Culture

WASHINGTON (Dec. 7, 2015) -- The most crowded emergency departments in the U.S. have not adopted proven interventions to address crowding, a major public health concern.

Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) looked at crowding in U.S. hospitals from 2007-10 and found that while the adoption of strategies to reduce emergency department crowding has increased, many of the nation's most crowded emergency departments have not adopted effective interventions.

ORLANDO-- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who stopped taking the kinase inhibitors (KIs), ibrutinib or idelalisib, had mostly favorable outcomes when they switched to the alternate therapy, according to a large multi-center study, conducted in part at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Prefabricated foot orthoses and rocker-sole footwear (in which the sole of the shoe is curved) are effective at reducing peak pressure under the big toe in people with a condition called first metatarsophalangeal joint osteoarthritis, but new research shows that they achieve this through different mechanisms. Also, rocker-sole shoes exhibited lower peak pressure under the lesser toes and midfoot, while orthoses increased peak pressure in these areas.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic proportions, with more than half of patients being treated for chronic pain reportedly misusing their medication at some point.

However, new research led by University at Buffalo psychiatric nursing researcher Yu-Ping Chang found motivational interviewing, a form of behavioral counseling, is an effective tool at curbing the abuse.

ORLANDO - Ninety-three percent of pediatric patients (55 of 59) with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) went into remission after receiving an investigational therapy made from their own immune cells, with continuous remissions of over one year in 18 patients and over two years in nine patients. In an emerging new use of the same therapy, known as CTL019, more than half of patients (15 of 28) with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) also responded to infusions of the personalized cellular therapy.

WASHINGTON (Dec. 7, 2015) -- Patients with moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease who received cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator had a lower risk of hospitalization for heart failure or death from this condition compared to patients who received only an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Americans' attitudes about environmental issues aren't simply polarized into pro- and anti-environment, but rather are spread across a diverse spectrum. A new study from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies finds that attitudes about environmental issues are influenced by a combination of experience, interaction with natural environments, and religious and political views about the responsibilities of humankind as a whole, and government in particular.

PHILADELPHIA, December 7, 2015 - Around the globe there is high interest in the use of cannabidiol (CBD), a type of cannabinoid, for the treatment of people with epilepsy, especially children who have treatment-resistant forms of the disorder such as Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome (DS). Three studies presented at the American Epilepsy Society's 69th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia highlight emerging efficacy and safety data of Epidiolex, a pharmaceutical liquid formulation of cannabidiol, which is currently undergoing U.S.

Have you ever suspected that your oven is running too hot and burning your baked goods? Are your kitchen knives dull? Or maybe you just opened a bottle of wine that smells less than divine. Reactions' chemistry life hacks series is back to help you solve these culinary challenges, along with the chemistry explanations to back them up:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- When Congress passed the Older Americans Act in 1965 to support elderly people who were struggling -- often alone -- to continue to live at home, a major plank of the legislation provided for home delivery of meals to ensure their adequate nutrition. In the midst of the holiday season, a newly published study confirms another benefit of visitors regularly knocking on the doors of seniors in need: a significant reduction in their feelings of loneliness.

ORLANDO, FL - Midostaurin added to standard chemotherapy is the first targeted treatment to improve survival of a high-risk, genetically defined subgroup of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), reported Dr. Richard Stone, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, on behalf of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology group, in a plenary session at the 57th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando.

ORLANDO, FL - Midostaurin added to standard chemotherapy is the first targeted treatment to improve survival of a high-risk, genetically defined subgroup of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), reported Dr. Richard Stone, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, on behalf of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology group, in a plenary session at the 57th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando.

Nyon, Switzerland - December 7, 2015 Diabetes is a widespread chronic disease which is a public health issue of increasing importance in the Middle East. Health professionals who treat diabetic patients often do not recognize that fragility fractures are a major complication of the disease.

Reduced antibiotic prescribing is associated with lower patient satisfaction on the national General Practice Patient Survey, according to a new study by King's College London. The study found a 25 per cent lower rate of antibiotic prescribing by a GP practice corresponded to a 5-6 point reduction on GP satisfaction rankings.

Older adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia may have an alternative to toxic chemotherapy as their first treatment, according to a national study to be reported online Dec. 6, 2015, in the New England Journal of Medicine and co-authored by a Wilmot Cancer Institute oncologist.