Culture

Researchers are reporting a breakthrough toward developing an artificial pancreas as a treatment for diabetes and other conditions by combining mechanical artificial pancreas technology with transplantation of islet cells, which produce insulin.

In a study of 14 patients with pancreatitis who underwent standard surgery and auto-islet transplantation treatments, a closed-loop insulin pump, which relies on a continuous cycle of feedback information related to blood measurements, was better than multiple daily insulin injections for maintaining normal blood glucose levels.

ANN ARBOR--Kids and teens who take medications like Ritalin to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are twice as likely to be physically or emotionally bullied by peers than those who don't have ADHD, a new University of Michigan study found.

At even higher risk were middle and high school students who sold or shared their medications--those kids were four-and-a-half times likelier to be victimized by peers than kids without ADHD.

Fewer than one in three hospitals employ a full-time doctor who specialises in liver medicine, according to a survey of 144 hospitals in the UK. The results - published as part of a new report examining progress since The Lancet Commission on Addressing Liver Disease in the UK was published in 2014 - suggest that staffing levels for liver specialists are worryingly low in some regions, and that patient outcomes may be suffering as a result.

New research published in The Lancet has shown that a drug, currently used in the treatment of Type II diabetes, can be effective in clearing fatty liver disease from some patients.

The researchers from the University of Birmingham believe that the findings present the possibility of new therapies for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, for which there is no current licensed treatment.

The trial was the first of its type to look into the action of liraglutide in the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Highlights

• After 6 months of treatment with hydroxyurea, sickle cell disease patients' kidney function, as measured by the urinary albumin/creatine ratio, improved significantly.

Washington, DC (November 19, 2015) -- A drug used to treat sickle cell disease may provide an added benefit of protecting patients' kidney function, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

A report by Dr Kirsty Horsey at the University of Kent has discovered it is a myth that a high proportion of potential parents from the UK go overseas if they need to use surrogacy.

Written in conjunction with Surrogacy UK and other organisations, this is the first report of its kind and provides an unprecedented insight into how surrogacy is practised in the UK, dispelling a number of pervasive myths that have informed recent debate on the issue.

Stem cell research led by the Babraham Institute has uncovered key new knowledge about how placental stem cells switch between maintaining a stem cell identity to setting off down the route to becoming specialised cell types.

HOUSTON - (Nov. 19, 2015) - The number of high-skilled Mexican entrepreneurs migrating to the United States has increased in recent years, but the trend is not solely in response to organized crime activity in Mexico, according to a new research paper from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Based on in-depth interviews with Mexican entrepreneurs working and living in the Greater Houston area, the paper analyzes the various push and pull factors that lead these entrepreneurs to seek opportunities in the U.S.

Greece was declared malaria free in 1974, however, in 2011 a resurgence of P. vivax malaria was seen in Southern Greece in connection with the presence of agricultural workers from malaria-endemic regions in malaria receptive areas. Standard control measures were implemented for one year (i.e. Active case detection, intensifies vector control), after which a program of mass drug administration (MDA) was implemented to provide the entire local immigrant population with a curative course of antimalarial drugs.

Social media has become engrained into almost every area of our life, but should you really be Facebook friends with your doctor?

In a recent AMA Journal of Ethics article titled "Why Can't We Be Friends? A Case-Based Analysis of Ethical Issues with Social Media in Health Care," two Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine professors analyze this issue. Kayhan Parsi, JD, PhD, and Nanette Elster, JD, MPH, who are part of Loyola's Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics, discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media and health care.

BOSTON (November 19, 2015) -- In a large prospective community-based study of older Americans, modest physical activity was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This was true even among men and women older than age 75 at baseline - a rapidly growing population for whom regular activity has been advised, but with little supportive empirical evidence.

We all know how important it is to keep our levels of blood cholesterol - especially the 'bad' variety - in check with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Although cholesterol is a key structural component of cell membranes and is vital for the biosynthesis of certain hormones and vitamins, high levels can lead to the formation of arterial plaques, which are a major risk factor for coronary heart disease.

Among 526 adolescents and young adults who were asked about their exercise habits, those with asthma tended to report more physical activity than those without asthma. Compared with moderate physical activity, high physical activity levels were linked with poorer asthma control in females, but not in males.

Sophia Antipolis, 19 Nov. 2015: Thrombus aspiration before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) does not improve 12-month clinical outcomes in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), according to results from the TATORT-NSTEMI trial published today in European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care

A new study launched today (Thursday 19 November) has revealed key steps for hospitals to improve care for pregnant mums and babies.

It follows an investigation by a team of experts into 133 cases of stillbirth in 2013 - and found that national guidance was not followed by hospitals in the majority of cases and identified 'missed opportunities' which could have potentially saved babies lives.