Culture

Although there are anecdotal reports indicating that cannabinoids, especially marijuana (or herbal cannabis), may be of therapeutic benefit for some patients with rheumatic complaints, a new review published in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), finds scant scientific evidence supporting any use of cannabinoids in rheumatic diseases. Furthermore, not a single controlled study has examined herbal cannabis in the rheumatology patient population.

HOUSTON - (Nov. 6, 2015) - Negative body image significantly increases the risk of obesity regardless of whether youth have depression, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health.

We, on average, for our entire history have associated with about 150 other people, and now after millions of years of doing that, we are a very social animal. – Professor of population studies at Stanford University, author and ecologist Paul Ehrlich, speaking on Q&A, November 2, 2015.

People with heart problems often have diabetes, which puts them at greater risk for heart attacks, heart failure and stroke. Now, a new study has found that ensuring heart attack patients are promptly diagnosed and treated for diabetes makes a significant difference in improving their cardiac outcomes.

For the study, researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City evaluated nearly 6,000 patients who were treated for heart attacks between 2002 and 2013 by Intermountain Healthcare clinicians.

In a study examining the effect of financial incentives to improve lipid levels among patients in primary care practices, shared financial incentives for physicians and patients, but not incentives to physicians or patients alone, resulted in a modest reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels after 12 months, according to a study in the November 10 issue of JAMA. This issue, a cardiovascular disease theme issue, coincides with the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

In a multiethnic, middle-aged and older study population, the prevalence of myocardial scars (evidence of a heart attack) was nearly 8 percent, of which nearly 80 percent were unrecognized by electrocardiography or clinical evaluation, according to a study in the November 10 issue of JAMA. This issue, a cardiovascular disease theme issue, coincides with the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

Although frequent laboratory monitoring of patients with heart failure following initiation of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists is supported by the results of large clinical trials and recommended in guidelines, there appears to be low rates of monitoring in clinical practice, according to a study in the November 10 issue of JAMA. This issue, a cardiovascular disease theme issue, coincides with the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

Among patients with peripheral artery disease and intermittent claudication (cramping pain in the legs due to poor circulation in the arteries, aggravated by walking), a combination therapy of endovascular revascularization (an invasive procedure to improve blood flow in an artery) followed by supervised exercise resulted in greater improvement in walking distances and health-related quality-of-life measures at one year compared with supervised exercise only, according to a study in the November 10 issue of JAMA.

Mihai Gheorghiade, M.D., of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, and colleagues randomly assigned 456 patients with worsening chronic HF and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (a measure of how well the left ventricle of the heart pumps with each beat) to receive placebo or 1 of 4 daily target doses of the medication vericiguat for 12 weeks. This JAMA study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

PHILADELPHIA - Providing financial incentives to both primary care physicians and patients leads to a greater reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in patients than paying only the physician or only the patient, according to a new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, which is the first to test physician-only and patient-only incentives compared to incentives shared by patients and physicians, is published in the November 10 issue of JAMA.

ORLANDO -- Using a video to train family members of patients at risk for cardiac arrest in CPR may be just as effective as using the traditional hands-on method with a manikin, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings suggest simplified and more cost-effective approaches may be useful for disseminating CPR education to families of at-risk patients and the general public. The results are being presented during the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015.

PHILADELPHIA -In an attempt to correct defects in the energy generation that contributes to poor pump function among heart failure patients, researchers examined whether the diabetes drug liraglutide, could improve the condition of patients with advanced heart failure. Despite improvements in blood sugar control, the therapy did not improve the clinical stability or pumping action of the heart in patients with advanced heart failure. Kenneth B.

PHILADELPHIA - Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), which afflicts more than 26 million Americans, is a condition in which individuals experience a slow loss of kidney function over time. At the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will present findings from their analysis of the Chronic Renal Insufficiently Cohort (CRIC) study to evaluate risk markers for adverse cardiac events in patients with CKD.

Highlights

Highlights

African American, Native American, and Asian dialysis patients were 43% to 44% less likely than whites to use hospice before dying.