Culture

Highlights

Among patients with chronic kidney disease, more severe stages of disease were significant predictors of falling into poverty, as were black ethnicity, low educational attainment, single adult household, and low income.

San Francisco --Rheumatoid arthritis patients are twice as likely as the average person to develop heart disease, but a new study shows that efforts to prevent heart problems and diagnose and treat heart disease early may be paying off. Despite the heightened danger, deaths from cardiovascular disease among people with rheumatoid arthritis are declining, the research found. The study was among Mayo Clinic research being presented at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting.

ORLANDO, Florida, Nov. 8, 2015 -- If you eat more meals prepared at home, you may reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

People who ate about two homemade lunches or dinners each day -- or about 11-14 meals a week -- had a 13 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to people who ate less than six homemade lunches or dinners a week. Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease.

People with heart disease face an increased risk of a serious heart attack during poor air quality days, according to a major new study presented today at the American Heart Association Scientific Session in Orlando.

The study of more than 16,000 patients by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City examined patients who had suffered three types of heart attacks - STEMI, non-STEMI, and unstable angina - to identify which type of heart attack was more likely on days when the air was especially polluted.

Researchers have found that the recurrence of atrial fibrillation increases in patients who are overweight and decreases when patients are able to lose weight, and keep it off, following a cardiac ablation, according to two new studies.

Many LGBT people in Tacloban, Philippines have achieved new-found acceptance in their communities, including a dramatic rise in the number of people using dating applications such as Grindr and Tinder, in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, according to research co-led by the University of Leicester with researchers at Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines.

A study at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) evaluating the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) in patients with lupus finds that the questionnaire is valid in assessing subjective patient experience. Researchers also observed a disconnect between the patient perspective and objective signs and symptoms, underscoring the need to integrate patient-reported outcomes into clinical care to ensure optimal disease management.

Scotland can lead in international public health impact assessment of unconventional gas extraction, according to a new report by University of Stirling academics, though they lag in replacing more polluting fossil fuels with cleaner natural gas.

The Scottish Government announced a moratorium on the controversial extraction processes which includes fracking, coal bed methane and underground coal gasification, until it publishes a full assessment of the technology.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- When it comes to preventing stroke, millions of Americans with irregular heartbeats face a choice: Take one of the powerful but pricey new pills they see advertised on TV, or a much cheaper 60-year-old drug can be a hassle to take, and doesn't prevent stroke as well.

It doesn't seem like much of a contest -- until you do the math. Which a University of Michigan Medical School team has just done.

Highlights

Highlights

Among kidney failure patients who were followed for 5 years, home hemodialysis patients were 4-times more likely to die than kidney transplant recipients. In elderly kidney failure patients, home hemodialysis patients had nearly a 5-times higher risk of dying during follow-up than kidney transplant patients. The studies' findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2015 November 3-8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

As the American media continues to buzz over who is more or less likely to secure the Republican and Democratic nominations for U.S. President, researchers in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution review some interesting perspectives on the nature of leadership. The experts from a wide range of disciplines examined patterns of leadership in a set of small-scale mammalian societies, including humans and other social mammals such as elephants and meerkats.

A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-- developed system for determining which patients with severe strokes are most likely to benefit from catheter-based systems for blood clot removal led to a greater percentage of screened patients receiving treatment and to outcomes similar to recent studies that found significant treatment benefits.

A recent study indicates that a newly designed vital sign monitoring system can improve patient safety in medical and surgical units without an abundance of unnecessary alarms.

Sunday GP appointments are unlikely to meet the needs of patients - according to a new report from the University of East Anglia.

New research on weekend GP opening published today in the British Journal of General Practice reveals the views of more than 800,000 patients.

The study found that four out of five people are happy with traditional GP opening times and that weekend appointments are wanted most by younger, working people.