for hospitalized individuals and nursing home residents with dementia. Men with dementia were also more likely to experience early death compared with their female counterparts.

The findings come from a recent review and meta-analysis of published studies on the effects of heart disease and related risk factors on mortality in individuals diagnosed with dementia. The review included 12 studies with 235,865 participants.

Flavonoid-rich foods are associated with a reduced risk of erectile dysfunction - according to a new collaborative study from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Harvard University.

Research published today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that eating foods rich in certain flavonoids is associated with a reduced risk of erectile dysfunction in men, with the greatest benefit in those under 70.

Migrants' thinking styles and social values rapidly shift over a single generation to become more similar to those of the wider society they have moved into, new research has indicated.

A study led by the University of Exeter has concluded that the children of people who migrated to the UK tend to think and reason in a way that is more typical of the wider UK population. The research allays fears that migrating communities will fail to integrate due to psychological differences, according to the team.

The new year could be a safer one for workers. A law passed by Congress last October will increase civil fines for violators of workplace safety standards. And to boost accountability further, the Departments of Justice and Labor are teaming up to couple worker safety with harsher criminal penalties, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.

CHICAGO: Expectant mothers who sustain a traumatic injury and receive care at a hospital with a designated trauma center experience better outcomes than those treated at a non-trauma hospital. They are less likely to experience preterm labor (give birth prematurely), have a low birth weight infant, or have meconium at delivery (a sign of fetal distress), according to new study results published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons in advance of print publication later this year.